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WordGirl

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This article is about the television series. For the fictional character, see List of WordGirl characters § WordGirl/Becky Botsford.
WordGirl
File:WordGirl.gif
The title character with the show logo above her.
GenreChildren's television series
Created byDorothea Gillim
Developed byDorthea Gillim;
Jack D. Ferraiolo
Directed byDavid SanAngelo
Voices ofDannah Phirman,
Tom Kenny,
Maria Bamford,
Cree Summer,
Ryan Raddatz,
Patton Oswalt,
Fred Stoller,
Larry Murphy (actor)
Jack D.Ferraiolo,
James Adomian,
Grey DeLisle,
Jeffrey Tambor
Narrated byChris Parnell;
Rodger Parsons (Interstitials; uncredited)
Theme music composerSteven D'Angelo and Terry Tompkins
Country of origin United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes78
(50 aired as of 5/4/10)
Production
Executive producersDorothea Gillim (Season 1);
Deborah Forte (as of Season 2)
ProducersWill Shepard (Season 1);
Danielle Gillis (as of Season 2)
Running time30 min.
Original release
NetworkPBS
ReleaseSeptember 3, 2007 (2007-09-03) –
present

WordGirl is an American children’s animated television series, produced by the Soup2Nuts animation unit of Scholastic Entertainment for PBS Kids. The show began as a series of shorts that premiered on PBS Kids GO! on November 10, 2006, usually shown at the end of Maya & Miguel; the segment was then spun off into a new thirty-minute episodic series that premiered on September 3, 2007 on most PBS member stations. This animated show is aimed at people seven and older and is designed to teach about the expansive English language. This is also the first PBS Kids program to have a TV-Y7 rating.[1] The first two seasons each have twenty-six episodes; on June 10, 2009 it was announced that a third season is currently in production and will debut in 2010 with an additional twenty-six episodes.

The show is also seen on some educational networks in Canada, including Knowledge in British Columbia and TVOntario. The program is also syndicated internationally in places such as Australia and Italy, and also airs on Discovery Kids Latin America. The Spanish version is called "La chica súper sabia" (The super wise girl) and it is translated and dubbed in Caracas, Venezuela. There's a Catalan version called "La Súper Mots" and a Portuguese version called "Super Sabina".

Background

The show’s creator, Dorothea Gillim, believes that children’s shows often underestimate children’s intelligence:

Part of my mission is to make kids’ television smart and funny. I feel as though we’ve lost some ground there, in an effort to make it more accessible. WordGirl's focus is on great stories, characters, and animation. If all those elements are working, then you can hook a child who may come looking for laughs but leave a little smarter.

[2][3]

Each eleven-minute segment in each episode (except for the first three episodes) begins with the instruction to look for two words that will be used throughout the plot of that episode. The words (examples include “diversion,” “cumbersome,” and “idolize”) are chosen according to academic guidelines. The reasoning is that children can understand words like “cumbersome” when told that it means “big and heavy and awkward.”[2]

News anchor Jim Lehrer agreed to do a mock interview with WordGirl. Jack D. Ferraiolo, who developed the series with Gillim and served as the series' head writer in Season One, received an Emmy for his work on WordGirl.[4]

Plot

The series stars WordGirl, an alien with superpowers whose secret identity is Becky Botsford, a 10½ year old fifth grade student. WordGirl was born on the fictional planet Lexicon (also a term referring to the vocabulary of a language or to a dictionary) but was sent away after sneaking onto a spaceship and sleeping there. Captain Huggy Face, a monkey who was a pilot in the Lexicon Air Force, piloted the ship, but lost control when WordGirl awoke him, and crash-landed on Earth (more specifically in Fair City), a planet that affords WordGirl's superpowers, including flight and super strength. WordGirl utilizes these powers to save her adoptive home, using her downed spacecraft as a secret base of operations. WordGirl and Captain Huggy Face fight crime together.

WordGirl was adopted and provided an alter ego by Tim and Sally Botsford, who gave her the name Becky. While in her alter ego, she has a younger brother, TJ, obsessed with WordGirl, but still unknowingly a typical sibling rival to Becky. The Botsford family keeps Captain Huggy Face as a pet, naming him Bob. Becky attends Woodview Elementary School, where she is close friends with Violet Heaslip and has a crush on school newspaper reporter Todd “Scoops” Ming.

