Wonder Pets!

Wonder Pets!
File:Wonder Pets Logo.svg Wonder Pets! logo
Genre	Animated series
Created by	Josh Selig
Directed by	Jennifer Oxley
Voices of	Sofie Zamchick Teala Dunn Danica Lee
Theme music composer	Salim-Sulaiman
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	42 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	22 minutes
Original release
Network	Nickelodeon Nick Jr.
Release	March 3, 2006 (2006-03-03) – July 20, 2013 (2013-07-20)

Wonder Pets! is an American animated children's television series. It debuted March 3, 2006, on the Nick Jr. block of the Nickelodeon cable television network and Noggin (now Nick Jr.) on the same day. It won an Emmy Award in 2008 and 2010 for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition in the United States.

History and format

The Wonder Pets! television series was created by Josh Selig for Little Airplane Productions. The show was first seen as a short Nick Jr.'s film series called Linny the Guinea Pig, in which a guinea pig named Linny traveled into space and under the ocean. Ming-Ming Duckling and Turtle Tuck were created when the show was expanded and called The Super Singing Power Pets!. The title was later shortened to Wonder Pets. The show's main characters are three elementary school classroom pets — Linny the Guinea Pig, Turtle Tuck, and Ming-Ming Duckling. They are presented as a trio of heroes who rescue baby animals as they demonstrate the benefits of teamwork.

The animation style used to create Wonder Pets! is called "photo-puppetry", and was created for the series to allow animators to manipulate photographs of real animals. It also uses drawn objects (not characters), so the total presentation could be considered animated mixed-media.

A good deal of the dialog is sung, so the show has been likened to operetta or singspiel. A 10-member live orchestra performs each episode, sometimes including other instrumentalists skilled in music from the region to which the pets are traveling during the episode. Completing each episode takes thirty-three weeks from script to final delivery.

Main characters

• Linny the Guinea Pig (voiced by Sofie Zamchick in the US version and Meisha Kelly in the UK version) is a guinea pig who is the leader of the Wonder Pets. As a superhero, she wears an orange-yellow cap and a blue cape. Linny appears to be the most educated of the group, often providing different zoological and geographical information to the others. She is usually the one to remind the group about teamwork or other values and offer praise. She leads Ming-Ming and Tuck in most of the show's primary songs and usually has the responsibility of starting the "Flyboat". Linny's catch phrase is "This calls for some celery!", usually declared at the conclusion of each adventure. Before Wonder Pets, Linny starred in a few three-minute shorts on Nick Jr. titled Linny the Guinea Pig, where Linny would explore different environments such as the ocean and outer space.

• Turtle Tuck (voiced by Teala Dunn in the US and Catherine Holden in the UK) is a young turtle. He is described as sensitive with an emotional connection to living things and the heart of the group. As a superhero, he wears a white French sailor's cap, blue Aquasocks, and a red cape. Tuck is empathetic, often desiring to give the rescued animals a hug or keeping them company while Linny and Ming-Ming put their rescue plan into action. He also has keen observational skills, spotting things from a distance, which often garners him the compliment, "Good eye, Tuck!".

• Ming-Ming Duckling is 3-years-old, and is an overconfident young duck. As a superhero, she wears a leather pilot's helmet, goggles, and a green cape. Unlike the other Wonder Pets, she has the ability to fly. She can also speak "bird", allowing her to talk to other birds that the Wonder Pets encounter. Ming-Ming also believes that her great-grandfather was an eagle. Ming-Ming sometimes tries to take on big problems by herself and in one episode ("Save the Duckling") she even becomes the animal that needed rescuing. Ming-Ming often provides comic relief in the show, and is the Wonder Pet mostly likely to use irony and mild sarcasm. Ming-Ming is voiced by Danica Lee in the United States version, and Kaya Alexander in the UK version. When Lee auditioned for the role, she pronounced her "R" sounds as "W" sounds like a child would speak (as in "This is Se-wious!"). The producers said that Lee's speech impediment had an endearing quality and that young children commonly mispronounce certain sounds. Danica Lee has been nominated twice, in 2007 and 2008, for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program.

Recurring characters

• Ollie is a gray domestic rabbit that visits the Wonder Pets' school from time to time. He first appears in the episode, "Save The Skunk!". Ollie was originally voiced by T.J. Stanton in "Save The Skunk!", "Ollie to the Rescue", "Here's Ollie!", but is now performed Cooper Corrao in the United States version.

• The Visitor is an extraterrestrial being who speaks some English, as shown in his two major appearances ("Save the Visitor!" and "Save the Visitor's Birthday Party!"). He also appears in "A Job Well Done!" in a photograph.

