Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks
Title card
Developed by	Mike Young Liz Young Sindy McKay
Directed by	John Over
Starring	Peadar Lamb Maile Flanagan Russi Taylor Tara Strong Charles Adler Nika Futterman Melissa Disney Pamela Adlon Mel Brooks Joan Rivers
Theme music composer	Harriet Schock
Country of origin	Ireland United States United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	52 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Mike Young Stephanie Gougeon Louisa Stretton Bill Schultz (co-executive)
Producer(s)	John Over Cary Silver (line) Liz Young (supervising) Peter Anderso (creative associate)
Running time	23 minutes
Production company(s)	Entara Ltd. Mike Young Productions Crest Communications
Distributor	Entara Taffy Entertainment
Release
Original network	PBS Kids (US) CBBC and CBeebies (UK) RTE Two (Ireland)
Original release	September 7, 2003 (2003-09-07) – January 24, 2007 (2007-01-24)

Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks is a fun computer-animated TV show for kids. It was shown in the United States on PBS Kids and Qubo. In the United Kingdom, you could watch it on CBBC and CBeebies. It also aired in Australia on ABC Kids.

The show ran for 3 seasons and had 52 episodes. It first aired on September 7, 2003, and the last new episode was on January 24, 2007. Reruns continued until 2008.

The story is about a pig named Piggley Winks. He is an animal character who acts like a human. Piggley grew up in Ireland. As an old pig, he tells his grandchildren stories about his childhood adventures. These stories take place on a made-up farm called Raloo Farm in Skryne, Ireland.

The word "jakers" is an old Irish saying. It was used to show surprise, happiness, or even a bit of worry. In the show, Piggley and his dad use it when they are excited about something they find. Famous actors Joan Rivers and Mel Brooks lent their voices to characters in the show.

Story of Piggley's Adventures

Jakers! tells its stories in two different times. One part happens in the present day. The other part is a flashback to the past.

Piggley's Childhood in the Past

When Piggley was a child, he lived on Raloo Farm in Ireland during the 1950s. He lived with his parents, Pádraig and Elly, and his younger sister, Molly. Piggley's best friends were Dannan O'Mallard, a duck, and Fernando "Ferny" Toro, a young bull. Ferny lived with his dad, Don Toro, who was a blacksmith. Piggley's rival, or competitor, was Hector McBadger.

Piggley's life on the farm was like any other child's. He went to school and helped his parents. He also looked after his sister. But Piggley loved stories and legends. His imagination often led him and his friends into funny situations. For example, he once thought fairies turned Ferny into a bug. Another time, he tried to hatch what he believed was a dragon's egg. He even tried to catch a legendary creature called the Fir Darrig.

Each episode also has a side story about Wiley the sheep. Wiley is the only sheep in his flock who can talk. He thinks he is the leader of the other sheep. Wiley often tries to get the other sheep to do things like sing or play sports. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't! Wiley is later helped by his friend, Shirley, another sheep.

Often, Wiley's side story and Piggley's main adventure would connect. For instance, in one episode, Wiley runs away. Piggley, who is the shepherd, then tries to find him.

At the end of each episode, there is a short live-action part. In this part, real children talk about their own experiences. They share their feelings about what happened in the episode. This helps viewers think about the lessons from the show.

Grandpa Piggley in the Present

An older Piggley lives with his daughter, Ciara, and her three children. His grandchildren are the twins, Seán and Séamus, and their older sister, Meg. When the grandchildren have a problem, Grandpa Piggley tells them a story from his childhood. These stories help teach them a lesson. The grandchildren are good at spotting when Grandpa Piggley makes his stories a bit more exciting than they really were!

Episodes

List of Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks episodes

Meet the Cast

Many talented actors gave their voices to the characters in Jakers!.

Main Characters

• Peadar Lamb as Grandpa Piggley Winks
• Maile Flanagan as Young Piggley Winks
• Russi Taylor as Fernando (Ferny) Toro, Elly Winks (Piggley and Molly's mother), and Ciara (Piggley's daughter)
• Tara Strong as Dannan O'Mallard, Molly Winks
• Nika Futterman as Seamus, Sean
• Melissa Disney as Meg
• Mel Brooks as Wiley the Sheep
• Joan Rivers as Shirley the Sheep (Season 2 only)
• Charlie Adler as Mr. Hornsby, Sir, Patrick Winks (Piggley and Molly's father)
• Neil Ross as Mr. McGandry, Mr. O'Hopper (Fergal's Father)
• Pamela Adlon as Hector McBadger
• Fernando Escandon as Don Toro
• Kath Soucie as Millie, Katrina, Lizzie, and Sharon
• Thom Adcox Hernandez as Fergal O'Hopper
• Candi Milo as Gosford, Gossie
• Susan Silo as Miss Nanny
• Mauri Bernstein as Holly
• Fionnula Flanagan as Grandma O'Mallard
• Jessica DiCicco as Gerdie
• Cathal Nugent as Disgruntled Wild Goat
• David Kelly as Captain Cumara
• Brendan Gleeson as Older Fernando (Ferny) Toro

Additional Voices

• Charlie Adler
• Charlie Schlatter
• Jennifer Hale
• Jess Harnell
• Kath Soucie
• Katie Leigh
• Neil Ross
• Tim Curry

Farm and Forest Animals

The show features many animals, both talking and non-talking.

Farm Animals

• Finnegan the Donkey
• Sweets the Fawn
• The Cow
• The Chickens
• The Horse
• The Goose (appears in "Our Dragon Egg")
• The Sheeps
• Little Baa the lamb
• The Chicks
• The Rooster
• The Horse (appears in "A Touch of Spain")

Forest Animals

• The Deers
• The Boars
• The Angry Goat

Where Jakers! Was Shown

Jakers! The Adventures Of Piggley Winks was broadcast in the United Kingdom on CBeebies and CBBC. It aired from 2004 until early 2011. It first showed on the CBBC Channel on September 6, 2004. Later, it was repeated on CBeebies starting February 13, 2006.

In the United States, it was shown on Qubo, PBS Kids, and PBS Kids Sprout. Reruns on PBS Kids stopped on August 31, 2008. PBS Kids Sprout aired the series from 2006 to March 31, 2009.

Univision's Planeta U also showed Jakers! from April 5, 2008, to August 28, 2010. The company 9 Story Media Group now helps distribute the series.

DVD Releases

You can find Jakers! episodes on DVD. Here are some of the releases:

US DVD Releases

UK DVD Releases

Awards and Recognition

Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks won many awards for being a great children's show.

• Humanitas Award for Children's Animation Category for "The Gift" (2007)
• Humanitas Award for Children's Animation Category for "Waking Thor" (2005)
• Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Animated Program (2006)
• Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program – Maile Flanagan (2006)
• Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction & Composition (2005)
• Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual in Animation – Milk Melodrama (2005)
• Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual in Animation – Production designer (2004)
• Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual in Animation – Storyboard artist: All Night Long (2004)
• BAFTA Award for Best Animated Series in the International Category (2005)
• Chicago International Film Festival Gold Hugo Award in the Animated Series Category (2005)
• Chicago International Film Festival Silver Hugo Award in the Animated Series Category (2004)
• Webby Award for PBS/Jakers! Website (2005)
• Parents' Choice Silver Honor Award in the Television Category (2004 & 2006)
• Genesis Commendation Award from the Humane Society of the United States (2004)
• New York Festivals Gold World Medal Award in the Animation category for Youth/Young Adult Programs (2006)
• Prix Jeunesse Web Prize Winner (2004)

Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks at BBC Programmes

See also

In Spanish: Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks para niños