Oobi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Oobi |
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| Genre | Puppetry |
| Created by | Josh Selig |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
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| Executive producer(s) | Josh Selig |
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| Production location(s) | Kaufman Astoria Studios New York City |
| Cinematography | Randy Drummond |
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| Production company(s) | Little Airplane Productions |
| Distributor | Viacom Media Networks |
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| Picture format | NTSC (480i) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
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| Chronology | |
| Followed by | Dasdasi |
Oobi is a fun TV show for kids. It was created by Josh Selig in New York City. The show is special because it features talking hand puppets. These puppets have eyes and even wear clothes!
The main character is Oobi, a four-year-old boy hand. His family includes his sister Uma and his grandfather Grampu. His best friend is Kako.
Oobi first aired in 2000 as short, two-minute episodes. Later, in 2003, it became a series of longer, half-hour shows. You could watch it on Nickelodeon and Noggin.
The show was very popular with young children and people who love puppets. It even won awards from groups like Parents' Choice. In the mid-2000s, some small filmmakers started making their own short movies using puppets like Oobi. In 2012, a new version of Oobi called Dasdasi was made in Iran. Today, you can watch all the original Oobi episodes on Amazon Prime Video.
Contents
How Oobi Episodes Are Made
Most Oobi episodes are divided into two or three parts. Each episode tells a main story. They also include short interviews. In these interviews, the puppets talk to real kids and families. They ask them about different topics or places.
Learning Games and Longer Stories
In the first season, episodes also had a "game segment." Here, the puppets played simple learning games. These games helped kids learn new things.
In the second season, the show changed a bit. The game segments were removed. Instead, the main stories in each episode became longer. This gave more time for the characters to have adventures.
The World of Hand Puppets
The show takes place in a charming, old-fashioned town. Almost everyone in this town is a talking hand puppet! The puppets wear eyes on their middle finger.
The child puppets, like Oobi, keep four fingers straight. They use their thumbs as their bottom lips. Adult puppets curl their fingers, which makes them look taller. There is one special character named Frieda. She is a foot puppet, not a hand puppet.
Meet the Oobi Cast
Here are the talented people who brought the Oobi characters to life:
- Tim Lagasse played Oobi
- Stephanie D'Abruzzo played Uma and Inka
- Noel MacNeal played Kako
- Tyler Bunch played Grampu
- Matt Vogel played Angus
- Jennifer Barnhart played Mrs. Johnson
- Cheryl Blaylock played Frieda the Foot
Main Characters of Oobi
Let's get to know the friendly characters from the show:
- Oobi is a four-year-old boy hand. He has brown eyes. Oobi loves to play the piano. His favorite toy is a small red model car.
- Uma is Oobi's younger sister. She wears a purple and blue ring on her pinky finger. Uma loves to talk about chickens. They are her favorite animal.
- Kako is Oobi's best friend. He always wears a red hat. Kako enjoys visiting Oobi's house. His parents are Mamu and Papu.
- Grampu is Oobi and Uma's grandfather. He also takes care of them. Grampu likes to cook yummy food and work in his garden.
- Frieda is a talking foot puppet. She is five years old. Frieda loves to play with Oobi at the park.
- Angus is Oobi and Kako's smart friend. He can be a bit nervous. Angus sometimes finds it hard to talk in front of others.
- Inka is Oobi's piano teacher. She is also Grampu's girlfriend. Inka has purple hair. She enjoys talking about her home country, France.
- Mrs. Johnson is Oobi's old neighbor. She has a white wig and big round glasses. She wears a brown dress like a shirt sleeve.
Oobi Around the World
Oobi was shown in many countries besides the United States. Here are some places where kids could watch the show:
Australia — ABC
Canada — TVOKids
France — Nickelodeon Junior
Iceland — Stöð 2
Israel — BabyTV (until 2010), Nickelodeon Israel (2010–13)
Marshall Islands — AFN
Saudi Arabia — Nickelodeon Arabia
Pakistan — Nickelodeon Pakistan
Poland — Nickelodeon Poland
Thailand — Nickelodeon Southeast Asia
Dasdasi: The Iranian Oobi
Dasdasi is a spin-off show based on Oobi. It was made in Iran for a TV channel called IRIB TV2. In Dasdasi, there is a bigger family of hand puppets. This family includes a son, a daughter, two parents, and a grandfather.
The kids in Dasdasi are like Oobi and Uma. The grandpa is like Grampu. The character Kako does not have a direct match. However, the kids in Dasdasi have neighbors and a baby cousin. These characters often act as close friends. Dasdasi first aired on September 22, 2012. The last episode was shown on December 20, 2012. There were 78 episodes in total.
Oobi in Other Media
Oobi puppets have appeared in other cool places too!
- In November 2006, the rock band The Format made a music video for their song "Dog Problems." It featured Oobi puppets! The video was shown on MTV2 and MTVU.
- The talk show The Soup often showed clips from Oobi. It was part of a segment called "What Your Kids Are Watching." The host, Joel McHale, would make funny comments about scenes from kids' shows.
- John Green, a famous writer, played Oobi in a video blog (vlog). He posted it on his YouTube channel in May 2007. The vlog was called "Vlogbrothers: How to Write a Book Proposal."
- A video based on Oobi was a runner-up in a TV advertising contest in 2009. It was called "Let Your Hands Do the Talking." The video showed funny versions of celebrities played by hand puppets. Their names were like Oobi's, starting with "Oo."
- A TV pilot inspired by Oobi was made for Disney XD in summer 2016. It was called "Right Hand Guy." The show was about a boy whose hand came to life and became his friend. The director, Dan Lagana, even showed the Oobi episode "Babysitter!" to the actors. This helped them understand the show's style.
