Pearlie
| Pearlie | |
|---|---|
| Format | Animated television series |
| Created by | Wendy Harmer |
| Written by |
Wendy Harmer Kim Thompson |
| Voices of |
Marieve Herington Hélène Joy Nathan Stephenson Michelle Monteith Jamie Croft David Callan Jim Pike Jonathan Wilson Fiona Reid David Berni Christian Potenza Neil Crone Stacey DePass |
| Theme music composer |
Clive Harrison Wendy Harmer Katherine Beck Jacinta Stapleton |
| Opening theme | "Magic in the City", performed by Louise Anton |
| Country of origin |
Australia Canada |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Cherrie Bottger Scott Dyer Doug Murphy Paul Robertson Donna Andrews Tim Brooke-Hurst |
| Producer(s) |
Jocelyn Hamilton Tracey Dodokin Jennifer Hill Marie-Anne Ridley Rodney Whitham Wendy Harmer |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Sticky Pictures Nelvana |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel |
YTV (Canada) Network Ten (Australia) |
| Picture format | 576i (SDTV) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original run | September 19, 2009 – January 31, 2011 |
Pearlie is a 2009 Australian-Canadian animated comedy series based on the children's book series Pearlie the Park Fairy by Wendy Harmer.[1] Pearlie is a co-production between Australian children's television producer Sticky Pictures and Canadian animation house Nelvana. The series airs on Australia’s Network Ten and in North America by YTV in Canada and Qubo now on NBC in the United States.
Synopsis
Pearlie is a park fairy appointed by Fairy HQ to keep Jubilee Park in order. She is full of over-the-top plans for parties and events for the park and its residents. She is assisted by Jasper, an elf who prefers to not do any real work. There is also Opal, an outback fairy from Australia sent to learn the ropes of park management from Pearlie.
Pearlie’s cousin Saphira is jealous of Pearlie’s popularity in the fairy world and desperately wants her job. With her assistant Ludwig, a bat with a heavy German accent, Saphira sets out to spoil perky Pearlie’s day any way she can. Pearlie remains oblivious—always thinking the best of her cousin—while Opal and Jasper are aware of Saphira’s plans.
Characters
Fairies
Pearlie
Appointed by Fairy HQ, Pearlie is a 15-year old park fairy who keeps Jubilee Park in sparkling order. Her eyes are green, she has freckles, and her hair is light blonde with light turquoise highlights. She is also the protagonist of the series and she appears in all episodes. She is also somewhat of a deluded-do-gooder who thinks she knows what is best for everyone else. She is full of over-the-top plans and parties for the park and its residents. Her famous catchphrases are "stars and moonbeams", "hurley burley", "roots and twigs", and "buds and blossoms!" She also loves singing and dancing and she always loves to wear a pearly tiara with two colors; causally blue and pink during fancy events. Pearlie has no idea of her cousin's evil plans, always thinking the best of her. She has a crush on Leif. The two almost shared a kissed in one episode but was cut short because Pearlie's aunt was calling her. On one of the episodes, she is trapped in a plant poisoned by evil led by Saphira's potions. Whether this was an intended plot against Pearlie or not is unknown, since Saphira herself did not appear in that episode. Pearlie's magic wand has a snowflake made of pearls on the tip. The pearl is her namesake.
Opal
Opal is a 18-year old desert fairy from Australia sent to America to learn Advanced Potion Making. Opal does not use a wand, instead she has a magic lasso. Opal lives in a hollow log at the edge of the desert garden within the park. A bit of a tomboy, Opal loves to dance and is a bug rodeo champion. Opal suspects Saphira is up to no good. She likes to think before she does something. Her catchphrases are "Look out, bugs! Here comes Lasso Girl!" "oh, no!" "pay no attention to her, Jasp!" and "I fear that Saphira is up to no good." She owns a pet frilled lizard called Ned.
