This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Arunsunner (talk | contribs) at 18:48, 4 February 2014 (→Scotland). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 18:48, 4 February 2014 by Arunsunner (talk | contribs) (→Scotland)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)1998 British TV series or program
| Bob the Builder | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Children's show |
| Created by | Keith Chapman Mallory Lewis |
| Directed by | Steven Feldman, Fred Holmes, Brian Mack, Liz Whitaker (Ep 1) Sarah Ball Brian Little |
| Voices of | Neil Morrissey Rob Rackstraw Kate Harbour Rupert Degas Colin McFarlane Maria Darling Emma Tate Stephen White June Whitfield Richard Herman Wayne Forester Greg Proops |
| Theme music composer | Paul K. Joyce |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 18 |
| No. of episodes | 118 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Kate Fawkes Theresa Plummer-Andrews Mallory Lewis Brad Hood |
| Producer | Jackie Cockle |
| Editor | Alex McNeel |
| Camera setup | Single camera (1998), Multi-camera (2004–present) |
| Production companies | Hot Animation Chapman Entertainment HIT Entertainment The Shari Lewis Company |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBBC (1998-2001) Nick Jr. on CBS (2000-2002) (US) CBeebies (2002–present) Nick Jr. (US) (2001–2005) PBS (2002 - 2013) (US) KidsCo (2007-2014) |
| Release | 28 November 1998 (1998-11-28) |
| Related | |
| Little Red Tractor Chuggington Fifi and the Flowertots Mio Mao Pororo the Little Penguin Roary the Racing Car Thomas & Friends Barney & Friends Jay Jay the Jet Plane Tractor Tom Tayo the Little Bus Budgie the Little Helicopter Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom Finley the Fire Engine | |
Bob the Builder is a British children's animated television show created by Keith Chapman. In the original series Bob appears as a building contractor specializing in masonry in a stop motion animated programme with his colleague Wendy, various neighbours and friends, and their gang of anthropomorphised work-vehicles and equipment (all made of clay). The show is broadcast in many countries, but originates from the United Kingdom where Bob is voiced by English actor Neil Morrissey. The show was later created using CGI animation starting with the spin-off series Ready, Steady, Build!.
In each episode, Bob and his group help with renovations, construction, and repairs and with other projects as needed. The show emphasizes conflict resolution, co-operation, socialization and various learning skills. Bob's catchphrase is "Can we fix it?", to which the other characters respond with "Yes we can!" This phrase is also the title of the show's theme song, which was a million-selling number one hit in the UK.
Impact
Bob the Builder was nominated in the BAFTA "Pre-school animation" category from 1999 to 2009, and won the "Children's Animation" category in 2003 for the special episode "A Christmas to Remember". Of the show's success, Sarah Ball said:
I think diggers and dumpers fascinate kids in the same way that they are drawn to dinosaurs. They both have a timeless appeal. The technique of stop motion is very tangible - the characters look like you can just pick them up and play with them. It’s a safe, lovely, bright, colourful world, which is very appealing. Curtis Jobling did a fantastic job designing the show - it’s very simple and stylized but has such charm.
— Interview with Sarah Ball, Gurgle.com
Bob the Builder has been parodied by Robot Chicken in the episode "More Blood, More Chocolate", and by Comedy Inc. as Bodgy Builder. Bob the Builder was also featured in RedTube video "Bob the Blower" in early 2013. The video was later removed from the site due to a violation of the site's Terms and Conditions.
Bob was also parodied on Cartoon Network's MAD in the episode "S'UP / Mouse M.D." In the episode when Mickey Mouse portrays Gregory House he goes to perform surgery on Bob who smashed his thumb asking similar to his famous catchphrase "Can we fix it?" Mickey then replies no and orders for it to be amputated. He later appears in another episode when Bob interacts with Manny from Handy Manny after they get into a fender bender and get into an argument with Bob saying "Stop copying my show!" He leaves then someone tells Manny he just got built. In another episode, "Kung Fu Blander / Destroy Bob the Builder Destroy", Mad parodies Bob the Builder and Destroy Build Destroy. In the episode, Andrew W.K. of Destroy Build Destroy, is portrayed as being a jerk towards Bob. Andrew destroys everything Bob builds. In the end, Bob transforms his construction vehicles into Build-Tron (a parody of Voltron). A New Yorker cartoon shows a parent in a toy store asking for toys depicting Alex the Architect, supposedly a white-collar equivalent to Bob the Builder.
