Timothy Goes to School

Timothy Goes to School
Genre	Cartoon series
Created by	Rosemary Wells
Directed by	Gary Hurst
Voices of	Austin Di Iulio Lisa Yamanaka Alyson Court Max Morrow Mag Ruffman Darren Frost Rob Stefaniuk Tracy Ryan Laurie ElliottJoanne Vannicola Linda Kash Fiona Reid Jamie Watson
Theme music composer	Stan Meissner
Country of origin	Canada
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	26
Production
Executive producer(s)	Stephen Ching Michael Hirsh Patrick Loubert Diana Manson Tina Peel Clive A. Smith
Running time	30 minutes
Production company(s)	Silver Lining Entertainment Animation Services Hong Kong Limited PBS Nelvana
Broadcast
Original channel	PBS TV Cultura (Brazil) Tiny Pop (UK)
Original run	September 30, 2000 – December 28, 2001

Timothy Goes to School is a cartoon series based on the books by Rosemary Wells.

It features a young raccoon, Timothy, who attends a fictional primary school kindergarten. The series aired on PBS Kids as part of the PBS Kids Bookworm Bunch from 2000 until 2004. It was later broadcast on Discovery Kids until 2006. This show airs on YTV in Canada, TVOntario and also Tiny Pop, a digital TV channel in the UK. In Brazil was aired on TV Cultura (2003–2007). In Mexico and Latin America, was broadcast on ZAZ, a Mexican cable TV channel. (In Latin America, episode #22 wasn't aired, but it did air in Brazil).

Characters

Below are the characters split up into three groups, children, adults, and others.

Children

• Timothy^[1] (voiced by Austin Di Lulio) is a raccoon and the main character of the show. He is a well-meaning young boy and the most warm hearted child in the school, generally trying to be a friend to everyone. He is a little impulsive however, as seen in "Red Thunder," when he unsuccessfully tries to copy Doris's brothers on a bicycle ramp. He wears a blue and white striped shirt.

• Yoko (voiced by Lisa Yamanaka) is a cat from Japan. She is a typical sweet young girl, good at the violin and seeing the best in people. Yoko enjoys many Japanese things such as sushi and origami which has occasionally caused problems for her and her classmates. She is Timothy's best friend, and they are often seen together. She wears a yellow dress with a red shirt over it.

• Nora (voiced by Alyson Court) is a mouse who is somewhat bossy and sulky sometimes. She is known for making a lot of noise which has earned her the nickname Noisy Nora. She owns an iguana called Norman who lives in the school. She has an eight-year old sister named Kate who hasn't appeared in the show other than as a picture Nora drew of her, and an extremely messy baby brother named Jack who occasionally appears. She wears a purple dress.

• Charles (voiced by Max Morrow) is a mouse who is shy and likes to play by himself at recess but is often found around Timothy, Lilly or Yoko, as they tend to be the quieter members of the class. He engages in very creative and imaginative play, as he built a make-believe rocket ship to the stars which included asteroids, stars, and even a black hole made from a tire. As he is the smallest member of the class, he tends to not be good at sports, but he isn't bothered by this. He wears a red shirt and blue suspenders.

• Lilly (voiced by Mag Ruffman) is a fox who is forgetful, and to remedy this she often ties a string around a finger. Lilly has a pet fish named Treasure. Though she is generally extremely absent-minded, she proves her worth in "Lifesaver Lilly" when she rescues a goldfish her class is looking after to save it from freezing to death. Her forgetfulness can often be a source of annoyance to the other characters, but they quickly forgive her. She wears a blue dress with an orange shirt over it and a pair of red tennis shoes.

• Frank & Frank (voiced by Darren Frost and Rob Stefaniuk) are Boston Terrier twin brothers who love sports and often speak in unison. The brothers speak in stilted, dull voices which suggest they are not too bright. They are known for play fighting, telling jokes and their catchphrases such as "Me before you"-- "Me first"-- "No! ME before you, ME first!" "Okay, we'll BOTH go first" before both squeezing through a door and their signature jolly laughter. They hate to be separated as in the episode "Frankless Frank" although they did try something new when they each played with someone different at recess one time (Frank #1 with Fritz and Frank #2 with Timothy) and enjoyed the experience ("New Found Franks") and sometimes their jokes backfire leading to serious consequences ("Full of Beans"). Their favorite food is franks and beans. Frank #1 is black and wears a blue jersey, Frank #2 is orange and wears a green jersey.

