MARTIN LANDAU DEAD AT 89

You can read the full story here.

Landau was an actor who loaned his voice for several appearances on Spider-Man: The Animated Series for a character that just made his cinematic debut: Mac Gargan, aka The Scorpion.

TIME WARP TRIO

TIME WARP TRIO

(Discovery Kids, NBC, July 9, 2005-July 15, 2006)

Discovery Kids, WGBH Boston, Soup2Nutz

MAIN CAST:

Mark Rendall – Joseph “Joe” Arthur

Scott McCord - Fred

Darren Frost – Sam

Sarah Gadon (ep. 1-14) & Tajja Isen (ep. 15-26) – Jodie Arthur

Laurie Elliott – Samantha

Sunday Muse – Freddi

Annick Obonsawin – Anna Arthur

Tony Daniels – Joe the Magnificent, Mad Jack

            They were just three ordinary seven-year-old friends from Brooklyn, New York. Joe Arthur was an aspiring magician. Sam was an amateur inventor and history buff. Fred was headstrong and brash and loved sports. However, they stopped being ordinary when Joe’s uncle, flawed stage magician Joe the Magnificent, gave him a magical book on his birthday that allowed the kids to travel through time. The Book, however, had a mind of its own; seemingly shunting them off to random places due to the boys’ lack of knowledge on how to use it properly.

The first Time Warp Trio book.

            That was the basis of The Time Warp Trio; a series of children’s books created and written by Jon Scieszka with illustrations by first Lane Smith and later Adam McCauley. Published by Puffin Books, 16 books were released between 1991 and 2006. The series followed the three boys as they stumbled through time with The Book, encountering various historical figures and even their 22^nd Century great granddaughters--Joanie, Samantha, and Freida--who also used The Book to travel through time; although much more adeptly than the boys.

The boys (right) meet their great granddaughters (left) in the 22nd Century.

            WGBH Boston, in association with Soup2Nutz, adapted the books into an animated series through funding from The National Endowment for the Humanities. As with the books, Joe (Mark Rendall), Sam (Darren Frost) and Fred (Scott McCord), now depicted as 10-years old, travelled through time with The Book, encountering the various peoples and historical figures that dwelled there. They had to find The Book in each new time period before being able to get home (and generally to safety). Also featured were the elder Joe (Tony Daniels), Jodie (Joanie renamed, voiced by Sarah Gadon for half the show and Tajja Isen for the rest), Samantha (Laurie Elliott) and Freddi (changed from Freida, voiced by Sunday Muse), as well as the younger Joe’s parents Mr. (Tom Arnold) and Mrs. Arthur (Susan Roman), Joe’s sister Anna (Annick Obonsawin) and Fred’s mean older brother Mike (Dan Petronijevic). Newly created for the show was the recurring villain Mad Jack (also Daniels); Joe’s evil uncle who wanted The Book in order to rule eternity. The character models by John Dee  differed slightly from the style used in the books, although they retained their respective familiar characteristics.

The boys surrounded by Mayans.

            Time Warp Trio began on July 9, 2005, airing both on Discovery Kids (currently Discovery Family) and on NBC as one of the final programs of the programming block Discovery Kids on NBC. It was also slated to air on PBS Kids and PBS Kids Go! on the same day, but never ended up being broadcast (PBS Kids does currently have the distribution rights to the show as of this writing). Each episode was followed by a segment detailing the real history behind the plot or objects from the preceding story narrated by one of the characters. Kathy Waugh served as the show’s head writer for the first half of episodes with Peter K. Hirsch filling the role for the remainder. The series was written by them, Gary Apple, Glen Berger, Cydne Clark, Steve Granat, Gentry Menzel and Matt Steinglass. Scieszka and Smith served as the series’ consultants. The theme song was performed by Riddlin’ Kids and written by Steve D’Angelo, Johnny “Stuntman” Obercian and Terry Tompkins. The rest of the show’s music was composed by Eggplant Productions, Inc.

Even experience can't help one totally avoid the chaos of time travel.

            The show only ran for a single season of 26 episodes, taking a hiatus in February of 2006 before burning off their remaining episodes on July 15^th with a marathon. It continued to air on NBC until September when Discovery Kids’ contract with the network was allowed to run out as Discovery wanted to focus exclusively on their own channels. Time Warp Trio remained on Discovery Kids until 2010 when it became The Hub after Discovery partnered with Hasbro.

One of the graphic novels.

In August of 2006, various episodes were adapted into graphic novel and easy reader formats by HarperCollins. That same year, Funimation Productions released Past, Present & Future, a DVD compilation of six episodes. In 2010, they released Passport to Adventure with three episodes. As of mid-2017, the official Time Warp Trio website was still live and continued to provide games and activities, as well as information on the show and its characters.

EPISODE GUIDE:

“The Not-So-Jolly Roger” (7/9/05) – Fred’s desire for buried treasure pits the boys against Blackbeard.

“2105” (7/16/05) – A class trip ends up sending the boys into the future where they meet gun-toting robots and their great-granddaughters.

“You Can’t, But Genghis Khan” (7/23/05) – Experiencing life in 12^th Century Mongolia teams the boys up with 9-year-old Temuijin, aka Genghis Khan.

“Tut Tut” (7/30/05) – The boys accidentally end up in Ancient Egypt where they meet 10-year-old Thutmose III.

“Sam Samurai” (8/6/05) – A haiku sends the boys back to Japan in the middle of the Tokugawa Shogunate where the great leader Tokugawa Ieyasu is being targeted.

“See You Later, Gladiator” (8/13/05) – The boys end up facing a gladiator in ancient Rome.

“Lewis and Clark…and Jodie, Freddi and Samantha” (8/20/05) – The girls wanted to go camping, but instead they end up on the Lewis and Clark expedition.