Characters
Main article: List of Bob the Builder charactersMerchandise
Various companies manufacture licensed Bob the Builder Merchandise (e.g.: Brio, Lego Duplo, Hasbro, Learning Curve, etc.) since about 1999 to present. Sometimes some fans make fan-made merchandise for the television show, such as racing games that are not related to the show.
Lego Duplo/Explorer
Lego began manufacturing licensed Duplo Bob the Builder sets in 2001. Lego Explorer also made the sets using the same bricks that Duplo used (e.g. Naughty Spud, Wallpaper Wendy, etc.). The sets were aimed at younger children, two and up. Duplo manufactured the sets (e.g. Scoop at Bobland Bay, Muck Can Do It, etc.) until 2009 when Lego's contract expired.
Hasbro
Hasbro created licensed Bob the Builder characters. They included talking characters and others to go with the Bob the Builder line. The Hasbro line was discontinued in 2005 when Learning Curve took the chance to take over.
Learning Curve
Learning Curve among countless others held a license to make the toys, but discontinued them. They first merchandised their Bob the Builder products in 2005 after the Hasbro range was discontinued. Learning Curve also created the Thomas & Friends characters, while the company still makes the sets (e.g. Scoop, Muck, Lofty, Dizzy, andys trailer etc.) and then sold them to stores. They discontinued them in 2010 and it is unknown if they could ever return to making them. The toys are currently available in the United Kingdom by Character Options.
Character World
In 2012 Character World announced that they had signed a license to manufacture official Bob the Builder bedding and bedroom textiles. A duvet cover is said to be available in the UK in late 2012.
Video Games
Various companies released the Bob the Builder games.
- Fix it Fun! (Game Boy Color, NTSC/PAL) - 2000
- Can We Fix It? (PC, PS1, NTSC/PAL) - 2001
- Bob Builds a Park (PC, NTSC/PAL) - 2002
- Bob's Castle Adventure (PC, NTSC/PAL) - 2003
- Project: Build It (PS2, PAL only) - 2005
- Bob the Builder: Can-Do-Zoo (PC, NTSC/PAL) - 2008
- Festival of Fun! (PS2, Wii, Nintendo DS, PAL only) - 2009
Project Build It
For a more comprehensive list, see List of Bob the Builder episodes.In the second season, a sort of spin-off series was created titled "Bob the Builder: Project Build It." Bob hears of a contest to build a new community in a remote area called Sunflower Valley, outside of Bobsville. He moves from Bobsville (supposedly temporarily) with Wendy and the machines and builds a new Yard there. Bob convinces his father, Robert, to come out of retirement and take over the Bobsville building business. It is unknown whether Bob will return to Bobsville or not.
For the US version of the Project Build-It series, different actors were found to do the voices for many of the human characters, including casting Greg Proops as the new voice of Bob, and Neil Morrissey, who played the original Bob, to be the voices of Spud the Scarecrow and Mr. Bentley. The show also added recycling and being environmentally friendly to its lessons, emphasising the phrase "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle."
Ready, Steady, Build!
The third spin-off has been revealed as Bob the Builder: Ready, Steady, Build! It was created by Keith Chapman and Mallory Lewis. The group, now joined by newcomer Scratch are now residing in the town of Fixham Harbour (which is very similar to Bobsville, and is even implied to be Bobsville in several episodes), deal with construction and other building tasks around the area. Unlike previous series, "Ready, Steady, Build!" is animated in full CGI animation, which allows for larger and more elaborate construction projects that would be too large or expensive for the model sets of the stop-motion series, though it still retains the theme song.
Guest appearances
Celebrities who have provided voices for the series (usually for one-off specials) include John Motson, Sue Barker, Kerry Fox, Ulrika Jonsson, Alison Steadman, Stephen Tompkinson, Elton John, Noddy Holder, and Chris Evans (Bobsville's resident rock star Lennie Lazenby).
International broadcasts
Bob the Builder is shown in more than thirty countries, and versions are available in English, French, Spanish, Slovenian, German, Italian, Dutch, Hebrew, Hindi and Croatian, among other languages. It is shown on CBeebies on BBC television in the UK. Voice actors who have contributed to the original British version include Neil Morrissey, Rob Rackstraw, Kate Harbour, Rupert Degas, Colin McFarlane, Maria Darling, Emma Tate, Richard Briers, June Whitfield, Richard Herman, and Wayne Forester.
