Busytown
Encyclopedia
Busytown is a fictional town inhabited by an assortment of anthropomorphic animal
s, as depicted in various books by the children's author Richard Scarry
. Main characters of these books include the following: Huckle Cat, Lowly Worm, Mr. Frumble, police Sergeant Murphy, Mr. Fixit, Bananas Gorilla, Hilda Hippo, and Farmer Fox.
In the mid-1990s Cinar
(now Cookie Jar Entertainment
) produced the animated series The Busy World of Richard Scarry
, based around the inhabitants of Busytown. The series originally aired on Showtime in the United States. A board game and a computer game based on Busytown
were also produced in the 1990s.
The most frequent characters include:
The Cat
Family
The Pig Family: Father Pig is a house painter married to a typical housewife. They have twin children Harry and Sally.
Sergeant Murphy: a cocker spaniel
police
motorcyclist who is often present in street and road scenes. He is married and has a little girl named Bridget. He is dedicated to his job and his passion for motorcycles is shown in the fact that he wears his crash helmet
in bed. His name is reflection on the stereotypical Irish-American policeman.
Mayor Fox: a fox
and the Mayor
of Busytown. He always wears a monacle, top hat
and a ribbon of office.
Rudolf von Flugel: a fox
pilot who flies a red-coloured German
World War I
monoplane
and dresses in the uniform of a German officer of the time. He often takes Huckle, Lowly and Little Sister up in his planes, though these flights frequently end in disaster. His name is the German word for wing (Flügel).
Smokey, Sparky and Snozzle: a trio of pig
firefighter
s. Sparky and Snozzle wear a saucepan and colander
as headgear, and one of them uses a trombone
for a siren.
Mr. Fixit: a fox
repairman who boasts that he can fix anything, but does not often show this ability. He once attempted to fix Mother Cat's vacuum cleaner
but it ran on the ceiling instead of the floor. A similar character is the local school's Janitor
Joe.
Mr. Frumble: a pig
who often loses and chases after his hat. He drives a pickle-shaped car and is prone to vehicular accidents.
Wolfgang Wolf, Benny Baboon
and Harry Hyena
: a trio of layabouts who spend their time lazing in the sun or eating or getting into trouble. On one occasion they were deemed suitable enough to fly to the moon
(with Lowly as a passenger).
Bananas Gorilla
: a thief whose passion for the fruit that bears his name
leads him to steal bunches of them from Grocer Cat, which leads to his pursuit by Sergeant Murphy, Bananas also has many watches on each wrist.
Miss Honey: a bear
school teacher. Her pupils include the Cat children and Lowly Worm.
Beverly Baboon
: A Baboon who works at the Library.
Farmer Alfalfa: a goat
who owns a farm in the outskirts of Busytown and specializes in growing corn
. Non-conscientious drivers can often be seen driving through his fields. (He may have been named after a Terrytoons character of the same name.)
Farmer Patrick Pig: another farmer who resides on the outskirts of Busytown. Being a pig
, he also loves to grow corn, but he often grows wheat
, as well.
Lily Bunny: a little rabbit
in overalls who is Huckle Cat's friend. She likes counting numbers and likes to do what she likes best.
Hilda Hippo: a self-conscious hippopotamus
who works as a playground monitor at the elementary school. She also has a fairly obvious crush on Lowly. It is also revealed that she's allergic
to rose
s.
Jason the Mason: a pig
mason
who specializes in building brick foundations and chimneys. Although skilled at his trade, he is somewhat clumsy.
Sawdust the Carpenter: a cat
carpenter
who builds houses. He sometimes works alone and sometimes with several apprentices.
Fred: A squid
who offers fish and chips.
Doctor Lion: a lion
doctor
who runs both a private practice and works at the Busytown Hospital and is the primary health care provider for most of the citizens.
Nurse Nelly: a cat
nurse who often works as Dr. Lion's assistant both at his office and in the hospital.