“Viking It and Liking It” (8/27/05) – The boys just wanted to play a game and instead end up on Leif Ericson’s expedition to America.

“Hey Kid, Want to Buy a Bridge?” (9/3/05) – The boys travel to 19^th century New York City where they meet Emily Roebling and Thomas Edison.

“Me Oh Maya” (10/1/05) – The boys compete in a game of Maya ringball in Mexico.

“The Good, the Bad and the Goofy” (10/8/05) – The boys head to the Old West where they face a stampede, the Cheyenne, and Custer’s Seventh Cavalry.

“Able Was I Ere I Saw Elba” (1/7/06) – Fred and Joe meet Napoleon in Paris while Samantha hangs out with pioneering aeronaut Sophie Blanchard.

“The Seven Blunders of the World” (1/14/06) – When the book gets stolen, the boy shead to Babylon to find it.

“Jinga All the Way” (1/21/06) – Jodie, Sam and Fred join fierce Queen Jinga on her tribe’s journey to meet the Portugese governor in 17^th century Angola.

“Birdman or Birdbrain?” (2/4/06) – The book’s pages transform into rongorongo script and sends Freddi, Samantha and Fred to Easter Island.

“Dude, Where’s My Karma?” (2/11/06) – Sam, Fred, Samantha and Freddi have to help Joe’s ancestor get married or else Joe will disappear from history.

“My Big Fat Greek Olympics” (2/18/06) – Fred and Samantha are sent to the Olympic games in ancient Greece where they have to help Plato avoid a historical disaster.

“Wushu Were Here” (2/25/06) – When Sam gets trapped in the book, Anna, Fred and Joe head to the Tang dynasty in China to figure out how to free him.

“What’s So Great About Peter?” (7/15/06) – After hearing some stories about his ancestor, Sam Fred and Samantha head back to Russia to help him escape Peter the Great.

“The Caveman Catastrophe” (7/15/06) – The kids trade Jodie’s binoculars to Neanderthals to get the book back, but suddenly end up hairy.

“Nightmare on Joe’s Street” (7/15/06) – Frankenstein’s Monster escapes from Mary Shelley’s imagination into Joe’s apartment.

“Breaking the Codex” (7/15/06) – Jodie, Freddi and Joe head to the Renaissance where they have to protect Leonardo Da Vinci from Mad Jack.

“Break an Egg” (7/15/06) – The boys end up in 1911 Antarctica and discover Mad Jack lured them to the one place too cold for the book to work.

“The High and the Flighty” (7/15/06) – After getting a distress call, the girls head to 1937 to try and solve the disappearance of Amelia Earhart.

“Harem Scare’m” (7/15/06) – Jodie, Sam and Fred travel to the Ottoman Empire where they meet Selim II and his monkey, Dimples.

“Plaid to the Bone” (7/15/06) – In 14^th century Scotland, Uncle Joe and Mad Jack engage in a battle over the fate of the universe.

THE LITTLES

THE LITTLES

(ABC, September 10, 1983-November 2, 1985)

ABC Entertainment, DiC Entertainment

MAIN CAST:

Jimmy E. Keegan – Henry Bigg

Donavan Freberg (season 1-2) & David Wagner (season 3) – Tom Little

Bettina Bush – Lucy Little

Alvy Moore – Grandpa Little

Robert David Hall – Mr. Bigg, Dinky Little

Gregg Berger – Frank Little (season 1-2)

Patricia Parris – Helen Little (season 1-2)

Frank Welker (season 1) & Pat Fraley (season 2-3) – Slick

Laurel Page – Mrs. Bigg

Ken Sansom – Dr. Hunter, Peterson (both season 1-2)

B. J. Ward – Ashley Little (season 2-3)

             Created by author John Peterson, The Littles is a book series that has been published by Scholastic since 1967; continued by other authors after his death in 2002. The series focuses on a tiny family of human-like creatures called the Littles and their people, who secretly live inside the walls of the house of the normal-sized Bigg family. Their diminutive size aren’t the only things that set them apart from regular humans as the Littles also possessed long tails.

The 1967 edition of The Littles.

            The primary characters were William T. Little and Wilma Little, the parents of Tom and Lucy, who lived with Uncle Pete, Uncle Nick, Granny, Grandpa and Baby Betsy. Dinky was an older cousin to the family and flew a glider that provided transport for any of their people in the area, as well as allowed him to seek adventures. He lived with his mother, Lilly, and eventually married a woman named Della. They took great pains to keep the Biggs, and any humans, from learning about their existence.

Frank, Helen, Grandpa, Dinky, Lucy and Tom Little.

            In 1982, the books were optioned for an animated series by ABC. ABC contracted DiC Entertainment to produce the series, making it one of the first three shows made by the studio along with Inspector Gadget and Heathcliff (1984). While the overall series maintained the core themes of the books, there were numerous changes made in the adaptation. The Little parents were renamed Frank (Gregg Berger) and Helen (Patricia Parris), Uncle Pete became Grandpa (Alvy Moore) and Dinky (Robert David Hall) was the only extended relative to live with the family. Dinky’s competency as a pilot—and in general—was greatly reduced to make him the series’ comic relief, as well as a source of constant aggravation for Grandpa. Dinky’s glider also became a small propeller plane. In addition to their tails, the Littles were given pointy ears and buck teeth making them resemble a cross between humans and mice.

Dr. Hunter.

            Unique to the series were the recurring villains of Dr. Hunter and his assistant, Peterson (both Ken Sansom). Hunter knew of the Littles’ existence and sought to capture them and prove it. Henry Bigg (Jimmy E. Keegan), the youngest member of the Bigg household, was also aware of the Littles’ existence and befriended them; particularly Tom (Donavan Freberg) and Lucy (Bettina Bush). Henry’s pet turtle, Slick (Frank Welker), served as an emergency go-between whenever the Littles found themselves in over their tiny heads.