Saphira
Saphira is a 20 year old that is Pearlie's snooty cousin and the main antagonist of the series. She calls herself the Queen of Darkness, as all she wears is sapphire blue (the same color as her eyes) and thinks she can overrule everyone else. She lives in the Greenhouse within Jubilee Park and runs it as an exclusive spa. Saphira wants everything Pearlie has – including her job – and spends her days plotting new and dastardly ways to sabotage Pearlie at every turn, but they often lead to Saphira's own undoing. On rare occasions, she helps Pearlie and her friends. Saphira has a ready and willing assistant in Ludwig the bat and the park’s Fairy HQ representative Gobsmack, who will do anything for a free facial. Her legs are cold. Her catchphrases are "shut up, you....(bad name for Ludwig)!" "stop fooling around with me!" and "I'll trick them for sure!". She is named after the sapphire gemstone.
Fern
Fern is a wood nymph, with red hair {is it like orange hair on TV}, who is Jasper's crush in the series. She also shares Jasper's love for nature, having a fascination in particular with birds. But she does not know Jasper wears sandals... she looks and acts a lot like a hippie. She talks to animals in a chant, saying 'Love, Peace, Trees,' although she only actually does this in 'Trick In the Stick.' She appears in three episodes; 'Trick in the Stick', 'The Fern Turns' and 'Come Fly With Me.'
Great Aunt Garnet
Pearlie’s well-meaning but bumbling Great Aunt Garnet runs a store packed full of potions and lotions that always work, just not like they are supposed to. The store is inside a clock tower across the road from the park. She used to be a Fairy Godmother.
Laverne
Laverne is a fairy dressed in pink and green with green wings on her back. She is a seasonal fairy in charge of Spring and her magic wand is spring-themed. She appears in some episodes and in one of them, inside Saphira's spa, Laverne and Noel fight each other by using magic which angers Saphira. She is also shown to have a bit of a hot temper in one episode. As revealed in "The Big Sneeze", she also has a megaphone that looks like a flower.
Oriana
Oriana is a summer fairy who is chubby. She wears a skirted bathing suit and carries summer things. In the beginning of one of the episodes she prepares to leave Jubilee Park because summer is over and fall is about to begin.
Leaf
Leaf is the fall fairy who appears to have a crush on Pearlie who seems to like him back. Saphira seems to have developed a crush on Leaf too, though he does not like her back. His hobby is playing the violin. He is also the new fairy of Fall (his uncle Harvey was Fall fairy first).
Noel
Noel is the winter fairy with a white mustache. He wears winter clothes that are mostly blue.
Coral
Coral is Pearlie's mother and Saphira's aunt. She is Agate's little sister. She has orange wings unlike her daughter. She only appears in "Mother Magic".
Agate
Agate is Pearlie's aunt, Saphira's mother and Coral's big sister. She only appears in "Mother Magic".
Twinkle-Twinkle
Twinkle-Twinkle is a vain fairy who is the best singing superstar in Jubilee Park. She does sing her songs. She sings, having a tape play the voice she once had. How she lost her voice is unknown. In one of the episodes, she has been tricked by Saphira whose plan was to make her voice sound terrible, (Opal helped, since it would benefit Pearlie, who's been bossed around by Twinkle-Twinkle throughout the episode). It was the only plan that ever worked for Saphira. Pearlie unknowingly helps by pulling the plug on Twinkle-Twinkle's tape player.
Astrid
Astrid is a fairy with blue eyes and black hair. She works as the head of dream department wearing a black suit and skirt and carrying a red toolbox and an orange-redess ladybug phone. Her design is based on Pearlie creator Wendy Harmer.[citation needed]
The Turquoise Fairy
This character has turquoise eyes with her hair and dress that match. She is first seen stopping Saphira's magic wand and then casts a spell on her nose. She is a famous author, who wrote a book that is similar to that of Pinocchio.
Jingle
Jingle is a Christmas fairy and is shown to be the smallest of the fairies. She is based on the Christmas Angel in the books series, made obvious when she flies to the top of the Christmas tree and poses as an angel. She only appears in the Christmas episode.
The Fairy Queen
This fairy is inspired by the British Queen from the 15th century. Her first name is Emerald.
Finn
Finn is a tooth fairy that Pearlie and Saphira falls in love with. He appears in at least two episodes.
