Zoboomafoo

Zoboomafoo
Created by	Martin Kratt Chris Kratt Leo Eaton
Starring	Chris Kratt Martin Kratt Gord Robertson (voice of Zoboo) Genevieve Farrell (animal helper)
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	65 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Leo Eaton Peter Moss (1999-2000) Chris Kratt Martin Kratt
Producers	Maryland Public Television Cinar (Cookie Jar Entertainment)
Running time	29 minutes
Original release
Network	PBS
Release	January 25, 1999 – April 21, 2001

Zoboomafoo is an American children's television series that aired from January 25, 1999, to April 21, 2000, and is still shown today in syndication depending on the area, and it is regularly shown on PBS Kids Sprout. A total of 65 episodes were aired. A creation of the Kratt Brothers (Chris and Martin Kratt), it features a talking Coquerel's Sifaka, a type of lemur named Zoboomafoo, - or Zoboo for short - and a collection of repeat animal guests. Every episode begins with the Kratt brothers in "Animal Junction", a peculiar place in which the rules of nature change and wild animals come to visit and play. On January 19 2004 the show was pulled from its weekday airing.

Premise and structure

Upon their arrival at Animal Junction, the Kratt brothers lean out the window and summon Zoboomafoo, who is shown in a live-action segment as an actual lemur leaping across a field to reach them. When the lemur reaches Animal Junction, the Kratt brothers offer him a snack, generally some lemur-appropriate food like garbanzo beans or mango slices, whereupon the "real" lemur spins around on a turntable (yelling "Zobomafooooooooo") and becomes a talking lemur puppet. This change enables Zoboomafoo to lead into the main segment of the episode, which he begins by describing a "Mangatsika!" (a Malagasy word meaning "amazing") animal that he saw as he traveled to Animal Junction.

As he describes the animal, a song is played wondering "Who Could It Be?", while a cartoon shows the characteristics of the "mystery animal". At the end of the song, Chris and Martin attempt to guess the animal Zoboomafoo has described, and the mystery is solved when the animal or animals arrive at Animal Junction. Each episode has a theme, for example, baby animals, frightening animals, or the importance of play, and the arrival of the "mystery animal" leads the Kratts and Zoboo into a conversation about various aspects of that particular animal.

Zoboomafoo makes frequent forays into the zobooland world, where Zoboo and his friends tell stories. Chris and Martin also leave Animal Junction during each episode to better demonstrate the theme of the day, traveling to exotic places like India or Africa to visit the creatures there.

Segments

• Mystery Animal Song
• Zobooland
• Animal Helpers
• "They're Going to the Closet"
• Zobooland
• Animal Friends Song

Running gags

The show has some forms of slapstick and situation comedy as well. Running gags of the show include the Kratt brothers (and sometimes Zoboo) falling in a swimming pool, a mud puddle, and even falling down. The most prominent of these recurring jokes, the "closet" gag, involves a crammed closet which the brothers open to gather needed items for an exploration. As the Zoboomafoo puppet sings a song about the brothers' preparations for "going on a trip", the brothers open the door and an avalanche of outdoor items and clothing fall on them, knocking them over and resulting in laughter from the brothers. They then emerge from the pile of gear, fully equipped for their trip; in one episode, the brothers open the closet, expecting to be buried under its contents, only to find a clean and organized closet. A form of slapstick comedy shown in the show is when the Brothers or Zoboo gets hit by flying items, such as pies, balls, and even yarn thrown by animals. An example would be in the episode "Fling". Zoboomafoo's catchphrases are " Mangatsika!", "I meant to do that", and " I can't believe my mind!" Also, just before the trip, there is always a bird that flies down towards Animal Junction, causing the brothers to yell, "Incoming, Duck!" The bird isn't always a duck; sometimes it is an eagle, a falcon, or an owl.

Animal helpers

Another segment of the show features a group of children, including actress Genevieve Farrell who starred on the show for 26 episodes, known as the "Animal Helpers", who send messages to the Kratt brothers at Animal Junction via a series of birds; a barn owl, a vulture, a duck, and several others. The letters lead into short stories illustrating the Animal Helpers' interactions with the animals in their environment, performing small tasks such as placing a baby bird back in its nest, or leading a calf back to a mother cow.

Zoboo would also give the animals interesting names that have to do with their appearance, behavior, or personality. Examples: A male elephant was given the name "Toothbrush" because of his bristly hair; a young female chimp was named "Brainiac", because chimps are very intelligent; two sloths were named "Slow" and "Slower", because sloths are very slow; a dog was given the name "Lostnfound", because he was a lost dog, but was then found; and a tiger was named "Popper", because she pops balls, along with her sister "Pepper"; a white-fronted capuchin monkey was named "Fling" because he likes to throw things around; and a horse was named "Fuzz", because he's very soft. Other segments include: "Zoboomafoo", "I Feel (whatever Zoboo is feeling like today)" and "Come Make an Animal Friend Today".

Before the credits of each episode, the Kratt brothers mention animal facts that lead Zoboo to a joke. For example, "Knock-Knock. Who's there? Panther. Panther Who? Panther no pants, I'm going swimming."

Production notes

The actual lemur that portrays Zoboomafoo is Jovian, a captive Coquerel's Sifaka housed at the Duke Lemur Center in Durham, North Carolina. Partial filming for the show took place on location at the Lemur Center. Although the last new episode aired on PBS on Saturday April 21, 2001, PBS Kids Sprout airs reruns twice every afternoon, at 12:30 p.m. and again at 4:17 p.m. In 2003 the Kratt Brothers committed to a new show, Be the Creature, on the National Geographic Channel. Zoboomafoo still continues to air regularly on many PBS stations.

Response

Zoboomafoo received an Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Children's Series and a Parent's Choice award.

Episodes

Main article: List of Zoboomafoo episodes

Funding For Zoboomafoo

• Healthtex (1999-2000)
• Danimals (1999-Present)
• Viewers Like You (1999-present)

External links

• Zoboomafoo at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com show