The Littles meet some Amazonian Littles.

            The Littles debuted on September 10, 1983 becoming the first DiC production to air on a network rather than syndication. DiC also used a unique logo seen at the end of the show, by having Dinky throw a button to dot the “I” in their name. Haim Saban and Shuki Levy handled the series’ music, and also handled the show’s international distribution through their company, Saban International. Fulfilling FCC educational requirements, many episodes dealt with moral lessons and social issues such as running away from home and drug abuse. Each episode ended with a simple arts and crafts project the viewers could do called “Little Ideas for Big People.” Jeffrey Scott wrote the entirety of the first season.

For the second season, the series received a new opening sequence. The first one featured Henry telling the audience about his secret, with character introductions in a stylized setting (an unfinished version of this intro was used in the 1983 ABC Saturday morning preview special, amongst various clips from the episodes). The second intro revealed that Henry learned about the Littles when Lucy and Tom fell into his suitcase and were cornered by his cat. Both intros’ themes were recorded by Rachelle Cano with different lyrics. Troublemaking cousin Ashley (B.J. Ward) was added to the cast, while Pat Fraley replaced Welker as the voice of Slick. The crafts also became suggestions sent in by viewers. Scott wrote two of the season’s eight episodes, joined by Heywood Kling, Anthony Peckham, Olivier Jean-Marie, Jack Olesker, Kay Hanley an Aaron Springer.

When the series proved popular, ABC commissioned a film spin-off also produced by DiC. Written by Kling and directed by series director Bernard Deyries, Here Come the Littles served as a prequel to the series. Henry’s parents were lost on an archaeological dig and he was made to live with his uncle, Augustus (Hal Smith). Henry and the Littles had to save the Bigg house from being leveled by Augustus to make way for a shopping center. It followed the season two explanation on how the Littles met Henry; however, Henry actually met Grandpa and Dinky before finding Tom and Lucy in his suitcase. The movie was animated by Tokyo Movie Shinsha, who also animated the series proper. The film was distributed by Atlantic Releasing, who also released the other TV show-based films The Smurfs and the Magic Flute and He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword, on May 25, 1986. The film received mixed reviews and only pulled in $6.6 million at the box office.

For the show’s final season, ABC decided to change things up in order to reinvigorate its popularity and ratings. The series was moved from the Bigg household to have Tom, Lucy, Dinky, Ashley and Grandpa accompany Henry and his family on a trip around the world. Frank, Helen, Hunter and Peterson were all written out, and David Wagner replaced Freberg as the voice of Tom. The show was given a new intro detailing their journey, again sung by Cano, as well as a new animation studio in Studio Gallop. The season was written by Olesker, Sandy Fries, Matt Geller, Eleanor Burian-Mohr, Michael Reaves, Michael Maurer and Marc Scott Zicree, making it the first without any participation from Scott.

Tom and Lucy doing some crafty inventing.

While the series wasn’t renewed for another season, a second movie was produced, again written by King and directed by Deyries. Liberty and the Littles saw the Littles ending up on Liberty Island in New York City where they discovered another group of small people living in oppression. The movie aired on ABC where it was later split up into three episodes and included in both the third season of the show and in the ninth season of ABC Weekend Specials. When the series was rerun in syndication, half of the third season and several other episodes were not shown.

The Littles board game set up.

            Tying into the show, Scholastic released a series of easy reader books utilizing the character designs used on the show, as well as a Punch Out Toy Book where cardboard versions of the characters and props could be removed and assembled and a sticker book. Milton Bradley produced a board game that featured a 3D design to simulate the Littles’ habitat. Internationally, there were costumes, PVC figurines, records and a card game.

The Mill Creek DVD.

Beginning in 1985, Playhouse Video released several versions of Here Come the Littles on VHS, with ABC Entertainment handling the 1991 release of Liberty and the Littles. Here Comes was brought to DVD in 2007 by NCircle Entertainment, which later re-released it in 2009 as The Littles Christmas Special. Also in 2007, S’more Entertainment released The Complete Unedited Series with bonus features. Mill Creek Entertainment gained the license to the series and released a new complete series collection without bonus features in 2011. That same year, they also released a Best of collection with 10 episodes. Those same episodes were again released in Mill Creek’s Animal Cartoon Bundle along with episodes of Heathcliff (1984) and The Get Along Gang the following year.

EPISODE GUIDE:

Season 1:

“Beware of Hunter!” (9/10/83) – When Dr. Hunter searches Henry’s house for the Littles, the Littles’ Council begins to question Henry’s friendship with Tom and Lucy.

“Lost City of the Littles” (9/17/83) – Henry’s parents discover an ancient Little statue that can hypnotize and summon any Little.

“The Big Scare” (9/24/83) – Henry is made to spend the night in a haunted house as initiation into a bike club, but the other members plan to have some mean-spirited fun with him.

“Lights, Camera, Littles” (10/1/83) – Tom gets jealous of Lucy after the Littles make a film and attempts to get rid of it, but it ends up in Dr. Hunter’s hands.

“The Spirits of the Night” (10/8/83) – The Littles help an elderly blind woman recover the money her husband left to her from her crooked landlord.

“The Little Winner” (10/15/83) – Henry offers to claim Dinky’s contest prize of a gas-powered model airplane.

“A Big Cure for a Little Illness” (10/22/83) – Henry fakes an illness in order to get the cure for the poison Dr. Hunter used on Helen.

“The Rats are Coming! The Rats are Coming!” (10/29/83) – A heavy rainstorm brings an influx of rats into the neighborhood.

“The Little Fairy Tale” (11/5/83) – Henry’s friend runs away when she gets a bad report card and the Littles try to help convince her to go home.

