Recess (TV series) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Recess
Genre	Children's television series Comedy
Created by	Paul Germain Joe Ansolabehere
Voices of	Ross Malinger Andrew Lawrence Rickey D'Shon Collins Ashley Johnson Pamela Adlon Jason Davis Courtland Mead April Winchell Dabney Coleman Allyce Beasley Ryan O'Donohue Erik von Detten
Composer(s)	Denis M. Hannigan
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	65 (127 segments), plus 4 movies (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Paul Germain Joe Ansolabehere
Running time	20 minutes
Production company(s)	Walt Disney Television Animation Paul & Joe Productions (2000–01) (seasons 5–6)
Distributor	Buena Vista Television
Release
Original network	ABC (One Saturday Morning/ABC Kids) (Seasons 1-3 and 5) UPN (Disney's One Too) (Seasons 4 and 6)
Audio format	Stereo
Original release	August 31, 1997 (1997-08-31) – November 5, 2001 (2001-11-05)

Recess is a fun American animated TV show. It was made by Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere. The show is about six elementary school students. It focuses on their adventures with other kids and teachers.

The title "Recess" refers to the break time at school. This is when students are not in class. They go outside to the schoolyard. During recess, the children create their own society. It has its own rules and even a "king." All of this happens at a regular school.

Recess first aired on August 31, 1997, on ABC. It was part of the One Saturday Morning block. The show finished on November 5, 2001. It had 65 half-hour episodes and six seasons. Because it was so popular, Recess was shown on many other channels. These included Toon Disney (which became Disney XD) and Disney Channel.

In 2001, Walt Disney Pictures released a movie based on the show. It was called Recess: School's Out. Later that year, a second movie came out on video. It was named Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street. In 2003, two more video movies were released: Recess: All Growed Down and Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade. The characters also appeared in an episode of Lilo & Stitch: The Series in 2006.

You can watch many Recess episodes and the video movies on Disney+.

Meet the Recess Gang

Recess shows the lives of six fourth graders. They go to Third Street Elementary School. The school is in Arkansas.

• T.J. Detweiler (Ross Malinger, Andrew Lawrence): T.J. is the main character. He is the leader of his five best friends. He often plans fun pranks on the teachers. T.J. always wears his red baseball hat backwards. He is a great leader and can talk his way out of trouble. He cares about his friends and often helps them stand up for their rights.

• Vince LaSalle (Rickey D'Shon Collins): Vince is the best athlete at Third Street School. He is good at almost all sports and games. He is T.J.'s loyal friend. Vince is respected and brave.

• Ashley Funicello Spinelli (Pamela Adlon): Spinelli is a tough girl and a tomboy. She loves wrestling. She is short but acts very strong. Spinelli often tries to solve problems with a bit of force. She doesn't like her first name because she doesn't want to be like "The Ashleys." Spinelli is also good at art.

• Gretchen Priscilla Grundler (Ashley Johnson): Gretchen is super smart. She is a child prodigy. She can do amazing things in school that are hard for others. She has a special hand-held computer called Galileo. Gretchen loves her friends more than anything. She is also very good with yo-yos.

• Michael "Mikey" Blumberg (Jason Davis): Mikey is a big, kind-hearted 10-year-old. He is a great goalie in soccer. Mikey loves to write poetry and sing opera. He believes in peace.

• Gustav Patton "Gus" Griswald (Courtland Mead): Gus is a new student at Third Street. He is often confused by the playground rules. Gus comes from a military family. He had to move a lot before coming to Third Street. He is usually shy but can be a great leader when needed. Gus is amazing at dodgeball.

School Staff and Other Kids

• Muriel P. Finster (April Winchell): Miss Finster is an older assistant teacher. She watches the students during recess and lunch. She is strict and the students are a bit scared of her. She wants to keep order. Her "spy," Randall Weems, tells her about any misbehavior. Miss Finster used to be in the Navy. She secretly cares about the students.

