K10C: Kids' Ten Commandments

Kids' Ten Commandments (often abbreviated as K*10*C) was a direct-to-video, five part series designed to teach the principles of the Ten Commandments to children. The series shows the life of a fictitious 11-year-old boy named Seth. He and his friends, including a group of animals, each with their own personality and perspective, interact with Biblical characters such as Moses. Each episode includes two songs, explains two commandments, and combines both 2-D animated characters and 3-D animated backgrounds.

Along with the series on DVD and VHS, supplementary learning material was included for educational use at schools and churches, which included lesson plans, board games, puzzles, and music videos to help educators create character education curriculum utilizing the video programs.

The series was directed by Richard Rich and written and produced by Emmy Award winning George Taweel and Rob Loos, who also produced the Award winning series The Adventures of McGee and Me. The series features the voice talents of award-winning stars including Tom Bosley, John Schneider, George Newbern, Lou Diamond Phillips, Rene Auberjonois, Peter Strauss, and Tim Curry.

K10C aired on the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Each of the episodes and the series has won multiple awards including Parents' Choice Award, Awards of Excellence from the Film Advisory Board, and fifteen Telly Awards.

Characters

• God: Literally speaks to Moses and writes the Ten Commandments with his own finger.
• Moses: Moses is an old man who has been through it all, but he is also a friend of God's. His hair is long and white, as is his long beard. He walks with a staff (walking stick) that stays with him at all times. He is still handsome, imposing, and fit. He carries himself humbly and quietly, unless he is angered with God's wrath (Aaron, his brother, is the talker).
• Aaron: Aaron is Moses' older brother - he is a born politician and a public speaker, always trying to make people happy. He has an undying faith in God and Moses, but he is sometimes more concerned about what people think. His hair is not white like Moses', but more toward grey.
• Miriam: Moses and Aaron's sister. Miriam may be old, but she is spunky with a sparkle in her eye. She has the deep faith of her brother Moses and the personality of her older brother Aaron. She is not above playing the drums and singing as God opens the Red Sea for their escape. She is also a prophetess, and she lives her life for God.
• Joshua: Joshua is the young and emerging leader. He eventually will lead the people into the Promised Land. He is young, fit, and handsome, plus he is smart and willing to serve God. A great warrior in his time, he stands ready to follow God anywhere.
• Seth: Seth's skin is tan from long hours in the sun; his body is strong from hard work. Seth's face is round, with big dark brown eyes and long eyelashes. His hair is coarse with one lock that occasionally falls in his face. Seth is "every boy" - he's a good, middle-class, fairly responsible kid. Since his dad died before they left Egypt, he's been given a lot of responsibility for his age, having to care for his mom (Leila) and for their animals. He has a special gift with animals - he is very kind to them - but he longs for adventure. Any time God does something spectacular he is amazed.
• Leila: Seth's mother. This woman of God is modest, hardworking, and pretty, but life is tough in the desert for a single (widowed) mom. She's a natural beauty - put her in royal clothes and you'd mistake her for a princess - but she hides her beauty with a scarf over her long hair. She depends on Seth to take care of the animals, which is about the only thing her husband left her. She wants to set a good example for her son with everything that she does and sometimes puts too much pressure on herself to be perfect.
• Seth's animals
  • Jacob: Jacob is a lean young bull calf who has something of a Napoleon complex. He is young and small, but he thinks of himself as big and strong. He is not a cow, but a young oxen. He struts when he walks. When he is chosen to be the model for the golden calf, he is in his glory until he discovers the consequences. He is always hungry and frequently selfish.
  • Rachel: A smart-alecky, sarcastic, and funny donkey. Shaggy-looking, with floppy, expressive ears and a tuft of long hair; she often has saddlebags to carry supplies. Rachel makes jokes about everything and everyone - especially Jacob, who thinks so highly of himself, and Amos, whom she calls a rat (He insists that he is a rodent). Rachel is honored to be chosen to help with the tabernacle.
  • Shadi: He is a natural storyteller; his voice is deep and rich. An old camel (scruffy around the edges) he's been through a lot of sandstorms - in fact he's seen it all. He was with a group of nomads before ending up in Egypt. He's seen North Africa from the Sahara to Sinai, as well as the rest of the Middle East across the trade routes of Babylon and India. Shadi brings a wise and informed opinion to all that he sees.
  • Martha: Martha is young, sweet, kind lamb who is scared of everything in the desert. She's by nature a follower (what lamb isn't?), and she will go along with the majority no matter what. She doesn't like conflict and encourages others to be kind. Martha is very frightened when faced with danger.
  • Hannah: Incredibly stubborn, average-looking grey goat, with pretty eyes and cute little horns on her head. Always wondering why goats don't get the respect they deserve. Has an ongoing feud with Rachel.
• Amos: Slovenly, ragged, always—the only way that he survives is to hide well, grab crumbs, and convince the other animals not to turn him in. He's sarcastic, but when the chips are down, he will also help out. Insists that he is a rodent and not a rat.
• Omri: Ephraim's rich dad. A distinguished looking man who was one of the top advisors to the richest man in Egypt. His family left with many treasures and beautiful clothes. He carries himself with the flair of a man who is used to being respected. His clothes are always in place.
• Zillah: Ephraim's mom. A beautiful woman who carries herself with great dignity and charm. She puts her son and her husband first in all things. Wears beautiful jewelry and fine linen dresses. Her style is a bit more Egyptian than Jewish, and her favorite color is purple.
• Ephraim: Seth's best friend. Forget the dirt...He's from a privileged family in Egypt. He's got the "coolest" pet in the camp...Zeek, the Falcon.
• Zeek: The coolest falcon - fast, handsome, smart. He's a beautiful falcon, with sharp markings, an angular beak, and piercing eyes. He has big, sharp talons, which he gestures with as he speaks. He exudes confidence - and with excellent vision, he keeps an eye out for danger.
• Josephat: A fast-talking gecko who has an excuse for everything. He talks so fast sometimes that his tongue literally gets tied. His tail is very expressive, gesturing as he speaks. Loves the sun and the desert and hates to be interrupted by people or other animals.
• Matthew: Matthew is overworked, exhausted, and struggling to make sense of this journey. He is also trying to impress Moses and Aaron as the camp crier. Not a particularly handsome man, he is concerned that he is not enough for his beautiful wife, Sara.
• Sara: She is super-enthusiastic about music, especially when a star like Simeon wants her to sing with him (she has no idea what his real intentions are). She has an innocent smile, and sunny disposition. Her most valued possession is a beautiful songbird broach given to her by her husband, Matthew. Martel, Simeon's monkey, steals the jewels and Simeon steals the hearts; especially Sara's.
• Ben-Ami: A kindly old toy-maker who creates amazing wooden toys, puppets, and masks. His quiet wisdom is as valuable as his craftsmanship.