• Little Bee is a bee who appears in the series. Little Bee first guest stars in the Episode "Save the Bee!" where the pets shrink down to bug size, thanks to their shrinking machine, to help her collect flower nectar and make honey for the first time. She later made an appearance in "Save the Glowworm!" where she is friends with a cricket and a glowworm named Lucy, who is trying to find a talent. Her last appearance was in "The Adventures of Bee & Slug!", where she and a slug named Slug help watch the Flyboat, but then ends as an out-of-control joyride due to them sitting inside it when they weren't supposed to.

• Wingo Starfish is a pink star fish who appeared in "Wonder Pets Save the Beetles". Linny, Tuck, Ming-Ming, and Wingo Starfish all dress as the Beatles to go rescue the Beetles.

Episode structure

Each episode follows a similar structure, with some variation, in terms of the storyline and the musical form.

As each episode begins, viewers hear the school children, off-screen, leaving school at the end of the day. They say goodbye to the classroom pets. Once the classroom is vacant, a pencil holder rattles to create the ringing of a telephone. Often, the classroom will be decorated with student artwork or other items related to the storyline, particular animal or geographic location of that episode.

One by one, the classroom pets wordlessly notice the ringing phone. Up to this point in the episode, they have acted like normal animals and not said a single word. But as the phone rings, the Wonder Pets get dressed and make their way towards the phone while singing their opening verses.

The Wonder Pets answer the phone and find that an animal is in trouble somewhere. Linny, the Guinea Pig, explains the situation to the other two: Tuck, the turtle and Ming-Ming, the duckling. They all jump into a box filled with fabric scraps and jump back out, wearing various different outfits, often alluding to the area of the world they will be visiting. They make a quick joke then jump back into the box and emerge in their Wonder Pets capes.

Once dressed, they assemble a flying boat called "The Flyboat" from classroom objects: a flying disc for a body, felt marker caps as rocket exhausts, a marble, wheels, the mast, and a sheet of paper for the sail. Usually, the Wonder Pets encounter some sort of obstacle before leaving the classroom. The solution is invariably similar to the action they will need to take to save the animal in trouble.

When saving the animal, the Wonder Pets often fail on the first few attempts. Then the danger escalates, prompting Ming-Ming to once again sing, "This is se-wious!" Suddenly, the Wonder Pets remember how they solved the problem in the classroom and realize that the rescue has the same solution. Then they have to work together to achieve the rescue.

Once the animal is saved, a parent or other relative often comes out of nowhere to give grateful thanks to the Wonder Pets for saving its baby. The Wonder Pets celebrate with a celery snack, which the rescued animal's parent sometimes adds to with a bit of regional food, or they insist on a regional preparation. Then they fly back to the classroom. They wordlessly return to their cages until the next episode. The Flying boat smoothly disassembles by itself. Linny is always the last one to get back in her cage, and her cape and cap come off. A music style having to do with that day's rescue is played, as Linny takes a bite out of the celery in her cage and winks towards the camera as the closing credits begin.

Episodes

Main article: List of Wonder Pets episodes

Flyboat

The Flyboat is the primary mode of transportation in the series. The main base is a red flying disc with 4 blue and yellow wheels, it has 3 lights: 1 green, 1 orange and 1 purple; the Flyboat has a clear plastic bottom where 5 gears, that are possibly part of the engine, are visible. The Flyboat's rocket boosters are 2 felt marker caps that are controlled by a green Popsicle stick that when lifted up makes boosters point down, which allows the Flyboat to hover in the air. Lastly the boat has a mast made out of blue Erector pieces with a marble on top and a sail (the color,design, and print varies) with the Wonder Pets logo on it. Usually, Linny drives the Flyboat, but there are episodes where Ming-Ming or Tuck drive instead. Most other modes of transportation are a variation of the Flyboat and primarily use the same components.

Toys and merchandising

Fisher Price began distributing a line of official Wonder Pets toys in the U.S. in March 2008. Toys include the Flyboat, figurine playsets and plush animals. These figurine playsets have each Wonder Pet saving a different baby animal. These include Linny saving a baby penguin, Tuck saving a baby bluebird and Ming-Ming rescuing a kitten. In addition there is a whale playset for the tub. Nickelodeon Universe, a theme park inside Minnesota's Mall of America, also has a children's ride dedicated to the Flyboat.

