The Mighty B! (season 1) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Mighty B!
The Mighty B! "We Got the Bee" DVD cover
No. of episodes	20 (whole) 39 (segments)
Release
Original network	Nickelodeon
Original release	April 26, 2008 (2008-04-26) – June 12, 2009 (2009-06-12)
List of The Mighty B! episodes

The first season of The Mighty B! aired in the United States on Nickelodeon. It ran from April 26, 2008, to June 12, 2009. Nickelodeon Animation Studios, Paper Kite Productions, and Polka Dot Pictures made the season. The show's creators, Amy Poehler, Cynthia True, and Erik Wiese, were the main producers.

The series is about Bessie Higgenbottom, played by Amy Poehler. Bessie is a super-eager Honeybee scout. Her big dream is to earn more badges than anyone else. She also wants to become her superhero alter-ego, The Mighty B. This season had 38 short, eleven-minute episodes. There was also one longer, half-hour episode called "Dragonflies." Poehler, True, and Wiese worked on the show for several years before it aired. They wanted to create a cartoon with a strong female lead. Nickelodeon picked up the show in early 2006. It was first called Super Scout.

The first season got mostly good reviews. One reviewer even called Bessie the "female answer to SpongeBob SquarePants." The first episode was watched by 1.92 million kids aged 2–11. On average, each episode of the season was watched by 3.1 million viewers.

Episodes: Season One Adventures

All episodes in this season were directed by Erik Wiese and Larry Leichliter.

Behind the Scenes: Making the Show

Amy Poehler helped create the show and is the voice of Bessie.

How the Idea Started

Before The Mighty B! first aired, Amy Poehler and her friends at Nickelodeon had an idea. They wanted to make a cartoon that focused on a strong girl. Poehler said she wanted to show a girl at an age where "you're not boy-crazy and you're not mean to other girls." She found this kind of excitement "fascinating." She wanted to capture it in a show.

Bessie's character is partly based on roles Poehler played in comedy groups. These groups included Second City and Upright Citizens Brigade. Bessie also takes inspiration from girls Poehler admired when she was younger. Poehler described Bessie as a "feisty, plucky, bossy, Honey Bee scout."

The Mighty B! was first planned as a pilot episode in early 2006. It was called Super Scout back then. Amy Poehler, Cynthia True, and Erik Wiese created it together. Brown Johnson, who was in charge of animation at Nickelodeon, was very excited. She said it was great to have such a talented comedy team create this special character for new viewers.

Meet the Voices: The Cast

Amy Poehler, known from SNL, voices Bessie Higgenbottom. Bessie is a 9¾-year-old Honeybee scout. Poehler calls Bessie "superoptimistic and a super spaz." She also says Bessie is "a bit bossy, but with good intentions." Bessie's voice is usually done by Poehler. But in the episode "Boston Beean," Poehler also voiced Sissy Sullivan. Sissy was a Honeybee scout from Boston whose voice sounded just like Bessie's.

Dee Bradley Baker voices Happy. Happy is Bessie's dog. Bessie found him at the harbor in the first episode, "So Happy Together." Andy Richter voices Ben Higgenbottom, Bessie's younger brother. Richter also voices Mort on another Nickelodeon show, The Penguins of Madagascar. Richter said doing cartoon voices was "another dream come true." He was proud to work on shows his kids loved.

Dannah Feinglass voices Penny, Bessie's best friend. Feinglass also helps write for the show. Grey DeLisle voices Portia Gibbons, another Honeybee scout. Megan Cavanagh voices Hilary Higgenbottom, Bessie and Ben's single mom. Sarah Thyre voices Mary Frances Gibbons, Portia's mom. And Jessica DiCicco voices Gwen, Portia's friend.

DVD Releases

A DVD called We Got The Bee came out on February 24, 2009. It had eight episodes from the season. It also included special features like behind-the-scenes videos. There was an animatic version of the "Bat Mitzvah Crashers" episode. Plus, a karaoke music video for the song "Running with the Rainbow Unicorn."

A second DVD, BEEing Bessie Higgenbottom, was released on December 8, 2009. This DVD had seven episodes. It also featured a karaoke music video for "Buzz Off." You could watch an animatic of the "Bee Patients" episode. It also had audio commentary for "Bee Patients," "Ben Appetit," and "Name Shame." The commentary was by Amy Poehler, Andy Richter, Dee Bradley Baker, Grey DeLisle, Erik Wiese, and Eddie Trigueros.