Jungle Jam and Friends: The Radio Show!

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Jungle Jam and Friends: the Radio Show!, or just Jungle Jam, is a radio show with Evangelical Christian themes as well as witty writing and wacky characters. Created by Jeff Parker and featuring the voice, writing and sound editing talents of Nathan Carlson, Phil Lollar, David Buller and many others, the program first aired in 1993. Within two years it had been aired on over 800 radio stations. Cassettes of the broadcast were available from Word Entertainment until the year 2000. At that point, the show was taken over by Fancy Monkey Studios, Inc., who sell CDs of the broadcast at FancyMonkey.com. Fancy Monkey Studios is also the producer of the cartoon series Little Dogs on the Prairie. Jungle Jam continues to air, with most recent episode, Driving Miss Lazy, released in 2006. The series features songs by award-winning husband and wife musicians, Buddy Miller and Julie Miller.

1 Setting and Setup
2 Major characters
3 Other characters
- 3.1 Secondary characters
- 3.2 Minor characters
4 Episode guide

[edit] Setting and Setup

The show is usually set in the jungle, although episodes occasionally take place elsewhere. Episodes follow a pattern: an introduction will be followed by a ten- to forty-five minute story. The shorter stories end in an upbeat song; the longer episodes are divided into two parts and have songs scattered throughout. Although most episodes feature the Jungle Jam gang, some follow a boy named Marvy Snuffleson and his sister Katie and their visits to the remarkable RazzleFlabben Island. All episodes teach a lesson about the Bible or about Christian life.

[edit] Major characters

[edit] Gruffy

Gruffy is perpetually cheerful and loves to build things. In "The Big Bang Theory," Gruffy accidentally brings the Jungle Jam gang together when he hosts a party for the "funnest" animals in the world and strands them in his jungle by mistake. Gruffy loves to fish and often hums "Dum-de-dum dum dum" to himself as he works.

[edit] Sully the Aardvark

Sully is kind but not particularly bright. His best friend is Millard J. Monkey, with whom he frequently gets into trouble. Sully loves to swim and do cannon-balls in the swimming hole, abilities for which he is admired.

[edit] Millard J. Monkey

Millard is slow-witted, greedy and vain. Needless to say, he is among the most popular characters on the show. As he is proud of telling others, he graduated top of his class at Simian University in "Tree-Swinging" and "Banana-Peeling." Ironically enough, his favorite Bible verse is Proverbs 17:28: "Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue."

[edit] Nozzles the Elephant

Nozzles is wise and has a dry wit, making him a favorite among older listeners. He loves to read (especially mystery novels, as seen in "Lord of the Wrongs"), garden, play the trumpet, sing scat and collect gadgets. In many episodes of Jungle Jam, Nozzles is a source of understated humor, especially when he does things that would be rather difficult for a normal elephant to do--for example, traveling by helium balloon ("The Big Bang Theory"), climbing a tree ("The Skunk Who Would Be King"), or playing the animal version of Twister.

[edit] Racquet the Skunk

Racquet is the best badminton player in the jungle, renowned and feared for his killer backhand. He loves crayons and is an excellent artist (or "colorer," as he prefers to be known). "The Skunk Who Would Be King," reveals that his ancestors lived in a castle. Racquet takes this to mean that he was descended from royalty, but eventually learns to his shame that his ancestors were actually servants. A doting uncle, he loves his young niece Rita.

[edit] Jean-Claude the Flying Squirrel

Not technically a flying squirrel, Jean-Claude earned his name from a small airplane he flies around the jungle. He is French and very proud of it: aside from speaking with a marked accent, he often sings the French national anthem at odd moments--not unlike Gruffy and his "Dum-de-dum dum dum."

[edit] Cheetah Bonita, Cheetah Anita, and Cheetah Sally

These three cheetahs are sensational singers who are known and loved for their beautiful three-part harmony. Although they had sung together all their lives, in "Cheetah Bonita Goes Solo" Bonita decides she is talented enough to abandon her sisters and strike off on her own. After a lesson on the value of cooperation from Raquet the Skunk, she returns to the group--much to the disappointment of Gruffy Bear, her replacement pro tempore.

[edit] Weatherby the Owl

Weatherby is a wise old owl who dispenses advice to the Jungle Jam gang. In "A Hog by Any Other Name," he is responsible for restoring order when a case of mistaken identity throws the jungle into chaos. He is also the judge of the Jungle Jam gang and makes all the important decisions.

[edit] The Sloth

Once a frazzled and hassled animal, the Sloth learns the importance of living peacefully from a gang of beat-boxing turtles. Not surprisingly, the Sloth is the slowest character in the show, once appearing at the very end of an episode and innocently inquiring "Are we ready to start today's story?" ("Cheetah Bonita Goes Solo")

[edit] The Narrator

The only human on the show, the Narrator does not merely narrate but is a character in his own right. He is not above using persuasion to get a story moving; when Millard the Monkey complains about his part in an episode ("Dial M for Monkey"), the Narrator points out that he has plenty of other stories starring other characters. Eager to remain in the limelight, Millard hastily agrees to carry on with the episode. The Narrator usually wears a pith helmet and safari gear.

