The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss |
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| Created by | Dr. Seuss (characters) |
| Based on | The Works of Theodor Geisel |
| Directed by | David Gumpel |
| Creative director(s) | Ed Eyth |
| Presented by |
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| Starring |
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| Narrated by |
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| Theme music composer | Joe Caroll, Hal J. Cohen and David Steven Cohen |
| Opening theme |
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| Ending theme |
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| Composer(s) | Joe Caroll, Mark Gray, Peter Thom, Steve Klapper, Hal J. Cohen, Zina Goldrich and David Steven Cohen |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 40 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
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| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Jim Henson Productions |
| Distributor | The Jim Henson Company |
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| Audio format | Dolby Surround |
| Original release | October 13, 1996 – December 28, 1998 |
The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss was a fun American TV show that mixed live-action actors with puppets. It was based on the amazing characters created by Dr. Seuss! The show was made by The Jim Henson Company, famous for the Muppets. It first aired on Nickelodeon from October 13, 1996, to December 28, 1998. This show was special because it used real puppets along with cool digital backgrounds. In its first season, it took Dr. Seuss's characters and ideas and made new stories that still felt like his original books.
Contents
How the Show Was Made
The show changed quite a bit between its first and second seasons. The opening and closing songs and videos were completely different for each season. The amazing virtual worlds you saw in the show were created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop.
Season One: Original Stories
Each episode in the first season told a complete story. These stories featured famous Dr. Seuss characters like Yertle the Turtle and Horton the Elephant. The host of the show was The Cat in the Hat, played by Bruce Lanoil. He would introduce the stories and sometimes even appear in them, acting like the playful trickster from his original books.
Season one was known for sticking close to the themes of Dr. Seuss's books. These often had strong moral lessons. Because of this, some episodes had serious or a bit scary parts, just like some of Dr. Seuss's own stories.
Season Two: A New Look
For the second season, the show was changed to be more like a typical children's program. The Cat in the Hat, now voiced by Martin P. Robinson, lived in a playhouse. He lived there with his Little Cats A through Z and his often worried friend, Terrence McBird, played by Anthony Asbury.
Other Dr. Seuss characters would often visit the playhouse. Each episode focused on a specific topic, like family, health, or art. It also included one or two songs about that topic. The show would switch between what was happening at the Cat in the Hat's playhouse and shorter stories he showed using his "Wubbuloscope." These short stories took place in different places:
- Seussville – A modern city where Sarah Hall Small and her family lived.
- Jungle of Nool – A jungle home to Horton the Elephant, Morton the Elephant-Bird, Jane Kangaroo, Junior Kangaroo, Yertle the Turtle, the Wickershams, and the Sneels.
- Kingdom of Didd – A kingdom that looked like it was from the Renaissance, ruled by King Derwin.
- Mount Crumpitt – The home of the Grinch and his dog, Max.
The second season had a much happier and funnier feel. This was probably because new comedy writers like Adam Felber and Mo Rocca joined the team. The Cat in the Hat was no longer a trickster. Instead, he became a friendly, helpful, and sweet host. Even though this new style only lasted one season, it was later used in another show by The Jim Henson Company called Bear in the Big Blue House, which aired on Disney Channel.
Main Characters
- The Cat in the Hat – (played by Bruce Lanoil in Season 1 and Martin P. Robinson in Season 2) – He is the main character and host. He starts as a trickster but becomes a more caring host later.
- The Little Cats – These small cats first appeared in The Cat in the Hat Comes Back.
- Little Cat A (played by Kathryn Mullen in Season 1 and Leslie Carrara-Rudolph in Season 2) – One of the Cat in the Hat's helpers.
- Little Cat B (played by Stephanie D'Abruzzo) – Another one of the Cat in the Hat's helpers.
- Little Cat C (played by John Kennedy) – Also a helper to the Cat in the Hat.
- Little Cat F (played by Pam Arciero) – Seen in Season 2 at the Cat in the Hat's playhouse.
- Little Cat N (played by Pam Arciero) – Also seen in Season 2 at the playhouse.
- Little Cat P (played by Tim Lagasse) – Another Little Cat from Season 2.
- Little Cat S (played by Stephanie D'Abruzzo) – Seen in Season 2 at the playhouse.
- Little Cat Z (played by Anthony Asbury) – The smallest of all the Little Cats, seen in Season 2.