Albania
In Albania the show is named "Bob Ndërtuesi" and has been airing on Bang Bang the first channel for kids in Albania on the TV platform Digit-Alb.
Australia
Bob the Builder is shown with the ABC Kids programming in Australia.
Brazil
"Bob, o Construtor" is aired in Brazil on Discovery Kids.
Canada and the United States
Treehouse TV and TVOntario air Bob the Builder in Canada.
In the United States, Nick Jr. beginning on 15 January 2001 up until 2005 in the United States until the 2005–2006 season when it was offered as part of the PBS Kids lineup. It currently airs on both PBS Kids and the PBS Kids Sprout cable network, and is distributed by Connecticut Public Television. The show also aired in the US on CBS between 2001 and 2002 as part of the "Nick Jr. on CBS" E/I lineup.
The Northern American version of the show uses the original British footage and script, but dubs the voices in local accents and slang; for example, the word "soccer" is used instead of "football" to avoid confusion with the gridiron forms of the game (though sometimes this is done haphazardly; in one episode, a "soccer field" is referred to but later it talks about "football tricks"). The original North American voice of Bob (and Farmer Pickles/Mr. Beasley/Mr. Sabatini) was William Dufris, however, he was replaced with comedian Greg Proops. More recently, Bob's US voice has been provided by Marc Silk, an English voice actor from Birmingham.
Quebec (Canada)
In the province of Quebec, the series is entitled "Bob le Bricoleur" in the French language and airs on Télé-Québec.
China
In the Chinese language version, it is called "Babu engineer." The show has been dubbed in the Chinese language.
Czech Republic
"Bořek stavitel" is aired on Česká televize, the national public television.
Denmark
In Denmark the show is named "Byggemand Bob" and is being aired on TV2 and repeated on DR1.
Finland
"Puuha-Pete" is aired in Finland on Nelonen every week from Monday to Friday at 7:50 am (in June 2010).
France
Beginning from 22 October 2005, "Bob le Bricoleur" has been airing on France 5 in France. This is the second season (called "Project: Build It" in English): "Mission Nature".
Germany
Beginning from 2 February 2001, "Bob der Baumeister" has been airing on Super RTL in Germany. Since then, 158 episodes have been aired.
Greece
"Bob o Mastoras" is aired on Alter Channel and formerly on Star Channel, in both Greek and English.
Hungary
In 2007, beginning 20 November until the end of the year, "Bob, a mester" was aired every weekday (from 16:15) on Channel m1 of Hungarian Television. The names of the characters are either translated in a more or less literal way (Farmer Pickles, Pilchard, Lofty, Roley), left untranslated (Bob, Wendy), or replaced to a phonetically similar word (Muck became Muki, this similar-sounding word is semantically unrelated); in some cases, entirely new names were given, unrelated to the original ones both semantically and phonetically (Dizzy has become Trixi, Scoop has become Márkus, and Spud has become Piff, none of these new names has any meaning in Hungarian). Bird is given a new name as well, a word meaning "short" in a countryside dialect (infiltrated into youth slang as well); but the choice may be motivated also by its onomatopoetic sound. Not only the broadcast episodes have been translated, but also the 2006 Annual.
India
In India, the name is still "Bob the Builder" and it is broadcast on Pogo and (Cartoon Network) in English and also in Hindi,Tamil and Telugu as in show's "Tiny Tv"(a show broadcast on cartoon network).
Ireland
In Ireland, Bob the Builder is shown on RTÉ Two.
Israel
In Israel, "Bob HaBanai" (בוב הבנאי) is aired in the Israeli Educational Television and in other children's channels in cable and satellite television. It is dubbed in Hebrew, and Bob's catchphrase is "נצליח לתקן?," to which the other characters respond with "כן! כן! כן!"
Italy
In Italy the show is named "Bob Aggiustatutto" and is being aired on Rai YoYo.
Japan
The series aired in Japan as "ボブとはたらくブーブーズ" (Bob the Engineer). When being exported to Japan, it was reported that characters of Bob the Builder would be doctored to have five fingers instead of the original four. This was because of a practice among the Yakuza, the famed Japanese mafia, where members would "cut off their little fingers as a sign they can be trusted and have strength of character, and will stay through." In fact, Bob the Builder aired in Japan without such edits, as did other series including Postman Pat and The Simpsons.
