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The Octonauts
OctonautsTitleCard.jpg
Kwazii, Barnacles and Peso
Genre Children's Show
Animation
Action
Adventure film
Created by Meomi: Vicki Wong
& Michael C. Murphy
Written by Stephanie Simpson (head writer)
Billy Aronson
Glen Berger
Ian Carney
Cydne Clark
Cusi Cram
Sarah Durkee
Steve Granat
Carin Greenberg
Jonathan Greenberg
Peter Hirsch
Adam Idelson
Dave Ingham
Susan Kim
Catherine Lieuwen
Myles Mcleod
Allan Neuwirth
Sascha Paladino
Gabe Pulliam
Directed by Darragh O'Connell
Henry Lenardin-Madden (uncredited)
Creative director(s) Stephen Robinson
Voices of Simon Greenall
Rob Rackstraw
Paul Panting
Keith Wickham
Jo Wyatt
Teresa Gallagher
Michael C. Murphy
Theme music composer Darren Hendley
Country of origin United Kingdom
Ireland
Original language(s) English
No. of series 4
No. of episodes 116
Production
Executive producer(s) Kurt Mueller
Stephanie Simpson
Cathal Gaffney
Darragh O'Connell
Jackie Edwards (CBeebies)
Producer(s) Adam Idelson
Karen Ialacci
Gillian Higgins
Running time 65 x 11 minutes
3 x 23 minutes
Production company(s) Chorion (2010-12)
Silvergate Media (2012-present)
Brown Bag Films
Distributor 9 Story International Distribution
Release
Original network CBeebies
Original release 4 October 2010 (2010-10-04) – present

The Octonauts is a popular British animated TV show made for children. It's produced by Silvergate Media for the BBC channel CBeebies. The animation is done in Ireland by Brown Bag Films, and British actors provide the voices. The TV series is based on fun children's books written by Vicki Wong and Michael C. Murphy from Meomi Design Inc.

The show is about an amazing underwater exploration team. This team is made up of eight animal characters who act like humans. They live in a special undersea base called the Octopod. From there, they go on exciting adventures deep in the ocean, using a fleet of cool underwater vehicles.

Even though their technology is make-believe, the amazing sea creatures and places they visit are based on real marine animals and their natural homes. The Octonauts is set to have a 6th series, which will bring new places, characters, and vehicles to explore!

The Octonauts Books

The original Octonauts books were first released in the USA in 2006. Later, in 2009, they were republished in the UK by HarperCollins. Meomi has published six books in this series:

  • The Octonauts & the Only Lonely Monster: This story is about a Giant squid.
  • The Octonauts & the Sea of Shade: In this book, everyone's shadows have disappeared!
  • The Octonauts & the Frown Fish: This one features a very sad-looking catfish.
  • The Octonauts & the Great Ghost Reef: This book teaches about coral bleaching, which is when coral reefs lose their color.
  • The Octonauts Explore the Great Big Ocean: The Octonauts search for Tunip the Vegimal's home.
  • The Octonauts & the Growing Goldfish: This story is about Dunkie, a huge goldfish that just keeps growing.

TV Show Books

A series of shorter books based on individual episodes from the TV show are also published. These books have an "As seen on TV" label on their covers. They are not written or illustrated by Meomi, but they share the same titles as the TV episodes they are based on.

The Octonauts TV Series

In 2010, The Octonauts was turned into a CGI animated TV series. It first aired in the UK on October 4, 2010, on CBeebies. The show became very popular and continued to air as repeats. A second series with new episodes started in November 2012.

The Octonauts also premiered in the US in January 2012 on the Disney Channel. For the US version, some characters' voices were changed to American accents. The show has been shown in many other countries too, including Ireland, Canada, and Australia. It has also been translated into languages like French, Spanish, Portuguese, Finnish, Welsh, and Slovakian.

The TV series was created with help from real marine biologists, Dr. Lara A. Ferry-Graham and Dr. Michael H. Graham. They had also worked on the famous movie Finding Nemo.

Each episode of the TV show is about 11 minutes long. In every episode, the Octonauts meet an unusual but real sea creature as they explore different underwater worlds. They often need to learn an important fact about the creature to help it or themselves out of danger. The main characters in most stories are Captain Barnacles, Kwazii, and Peso. The other Octonauts usually help them in supporting roles.

The Octonauts use five special underwater vehicles called GUPs, from GUP-A to GUP-E. They also have the pedal-driven GUP-F, the narwhal-shaped GUP-S, the train-shaped GUP-V, and the strong GUP-X. The opening theme song ends with their motto: "Explore! - Rescue! - Protect!"

Meet the Octonauts Characters

The Octonauts team is made up of unique characters, each with their own special skills.

