Oobi (TV series)

Oobi
File:OobiNogginLogotrans.gif
Created by	Josh Selig
Voices of	Timothy Lagasse Stephanie D'Abruzzo Tyler Bunch Noel MacNeal
Narrated by	Timothy Lagasse
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
Production
Running time	2 minutes (season 1) 22 minutes (season 2)
Production company	Little Airplane Productions
Original release
Network	Noggin
Release	August 4, 2001 – June 17, 2007

Oobi is an American children's television series created by Josh Selig, produced by Little Airplane Productions. The series began as a series of shorts aired on the Noggin network in 2001 and premiered as a long-form series on April 7, 2003. The program aired its last episode on June 17, 2007.

The series won a 2001 Gold Parents' Choice Award.

Plot

The series follows a bare hand puppet named Oobi and his everyday adventures. The show is intended to build skills such as mathematics, early literacy, and logical thinking.

Cast

• Oobi - Tim Lagasse
• Uma - Stephanie D'Abruzzo
• Grampu - Tyler Bunch
• Kako - Noel MacNeal

During the break of each episode (there are two per show), the characters leave their home and talk to real preschoolers.

Characters

Main characters

• Oobi (puppeteered by Tim Lagasse) - The show's main character, a young boy in grade school. Oobi is curious, smart, thoughtful, kind and gentle. As the main character, he appears in every episode. Oobi goes to the same school as Uma, but they are taught in different classrooms. His appearance is pale and has four fingers pointing straight with his thumb under them.

• Uma (puppeteered by Stephanie D'Abruzzo) - Oobi's little sister. She loves singing, pretending, and chickens. Her catchphrases are "Nice!" and "Pretty!". She also says "Tasty-good!" when she eats. Her appearance is similar to Oobi's except she's smaller and she has a barrette. Due to Uma's young age, she has trouble pronouncing big words like "majorette", "neighborhood", and "propeller".

• Grampu (puppeteered by Tyler Bunch) - Oobi and Uma's wise, caring, and sometimes rather unlucky grandfather and guardian. His catchphrase is "Lovely!" His appearance is different from that of Oobi and Uma's - he has all four fingers curled up with his thumb over the middle finger.

• Kako (puppeteered by Noel MacNeal) - Oobi's best friend. Kako is excitable, confident and slightly arrogant. He usually wears a red cap on top of his eyes, except in the short-form episodes. His catchphrase is "¡Perfecto!", which is the Spanish word for perfect. He is absent in more episodes than any central character. His appearance is similar to Oobi's, with his skin being a dark brown shade rather than Oobi's peach color.

Animals

• George – Uma's class pet, a guinea pig. Only appears in "Uma Preschool!".
• Oobi's pet turtle - Oobi's pet which initially makes Kako jealous when a playdate becomes all about the turtle in the episode "Playdate!". The turtle reappears in a remember game in "Petting Zoo!".
• Kako's puppy - Kako's pet, which Oobi "puppy-sits."
• Kitty - Ms. Johnson's cat. He gets stuck in a tree in "Superheroes!" but is rescued by Oobi, Uma and Kako. She reappears in "Camp Out!".
• Pileated woodpecker - A background animal, seen in the episode "Freida Friend!".
• Seagull and fish - Background animals in "Fishing!".
• Chipmunk and bald eagle - Highlights of the family's trip in "Nature Walk!"
• Hamster and goldfish - During a remember game in "Petting Zoo!", these characters appear.
• Horse, pig and lamb - Farm animals seen in "Petting Zoo!".
• Owl - A bird who appears in "Camp Out!".

Episodes

Fifty-two ten-minute episodes, twenty-five full-length episodes, and forty-eight shorts were aired during the series' run.

The show started airing on Noggin's counterpart, Nick Jr., on January 1, 2004, roughly nine months after its official debut on Noggin.

