Rastamouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rastamouse |
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|---|---|
| Genre | Children's Animated |
| Created by | Genevieve Webster Michael De Souza |
| Developed by | Derek Mogford |
| Directed by | Derek Mogford |
| Starring | Reggie Yates Sharon Duncan Brewster William Vanderpuye Cornell John Sholto Steel |
| Composer(s) | Andrew Kingslow |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | Jamaican English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 104 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Eugenio Perez Greg Boardman |
| Editor(s) |
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| Running time | 11 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Three Stones Dinamo Little Roots The Rastamouse Company DHX Media |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBeebies |
| Original release | 31 January 2011 – 15 June 2015 |
Rastamouse is a fun British animated TV show made using stop motion (where things are moved a tiny bit and photographed, then played fast to look like they're moving). It was created by Genevieve Webster and Michael De Souza. The show is about a mouse reggae band called Da Easy Crew. They love making music, but they also solve mysteries for the President of Mouseland!
The first 52 episodes of the show started on 31 January 2011, on CBeebies, a UK BBC channel. Later, the show was also repeated on BBC2. A second series with 26 episodes began on 20 August 2012. The third and final series, also with 26 episodes, started on 23 March 2015.
Contents
Meet the Characters
The series features an all-mouse reggae band, Rastamouse and Da Easy Crew. They play music at the 'Nuff Song Studio'. When they are not making tunes, they are busy solving mysteries for the President of Mouseland. All the characters speak with a cool Jamaican accent.
- Rastamouse: He is the crime-fighting mouse and plays lead guitar for Da Easy Crew. He always knows how to "make a bad ting good." His famous saying is "Irie, man!" (which means everything is good).
- Scratchy: She is the DJ and bass player for Da Easy Crew. Her catchphrases are "Sweet!" and "You know what I'm saying!"
- Zoomer: He is the fastest mouse in Mouseland and plays the bongo drums in Da Easy Crew. His catchphrase is "Aww, man!"
- Wensley Dale: He is the President of Mouseland. He calls Da Easy Crew on his transistor radio when there is a mystery that needs solving.
- Bagga T: A hip-hop rapper mouse who looks after the orphanage (a home for young mice without parents). His catchphrase is "Me name's Bagga T, double trouble, double G!”
- Missy D: A dancer who runs the dance studio.
- Bandulu: An expert chef mouse who cooks at the orphanage. His special dish is cheese pies.
- Fats: A mechanic who runs Fats' 4x4 Garage.
- Mixie: Bagga T's cousin and a beatboxer.
- Natty Kass: A super stylish fashion designer.
- Sasha: Wensley Dale's older sister. She is very tidy but can be a little bit bossy.
- Frank: Wensley Dale's nephew. He is a skateboarding artist mouse who is a bit clumsy and stutters.
- Aunt Janessa: Wensley Dale's aunt. She is a singer who runs the Mouseland Choir.
- Lil' Patch: He runs Mouseland's famous radio station, 'For Real FM'.
- Super: Owns and runs a supermarket.
- Half Pint: The delivery mouse.
- Ron: The Grovetown barber.
- Stylus: Owns the record store.
- Toots: The lead singer of The Mousetails.
- Ice Popp: A rapper and Toots' roadie (someone who helps with equipment for a band).
- Orphans: The baby mice who live in the orphanage.
- Spike Cheez: A world-famous filmmaker and director.
- Sholto: A famous cheese nibbler.
Voice Actors
The talented people who give voices to the characters are:
- Rastamouse: Reggie Yates
- Scratchy: Sharon Duncan-Brewster
- Zoomer: William Vanderpuye
- President Wensley Dale: Cornell John
How Rastamouse Began
The character Rastamouse first appeared in children's books. These books were Rastamouse and the Crucial Plan and Rastamouse Da Bag-a Bling, both published in 2004. A third book, Rastamouse and the Double-Crossin' Diva, came out in 2005.
The stories were written by Genevieve Webster, an author and illustrator, and Michael De Souza, a Rastafarian swimming instructor. The books are written in rhyme and use a Caribbean accent with some Jamaican Patois words. A pop song called "Ice Popp" was also released in 2011.
Famous comedian Lenny Henry read two of the stories, The Crucial Plan and Da Bag-a Bling, for the BBC show Jackanory Junior in January 2008.
The Show's Message
The stories in Rastamouse teach us important lessons. They show how important it is to solve problems by understanding each other, with love and respect. The show does not believe in punishment. Instead, Rastamouse focuses on "redemption, not retribution." This means helping those who have made mistakes to learn from them and make things right. The main idea is to "make a bad ting good," showing that good things can come from bad situations.
Music in Mouseland
Rastamouse and Da Easy Crew released their album Makin' A Bad Ting Good in July 2011. It included the popular single "Ice Popp." A second album of new music, Best Friends, was released on 24 June 2016. The main song from this album was "Mi Love Mi Music."
All the music for the show was created by Andrew Kingslow. The catchy theme song was sung by Martin "Sugar" Merchant, who used to be the singer for the rock/reggae band Audioweb. The music has a reggae style with a strong bass beat.
The Puppets
The amazing puppets used in Rastamouse were made by Mackinnon and Saunders. This company also created puppets for other famous shows like Bob the Builder and Postman Pat. They even made puppets for Tim Burton's movie Corpse Bride.
Episodes of Rastamouse
Rastamouse has three series with a total of 104 episodes. Each episode features Da Easy Crew solving a new mystery in Mouseland. Here are a few examples from the first series:
| Title | Plot | Original UK airdate |
|---|---|---|
| "Da Crucial Plan" | Da Easy Crew come up with a clever plan to find out who stole all the cheese in Mouseland. | 31 January 2011 |
| "Bakin' and Breakin'" | Rastamouse teaches some cool dance moves to solve a problem at the orphanage. | 1 February 2011 |
| "Da Missin Masterpiece" | Da Easy Crew must find a way to track down a missing famous painting. | 2 February 2011 |
| "For Real FM" | Da Easy Crew track down a mystery pirate who has taken all the music in Mouseland. | 3 February 2011 |
| "Mice Camera Action" | Director Spike Cheez arrives and makes every mouse excited for his new pirate movie. | 4 February 2011 |
There are many more exciting episodes in all three series where Da Easy Crew use their music and clever thinking to help the mice of Mouseland!
Live Shows
Rastamouse and Da Easy Crew have also performed live!
- In June 2011, they had a series of shows at the Kidz Field during the famous Glastonbury Festival.
- They also performed on the English breakfast TV show Daybreak in 2011.
- On 13 March 2015, Rastamouse & Da Easy Crew joined in Dermot's Day of Dance for Red Nose Day 2015, a charity event.
Rastamouse Shop
On 28 February 2015, the world's first official Rastamouse shop opened. It was opened by co-author Michael de Souza in Peckham, South London.
Images for kids
