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3rd & Bird
Created by	Josh Selig
Directed by	Jennifer Oxley
Starring	Sam Lewis Eden Jarrett Morgan Gayle Michael Fenton Stevens Anna Nygh Charlotte Leslie-Cameron Preston Nyman David Beckford Candida Gubbins Ethann Lewis Reiss Lewin
Country of origin	United Kingdom United States
Original language	English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	52
Production
Executive producers	Josh Selig Kay Benbow Chris Rose
Producers	Josh Selig, Fred Weinberg
Running time	10 minutes approx.
Production companies	CBeebies Productions Little Airplane Productions
Original release
Network	CBeebies
Release	1 July 2008 (2008-07-01) – 31 July 2010 (2010-07-31)
Related
Oobi, Wonder Pets!

3rd & Bird is a children's animated television series created by Josh Selig and directed by Jennifer Oxley. The series was animated by Little Airplane Productions, which opened a second studio in London to produce it. The show revolves around a community of birds and their adventures. It was broadcast on the BBC's CBeebies channel from 1 July 2008 to 31 July 2010. Described in its initial press release as "a charming new animated series all about community", the show's format generally involves one or more of the characters encountering a problem which must be solved using the social skills which pre-school children must develop in order to make their way in the world.

The show uses "photo-puppetry", an animation style created by Jennifer Oxley that uses photos of real animals and moves them using Adobe After Effects. This same animation style was used for Little Airplane's previous show Wonder Pets! and the scene transitions on Oobi.

Characters

Main

• Samuel (voiced by Sam Lewis) is the eldest of the Lovebird children, Samuel is a green lovebird. He acts as a role model to his younger sister, Muffin, and often tries to teach her how to be responsible.
• Muffin (voiced by Eden Jarrett) is a pink lovebird and Samuel's younger sister. Not yet old enough to fly, she usually rides on Samuel's back. Muffin calls Samuel "Sam'el," Rudy "Udy," and Mr. Beakman "Beaky."
• Rudy (voiced by Morgan Gayle) is a cockatoo (despite resembling a cockatiel more closely) and Samuel's best friend. She wears a bracelet of colored beads on her ankle.
• Mr. Beakman (voiced by Michael Fenton Stevens) is the children's teacher, a wise but somewhat pompous toucan who frequently acts as the voice of parental authority. He shows an interest in mariachi bands.

Supporting

• Mrs. Billingsley (voiced by Anna Nygh) is a New Zealand gardening kiwi and the oldest bird in the treetop community. She wears a sunhat and is incapable of flying, which occasionally causes problems.
• Missy (voiced by Charlotte Leslie-Cameron) is a fashionable great blue turaco who speaks with a thick French accent. She refers to Samuel and his friends as "little birds."
• Quinn (voiced by Preston Nyman) is a teenage puffin inventor and technical whizz whose creations often feature in the younger birds' activities. The younger birds look up to him.
• Mr. and Mrs. Lovebird (voiced by David Beckford and Candida Gubbins, respectively) are Samuel and Muffin's parents, with Northern English accents. Despite being rarely seen, they care deeply for their children. Mr Lovebird is the tree's caretaker.
• Baby Jordan (voiced by Reiss Lewin) is Mr. Beakman's nephew, who often uses big words like his father. He calls Muffin "Uffin."
• Elliot (voiced by George Phillips) is a worm who is friends with Samuel, Muffin, and Rudy.
• The ant is one of the few minor characters in 3rd & Bird, an unnamed insect.
• Ben is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, a sophisticated pig. He travels from tree to tree, helping birds in need.
• The birds are minor characters in 3rd & Bird. They are unnamed tropical birds that appear along with the major and recurring bird characters.
• The butterfly is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, an unnamed insect.
• The cow is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, an unnamed farm animal seen at the end of Muffin's Friend! as a joke. Muffin introduces the character as one of her friends.
• The crab is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, an unnamed crustacean.
• The cricket is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, an unnamed insect.
• The fireflies are minor characters in 3rd & Bird. They provide Muffin and Baby Jordan a way home after getting lost.
• The fly is one of the few minor characters in 3rd & Bird, an unnamed insect.
• The frogs are minor characters in 3rd & Bird, unnamed amphibians.
• The Grand Budgie is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, the leader of the Budgie troop. He is a blue-footed booby bird.
• The hawk is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, as well as one of the only antagonists in the series.
• The hummingbirds are minor characters in 3rd & Bird, two unnamed birds.
• The Jamaican party guests are minor characters in 3rd & Bird. They only appear in the series finale.
• The kitten is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, a young cat.
• The ladybird is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, an unnamed insect.
• The mice are minor characters in 3rd & Bird. They are a family of rodents.
• The owl is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, an unnamed bird.
• The Peacock Prince is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, a royal peacock. He wants to be treated like a normal bird, despite his status.
• The rabbit is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, seen at the beginning of the theme song in every episode. It also makes an appearance in Down to Earth!, an episode from season two.
• The Snail is a minor character that appears in the show 3rd & Bird.
• The spider is one of the few minor characters in 3rd & Bird, an unnamed arachnid.
• The Squirrel is a minor character in 3rd & Bird. It is spotted by Mr. Lovebird and Muffin, when it is stuck in a tree hole.
• The worms are minor characters in 3rd & Bird, various similar-looking earthworms.
• Ziggy the Parrot is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, a singing parrot from Jamaica. He is voiced by guest star Ziggy Marley.

