Shoebox Zoo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shoebox Zoo
Shoebox Zoo Logo
Genre	Fantasy Children's
Starring	Vivien Endicott-Douglas Jason Connery Peter Mullan Alan Cumming Simon Callow Siobhan Redmond Rik Mayall David McKay
Narrated by	Bill Paterson
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	26
Production
Running time	25 mins
Release
Original network	BBC One
Original release	21 September 2004 (2004-09-21) – 27 November 2005 (2005-11-27)

Shoebox Zoo is an exciting children's fantasy TV series. It was made by BBC Scotland and Canadian TV companies. The show mixes real actors with amazing computer-generated (CGI) animal toys. It first aired in 2004 on CBBC.

About the Show

The idea for Shoebox Zoo started in 2002. It was created by Claire Mundell and Justin Molotnikov, then developed by Brian Ward. The show has two seasons, with 13 episodes in each, making a total of 26 episodes.

The Story Begins

The show blends Scottish, Celtic, and even Native American mythology. The first season takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland, and other historic spots. The second season moves to Denver, Colorado in the United States.

The main character is Marnie McBride, an eleven-year-old Scottish-American girl. She moves to Edinburgh with her dad, Ross, after her mom, Rosemary, passes away. For her birthday, Marnie gets a shoebox from a junk shop. Inside are four carved toy animals.

Marnie soon finds out she can bring these toys to life with magic! They are called the Shoebox Zoo. These four toys are actually humans who were turned into toys by a powerful wizard named Michael Scot. He turned them into toys because they stole his magical book, the Book of Forbidden Knowledge.

The Book of Forbidden Knowledge

Long ago, in the 12th century, Michael Scot created the Book of Forbidden Knowledge. This book held his powerful magic and alchemy secrets. But it also contained dark magic from his own pride. Michael used the book to create a shapeshifting creature named Juan Roberto Montoya de Toledo, also known as Toledo.

Michael rejected Toledo, which made Toledo want to steal the book and take over the world. Michael's four students – Edwin, Bruno, Ailsa, and his own son Wolfgang – stole the book to hide it from Toledo. Wolfgang also took it because he was angry at his dad. The book got lost, and Michael turned his four students into toys. He put them to sleep until a special person, Marnie, could awaken them and find the book.

The Second Prophecy

In the second season, we learn more about the book's past. After being lost at sea, the Book of Forbidden Knowledge washed up in Colorado in 1811. Marnie's ancestor, Angus McBride, found it. He gave the book to the local Lakota people, led by Chief Stonebear.

Chief Stonebear and other leaders realized the book's magic was evil. They planned to destroy it by casting it down the Falls of Faith. They also created the Arrow of Truth and Bow of Wisdom to defeat its magic. The book disappeared again, but Stonebear's family knew where it was hidden in the Denver forests.

What Happens in the Show

Season One Adventures

The first season starts on Marnie's eleventh birthday. She gets the shoebox with the four toy animals. Marnie wakes up the Shoebox Zoo, who have been asleep for centuries. She reluctantly agrees to help them find the Book of Forbidden Knowledge so they can become human again.

Michael Scot watches over Marnie from his old home, Tantallon Castle. Toledo is the bad guy, trying to get the book. He is helped by McTaggart, who is secretly working for Michael. Toledo even pretends to be John Roberts, Marnie's schoolmate, but his true identity is revealed. Wolfgang, Michael's son, feels jealous of Marnie. He joins Toledo to spy on her.

Marnie's late mother, Rosemary, plays an important role. Michael once thought she might be the chosen one because she briefly owned the toys. But she didn't have the magic to wake them up. Rosemary appears as a ghost in the series, helping Marnie with clues about the book and the past.

Marnie and the toys follow clues across Scotland. They eventually find the book hidden in the University of Edinburgh's library. Wolfgang is revealed as a spy, but he changes his mind and helps his father. Toledo attacks Marnie's home with his own evil copies of the Shoebox Zoo, called Los Contrarios. When they are defeated, Toledo throws Wolfgang into a fire, killing him. Marnie discovers that the book she found is actually a copy, made to trap Toledo's magic. Toledo seems defeated, and Marnie has a vision. She learns the real book was sent out to sea and is somewhere in the USA.

Season Two Challenges

In the second season, Marnie and the Shoebox Zoo fly to Denver. Michael and McTaggart help them from far away. Marnie stays with her grandparents and gets help from her new best friend, Kyle Stone. Kyle is a descendant of Chief Stonebear. Kyle's grandfather, Nathaniel, a medicine man, also helps Marnie. They are joined by Hunter, a Native American spirit who lives in a horse-shaped dancing stick.

Michael learns about a second prophecy. The evil Dawn Queen will get the book and use its magic to harm everyone. Toledo comes back as a ghost. He kills Michael, turns McTaggart into a weasel, and takes over the body of Aurora Dexter, an ambitious TV psychic. To find clues, Ailsa suggests Marnie contact her mother in the afterlife. But Marnie slowly starts to be affected by the book's magic. She plans to use it to bring her mother back to life.

Marnie calls Wolfgang's ghost to lead her to the book. He takes her to the Falls of Faith. Edwin and Ailsa free McTaggart, who fights Toledo but falls to his death. Marnie finds the book under her grandfather's woodshed. It has a special generator that uses the book's energy, but Toledo steals it. Aurora, now the Dawn Queen, restores Toledo's body but makes him her slave.

