Whoopi's Littleburg
| Whoopi's Littleburg | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre |
Children Preschool[1] |
| Created by |
Johnny Belt[2] Robert Scull[3] |
| Written by | Alan Katz[4] |
| Directed by |
Robert Scull Tim Hill |
| Starring |
Whoopi Goldberg Sean Curley Sofie Zamchick Mary Birdsong Dr. John |
| Composer(s) |
Whoopi Goldberg Dr. John Guy Davis |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 3 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Johnny Belt Robert Scull |
| Producer(s) | Whoopi Goldberg[5][6] |
| Running time | 30 minutes[7] |
| Production company(s) | Lil' Whoop Productions[8][9] |
| Distributor | MTV Networks |
| Release | |
| Original network | Nickelodeon |
| Original release | January 18 – June 7, 2004 |
Whoopi's Littleburg is an American musical children's television series originally airing on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr.[10] It was created by Johnny Belt and Robert Scull,[11] the latter of whom co-directed the show along with Tim Hill.[12] Whoopi's Littleburg uses a blend of puppetry and live-action characters.
The series focuses on a four-year-old piglet named Spencer, who has recently moved to the town of Littleburg. Toddlers and puppets make up the majority of the population and hold the community's jobs. The only major adult characters are Spencer's mother and Mayor Whoopi Goldberg, whose behavior resembles that of a preschool teacher.[13] The setting was modeled after a nursery school classroom. Multiple original songs are woven into each story, normally in conjunction with the episode's moral.[14] Whoopi Goldberg, Dr. John, and Guy Davis composed the theme music.[15][16][17]
Characters
Main characters
- Spencer (voiced by Sean Curley and performed by Josh Gustin) - A light-pink pig and the newest Littleburg citizen.
- Mayor Whoopi (played by Whoopi Goldberg) - The only major human character in the series and Spencer's tour guide around Littleburg.
- TJ (performed by Sofie Zamchick) - A cheerful cat and Spencer's closest friend.
- Mrs. Peg Piggle (performed by Mary Birdsong) - Spencer's mother, who teaches him about the town through song.
- The Sun (performed by Dr. John) - An anthropomorphic Sun puppet seen above Littleburg.
- Peggy Piggle - Spencer's younger sister and the youngest character on the show.
- Phil - A horse with a love of painting dressed in a tie.
- Dave - A chicken who is almost always seen with his favorite food, pretzels.
Guest stars
Rosie Perez,[18] Mary Testa,[19] and Sandra Bernhard[20] made guest appearances on the show.
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| Pilot | 2003 | |||
| 1 | 3 | January 18, 2004 | June 7, 2004 | |
Episodes
The series lasted for one season, consisting of three specials.[21] A pilot episode was also produced.
Pilot (2003)
| No. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | "Pilot[22]" | 2003[23] |
| Spencer, a piglet, moves to a town inhabited by preschoolers. "Welcome to Littleburg" uses a similar plotline. | ||
Season 1 (2004)
| No. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Welcome to Littleburg" | January 18, 2004[24] |
| Spencer attempts to make new friends.[25] | ||
| 2 | "Tah-Dah! Day" | March 19, 2004 |
| Spencer worries that he has no talent to demonstrate at Littleburg's Tah-Dah! Day celebration. | ||
| 3 | "But I Still Like You" | June 7, 2004 |
| Spencer and TJ forget the importance of friendship after arguing and deciding to not speak to each other. | ||
Release
Whoopi's Littleburg was first announced at Nickelodeon's upfront presentation on March 24, 2003.[26][27] In June, it joined the channel's 2004–05 programming slate.[28] It was advertised as a series of specials.[29] Episodes were aired sporadically throughout 2004, with reruns shown once weekly.[30][31] During its run, VITAC representatives deemed Littleburg "educational enough" to receive free closed captioning and subtitling.[32] In 2006, the series' soundtrack was released to Nick Jr. Radio, a webcasting station featuring songs from preschool-oriented programs.[33]
Reception
The series received positive reviews from critics, many of which praised its music and appeal towards multiple age groups. The Hollywood Reporter's Marilyn Moss stated that Whoopi's Littleburg was "a lively and educational adventure into a friendly television space" and that the series was "likely to attract a wide audience."[34] Writing for The New York Times, Kathryn Shattuck called the series a "saga of empowerment" and dubbed the series' songs "fanciful."[18] Lynne Heffley of the Los Angeles Times praised the show's music, saying that it "is a standout component, woven deftly throughout."[20] In his review for The Christian Science Monitor, M.S. Mason noted that "this amusing, sweet-natured show for tiny tots will earn kudos from parents as well. Whoopi Goldberg has a wonderful ability to make kids giggle with the aid of puppets."[35] Jacqueline Cutler of the Hays Daily News lauded Goldberg's performance in particular and felt that "Goldberg emanates no-nonsense warmth. When she talks to the puppets, she neither camps it up or talks down, and that even approach makes the show work."[36]
References
- ↑ "Southern Illinoisan from Carbondale, Illinois". The Southern Illinoisan. Lee Enterprises. February 26, 2004.
- ↑ "Nick Jr. Orders 20 New Episodes of the Groundbreaking CGI-Animated Series, Slated to Rollout in October 2006". PR Newswire. April 3, 2006.
