Lunar Jim facts for kids
Lunar Jim is a fun Canadian animated TV show made with stop-motion! It's all about an astronaut named Lunar Jim and his friends who live on a blue moon called L22. The show was created by Alexander Bar and produced in Canada by Halifax Film and Alliance Atlantis. Ben Small is the voice of Jim.
Quick facts for kids Lunar Jim |
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| Genre | Animation Adventure Children Mystery Science fiction |
| Created by | Alexander Bar |
| Directed by |
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| Voices of | Ben Small Robert Tinkler Michael Cera Joanne Vannicola |
| Composer(s) | Volcano Music |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 46 (92 segments) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
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| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Halifax Film Company Alliance Atlantis |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBC Television |
| Original release | January 2, 2006 – April 24, 2012 |
Contents
What is Lunar Jim About?
Jim and his amazing team live on Blue Moon L22. This moon is almost at the very edge of the Milky Way galaxy! The team includes Rover, a robot dog, Ripple, a super space mechanic, Eco, a farmer, and T.E.D., a Technical Equipment Device.
The show is all about exploring and asking questions. Lunar Jim helps kids learn important life skills. These include solving problems, being persistent, being creative, and working together. It also teaches "pre-science skills," which are basic ideas that help you understand science. Jim's famous saying is: "Let's get lunar!"
In the first season, only Jim and his main friends explored the moon. They were thought to be the only people living on a moon at that time. But in the second season, we learn they are part of a bigger group of moon astronauts. Three new characters also joined the fun!
Meet the Characters
Let's meet the main characters who make the show so exciting!
Main Characters
- Jim (voiced by Ben Small in the UK and Ben Zelkowicz in the US) is the main astronaut. He loves adventures and solving mysteries. Jim is always very curious about new things.
- Rover (voiced by Robert Tinkler and later Michael Cera) is Jim's loyal robot dog. He is always by Jim's side on missions. Rover loves to play fetch and helps Jim a lot. He only speaks in beeps, but Jim and T.E.D. can understand him.
- Ripple (voiced by Joanne Vannicola) is the clever engineer on the moon. She is always inventing new things to help Jim. Ripple often joins Jim on his missions and drives the Scooter.
- Eco (voiced by Kenneth Branagh) is the farmer who works in the Eco dome. He grows plants and takes care of the animals. Eco loves collecting rocks and plants to study. He usually drives the Hopper.
- T.E.D. (Technical Equipment Device) is another robot, but he looks like a human. T.E.D. is the clumsiest member of the team. His clumsiness often leads to funny moments. He can be a bit worried about things that aren't real. But he is also very smart and sometimes solves problems. T.E.D. often acts like a child, representing the show's young audience.
- Pixel is the smart computer that helps Jim and his friends. She helps them find things on the lunar surface. Pixel also tells them what their jobs are for the day.
- Daisy is a cow who provides milk for the team.
- Delores is a chicken who provides eggs for the team.
- Skye is a young astronaut in training. She comes to Moona Luna for hands-on experience. Skye only appears in the second season.
- Yik Yak is a friendly alien who always speaks in rhymes. He visits Jim and his friends often. Sometimes, his visits accidentally cause problems. Yik Yak looks like a blue or turquoise turtle. He appeared in the second season and had a small appearance in the first.
- Zippity is a space mailman. He sounds like a robot but is never called one. Zippity only appears in the second season.
Supporting Characters
There are also a few other characters who appear in the show. They usually show up once and might cause a little bit of trouble.
- Colby the Collector used to collect objects on the moon to study. He was on the moon before Lunar Jim.
- The Garden-bot was built by Ripple to help Eco. But it sometimes malfunctions and causes problems.
- The Lunar worm is a worm that lives in a compost crater. It eats fruit peels and Jupiterbugs.
- The Fluffies are small animals on the moon. They reproduce very quickly! You can sometimes see them in the background of episodes.
Where Does the Show Take Place?
The show has two main locations on the moon.
Blue Moon L22
Blue Moon L22 is the moon where all the adventures happen. The moon is divided into different areas called sectors. Each sector has special places, like "The Crystal Caves" or "The Chime Flower Meadow." Lunar Jim explores these sectors in each episode. He is always finding new and exciting spots!
Moona Luna Settlement
Moona Luna is the small base where Jim and his friends live. It has the Eco dome, Mission Control, and Jim's home. The Eco dome is like a lunar greenhouse. This is where Eco usually farms and takes care of Daisy and Delores. Mission Control is where Jim starts his missions and where all the vehicles are kept. Jim and Rover live in Jim's home, and many episodes start there.
