The Hoobs facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Hoobs
The Hoobs: Hubba Hubba (Blue), Roma (Orange), Tula (Pink), Iver (Purple) and Groove (Green)
Created by	Jocelyn Stevenson Brian Henson
Starring	See below
Music by	Ed Welch Philip Pope Kim Goody
Country of origin	United Kingdom Canada
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	250
Production
Producer(s)	Brian Henson
Running time	30 minutes
Production company(s)	The Jim Henson Company Decode Entertainment
Distributor	The Jim Henson Company
Release
Original network	Channel 4 Tiny Pop
Picture format	4:3
Audio format	Dolby Surround (1 - 125 Episodes) Stereo (126 - 250 Episodes)
First shown in	United Kingdom
Original release	15 January 2001 (2001-01-15) – 3 January 2003 (2003-01-03)

The Hoobs is a fun British and Canadian children's television show. It was made by The Jim Henson Company and Decode Entertainment for Channel Four. The show first aired on January 15, 2001, and finished on January 3, 2003.

About The Hoobs Show

In November 2000, Channel 4 announced a new educational series called 'The Hoobs'. It was made for younger kids, but older children can enjoy it too! Channel 4 and The Jim Henson Company worked together on this big project. They planned to make 250 episodes, each lasting half an hour.

The show was meant to be one of the biggest children's series in Britain. People hoped it would be as successful as other popular kids' shows. Angus Fletcher, from Jim Henson Television, said they were excited to create a new kind of show. It was designed to help children who were growing up with lots of different media.

Meet The Hoobs

The show is about five friendly creatures called Hoobs. They come from a make-believe place called Hoobland. These Hoobs visit Earth and learn about humans. Their goal is to find answers to questions for the great Hoobopaedia. This special book is kept in Hoobland by Hubba Hubba.

• Hubba Hubba stays in Hoobland. He waits for reports from the other Hoobs.
• Iver, Groove, and Tula live in a cool vehicle called the Hoobmobile.
• Roma travels all over the world. She gathers information for the Hoobopaedia.

The Hoobs are puppets, which means people control them to make them move and talk. The show also uses animated parts. Plus, it features real human children, called "Tiddlypeeps," who help the Hoobs understand things.

How an Episode Works

Each episode of The Hoobs follows a similar pattern:

• Hubba Hubba introduces the show and the main question.
• The Hoobs in the Hoobmobile find a question they need to answer.
• Hubba Hubba gives them the task to find the answer.
• Roma gets the question by email so she can help.
• Sometimes, a special word like "who" or "how" makes the Motorettes sing about it.
• The Hoobs or Motorettes might sing a song.
• The Hoobs visit the "Tiddlypeeps" (human children) twice. The Tiddlypeeps are smart and help them learn.
• An animated story related to the question is shown.
• A report about the topic appears on HoobNet for the Hoobopaedia.
• Finally, the Hoobs find the right answer to their question.
• Hoob News summarizes their adventure, and the show ends.

Hello Hoobs Segments

There are also shorter, five-minute segments called "Hello Hoobs." These parts use clips from the main show. They are designed to help kids aged four to eight learn English words and basic grammar. The goal was to teach 400 new words and 150 different phrases. These segments aired before the main show and were also put together into a longer weekend broadcast for review.

Meet the Hoob Characters

• Iver: He is often the leader of the three Hoobs in the Hoobmobile. Iver likes to be on time and organized, but he also loves to have fun. He gets things done, but sometimes he worries a bit too much.
• Groove: This Hoob is always calm and relaxed. He's a little slower than the others and can be shy about leaving the Hoobmobile. Groove is great at making music and enjoys collecting different things.
• Tula: The girl Hoob in the Hoobmobile. She is kind, caring, and full of energy, though sometimes she can be a bit much! Tula is very creative and loves doing crafts.
• Roma: She is the explorer Hoob. Roma travels all around the world to collect information for the Hoobopaedia. She talks to the "Tiddlypeeps" (human children) to learn new things. Roma doesn't live in the Hoobmobile, but she sends video messages and sometimes visits. She rides a special motorcycle called a "Hooby Picki Picki."
• Hubba Hubba: The main leader of all the Hoobs. He stays in Hoobland and updates the Hoobopaedia. He adds all the new information that Iver, Groove, and Tula find on Earth.
• The Motorettes: These are three robots named Tootle, Timp, and Twang. They power the Hoobmobile's engine by singing and making music. They also help power Roma's "Hooby Picki Picki" motorcycle.

Voice Actors

The Hoobs are puppets, but they need people to give them their voices and make them move! Here are some of the talented people who brought the Hoobs to life:

• Iver was voiced by Don Austen.
• Groove was voiced by John Eccleston (for Series 1-3) and Brian Herring (for Series 4-5).
• Tula was voiced by Julie Westwood.
• Roma was voiced by Gillie Robic.
• Hubba Hubba was voiced by Mark Jefferis (for Series 1-3) and Brian Herring (for Series 4-5).
• The Motorettes were voiced by Rebecca Nagan (Tootle), Wim Booth (Timp), and Mark Jefferis (Twang).

Other puppeteers also helped make the show happen, including Steven Kynman, Victoria Willing, Ivestyn Evans, Robot Skidmore, Susan Beattie, Mak Wilson, Katherine Smee, Dave Taylor, Jason Hopley, and Jamie Shannon.

Hoobs Episodes

The Hoobs had a total of 250 episodes across five series. Each episode explored a new question or topic that the Hoobs wanted to understand. They learned about all sorts of things, from how people say hello to why it rains, and even how to fix things. They often visited human children, the "Tiddlypeeps," to get answers and see how things work in the human world. The show covered many different themes, helping young viewers learn about the world around them through the Hoobs' adventures.