Latin America
In the Spanish-speaking part of Latin America, the show is called "Bob, el Constructor" (literal translation of the title) and is aired by several public TV channels as well as by Discovery Kids. It was dubbed in Spanish and some of the voice actors are: 'Arturo Mercado' (Bob) and 'María Fernanda Morales' (Wendy)
Malaysia
The name of the program remains unchanged, however the program has been dubbed into Malay by Filem Karya Nusa. The programme originally premiered on TV3 in January 2000. Shortly after, Astro picked it up for its Astro Ria in-house channel. The version aired on Astro Ria (later also aired on Astro Ceria) is dubbed into Malay, with the original British English soundtrack also available by using the audio language button on the satellite decoder's remote. TV3 no longer aired the programme in 2003, however, it resumed in 2006 for a short period of time. Shortly after, TV9 picked up the programme for a short period of time in the original version. In 2010, Astro Ceria stopped the broadcast of the programme, while at the same time aired on NTV7 with new episodes. In 2011 TV2 broadcast at 17:05 each day. As of February 2013, Astro Ceria resumed airing with new episodes.
Netherlands
Soon after the BBC started airing, KRO aired the episodes of "Bob de Bouwer" in the Netherlands. Main voices are done by Bram Bart (Bob, Spud, Mr. Dickson, Mr. Ellis, Benny), Caroline Mout (Wendy, Dizzy, Scrambler) and Fred Meijer (Scoop, Lofty, Mr. Beasley, Mr. Bentley, Mr. Fothergill, Pogo, Sprouts ), Laus Steenbeeke (Farmer Pickles, Jake, Mr. Adams, Mr. Sabatini, Mr. Stevens, Robert the Builder, Skip, Tom the Twin Brother, Tony, Travis, Zoomer), Marjolein Algera (Aunt Doris, Charlene, Del, Dot the Builder, Jana von Strudel, Jenny, Marjorie Mayor, Molly, Mrs. Broadbent, Mrs. Percival, Mrs. Potts, Ms Barbara Bentley, Scoot, Trix) and Stan Limburg (Muck, Roley, JJ, Lenny Lazenby). Stan Limburg also is the Dutch voice-director.
New Zealand
Bob the Builder was shown in New Zealand on TV3. And more recently (2011–present) on FOUR TV
Norway
In Norway the show is named "Byggmester Bob" and is being aired on TV2 and NRK Super.
Philippines
In the Philippines, the name is still "Bob the Builder" and it is broadcast on TV5. It is dubbed in Tagalog.
Poland
"Bob Budowniczy" is aired on TVP1 7:00 pm. MiniMini aired the third season called "Bob the Builder: Ready Steady Build" since 2010.
Portugal
In Portugal, the series is entitled "Bob, o Construtor" and airs on RTP1, RTP2, Canal Panda and JimJam.
Serbia
"Мајстор Боб / Majstor Bob" is aired on Happy TV.
Slovenia
In Slovenia the show is named "Mojster Miha" and is being aired on Radiotelevizija Slovenija channel TV Slovenija 1.
Spain
"Bob y sus amigos" is aired in Spanish on Playhouse Disney. Bob always asks "¿Podemos hacerlo?" and his friends answer "¡Sí, podemos!"
Catalonia
The show is also aired in Catalan on TV3, the national public television of Catalonia as "Bob el Manetes." Bob always asks "Ens en sortirem?" and his friends answer "Sí, i tant!"
Sweden
In Sweden the show is named "Byggare Bob" and is being aired on SVT Barnkanalen.
United Kingdom
Broadcast in English on CBeebies under the original title of "Bob the Builder".
Scotland
The Scottish Gaelic language version is called "Calum Clachair" (Bob the Stonemason), aired on BBC ALBA It is used for alliteration.
Wales
The Welsh language version is called "Bob Y Bildar" and began airing on S4C in October 2006, as part of the Planed Plant Bach lunchtime segment between 12:30 and 1:30 pm. The show has been dubbed into the Welsh language by record label Sain, which had previously provided Welsh dialogue for children's series Thomas the Tank Engine, The Large Family, Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom, Angelo Rules, The Octonauts and Poppy Cat.