[edit] Other characters

[edit] Secondary characters

Max the Giraffe
Coy O'Tay
Flibbertigibbet
Reynold the Warthog ("A Hog by Any Other Name")
Sally the Aardvark
Muffy Bear
Gruffy, Jr.
Hermie ("Hermie the Love Bug") and ("Hermie Rides Again")

[edit] Minor characters

Oscar the Orangutan
High and Low Sierra
The Grandfather
Vinny and Lou
Sally the Aardvark
The Russian Elephants
Nermal the Horse
Reynold and Ronda the Warthogs
Bobby the Ant
The Queen Ant

[edit] Episode guide

(Number, Title, Scripture, Theme):

1. A River Runs Over It (Romans 12:6 - Everybody is Special)
2. Koalas in the Mist (Proverbs 18:13 - Don't jump to conclusions)
3. Ain’t Nothin’ But a Hound Dog (Matthew 22:39 - Loving Your Neighbor)
4. The Boy Who Cried Duck (1 Timothy 6:6 - Accepting Who We Are)
5. Golden Rocks and the Tree Pears (Psalms 62:8 - Trusting God)
6. The Goodbye Merl (Colossians 3:15 - Gratitude)
7. Sully Makes A Friend (Ephesians 4:32 - Kindness)
8. Bjorn Free (1 John 4:7 - Obedience)
9. Pogo A-Go-Go (Hebrews 13:16 - Sharing)
10. The Terrible Truth About Lying (Proverbs 16:13 - Honesty)
11. Color Him Irresponsible (Matthew 25:21 - Responsibility)
12. Treasure of the Sierra Marbles (Proverbs 15:27 - Greed)
13. Badminton Schmad-Minton (Proverbs 6:6 - Cooperation)
14. This Island Ain’t Big Enough Fer the Both of Us (Luke 12:32 - Courage)
15 & 16. Nermal and the Ark, Parts 1 & 2 (Matthew 6:25–34 - God’s Care/Provision)
17. A Portrait of the Rabbits as a Young Family (Romans 12:15 - Empathy/Friendship)
18. Lest Ye Be Judged (Matthew 7:1 - Judging Others)
19. Hermie the Love Bug (1 John 4:7 - Love)
20. Later, a Story about Procrastination (Proverbs 15:19 - Procrastination)
21 & 22. The Great Rubber Band War, Parts 1 & 2 (Exodus 20:12 - Honoring Parents)
23. It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Bedtime (Luke 2:1-14 - Celebrating Christ’s Birth)
24. Gift of the RazzleFlabben (Acts 20:35 - The Joy of Giving)
25. Dial M for Monkey (Hebrews 13:6 - Fear)
26. The Whistling Furchettas (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - Taking Care of Your Body)
27. To Have and Have Not (Colossians 3:15 - Thankfulness)
28. The Trip To Thankful (Matthew 6:21 - Contentment)
29. The Grandfather (Proverbs 16:28 - Gossip)
30. Katie Sings the Blues (Philippians 4:11 - Contentment)
31. The Skunk Who Would Be King (Romans 12:3 - Valuing Others)
32. Katie’s Kiddie Bake Quick Cakes (Isaiah 10:33 - Boasting)
33. The Cat’s Pajamas (Proverbs 15:13 - Joy)
34. An Elephant’s Generosity (Proverbs 22:9 - Generosity)
35. You Take the High Side (Ephesians 4:3 - Cooperation/Playing by the Rules)
36. The Great Fall (Proverbs 16:18 - Pride)
37. A Hog by Any Other Name (Psalm 139:14 - Uniqueness)
38. My Left Upper Incisor (Ecclesiastes 3:1 - Growing Pains)
39. The Big Bang Theory (Proverbs 18:24 - Making New Friends)
40. Who Owns Who? (Matthew 6:21 - Materialism)
41. Hermie Flies Again (Colossians 3:12 - Kindness)
42. When You Wish Upon A Star (Ephesians 5:4 - Power of Words)
43. The Great Coconut-Clunking Debate (1 Corinthians 6:12 - The Dangers of Addiction)
44. It’s a Wonderful - Knife? (Joshua 1:9 - Don’t Be Afraid)
45. P-P-P-Peaceful (Romans 12:18 - Peacefulness)
46. The Week of Saturdays (2 Thessalonians 3:10 - Laziness)
47. Mutiny at the Picnic (Philippians 2:3-4 - Pride/Selfishness)
48. Katie in CandyLand (1 Peter 3:8 - Compassion)
49. All God’s Creatures Are Special (Psalm 139:13-15 - Everybody is Special)
50. King of the Jungle (Philippians 2:9-10 - Trusting God)
51. Cheetah Bonita Goes Solo (1 Corinthians 3:8-9 - Cooperation)
52. Red, Yellow, Black and - Plaid? (Romans 15:7- Accepting Others)
53. Fear, Faith and Five Really Big Footprints (2 Timothy 1:7 - Fear/Faith)
54. Three Wise Men and a Baby (Luke 2:1-21 - Christmas)
55 & 56. Where the Bears Are, Parts 1 & 2 (Colossians 3:12 - Kindness)
57 & 58. Racquet's Racket Racket, Parts 1 & 2 (Proverbs 15:27 - Greed)
59. A Little Night Monkey (No scripture - The folly of jealousy)
60. The Lord of the Wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:4-5 - Forgiveness)
61. Educating Rita (Proverbs 21:5 - Being Methodical

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