Martha Speaks (TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Martha Speaks |
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| Created by | Susan Meddaugh |
| Developed by | Ken Scarborough |
| Written by | Ken Scarborough (head writer) |
| Directed by | Dallas Parker Colleen Holub |
| Voices of | Tabitha St. Germain Madeleine Peters Brian Drummond Alex Ferris (1–4) Valin Shinyei (5–6) Cedric Payne Christina Crivici (seasons 1–3) Michelle Creber (season 4) Vanesa Tomasino Nicole Oliver Kathleen Barr French Tickner Maxine Miller Matt Hill Samuel Vincent Terry Klassen |
| Narrated by | J.T. Turner |
| Theme music composer | Daniel Ingram Hal Beckett |
| Opening theme | "Martha Speaks theme", lyrics by Ken Scarborough, performed by Robert Wilson |
| Ending theme | "Martha Speaks theme (instrumental)" |
| Composer(s) | Daniel Ingram |
| Country of origin | United States Canada |
| Original language(s) | English Spanish |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 96 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Carol Greenwald Chris Bartlerman Blair Peters |
| Producer(s) | Sarah Wall |
| Running time | 28 minutes (approximately 13 minutes per episode) |
| Production company(s) | DHX Media Vancouver (seasons 1–4) Oasis Animation (seasons 5–6) WGBH Boston |
| Distributor | DHX Media |
| Release | |
| Original network | PBS |
| Picture format | 16:9 HD |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | September 1, 2008 – November 18, 2014 |
Martha Speaks is a fun animated TV show for kids. It's based on a popular children's book from 1992 by Susan Meddaugh. The show is all about a talking dog named Martha and her adventures.
This series was made by WGBH-TV in Boston, USA, and animation studios in Canada. It first aired on September 1, 2008, and finished on November 18, 2014. The main goal of Martha Speaks is to help kids learn new words and understand synonyms. Each episode teaches new vocabulary words. Sometimes, it also introduces simple science, Spanish, history, or astronomy concepts.
The show had six seasons in total. New seasons came out regularly between 2009 and 2014. Even after the show stopped making new episodes, reruns were shown on PBS Kids until 2018.
Contents
What the Show Is About
The story of Martha Speaks centers on a dog named Martha. She is voiced by Tabitha St. Germain. Martha lives with her owner, a 10-year-old girl named Helen Lorraine.
Martha gains the amazing ability to speak human words. This happens whenever Helen feeds her alphabet soup. The letters from the soup somehow go to Martha's brain instead of her stomach. To keep talking, Martha needs to keep eating the soup.
The show takes place in a made-up place called Wagstaff City. It's a busy town where Martha and her friends have many adventures.
Episodes
List of Martha Speaks episodes
The first season of Martha Speaks had 40 episodes. It started in September 2008. The second season had 30 episodes, which were split and aired over two years.
In the first season, the new words Martha learned were not shown on the screen. But from season two onwards, the words were displayed. This made it easier for viewers to learn along with Martha. After some episodes, there was a short segment called Who's That Dog?. This showed clips of dogs with special training doing cool things.
Characters
Animal Friends
- Martha Lorraine: Martha is the main character of the show. She is a talking Labrador mix. Martha was a stray puppy before Helen adopted her. She learned to talk after eating alphabet soup. If she eats soup from another country, she can speak that language. But she can only speak one language at a time! Martha can understand most animal languages. She has even had three superhero alter egos.
- Skits Lorraine: Skits is Helen's other dog. He is voiced by Brian Drummond. Skits also tried the alphabet soup, but he didn't learn to talk like Martha. T.D. found Skits, but his dad was allergic, so Helen's family adopted him.
Kid Characters
- Helen Lorraine: Helen is Martha's and Skits' owner. She is 10 years old and has red hair. Helen is usually the most sensible person in her group of friends. She is very close to Martha and sees her as her best friend. Helen's superhero alter ego can brainwash dogs by calling their names.
- T.D. Kennelly: T.D. is Helen's best human friend. He was first voiced by Alex Ferris, then by Valin Shinyei. T.D.'s dad is an inventor, and his mom is a vice-principal. He has curly blond hair and a very creative imagination.
- Alice Boxwood: Alice is another one of Helen's good friends. She wears glasses and has blonde hair in a ponytail. Alice has an older brother named Ronald. She also has a pet cat named Nelson, who Martha doesn't get along with. Alice's superhero alter ego has ice powers.
- Carolina: Carolina is Helen's cousin. She is very interested in fashion. Carolina often uses Spanish words and phrases, and then she translates them. Her dad's name is Jorge.
- Truman Oatley: Truman is another one of Helen's best friends. He loves reading history books. Truman is often a bit pessimistic and can be afraid of insects. He is younger than Helen, T.D., and Alice.
- James "Jake" Lorraine: Jake is Helen's baby brother. Martha enjoys trying to teach him how to talk, but it's usually not successful.
Adult Characters
- Daniel "Danny" Lorraine: Daniel is Helen's father. He works as a bus driver and also acts in community theater. He can be serious but also has a fun, immature side. He is voiced by Brian Drummond.
- Mariella Lorraine: Mariella is Helen's mother. She is a florist and also acts in community theater. Like her niece Carolina, she often uses Spanish words and phrases and then translates them. She is voiced by Tabitha St. Germain.
- Lucille and Bernard Lorraine: These are Helen's grandparents. They are from Canada and enjoy a simple lifestyle.
- Mrs. Clusky: Mrs. Clusky is Helen's teacher. She was surprised when she first found out Martha could talk, but now she's used to it. She has a spoiled white poodle named François.
Where to Watch Martha Speaks
Martha Speaks first aired on PBS Kids in the United States. It was also shown in other countries around the world. These included TVOntario in Canada, Discovery Kids in Latin America, Disney Junior in the Netherlands, CBBC in the United Kingdom, and Nick Jr. in Australia and New Zealand.
Merchandise
You could download episodes of Martha Speaks starting in 2008. There were also official books released in January 2010. These included readers, chapter books, and a picture book. A DVD set with 8 episodes from the first season came out in March 2010.
See also
In Spanish: Martha habla para niños