Media

DVD compilations

Name	Release Date	Episodes
Save the Wonder Pets! (Alt title: Save the Blowfish)	April 24, 2005	"Save the Wonder Pets!" (Alt title: "Save the Blowfish"), "Save the Caterpillar!", "Save the Crane!", "Save the Sea Lions!", "Save the Kangaroo!", "Save the Hedgehog!", and "Save the Crocodile!"
Save The Unicorn!	September 11, 2005	"Save the Unicorn!", "Save the Penguin!", "Save the Swan!", "Save the Puppy!", "Save the Three Little Pigs!", "Save the Owl!", "Save the Bullfrog!", and "Save the Poodle!"
Save the Reindeer!	October 2, 2005	"Save the Reindeer!", "Save the Goldfish!", "Save the Baby Birds!", "Save the Camel!", "Save the Ants!", "Save the Egg!", and "Save the Flamingo!"
Save the Dinosaur!	February 12, 2006	"Save the Dinosaur!", "Save the Pigeon!", "Save the Dragon!", "Save the Beaver!", "Save the Bee!", "Save the Squirrel!", "Save the Dolphin!", and "Save the Chimp!"
Save the Beetles!	April 22, 2006	"Save the Beetles!", "Three Wonder Pets and a Baby!", "Save the Duckling!", "Save the Kitten!", "Save the Chameleon!", "Save the Platypus!", "Save the Sheep!", and "Save the Hermit Crab!"
Save the Nursery Rhyme!	June 3, 2006	"Help the Cow Jump Over the Moon!", "Save the Itsy Bitsy Spider!", "Save the Griffin!", "Save the Rooster!", "Save Little Red Riding Hood!", "Save the Turtle!", "Save the Panda!", and "Save the Mouse!"
Save the Bengal Tiger!	September 9, 2006	"Save the Bengal Tiger!", "Save the Ladybug!", "Save the Sea Turtle!", "Save the Gecko!", "Save the What?", "Save the Goslings!", and "Ollie to the Rescue!"
Save the Nutcracker!	October 7, 2006	"Save the Nutcracker!", "Save the Old White Mouse", "The Adventures of Bee and Slug!", "Save the Kangaroo", "Save the Cricket", "Save the Cow", and "Save the Skunk"
Join the Circus!	February 24, 2007	"Join the Circus", "Save the Rat Pack", "Fiddler Crab on the Roof", "Save the Armadillo", "Save the Visitor", "Save the Tree", and "Save the Elephant"
Ollie's Slumber Party	September 10, 2007	"Here's Ollie", "Save the Hound Dog", "The Amazing Ollie!", "Help the Monster!", "Save the Cool Cat and the Hip Hippo!", "Tuck and Buck", "Save the Dancing Duck!", "Save the Dalmatian!"
The First Rescue	July 26, 2010	"How It All Began", "Happy Mother's Day!", "Save the Sun Bear!", "Save the Mermaid!", "Save the Visitor's Birthday Party!", "A Job Well Done!", "Save the Rhino!"

Books (Wonder Pets! series)

• Arranged in publication date order.