- Little Cat Fleep (played by Kevin Clash) - A quiet Little Cat who only says "fleeps."
- Terrence McBird (played by Anthony Asbury) – A bird who joins the main characters in Season 2.
Supporting Characters
- The Grinch (played by Anthony Asbury) – He appeared in How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. He likes to spoil other people's fun.
- Max the Dog (played by Kathryn Mullen in Season 1 and Stephanie D'Abruzzo in Season 2) – He is the Grinch's loyal but often annoyed dog from How the Grinch Stole Christmas!.
- Fox in Socks and Mr. Knox (played by Bruce Lanoil in Season 1 and Tim Lagasse in Season 2 for Fox, and John Kennedy for Knox) – They are from Fox in Socks. Fox is energetic, and Knox is often grumpy.
- Yertle the Turtle (played by Anthony Asbury) – Yertle is a turtle who always wants to be king and often uses others to get his way.
- Horton the Elephant (played by John Kennedy) – He appeared in Horton Hears a Who! and Horton Hatches the Egg. Horton is a kind, humble, and friendly animal who often believes in things others don't.
- Morton the Elephant-Bird (played by Kathryn Mullen in Season 1 and Leslie Carrara-Rudolph in Season 2) – He is Horton's son, who is half-bird, from Horton Hatches the Egg.
- Jane Kangaroo (played by Stephanie D'Abruzzo) – She appeared in Horton Hears a Who!. She is a strict and snobby kangaroo, but in this show, she is shown in a nicer way than in the book.
- Junior Kangaroo (played by Kathryn Mullen in Season 1 and Tim Lagasse in Season 2) – He appeared in Horton Hears a Who! and is Jane Kangaroo's son. By Season 2, he and Morton become friends.
- Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose (played by Anthony Asbury) – A very loving and sweet moose. In the show, Thidwick is also Morton the Elephant-Bird's uncle.
- The Wickersham Brothers (played by John Kennedy, Anthony Asbury, and Bruce Lanoil) – A family of apes from Horton Hears a Who!. They often work for Jane Kangaroo or Yertle the Turtle.
- Sarah Hall Small (played by Stephanie D'Abruzzo) – A girl who lives in Seussville. She first appeared in the second season.
- Sam-I-Am (played by John Kennedy) – He appeared in Green Eggs and Ham. In Season 2, he often helped the Cat in the Hat.
- Pam-I-Am (played by Stephanie D'Abruzzo) – A female version of Sam-I-Am and a great repair girl. The Cat in the Hat often called her using the Pam Phone.
- Sue Snue (played by Stephanie D'Abruzzo) – A girl from Seussville who appeared in Season 1.
Other Characters
- Mayor Stovepipe (played by Kathryn Mullen) - The mayor of Seussville in Season 1.
- Matthew Katroom (played by Anthony Asbury) – A boy from Seussville who is good friends with Sarah Hall Small.
- The Birthday Bird (played by John Kennedy) – From Happy Birthday to You!. He lives in Katroo and loves birthdays.
- Sally Spingel-Spungel-Sporn (played by Camille Bonora and Stephanie D'Abruzzo) – A News reporter from The Cat in the Hat Song Book.
- King Derwin (played by Anthony Asbury) – The King of the Kingdom of Didd from The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins.
- Princess Tizz (played by Leslie Carrara-Rudolph) – King Derwin's daughter.
- Norval the Fish (played by John Kennedy) – Norval played different roles. In Season 2, he was an advisor to King Derwin.
- Milo (played by John Kennedy) – A boy who lives in the Kingdom of Didd and serves as King Derwin's page.
- The Yapper-Nap (played by John Kennedy) – A monster who likes to take naps in Seussville.
- Snark (played by Fran Brill) – A pink bird who lives in the Jungle of Nool in Season 2.
- Sneels (played by Kathryn Mullen, Heather Asch, Bruce Lanoil and Stephanie D'Abruzzo) – Green and pink furry creatures from the Jungle of Nool.
- Mick Maputo Bird (played by Anthony Asbury) – An Elvis Presley-themed bird from the Jungle of Nool in Season 2.
- Lester McBird (played by Joey Mazzarino) - Terrence McBird's twin brother.
Episode Guide
The show had two seasons with a total of 40 episodes.