Marnie decides to destroy the book using the Bow of Wisdom and Arrow of Truth. But the toys worry they will lose their chance to become human again. Aurora and Toledo plan to use the book's magic on live television.

Marnie brings Wolfgang's ghost back to complete a spell that will stop the book's magic. The group confronts Aurora, using Nathaniel's sacred bundle to weaken her. Marnie then teleports to the Falls of Faith and shoots the Arrow of Truth down. This destroys the book, Toledo, and frees Aurora from her evil self. At the end of the series, Marnie, now twelve, leaves the Shoebox Zoo in the same junk shop where her mother found them years ago. The series narrator then appears and wakes up the toys for his own secret quest.

Who's Who in the Show

• Marnie McBride (Vivien Endicott-Douglas): The main character, an eleven-year-old girl.
• Ross McBride (Jason Connery): Marnie's father, a librarian. Jason Connery also plays Marnie's ancestor, Angus McBride.
• Rosemary (Marnie's mother): Appears as a ghost in the first season.
• Bobby (Paul Coeur) and Dorothy (Valerie Ann Pearson): Marnie's grandparents in season two.
• Michael Scot (Peter Mullan): An 1100-year-old wizard and Marnie's mentor. He is based on a real Scottish alchemist.
• William McTaggart (David McKay): Michael's loyal manservant.
• Toledo (Tony Donaldson): The main bad guy, a shapeshifting creature made by Michael. He often disguises himself as others, like Marnie's schoolmate John Roberts (Maxi Moffat). Toledo creates evil copies of the Shoebox Zoo called Los Contrarios.

The Shoebox Zoo Animals

The Shoebox Zoo are four computer-generated toy animals. They are actually Michael's students who were turned into toys.

• Edwin (Rik Mayall): A silver eagle dressed like a knight. He thinks he's the leader but can be a bit vain and cowardly.
• Bruno (Alan Cumming): A kind but clumsy bear made of stone. He loves learning about the modern world.
• Ailsa (Siobhan Redmond): A cynical golden adder. She's the only female in the group and doesn't trust others easily.
• Wolfgang (Simon Callow): A clever but tricky blue-and-golden wolf made of wood. He is Michael's son and joins Toledo in the first season.

New Characters in Season Two

• Kyle Stone (Yudii Mercredi): Marnie's best friend in Denver. He has "horse magic."
• Nathaniel (Gordon Tootoosis): Kyle's grandfather, a medicine man and descendant of Chief Stonebear.
• Hunter (Simon Callow): A spirit who lives in a horse-shaped dancing stick. He can turn into a real horse.
• Aurora Dexter (Natascha Girgis): A TV psychic who becomes the Dawn Queen when Toledo possesses her.
• Becky (Kelsey Collins): Aurora's daughter.

Other Characters

• Laura (Krystina Coates): Marnie's best friend in Scotland.
• Stewart (Sean Young) and Dougie (Fergus Nimmo): Bullies at Marnie's school.
• Ms. McKay (Frances Lowe): Marnie's teacher.
• The Storyteller (Bill Paterson): The series' narrator, who appears in the final episode.

Episodes List

The show first aired on 21 September 2004 on BBC One. The last episode was shown on 27 November 2005.

Series 1

• 1. 'The Magic is Awakened' (21 September 2004)
• 2. 'Friend or Foe?' (28 September 2004)
• 3. 'Echoes of the Past' (5 October 2004)
• 4. 'A Guide for the Perplexed' (12 October 2004)
• 5. 'The Inner Sanctum' (19 October 2004)
• 6. 'A Strange Birthday Party' (26 October 2004)
• 7. 'A Little Knowledge' (2 November 2004)
• 8. 'Mother's Footsteps' (9 November 2004)
• 9. 'Where the River Flows' (16 November 2004)
• 10. 'The Sign of the Unicorn' (23 November 2004)
• 11. 'Where Four Elevens Meet' (30 November 2004)
• 12. 'Los Contrarios' (7 December 2004)
• 13. 'The Day of Reckoning' (14 December 2004)

Series 2

• 1. 'Across the Great Ocean' (16 October 2005)
• 2. 'The Balance of Power' (23 October 2005)
• 3. 'Snakes Alive' (23 October 2005)
• 4. 'The Pow Wow' (30 October 2005)
• 5. 'Hunter to the Rescue' (30 October 2005)
• 6. 'Coming of Age' (6 November 2005)
• 7. 'Wild Horses' (6 November 2005)
• 8. 'Bumps in the Night' (13 November 2005)
• 9. 'The Eagle Has Landed' (13 November 2005)
• 10. 'The Arrow of Truth' (20 November 2005)
• 11. 'The Cry of the Wolf' (20 November 2005)
• 12. 'The Falls of Faith' (27 November 2005)
• 13. 'Beyond the Beyond' (27 November 2005)

Filming Locations

The show used many real places in Lothian, Scotland. Important locations included the University of Edinburgh library, Tantallon Castle, Boroughmuir High School, and St Giles Cathedral. Toledo's base was in the clock tower of the Balmoral Hotel. Many indoor scenes were filmed at the Castle Brae Business Centre in Edinburgh. The second season was filmed in Alberta, Canada.