Season 1

• Dance! - Grampu turns on a radio and Oobi, Kako, and Uma start to dance. (Notes: This was included on a DVD named "Blue's Clues: Shapes and Colors". This is also on a DVD named "Dora the Explorer: Rhymes and Riddles".)
• Tag! - The kids play tag. When Uma gets tagged, she gets annoyed by Oobi and Kako's speed and plans a surprise tag - by hiding in the bathtub waiting for the victim to try to hide there.
• Flush! - Oobi and Uma learn how to flush a toilet after using it.
• On & Off! - Oobi and Grampu learn how to turn things on and turn them off when not in use.
• Share Pretzels! - Oobi shares his pretzels with Kako and Uma.
• Watermelon! - Oobi tries watermelon with the seeds, and is afraid that a watermelon will grow inside him. Grampu explains to Oobi that what he thinks is only a story.
• Soup! - Oobi is ill, and Grampu makes soup for him. At first, the soup is too hot. Then, the soup is too cold. Then, the soup is just right, and Oobi loves it.
• Hot Dog and Ketchup! - Oobi and Kako accidentally put too much ketchup on their hot dog. The boys, Oobi and Kako eat a taco instead.
• Prince Oobi! - Oobi, Kako and Uma pretend that Oobi is a prince.
• Bubbles! - Oobi and Uma blow bubbles and experience the sizes of a bubble. (Grampu and Kako do not appear in this short).
• Empty and Full! - Oobi drinks all the juice out of a cup. Then Uma, drinks all the juice out of a pitcher.
• Popcorn! - Oobi and Uma eat popcorn as they watch a video.
• Worm! - Oobi and Kako are in Grampu's garden and they look for a worm.
• Apple Picking! - Oobi, Kako, and Uma are going to pick apples, but they learn that they can't pick the apples themselves. So, they piggyback each other to get apples.
• Pretend Wind! - Oobi and Kako are out on a windy day and they pretend to be the wind by blowing on each other. (Uma and Grampu do not appear in this short.)
• Tea! - Oobi and Uma want to have tea, but they don't have a teapot. Instead Oobi and Uma sing the teapot song.
• Ice Cream! - Uma wants to share her ice cream with Oobi, but it was actually unfair to have the whole ice cream. So Oobi teaches Uma how to divide treats in half. (Grampu and Kako do not appear in this short.)
• Water Games! - Grampu and the kids decide to play with water on a hot summer day.
• Guess! - The gang plays a guessing game.
• Bird! - After hearing a bird's song, Grampu teaches Oobi and Uma different bird calls, and Oobi meets a bird face-to-face.
• Cat! - Oobi feeds a cat with help from Grampu.
• Puppy! - Oobi, Uma, and Grampu pretend to be wild animals. Oobi pretends to be a puppy, and Uma and Grampu try to guess who he is, which Oobi barks, sniffs, and licks Grampu!
• Animal Cookies! - Oobi and Kako eat animal cookies, but Kako eats them all by himself!
• Slide! - Oobi rides down a slide with Uma, and teaches her how to use one by herself.
• Follow The Leader! - The kids play a game of Follow The Leader.
• Peekaboo! - Oobi, Uma, and Kako are depressed when Grampu stops playing peekaboo with them to cook food, so the kids create a surprise peekaboo at Grampu before he starts cooking!
• Alphabet Power! - Oobi and Kako look for things around their house that start with the letter S after finding an S magnet. The boys find a sock and a bar of soap. (Note: The short is taken on a DVD named "Dora the Explorer: City of Lost Toys".)
• Hide and Seek! - The gang plays a game of Hide and Seek, where Grampu seeks the kids. While Uma and Kako are found, Oobi is hiding behind one of the sunflowers, and jumps out at Grampu from behind the flower!
• Nature! - Oobi and Kako are playing outside, and want to use a flowerpot as a hat, but Grampu stops them, and then tells them that plants are living things and we should respect them. After that, the boys, Oobi and Kako try to spot other plants.
• Catch! - Oobi and Kako play a game of catch.
• Music! - The characters make music together.
• Guitar! - Oobi learns to play a guitar.
• Bongo Drums! - Grampu teaches Uma how to play bongo drums.
• Quiet Read! - Oobi is reading a book about shapes, but Uma is listening to her loud rock music. Oobi teaches Uma to be quiet by giving her headphones to use instead.
• Clap Hands! - Oobi and Kako clap hands to pass the time.
• Painting! - The characters make paintings.
• Macaroni Jewelry! - Oobi, Uma, and Kako dance with jewelry made from macaroni.
• Paint Shapes! - Oobi and Kako use sponges to paint shapes like a circle, a square, and a butterfly!
• Pinch Pot! - Oobi teaches Uma how to make a "pinch pot" with clay.
• Drawing Game! - Grampu is drawing a picture and the viewers, along with Oobi, try to guess what it is. The picture is a bunny rabbit.
• Neighborhood Art! - The characters discover art on their street.
• Toothpaste! - Oobi, Uma, and Kako play with toothpaste, and end up covering Kako in toothpaste!
• Feelings! - The gang learns about feelings.
• Cake! - Uma and Kako play a game where there are 3 cakes on the table. (Notes: This short was used in the episode "Uma's Birthday". Also, the short is taken on a DVD named Little Bear: Feel Better Little Bear.)
• Wet and Dry! - The kids experiment with wet and dry items.
• Bubble Bath! - Oobi and Kako take a bubble bath. (NOTE: This is included on a DVD named "Blue's Clues: Blue Takes You to School".)
• Up and Down! - Oobi, Uma, and Kako throw dough in the air, but on their third throw, the dough lands on Grampu. (Notes: This episode is included on a DVD named "Dora the Explorer: Meet Diego!". This is also a short on an episode named "Make Pizza!")
• Shadow Puppets! - Oobi, Uma, and Kako create shadow puppets. They play a guessing game as Oobi makes a horse shadow puppet. After Uma and Kako find out what Oobi is making, Grampu accidentally scares the kids with his shadow puppet. (Notes: This episode is included on a DVD named "Blue's Clues: Blue's First Holiday". Also, this short was featured as a game segment after "Camp Out!".)
• Dance Party! - Oobi, Uma and Grampu dance at the Dance Party. (Notes: This episode is included on a DVD named "Oswald: On-the-Go Oswald". Also, this is a short on an episode named "Dance Class!" so is "Stop and Go!")
• Stop & Go! - Oobi and Uma play a game of freeze dance. (Notes: This episode is included on a DVD named "Blue's Clues: Classic Clues", and the final Oobi short before the full-length series.)

