Wonder Pets

Wonder Pets
L-R: Linny the Guinea Pig (Sofie Zamchick), Ming-Ming Duckling (Danica Lee), Turtle Tuck (Teala Dunn).
Genre	Animated series
Created by	Josh Selig
Directed by	Jennifer Oxley
Voices of	Sofie Zamchick Teala Dunn Danica Lee
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	42 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time	30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	Nick Jr. on Nickelodeon (2004–2009) Nick Jr. (2009–present)
Original run	March 3, 2004 (2004-03-03) – present
Chronology
Related shows	3rd & Bird

Wonder Pets is an American animated children's television series. It debuted on March 3, 2004, on the Nick Jr. block of the Nickelodeon cable television network and Noggin (now Nick Jr.) on August 31, 2006. It won an Emmy Award in 2008 for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition.

History and format

The Wonder Pets television series was created by Josh Selig for Little Airplane Productions. The show was first seen as a short Nick Jr.'s film series called Linny the Guinea Pig, in which a guinea pig named Linny traveled into space and under the ocean. Ming-Ming Duckling and Turtle Tuck were created when the show was expanded and called The Super Singing Power Pets!. The title was later shortened to Wonder Pets. The show's main characters are three elementary school classroom pets — Linny the Guinea Pig, Turtle Tuck, and Ming-Ming Duckling. They are presented as a trio of heroes who rescue baby animals as they demonstrate the benefits of teamwork.

The animation style used to create Wonder Pets! is called "photo-puppetry", and was created for the series to allow animators to manipulate photographs of real animals. It also uses drawn objects (not characters), so the total presentation could be considered animated mixed-media.

A good deal of the dialog is sung, so the show has been likened to operetta or singspiel. A 10-member live orchestra performs each episode, sometimes including other instrumentalists skilled in music from the region to which the pets are traveling during the episode.^[1] Completing each episode takes thirty-three weeks from script to final delivery.^[2]

Characters and voice cast

Main characters

Wonder Pets

Linny the Guinea Pig

Linny the Guinea Pig
The Wonder Pets! character
Linny the Guinea Pig
First appearance	"Linny the Guinea Pig In Space" (shorts) "Save the Dolphin" (series)
Created by	Josh Selig
Portrayed by	Sofie Zamchick
Information
Gender	Female
Family	Ginny the Guinea Pig (grandmother, voiced by Anne Meara)[3]

Linny the Guinea Pig is a five-year-old girl ^[4] and the leader of the Wonder Pets. Linny is voiced by Sofie Zamchick in the United States version and Meisha Kelly (Alphabet Kidz) in the UK version. As a superhero, she wears an orange-yellow cap and a blue cape. Linny appears to be the most educated of the group, often providing different zoological and geographical information to the others. She is usually the one to remind the group about teamwork or other values and offer praise. She leads Ming-Ming and Tuck in most of the show's primary songs and usually has the responsibility of starting the "Flyboat". Linny's catch phrase is "This calls for some celery!", usually declared at the conclusion of each adventure. Before Wonder Pets, Linny starred in a few three-minute shorts on Nick Jr. titled Linny the Guinea Pig, where Linny would explore different environments such as the ocean and outer space.

Tuck the Turtle

Tuck the Turtle
The Wonder Pets! character
Turtle Tuck
First appearance	"Rack, Shack, and Tuck" (shorts) "Save the Dolphin" (series)
Created by	Josh Selig
Portrayed by	Teala Dunn, Catherine Holden (UK)
Information
Gender	Male
Family	Turtle Buck (cousin, voiced by Michael Hall D'Addario)[5]

Tuck is a four-year-old Red Eared Slider terrapin boy. He is described as sensitive with an emotional connection to living things and the heart of the group. As a superhero, he wears a white French sailor's cap, blue Aquasocks, and a red cape. He is voiced by Teala Dunn in the United States version, and Catherine Holden (Alphabet Kidz) in the UK version. Tuck is empathetic, often desiring to give the rescued animals a hug or keeping them company while Linny and Ming-Ming put their rescue plan into action. He also has keen observational skills, spotting things from a distance, which often garners him the compliment, "Good eye, Tuck!".