Postman Pig: a pig
letter carrier. Although not the only carrier in Busytown, his route includes the Cat family's home.
P.S. Pig: a pig
letter carrier. who appears in The Busy World of Richard Scarry.
Pig-Will and Pig-Won't: Two pig
brothers who drive a sausage shaped car and are friends of Huckle and Sally. Pig-Will wears a green shirt and Pig-Won't wears a red shirt.
Goldbug: A cricket
the Busytown Action Bug news who drives a small yellow van.
Bully Bobcat: a bobcat
who decides Squeaky.
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s, as depicted in various books by the children's author Richard Scarry
Richard Scarry
Richard McClure Scarry was a popular American children's author and illustrator who published over 300 books with total sales of over 100 million units worldwide....
. Main characters of these books include the following: Huckle Cat, Lowly Worm, Mr. Frumble, police Sergeant Murphy, Mr. Fixit, Bananas Gorilla, Hilda Hippo, and Farmer Fox.
In the mid-1990s Cinar
Çinar
Çınar is a district of Diyarbakır Province of Turkey and also the name of downtown of Denizli city of Denizli Province of Turkey....
(now Cookie Jar Entertainment
Cookie Jar Entertainment
The Cookie Jar Group is an American and Canadian producer of children’s entertainment, consumer products and educational materials...
) produced the animated series The Busy World of Richard Scarry
The Busy World of Richard Scarry
The Busy World of Richard Scarry is a Canadian/French animated children's television series, produced by CINAR Animation and France Animation in association with Paramount Television, which aired from 1994 to 1997, first on Showtime, later on Nickelodeon, and ran for 65 episodes...
, based around the inhabitants of Busytown. The series originally aired on Showtime in the United States. A board game and a computer game based on Busytown
Richard Scarry's Busytown
Richard Scarry's Busytown is a Sega Genesis and MS-DOS video game that was released for a younger generation of gamers. This game was based on the television show The Busy World of Richard Scarry that was produced by CINAR and Paramount Television....
were also produced in the 1990s.
Recurring characters
Although the books contain a wide assortment of characters from different countries and backgrounds, there are some who appear in most of the stories as stars or guests making cameo appearances. For example, Huckle Cat, Lowly Worm and Sergeant Murphy, Douglas McDaniel's favorite, often appear in the illustrations even if they are not mentioned in the text.The most frequent characters include:
The Cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
Family
- Father Cat: who runs a grocery storeGrocery storeA grocery store is a store that retails food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells these "groceries" to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are...
and is sometimes referred to as Grocer Cat, His first name is John. He frequently does business with Farmer Alfalfa. In the cartoon series The Busy World of Richard ScarryThe Busy World of Richard ScarryThe Busy World of Richard Scarry is a Canadian/French animated children's television series, produced by CINAR Animation and France Animation in association with Paramount Television, which aired from 1994 to 1997, first on Showtime, later on Nickelodeon, and ran for 65 episodes...
, he works as a travel agent. - Mother Cat: a typical housewife and mother. Mother Cat's first name is Fiona.
- Sally Cat: Huckle's younger sibling. She is 5 years old. In her early appearances she was known as Little Sister. Sally Cat has redRedRed is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
spots in The Busy World of Richard ScarryThe Busy World of Richard ScarryThe Busy World of Richard Scarry is a Canadian/French animated children's television series, produced by CINAR Animation and France Animation in association with Paramount Television, which aired from 1994 to 1997, first on Showtime, later on Nickelodeon, and ran for 65 episodes...
but she has 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...
spots in Busytown MysteriesBusytown MysteriesBusytown Mysteries, also known as Hurray for Huckle!, is a Canadian animated television series created by Cookie Jar Entertainment. Currently the series airs in Canada as part of the Kids' CBC block on CBC Television, in the United Kingdom on the Tiny Pop channel and in the United States as part of...