Season 1 (1996–1997)
This season had 20 episodes. It aired from October 13, 1996, to August 17, 1997.
| No. overall |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
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| 1 | 1 | "The Gink" | David Gumpel | Belinda Ward | October 13, 1996 | 105 |
| 2 | 2 | "Who Are You, Sue Snue?" | David Gumpel | Annie Evans (s) Will Ryan (t) |
October 20, 1996 | 106 |
| 3 | 3 | "The King's Beard" | David Gumpel | Will Ryan | October 27, 1996 | 103 |
| 4 | 4 | "The Song of the Zubble-Wump" | David Gumpel | David Steven Cohen | November 3, 1996 | 101 |
| 5 | 5 | "The Guest" | David Gumpel | Carin Greenberg Baker (s) & Craig Shemin Will Ryan (t) |
November 10, 1996 | 107 |
| 6 | 6 | "The Simplifier" | David Gumpel | Lou Berger | November 24, 1996 | 102 |
| 7 | 7 | "The Snoozer" | John Leo | David Cohen | November 17, 1996 | 108 |
| 8 | 8 | "Mrs. Zabarelli's Holiday Baton" | John Leo | Craig Shemin | December 15, 1996 | 104 |
| 9 | 9 | "The Mystery of Winna-Bango Falls" | Scott Preston | Alan Neuwirth & Gary Cooper | January 5, 1997 | 109 |
| 10 | 10 | "Almost There" | David Gumpel | Craig Shemin | February 2, 1997 | 111 |
| 11 | 11 | "Oh, The People You'll Meet" | John Leo | Will Ryan | February 9, 1997 | 110 |
| 12 | 12 | "The Blag-Bludder Beast" | David Gumpel | Phil Lollar | March 2, 1997 | 112 |
| 13 | 13 | "The Muckster" | David Gumpel | Bill Marsilli | March 23, 1997 | 113 |
| 14 | 14 | "Norval the Great" | David Gumpel | Will Ryan | March 30, 1997 | 114 |
| 15 | 15 | "Max the Hero" | Scott Preston | David Cohen | July 13, 1997 | 115 |
| 16 | 16 | "The Road To Ka-Larry" | John Leo | Craig Shemin & Will Ryan | July 20, 1997 | 116 |
| 17 | 17 | "Yertle the King" | John Leo | Phil Lollar | July 27, 1997 | 117 |
| 18 | 18 | "Horton Has a Hit" | David Gumpel | Bill Marsilli | August 3, 1997 | 118 |
| 19 | 19 | "The Birthday Moose" | David Nebel | Will Ryan & Craig Shemin | August 10, 1997 | 119 |
| 20 | 20 | "The Grinch Meets His Max / Halfway Home to Malamaroo" | David Gumpel | Craig Shemin, Will Ryan & David Cohen | August 17, 1997 | 120 |
Season 2 (1998)
This season also had 20 episodes. It aired from March 9, 1998, to December 28, 1998.
| No. overall |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
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| 21 | 1 | "The Cat in the Hat Takes a Nap" | David Nebel | Stephanie Simpson | March 9, 1998 |
| 22 | 2 | "The Cat in the Hat Cleans Up His Act" | David Gumpel | Adam Felber | March 10, 1998 |
| 23 | 3 | "The Cat in the Hat's Big Birthday Surprise" | David Gumpel | Stephanie Simpson | March 10, 1998 |
| 24 | 4 | "The Sounds All Around" | David Gumpel | Adam Felber | March 11, 1998 |
| 25 | 5 | "Make Yourself at Home" | David Gumpel | Stephanie Simpson | March 11, 1998 |
| 26 | 6 | "The Cat in the Hat's Flower Power" | Emily Squires & David Gumpel | Stephanie Simpson | March 21, 1998 |
| 27 | 7 | "The Feed You Need" | David Gumpel | Adam Felber | March 28, 1998 |
| 28 | 8 | "The Cat in the Hat's First-First Day" | David Gumpel | Jay Martel | April 5, 1998 |
| 29 | 9 | "The Cat in the Hat Gets a Package" | David Gumpel | Jay Martel | April 12, 1998 |
| 30 | 10 | "The Cat in the Hat's Indoor Picnic" | Emily Squires & Rick Velleu | Mo Rocca | April 19, 1998 |
| 31 | 11 | "A Bird's Guide to Health" | David Gumpel | Adam Felber | April 26, 1998 |
| 32 | 12 | "The Cat in the Hat Builds a Door-a-Matic" | David Gumpel | Adam Febler | May 2, 1998 |
| 33 | 13 | "A Bird's Best Friend" | David Gumpel | Adam Febler | June 9, 1998 |