Season 2

• Grampu Day! - Oobi, Uma, and Kako create a holiday called "Grampu Day" and they each make a special gift for Grampu to show how much they love him. Oobi makes a statue of Grampu out of clay, Kako makes food, which is made from tuna, jelly and hot sauce, and Uma sings a special song as a present since she can not find any other present.
• Uma Preschool! - It's Uma's first day at preschool. Grampu takes her to preschool where she meets her teacher named Paula. At first, Uma does not want Grampu to leave, but Paula and her new friends named Moppy, Taro and Fred, help Uma feel comfortable. Soon, Uma is having the time of her life at preschool.
• Dinosaur! - Oobi is excited to show everyone a storybook he just made called "The Lost Umasaurus." As he reads the story, we see the story played out in an Oobi-style dinosaur world. Together, the dinosaurs named Oobi-Rex and Dino-Kako help Umasaurus follow the white fence and find her way home, the red house to Grampusaurus. They soon find him and share dino snacks.
• Halloween! - Oobi and Uma go trick or treating. It is Uma's first Halloween, and after Oobi teaches her all the rituals, Uma takes Kako under her wing and helps him overcome his fear of ghosts.
• Superheroes! - Super Oobi (played by Oobi), Kako-Man (played by Kako) and Booma (played by Uma), three superheroes, are in the park. They pretend to fly around the park doing good, simple deeds. Finally, they come upon Mrs. Johnson's cat named Kitty stuck in a tree. With Grampu's help, Super Oobi, Kako-Man and Booma help save the cat with tuna fish.
• Baby! - In the park, Oobi meets a mother named Sheila and her baby daughter named Sophie. He is fascinated. Sheila explains how she takes care of the baby and lets Oobi help feed her using a bottle, change her diaper, and play with her. Oobi gets to hold a baby for the very first time and then rocks the baby to sleep.
• Rainy Day! - After the rain spoils their plans, the boys, Oobi and Kako reluctantly join Uma to find a rainbow. They have fun catching raindrops and splashing in puddles and then Uma finds a rainbow.
• Kako's Puppy! - Kako asks Oobi to puppy-sit his puppy. Oobi learns that puppies are more than just cute and cuddly, they are also a big responsibility. Grampu helps Oobi walk, feed and wash the puppy. Kako is impressed.
• Uma Sick - Uma has a fever so Oobi and Kako spend the day trying to make her feel better. They cheer her up by making a card filled with things that Uma likes, then performing a "get-better dance," called "Get Better Uma" but are discouraged to find that Uma is still sick. Grampu makes soup and explains that what Uma really needs to do is rest. The boys sing Uma a beautiful lullaby called "Uma Sleep" until she falls fast asleep. Soon she is back to her normal, healthy self and they play a rhyming game.
• Chez Oobi! - Grampu prepares a special dinner of spaghetti and meatballs for his date with Inka. The boys make it extra special by using some things they find around the house to turn the house into a fancy restaurant. They turn on lovely, soft violin music on the vintage green radio and act as waiters. The date is very special for Grampu and Inka and they all have fruit tarts for dessert.
• Sign Language! - Oobi and Kako meet a friend a girl named Amy in the park. They want to play with her, but they run into a problem: she is deaf. Grampu helps them learn sign language to communicate with her.
• Haircut! - Oobi wakes up with hair on his head. At first, he tries to hide it with a flower, but his hair is revealed when Uma asks to hold the flower. Then he and Kako try styling it but Oobi is not satisfied. So then, he and Grampu go to the barbershop for a haircut. At first Oobi is scared but he soon overcomes his fear and happily returns to his old hairless self.
• Make Pizza! - Grampu teaches the kids how to make pizza, but there's trouble making the pizza. The kids throw the dough too high that it gets stuck on the ceiling and then falls onto Grampu. Then they use tomatoes instead of tomato sauce. When the pizza is ready, they ate all of it, leaving none for Grampu but make it up to him by making him another pizza.
• Shopping! - Grampu takes Oobi and Kako to the fruit store, owned by Grampu's friend, Bella, to buy some fruit. At first, Oobi and Kako make mischief by playing at the fruit stand, but then Grampu helps them learn the importance of respecting other peoples' property.