Role Name Animal Voice Actor About Them
Captain Barnacles Polar bear Simon Greenall (speaking)
Ross Breen (singing)
Barnacles is the brave polar bear captain of the Octonauts. He can drive any vehicle and is strong enough to lift a giant clam. His catchphrases include "Octonauts, let's do this" and "Sound the Octo-Alert!".
Lieutenant and Creature Expert Kwazii Cat Rob Rackstraw Kwazii is a daring cat with a mysterious pirate past. He believes in many sea monsters and loves to drive fast in the Gup-B. He is afraid of spiders. His catchphrases are "Shiver me whiskers" and "Yeow!".
Medic Peso Penguin Paul Panting (UK) Wayne Grayson (US) Peso is the medic of the Octonauts. He can be scared sometimes, but he is very brave when someone is hurt. He has a younger brother named Pinto. His catchphrase is "Flappity flippers!".
Ocean Scientist and Founder Professor Inkling Grimpoteuthis (Dumbo octopus) Keith Wickham Inkling is an octopus who brought the Octonauts together. He wanted them to study the oceans and have adventures. His catchphrase is "Fascinating!"
Biologist Shellington (Dr) Sea otter Keith Wickham Dr. Shellington is a sea otter and a biologist. He helps the Octonauts on their missions. He is not the best driver. His catchphrases are "Jumping jellyfish!" and "Fascinating".
Engineer Tweak Rabbit Jo Wyatt Jaimie Kelton (US, season 1) Tweak is a rabbit who works in the launch bay. She often invents new things like the GUP-X and GUP-S. She calls Captain Barnacles "Cap". Her catchphrases include "Right away, Cap!" and "...faster than you can say 'buncha munchy crunchy carrots'!".
Computer Expert and Photographer Dashi Dog (Dachshund) Teresa Gallagher (UK) Mary Murphy (US) Dashi is the Octonauts' photographer. She also takes care of all the computers on the Octopod. Her catchphrase is "Already on it captain!".
Chef and Gardener Tunip Vegimal Michael C. Murphy Tunip is a Vegimal, which is a creature that is half-animal and half-vegetable. He loves to make kelp cakes and work in the greenhouse. He often speaks "Vegimalese," a language of chirps and warbles.

Note: In newer UK books, Sauci's name was changed to Dashi to match the TV series.

Other Vegimals

Besides Tunip, there are many other Vegimals who help the Octonauts:

  • Albachoy: half-bok choy and half-albacore.
  • Barrot: half-bass, half-carrot. He can go super fast in emergencies.
  • Carprika: half-paprika and half-carp.
  • Codish: half-cod, half-radish. He is often clumsy.
  • Grouber: half-grouper, half-tuber. He is big and can eat almost anything.
  • Halibeet: half-beet and half-halibut.
  • Maccoli: half-broccoli and half-mackerel.
  • Perchkin: half-pumpkin and half-perch.
  • Pikato: half-tomato and half-pike.
  • Tominnow: half-minnow, half-tomato. She is the smallest but very daring.
  • Salepeño: half-jalapeño and half-salmon.
  • Sharchini: half-zucchini, half-shark.
  • VegiBot: a robot Vegimal.
  • Wallabaga: half-rutabaga and half-walleye.
  • Yamchovy: half-anchovy and half-yam.

Friends and Family Characters

The Octonauts often meet other characters who are friends or family members:

  • Calico Jack: Kwazii's pirate grandfather. He appears in the Amazon Adventure special.
  • Pinto: Peso's little brother. He visits the Octopod and wants to be a medic like Peso.
  • Sandy the sea turtle: A good friend of Tweak's. She travels long distances and meets the Octonauts often.
  • Boris the narwhal: A friend of Captain Barnacles from when he was young. Boris lives in the Arctic.
  • Pearl the sea otter: Shellington's married sister. She has a baby named Periwinkle.
  • Bianca the polar bear: Captain Barnacles' twin sister. She and her cubs, Orson and Ursa, appear in The Great Arctic Adventure.
  • Professor Natquik the Arctic fox: A polar explorer and old friend of Captain Barnacles.
  • Ranger Marsh: Tweak's father and a park ranger.
  • Koshi: Dashi's little sister.

The Octonauts Vehicles

The Octonauts use many different vehicles, called GUPs, to explore the ocean.

  • The Octopod: This is their main mobile home base and the largest vehicle. It looks like a giant octopus.
  • The GUP-A: This vehicle is powered by a propeller and is Captain Barnacles' favorite. It looks like an anglerfish.
  • The GUP-B: This is Kwazii's favorite and the fastest GUP. It looks like a tiger shark.
  • The GUP-C: This strong GUP has a towline and can even tow an elephant seal. It can also break ice. It looks like a blue whale.
  • The GUP-D: This multi-purpose GUP has claws, drills, and legs. It is Tweak's favorite. It looks like a manta ray (or a crab when it uses its legs).
  • The GUP-E: This green GUP is an ambulance. It has a tank that can be filled with water for creatures with gills. It looks like a guppy.
  • The GUP-F: This was a pedal-powered vehicle seen only in one episode of series 1. It looked like a clownfish. It was later turned into an artificial reef.
  • The GUP-H: This helicopter GUP looks like a dragonfly. It's used to fly above the sea and watch animals.
  • The GUP-I: This is a tough polar exploration station and vehicle. It looks like a water bear.
  • The GUP-K: This vehicle is half air-boat and half-tank. It can float on the surface and looks like a crocodile or alligator.
  • The GUP-S: This is an Antarctic exploration vehicle. It can split into two parts, with the front becoming a snowmobile called the Octo-Sled. It looks like a swordfish or narwhal.
  • The GUP-V: This vehicle was designed by the Vegimals. It is shaped like a train and made from different materials.
  • The GUP-X: This is a strong, armored vehicle given to Captain Barnacles as a Christmas present from Tweak. It can split into three sections. It looks like a horseshoe crab.
  • The Deep Sea Octolab: This is a movable base used to study the deepest parts of the ocean. It is dome-shaped and stands on springy legs.
  • The Octo Servicing Station: This is a scaffold built on the seabed to fix and build vehicles like the GUP K and GUP H.
Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure
Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure

Other Octonauts Adventures

The Octonauts have also appeared in other fun activities and places:

  • Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure: This is a themed rollercoaster at the Alton Towers theme park in the CBeebies Land area.
  • Octonauts Live: This is a traveling live show that has toured in the U.S. and other countries.
  • Octonauts App: An app for mobile devices was launched in 2016, made with Night and Day Studios.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Octonautas para niños

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