Ming-Ming the Duckling

Ming-Ming the Duckling
The Wonder Pets! character
Ming-Ming Duckling
First appearance	'Ming-Ming and the Pie War" (shorts) "Save the Dolphin" (series)
Created by	Josh Selig
Portrayed by	Danica Lee, Kaya Alexander
Information
Gender	Female
Family	Elenora (aunt) Marvin Duckling (cousin toddler, voiced by Noah Lee)[6]

At age 3,^[7] Ming-Ming is an overconfident young duckling. As a superhero girl, she wears a leather pilot's helmet, goggles, and a green cape. Unlike the other Wonder Pets, she has the ability to fly. She can also speak "bird", allowing her to talk to other birds that the Wonder Pets encounter. Ming-Ming also believes that her great-grandfather was an eagle. Ming-Ming sometimes tries to take on big problems by herself and in one episode ("Save the Duckling") she even becomes the animal that needed rescuing. Ming-Ming often provides comic relief in the show. Ming-Ming is voiced by Danica Lee in the United States version, and Kaya Alexander in the UK version. When Lee auditioned for the role, she pronounced her "R" sounds as "W" sounds (as in "This is Se-wious!"). The producers said that Lee's speech impediment had an endearing quality and that young children commonly mispronounce certain sounds.^{[citation needed]} Some parents have criticized Ming-Ming's speech pattern, but consultants for the show point out that many characters in children's programs have childlike speech patterns.^[8] Danica Lee has been nominated twice, in 2007 and 2008, for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program.^[9]

Recurring characters

Ollie the Bunny

Ollie the Bunny
The Wonder Pets! character
First appearance	"Save the Skunk" (series)
Last appearance	"Adventures in Wonderland"
Created by	Josh Selig
Portrayed by	T.J. Stanton (2004–2008) Cooper Corrao (2008–2009)
Information
Gender	Male
Family	Ollie's mom (unnamed, mother) Omie (sister) Baby Ollio (baby brother)

He first guest stars in the series in the episode, "Save The Skunk!" At age 4, Ollie is a boy revealed as a visiting bunny by a child when his mother inquires, "Who's Ollie?" Ollie begs to go with the Wonder Pets when a baby skunk is stuck under a rosebush. The Wonder Pets tunnel into Ollie's cage to get him out. He boasts and brags a bit. For instance, at the line, "To help a baby (animal) and save the day..." Ollie interrupts after "To help a baby skunk..." and says, "And I'll save the day!" Then, when Tuck usually says, "And we're not too tough," Ollie changes it himself into, "And I'm really tough!" At first, Ollie wants to save the skunk himself, without using teamwork, but ends up scaring the skunk and getting sprayed. His digging skills are eventually determined by the Wonder Pets to be necessary in freeing the skunk. When the Wonder Pets return home, Ollie goes into the sink to wash off the skunk spray. Ollie made another appearance in the episode "Ollie to the Rescue!" where he tried to make his own animal saving team called "The Thunder Pets!". But since he did everything by himself, mostly because his other teammates were a painted rock and windup toy frog, he wasn't able to save the animal in trouble. Ollie's next appearance was in the episode "Here's Ollie!" where he invites the other pets to a sleepover at his underground home, and helping him fall asleep. Later he made an appearance in "The Amazing Ollie!" where he showed the pets a disappearing act and then needs the pets to rescue him when he really disappears! But it turns out that Ollie was in a secret compartment in the table that the hat was on. Ollie's next appearance was "Help the Easter Bunny!" when he and the other Wonder Pets, or "Wonder Bunnies", deliver the Easter eggs that the Easter Bunny didn't deliver due to his cold. His latest appearance was in "How It All Began!" where Linny tells him and the other pets how they met and became the Wonder Pets in the first place. It was revealed in this episode that Ollie was the first animal that the pets ever saved.