• Doris (voiced by Tracy Ryan) is a beaver who is a boisterous tomboy. She is a talented soccer player who seems to have a fear of insects ("Full of Beans"). Doris has three older brothers: Horace, Morris and Boris. Doris is clearly the tallest student in her class, though at home, she is teased by her brothers as she is much smaller than they are. Doris appears to be the most avant-garde artist in class, as she believes her painted art doesn't need to look like anything, as long as it makes her happy. Charles is the only other student to share this view, as during a trip to the art museum, the two of them choose to spend time in the modern art part of a museum while the rest of the class choose to return to the classical area. Most of the other characters are impressed by her size and strength. She wears a pink dress with a darker pink bow in her hair.

• Fritz (voiced by Laurie Elliott) is a skunk who is very fond of science and insects. He leaves for another school in "Fritz On the Move" and returns soon after ("Many Happy Returns"). Fritz is also the most clever in the class, and occasionally knows more than the teacher about a particular subject. He once caused a bit of a stir in class, especially to Grace, when he collected leftovers and worms to create a birdfeeder for Mrs. Jenkins after she sprained her arm. Fritz reacts poorly to failure, as when his baking-soda rocket zooms around the room uncontrolled he at first gives up trying, and Timothy has to prod him into making another attempt. While Fritz doesn't like to lose things, he seems to be patient towards Lilly as seen in the talent show when she kept losing the flowers and found them in time for the show. He also has a tendency towards messiness. He originally wore a yellow shirt with a green necktie, but, upon returning in "Many Happy Returns", he wears a green multipocketed vest over a yellow undershirt.

• Juanita is a Mexican cat. Upon joining the school, she is very nervous and anxious, but eventually she overcomes her nerves and tells her Mom to go, though she still tells her Mom whenever she might need her. A new pupil to the school, she sees the best in people like Yoko. She only appears in the two parts comprising episode 26, "Mama, Don't Go" and "Making New Friends."

• Claude (voiced by Joanne Vannicola) is a raccoon who tries to be the best in the school though he comes off arrogant in some cases. Because of this, there is some rivalry between him and Timothy. However, they appear to become good friends after Timothy secretly teaches Claude to swim. After Claude shows off his new skills at the pool and the rest of the class is impressed, Claude makes sure to mention that his teacher was "the best" and he gives Timothy his towel to dry off. He wears a dark green polo shirt and is most often seen with Grace, who is much like him.

• Grace (voiced by Linda Kash) is an upper-class cat who likes things her way. Her interests include dance, especially ballet, and, as shown in one episode, figure skating. She has a quick temper and gets quickly annoyed when mistakes are made and (to her mind) silly questions asked from others in the class. She is seen playing with Claude most of the time. She wears a blue dress.

Adults

• Mrs. Jenkins (voiced by Fiona Reid) is a fox and the teacher of the class. Her name was Miss Abercrombie before she was married to Mr. Jenkins as mentioned in the episode "Just In Time". She can play the piano and she enjoys watching birds. She wears a green coat, a purple dress, and glasses.

• Big Frank (voiced by ?) is the father of Frank and Frank. He speaks in a gentle voice and sounds much more clever than his sons. He is seen as good with machinery and repairs, as he is able to easily fix Timothy's bicycle when the front wheel is damaged after attempting a dangerous jump, and also help Frank and Frank fix Yoko's taketombo after the Franks accidentally break it while playing football in the classroom against Mrs Jenkins' instructions in "The Taketombo". He wears a blue business shirt.

• Henry (voiced by Jamie Watson) is the janitor and bus driver. He is a beaver, like Doris, and is quite cheerful. He wears a blue uniform and was once Mrs. Jenkins' student back when she was Ms. Abercrombie. Despite his appearance, he isn't that old, being only thirty years old. He looks like the father of Doris and her brothers.

