Boohbah
Encyclopedia
Boohbah is a 2003 children's television series
produced by Ragdoll Productions
and aimed at children between three and five years old. It premiered in 2003 on GMTV
and CITV
in the United Kingdom, in the United States on PBS and PBS Kids Sprout
. It was created by Anne Wood
with scripts by Alan Dapre
and Robin Stevens
(of Pob
fame). Anne Wood
also created the children's show Teletubbies
(another Ragdoll
series). The similarity between this show and Teletubbies, both of which have a science fiction
theme, is notable. The website says, "The design of the show – visually and otherwise, draws upon early concepts in science, maths and art and combines these with ‘televisual magic’ to create a uniquely funny television experience." One of the show's trademarks is a child's voice pronouncing the show's name in song (BOOH.....BAH).
There were 104 twenty-five minute episodes. The show was shown in the USA on PBS Kids
in HD until 2005 when it was taken off the air along with Teletubbies
and Reading Rainbow
. Boohbah was also shown in the Netherlands
on Nick Jr.
. Currently, the series continues to air on Tiny Pop
in the UK. "Boohbah" means "doll" in Hebrew
, and the rounded shape of the central characters is reminiscent of the bouba/kiki effect, but it is not clear if these ideas influenced the name of the show.
Boohbah is rumored to return on Mini CITV and PBS Kids by January 2012.
-shaped creatures played by actors in full body costumes. Their thick, shimmery fur sparkles with tiny lights; their Kewpie doll
style heads are hairless and feature big eyes with rows of lights for eyebrows. The Boohbahs do not speak, but instead make noises like squeaks, Boohbahs can retract their heads into their furry necks. Each Boohbah is a different color. They are:
The Boohbahs can fly; part of their routine is to assemble into a circle, holding hands like skydivers. Each then emits a different musical note as a flash of colored light (matching the Boohbah's color) is sent out from their heads to a central point.
inspired by the presents (see below). They exist as wholesome archetype
s. They are:
They do not speak. (When Little Dog Fido appears, he gives an "arf!") Though they sometimes exhibit frustration or confusion, the Storypeople rarely, if ever, appear upset or sad. The Storyland segments are narrated by actor Chris Langham
. In each episode the Storypeople magically receive an object sent to them by a child or group of children.
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
produced by Ragdoll Productions
Ragdoll Productions
Ragdoll Productions is a UK company that produces children's television shows. It was founded in 1984 by Anne Wood, who later devised many of their television series, seen in 111 countries and translated into 41 languages.Before 1984, Ragdoll's founder Anne Wood made children's programmes for...
and aimed at children between three and five years old. It premiered in 2003 on GMTV
GMTV
GMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...
and CITV
CITV
CITV is a British television channel from ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive, as well as commissions and acquisitions. CITV itself is the programming block on the main ITV Network .The CITV channel broadcasts from 06:00 to 18:00...
in the United Kingdom, in the United States on PBS and PBS Kids Sprout
PBS KIDS Sprout
PBS Kids Sprout is a U.S. digital cable television channel, video-on-demand service, and website providing PBS Kids shows and original programming for preschoolers and their families...
. It was created by Anne Wood
Anne Wood
Anne Wood CBE is a British children’s television producer.She was born in Spennymoor, County Durham, England and grew up in Tudhoe Colliery, a small coalmining village nearby.-Her Teaching Years:...
with scripts by Alan Dapre
Alan Dapre
Alan Dapré is a British writer who has successfully written for television, radio and publishers for over 20 years. He worked as a creative and originator for Ragdoll Productions for eight years, and his episodes of Brum, Boohbah and Blips are broadcast worldwide...
and Robin Stevens
Robin Stevens
Robin Stevens is a British puppeteer, actor, director and writer for children's TV for nearly 30 years, and has done many successful programs. These include The Teletubbies, Pob, Rosie and Jim, Tots TV, Boohbah & Blips. He worked for Ragdoll Productions for about 20 years, at times co-writing...