“Prescription for Disaster” (11/12/83) – Henry discovers his visiting relative is abusing prescription medication, and one of the pills gets loose and ends up in Dinky’s food.

“The Little Scouts” (11/19/83) – While camping, the Littles come across a pilot who needs serious medical attention.

“A Little Gold, A Lot of Trouble” (11/26/83) – The Littles have to rescue Henry and Marie from a mine shaft.

“Dinky’s Doomsday Pizza” (12/3/83) – Dinky crashes his glider and has a dream that Henry sells the Littles out to Dr. Hunter.

Season 2:

“A Little Rock and Roll” (9/15/84) – The Little kids go off to a concert for their favorite band despite being told not to.

“The Little Babysitters” (9/22/84) – Henry decides to abandon his babysitting duty to the Littles when his friends invite him out to play football.

“The Forest Littles” (9/29/84) – The Littles meet a new race of Littles in the woods and help them evade Dr. Hunter.

“For the Birds” (10/6/84) – Tom and Lucy keep an injured bird a secret, believing it could end up in the Littles’ new zoo if found.

“Twins” (10/13/84) – Dinky becomes jealous of the attention the new twins are getting, and does dangerous things to try and get some for himself.

“Looking for Grandma Little” (10/20/84) – Grandpa feels neglected and leaves home while Tom and Lucy try to find him a mate.

“Every Little Vote Counts” (10/27/84) – When the mayor forbids the Littles from visiting the surface, a visiting Little sees his chance to take his place in the next election.

“The Littles’ Halloween” (11/3/84) – Henry explores a haunted house where an evil magician supposedly resides.

Season 3:

“The Little Amazon Queen” (9/14/85) – In the Amazon, the Biggs search for a missing girl and a diamond while the Littles find an ancient race of Littles.

“Tut the Second” (9/21/85) – In Egypt, Henry and the Littles are abducted when Henry is believed to be the reincarnation of King Tut.

“When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” (9/28/85) – Dinky is captured by an Irishman who believes him to be a leprechaun.

“The Wrong Stuff” (10/5/85) – The Littles end up accidentally sent up into space on a space shuttle.

“Deadly Jewels” (10/12/85) – Henry’s camera case is mixed up with a princess’, and the Littles help her against a plot to steal the crown jewels.

“A Little Drunk” (10/19/85) – Henry discovers his favorite star is an alcoholic, and Dinky ends up getting drunk himself.

“Ben Dinky” (10/26/85) – The Littles learn the Italian Littles are under the oppression of the Roman Empire and Dinky is mistaken for a gladiator.

“The Little Girl Who Could” (11/2/85) – Visiting their cousins in the country leads the Littles into a treasure hunt.

Specials:

“Here Come the Littles” (5/25/85) – Henry befriends the Littles and together they try to stop his uncle from tearing down their home to put up a shopping center.

“Liberty and the Littles” (10/18/86) – The littles crash on Liberty Island and discover an oppressed group of 19^th Century little people living there.

JOAN LEE DEAD AT 95

You can read the full story here.

Joan Lee was the wife of legendary comic creator Stan Lee, and often credited as the muse that led to the creation of the Marvel universe. As a result, she had participated in a few of the animated shows based on Marvel properties, particularly in the recurring role of Madame Web in Spider-Man: The Animated Series.

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE POOH

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE POOH

(Disney Channel, CBS, January 17, 1988-Octboer 26, 1991)

Walt Disney Television Animation

MAIN CAST:

Jim Cummings – Winnie the Pooh, Tigger (some episodes, season 3-4, Boo, Year & singing: Thanksgiving & Valentine), various

Paul Winchell – Tigger (season 1-2, 3 episodes of season 3)

John Fiedler – Piglet, various

Steve Schatzberg – Piglet (singing: Boo & Thanksgiving)

Ken Sansom – Rabbit, Stan the Woozle, Piglet Look-Like, various

Peter Cullen – Eeyore, various

Michael Gough – Gopher

Patricia Parris (as Patty Paris) – Kanga, Christopher Robin’s mother

Kath Soucie – Kanga (Year)

Nicholas Melody – Roo

Nikita Hopkins – Roo (Year)

Hal Smith – Owl, various

Andre Stojka - Owl (Thanksgiving & Valentine)

Timothy Hoskins, Edan Gross (Christmas), Brady Bluhm (Thanksgiving & Valentine) & William Green (Year) – Christopher Robin

Frankie J. Galasso – Christopher Robin (singing: Valentine)

            The Hundred Acre Wood is the place that young Christopher Robin would frequent to visit his closest friends. Although, they weren’t your typical friends--being that many of them were stuffed. And animals. Chief amongst them was the slow-witted and friendly Winnie the Pooh; a bear whose primary love was all things honey. With him came Piglet, a small neat-freak pig who found a reason to be afraid of anything (particularly Heffalumps, creatures that resembled elephants); Tigger, an energetic tiger that loved to bounce and go on adventures; Kanga, a kangaroo always in the company of her little joey, Roo; Eeyore, a constantly depressed, hard-luck donkey that always lost his pinned-on tail; Rabbit, a real rabbit obsessed with order and keeping crows out of his garden; and Owl, a real owl whose species made him the de-facto wisest of the group (even if he really wasn’t).

The original toys, sans Roo who had long since been lost.

            This group of friends came from the imagination of author A.A. Milne, who was inspired by his son, Christopher Robin, and his toys, as well as the animals that lived in the forest around his country home in Ashdown Forest, Sussex, England. Christopher Robin had become enamored with a bear at the London Zoo named Winnipeg; a transplant from Canada that was rescued by Lieutenant Harry Coleburn and donated to the zoo after WWI. Coleburn named the bear after his adopted home of Winnipeg. The young Milne spent a lot of time with Winnie, going so far as to hang out inside the cage. Eventually, his favorite stuffed bear, Edward, was renamed “Winnie the Pooh” after the bear and a swan the Milnes once encountered.