Elves
Jasper
Jasper is a 15-year old garden elf with dreadlocks and as he likes to call it, "A barefoot toe wiggling elf" who can talk to plants. He is bit lazy and is Pearlie's best friend. Although being an elf, he has wings. Because of this he is often mistaken for a fairy, much to his annoyance. He has a crush on Fern and loves nature. His job is to keep the plants and animals in the park happy by doing random activities with them. Jasper lives in an abandoned mailbox at the park gates. Jasper is always trying to get Pearlie to stop her work and smell the roses. His catchphrases are "jeepers creepers!" and "chill, dude, chill." Jasper has been seen with Pearlie in almost every episode.
Sterling
Sterling is an elf who is initially nice, but later on a sneaky criminal. He tricks Saphira and Ludwig into going out of her place. Only seen one time.
Others
Ludwig
Ludwig is Saphira's servant bat and sidekick. He cannot live without his mistress and Saphira could not live without him as well. He puts up with her tough love as he is infatuated with her. Ludwig has a twin bat brother Johann who lives in the wild (and despite being as German as Ludwig, he speaks with a Scottish accent, though with stereotypical German mispronunciations such as saying "W"s as "V"s. His name is also not said with an anglicized pronunciation, and instead with the original German phonetics, "LOOD-vik"), but Ludwig prefers being a house-bat, waiting on Saphira claw and wing. He sleeps in a broom closet. Ludwig also displays an unusual humorous intellect, like saying "sublimely devious."
Gobsmack
Gobsmack is the Regional Fairy Inspector, HQ’s representative in Jubilee Park. Panicky Gobsmack is a stickler for the rules, the first to blab if Pearlie’s making a mess of things. Being not a fairy but a goblin, Gobsmack doesn’t fly, he has the power of teleportation. He ‘pops’ in at the worst possible moments for Pearlie. Gobsmack is easily manipulated by Saphira. He’s always lured in by a free facial or knee buffing in her spa. He enjoys country music. His catchphrase is "Cheese and peanuts!" He is also very effete however has a crush on Saphira.
Gadzook
Gobsmack's boss and head goblin. He fires Gobsmack in one episode because he thought Pearlie had everything in the park under control and Gobsmack was not needed. Gobsmack later gets his job back after Gadzook sees him tell Saphira the rules she broke for unauthorized renovations on her greenhouse.
Mo
Mo is a pixie with a black mustache and beard. His aliases are Monsieur Snip and Manuel. He is a criminal wanted for cutting the heads off flowers. Saphira once made a plan for Mo to cut off all of Pearlie's hair, but it doesn't go according to plan (He tries to cut of Jasper's hair instead, to give himself a wig). He only appears in two episodes.
Norville
Norville is a gnome that once filled in for Jasper while he was on a job swap. He appears in the episode "No Place Like Gnome".
Sugar
Sugar is a possum who plays the Bongo drums with Jasper and other possums. And she wonders if Jasper is ever wearing sandals or not. She married Brush in "Possumbillities"..
Scrag and Mr. Flea
Scrag and Mr. Flea are "gangsta" rats who spend their days rooting in park garbage for treats. Though a pair of dirty and smelly nuisances, they are respectful towards Pearlie. But in one episode they make their kingdom, "Ratopia", and even drive Saphira to help Pearlie.
Ned
Ned is Opal's pet from the outback, he is an orange frilled neck lizard. Ludwig thought he was a dragon. In the series, he has only had two appearances.
The Ants
This colony of ants has food to carry and different voices and they have a queen of their own. Her name is Ida. The female worker ant has eyelashes.
The Butterflies
This group of characters are colorful and completely feminine. One of the butterflies is named Heather another is named Iffy, and another Sgwiffy.
The Fleas
These characters are a family of opera-singing fleas who live in the rats named Scrag and Mr. Flea. The father flea Placido is named after the famous tenor Plácido Domingo and the mother flea Carmen is named after the title character in the opera.
The Ladybugs
These characters have womanly hairdos due to their femininity. They also have their babies in "Mother Magic".