(of Pob
Pob's Programme
Pob's Programme was a children's television programme, which was broadcast in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 and BBC between October 1985 and 1990...
fame). Anne Wood
Anne Wood
Anne Wood CBE is a British children’s television producer.She was born in Spennymoor, County Durham, England and grew up in Tudhoe Colliery, a small coalmining village nearby.-Her Teaching Years:...
also created the children's show Teletubbies
Teletubbies
Teletubbies is a BBC children's television series targeted at pre-school viewers and produced from 1997 to 2001 by Ragdoll Productions. It was created by Ragdoll's creative director Anne Wood CBE and Andrew Davenport, who wrote each of the show's 365 episodes. The programme's original narrator was...
(another Ragdoll
Ragdoll Productions
Ragdoll Productions is a UK company that produces children's television shows. It was founded in 1984 by Anne Wood, who later devised many of their television series, seen in 111 countries and translated into 41 languages.Before 1984, Ragdoll's founder Anne Wood made children's programmes for...
series). The similarity between this show and Teletubbies, both of which have a science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
theme, is notable. The website says, "The design of the show – visually and otherwise, draws upon early concepts in science, maths and art and combines these with ‘televisual magic’ to create a uniquely funny television experience." One of the show's trademarks is a child's voice pronouncing the show's name in song (BOOH.....BAH).
There were 104 twenty-five minute episodes. The show was shown in the USA on PBS Kids
PBS Kids
PBS Kids is the brand for children's programming aired by the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States founded in 1993. As with all PBS programming, PBS Kids programming is non-commercial. It is aimed at children ages 2 to 10...
in HD until 2005 when it was taken off the air along with Teletubbies
Teletubbies
Teletubbies is a BBC children's television series targeted at pre-school viewers and produced from 1997 to 2001 by Ragdoll Productions. It was created by Ragdoll's creative director Anne Wood CBE and Andrew Davenport, who wrote each of the show's 365 episodes. The programme's original narrator was...
and Reading Rainbow
Reading Rainbow
Reading Rainbow is an American children's television series aired by PBS from June 6, 1983 until November 10, 2006 that encouraged reading among children. The award-winning public television series garnered over 200 broadcast awards, including scores of Emmy Awards, many for "Outstanding Children's...
. Boohbah was also shown in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
on Nick Jr.
Nick Jr.
Nick Jr. was a programming block on the Nickelodeon television channel, seen on Nickelodeon weekday mornings. It was aimed at a preschool-age audience ages 6 and under. On September 28, 2009, Nick Jr. became its own official channel, replacing Noggin...
. Currently, the series continues to air on Tiny Pop
Tiny Pop
Tiny Pop is a free-to-air television channel in the UK. It is owned by CSC Media Group, and launched on 24 July 2004, and broadcasts cartoons and pop music videos for pre-schoolers.Its sister channel is Pop which was launched on 29 May 2003...
in the UK. "Boohbah" means "doll" in Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, and the rounded shape of the central characters is reminiscent of the bouba/kiki effect, but it is not clear if these ideas influenced the name of the show.
Boohbah is rumored to return on Mini CITV and PBS Kids by January 2012.
The Boohbahs
The Boohbahs are five furry, gumdropGumdrop
Gumdrops are a type of confectionery . They are usually brightly-colored gelatin- or pectin-based pieces, shaped like a truncated cone and coated in granulated sugar. This makes them very sweet....
-shaped creatures played by actors in full body costumes. Their thick, shimmery fur sparkles with tiny lights; their Kewpie doll
Kewpie Doll
"Kewpie Doll" can refer to any of the following:*Kewpie doll , a particular style of doll, awarded as a carnival prize and often collected*"Kewpie Doll ", a song recorded by Perry Como and Frankie Vaughan, among others...
style heads are hairless and feature big eyes with rows of lights for eyebrows. The Boohbahs do not speak, but instead make noises like squeaks, Boohbahs can retract their heads into their furry necks. Each Boohbah is a different color. They are:
- Humbah (YellowYellowYellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, with no significant stimulation of the S cone cells. Light with a wavelength of 570–590 nm is yellow, as is light with a suitable mixture of red and green...
) – Pedro Lopez - Zumbah (PurplePurplePurple is a range of hues of color occurring between red and blue, and is classified as a secondary color as the colors are required to create the shade....