- ↑ "Paramount Visits Nelvana's Backyard". Corus Entertainment. November 10, 2005.
- ↑ Sparacino, Emily (April 4, 2016). "Author Alan Katz to speak at North Shelby Library". Shelby County Reporter.
- ↑ "Whoopi Goldberg Addresses SCAD Graduates". Broadway World. June 7, 2011.
- ↑ "CAA Speakers: Whoopi Goldberg". CAA Speakers. Creative Artists Agency. Archived from the original on January 31, 2014.
- ↑ "Whoopi Goldberg to Write Children's Book". AP Online. Associated Press. February 23, 2004 – via HighBeam. (Subscription required (help)).
- ↑ Studio City (May 8, 2014). "44 Blue Partners With Whoopi Goldberg’s One Ho Productions on Multi-Gen Modern Family Docu-Series". TV by the Numbers. Tribune Media.
- ↑ Baisley, Sarah (March 9, 2005). "Nick Slates Five Animated & Whoopi Goldberg Live Series For 2005". Animation World Network.
- ↑ "Names in the news". Knight Ridder. Tronc, Inc. February 23, 2004 – via HighBeam. (Subscription required (help)).
- ↑ DeMott, Rick (April 3, 2006). "Nick Jr. Starts Production on Backyardigans Season Two". Animation World Network.
- ↑ Anima Mundi catalogo: Festival internacional de animação. Anima Mundi. 2002. p. 398.
- ↑ Cortisoz, Ann (January 18, 2004). "A special place for Whoopi". The Boston Globe. Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC – via HighBeam. (Subscription required (help)).
- ↑ "About Littleburg". NickJr.com. Viacom International, Inc. Archived from the original on November 29, 2005.
- ↑ Mix Staff (June 1, 2003). "Sessions & Studio News". Mix Magazine.
- ↑ Davis, Guy. "Bio - The Routes of Blues". GuyDavis.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2007.
- ↑ "Davis/Rabson Concert for McNeese State University Banners Series". Federal News Service. April 10, 2007 – via HighBeam. (Subscription required (help)).
- 1 2 Shattuck, Kathryn (March 21, 2004). "In Littleburg, Big Talent Comes in All Sizes". The New York Times.
- ↑ "Meet the Creators of Littleburg". NickJr.com. Viacom International, Inc. Archived from the original on February 4, 2005.
- 1 2 Heffley, Lynne (January 17, 2004). "Whoopi's town worth kids' visit". The Los Angeles Times. Tronc, Inc.
- ↑ "Television E6 Saturday: Arizona Republic". The Arizona Republic. Gannett Company. March 22, 2003.
- ↑ Sacks, Marcy. "Marcy Goldberg Sacks, Art Director" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 11, 2016.
- ↑ Reed, Valerie (August 3, 2003). "A Doylestown man makes props and artwork for 'Sesame Street': Artist a success, 'Street'-wise". Daily Local News. 21st Century Media.
- ↑ Kronke, David (January 18, 2004). "Watch-o-Rama Highlights and Lowlights of the Coming TV Week". Los Angeles Daily News. Digital First Media – via HighBeam. (Subscription required (help)).
- ↑ TV guide: This week's TV programs. Triangle Publications. January 18, 2004. p. 94.
- ↑ Cable World Staff (March 24, 2003). "BRIEFS: New shows for Nick". Cable World – via HighBeam. (Subscription required (help)).
- ↑ Moss, Linda (March 24, 2003). "Nick adds shows in down market". Multichannel News. Fairchild Fashion Media – via HighBeam. (Subscription required (help)).
- ↑ Mason, M.S. (June 26, 2003). "Nick's not kidding around with '04 slate: Developing 15+ projects for the 2004-05 season". Variety. Penske Media Corporation – via HighBeam. (Subscription required (help)).
- ↑ "Whoopi to write book: Goldberg for children?". The Pantagraph. Lee Enterprises. February 24, 2004.
- ↑ "Daytime: January 19-23". The Salina Journal. Newspapers.com. January 17, 2004.
- ↑ "The Palm Beach Post from West Palm Beach, Florida". The Palm Beach Post. Cox Enterprises. March 21, 2004.
- ↑ "Captioning the Friedmans; Local closed-captioners face new federal regs". Pittsburgh City Paper. Steel City Media. March 10, 2004 – via HighBeam. (Subscription required (help)).
- ↑ "Nick Jr. Radio: Whoopi's Littleburg". NickJr.com. Viacom International, Inc. Archived from the original on May 15, 2006.
- ↑ Moss, Marilyn (January 15, 2004). "Whoopi's Littleburg review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 2, 2004.
- ↑ Mason, M.S. (January 16, 2004). "Tuning in: On TV this week". The Christian Science Monitor. Christian Science Publishing Society – via HighBeam. (Subscription required (help)).
- ↑ "Gov. Arnold? So why not Mayor Whoopi?". Hays Daily News. Newspapers.com. January 16, 2004.
External links
- Whoopi's Littleburg on IMDb
- Whoopi's Littleburg at TV.com
- Whoopi's Littleburg at TV Guide
- Whoopi's Littleburg at Moviefone