In Season Two, a Moonport was built. This is a place where spaceships can land, get fuel, and be repaired. Even though other astronaut colonies are mentioned, they are never seen in person.
Vehicles for Missions
When Jim "gets lunar" for a mission, he picks one of these cool vehicles:
- The Hopper is the only vehicle with wheels on the moon. It has a trailer and a winch.
- The Lunar Lifter is a vehicle that hovers above the ground. It has a winch on the bottom for lifting things.
- The Crawler is like a simple backhoe on tracks. It has different arms and once had a voice control unit.
- The Scrambler is the fastest vehicle on the moon. It's small and sleek, perfect for getting to missions quickly.
- The Scooter is similar to the Scrambler. It has a winch and is mostly used by Ripple when she joins Jim.
Episodes of Lunar Jim
Lunar Jim has two seasons with many exciting episodes! Each episode has two short stories. Here are some examples from the first season:
Season 1 (2006)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Description | Original airdate |
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| 1 | 1 | Meteor Mystery / That Sinking Feeling | Jim and his team solve a mystery when a giant beanstalk grows out of control. Later, Jim gets stuck in a dust puddle and can't call for help. | January 2, 2006 |
| 2 | 2 | Pest Problem / The Secret of Crystal Cave | Eco's garden has a critter problem, which turns out to be a cute lunar worm. Then, Jim and friends need crystals from Crystal Cave to light up Moona Luna. | January 3, 2006 |
| 3 | 3 | The Moon Thief / That's Odd, Where's the Pod? | Strange things disappear, making Jim and the crew play detective. Later, they search for a missing monthly supply pod. | January 4, 2006 |
| 4 | 4 | Up, Up, and Away (almost) / The Whistling Craters | T.E.D. gets them trapped in a cave, and they need to find a way out. Then, they hunt for a whistling sound in the Ecodome. | January 5, 2006 |
| 5 | 5 | Wrong Way, T.E.D / Running on Empty | Rover goes missing, and T.E.D. can't remember the way home from a lunar playground. Later, Rover loses power, and T.E.D.'s joints squeak. | January 6, 2006 |
| 6 | 6 | Jim Gets Mucky / Forget Me Nots | Jim and friends work in the Ecodome while Eco is away, but a robot malfunctions. Later, they forget their chores after smelling some flowers. | January 7, 2006 |
There are many more episodes in Season 1, where Jim and his friends face new challenges and learn to solve problems together!
Season 2 (2012)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Description | Original airdate |
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| 27 | 1 | Tag the Dog / Homemade Circus | Rover loses his dog tag and gets stuck, needing Jim's rescue. Then, T.E.D. is sad about a canceled circus, so the team creates their own. | April 23, 2012 |
| 28 | 2 | T.E.D.'s Big Bang Boomerang / Magnetic Personality | The Ecodome heater breaks, and T.E.D. struggles with a new magnetizer. Later, T.E.D.'s magnetic powers help rescue Rover from thin ice. | April 23, 2012 |
| 29 | 3 | Moon Mole Madness / Ted & the Stick-um Plant | The base needs power stones, but the ground is too hard to dig. Later, T.E.D. gets stuck to Delores with sticky tree tar. | April 23, 2012 |
| 30 | 4 | March of the Fluffies / Lunar Laser Flies | The Fluffies are marching towards a canyon, and T.E.D. becomes a bridge to save them. Later, strange glowing flies are attracted to T.E.D. | April 23, 2012 |
| 31 | 5 | Poppin' Pancakes / Night Light | Yik Yak brings special pancakes that grow huge. Later, Skye prepares for a class assignment on night and day while fixing a solar panel. | April 23, 2012 |
| 32 | 6 | Moonshrooms / Leaf Thief | Jim, Skye, and T.E.D. find fast-growing Moonshrooms. Later, it's a hot day, and a "leaf thief" is stealing leaves from trees. | April 23, 2012 |
Season 2 continues with more adventures, introducing new characters and even more unique lunar challenges for Jim and his crew!
Where Was Lunar Jim Shown?
Lunar Jim was shown in many countries around the world! In Canada, it was on CBC Television. It also aired on channels like V-me in the United States, TG4 in Ireland, and Discovery Kids in Latin America. Other countries that showed Lunar Jim include Brazil, Portugal, Poland, South Korea, Norway, Spain, Australia, the Netherlands, and South Africa. A special British version of the show was on CBeebies in the UK from 2006 to 2012.
See also
In Spanish: Jim de la luna para niños
