Poko is a Canadian stop motion children's television series about a young boy, his pet dog, and his toy monkey.[1] Produced in Canada by The Halifax Film Company, Poko was created by Jeff Rosen, and began production in 2003 and ended in 2006 after three production cycles. Poko aired in Canada on CBC Television in the Kids' CBC programming block, and was broadcast in Turkey on Yumurcak TV until the channel closed in mid-June 2016. It was narrated by actor and dancer Cory Bowles. In Brazil, it was narrated by the frontman of Capital Inicial, Dinho Ouro Preto.
Poko | |
---|---|
Genre | Children's animation |
Created by | Jeff Rosen |
Developed by |
|
Written by |
|
Directed by | Chuck Rubin |
Starring |
|
Narrated by | Cory Bowles |
Opening theme | "Poko Theme Song" |
Ending theme | "Poko Theme Song" (instrumental) |
Country of origin | Kanada |
Original language | Englisch |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 52 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Producer | Charles Bishop |
Animator | Thea Pratt |
Running time | 25 minutes |
Production companies |
|
Original release | |
Network | CBC Television |
Release | June 9, 2003 May 25, 2006 | –
The show was awarded the 2004 Gemini for Best Pre-school Program in 2003 and the Alliance for Children & Television (ACT) Grand Prize in 2007.
Characters
editMain
edit- Poko is a little boy who, every day, plays in his bedroom, or out in his backyard, but he also has a magic finger. When he says "Poko pippity pop!", he can draw objects, which then become real, by tracing them in the air with his finger. Poko often encounters obstacles and gets cranky or upset, but then cheers up with the help of an unseen narrator. Voiced by Cameron Davidson.
- Minus is Poko's pet dog. He is very playful, and often causes trouble. Minus is named for the sign minus (–); while not always understanding what's going on, he is sometimes showing much more human-like behaviour, such as being able to walk on his hind feet, play soccer, or dance. He is named for his ability to erase Poko's creations from existence (when they aren't needed anymore or he doesn't like them) by using his nose like an eraser. His silly antics often cause Poko to laugh and say "Silly Minus!"
- Mr. Murphy is Poko's stuffed toy monkey, who usually just sits around. He can sometimes be seen to have moved his hands (such as to shrug, or cover his eyes), but is never seen actually moving.
Recurring
edit- Bibi is a young girl who is Poko's friend. She comes over sometimes to have a play date with Poko. Bibi can use her magic sticker book in a way that resembles Poko's ability, by opening the book to a sticker of an object and then making that object real, while saying "Bibi bibbity bop!". Bibi first appeared in the second season. Voiced by Claudia Ottosen.
Show structure
editThe show follows the same sequence in every episode:
- Title sequence
- Poko wakes up (longer version only in season 1)
- Indoor episode
- Play sequence
- Mighty Murph story (season 1); Poko's Playhouse (season 2)
- Play sequence
- Outdoors episode
- Play sequence
- Ending sequence
Episodes
editEach episode features two segments. The first one is indoors, after Poko wakes up. The second is outdoors, in the garden. In both, Poko encounters a problem, but usually overcomes it after observing a smaller creature (such as a bird, ladybug, worm, etc.) solving a similar problem.
Also beneficial to children, the narrator helps Poko to name and understand his feelings, and find appropriate ways to deal with them: for example, on some occasions, when Poko has become angry at Minus, he has gone and given a blast on his tuba to release his frustration. Another common solution is for Poko to give Mr. Murphy a hug. In this way, the show suggests positive methods of dealing with problems. When this happens they usually perform the following: "hug a monkey...hug him tight...hug him till you feel alright". Poko does either that, or if Mr. Murphy isn't available, Poko releases his frustration by doing a dance called "The Poko Polka". He also has choices to release his frustration: either spending time alone on his swing, or shake his frustration out.
In the second season, a new segment was added called "Poko's Playhouse", in which Poko, Minus, and Bibi perform for a stuffed toy audience on a "Grand Ole Opry" type play-stage, with children performing a background song for each episode.
Similar to Toopy and Binoo, some episodes made appearances in more than one episode.