1. Josh Selig (2008-01-08). Teamwork Saves the Day!: Book and Beanie Baby Gift Set. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ISBN 978-1-4169-4797-4.
2. Little Airplane Productions; Jennifer Oxley (2008-07-29). Flyboat Adventures. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ISBN 978-1-4169-4742-4.
3. Josh Selig (2008-07-29). Go, Wonder Pets!. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ISBN 978-1-4169-4723-3.
4. Josh Selig (2008-07-29). The Wonder Pets Save the Dinosaur!. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ISBN 978-1-4169-4724-0.
5. Jennifer Oxley; Little Airplane Productions (2008-07-29). Let's Count Baby Animals!. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ISBN 978-1-4169-6393-6.
6. Josh Selig (2008-07-29). Good Night, Wonder Pets!. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ISBN 978-1-4169-6154-3.
7. Melinda Richards (2008-07-29). The Wonder Pets Save the Hedgehog!. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ISBN 978-1-4169-4727-1.
8. Billy Lopez; Little Airplane Productions (2008-08-26). Save the Bengal Tiger!. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ISBN 978-1-4169-6495-7.
9. We Can Help!. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. 2008-08-26. ISBN 978-1-4169-6865-8.
10. Wonder pets!: save the reindeer!. 2008-10-07. ISBN 978-1-4169-6174-1.
11. Heather R. Tilert (2008-10-21). Ming-Ming Saves the Day: Follow the Reader Level 1. Simon Scribbles. ISBN 978-1-4169-6459-9.
12. Jennifer Oxley (2008-10-28). Let's Find Colors!. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ISBN 978-1-4169-5824-6.
13. Josh Selig; Little Airplane Productions (2008-12-16). The Wonder Pets Love You!. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ISBN 978-1-4169-6457-5.
14. Josh Selig; Melanie Pal; Little Airplane Productions (2008-12-23). Join the Circus. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ISBN 978-1-4169-7581-6.
15. Kermit Frazier; Little Airplane Productions (2009-01-06). Save the Tree!: Little Green Nickelodeon. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ISBN 978-1-4169-5111-7.
16. You Can Fly, Bumblebee!. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. 2009-01-27. ISBN 978-1-4169-7107-8.
17. Billy Lopez; Little Airplane Productions (2009-01-27). Save the Egg!. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ISBN 978-1-4169-7103-0.
18. Tone Thyne (2009-02-10). ABC Party. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ISBN 978-1-4169-7104-7.
19. Josh Selig (2009-03-24). My Family Loves Me!. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ISBN 978-1-4169-7515-1.
20. Clark Stubbs (2009-06-23). Let's Discover Shapes!. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ISBN 978-1-4169-7196-2.
21. Save the Three Little Pigs!. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. 2009-06-23. ISBN 978-1-4169-7198-6.
22. Sascha Paladino; Little Airplane Productions (2009-06-23). Off to School!. Simon Spotlight. ISBN 978-1-4169-7197-9.
23. Save the Visitor!. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. 2009-06-23. ISBN 978-1-4169-7868-8.
24. Baby Beaver Rescue. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. 2009-07-14. ISBN 978-1-4169-8499-3.
25. Save Little Red Riding Hood!. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. 2009-07-14. ISBN 978-1-4169-8566-2.
26. Happy Halloween, Wonder Pets!. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. 2009-08-04. ISBN 978-1-4169-7982-1.
27. Save the Beetles!. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. 2009-09-22. ISBN 978-1-4169-9019-2.
28. The Wonder Pets Save the Nutcracker!: A Play-Along Storybook. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. 2009-10-06. ISBN 978-1-4169-9016-1.
29. Billy Lopez (2010-01-26). Ming-Ming's Favorite Things. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ISBN 978-1-4169-9062-8.
30. Laura Brown (2010-02-09). Let's Play Outside!. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ISBN 978-1-4169-9022-2.
31. Tone Thyne; Little Airplane Productions (2010-02-09). Let's Play the Opposites Game. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ISBN 978-1-4169-8507-5.
32. The Baby Bird Rescue!. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. 2010-02-09. ISBN 978-1-4169-9077-2.
33. Floppy's First Sleepover. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. 2010-06-08. ISBN 978-1-4169-9756-6.
34. Melinda Richards (2010-06-08). Flyboat to the Rescue!. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ISBN 978-1-4169-9752-8.
35. This Is Serious!: Recycling to the Rescue! / Little Green Nickelodeon. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. 2010-06-08. ISBN 978-1-4424-0231-7.
36. Michael Scanlon (2010-08-31). How We Met!. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ISBN 978-1-4424-0654-4.
37. Josh Selig (2010-09-07). We Are Thankful!. Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ISBN 978-1-4424-0677-3.

Source:

Soundtrack

Untitled

In addition to the DVDs and books, the show's self-titled track, Wonder Pets, was released on April 10, 2007. The soundtrack features songs from the show itself, including the main self-titled theme song.

Tracklisting

All songs are performed by the Wonder Pets unless otherwise noted.

1. The Wonder Pets!
2. Poor Baby Squirrel (Ming-Ming/Voiced by Danica Lee)
3. The Caterpillar's Song
4. Oh, Sheep-eee-hooo!
5. Tickle The Whale
6. To Be Free!
7. Hold On, Pigeon!
8. Fruit Salad
9. City Garden Rap
10. Hug A Hedgy
11. The Oasis
12. Hola, Hermit Crab!
13. Wee-Wee, Pee-Pee, Tinkle!
14. Brown Cow Down
15. Wonder Pets, We Love You!
16. The Wonder Pets! (Instrumental) (Wonder Pets Orchestra)

Source:

Game

The Wonder Pets! Save the Animals!

Publishers	2K Play
Publication	October 27, 2008 (US) April 3, 2009 (AUS)
Genres	Adventure
Systems	Nintendo DS, Wii
Players	1
Age range	3+
Website	Official website

The show's only game was released on October 27, 2008, in the United States and on April 3, 2009, in Australia for the Nintendo DS.

External links

• Official website
• Wonder Pets! at the Internet Movie Database
• Wonder Pets! at TV.com
• Wonder Pets! at TV Guide
• Entertainment Weekly interview of creator Josh Selig
• Gothamist interview of Josh Selig