• Video! - Grampu suggests that instead of watching a video, the children make a video themselves. Oobi and Uma are thrilled, and Grampu shows them how to shoot and edit a video. They watch the completed video on the TV with Kako and eat popcorn.
• Playdate! - Oobi and Kako have a playdate. Oobi gets a pet turtle and forgets about Kako and the playdate they had planned. The boys plan to play, draw and sing, but Kako is getting annoyed and becomes jealous by Oobi when the playdate becomes all about the turtle especially Oobi plays a turtle game of "Turtle Peek-a-boo", he draws a turtle, and sings a turtle song. Oobi realizes that Kako's feelings have been hurt and he apologizes. Kako is now fond of the turtle and the boys have a great time together with it.
• Clean Up! - Oobi's room is messy but Uma is allowed to go out to play. Grampu asks him to clean his room before he can go out and play. After some hesitation, Uma and Kako decide that if they work together and help Oobi, they can get the cleaning done quickly and then enjoy the beautiful day together.
• Grown-Up! - Oobi, Uma and Kako imagine what it would be like to be grown-ups, so they dress up and pretend to be grown-up firefighters, musicians and business people and do a variety of grown-up things. In the end, they decide it's much more fun being kids, even after Oobi sees an astronaut.
• Babysitter! - Grampu and Inka go out for an evening of polka dancing, but Uma is disappointed that she's not invited to go. Oobi and Uma meet their new babysitter named Randy who's a friendly and playful person. Uma initially resents Randy and is cold to him because he is not Grampu, but his silly polka dancing with her doll eventually wins her over.
• Sing! - While listening to the radio at Oobi's house, Oobi and Kako hear "Yo To Ho!", a song based on the classical opera song "Ride of the Valkyries", and they decide to join a singing group at the community center.
• Recital! - Oobi is about to perform the traditional classic children's folk song "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" at a piano recital at the community hall, organized by Inka. He is very confident at first, but when he makes a mistake during his performance, he panics and runs offstage. Kako persuades him to try again.
• Nature Walk! - After being bothered by the sounds of a garbage truck, a jackhammer and some car horns in their loud, noisy neighborhood, Grampu takes his kids on a nature walk in the park, where Uma becomes excited to see an eagle. They use a checklist to check off the things they see, like flowers and chipmunks, but not an eagle. However, just as they are about to leave, Uma spots an eagle.
• Checkup! - Oobi goes to the doctor's office and see his doctor and pediatrician named Dr. Rose, for a check-up. Oobi is nervous and scared at first, especially when he hears that he is getting a shot, but the doctor and pediatrician's kindness and bedside manner helps puts Oobi at ease.
• Neighborhood! - Oobi and Kako build a small version of their neighborhood out of boxes and paint. They give Uma a tour and explain the functions of various buildings and occupations by showing her a library, a post office and a zoo. Uma loves the tour, and they all sing a song about their neighborhood.
• Uma Trip! - After playing with her three toy vehicles like a train, a boat, and an airplane, Uma decides she wants to take a trip. She packs a small suitcase, wears a light pink scarf with purple polka dots on it, and enlists Oobi and Kako to help make three homemade costumes of three vehicles like a train, a boat, and an airplane. Oobi, Kako, and Grampu each give Uma pretend rides on these three pretend vehicles like a train, a boat, and airplane to the kitchen where Grampu has made a special snack for the kids like brownies.
• Theater! - This is a musical version of the story and play called "Little Red Riding Hood". The production is staged in the park with Grampu and the neighbors in the audience. Maestru directs and plays his keyboard. Uma plays Little Red Riding Hood, Oobi plays the wolf, Kako plays the mother and grandmother, and Angus steals the show as the woodsman.
• Chopsticks! - The family goes out for Chinese food. A nice waiter named Nick shows the family how to use chopsticks. With persistence, Uma overcomes her frustration and finally learns how to use chopsticks.