Ollie is currently voiced by Cooper Corrao in the United States version ("The Amazing Ollie!", "Help the Easter Bunny!", "How It All Began", "Adventures in Wonderland").^[10] The first four Ollie appearances ("Save The Skunk!", "Ollie to the Rescue", "Here's Ollie!") were voiced by T.J. Stanton; however, the role was later recast.

Little Bee

Little Bee
The Wonder Pets! character
First appearance	"Save the Bee!" (series)
Last appearance	"The Adventures of Bee & Slug!"
Created by	Josh Selig
Information
Gender	Female
Family	Little Bee's mom (unnamed, mother) Slug (friend)

Little Bee first guest stars in the Episode "Save the Bee!" where the pets shrink down to bug size, thanks to their shrinking machine, to help her collect flower nectar and make honey for the first time. She later made an appearance in "Save the Glowworm!" where she is friends with a cricket and a glowworm named Lucy, who is trying to find a talent. Her last appearance was in "The Adventures of Bee & Slug!", where she and a slug named Slug help watch the Flyboat, but then ends as an out-of-control joyride due to them sitting inside it when they weren't supposed to. But it is possibly that Bee and Slug may be in another episode coming soon in the future, because if you look closely at the scenery in the opening credits of "How it all Began!" then you can see that there is a picture of what appears to be Bee and slug riding a cart on a track in an underground cave.

Episode structure

Each episode follows a similar structure, with some variation, in terms of the storyline and the musical form.

As each episode begins, viewers hear the school children, off-screen, leaving school at the end of the day. They say goodbye to the classroom pets. Once the classroom is vacant, a pencil holder rattles to create the ringing of a telephone. Often, the classroom will be decorated with student artwork or other items related to the storyline, particular animal or geographic location of that episode.

One by one, the classroom pets wordlessly notice the ringing phone. Up to this point in the episode, they have acted like normal animals and not said a single word. But as the phone rings, the Wonder Pets get dressed and make their way towards the phone while singing their opening verses.

The Wonder Pets answer the phone and find that an animal is in trouble somewhere. Linny, the Guinea Pig, explains the situation to the other two: Tuck, the turtle and Ming-Ming, the duckling. They all jump into a box filled with fabric scraps and jump back out, wearing various different outfits, often alluding to the area of the world they will be visiting. They make a quick joke then jump back into the box and emerge in their Wonder Pets capes.

Once dressed, they assemble a flying boat called "The Flyboat" from classroom objects: a flying disc for a body, felt marker caps as rocket exhausts, a marble, wheels, the mast, and a sheet of paper for the sail. Usually, the Wonder Pets encounter some sort of obstacle before leaving the classroom. The solution is invariably similar to the action they will need to take to save the animal in trouble.

When saving the animal, the Wonder Pets often fail on the first few attempts. Then the danger escalates, prompting Ming-Ming to once again sing, "This is se-wious!" Suddenly, the Wonder Pets remember how they solved the problem in the classroom and realize that the rescue has the same solution. Then they have to work together to achieve the rescue.

Once the animal is saved, a parent or other relative often comes out of nowhere to give grateful thanks to the Wonder Pets for saving its baby. The Wonder Pets celebrate with a celery snack, which the rescued animal's parent sometimes adds to with a bit of regional food, or they insist on a regional preparation. Then they fly back to the classroom. They wordlessly return to their cages until the next episode. The Flying boat smoothly disassembles by itself. Linny is always the last one to get back in her cage, and her cape and cap come off. A music style having to do with that day's rescue is played, as Linny takes a bite out of the celery in her cage and winks towards the camera as the closing credits begin.

Modes of transportation

In each episode, the pets create something out of toys to get them to the animal in trouble.

Flyboat

The Flyboat is the most common vehicle that the pets assemble. The main base is a red flying disc with 4 blue and yellow wheels, it has 3 lights: 1 green, 1 orange and 1 purple; the Flyboat has a clear plastic bottom where 5 gears, that are possibly part of the engine, are visible. The Flyboat's rocket boosters are 2 felt marker caps that are controlled by a green Popsicle® stick that when lifted up makes boosters point down, which allows the Flyboat to hover in the air. Lastly the boat has a mast made out of blue Erector® pieces with a marble on top and a sail (the color/design/print varies) with the Wonder Pets logo on it. Usually, Linny drives the Flyboat, but there are episodes where Ming-Ming or Tuck drive instead. Most other modes of transportation are a variation of the Flyboat and primarily use the same components.

