Oswald (TV series) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Oswald
Genre	Animation Preschool education Children's animation
Created by	Dan Yaccarino
Developed by	Lisa Eve Huberman Dan Yaccarino
Directed by	Debbie Bonzon Henry Lenardin-Madden
Voices of	Fred Savage Debi Derryberry David Lander Crystal Scales Laraine Newman Daran Norris J. Grant Albrecht Mel Winkler Dan Yaccarino
Country of origin	United States United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	26 (52 segments)
Production
Producer(s)	Dan Yaccarino
Running time	22–24 minutes
Production company(s)	HIT Entertainment Nickelodeon Animation Studio (credited as Nick Jr. Productions)
Release
Original network	Nickelodeon
Original release	20 August 2001 (2001-08-20) – 19 September 2003 (2003-09-19)

Oswald is a fun animated TV show for young children. It was created by Dan Yaccarino and developed by Lisa Eve Huberman. The show was made by HIT Entertainment and Nickelodeon. It's all about a kind blue octopus named Oswald who lives in a colorful city.

A total of 26 episodes were made. In the United States, the show first aired on Nickelodeon as part of its Nick Jr. block on August 20, 2001. You could also watch reruns on CBS and Noggin. Later, in 2015, all episodes of Oswald became available to stream online when Noggin became a streaming service.

Before the show came out, Brown Johnson, a senior leader at Nick Jr., said that Dan Yaccarino had created an octopus who could be a "best friend" for young kids.

What is Oswald About?

The series takes place in a bright and cheerful place called Big City. This city is full of friendly animals, magical creatures, and people. Each episode shows the daily adventures of Oswald, a blue octopus. He lives with his super cute hot dog-shaped dog, Weenie.

Oswald and Weenie explore Big City and meet their friends and neighbors. These include Henry, a penguin, and Daisy, a flower. The show often focuses on how Oswald handles different situations and problems. He always stays patient and has a positive outlook on life.

Meet the Characters

Main Characters

Oswald, the main character.

• Oswald (voiced by Fred Savage in the US and Richard Pearce in the UK) is the main character. He is a very gentle, polite, and kind blue octopus with four arms and four legs. Oswald lives in an apartment building and always helps his friends. He loves playing the piano and singing.

• Weenie (voiced by Debi Derryberry) is Oswald's pet dachshund. She looks a lot like a hot dog and only barks to talk. Weenie goes everywhere with Oswald. Her favorite snack is vanilla dog biscuits.

• Henry (voiced by David Lander in the US and David Holt in the UK) is Oswald's best friend and neighbor. Henry is a penguin who loves his routines. He usually doesn't like trying new things, but sometimes he can be convinced. He has a big collection of spoons and watches "Penguin Patrol" every night. Henry's favorite foods are fish-flavored, and he knows a lot about snow. He also has a cousin named Louie from the cold north. His motto is "Slow and steady!"

• Daisy (voiced by Crystal Scales in the US and Moir Leslie in the UK) is a tall, colorful flower. She is full of energy and loves to have fun, but she can be a bit clumsy. Daisy is a close friend to Oswald and Henry, and they often go on adventures together. She loves sunflower sundaes, riding her unicycle, and collecting leaves. Daisy gets very excited and sometimes Oswald has to remind her to speak more quietly.

Other Friends in Big City

• Johnny Snowman (voiced by Mel Winkler in the US and Colin McFarlane in the UK) is a relaxed snowman who runs an ice cream shop and drives an ice cream truck. He has a deep voice.

• Egbert (voiced by Daran Norris in the US and Gary Martin in the UK) and Leo (voiced by J. Grant Albrecht in the US and David Holt in the UK) are twin egg brothers. Leo always says "Yes, yes!" excitedly, while Egbert calls everyone "old boy."

• Catrina (voiced by Debi Derryberry) is a baby caterpillar who is just learning to talk. She is Madame Butterfly's daughter. Catrina is very curious about everything around her.

• Madame Butterfly (voiced by Laraine Newman in the US and Moir Leslie in the UK) is Catrina's mom. She owns the local diner, which is a favorite spot for Oswald and his friends to eat lunch.

• Pongo (voiced by Richard Kind in the US and Gary Martin in the UK) is a big, shy dragon. He lives in a Chinese-style home and is known for being a bit clumsy.

• Buster is a very slow turtle who lives in the same apartment building as Oswald.

• Cactus Polly (voiced by Laraine Newman in the US and Jo Wyatt in the UK) is a helpful cactus lady. She talks like a cowgirl, carries a lasso, and plays the guitar and banjo.

• Gingerbread People are gingerbread men who live in Big City. You can often see them in the background of episodes.

• Sammy Starfish (voiced by Tony Orlando) is Oswald's favorite jazz singer. Oswald dreams of playing the piano for him.

• Steve Tree (voiced by Fred Stoller in the US and Gary Martin in the UK) is a tree that can move and talk. His pet woodpecker, Woodrow, sometimes pecks on him.

• Andy Pumpkin (voiced by Eddie Deezen in the US and David Holt in the UK) is Steve's happy-go-lucky best friend. He works at a candy shop and speaks very quickly when he's there.

• Bingette Bunny (voiced by Kathy Najimy) is a rabbit who runs the gardening store. She can be a bit silly but always says "Just doing my job!"

• Roderick Robot is a robot with a mechanical cat named Tinsel.

• Bingo (voiced by Mac Davis) is Big City's barber and also runs a newspaper store.

• Louie (voiced by Michael McKean) is Henry's cousin from the arctic.

• Flippy is a fish Oswald bought. Flippy grew too big and had to move to the Big City Aquarium.

• The Paper People are quiet humans made of paper who appear in many episodes.

• Woodrow is Steve Tree's pet woodpecker.

• Tinsel is Roderick Robot's pet mechanical cat.

• Maestro Bingo runs a musical instrument store.

Episodes of Oswald

There are 26 episodes of Oswald, and each episode has two short stories. Here are some of them:

Where and When Oswald Aired

TV Broadcasts

In the United States, Oswald first appeared on the Nick Jr. TV block on Nickelodeon on August 20, 2001. It stopped airing there on May 24, 2005. Later, on April 7, 2003, Oswald also started showing on Noggin during its daytime block for young kids. Reruns were also shown on the 24-hour Nick Jr. Channel when it launched in 2009, but they were removed on December 11, 2014. The show even aired for a short time on Nick on CBS from September 15, 2001, to September 7, 2002.

When the Noggin brand became a streaming service in 2015, all 26 episodes of Oswald became available to watch online. The series was also added to Paramount+ (which was called CBS All Access at the time) in January 2021.

Home Videos

You could buy Oswald on VHS tapes and DVDs. Paramount Home Entertainment distributed the show in the United States, and HIT Entertainment handled the VHS and DVD releases in Canada.

Main DVD Releases

Episodes on Nick Jr. Compilation DVDs (US only)