• Parade! - After seeing a parade poster, Uma wants to be in a parade. With homemade costumes and floats, she leads Oobi who's dressed up as a float and Kako who's dressed up as a one-man band in their very own parade. They march around their block singing with all the neighbors watching.
• Uma Dreams! - Grampu puts Uma and Oobi to bed. Uma falls asleep and has a bad dream called a nightmare. She wakes up and tells Grampu her dream. Grampu helps Uma get back to sleep and she has a good and silly dream. She wakes up in the morning, and happily tells her family all about her good and silly dream.
• Fishing! - Grampu takes Oobi fishing. Oobi learns a bit about patience, and finally catches a fish. At first, Oobi is thrilled, but then he feels bad for the fish and persuades Grampu that they should set the fish free. Oobi and Grampu enjoy their special day together, regardless of the fact that they return home without any fish. Oobi suggests a can of tuna fish for dinner, which Grampu accepts.
• Kako Dinner! - Oobi goes to Kako's house where his dad named Papu, prepares a very special dinner. Oobi looks at all the pictures in the living room, looks at things from three family trips and the backyard trip like the basket from Alaska, hears new music like a drum from Kenya, Africa a maraca from Mexico, looks at the rock with a fish on it, tries new foods like okra, and learns a new dance.
• Dance Class! - Oobi and Uma take dance lessons and learn that practice is the only way to become good at something. Oobi, Uma, and their teacher, Tulla, celebrate their new moves with a fabulous dance party. Grampu feels the beat and joins in as well.
• Oobi's Car! - While Oobi is helping Grampu fix the sink, Uma plays with Oobi's favorite toy car. While playing with the car, however, she forgets Oobi's words to be careful and she accidentally breaks off one of its wheels. Uma then tries to fix it herself with her toy tools but she just makes the toy worse, breaking other parts of the car off like the door and hood. Despite her apology, Oobi is enraged. Grampu explains to him that Uma is sorry for what she did, that Uma is little and that accidents happen sometimes. Grampu and Uma fix the car and Oobi forgives her, especially after she fixes the squeaky wheel.
• Uma Bathroom! - Oobi, Uma and Kako share an enjoyable day together playing in the mud. Later, Uma refuses to take a bath while the boys, Oobi and Kako get clean. After she has played various tricks and diversions to avoid it, Grampu finally convinces Uma to take a bath.
• Uma Swing! - Uma is excited to be at the playground. She wants go on the swings, but ignores Oobi's warnings about being careful, then falls off and hurts herself. She then starts crying and becomes afraid of the "bad swing." Oobi helps Uma regain her confidence by having fun on one of the other equipment like the slide until she is ready to enjoy the swings safely.
• New Friend! - A day at the park with Grampu becomes very special for Oobi when he meets a new girl named Frieda who looks very different from him because she is a foot. Oobi learns that differences are good and new friends come in many shapes and sizes.
• Frieda Friend! - - Oobi & Uma are at the park. Oobi spots Frieda, he goes over there to play and is introduced to her older, Southern-accented friend named Frankie. Oobi does not know how to play with them because he's a hand. Uma tells Oobi that it's okay to be different and even points out some things that they have in common, then they play a game of piggyback.
• Make Art! - After being inspired by Grampu's painting, the kids decide to make art together. Oobi struggles with what he would like to make. Uma uses circles for her art and Kako uses colors for his. Finally Oobi has a breakthrough when he realizes that art can be whatever he would like it to be: he uses cheese, toothpaste and flowers to make a collage.
• Make Music! - The kids decide to start their own band and try to find some instruments. Kako blows into a bottle like a wind instrument and Uma hits a pot like a percussion instrument to strike. Oobi tries spaghetti and eggs, but spaghetti and eggs don't make music. He starts to feel frustration, but then discovers that he is an instrument and can make a sound by clapping his hand with Grampu. Soon they are all making music together.
• Garden Day! - Grampu teaches the kids how flowers grow and gives them a seed to plant. At first they have a hard time waiting, but after much waiting they see a sprout emerge from the soil. After playing a dance game, the sprout grows into a flower.