The Moths
These characters are almost brown and completely masculine. One of the moths is named Malcom. Malcolm is Ludwig's best friend. They play checkers at night together. Pearlie is the only one that knows of their friendship due to the fact that bats usually eat moths. Ludwig does not. Malcolm also appears to have a crush on Heather (a butterfly) in one episode.
The Flowers
These characters are that Pearlie uses a potion so she can talk to them and persuade them to look good for a photo shoot, but they agumentative towards Pearlie.
Nancy
A centipede with a red body and a black Asian updo on her head. She works as Saphira's massager.
Splish
Splish is a water sprite and Pearlie's neighbor for a week. She lives at the beach. And is only seen in one episode.
Whizzer
Whizzer is a dragonfly who delivers objects around Jubilee Park for Great Aunt Garnet. He wears a mailman's hat.
Crash
A very tough teal-colored fat dragonfly with a pink heart in an arrow tattoo on his arm. His name comes from the fact that he has been involved in many dangerous crashes.
Buggy Holly and the Crickets
A famous rock band who comes to Jubilee Park to put on a rock concert. They are seen in the episode "Bongo Boy" performing in Jubilee Park at a rock concert. He is the lead singer for his band. But then, if the drummer can't perform, they may have to cancel the concert. However, when the regular drummer returns, Jasper is out of the band. They are based on Buddy Holly and the Crickets.
Cast
- Marieve Herington - Pearlie
- Hélène Joy - Opal
- Nathan Stephenson - Jasper
- Michelle Monteith - Saphira
- Jonathan Wilson - Ludwig
- Fiona Reid - Great Aunt Garnite
- David Berni - Gobsmack
- Christian Potenza - Scrag
- Neil Crone - Mr. Flea
- Stacey DePass - Fern
Episodes
| Episode | Title | Summary 1 | Summary 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hurly Burly / Dude Ranch | A desert fairy called Opal moves to Jubilee Park and Pearlie and her elf buddy Jasper welcome her. | Jasper's tree home is sawn down, and so Pearlie must help him find a new home. Scrag and Mr.Flea then take advantage of the situation by making Jasper live in a sewer. |
| 2 | Mothballs / Snip And Snit | Opal is told to host the Full Moon Ball for moths, but Saphira's plans may spoil the celebration. | Gobsmack supposedly captures a criminal fairy called Moe and disguises him as a barber in Saphira's spa. When Pearlie, Jasper, and Opal visit the spa,they notice there is something odd going on. |
| 3 | Dial A Dilemma / Throwing Down | Opal believes a phone is a mystical being when one is dropped in Jubilee Park. | Pearlie talks Jasper into teaching her to throw her voice so she can be everywhere at once. |
| 4 | Tooth Af-fairy / Trick In The Stick | Pearlie fills in for a handsome male tooth fairy called Finn, but she realizes she has forgotten the most important rule of a tooth fairy. | Pearlie mixes up her wand with a wood sprite called Fern and transforms the park into a ravaging jungle. Eventually, the mix-up is fixed at Saphira's spa. |
| 5 | If The Boot Fits / Peruvian Toadstool | Pearlie discovers there's a boot thief in Jubilee Park, and Saphira blames Opal for the disappearing boots. | Jasper loses his memory after an encounter with a rare Peruvian toadstool. |
| 6 | White Shade Of Pale / Flower Talk | A mistake with a magical snowglobe in Aunt Garnet's shop wreaks wintry havoc on Jubilee Park. | Pearlie uses an elf-only potion to talk to flowers so they can look good for a photo shoot. |
| 7 | Dot Between The Eyes / Ratopia | On the eve of the Fairyland Flutter dance, Pearlie gets a nasty pimple. She then becomes partners with an ogre who everyone thinks is hideous. | Scrag and Mr. Flea cause a flood, which makes Pearlie evict them from Jubilee Park. However, they return with some cockroach friends to build a kingdom of trash called 'Ratopia.' |