The cast also includes world champion musical whistler, Michael Barimo, whose whistling accompanies the music of the show.

Episodes

The series ran for a total of 52 episodes, including a two-part Christmas special ("A Very Squooky Christmas").

Season 1 (2008–2009)

Season 2 (2009–2010)

Broadcast

BBC Worldwide acquired global distribution rights to the series in March 2008.

In 2009, Treehouse TV acquired Canadian broadcast rights. In 2010, Disney Channel bought US broadcast rights to the show and aired it on Disney Junior beginning in September 2011. The program continued to air and was rolled out to foreign countries including the United States, where it aired dubbed into American English, as well.

Merchandising

In January 2009, BBC Worldwide announced plans to release 3rd & Bird merchandise, including wooden stacking toys, pull along vehicles, play sets and musical instruments, as well as wheeled toys, including trikes, scooters, and ride-ons. The product line was released in spring 2010

Two compact discs featuring the 3rd & Bird theme song (along with many other CBeebies show tracks) were released by CBeebies titled CBeebies: Song Time (2010) and CBeebies: The Album (2012).

DVDs/Books

A DVD titled Bird's The Word! and containing 8 episodes of the series was released in March 2009, accompanied by a series of books tying into the show. A second DVD, Muffin Land!, was released in June 2009.

References

1. ^ Ball, Ryan (March 2008). "BBC Gets 3rd & Bird". Animation Magazine.
2. ^ "BBC Worldwide announce global distribution rights for hotly tipped pre-school series 3rd & Bird". BBC. 20 March 2008.
3. ^ "CBeebies unveils preschooler first".
4. "What's New at Little Airplane". www.littleairplane.com. Archived from the original on 29 July 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
5. "CBeebies: New Shows - Carrie & David's Popshop, Grandpa in My Pocket, 3rd & Bird". 25 August 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
6. "BBC Worldwide announces U.S. sale of 3rd & Bird! to Disney Channel". BBC Worldwide. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
7. "Post Magazine - ANIMATION: 'THE WONDER PETS!'". www.postmagazine.com.
8. "CBeebies Programmes – 3rd and Bird – Episodes from 2008". BBC. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
9. "CBeebies Programmes – 3rd and Bird – Episodes from 2010". BBC. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
10. "CBeebies Programmes – 3rd and Bird – Episodes from 2008". BBC. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
11. "CBeebies Programmes – 3rd and Bird – Episodes from 2010". BBC. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
12. "BBC - Press Office - global distribution rights for 3rd & Bird". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
13. "BBC Worldwide announces sale of 3rd & Bird! to Treehouse". BBC Worldwide. 24 July 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
14. "The Hit BBC Show 3rd & Bird! Launches on Disney Junior – Monday, September 26". BBC Worldwide. 15 August 2011. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
15. Stuart O'Brien (28 January 2009). "3rd & bird, bbc worldwide". Archived from the original on 12 February 2009. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
16. "COMPETITION: Fisher-Price 3rd & Bird toys up for grabs". Halesowen News. February 2010.
17. Katie Roberts (27 November 2008). "3rd & Bird! licensing programme announced". Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2017.

External links

• 3rd & Bird at IMDb
• 3rd & Bird at BBC Online

• BBC children's television shows
• Treehouse TV original programming
• 2000s American animated television series
• 2010s American animated television series
• 2000s American children's television series
• 2010s American children's television series
• 2008 American television series debuts
• 2010 American television series endings
• 2000s British animated television series
• 2010s British animated television series
• 2000s British children's television series
• 2010s British children's television series
• 2008 British television series debuts
• 2010 British television series endings
• American children's animated adventure television series
• American television shows featuring puppetry
• British children's animated adventure television series
• British television shows featuring puppetry
• American English-language television shows
• Animated television series about birds
• Animated television series about children
• CBeebies
• American preschool education television series
• British preschool education television series
• Animated preschool education television series
• 2000s preschool education television series
• 2010s preschool education television series
• Television series by Little Airplane Productions
• BBC animated television series