Wilbur (TV series)
Wilbur is a Canadian live-action/animated children's television series that first aired on the Ready Set Learn block on Discovery Kids in the United States on April 16, 2007,[2] later moving to TLC starting on April 23, 2007, airing until March 21, 2008.[3]
| Wilbur | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Kim Anton Tracey Hornbuckle Jill Luedtke [1] |
| Starring | Julie Lemieux Emma Pustil Ian Busher Taylor Barber |
| Opening theme | "Books are moo-ve-lous" |
| Ending theme | "Books are moo-ve-lous" (instrumental) |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 26 (52 segments) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | Mercury Filmworks Chilco Productions EKA Distribution Egmont Imagination |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBC Discovery Kids (United States) |
| Picture format | HDTV 720p |
| Original release | April 16, 2007 – March 21, 2008 |
Produced by Mercury Filmworks in association with Chilco Productions, EKA Distribution and Egmont Imagination, it focuses on an anthropomorphic calf and his friends as they solve problems by reading books with each other. 26 episodes (52 segments) were produced.
Plot
Wilbur has an episode split into two shorts: at first, Wilbur and his friends would encounter a problem. After this, Wilbur gets a wiggling sensation which prompts him to read a book that guides the group in solving their problem. The book in question is usually wholly made up for the purposes of the show and features Wilbur and his friends.
After the group discusses their problem and its resolution, they read through the short book a second time, with clips showing children reciting the line "Once upon a time" at the beginning and saying "The end" at the end of the story.
Characters
- Wilbur the Calf (voiced by Julie Lemieux) is an anthropomorphic calf and the main protagonist of the series.
- Dasha the Duck (voiced by Emma Pustil) is one of Wilbur's friends.
- Ray the Rooster (voiced by Ian Busher) is also one of Wilbur’s friends.
- Libby the Lamb (voiced by Taylor Barber) is a cute, younger lamb who seeks the others’ help to look after. She speaks with a toddler's lisp.
Episodes
| # | Episode | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sensational Wilbur/Pizza Dasha | April 16, 2007 |
| 2 | A Swingin' Time/The Big Barnyard Show | April 17, 2007 |
| 3 | Wilbur's Wobbly Bed/Wiggly Fun | April 18, 2007 |
| 4 | Mysterious Sound/Growing Pains | April 19, 2007 |
| 5 | Dasha's New Friend/Ray Loses His Crow | April 20, 2007 |
| 6 | Wish You Were Here/Sheep Shape | April 23, 2007 |
| 7 | Can't Wait/Bubbles for Libby | April 24, 2007 |
| 8 | Rhyme Time/The Sound of Moosic | April 25, 2007 |
| 9 | Rain Dance/Milk and Sandwiches | April 26, 2007 |
| 10 | Libby's Picnic/Squeaker Come Home | April 27, 2007 |
| 11 | Libby's Bubbles/High Slide | April 30, 2007 |
| 12 | Scarecrow/Oh Solo Moo | May 1, 2007 |
| 13 | Hay Day/Wilbur's Camp Out | May 2, 2007 |
| 14 | Libby's Apples/On Dasha's Pond | May 3, 2007 |
| 15 | Spring Egg Hunt/Spring Bees | May 4, 2007 |
| 16 | Leaf It to Dasha/Hay Fever | July 30, 2007 |
| 17 | Getting into Shapes/The Wright Stuff | September 10, 2007 |
| 18 | Ray's Socks/Spilled Apples | September 11, 2007 |
| 19 | Wilbur's Nap/Broken Toy | September 13, 2007 |
| 20 | Two Reds Are Better Than One/Thanks for Everything | September 14, 2007 |
| 21 | Funny Dress-Up Night/All That Glitters | November 23, 2007 |
| 22 | Snowflake Festival/Snowbuddies | November 26, 2007 |
| 23 | Friendship Day/Repeat After Me | December 24, 2007 |
| 24 | Sheep Need Sleep/Libby's Marbles | March 17, 2008 |
| 25 | The Fence/The Magic Word | March 18, 2008 |
| 26 | Wilbur's Birthday/Me First, You First | March 21, 2008 |
Production
The franchise existed as a series of videotapes produced in 1997. A pilot for Wilbur was produced by Cuppa Coffee Studios in 2001.
References
- "Mom Entrepreneurs Create Popular Discovery Kids' TV Show". Cison.
- "Wilbur - TV Review". www.commonsensemedia.org. April 16, 2007.
- Ball, Ryan (April 5, 2007). "Discovery Unearths Wilbur".