Toys and merchandising

Fisher Price began distributing a line of official Wonder Pets toys in the U.S. in March 2008.^[11] Toys include the Flyboat, figurine playsets and plush animals. These figurine playsets have each Wonder Pet saving a different baby animal. These include Linny saving a baby penguin, Tuck saving a baby bluebird and Ming-Ming rescuing a kitten. In addition there is a whale playset for the tub. Nickelodeon Universe, a theme park inside Minnesota's Mall of America, also has a children's ride dedicated to the Flyboat.^[12]

Media

Broadcast history

• Nick Jr. (pilots: 1993 / series: March 3, 2004–February 2, 2009)
• Nickelodeon (February 2, 2009–present)
• Noggin (March 3, 2004, August 31, 2006–September 28, 2009)
• Nick Jr. (September 28, 2009–present)
• Tr3s (July 12, 2010–present, dubbed in Spanish)

• Nick Jr. (2005–present)
• CITV

• TG4 (2007–present)

• Treehouse TV (2005–present)

• TVOKids (2007–present)
• Knowledge (2005–2006)

• Nick Jr. Nederland (November 5, 2005–present)

• Nick Jr. (2005–present)

• TV9 (2008–present)
• TV3 (late 2008–present)
• Nickelodeon (Nick Jr. time slot, 2007–present)

• Señal Colombia (2006–present)

• Nick Jr. (2006–present)

• TV5 (2007–2008)
• Nickelodeon (Nick Jr. time slot, 2007–present)
• ABS-CBN (TBA)
  • Studio 23 (Nickelodeon on Studio 23, 2008–present, dubbed in Tagalog)

• Global TV (2005–present)

• TV Cultura (2007–present)

• okto (2007–present)

• Nickelodeon (Nick Jr. time slot, 2005–present)
• EBS (2007–2009)

DVD compilations

• Save the Wonder Pets! (a.k.a. Save the Blowfish) DVD, released April 24, 2005. Includes: "Save the Wonder Pets! (aka Save the Blowfish)", "Save the Caterpillar!", "Save the Crane!", "Save the Sea Lions!", "Save the Kangaroo!", "Save the Hedgehog!", and "Save the Crocodile!" ^[13]
• Save The Unicorn! DVD, released September 11, 2005. Includes: "Save the Unicorn!", "Save the Penguin!", "Save the Swan!", "Save the Puppy!", "Save the Three Little Pigs!", "Save the Owl!", "Save the Bullfrog!", and "Save the Poodle!" ^[14]
• Save the Reindeer! DVD, released October 2, 2005. Includes: "Save the Reindeer!", "Save the Goldfish!", "Save the Baby Birds!", "Save the Camel!", "Save the Ants!", "Save the Egg!", and "Save the Flamingo!" ^[15]
• Save the Dinosaur! DVD, release February 12, 2006. Includes: "Save the Dinosaur!", "Save the Pigeon!", "Save the Dragon!", "Save the Beaver!", "Save the Bee!", "Save the Squirrel!", "Save the Dolphin!", and "Save the Chimp!" ^[16]
• Save the Beetles! DVD, released April 22, 2006. Includes: "Save the Beetles!", "Three Wonder Pets and a Baby!", "Save the Duckling!", "Save the Kitten!", "Save the Chameleon!", "Save the Platypus!", "Save the Sheep!", and "Save the Hermit Crab!"^[17]
• Save the Nursery Rhyme! DVD, release June 3, 2006. Includes: "Help the Cow Jump over the moon!", "Save the Itsy Bitsy Spider!", "Save the Griffin!", "Save the Rooster!", "Save Little Red Riding Hood!", "Save the Turtle!", "Save the Panda!", and "Save the Mouse!" ^[18]
• Save the Bengal Tiger! DVD released September 9, 2006. Includes: "Save the Bengal Tiger!", "Save the Ladybug!", "Save the Sea Turtle!", "Save the Gecko!", "Save the What?", "Save the Goslings!", and "Ollie to the Rescue!" ^[19]
• Save the Nutcracker! DVD released October 7, 2006. Includes: "Save the Nutcracker!", "Save the Old White Mouse", "The Adventures of Bee and Slug!", "Save the Kangaroo", "Save the Cricket", "Save the Cow", and "Save the Skunk" ^[20]
• Join the Circus! DVD released February 24, 2007. Includes: "Join the Circus", "Save the Rat Pack", "Fiddler Crab on the Roof", "Save the Armadillo", "Save the Visitor", "Save the Tree", and "Save the Elephant" ^[21]
• Ollie's Slumber Party DVD released 2007. Includes: "Here's Ollie", "Save the Hound Dog", "The Amazing Ollie!", "Help the Monster!", "Save the Cool Cat and the Hip Hippo!", "Tuck and Buck", "Save the Dancing Duck!", "Save the Dalmatian!"^[22]
• The First Rescue DVD released 2010. Includes: "How It All Began", "Happy Mother's Day!", "Save the Sun Bear!", "Save the Mermaid!", "Save the Visitor's Birthday Party!", "A Job Well Done!", "Save the Rhino!"^[23]

