Muppet Wiki
Register
Don't have an account?
Sign In
Advertisement
Muppet Wiki
Muppet Wiki
38,744
pages
in: The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, Muppet TV Shows

The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss

Edit
Wubbulousworldtitle.jpg
EPISODE GUIDE
CHARACTERS • MORE
Premiere 1996
Network Nickelodeon
Seasons 2
Episodes 40

The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss title card during season 2.

Jim's_Red_Book_"The_Wubbulous_World_of_Dr._Seuss_CG"

Jim's Red Book "The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss CG"

Behind the scenes footage

The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss characters

Suess203.jpg

The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss premiered on Nickelodeon on October 13, 1996. A revamped second season premiered on March 9, 1998.[1] The show features puppet versions of the classic Dr. Seuss characters.

The entire series can currently be purchased and rented via the iTunes Store, and for a time was seen on Hulu and "Jim Henson Family TV" on YouTube. As of 2017, it can now also be seen on Starz and Amazon Prime.

Format

Both seasons of the show are vastly different in terms of format and tone. The first season is presented in an anthology format, featuring different stories each week featuring at least one recognizable character from the Dr. Seuss library (such as the Grinch and Horton the Elephant). The Cat in the Hat and his Little Cats served as hosts of the series, bookending each story while occasionally interfering with the events.

The second season completely changed the format of the show. In addition to a new theme sequence, the Cat in the Hat and the Little Cats had an increased presence, with their sequences (taking place in the Cat's Playhouse, the only non-computer generated set in the show) taking up the majority of the show. Twice an episode, the Cat would consult the Wubbuloscope, where short stories feature other Dr. Seuss characters pertaining to the theme of the episode.

Production

The series came about when Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the company handling Geisel's estate and legacy, began looking into creating a television series based on the Seuss books. Michael K. Frith, who previously worked on several Seuss books, acted as a liaison between the Jim Henson Company and the Seuss folk. A short pitch reel was created featuring a puppet version of Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose. Afterwards, the two companies collaborated on another pitch reel for Nickelodeon, which featured the Cat in the Hat (performed by Martin P. Robinson).[2]

The first season was shot at Jim Henson's carriage house in New York City.[3] The entire first season was shot entirely in front of blue and green screens and used mainly computer-generated backgrounds. The series was unique in that the CG backgrounds were animated in real-time, allowing for such things as the scenery moving as the characters moved and objects moved when interacted with.[4]

Cast

Guest or background/assistant puppeteers included Pam Arciero, Heather Asch, Bill Barretta, Camille Bonora, Kevin Clash, Vicki Kenderes-Eibner, Jim Kroupa, Joey Mazzarino, Brian Muehl, Jerry Nelson, John Tartaglia, and Nikki Tilroe.

Notes

Credits

See also

Sources

  1. ↑ YouTube: Season 2 promo
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Craig Shemin and Stephanie D'Abruzzo on Defunctland podcast
  3. ↑ Jim Henson's Red Book: 4/2/1984 – ‘Bought 225 East 67th St.’
  4. ↑ ToughPigs interview with Kathy Mullen, part 3

External links

Categories
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.
Advertisement

Fan Feed

More Muppet Wiki
Explore Wikis