• Sleepover! - Oobi goes to Kako's house for a sleepover. Uma misses Oobi terribly, and she also is disappointed that she's not invited. Grampu does his best to make Uma feel better, but the only thing that works is a phone call and a lullaby from Oobi.
• Camp Out! - Grampu takes Oobi, Uma, and Kako camping in the backyard. Oobi is scared of sounds until Grampu shows him that the sounds of the night are nothing to be afraid of after he shows Oobi the source of the sounds like a cat, an owl, and a door. Later, Uma and Kako get scared of a sound until Oobi shows them its source like Grampu snoring like a pig.
• Pretend Circus! - When the kids learn that they can not go to the real circus, so then, they use their imaginations to play pretend circus. Kako is the ringmaster and Uma becomes an elephant, Oobi becomes her lunch such as a peanut, they both become acrobats and even imagine Grampu as a hilarious clown who says the clown phrase "Oopa-doo!".
• Showtime! - Oobi and Kako decide to put on a puppet show. Uma wants to help, but after she messes up helping the boys make their costumes, they ask her to watch instead. In the end, Oobi and Kako realize that in order to have a successful show they need Uma's help to pull the string that opens the curtain.
• Build Fort! - Oobi and Kako fight about whose fort is better. But Uma and Grampu say separate forts are no fun, making Oobi and Kako forgive each other and the two combine their forts.
• Piano Lesson! - Oobi has his first piano lesson with his new piano teacher named Inka. Inka teaches Oobi how to play a traditional classic children's folk song called "Do-Re-Mi" on the piano and he must relax and practice in order to play the piano. Grampu comes to be infatuated with Inka.
• Uma Chicken! - Oobi, Kako, and Uma play a traditional classic children's folk song called "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" and pretend to be farm animals. Uma will not be able to stop pretending to be a chicken like clucking, pecking at her food like her peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch instead of just eating it and sitting on a baseball and pretending it's an egg until she finally comes face to face with a real live chicken. After finding the real live chicken to be not much fun, she decides she would rather be Uma after all.
• Uma's Birthday! - A big surprise birthday party for Uma's 4th birthday becomes more about the party and less about Uma. Uma becomes a little overwhelmed with too much surprises, presents, cake, games and dancing because they're driving her crazy. Once she retreats to her room, Grampu, Oobi, and Kako realize that Uma would prefer a small party and give her one.
• Petting Zoo! - Grampu takes Oobi and Kako to the petting zoo and the boys are afraid of the horse. They pet some of the animals, but their biggest excitement comes when they get over their fear of the horse and join Grampu for a ride.
• Asparagus! - Uma does not want to try asparagus so Grampu and Oobi pretend it's a train, a tree, and even make it disappear with a magic trick, but all their attempts fail. Oobi convinces Uma to take a small taste and she discovers she likes it a lot.
• Valentine! - Oobi and Uma follow hearts to find their mystery valentine. Kako delivers Valentine's Day cards to lots of neighbors. Later, Oobi and Uma find the last heart and the mystery Valentine turns out to be Grampu dressed as a heart.
• Play Ball! - Kako becomes frustrated with Tee-ball and refuses to play. After Oobi learns the basics of Kako's hand-clapping game, Oobi teaches Kako the fundamentals of T-ball. Kako gets a hit and we also discover that Uma is a T-ball natural. Grampu gets hit by a ball struck by Uma, but is very proud of her in spite of it.

Style

The characters are created by puppeteers and decorated with toy eyeballs and occasionally with hair.

The puppeteers' thumbs are used to represent mouth movement, and the fingers flutter, clench, and make other movements to indicate emotions (when the thumb scratches the side of the hand, that symbolizes that the character is thinking or feeling confused.) The hands also serve usual purposes, such as holding objects and turning doorknobs. A majority of the characters are right-handed, but three (Mrs. Johnson, Mimi and Paula) are left-handed.

The characters' speech is made up of simple vocabulary and they speak in simple sentences.

See also

• Little Airplane Productions