Worldwide Broadcasts
Spin-offs
In the show MAD on Cartoon Network, he is known for appearing twice, once as a character in the episode "Mouse M.D.," and his own parody, "Destroy, Bob the Builder, Destroy."
Videos
Main article: List of Bob the Builder videosDiscography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS |
IRE |
NZ |
UK | ||||||
| Bob the Builder: The Album |
|
1 | 59 | 32 | 4 | ||||
| Never Mind the Breeze Blocks |
|
— | — | — | 87 | ||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
Certifications (sales threshold) |
Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS |
IRE |
UK | |||||||
| 2000 | "Can We Fix It?" | 1 | 3 | 1 | Bob the Builder: The Album | ||||
| 2001 | "Mambo No. 5" | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| ||||
| 2008 | "Big Fish Little Fish" | — | — | 81 | Never Mind the Breeze Blocks | ||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
References
- "Bob the Builder – Cast and Crew". TV.com. Retrieved 1992.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - "Awards Database". Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- "Interview with Sarah Ball, Bob the builder & Chuggington writer and director". Gurgle.com. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- "Bob the Builder: Ready, Steady, Build!". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
- "Bob the Builder – ABC Kids TV guide (dead link)". Retrieved 3 September 2006.
- "Bob, o Construtor". Discovery Kids.
- "Silk TV". Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- "Marc Silk". Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- "Bob le Bricoleur" (in French). francetélévisons distribution. Retrieved 11 August 2006.
- "Bob, a mester" (in Hungarian). m1 of Hungarian Television. The flashes on the page are advertisements, not video excerpts.
- Bob a Mester nagykönyve 2007: 12
- ^ Bob a Mester nagykönyve 2007: 10
- ^ Bob a Mester nagykönyve 2007: 9
- ^ Bob a Mester nagykönyve 2007: 8
- Bob a Mester nagykönyve 2007: 13
- Bob a Mester nagykönyve 2007: 15
- Ladó, Anett. "A nagyvárosi és a kisközségi gyerekek szleng használata" (Word document) (in Hungarian). pp. 12, 15.
- Bob a Mester nagykönyve (in Hungarian). translated by Markwarth, Zsófia. Budapest: Egmont-Hungary Kft. 2007. ISBN 978 963 628 813 6.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) Made after the original: Bob the Builder Annual 2006. United Kingdom: Egmont Books Ltd. 2005. ISBN 1405220430. - "Bob the Builder fixed for Japan". BBC News. 20 April 2000. Retrieved 11 August 2006.
- "2009 June 10 Japanese TV Ads Children Program Thomas & Friends and Bob The Builder". YouTube. 17 August 2009. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
- "Calum Clachair (Bob the Builder)". BBC.
- "Can we fix it? Ie, ni'n gallu, says Bob on S4C". icWales. 22 July 2006. Retrieved 11 August 2006.
- "australian-charts.com: Australian charts portal". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
- ^ "irishcharts - Discography Bob the Builder". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
- "charts.org.nz - New Zealand charts portal". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
- ^ "Chart Log UK: Darren B - David Byrne". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
- "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2001 Albums". ARIA Charts. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
- ^ "BPI search results". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
- "australian-charts.com - Australian charts portal". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
- ^ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2001 Singles". ARIA Charts. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
External links
Channels
- Bob The Builder on ABC 4 Kids
- Bob The Builder on CBeebies
- Bob The Builder On Česká Televize
- Bob The Builder on Nick Jr. UK
- Bob The Builder on Sprout
- Bob The Builder on Télé-Québec
- Bob The Builder on TOGOLINGO
- Bob The Builder on Treehouse TV
Others
| PBS Kids original programming | |
|---|---|
| Current |
|
| See also | |
| Nick Jr. Channel original programming | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current |
| ||||||
| Former |
| ||||||
| See also | |||||||
- Use dmy dates from December 2012
- BBC children's television programmes
- British animated television series
- Clay animation television series and films
- Treehouse TV shows
- Television programs featuring anthropomorphic characters
- PBS network shows
- Nick Jr. shows
- CBS network shows
- S4C television programmes
- Television series by HIT Entertainment
- 1998 British television programme debuts
- 2013 British television programme endings
- Fictional construction workers
- Stop-motion animated television series