Books (Wonder Pets! series)

• Arranged in publication date order.

1. Teamwork Saves the Day! (ISBN 9781416947974)
2. Flyboat Adventures (ISBN 9781416947424)
3. Go, Wonder Pets! (ISBN 9781416947233)
4. The Wonder Pets Save the Dinosaur! (ISBN 9781416947240)
5. Let's Count Baby Animals! (ISBN 9781416963936)
6. Good Night, Wonder Pets! (ISBN 9781416961543)
7. The Wonder Pets Save the Hedgehog! (ISBN 9781416947271)
8. Save the Bengal Tiger! (ISBN 9781416964957)
9. We Can Help! (ISBN 9781416968658)
10. Save the Reindeer! (ISBN 9781416961741)
11. Ming-Ming Saves the Day (ISBN 9781416964599)
12. Let's Find Colors! (ISBN 9781416958246)
13. The Wonder Pets Love You! (ISBN 9781416964575)
14. Join the Circus (ISBN 9781416975816)
15. Save the Tree! (ISBN 9781416951117)
16. You Can Fly, Bumblebee! (ISBN 9781416971078)
17. Save the Egg! (ISBN 9781416971030)
18. ABC Party (ISBN 9781416971047)
19. My Family Loves Me! (ISBN 9781416975151)
20. Let's Discover Shapes! (ISBN 9781416971962)
21. Save the Three Little Pigs! (ISBN 9781416971986)
22. Off to School! (ISBN 9781416971979)
23. Save the Visitor! (ISBN 9781416978688)
24. Baby Beaver Rescue (ISBN 9781416984993)
25. Save Little Red Riding Hood! (ISBN 9781416985662)
26. Happy Halloween, Wonder Pets! (ISBN 9781416979821)
27. Save the Beetles! (ISBN 9781416990192)
28. The Wonder Pets Save the Nutcracker! (ISBN 9781416990161)
29. Ming-Ming's Favorite Things (ISBN 9781416990628)
30. Let's Play Outside! (ISBN 9781416990222)
31. Let's Play the Opposites Game (ISBN 9781416985075)
32. The Baby Bird Rescue! (ISBN 9781416990772)
33. Floppy's First Sleepover (ISBN 9781416997566)
34. Flyboat to the Rescue! (ISBN 9781416997528)
35. This is Serious! (ISBN 9781442402317)
36. How We Met! (ISBN 9781442406544)
37. We Are Thankful! (ISBN 9781442406773)

Source:^[24]

Soundtrack

Wonder Pets
Soundtrack album by Wonder Pets
Released	April 10th, 2005
Genre	Children's
Label	Nick Records

In addition to the DVDs and books, the show's self-titled track, Wonder Pets, was released on April 10, 2007.^[25] The soundtrack features songs from the show itself, including the main self-titled theme song.

