Martha Speaks (TV series): Difference between revisions
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* A cooperative agreement from the [[United States Department of Education|United States Department of Education's]] Ready To Learn Grant (2008–present) |
* A cooperative agreement from the [[United States Department of Education|United States Department of Education's]] Ready To Learn Grant (2008–present) |
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* [[The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations]] (2008, 2011-present) |
* [[The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations]] (2008, 2011-present) |
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* [[Chuck E. Cheese's]] (2008–present) |
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* [[Kiddie Academy]] (2010-present) |
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* [[Chick-Fil-A]] (2011-present) |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Revision as of 19:05, 4 March 2011
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2008) |
| Martha Speaks | |
|---|---|
 The show's logo | |
| Created by | Based on the series of children's books by Susan Meddaugh |
| Country of origin | United States Canada |
| No. of seasons | 3 [1] |
| No. of episodes | 50 aired (70 confirmed)[2][3] (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 28 minutes (approximately 13 minutes per episode) |
| Original release | |
| Network | PBS |
| Release | September 1, 2008 – present |
Martha Speaks is an animated children's television program based on the 1992 children's book of the same name by Susan Meddaugh about a talking dog named Martha (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain), who is owned by ten-year-old Helen Lorraine (known in the books as Helen Finney). When Helen feeds Martha some alphabet soup, the soup travels to her brain instead of her stomach, resulting in her ability to speak. The show focuses on synonyms and vocabulary, with each episode featuring an underlying theme illustrated with key words. The show takes place in the fictional town of Wagstaff City, a parody of Flagstaff, Arizona.
The show is produced by WGBH in Boston along with Vancouver based animation studio Studio B Productions (a division of DHX Media), and debuted on September 1, 2008 on PBS Kids and PBS Kids Go! stations across the United States. Some episodes of this TV series and another PBS Kids show, Curious George, were available for limited theatrical release on January 3, 2009.[4]
The 3rd season of Martha Speaks premiered on PBS Kids on October 11, 2010.[5]
Production
The program is produced by Carol Greenwald, who was behind other WGBH programs like Arthur, its spinoff Postcards from Buster, and Curious George (among others), and was developed for television by Emmy Award-winning writer Ken Scarborough, the show's head writer and producer. Scarborough previously developed Arthur for television. He was head writer for the first two seasons, and was head writer for Doug.
Other writers include Joe Fallon (head writer of Curious George, former head writer of Arthur), Peter Hirsch (current head writer of Arthur), Raye Lankford (Curious George, Arthur, and Time Warp Trio), Pippin Parker (The Book of Pooh, Bear in the Big Blue House), Ron Holsey (Curious George) and Dietrich Smith (Doug, Arthur).
Music for the series and the theme song is by Canadian composer Daniel Ingram. The show is animated using Flash.[6]
Meddaugh, author of the book. is involved in the show and oversees the production.[7] Despite some concerns over the word definitions presented on the show, she said she is now satisfied that they do not interrupt the story.[8] Producer Carol Greenwald first contacted Meddaugh in the early days of Arthur;[9] the author has also been approached by HBO and Disney.[8]
Characters
Language system
Martha can understand most animal languages except for a few exotic animals such as monkeys and giraffes. These languages are simple, as slight elongation or slightly higher pitch will mean something entirely different. In the episode "Itchy Martha", Martha teaches T.D.'s father to speak a word in dog, coaching him to say it exactly right. Almost all animals are able to understand some sort of human language but are unable to speak it. In a newer episode, it is revealed that Martha understands a wide range of animal languages, possibly because they have the same grammar system. It is implied that this may be true for most animals.
Episodes
Season one of the series ended with a total of 40 episodes; it premiered in September 2009. A total of eleven episodes have aired out of the 30 episodes planned for season two. Currently the first half of season two has been revealed on the PBS Kids website.[10]
When aired, the show was followed by Music Time With Steve Songs and later by Dot's Story Factory. Season two episodes have been followed by a segment called Who's That Dog!, in which a clip of a kid and their dog is shown.
| Season | Episodes | First airdate | Last airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 40 | September 1, 2008 | July 24, 2009 |
| 2 | 15 | September 14, 2009 | May 14, 2010 |
| 3 | 21 | October 11, 2010 | May 28, 2011 |
Merchandise
PBS KIDS! reported that episodes of the series would be available as downloads in fall 2008.[11] Episodes can be from iTunes.[7]
In fall 2009, Martha Speaks launched its first list of official tie-in books, which include 24-page readers, chapter books, and a picture book.[9]
On March 9, 2010, the first season was released on DVD.[12] It featured eight episodes from Season One: "Martha Says It with Flowers," "Raiders of the Lost Art," "Martha Gets Spooked," "Martha Changes Her Luck," "Martha Sings," "TD Makes the Band," "There Goes the Neighborhood," and "Ice Scream."
Funding
- The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (2008–present)
- A cooperative agreement from the United States Department of Education's Ready To Learn Grant (2008–present)
- The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations (2008, 2011-present)
|Contributions to your PBS stations from Viewers Like You]] (2008–present)
See also
References
- ^ Weiss, Joanna (August 17, 2008). "PBS set to unleash a new tutor". The Boston Globe.
- ^ Weiss, Joanna (August 17, 2008). "PBS set to unleash a new tutor". The Boston Globe.
- ^ http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6589305.html?nid=2788
- ^ Kidtoon Films
- ^ http://www.opb.org/television/programs/martha-speaks/
- ^ "2008: The year that was". Top Draw Animation. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
- ^ a b "Martha Speaks . FAQ". PBS KIDS!. WGBH. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
- ^ a b Nesi, Ted (2009-05-12). "Good dog". Wheaton Quarterly. Wheaton College. Retrieved 2009-07-31. [dead link]
- ^ a b ‘Martha Speaks’ to Launch on PBS - 8/21/2008 - Publishers Weekly
- ^ http://pbskids.org/martha/parentsteachers/program/episodes.html
- ^ Martha Speaks . FAQ | PBS KIDS!
- ^ http://www.igglevideo.com/content/movies/index.html?client=iggle&id=120644
External links
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| See also | |