Villains

• Hazzaka: Hazzaka is the bad apple in any barrel. He is a rabble-rouser and a complainer. He is a very persuasive man. When Moses "disappears" on the mountain, Hazzaka sees this as finally the moment to lead the people the way he thinks they should be led (which is whatever makes them happy!). He has beady eyes, arching eyebrows, and long bony arms that gesture as he speaks.
• Mehida: Hazzaka is Mehida's "Henry Higgins". He transformed her from a worthless young slave girl into a beautiful woman. He taught her to act, talk, and carry herself - she is beholden to him for her every thought. He controls her. She does whatever he says without question, including dance around the golden calf.
• Boaz: Fat, pompous, and not too bright. He values riches over God. He's more than happy to help Hazzaka make an impact.
• Naomi: Boaz's wife. Self-centered, self-important, selfish, Naomi overdresses for everything. She wears tons of bracelets (on both arms) and more layers of linen garments than Cleopatra. She is all style over substance.
• Jeshanah: He's sort of a "Scrooge" character - he has lots of money, but he's a cheapskate who always needs more. Jeshanah is angry at the world - he's Mr. Wilson to Seth's Dennis. Jeshanah (which means "old" in Hebrew) is grumpy about everything: he wishes that he could have stayed in Egypt where everything was easier; he doesn't like the desert. He is always looking for a way to achieve the honorable state that he thinks he deserves - he wants nothing more than to be remembered. His clothes are not new; his long white beard seems to have a mind of its own; and he always has his wooden walking stick he can use to sway misbehaving animals or boys who get in his way!
• Natha: A devilishly handsome leader who works with Raca and Ugee.
• Ugee: A bare-chested, giant wrestler-like brute who is not too bright. Works with Natha and Raca.
• Raca: A short thug who looks threatening but is not too bright. Works with Natha and Ugee.
• Simeon: He has tan good looks, long hair, a muscular body, and a granite-like jaw that makes women swoon. Simeon was the biggest of the Jewish performers in Egypt. Like a rock star in 1300 BC, Simeon had lots of fans (most of them young girls). To celebrate the fact that God will live amongst the Israelites in a tabernacle...It is decided that there will be a celebration and Simeon will sing again, but is quickly becomes apparent that Simeon really is a thief. He has been stealing jewely for years with the help of his monkey, Martel...and now he is out to steal Sara, Matthew's wife.