• Miss Appleberry (voiced by ?) is the student teacher at Hilltop School. She is a skunk and usually wears a blue or green dress.

• Mrs. Lightfoot (voiced by ?) is the librarian who gives the children their first library cards. She only appears in "Read Me A Story."

• Postman (voiced by ?) is a skunk who delivers the mail in the neighborhood.

Others

There are several notable adults and relatives, though many only appear in a couple of episodes (Yoko's mother, Doris's brothers, Nora's baby brother Jack, and the parents of the other children). Because Fritz, Yoko and Lilly don't appear to have fathers while the Franks and Claude don't appear to have a mother, this is never explained on the show.

Episodes

Episode 1

• "Timothy Goes to School" - Timothy is concerned about what to wear on his first day of school since Claude always has something nicer.
• "Yoko"- Yoko feels like an outcast because everybody makes fun of what she has for lunch.

Episode 2

• “On the Fritz”- Fritz blames all his mess on "The Mess Fairy".
• “The Great Obstacle Course”- The children at Hilltop School run a Sports Day, but Claude and Grace always win.

Episode 3

• “Small Change”- Nora is reluctant to change and she feels very moody, until she finds out that change is a good thing.
• “Shy Charles”- Charles is a very shy, but what would he do when Timothy gets locked in the janitorial closet?

Episode 4

• “Don’t Lose It, Lilly”- The children respectfully show Lily how she can remember everything.
• “Frankless Frank”- Frank 2 feels left out, because Frank 1 has a fever.

Episode 5

• “Paint by Numbers”- Doris likes to paint abstract art but the only person she knows who appreciates it is Charles.
• “The Sleepover”- After hearing that the mischievous Frank twins come over for a sleepover, Timothy feels too timid to bring a toy penguin as he thinks the Franks will make fun of him.

Episode 6

• “The Music Tree”- Yoko is chosen to be the lead cast of the Hilltop School Orchestra and gets stage fright.
• “Team Project"- Timothy chose Claude for a team project to win a silver star, but Claude won't let him do any of the work.

Episode 7

• “Cherry Blossom”- Yoko grows a Japanese Sakura plant. She is very impatient and learns that trees take a long time to grow.
• “Talent Show”- Grace breaks her ankle so is unable to perform ballet at the school talent show so volunteers to be director.

Episode 8

• “Scary Monsters”- Nora has a strong fear of dinosaurs preventing her from going on the school trip. The children help her fear by showing her that not all dinosaurs are scary.
• “Lifesaver Lily”- Lily isn't chosen to look after the class goldfish. On a day with heavy snowstorm, Lily goes to school and quickly grabs the fish and looks after it at home.

Episode 9

• “Red Thunder”- Timothy gets a new bike for his birthday. After riding a bike safety day at school, he copies Doris' brothers with their BMX bike tricks at the Franks' house.
• “Putting it All Together”- The children have to put together a jigsaw puzzle for a picnic in an hour.

Episode 10

• “The Big Snowfall”- Doris unsuccessfully tries to show responsibility while looking after Lily on her first snowfall.
• “Forever Friends”- Timothy's friendship with Yoko strains as Yoko has to practice ballet with Grace.

Episode 11

• “Taking the Plunge”- Claude can't swim, so Timothy secretly teaches him how to.
• “Timothy’s Way”- Timothy can't think of anything to teach the children at school, until he discovers he is an expert at playing marbles

Episode 12

• “The Treefort and the Sandcastle”- The children at school split themselves into clubs by gender.
• “Get Well Soon”- Mrs Jenkins has an injury, so Miss Appleberry acts as substitute. Everyone makes a get well soon card, but Fritz makes a present after hearing that the bird feeder had been damaged.

Episode 13

• “In the Spotlight”- Charles enjoys leaves but is too shy to talk publicly.
• “Fritz on the Move”- Fritz moves to another country so he can't go to Hilltop School anymore. Timothy feels upset so the children show him many ways to make him feel better.