The original books.

            Pooh made his literary debut in the poem “Teddy Bear”, published in the February 13, 1924 edition of Punch. However, he would go unnamed until a story commissioned by the London newspaper The Evening News was published on December 24, 1925. In 1926, Milne and Pooh made the leap to book form in Winnie the Pooh. Published by Methuen & Co., Ltd. with illustrations by E.H. Shepard, Winnie the Pooh adapted previously published stories with new content and introduced most of his supporting cast--also based on the rest of Milne’s son’s stuffed animals--as well as the characterization of Christopher Robin. Tigger wouldn’t be introduced until the 1928 sequel, The House at Pooh Corner.

Winnie the Pooh board game produced by Slesinger.

            As the original stories and books were very popular, Stephen Slesinger purchased the North American rights to produce merchandise and media based on the characters in 1930. Slesinger managed to turn Pooh and his friends into a $50 million-a-year industry, overseeing the production of toys, records, animation and films under his banner, Telecomics Presents. Slesinger gave Pooh his distinctive red t-shirt in a drawing he did for the cover of the 1932 RCA Victor picture record. It was also the first time the characters appeared in color. Talk about a televised animated adaptation began in 1957, with Jay Ward being suggested by NBC to produce the pilot. An option for 39 episodes were on the table, and some songs and dialogue were recorded, but ultimately The World of Winnie the Pooh was abandoned.

Walt Disney and his daughters.

            Counted amongst Pooh’s fans were Diane and Sharon Mae Disney, the daughters of Walt Disney. Disney actively pursued the rights to the characters and eventually acquired certain ones from Slesinger and Milne’s respective widows, Shirley and Daphne, in 1961. Disney planned to adapt the characters into a full-length animated musical feature, but upon realizing that worldwide audiences may not be as familiar with the source material as the British, he decided to split the feature up into a series of theatrical shorts in order to better introduce the characters.

Promotional artwork for The Honey Tree.

The first and only short made during Disney’s lifetime, Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, adapted the first three chapters of Winnie the Pooh. It starred Sterling Holloway as Pooh, Junius Matthews as Rabbit, Hal Smith as Owl, Ralph Wright as Eeyore, Barbara Luddy as Kanga, Clint Howard as Roo, and Bruce Reitherman as Christopher Robin. Although promotional art featured Piglet and Tigger (resembling the Shepard design), neither appeared in the short. Rather, Disney contemplated replacing Piglet entirely and introduced a new character: Gopher (Howard Morris). Gopher, based on the beaver from Lady and the Tramp, constantly dug holes and tunnels around the Wood and often spoke with a whistle when he made an “s” sound. Honey Tree was released on February 4, 1966 and was shown alongside The Ugly Dachshund. The short proved popular, and began the path that would lead to Pooh and his friends becoming a billion-dollar industry for Disney as a company.

The second short, Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, debuted on December 20, 1968 alongside The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit. The short introduced Piglet (John Fiedler) and Tigger (Paul Winchell), as well as replaced Reitherman with Jon Walmsley as Christopher Robin. A third short, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, was released in 1974 before Pooh and friends received their first full-length movie, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The film, released on March 11, 1977, combined the three shorts with new material to bridge them and a new sequence based on the final chapter of Pooh Corner to fill out the running time. An 8-minute educational film, Winnie the Pooh Discovers the Seasons, was also made in 1981 with one last short, Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore, released in 1983.

1983 saw the launch of The Disney Channel, and amongst the channel’s initial line-up was the series Welcome to Pooh Corner. The show featured actors in animatronic suits, created in part by Ken Forsse who would go on to create Teddy Ruxpin, acting against bluescreen sets as a narrator read from a book in the opening and closing scenes. The show ran for three years, ending in 1986 after 120 episodes. Pooh’s absence from The Disney Channel was short-lived as the recently-formed Walt Disney Television Animation returned him to animation with his second series: The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. 

Character size comparison model sheet by Ron Campbell.

        WDTVA’s Vice President Gary Krisel proposed the show during a Disney retreat to examine company assets and future projects. He felt that the character would not only be perfect for Saturday mornings, but felt that the licensing agreement Disney held with department store chain Sears would be a great promotional tool. Mark Zaslove was hired to write the series bible and pitch for the series; both of which were well-received by Disney and promptly green-lit. Rather than shop the series around, Disney offered it directly to ABC. ABC’s Saturday morning line-up had, by that point, fallen into last place in the ratings and they desperately wanted something from Disney to help correct that; having missed out on Wuzzles and Adventures of the Gummi Bears two years prior. ABC commissioned 25 episodes of Pooh rather than the standard 13 to 17, marking the first time a major Disney character would be seen on Saturday mornings.

Gopher trying to figure out how to do his schtick without dynamite.

        The series was developed by Karl Geurs; a self-described Pooh fan. Development took several months as Disney wanted the series to embody the same high standards as their films; hoping to set a new standard on television. Story ideas were pitched to Zaslove, story editor for the first season, when then sent the best ones to ABC executives for approval before entering outline and scripts. The process took about four weeks per episode. While writing, the crew made sure to consult Milne’s works repeatedly to ensure they maintained the characters’ personalities and achieved a balance of action and adventure with moments of whimsy. Further, a consulting company was retained to help advise the crew on how the characters should speak, look and act to better appeal to their target demographic. Additionally, the production had to conform to broadcast standards and keep out dangerous imitable behavior (Zaslove was told that Gopher, who frequently used dynamite for excavation, couldn’t have any gunpowder but could have a thermonuclear device—since apparently the latter was harder for kids to acquire than the former?).

The gang of the Hundred Acre Wood.