Season 1 (2003–2004)
editNo. | Titel | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | American air date | Prod. code | US viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Baby Murphy" Something Yummy for a Monkey Tummy" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | June 9, 2003 | January 6, 2004 | 101 | K.A. |
"Poko's Pool" | |||||||
2 | "Poko and the Scary Shadow" Pirate Gold" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | June 14, 2003 | January 12, 2004 | 102 | K.A. |
"Poko Kicks a Ball" | |||||||
3 | "Mr. Murphy in the Middle" A Super Monkey Loves to Play" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | June 19, 2003 | January 20, 2004 | 103 | K.A. |
"Reaching Mr. Murphy" | |||||||
4 | "King Poko" "Super Monkey at the Supermarket" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | June 25, 2003 | January 26, 2004 | 104 | K.A. |
"Poko's Swing" | |||||||
5 | "Poko Gets Bugged" Mighty Murph's Street Treats" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | July 1, 2003 | February 2, 2004 | 105 | K.A. |
"Poko Makes a Hole" | |||||||
6 | "Poko-Motion" "Monkey Business at the Silly Circus" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | July 7, 2003 | February 9, 2004 | 106 | K.A. |
"Poko's Scooter" | |||||||
7 | "Poko Has a Ball" "A Super Monkey Needs to See" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | July 12, 2003 | February 16, 2004 | 107 | K.A. |
"Poko on the Slide" | |||||||
8 | "Poko's Little Sister" "A Super Monkey Loves to Drum" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | July 17, 2003 | February 23, 2004 | 108 | K.A. |
"Poko's Pool" | |||||||
9 | "Baby Murphy" "A Super Monkey Loves to Touch" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | July 23, 2003 | March 1, 2004 | 109 | K.A. |
"Poko's Lemonade Stand" | |||||||
10 | "Poko and the Bunny Slippers" "A Super Monkey Loves to Drum" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | July 28, 2003 | March 8, 2004 | 110 | K.A. |
"Poko Kicks a Ball" | |||||||
11 | "Poko and the Scary Shadow" "Something Yummy at the Zoo" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | August 3, 2003 | March 15, 2004 | 111 | K.A. |
"Poko's Laundry Day" | |||||||
12 | "Poko's New Toy" "A Super Monkey Loves to Fly" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | August 8, 2003 | March 22, 2004 | 112 | K.A. |
"Reaching Mr. Murphy" | |||||||
13 | "Mr. Murphy in the Middle" "Something Yummy for a Monkey Tummy" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | August 13, 2003 | March 29, 2004 | 113 | K.A. |
"Poko's Broken Toy" | |||||||
14 | "Poko Alone" "Something Yummy for a Monkey Tummy" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | August 18, 2003 | April 5, 2004 | 114 | K.A. |
"Poko's Swing" | |||||||
15 | "King Poko" "Pirate Gold" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | August 24, 2003 | April 12, 2004 | 115 | K.A. |
"Fireman Poko" | |||||||
16 | "Dr. Poko" "A Super Monkey Loves to Play" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | August 29, 2003 | April 18, 2004 | 116 | K.A. |
"Poko Makes a Hole" | |||||||
17 | "Poko Gets Bugged" "Super Monkey at the Supermarket" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | September 4, 2003 | April 24, 2004 | 117 | K.A. |
"Hide-'n'-Seek Poko" | |||||||
18 | "Poko's Circus" "Mighty Murph's Street Treats" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | September 10, 2003 | April 30, 2004 | 118 | K.A. |
"Poko's Scooter" | |||||||
19 | "Poko-Motion" "Monkey Business at the Silly Circus" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | September 16, 2003 | May 7, 2004 | 119 | K.A. |
"Poko's Sandcastle" | |||||||
20 | "Poko's Band" "A Super Monkey Needs to See" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | September 21, 2003 | May 13, 2004 | 120 | K.A. |
"Poko on the Slide" | |||||||
Season 2 (2005–2006)
editNo. | Titel | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | American air date | Prod. code | US viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Poko the Submarine Explorer" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | September 5, 2005 | TBA | 201 | K.A. |
"Poko, Bibi and the Dragon" | |||||||
2 | "Super Poko" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | September 10, 2005 | TBA | 202 | K.A. |
"Poko and Bibi's Bug Adventure" | |||||||
3 | "Poko and Bibi at the Fancy Restaurant" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | September 13, 2005 | TBA | 203 | K.A. |
"Poko the Pirate" | |||||||