Episode 14

• “Many Happy Returns”- Timothy finds out that Fritz has a surprise for him. Timothy discovers that his surprise is not a delivery, but that Fritz moves back to Timothy's hometown and attends Hilltop again.
• “You’re Invited”- Everybody gets an invitation to Lily's spring party except Doris. She tries to be a friendly girl but soon sees that her brothers left the invite outside.

Episode 15

• “The Greatest”- Because he found Nora's pet lizard, Timothy is forced to help all the children.
• “Rocky Friendship”- Charles and Fritz argue over a rare red rock. Timothy has to decide who owns it.

Episode 16

• “Two for Tea”- Yoko's mother comes to school to demonstrate Sado, a Japanese tea ceremony.
• “Abracadabra”- Grace peeks in Fritz's magic trick book then steals his talent. Fritz thinks Timothy told her and blames him.

Episode 17

• “The Taketombo”- Yoko receives a Japanese toy called a Taketombo, which is accidentally broken by the Frank brothers and then repaired by them with the help of Big Frank.
• “Having a Wonderful Time” - The schoolchildren visit Hilltop Park.

Episode 18

• “The Shutterbug” - Timothy brings a camera to school, but when he takes pictures, he thinks that none of the photographs are precise enough to be put in an album.
• “The Friendship Stone” - Nora and Lily exchange a lucky penny for a painted stone as they are true friends. Lily loses the stone she was received and is worried that their friendship would be over.

Episode 19

• “New Found Franks”- The Franks learn to play with the other children.
• “When I Grow Up”- Yoko helps Nora choose what job she wants to have when she grows up.

Episode 20

• “The School Play”- Yoko is chosen to be a decayed tooth in a school play about dental care, but she is not very satisfied with her part.
• “Full of Beans”- Frank and Frank go too far on their jokes making all of the children angry and wound-up.

Episode 21

• “Read Me a Story”- Because of learning how to read, Nora has fear that her beloved story-time with her mother could come to an end, but does it?
• “The Gift”- Nora wants to get a special gift for Yoko's birthday party, so she eats her least favorite cereal because it has an emerald ballet slipper as a prize. Nora finds out that it make a pretty shoe for Yoko's porcelain doll and a necklace for Yoko as well.

Episode 22

• “Measuring Up”- Charles finds out that he is smallest in the class, but he finds out that Doris, biggest in the class, is the baby of the family.
• “Lost and Found”- Yoko loses a set of cherished sculptures called netsuke.

Episode 23

• “Professor Fritz”- Fritz develops a rocket experiment for an open house, but after the experiment goes wrong Fritz doesn't want to do anything. Can he improve the rocket?
• “Two Tutu Friends”- Grace invites Doris to ballet class. One day, Doris laughs at an embarrassing moment that happened to Grace. When Doris tells the other children, Grace doesn't want to play with Doris any more.

Episode 24

• “My Family”- Nora hates her baby brother Jack, but realizes what fun an infant sibling can be.
• “Just in Time”- Lily impulsively puts her favorite doll in the time capsule, but soon begins to regret it.

Episode 25

• “Charles the Athlete”- Frank and Frank want to teach Charles how to be an athlete but Charles shows no interest and wants to play astronauts instead.
• “Be My Valentine”- Lily, Yoko, Charles and Timothy make Valentines cards for each other, but they don't go to who they're supposed to.

Episode 26

• “Mama Don’t Go”- A Mexican girl named Juanita is new to Hilltop School. Timothy and Yoko help her get along with the other children.
• “Making New Friends"- Juanita struggles to make friends, so Timothy, captain of the Friend Ship, show her what fun she could discover.

Funders and Sponsors

• Playskool
• National Endowment for the Humanities
• The Pew Charitable Trusts
• Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
• The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations
• Magic Johnson Foundation
• Corporation for Public Broadcasting
• PBS Viewers Like You (Thank You)

References

1. ^ IMDB Entry for Timothy Goes to School

External links

• Timothy Goes to School at the Internet Movie Database
• Timothy Goes to School at TV.com