WordGirl tries to balance her superhero activities with her "normal" life. Doing battle with a rather odd grouping of villains, such as the Butcher, who can call into existence most any type of meat; senior citizen Granny May, with her knitting needles and projectile yarn; her former friend Professor Steven Boxleitner, who became the evil Dr. Two Brains thanks to an albino mouse fusing his brain with the animal; ten-year-old genius and colossal robot builder Tobey McCalister; and The Whammer, who speaks by interjecting the word "wham" in the most inopportune sentences. At the same time, she must worry about maintaining her second life as Becky, keeping people from discovering the truth and living normal family situations.

Format

Often, short animated segments are shown in between and at the end of episodes. "What's Your Favorite Word?", ostensibly hosted by Todd "Scoops" Ming, is a series of vox populi interviews asking random children what their favorite words are and why. A short game show segment called "May I Have A Word?" airs following each eleven-minute segment. This segment features the game show host, Beau Handsome, asking three contestants the definition of a particular word. Yet another segment features the interstitials announcer (Rodger Parsons) asking Captain Huggy Face for a visual demonstration of a certain word (such as "pensive" or "flummoxed"). When Captain Huggy Face correctly demonstrates the meaning of the word, a definition is given, followed by a victory dance by the chimp sidekick.

Characters and voice cast (2007-present)

Main article: List of characters in WordGirl
Cast
Voice Actor Character(s)
Dannah Phirman Becky Botsford/WordGirl, Clair McCalister, Edith von Hoosinghaus, Chuck's mom, Susie P. Snugglestein
Chris Parnell The Narrator, The Exposition Guy
Tom Kenny Dr. Two-Brains, TJ Botsford, Two-Brains' Henchman #1, Warden Chalmers
Cree Summer Granny May
Patton Oswalt Theodore "Tobey" McCalister III
Fred Stoller Chuck the Evil Sandwich Making Guy
Jack D. Ferraiolo The Butcher
Pamela Adlon Eileen, a.k.a. The Birthday Girl
Maria Bamford Violet Heaslip, Sally Botsford, Leslie the Assistant
Ryan Raddatz Tim Botsford, Todd "Scoops" Ming
Mike O’Connell Grocery Store Manager
Elliott Gould The Masked Meat Marauder
Ned Bellamy The Coach
Brian Posehn Glen Furlblam, Dr. Two-Brains' biggest fan
James Adomian Captain Huggy Face/Bob (script readings), Robber, The Candlestick Maker, Security Guard, Curator, Raul Demiglasse, Hunter Throbheart
H. Jon Benjamin Reginald
Ron Lynch The Mayor
Jeffrey Tambor Mr. Big
Larry Murphy The Amazing Rope Guy, Reporter, Dave, Principal
John C. McGinley The Whammer
Grey DeLisle Beatrice Bixby/Lady Redundant Woman, Ms. Question, Mrs. Ripley
Rose Abdoo Great Granny May
Darran Norris Seymour Orlando Smooth, Nocan the contrarian
Mike Phirman The Narrator's Brother
Peter Graves Mr. Callihan
James Mathis Tiny Big
Ed Asner Kid Potato, The Butcher's father
Jen Cohn Bank Teller, Rich Old Lady, Ms. Champlain
Robin Reed Ms. Libri, the bookstore owner
Judy Greer Ms Dewey, the librarian
Andy Dick Milt (Ms. Dewey's assistant)
Nick Kroll Ruben Grinder
Wayne Knight Police Commissioner Watson
Jim Gaffigan Mr. Dudley
Matt Besser Zachry Zany, Male News Anchorman
Rodger Parsons Interstitials Announcer (uncredited)
Danielle Schneider Female News Anchorman
William Mapother Guy Rich

Episodes

Season 1 (September 2007-January 2009)

Ep. Airdate Segment 1 Segment 2
101 9/3/2007 Tobey or Consequences High-Fat Robbery
102 9/14/2007 You Can’t Crush City Hall Two-Brain Highway
103 9/21/2007 Coupon Madness When Life Gives You Potatoes...
104 9/28/2007 Jerky Jerk Becky's Birthday
105 10/5/2007 Chuck! Down With Word Up
106 11/23/2007 Mr. Big Book Ends
107 11/30/2007 Super-Grounded Mouse Army
108 12/21/2007 Tobey’s Masterpiece Chuck the Nice Pencil Selling Guy
109 12/28/2007 The Birthday Girl Granny-Sitter
110 2/15/2008 Mr. Big’s Big Plan Vocab Bee
111 2/22/2008 Shrinkin’ in the Ray Department Store Tobey
112 4/11/2008 Chuck E. Sneeze Swap Meat
113 4/18/2008 Granny’s Good Time All-Cure Spritzer Mecha-Mouse
114 4/25/2008 Princess Triana and The Ogre of Castlebum Heat Wave, Crime Wave
115 5/26/2008 Thorn in the Sidekick Crime Takes a Holiday
116 5/27/2008 Meat With a Side of Cute Mr. Big Words
117 6/13/2008 Two-Brains Forgets Banned on the Run
118 7/11/2008 Have You Seen The Remote? Sidekicked To The Curb
119 7/23/2008 Lady Redundant Woman A Game of Cat and Mouse
120 8/15/2008 The Masked Meat Marauder Sandwich World
121 9/12/2008 Violet Superhero Big Business
122 10/13/2008 The Handsome Panther The Butcher, the Baker, and the Candlestick Maker
123 11/3/2008 Mousezilla Villain School
124 11/28/2008* Return of the Reprise of Lady Redundant Woman A Simple Plan
125 1/1/2009* Granny Mayor Tobey Goes Good
126 1/2/2009* Bongo Rock Dr. Three Brains