. - Huckle Cat: their school-age son. He is 7 years old. Huckle is often shown in the cockpits of planes and flying with Rudolf von Flugel. It is implied that his ambition is to be a pilot when he grows up. (Huck was the nickname for Scarry's son, Richard Scarry Jr.) Huckle Cat has redRedRed is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
spots in The Busy World of Richard ScarryThe Busy World of Richard ScarryThe Busy World of Richard Scarry is a Canadian/French animated children's television series, produced by CINAR Animation and France Animation in association with Paramount Television, which aired from 1994 to 1997, first on Showtime, later on Nickelodeon, and ran for 65 episodes...
but he has 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...
spots in Busytown MysteriesBusytown MysteriesBusytown Mysteries, also known as Hurray for Huckle!, is a Canadian animated television series created by Cookie Jar Entertainment. Currently the series airs in Canada as part of the Kids' CBC block on CBC Television, in the United Kingdom on the Tiny Pop channel and in the United States as part of...
. - Lowly WormLowly WormLowly Worm is a fictional character created by Richard Scarry; he frequently appears in children's books by Scarry, and is a main character in the animated series The Busy World of Richard Scarry and Busytown Mysteries. In The Busy World of Richard Scarry he is voiced by Keith Knight.Lowly is an...
: Huckle's best friend pet. He often stays with the Cats as a house guest. Although he attends school with the Cat children, Lowly can also be seen in more adult situations, like driving a street sweeperStreet sweeperA street sweeper or street cleaner can refer to a person's occupation or a machine that cleans streets, usually in an urban area.-History of street sweeping in the United States:...
or working in the operating room of the Busytown HospitalHospitalA hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
. Lowly Worm has appeared in The Busy World of Richard ScarryThe Busy World of Richard ScarryThe Busy World of Richard Scarry is a Canadian/French animated children's television series, produced by CINAR Animation and France Animation in association with Paramount Television, which aired from 1994 to 1997, first on Showtime, later on Nickelodeon, and ran for 65 episodes...
, and Busytown MysteriesBusytown MysteriesBusytown Mysteries, also known as Hurray for Huckle!, is a Canadian animated television series created by Cookie Jar Entertainment. Currently the series airs in Canada as part of the Kids' CBC block on CBC Television, in the United Kingdom on the Tiny Pop channel and in the United States as part of...
. - Grandma Cat: lives in another town and it requires a journey by plane to visit her. She is a skilled driver.
The Pig Family: Father Pig is a house painter married to a typical housewife. They have twin children Harry and Sally.
Sergeant Murphy: a cocker spaniel
English Cocker Spaniel
The English Cocker Spaniel is a breed of gun dog. The English Cocker Spaniel is an active, good-natured, sporting dog, standing well up at the withers and compactly built. There are "field" or "working" cockers and "show" cockers...
police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
motorcyclist who is often present in street and road scenes. He is married and has a little girl named Bridget. He is dedicated to his job and his passion for motorcycles is shown in the fact that he wears his crash helmet
Helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries.Ceremonial or symbolic helmets without protective function are sometimes used. The oldest known use of helmets was by Assyrian soldiers in 900BC, who wore thick leather or bronze helmets to protect the head from...
in bed. His name is reflection on the stereotypical Irish-American policeman.
Mayor Fox: a fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
and the Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Busytown. He always wears a monacle, top hat
Top hat
A top hat, beaver hat, high hat silk hat, cylinder hat, chimney pot hat or stove pipe hat is a tall, flat-crowned, broad-brimmed hat, predominantly worn from the latter part of the 18th to the middle of the 20th century...
and a ribbon of office.
Rudolf von Flugel: a fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
pilot who flies a red-coloured German
Germany
Germany , 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...
World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
monoplane
Monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
and dresses in the uniform of a German officer of the time. He often takes Huckle, Lowly and Little Sister up in his planes, though these flights frequently end in disaster. His name is the German word for wing (Flügel).