• Principal Peter Prickly (Dabney Coleman): Principal Prickly is the principal of Third Street School. He used to be a student there. He gets annoyed by the kids' tricks. He wants to become a middle school principal. Even though he seems strict, he cares about the students' well-being.

• Randall C. Weems (Ryan O'Donohue): Randall is a fourth grader. He is known as the playground "snitch." He tells Miss Finster everything. Other kids don't like him much, but he sometimes helps his classmates.

• Miss Alordayne Grotke (Allyce Beasley): Miss Grotke is the main characters' fourth-grade teacher. She is calm and has a unique, "hippie" personality. Her students love her. She often stands up for their rights. She also supports the environment and equal rights.

• Erwin Lawson (Erik von Detten): Lawson is a fifth grader. He often bullies younger students. He is a rival to Vince and T.J. in sports and games.

• King Robert "Bob" (Toran Caudell): King Bob is a sixth grader. He is the "King of the Playground." He makes sure the unwritten rules of the playground are followed. He settles arguments between kids. He used to be a famous prankster.

• The Ashleys: This is a group of four girls: Ashley Armbruster, Boulet, Quinlan, and Tomassian. They are usually called Ashley A, B, Q, and T. They act like typical popular girls. They care a lot about fashion. They often put down other kids. They really dislike Spinelli because her first name is Ashley. Their catchphrase is "ooh, scandalous!"

How Recess Was Made

Recess first showed on ABC on August 31, 1997. It then became part of ABC's Disney's One Saturday Morning block on September 13, 1997. The show was very popular. This led to three movies released straight to video. These were Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street (2001), Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade (2003), and Recess: All Growed Down (2003). A movie for theaters, Recess: School's Out, came out on February 16, 2001. The TV series ended on November 5, 2001. Reruns continued to air on UPN and ABC for a few more years.

Recess also aired on Disney Channel starting September 3, 2003. It was later shown on Toon Disney and then Disney XD. Now, you can watch the show on Disney+.

Episodes and Crossovers

List of Recess episodes

Recess Meets Lilo & Stitch

The show Lilo & Stitch: The Series had an episode called "Lax." In this episode, the characters from Recess appeared! T.J. and his friends went on a school trip to Hawaii. Recess was the only show that crossed over with Lilo & Stitch: The Series that wasn't a Disney Channel Original Series. Also, Recess had already finished making new episodes before Lilo & Stitch: The Series started.

In the episode, Dr. Hämsterviel and his helper, Gantu, try to use an alien experiment. This experiment makes everyone too relaxed. They want to take over the world. Luckily, Gretchen saves the day! She believes that working is relaxing, which helps her resist the experiment's effects.

Recess Movies

Recess: School's Out

Recess: School's Out is an animated movie. Chuck Sheetz directed it. The movie is based on the TV show. In the film, the characters must stop a group of people who hate recess. These "anti-recess terrorists" plan to cause a new ice age. This would get rid of summer vacation forever! Walt Disney Pictures made the movie. It was released in theaters on February 16, 2001.

Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street

Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street is an animated movie released on video. It came out on November 6, 2001. This movie is a collection of four older episodes. They are "Principal for a Day," "The Great Can Drive," "Weekend at Muriel’s," and the Christmas special "Yes, Mikey, Santa Does Shave." The school staff tells these stories as flashbacks. They are stuck in a snowstorm.

Recess: All Growed Down

Recess: All Growed Down is another animated movie released on video. It came out on December 9, 2003. In this movie, the main characters are kidnapped by kindergarteners. They then remember stories about how they used to get along. This film combines three episodes: "The Legend of Big Kid," "Wild Child," and "The Kindergarten Derby." It also has a new story showing the main characters when they were kindergarteners.

Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade

Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade is an animated movie released on video. It also came out on December 9, 2003. This movie puts together three new stories. These stories show the main characters as they move into fifth grade. The stories are "No More School," "Grade Five Club," and "A Recess Halloween."

Images for kids

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  The main characters of the series. From left to right: Vince, Spinelli, Mikey, T.J., Gretchen, and Gus.

See also

In Spanish: Recess para niños