Ants in Your Pants facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ants in Your Pants |
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| Genre | Children's television series Music video |
| Created by | Kathilee Porter |
| Developed by | Treehouse TV |
| Written by | Kathilee Porter, Bryan Levy Young, Kim Sparks, Rachel Bartels |
| Creative director(s) | Kathilee Porter |
| Presented by | Shelley Hamilton Corey Michaels Douglas John |
| Voices of | Marty Stelnick Jason Hopley Ben Deustch Colin Penman |
| Theme music composer | Douglas John |
| Opening theme | "Ants in Your Pants Theme Song" |
| Ending theme | "Ants in Your Pants Theme Song (Instrumental)" |
| Composer(s) | Douglas John |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 107 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Susan Ross |
| Producer(s) | Kathilee Porter |
| Production location(s) | Toronto, Ontario |
| Cinematography | Shawn Kelly, Andrew Baxter |
| Editor(s) | Marc Dupont |
| Running time | 27 minutes |
| Production company(s) | YTV Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | Treehouse TV |
| Picture format | 4:3 |
| Original release | November 1, 1997 – June 15, 2004 (reruns until February 24, 2008) |
Ants in Your Pants was a fun Canadian TV show for kids. It aired on Treehouse TV from November 1, 1997, to June 15, 2004. This show was special because it featured lots of music videos! Kathilee Porter created and produced the series.
About the Show
The show's opening part had cool computer-animated scenes. It played the "Ants in Your Pants" theme song. This song was written by Douglas John, who also had many music videos on the show.
The main host was a puppet monkey named Lickety Split. He wore corduroy overalls and lived in a tree with his mom (you only heard her voice). Lickety would often share what he had been doing. Then, a music video would play. Usually, there were three music videos in each episode. Lickety would introduce each one.
In the middle part of the show, you'd meet the Pesky Ants. Their names were Chainsaw, Woodchip, and Dusty. They often caused trouble for Lickety. But sometimes, they could be helpful and kind too!
In the third season, new parts were added. "Kidding Around" showed videos of kids doing fun activities. They would also sing songs. "Stretch and Wiggle" was another part. It featured Shelley Hamilton, Corey Michaels, and sometimes Douglas John. They would lead viewers through fun exercises.
The last part of the show was called "Lickety's Tree Fort." Here, Lickety would have a special guest star. Some famous guests included Bob McGrath, Al Simmons, and Jack Grunsky.
Characters
The show featured a main puppet character and some mischievous ants. Here are the voices behind them:
- Lickety Split: This friendly monkey puppet was voiced by Marty Stelnick.
- Chainsaw, Woodchip, and Dusty: These three Pesky Ants were voiced by Jason Hopley, Ben Deustch, and Colin Penman.
Music and Soundtrack
Music was a huge part of Ants in Your Pants. The show even released a soundtrack album! A soundtrack is a collection of songs from a movie or TV show.
| Ants In Your Pants - Volume 1 | |
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| Soundtrack album by
Douglas John
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| Released | 1998 |
| Genre | Children's music |
| Label | ZepLenz |
| Producer | Douglas John |
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
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| 1. | "Ants In Your Pants" | Douglas John | 2:51 |
| 2. | "Ug A Bug" | Douglas John | 2:27 |
| 3. | "Ooey-Gooey" | Dutch Robinson | 2:58 |
| 4. | "The Wiggle" | Douglas John | 2:08 |
| 5. | "Barnyard Symphony" | The Barnyard Orchestra | 2:06 |
| 6. | "Inky Dinky Spider" | Leigh Powell | 2:38 |
| 7. | "Let's Talk Turkey" | Douglas John | 2:17 |
| 8. | "Baa Lu" | The Barnyard Chorus | 3:35 |
| 9. | "A Ram Sam Sam" | Dutch Robinson | 2:29 |
| 10. | "Do Your Socks Get Soggy?" | Douglas John & MacHeel | 3:31 |
| 11. | "Woogie-Boogie" | Jude Johnson | 2:39 |
| 12. | "If I Were Not A Little Kid" | Martha Johnson | 3:36 |
| 13. | "Tomato Hat" | Justin Hines | 2:45 |
Why it was Popular
Ants in Your Pants was a fresh idea for children's television. Most kids' shows had music, but this was one of the first to focus on music videos. This made the show very popular with Canadian children. Adults also praised it for its unique approach.
The show's soundtrack was even nominated for a Juno Award in 2000. This award is one of Canada's biggest music honors. Many of the show's music videos later appeared on YouTube starting in 2007. Some popular ones include "Tomato Hat" by a young Justin Hines and "Do Your Socks Get Soggy" by Douglas John. These videos have been watched hundreds of thousands of times!