The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh debuted on January 17, 1988; however, it wasn’t on ABC. An internal debate was going on about whether Disney’s shows should be aired on The Disney Channel, which was viewed as the most important thing by some executives, over being outsourced to other networks. An argument was made that restricting where their programs were seen risked losing a generation of TV viewers who didn’t have cable. A compromise was reached between Disney Channel President John F. Cooke and Krisel that the network would pay the animation division a certain price for first run rights. As a result, the series ran for 13 episodes on the network until it shifted over to ABC for the remainder of its 4-season run.

Jim Cummings took over the role of Pooh and eventually Tigger, too.

            Producers wanted to get as many of the surviving original cast as they could. Winchell, Fiedler and Smith all returned to voice their respective characters; however, Holloway’s voice had become unrecognizable as Pooh. Pooh ended up being taken over by Jim Cummings, Rabbit by Ken Sansom, Eeyore by Peter Cullen, Kanga by Patricia Parris, Roo by Nicholas Melody, Gopher by Michael Gough and Christopher Robin by Timothy Hoskins. The series used a similar animation style as the original Disney productions and followed the continuing adventures of Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood; as well as the nearby town and settings created by pure imagination. The series did get a bit of an Americanization as the setting was moved from England to modern America and Christopher Robin was depicted with no trace of an accent. Additionally, the storybook theme and narrator seen in other Pooh productions wasn’t utilized.

Heff Heffalump and Stan Woozle.

New characters not seen in the earlier shorts included Stan Woozle (Sansom) and Heff Heffalump (Chuck McCann), two recurring villains who always sought to steal from the main characters; Kessie (Laura Mooney), a little bluebird Rabbit rescued and adopted as his daughter; and Christopher Robin’s mother (Parris), whose face was never shown. Frank Welker would provide the voices for a variety of animal characters in several episodes, including bees and rats. 

Causing mischief in Christopher Robin's house.

        Writers for the show included Geurs, Zaslove Larry Bernard, Mark Cassutt, Marley Clark, Terrie Collins, Carter Crocker, Jimmy Danelli, Lynn Feinerman, Rich Fogel, Evelyn Gabai, Libby Hinson, Doug Hutchinson, Ken Kessel, Eric Lewald, Julia Lewald, Jymn Magon, Richard Merwin, Michelle Rifkin, Cliff Roberts, Dev Ross, Bruce Reid Schaefer, Paula Sigman, David Silverman, Stephen Sustarsic, Bruce Talkington, and Len Uhley. The animation was handled by TMS Entertainment, Hanho Heung-Up Company, Walt Disney Animation U.K., Walt Disney Television Animation Australia, and Wang Film Productions Company. Steve Nelson wrote the series’ theme, “Pooh Bear”, performed by Steve Wood, as well as several songs for the early episodes Two different versions were used over two slightly different openings. A third version, performed by Cummings, was used for reruns on Disney’s channels. A fourth version with Nelson performing the vocals himself exists on his album, Listen What the Katmandu. The series’ score was composed by Thom Sharp and performed by a full orchestra.

        ABC aggressively advertised the series during prime-time; partially to fill airtime that the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike had caused gaps in, and partially to remind adults about their own childhood love of the characters that they could now share with their kids. The series was also one of the headliners of ABC’s Saturday Morning Preview Special aired the Friday night before its network debut, along with The New Adventures of Beany and Cecil and A Pup Named Scooby-Doo. Sears and Honey Nut Cheerios partnered to host a nationwide premiere party, with breakfast being served to more than 40,000 children in over 300 stores and the first episode shown on in-store video displays. The event doubled as a fundraiser to benefit homeless shelters. Sears’ Christmas catalog that year dedicated 8 pages to the show, while Honey Nut Cheerios featured a Pooh premium and an opportunity to get a free plush from Sears.

Title card for the Gummi Bears/Winnie the Pooh Hour.

         New Adventures was shown in an hour-long block during the first season. For the second season, it was shortened to a half-hour and paired up with Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears when it moved from NBC to form the Gummi Bears-Winnie the Pooh Hour. For the third season, Gummi Bears was moved to the syndicated Disney Afternoon programming block and New Adventures finished its run on its own. The third season also saw the departure of Winchell, who had been recording separately from the rest of the cast to reduce stress, as advised by his cardiologist. He was replaced by Cummings, who had been understudying him and filled in for him periodically during the first two seasons. During its original run, New Adventures won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animation Program in both 1989 and 1990 (where it tied with Beetlejuice).

The show ended on October 26, 1991 but was quickly followed in December by the special Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too. Winchell returned to voice Tigger and Edan Gross assumed the role of Christopher Robin. The special was introduced with a skit featuring Disney head Michael Eisner and the Disneyland walk-around Pooh characters, and was accompanied by the Donald Duck shorts The Hockey Champ an Bearly Asleep. The special was later edited into part of the 2002 direct-to-video feature A Very Merry Pooh Year with Christopher Robin’s lines re-dubbed by William Green and Rabbit’s fur recolored into the traditional yellow, as opposed to the greenish hue it had on the show. Additional specials included 1996’s Boo to You Too! Winnie the Pooh, 1998’s A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving, and 1999’s Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You.

Gopher getting ready to blow stuff up.

Even though the network didn’t order any further episodes after the 4^th season’s conclusion, New Adventures continued to air on ABC until 1993 when executives felt the show could make more money in syndicated reruns than through a network deal. The series returned to The Disney Channel on October 3, 1994 and remained there until September 1, 2006. It also returned to ABC in 1995 as a replacement for The New Adventures of Madeline and stayed—with a half-season break in 1996—until September 7, 2002; getting renewed popularity as part of the Disney’s One Saturday Morning programming block. The show was also seen on Playhouse Disney, Toon Disney and Disney Junior, and on international versions of The Disney Afternoon programming block. After leaving Toon Disney on October 19, 2007, New Adventures hasn’t been seen on American television since, although it did continue on in other countries. 