Tracklisting

All songs are performed by the Wonder Pets unless otherwise noted.

1. The Wonder Pets!
2. Poor Baby Squirrel (Ming-Ming/Voiced by Danica Lee)
3. The Caterpillar's Song
4. Oh, Sheep-eee-hooo!
5. Tickle The Whale
6. To Be Free!
7. Hold On, Pigeon!
8. Fruit Salad
9. City Garden Rap
10. Hug A Hedgy
11. The Oasis
12. Hola, Hermit Crab!
13. Wee-Wee, Pee-Pee, Tinkle!
14. Brown Cow Down
15. Wonder Pets, We Love You!
16. The Wonder Pets! (Instrumental) (Wonder Pets Orchestra)

Source:^[25]

Game

The Wonder Pets! Save the Animals!

US cover art
Publisher(s)	2K Play
Publication date	October 27th, 2006 (US) April 3rd, 2007 (AUS)
Genre(s)	Adventure
System(s)	Nintendo DS, Wii
Players	1
Age range	3+
Website	Official website

The show's first (and only) game was released on October 27, 2008 in the United States and on April 3, 2009 in Australia for the Nintendo DS.^[26]

References

1. ^ Heffley, Lynne. Unchained melodies: In scoring the kids' show 'The Wonder Pets!,' top-notch composers get a warm and fuzzy feeling. Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, CA. 2006-03-03. [1]. Accessed: 2011-01-11. (Archived by WebCite at [2])
2. ^ Jennifer Oxley, "Meet the Creators of Wonder Pets!"
3. ^ Wonder Pets at the Internet Movie Database
4. ^ [3].
5. ^ Wonder Pets at the Internet Movie Database
6. ^ Wonder Pets at the Internet Movie Database
7. ^ Robert Lloyd, "'Wonder Pets!' to the rescue", Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Calif.: Mar 3, 2006. pg. E.29.
8. ^ Want to write for Wonder Pets? Here’s a tip: Stay away from moths., Laura Brown Interview, Smart Television Alliance, September 9, 2008
9. ^ Edward Wyatt, "Nickelodeon's 'Wonder Pets' Offers Operetta for Preschoolers", New York Times, March 28, 2006. pg. E.1.
10. ^ Morton, Rebecca, Youngster, 7, racks up acting, modeling credits , Great Media News, gmnews.som, August 20, 2008
11. ^ Video, Toys R Us television commercial
12. ^ "New attraction spotlight: Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America", March 11, 2008
13. ^ Freisen, Eric, DVD Review:Save the Wonder Pets!, BlogCritics Magazine, April 21, 2007
14. ^ Save the Unicorn Wonder Pets DVD, Amazon.com
15. ^ Save the Reindeer!, Wonder Pets, Amazon.com DVD
16. ^ Save the Dinosaur!, Wonder Pets DVD, Amazon.com
17. ^ Save the Beetles Wonder Pets DVD, Amazon.com
18. ^ Save the Nursery Rhyme, Wonder Pets DVD, Amazon.com
19. ^ Save the Bengal Tiger, Wonder Pets DVD, Amazon.com
20. ^ "Wonder Pets! Save the Nutcracker!": Saving A Nutcracker Is Sewious, Review, Toon Zone, October 10, 2008
21. ^ Wonder Pets Join the Circus, Wonder Pets DVD, Amazon.com
22. ^ Wonder Pets!: Ollie's Slumber Party: DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video June 9, 2007
23. ^ Wonder Pets: The First Rescue | DVD Review | The Dirty Shirt June 23, 2010
24. ^ Wonder Pets! book page from Simon and Schuster
25. ^ ^{a b} Wonder Pets: Wonder Pets!: Music Retrieved from Amazon.com on Nov. 26th, 2010.
26. ^ IGN: Wonder Pets! Save the Animals!

External links

• Official website
• Wonder Pets at the Internet Movie Database
• Wonder Pets at TV.com
• The Wonder Pets! Wiki, an external wiki
• Wonder Pets! at TV Guide
• Entertainment Weekly interview of creator Josh Selig
• Gothamist interview of Josh Selig