* - These episodes are listed as Season One episodes although they premiered in Season Two.

Season 2 (November 2008-July 2010)

THERE ARE ONLY 26 EPISODES OF SEASON 2, SO SOMEONE PLEASE GET RID OF THIS '227' NONSENSE, BUMMERTIME AND THE HOMERUN KING ARE EPISODE 301. I HAVE IT FROM PBS THEMSELVES, AND THAT THE OTHER FOUR EPISODES OF SEASON 3 ARE ANNOUNCED. DO SOMETHING NOW! EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. DELETE THIS MESSAGE AFTER ACTION IS TAKEN, AND NOT IRRATIONAL ACTION PLEASE.(august 1, 2010 thank you

Season 3 August 2010)

Episodes tba, due to belief of the first episode being in season 2, please put episodes in.

Ep. Airdate Segment 1 Segment 2
27/201 11/4/2008 A Vote for Becky Class Act
28/202 2/16/2009 The Two-Brains Boogie Field Day Fund with Robo-Tobey
29/203 2/17/2009 Slumber Party Pooper Line Lessons with Lady Redundant Woman
30/204 3/23/2009 Mr. Big's Dolls and Dollars Great Granny May
31/205 3/24/2009 Theme Park WHAMpage Chuck Makes a Buck
32/206 4/30/2009 Highway to Harvati Tiny Big
33/207 5/1/2009 I Think I'm a Clone Now Answer All My Questions and Win Stuff
34/208 5/4/2009 Bonkers For Bingo The Ballad of Steve McClean
35/209 10/23/2009 Tobey's Tricks and Treats Escape Wham
36/210 6/19/2009 Pretty Princess Premiere Where's Huggy?
37/211 7/13/2009 Robo-Camping The Stew, The Proud
38/212 7/14/2009 Who Wants Candy? Chuck's Brother
39/213 9/7/2009 Becky and the Bard Monkey-Robot Showdown
40/214 10/12/2009 The Wrong Side of the Law (Two-part episode)
41/215 10/13/09 Two Brains Quartet Big's Big Bounce
42/216 10/14/2009 The Young and the Meatless Mr. Big's Mini-Golf
43/217 10/15/2009 Nocan The Contrarian Meat My Dad
44/218 11/23/2009 Who Is Ms. Question? Lunch Lady Chuck
45/219 12/10/2009 Oh, Holiday Cheese Ch-ch-ch-change Day
46/220 12/28/2009 WordGirl Makes a Mistake (Two-part episode)
47/221 3/1/2010 Earth Day Girl A Hero, a Thief, a Store and It's Owner
48/222 2/15/2010 Opposite Day Granny's Book Club
49/223 5/3/2010 Wham Up! Seeds of Doubt
50/224 5/4/2010 Wishful Thinking Lady Redundant Woman Gets The Blues
51/225 7/19/2010 Win A Shiny New Car The People vs. Ms. Question
52/226 7/20/2010 Oh, What a Tangled Knot You Tie, Amazing Rope Guy Kids Action News

References

  1. ^ PBS Kids Programs - WordGirl
  2. ^ a b Jensen, Elizabeth (2007-09-02). "A New Heroine's Fighting Words". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-23. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ Bynum, Aaron H. (2007-06-18). "'The Adventures of WordGirl' Animation Emerges on PBS Kids". Animation Insider. Retrieved 2008-06-25. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ Spero, Johannah (2008-06-18). "Local man lands Emmy for 'WordGirl'". Wicked Local Newburyport/The Newburyport Current. GateHouse Media, Inc. Retrieved 2008-06-23. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
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