Episodes

• 1. The Not-So-Golden Calf

Special guest star: Tim Curry as Hazzaka

• 2. The Rest is Yet to Come

Special guest star: René Auberjonois as Jeshanah

• 3. A Life and Seth Situation

Special guest star: Lou Diamond Phillips as Natha

• 4. Stolen Jewels, Stolen Hearts

Special guest stars: John Schneider as Simeon and George Newbern as Matthew

• 5. Toying with the Truth

Special guest star: Tom Bosley as Ben-Ami

Cast

• Jodi Benson as Leila, Sara and Martha
• Brian Cummings as Aaron, Raca and God
• Jesse Corti as Ugee and Jacob
• Jeannie Elias as Mehida, Naomi, Zillah and Rachel
• Maurice LaMarche as Boaz, Omri and Amos
• Chris Marquette as Seth
• Sean Marquette as Seth
• Mona Marshall as Miriam, Ephraim, and Hannah
• Rob Paulsen as Zeek, Josephat and Joshua
• Peter Strauss as Moses
• Paul Winfield as Shadi

Songs

1. K10C Theme Song - James Covell
2. See Me Shine - Jesse Corti
3. Follow Me - Tim Curry
4. Gotta Do What You Can - René Auberjonis and Chris Marquette
5. The Seventh Day - Jesse Corti, Jeannie Elias and Mona Marshall
6. The Four Corners - Chris Marquette and Mona Marshall
7. What Did You Expect? - Lou Diamond Phillips, Jesse Corti and Brian Cummings
8. Rats - Maurice LaMarche
9. All I Need Is You (Duet) - Jodi Benson and John Schneider
10. All I Need Is You (Solo) - Jodi Benson
11. The Boy Who Has Everything - Jesse Corti
12. The Truth, No Lie - Tom Bosley

Trivia

• There were three voices for Seth in this mini-series -- Jesse Corti (singing voice in episode 5), Chris Marquette (for episodes 1 to 3) and Sean Marquette (for episodes 4 to 5).

See also

• Animated Stories from the New Testament
• Animated Stories from the Bible

External links

• Official website
• K10C at CEGAnMo.com
• Airtime Listing on TBN.org
• The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Review
• Series IMDB entry Kids' Ten Commandments: The Not So Golden Calf (2003) (V) at the Internet Movie Database
• Series IMDB entry Kids' Ten Commandments: The Rest Is Yet to Come (2003) (V) at the Internet Movie Database
• Series IMDB entry Kids' Ten Commandments: A Life and Seth Situation (2003) (V) at the Internet Movie Database
• Series IMDB entry Kids' Ten Commandments: Stolen Jewels, Stolen Hearts (2003) (V) at the Internet Movie Database
• Series IMDB entry Kids' Ten Commandments: Toying with the Truth (2003) (V) at the Internet Movie Database
• Kids' Ten Commandments at TV.com