Pooh and Eeyore protecting the old west.

Internationally, several strips with the show’s branding were published in various magazines, such as Finnish Nalle Puh, Italian Mega Almanacco, and Norwegian Ole Brumm. Some of those strips were included in the 2023 collection Disney One Saturday Morning Adventures from Fantagraphics. Beginning in 1989, Walt Disney Home Video released collections on VHS and Laserdisc containing two to four episodes each. 10 VHS volumes and 15 Laserdisc volumes were released in the United States and the United Kingdom, however the international versions often featured fewer or different episodes and VHS names. Beginning in 1994, the collections were released under various titles: Winnie the Pooh: Learning, Winnie the Pooh: Playtime and Winnie the Pooh: Friendship. Holiday-themed collections, featuring both the specials and related episodes, were released between 1994 and 2000.

Piglet gives Gopher a new jackhammer.

Various episodes were released on six compilation DVDs, four of them under the Growing Up with Winnie the Pooh banner, between 2002 and 2010. “Magic Earmuffs” and “The Wishing Bear” were included on the 10^th anniversary re-release of Seasons of Giving. In addition to five of the North American releases, eight DVDs were released in the United Kingdom under The Magical World of Winnie the Pooh banner featuring four episodes each. In 2019, it became one of the launch titles for the streaming service Disney+.

EPISODE GUIDE:

Season 1:

“Pooh Oughta Be in Pictures” (1/17/88) – After seeing a scary movie, the gang tries to convince Piglet that the monsters in it aren’t real.

“Friend, in Deed / Donkey for a Day” (1/24/88) – Pooh and his friends try to get honey from a beehive in order to pay back Rabbit for all the honey Pooh’s taken from him. / Piglet convinces the other to spend the day cheering up Eeyore.

“There’s No Camp Like Home / Balloonatics” (1/31/88) – Campfire scary stories leads Piglet to come face-to-face with is greatest fear: Heffalumps. / The gang panics when the balloon he borrowed from Christopher Robin gets deflated by Rabbit.

“Find Her, Keep Her” (2/7/88) – Rabbit tries to raise the little bird he rescued.

“The Piglet Who Would Be King” (2/14/88) – When Pooh gives Piglet a gift, Piglet heads out to find the Land of Milk and Honey to get some honey in reciprocation.

“Cleanliness is Next to Impossible” (2/21/88) – Helping Christopher Robin clean his room leads the gang to encounter the evil Crud and Smudge/.

 “The Great Honey Pot Robbery” (2/28/88) – A Heffalump and a Woozle have stolen all the honey in the Hundred-Acre Wood.

“Stripes / Monkey See, Monkey Do Better” (3/6/88) – Rabbit forces Tigger to take a bath, resulting in his stripes being washed off. / The gang becomes upset when Christopher Robin’s new toy declares himself the best toy ever.

“Babysitter Blues” (3/13/88) – Christopher Robin and the gang get into mischief while being watched by a babysitter.

“How Much is That Rabbit in the Window?” (3/20/88) – Rabbit runs away and ends up picked up by a junk dealer who tries to sell him.

“Nothing But the Tooth / Gone With the Wind” (3/27/88) – When pack rats steal Pooh’s sweet tooth, he believes he can no longer enjoy honey. / Piglet becomes afraid of going outside since he’s light enough to be blown about by the wind.

“Paw and Order” (4/3/88) – The gang puts on a play that takes place in the Wild West.

“Honey for a Bunny / Trap as Trap Can” (4/10/88) – A bookend Rabbit throws away finds its way into everyone’s possession. / Pooh and Piglet help a young heffalump learn how to trap.

“The Masked Offender / Things That Go Piglet in the Night” (11/12/88) – Tigger becomes a superhero to help people, but ends up causing problems. / The gang believes they’re being haunted by a ghost.

“Luck Amok / Magic Earmuffs” (12/3/88) – Rabbit believes he has bad luck when Tigger breaks his mirror. / Christopher Robin gives Piglet “magic” earmuffs to help him gain confidence in ice skating.

“The Wishing Bear” (12/10/88) – When a wishing star blinks out after Pooh makes a wish, he tries to ensure the others’ wishes all come true.

“King of the Beasties / The Rats Who Came to Dinner” (1/7/89) – Tigger believes his great uncle is a lion and declares himself “King of the Beasties.” / A flood brings on an onslaught of pack rats.

“My Hero / Owl Feathers” (1/14/89) – Tigger becomes Piglet’s servant after he saves his life. / A trail of feathers leads the gang to believe Owl has gone bald.

“A Very, Very Large Animal / Fish Out of Water” (1/21/89) – Piglet moves away when he feels he’s too small. / Gopher becomes Rabbit’s roommate and drives him crazy.

“Lights Out / Tigger’s Shoes” (2/4/89) – Rabbit borrows Gopher’s flashlight without asking and he looks for it in a panic. / To keep Tigger busy, Rabbit gives him weighted shoes and challenges him to jump the highest rock.

“The ‘New’ Eeyore / Tigger, Private Ear” (2/25/89) – Eeyore dresses like Tigger to be more popular. / Tigger causes crimes so that he can solve them like a detective.

“Party Poohper / The Old Switcheroo” (3/4/89) – Pooh is enlisted to keep Rabbit’s parents busy while he plans a surprise party. / Too avoid a bath, Roo has Piglet take his place.

Season 2:

“Me and My Shadow / To Catch a Hiccup” (9/9/89) – Piglet brings home a new shadow friend. / The gang helps Piglet try to cure his hiccups.

