Big Bag facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Big Bag |
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| Genre | Puppetry Educational Sketch comedy |
| Created by | Nina Elias-Bamberger |
| Developed by | Lou Berger Allan Neuwirth Gary Cooper |
| Directed by | Emily Squires |
| Starring | Selena Nelson Cullen Douglas Clare Sera Tessa Ludwick John Mountford Ashley Jones James Ryan Puppeteers: Joey Mazzarino Rickey Boyd Alice Dinnean Jeff Conover James Stone Matt Vogel |
| Voices of | María Conchita Alonso Fran Brill Kimberly Brooks (uncredited) Kevin Clash Allen Enlow James Spector |
| Narrated by | Andrew Sachs ("William's Wish Wellingtons" segment) |
| Theme music composer | Michael Abbott Sarah Weeks |
| Opening theme | "Big Bag!" |
| Ending theme | "Big Bag!" |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 33 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Nina Elias-Bamberger Buzz Potamkin Khaki Jones |
| Producer(s) | Nina Shelton Marie Poe (animation) |
| Production location(s) | Disney-MGM Studios Bay Lake, Florida |
| Editor(s) | Scott P. Doniger Julie Sanker |
| Running time | 54 minutes (season 1) 24 minutes (season 2) |
| Production company(s) | Children's Television Workshop |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | Cartoon Network |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 2 June 1996 – 27 March 1998 |
Big Bag was an American children's television series that aired on Cartoon Network. It was made for younger kids, especially preschoolers. The show was a team effort between Cartoon Network and Children's Television Workshop (the same group that makes Sesame Street). The fun Muppet characters were created by the Jim Henson Company. Big Bag was on TV from 1996 to 1998, and reruns continued until 2001. It often aired alongside another show called Small World. Other countries like France and the UK also had their own versions of Big Bag.
Contents
What's the Story?
The main characters of Big Bag are a puppet dog named Chelli and his best friend, Bag. They run a general store on Main Street in a friendly town. They live with their human friend, Molly, and lots of other animal characters. Two funny sock puppets, Lyle the Sock and Argyle McSock, work in the storeroom and often join in the fun. In 1997, a new human-like Muppet named Sofie joined the cast. The first season also featured many human characters, including kids and other interesting townspeople.
Meet the Characters
Muppets
- Chelli (played by Joey Mazzarino) – Chelli is a colorful patchwork dog and the main puppet character. He's a pen pal with Elmo from Sesame Street!
- Bag (played by Rickey Boyd) – Bag is an human-like cloth bag and Chelli's best friend. Bag speaks in a special gibberish language that everyone else seems to understand.
- Argyle and Lyle (played by Rickey Boyd and Joey Mazzarino) – These two socks love to tell knock-knock jokes, which Lyle calls "sock-sock" jokes. Lyle has a Brooklyn accent, and Argyle has a Scottish accent.
- Sofie (played by Alice Dinnean) – Sofie is a girl who joined the show in the second season.
Other puppets were also played by Jeff Conover, James Andrew Stone, and Matt Vogel.
Humans
- Molly (played by Selena Nelson) – Molly is the human friend who lives with Chelli and Bag.
- Kim (played by Tessa Ludwick) – Kim is a human girl and a friend to Chelli and Bag.
- Joey (played by John Mountford and Adrian Smith) – Joey is a human boy and another friend of Chelli and Bag.
- Bernard (played by Cullen Douglas) – Bernard is a crossing guard. He introduces some of the animated segments.
- Trudy (played by Clare Sera) – Trudy is an exercise instructor.
- Martha (played by Clare Sera) – Martha is a shy woman.
- Josie (played by Clare Sera) – Josie is a mail carrier who brings "I did something nice today" videos to Chelli and Bag.
- Doc Furrball (played by Cullen Douglas) – Doc Furrball is a veterinarian (an animal doctor).
- Waldo Muckle (played by Cullen Douglas) – Waldo is an inventor and handyman who thinks highly of himself.
- Neighborhood Kids (played by Ashley Jones and Jamie Ryan) – These kids are friends with Molly, Chelli, and Bag.
Voice Cast
- María Conchita Alonso – The voice of Troubles the Cat.
- Fran Brill – The voice of Nina in "Samuel and Nina."
- Kimberly Brooks (uncredited) – The voice of Ace in "Ace & Avery."
- Kevin Clash – The voice of Avery in "Ace & Avery."
- Allen Enlow – The voice of Samuel in "Samuel and Nina."
- Andrew Sachs – The narrator for "William's Wish Wellingtons."
- James Spector – The voice of Slim Pig.
Animated Adventures
Big Bag featured many animated short films. These were longer than the short clips you might see on Sesame Street, usually lasting 3 to 8 minutes. They were made by different studios around the world.
- Troubles the Cat – This was a special cartoon because it was one of the first original American cartoons with Latino characters. It was created by a 5-year-old girl named Marina Mendez and her mom. The main character, Troubles the Cat (voiced by María Conchita Alonso), uses a "troublescope" to help kids understand their feelings and solve problems.
- William's Wish Wellingtons – This segment was about a boy named William who had magic boots called Wellingtons. These boots could make any wish come true! William had to figure out the best wish to solve his problems. Andrew Sachs narrated these stories.
- Slim Pig – Slim Pig was a two-dimensional (flat) pig who lived in a three-dimensional world. He could change shapes and explore new places. Slim Pig showed that it's fun to discover new things.
- Koki – This was a claymation cartoon about a four-year-old chick named Koki. Koki learned about responsibilities and getting along with family and friends, just like a preschooler.
- Tobias Totz and His Lion – This segment was about the friendship between a retired zookeeper named Tobias and a friendly lion. They would solve problems at the zoo together.
- Samuel and Nina – Samuel was a dog who looked a bit like Charlie Chaplin, and Nina was a smart squirrel. They went on adventures and helped people and animals by using their imagination.
In the second season, some of the older animated segments were removed, and a new one was added:
- Ace and Avery – This segment was about a boy named Ace (voiced by Kimberly Brooks) and his raccoon friend, Avery (voiced by Kevin Clash). They often did crafts related to the main story. This segment was created by John R. Dilworth, who later made Courage the Cowardly Dog.
Seasons of Fun
Big Bag had two seasons with a total of 33 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | Air date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Aired | Last Aired | |||
| 1 | 13 | 2 June 1996 | 23 February 1997 | |
| 2 | 20 | 3 March 1997 | 27 March 1998 | |
Images for kids
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The American Spanish VHS release of Big Bag: Share With Us.