| 34 | 14 | "The Cat in the Hat's Art House" | Emily Squires | Mo Rocca | July 16, 1998 |
| 35 | 15 | "Lester Leaps In" | Emily Squires & Kathryn Mullen | Adam Felber | August 23, 1998 |
| 36 | 16 | "There Is Nothing to Fear in Here" | Emily Squires & Kathryn Mullen | Marcello Picone | September 30, 1998 |
| 37 | 17 | "Talkin' with the Cat" | Kathy Mullen & Emily Squires | Mo Rocca | October 7, 1998 |
| 38 | 18 | "Walkin' with the Cat" | Kathy Mullen & Emily Squires | Mo Rocca | November 14, 1998 |
| 39 | 19 | "The Cat in the Hat Helps a Friend" | Kathy Mullen & Emily Squires | Mo Rocca | November 21, 1998 |
| 40 | 20 | "Cat's Play" | Stephanie Simpson | Jerry Kupfer | December 28, 1998 |
Puppeteers
Many talented puppeteers brought the characters of The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss to life:
- Bruce Lanoil – The Cat in the Hat (1996–1997), Fox in Socks (1996–1997), and many other characters.
- Martin P. Robinson – The Cat in the Hat (1998), and several other roles like The Milk and The Old Man.
- Anthony Asbury – Terrence McBird, Little Cat Z, The Grinch, Yertle the Turtle, Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose, and more.
- Stephanie D'Abruzzo – Little Cat B, Little Cat S, Jane Kangaroo, Max the Dog (1998), Pam-I-Am, Sarah Hall Small, and many other voices.
- John E. Kennedy – Little Cat C, Horton the Elephant, Mr. Knox, Norval the Fish, Sam-I-Am, and a wide range of other characters.
- Kathryn Mullen – Little Cat A (1996–1997), Junior Kangaroo (1996–1997), Max the Dog (1996-1997), Morton the Elephant Bird (1996–1997), and various other roles.
- Leslie Carrara-Rudolph – Little Cat A (1998), Morton the Elephant Bird (1998), Princess Tizz, and Mrs. Hall Small.
- Tim Lagasse – Little Cat P, Fox in Socks (1998), Junior Kangaroo (1998), and characters like The Clam and Old Man Time.
- Pam Arciero – Little Cat F, Little Cat N, Lulu's Dog, Zubble-Wump, and a snake.
- Bill Barretta – Uncle Berklummer, Picnic bug.
- Joey Mazzarino – Elwood the Jester, Lester McBird.
- Vicki Eibner - Puffy the cat, Snooty Bird.
- Heather Asch - Sneels, Ariana.
- Nikki Tilroe - Civil Servant #7, Poochie the poodle.
- Brian Muehl - Binkham Tamino McDoyal the third.
- Camille Bonora – Sally Spingel-Spungel-Sporn.
- Jim Kroupa – Annoying Greebles, Dad Jalloo, and others.
- Jerry Nelson – Snoozer.
- John Tartaglia – Bird, Delivery Man.
- Kevin Clash – Little Cat Fleep.
- Fran Brill - Snark.
Where to Watch
The show was never fully released on home video like VHS or DVD in a complete set. The DVDs that exist usually have three episodes on each disc and mix episodes from both seasons.
In 2015, the entire series was released on DVD by Shock Entertainment in Australia.
TV Airings
Nickelodeon aired the show from October 13, 1996, to 1998. Reruns continued until January 22, 2000. It also aired on Noggin from 1999 to 2002.
More recently, Starz Kids & Family started showing reruns of the series in 2018.
Other Appearances
Some of the puppets from the show were used in other productions:
- The puppet for Annie DeLoo was later used as Billy in an episode of Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony. It also appeared in Puppet Up!.
- The "Whozits" puppets appeared as different characters in Mopatop's Shop.
- One of the Wickersham puppets was used for Nascount Greasemonkey in an episode of Sesame Street.
- The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss is currently airing reruns on Semillitas and Starz Kids.
Images for kids
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The show's main title image.
See also
In Spanish: El fabuloso mundo del Dr. Seuss para niños