“Rabbit Marks the Spot / Good-bye, Mr. Pooh” (9/16/89) – Rabbit creates a treasure map to keep the gang out of his garden as they play pirate. / Tigger spreads a rumor that Pooh is leaving and the gang throws him a going away party.

“Bubble Trouble / Ground Piglet Day” (9/23/89) – Pooh ends up trapped in a bubble. / Rabbit makes Piglet a groundhog for Groundhog Day.

“All’s Well that Ends Wishing Well” (9/30/89) – Tigger is disappointed with his first birthday, and Pooh tries to cheer him up by getting him the moon from the wishing well.

“Un-Valentine’s Day” (10/7/89) – Rabbit makes Valentine’s Day illegal.

“No Rabbit’s a Fortress / The Monster Frankenpooh” (10/14/89) – Rabbit builds a fortress to protect his garden. / On a dark and stormy night, Tigger spins a yarn about mad scientist Piglet and his monster.

“Where Oh Where Has My Piglet Gone? / Up, Up and Awry” (10/21/89) – Pooh believes he misplaced Piglet and searches for him. / The gang arrests Pooh for breaking the law of gravity when he tries to fly.

“Eeyore’s Tail Tale / Three Little Piglets” (10/28/89) – Eeyore abandons his tail but soon wants it back. / Pooh relates the story of the three little pigs.

“Prize Piglet / Fast Friends” (11/18/89) – The gang holds a race for a trophy. / Piglet gets stuck in the tree house while Gopher tries to help Pooh become more punctual.

“Pooh Moon / Caws and Effect” (12/2/89) – Tigger tells the gang a story about the “Grabme-Gotcha.” / The crows trick Rabbit into leaving dim-witted Pooh to watch over his garden while he and the others hunt for them.

Season 3:

“Oh, Bottle / Owl in the Family” (8/18/90) – The pack rats steal the treasure map in a bottle Christopher Robin created for their game. / Pooh and Piglet organize a family reunion for Owl.

“Sham Pooh / Rock-a-Bye Pooh Bear” (8/25/90) – Pooh losing his appetite causes everyone to believe everyone else is an imposter. / Piglet has a nightmare about losing his friends in a storm.

“What’s the Score, Pooh? / Tigger’s Houseguest” (9/1/90) – Gopher will only rejoin their game if the others help him work. / Tigger befriends a termite that has been destroying things in the Wood.

“Rabbit Takes a Holiday / Eeyi Eeyi Eeyore” (9/8/90) – All his chores done, Rabbit takes a vacation and leaves the others to watch over his place. / Trying to make Eeyore feel good about a seed he planted leads Rabbit to believe he’s the better gardener and give Eeyore his property.

“Pooh Skies” (10/6/90) – A fallen eggshell leaves the gang to believe the sky is falling.

“April Pooh / To Bee or Not to Bee” (10/13/90) – Christopher Robin sets the gang to search for the April Fool. /

“A Knight to Remember” (10/20/90) – On a stormy night, Piglet imagines he’s a brave knight.

“Tigger is the Mother of Invention / The Bug Stops Here” (10/27/90) – Tigger’s inventions cause troubles for his friends. / The gang checks out Christopher Robin’s science project and end up losing the bug that is part of it.

“Easy Come, Easy Gopher / Invasion of the Pooh Snatcher” (11/3/90) – Rabbit becomes annoyed when his house ends up part of Gopher’s ultimate tunnel. / Piglet asks Pooh to help defend his house against Jagulars, which leads Tigger to believe Pooh has been snatched by one.

“Tigger Got Your Tongue? / A Bird in the Hand” (11/10/90) – The gang tries to help find who stole Tigger’s voice. / An adult Kessie returns for a visit, but Rabbit has a hard time seeing her as anything but a baby.

Season 4:

“Sorry, Wrong Slusher” (9/7/91) – Strange things follow the gang and Christopher Robin watching a slusher film.

“Grown, But Not Forgotten” (9/14/91) – The gang becomes worried that Christopher Robin will grow up and forget all about them.

“A Pooh Day Afternoon” (9/21/91) – The gang looks after a dog.

“The Good, the Bad and the Tigger” (9/28/91) – Losing control of Christopher Robin’s toy train has Tigger and Pooh put on trial as train robbers.

“Home Is Where the Home Is” (10/5/91) – The gang takes turns putting up Christopher Robin after he runs away from home because he accidentally broke a statue.

“Shovel, Shovel, Toil and Trouble / The Wise Have It” (10/12/91) – A large shovel puts Gopher on an uncontrollable home improvement kick. / The number of candles on Pooh’s birthday cake makes the gang believe he’s old and, therefore, wise.

“Cloud, Cloud Go Away / To Dream the Impossible Scheme” (10/19/91) – Tigger befriends a very sad cloud. / A visit from his Grandpappy inspires Gopher to finish his Grandpappy’s dream of an above-ground underground city.

“Piglet’s Poohetry / Owl’s Well That Ends Well” (10/26/91) – Tigger disrupts Piglet’s poetry. / Rabbit finds Owl’s singing horrible, but is torn when it keeps the crows out of his garden.

Specials:

“Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too” (12/14/91) – Christopher Robin sends off a letter to Santa with the gang’s desires, but soon they become greedy and keep asking for more.

“Boo To You! Winnie the Pooh” (10/25/96) – Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore search for Piglet after he runs off in fright, but their own fears begin to get the best of them.

“A Wnnie the Pooh Thanksgiving” (11/22/98) – The gang learns about the true meaning of Thanksgiving.

“A Valentine For You” (2/13/99) – When Owl explains to the gang that Christopher Robin is smitten by a girl, the gang decides to find another smitten to cure him.

“A Very Merry Pooh Year” (11/12/02) – It’s time for the holidays and the usual chaos abounds in the Wood, along with Pooh forgetting where he hid Piglet’s present. 

Originally posted in 2017. Updated in 2024.