) – Alex Poulter - Zing Zing Zingbah (OrangeOrange (colour)The colour orange occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum at a wavelength of about 585–620 nm, and has a hue of 30° in HSV colour space. It is numerically halfway between red and yellow in a gamma-compressed RGB colour space, the expression of which is the RGB colour wheel. The...
) – Cal Jaggers - Jumbah (BlueBlueBlue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
) – Phil Hayes - JIngbah (PinkPinkPink is a mixture of red and white. Commonly used for Valentine's Day and Easter, pink is sometimes referred to as "the color of love." The use of the word for the color known today as pink was first recorded in the late 17th century....
) – Laura Pero
The Boohbahs can fly; part of their routine is to assemble into a circle, holding hands like skydivers. Each then emits a different musical note as a flash of colored light (matching the Boohbah's color) is sent out from their heads to a central point.
The Storypeople
The Storypeople are a diverse group of familial characters who inhabit Storyland and there participate in various innocent vignettesVignette (literature)
In theatrical script writing, sketch stories, and poetry, a vignette is a short impressionistic scene that focuses on one moment or gives a trenchant impression about a character, an idea, or a setting and sometimes an object...
inspired by the presents (see below). They exist as wholesome archetype
Archetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
s. They are:
- Grandmamma (Linda Kerr-Scott) – An elderly yet spry woman. She has white hair and wears a dark pink housedress, white sweater, white socks, and red sneakers.
- Grandpappa (Robin StevensRobin StevensRobin Stevens is a British puppeteer, actor, director and writer for children's TV for nearly 30 years, and has done many successful programs. These include The Teletubbies, Pob, Rosie and Jim, Tots TV, Boohbah & Blips. He worked for Ragdoll Productions for about 20 years, at times co-writing...
) – An elderly yet spry Caucasian man. He has white hair and a white moustache; he wears a long-sleeved yellow shirt, dark gray slacks, red braces (US: suspenders) and white trainers (US: sneakers). - Mrs. Lady (Harvey VirdiHarvey VirdiHarvey Virdi is an actress well known as a veteran of British-Asian theatre.Her theatre credits include When We are Married, Romeo and Juliet, Square Circle, and Playboy of the Asian World , Airport 2000 and Jatinder Verma's production of Exodus...
) – A heavyset IndianDemographics of IndiaThe demographics of India are inclusive of the second most populous country in the world, with over 1.21 billion people , more than a sixth of the world's population. Already containing 17.5% of the world's population, India is projected to be the world's most populous country by 2025, surpassing...
woman. She has dark hair and wears a loose light blue blouse, loose bright pink pants, and pink sneakers. - Mr. Man (Mark Ramsey) – A husky African man. He is bald and wears a short-sleeved bright pink shirt, white trousers, and black trainers.
- Brother (Manuel Bravo) & Sister (Vee Vimolmal) – Always paired, they both appear to be in their late teens. Brother: A Latino boy with short dark hair; he wears a bright blue t-shirt, bright red knee-length shorts, and white trainers with pink laces. Sister: A ThaiThai peopleThe Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...
girl with hip-length black hair in a long ponytailPonytailA ponytail is a hairstyle in which most or all of the hair on the head is pulled away from the face, gathered and secured at the back of the head with a hair tie, clip or similar device, and allowed to hang freely from that point. It gets its name from its resemblance to the undocked tail of a...
; she wears a bright red t-shirt, bright blue capri pantsCapri pantsCapri pants are mid-calf pants worn in warm weather. Variants end below the knee and calf...
, and white trainers with pink laces. - Auntie (Sachi Kimura) – A JapaneseJapanese peopleThe are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
woman. She has short black hair and wears a long-sleeved lavender blouse, black trousers, lavender socks, and black shoes. - Little Dog Fido (Dash) – A Jack Russell TerrierJack Russell TerrierThe Jack Russell terrier is a small terrier that has its origins in fox hunting. It is principally white-bodied smooth, rough or broken-coated which is commonly confused with the Parson Russell terrier and the Russell terrier with the term "Jack Russell" commonly misapplied to other small white...
. He wears a scarlet collar & barks sometimes. However, he does not make "farting" noises like the rest of the boohbahs.