| 8 | Dragonball Run / The Bitey Bitedown | There is a dragonfly race in Jubilee Park and Pearlie helps a small dragonfly gain confidence to win. | Pearlie tries to get rid of the rats' fleas. Soon, though, it turns into a war. |
| 9 | The Big Doll / Are You Being Served? | Pearlie and her friends find a doll in Jubilee Park and believe it is a being under a spell. | Saphira kicks Ludwig out of her glass spa. |
| 10 | Ant Misbehavin' / Frilled Neck And Neck | Pearlie tries to teach some ants to relax from their work, which angers the Ant Queen and causes her to side with Saphira. | Opal's frilled lizard friend from the Outback, Ned, escapes and wreaks havoc in Jubilee Park. |
| 11 | Fairytastic Fall / The Fern Turns | Pearlie tries to keep everyone calm when the Fall Fairy does not arrive on time. | Fern the wood sprite returns to Jubilee Park in search of a rare and mysterious bird. |
| 12 | Dream On / No Place Like Gnome | A nightmare escapes in Jubilee Park and Pearlie must catch it. | Jasper changes jobs with a garden gnome. |
| 13 | Rat-Tanic / No Swimming Allowed | Scrag and Mr.Flea set up a cruise ship in an old watermelon, but when the melon gives way, their plans are spoiled. | One of Aunt Garnet's potions wreaks havoc at Pearlie's pool party. |
| 14 | Twinkle Twinkle Diva Star / Secrets And Whispers | Pearlie welcomes star singer Twinkle Twinkle to Jubilee Park until she reveals she is a fraud. | Pearlie plans a surprise party for Opal. |
| 15 | Hide And Go Eek / Dust Busters | Pearlie is turning Saphira's glass house into a haunted house for the Summertime Fairy Fair. | Pearlie spills the last of Garnet's fairy dust. |
| 16 | Roller Fairy / Fairy Factor | The park becomes a no-winged zone for flying creatures so Jasper makes roller skates for everyone. | Saphira is jealous of Pearlie's certificates, so she creates a housekeeping diploma. |
| 17 | Bongo Boys / Prickly Friends | Jasper accepts an offer to play the bongos in a fairy band, until he finds out it isn't what he thought it would be. | A cactus growing causes an argument between Jasper and Opal. |
| 18 | Fairy Godmother Bother / Go Go Gobsmack | Aunt Garnet's magic goes wildly wrong and turns the park into a fairytale land. | Gobsmack loses his job and needs to prove himself worthy to get it back. |
| 19 | Sterling Effort / Elf Prankin' | Pearlie is suspicious of Jasper's new friend. | Jasper is blamed for pranks all over Jubilee Park. |
| 20 | Spriteful / Love Bites | Pearlie's patience is tested with a new neighbor, a fun-loving water sprite who parties all night. | A love bug escapes to Jubilee Park and causes people to fall in love with each other. |
| 21 | Mother Magic / Buckin' Bronco | Pearlie's mother Coral visits Jubilee Park for a celebration. | Opal's star rodeo cockroach disappears. |
| 22 | Ludwig In The Wind / The Big Sneeze | When Ludwig goes missing, Pearlie searches for him. | Pearlie wants to help out with spring chores, but she has a cold. |
| 23 | Socks In the City / Possumbilities | Three fashionistas visit Jubilee Park, but then Pearlie reveals a fraud. | Pearlie's plans for a possum wedding are wrecked by a nervous bride. |
| 24 | Rose Petal Pearlie / Come Fly With Me | Pearlie and Saphira compete for the best rose petal muffins in Jubilee Park. | Jasper steals a child's airplane for a romantic ride with Fern, but Scrag and Mr. Flea try to spoil his plans. |
| 25 | Hideous Halloween / Super Sized Elf | Pearlie and her friends hide in a magical jack-o-lantern on Halloween Night. | Jasper meddles with magic and makes himself giant. |
| 26 | Jingle Bell Park / Starlight Spectacular | Pearlie welcomes Jingle, the new Christmas Fairy, to the park. | Pearlie hosts a display in Jubilee Park. |
DVD Releases
In the UK Clear Vision released episodes on DVD.
References
- ↑ Bodey, Michael: Wendy Harmer's big TV double, The Australian, 7 September 2009.