4 | "Poko Plays School" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | September 16, 2005 | TBA | 204 | K.A. |
"Poko's Picnic" | |||||||
5 | "Poko and Bibi Play House" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | September 20, 2005 | TBA | 205 | K.A. |
"Poko and the Dinosaur" | |||||||
6 | "Poko's Shadow Show" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | September 26, 2005 | TBA | 206 | K.A. |
"Poko and Bibi Play Soccer" | |||||||
7 | "Bibi's Ballet Class" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | September 30, 2005 | TBA | 207 | K.A. |
"Poko's Ducky Day" | |||||||
8 | "Poko's Puppet Show" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | October 4, 2005 | TBA | 208 | K.A. |
"Poko's Lemonade Stand" | |||||||
9 | "Poko's Robot" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | October 10, 2005 | TBA | 209 | K.A. |
"Poko Plays Golf" | |||||||
10 | "Hocus Pocus Poko" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | October 16, 2005 | TBA | 210 | K.A. |
"Poko and Bibi's Playdate" | |||||||
11 | "Poko's Patients" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | October 22, 2005 | TBA | 211 | K.A. |
"Poko Goes Camping" | |||||||
12 | "Poko and Bibi's Dress-Up Day" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | October 28, 2005 | TBA | 212 | K.A. |
"Minus Has the Hiccups" | |||||||
13 | "Poko's Puzzle" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | November 3, 2005 | TBA | 213 | K.A. |
"Nutty's Nuts" | |||||||
14 | "Mr. Murphy's Birthday" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | November 9, 2005 | TBA | 214 | K.A. |
"Poko the Gymnast" | |||||||
15 | "Poko's Masks" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | March 20, 2006 | TBA | 215 | K.A. |
"Poko Plays Croquet" | |||||||
16 | "Poko and Bibi at the Toy Store" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | March 26, 2006 | TBA | 216 | K.A. |
"Jungle Jim" | |||||||
17 | "Bibi's Pop-Up Book" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | April 2, 2006 | TBA | 217 | K.A. |
"Poko’s Piñata" | |||||||
18 | "Poko and Bibi's Treasure Hunt" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | April 8, 2006 | TBA | 218 | K.A. |
"Poko and Minus Play Tag" | |||||||
19 | "Poko's Harmonica" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | April 14, 2006 | TBA | 219 | K.A. |
"Poko's New Friend" | |||||||
20 | "Minus the Babysitter" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | April 20, 2006 | TBA | 220 | K.A. |
"Poko's Monster Truck" | |||||||
21 | "Poko and Bibi Play Statue" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | April 26, 2006 | TBA | 221 | K.A. |
"Poko the Pilot" | |||||||
22 | "Poko's Pie" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | May 1, 2006 | TBA | 222 | K.A. |
"Poko and Bibi Play Fairies" | |||||||
23 | "Poko's Messy Room" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | May 7, 2006 | TBA | 223 | K.A. |
"Poko and Bibi of the Arctic" | |||||||
24 | "Poko's Flowers" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | May 13, 2006 | TBA | 224 | K.A. |
"Poko's Windy Day" | |||||||
25 | "Poko and Bibi's Petting Zoo" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | May 19, 2006 | TBA | 225 | K.A. |
"Poko's Balloon Ride" | |||||||
26 | "Poko and Bibi Play Musical Chairs" | Chuck Rubin | Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner | May 25, 2006 | TBA | 226 | K.A. |
"Minus Gets a Bath" | |||||||
Play sequence
editTwo thirty-second shorts exist in each episode where Poko, Minus and Mr. Murphy play against a monocolor background. They may be swimming, surfing, riding an imaginary Roller coaster, or doing other activities or even dressing up like a ball.
Mighty Murph
editIn the middle of each show in season one, Poko reads a Mighty Murph story. Each one is made using Macromedia Flash, in cartoon style, and involves a baby Mr. Murphy in some dilemma, such as being hungry, or having nowhere to play. He then imagines he is Mighty Murph (a superhero who is a parody of Superman, as Mighty Murph can be seen doing a scene which is a reference to the Superman 1940s film series), and flies around to find a solution to his problem. His search is fruitless, and he realizes the best place is just where he is, as his own self with his mother. The stories are told by the narrator.
Awards
edit- Gemini - Best Pre-School Program (2004)
- ACT Award - Grand Prize (2007)
- ACT Award - Animation Age 3-5 (2007)
References
edit- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Poko - Poko Vatrogasac. YouTube.