They do not speak. (When Little Dog Fido appears, he gives an "arf!") Though they sometimes exhibit frustration or confusion, the Storypeople rarely, if ever, appear upset or sad. The Storyland segments are narrated by actor Chris Langham
Chris Langham
Christopher "Chris" Langham is an English writer, actor and comedian. He is most famous for playing MP Hugh Abbot in BBC Four sitcom The Thick of It and as presenter Roy Mallard in People Like Us, first on BBC Radio 4 and later on its transfer to television on BBC Two, where Mallard is almost...
. In each episode the Storypeople magically receive an object sent to them by a child or group of children.
The Boohball
One of the common features in Boohbah is the Boohball. The Boohball is where the Boohbahs live, and it appears out of nowhere in various parts of the show. It travels from country to country when it is called by children. Inside the Boohball is a spinning recharging pod, where the Boohbahs recharge energy. It resembles five deep spoons with the handles linked, or, alternatively, the hammocks resemble five fig halves. The energy is created by the laughter of the children when playing with the Boohbahs, the Boohball, and the Storypeople.The elements of the program
Each show follows the same sequence of events in every episode. The sequence of events are:- Fundings. Zing Zing Zingbah hands three white ballsBallA ball is a round, usually spherical but sometimes ovoid, object with various uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for simpler activities, such as catch, marbles and juggling...
to the others. All the Boohbahs play with the balls, and Humbah and Jumbah toss them all into the air. The balls go round and round. A female announcer says, Boohbah is/was made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you. Thank you. The closing is the same. Also, there's another version where the logos are seen on a big projector screen. Zumbah turns on the projector. And the others watch the funders. The voice-over is the same as the balls variant. And there's also a version where the logos are seen on a sky background with clouds. Funders can change. The voice overs can be the same as the ball and projector versions, Boohbah is/was made possible by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you. Thank you., or Boohbah is/was made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. - Opening title. The Boohball flies over at least 3 out of 15 different countries (AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, EcuadorEcuadorEcuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, NamibiaNamibiaNamibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
, RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) - Boohbah warm up dance. The children call the Boohbahs by their names ("Humbah, Zumbah, Zing Zing Zingbah, Jumbah, Jingbah – Booh!"), and then the Boohbahs join each other one by one, hand in hand, in a simple yet demanding dance. After all have surrendered and joined in, the pace increases until all the Boohbahs are out of control. As a child calls out their names, they then freeze, stand spread-eagled, and retract their heads. When all have stopped, the children yell, "Booh!" and the Boohbahs fly upward into their circle formation.
- Present giving, in which a group of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 children bring "a presentGiftA gift or a present is the transfer of something without the expectation of receiving something in return. Although gift-giving might involve an expectation of reciprocity, a gift is meant to be free. In many human societies, the act of mutually exchanging money, goods, etc. may contribute to...
for the Storypeople" and they blow it. It enters the Storyworld when the children blow it there. The present given will be the theme of the segment.
| Some examples of presents | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Bass drum Bass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of... |
|
- Storyworld and the Storypeople, which is based on the present given in the last segment. During the segment, one or more of the Storypeople will find the present and interact with it. Often the Storypeople will encounter a problem, inspiring the unseen but observing children to say the magic word, which is "Boohbah!" This freezes the story and allows the children to blow another gift to the Storypeople, which enables the story to continue and lead to the problem's solution. These segments are filmed in SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, unless the segments involve snow, in which case, the respective segment is filmed in Pinewood, England. - Boohbah dance, where the Boohbahs perform a dance somewhat related to the "Storyworld and the Storypeople" segment. This dance is slightly more complex than the "warm up" dances.
- Look What I (or We) Can Do, shown in the American version in which actual children perform dances of their own. Three different dances are featured per show, and are simple so the home audience can follow along. After this segment, there is a disclaimer on the same background as the funders, telling home audience to learn more about "Boohbah" at pbskids.org.
- End title, in which the Boohball flies off to another country with children calling from far away.
Funding
- Nike, Inc.Nike, Inc.Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
(2004) - Corporation for Public BroadcastingCorporation for Public BroadcastingThe Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a non-profit corporation created by an act of the United States Congress, funded by the United States’ federal government to promote public broadcasting...
(2003-2005) - Viewers Like You (Thank You)Public Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
(2003-2005)