Smokey, Sparky and Snozzle: a trio of pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
s. Sparky and Snozzle wear a saucepan and colander
Colander
A colander is a bowl-shaped kitchen utensil with holes in it used for draining food such as pasta or rice.The perforated nature of the colander allows liquid to drain through while retaining the solids inside...
as headgear, and one of them uses a trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
for a siren.
Mr. Fixit: a fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
repairman who boasts that he can fix anything, but does not often show this ability. He once attempted to fix Mother Cat's vacuum cleaner
Vacuum cleaner
A vacuum cleaner, commonly referred to as a "vacuum," is a device that uses an air pump to create a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt, usually from floors, and optionally from other surfaces as well. The dirt is collected by either a dustbag or a cyclone for later disposal...
but it ran on the ceiling instead of the floor. A similar character is the local school's Janitor
Janitor
A janitor or custodian is a professional who takes care of buildings, such as hospitals and schools. Janitors are responsible primarily for cleaning, and often some maintenance and security...
Joe.
Mr. Frumble: a pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
who often loses and chases after his hat. He drives a pickle-shaped car and is prone to vehicular accidents.
Wolfgang Wolf, Benny Baboon
Baboon
Baboons are African and Arabian Old World monkeys belonging to the genus Papio, part of the subfamily Cercopithecinae. There are five species, which are some of the largest non-hominoid members of the primate order; only the mandrill and the drill are larger...
and Harry Hyena
Hyena
Hyenas or Hyaenas are the animals of the family Hyaenidae of suborder feliforms of the Carnivora. It is the fourth smallest biological family in the Carnivora , and one of the smallest in the mammalia...
: a trio of layabouts who spend their time lazing in the sun or eating or getting into trouble. On one occasion they were deemed suitable enough to fly to the moon
Exploration of the Moon
The physical exploration of the Moon began when Luna 2, a space probe launched by the Soviet Union, made an impact on the surface of the Moon on September 14, 1959. Prior to that the only available means of exploration had been observation. The invention of the optical telescope brought about the...
(with Lowly as a passenger).
Bananas Gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
: a thief whose passion for the fruit that bears his name
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
leads him to steal bunches of them from Grocer Cat, which leads to his pursuit by Sergeant Murphy, Bananas also has many watches on each wrist.
Miss Honey: a bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
school teacher. Her pupils include the Cat children and Lowly Worm.
Beverly Baboon
Baboon
Baboons are African and Arabian Old World monkeys belonging to the genus Papio, part of the subfamily Cercopithecinae. There are five species, which are some of the largest non-hominoid members of the primate order; only the mandrill and the drill are larger...
: A Baboon who works at the Library.
Farmer Alfalfa: a goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
who owns a farm in the outskirts of Busytown and specializes in growing corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
. Non-conscientious drivers can often be seen driving through his fields. (He may have been named after a Terrytoons character of the same name.)
Farmer Patrick Pig: another farmer who resides on the outskirts of Busytown. Being a pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
, he also loves to grow corn, but he often grows wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, as well.
Lily Bunny: a little rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
in overalls who is Huckle Cat's friend. She likes counting numbers and likes to do what she likes best.
Hilda Hippo: a self-conscious hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
who works as a playground monitor at the elementary school. She also has a fairly obvious crush on Lowly. It is also revealed that she's allergic
Allergy
An Allergy is a hypersensitivity disorder of the immune system. Allergic reactions occur when a person's immune system reacts to normally harmless substances in the environment. A substance that causes a reaction is called an allergen. These reactions are acquired, predictable, and rapid...
to rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
s.
Jason the Mason: a pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
mason
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
who specializes in building brick foundations and chimneys. Although skilled at his trade, he is somewhat clumsy.
Sawdust the Carpenter: a cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
who builds houses. He sometimes works alone and sometimes with several apprentices.
Fred: A squid
Squid
Squid are cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms arranged in pairs and two, usually longer, tentacles...
who offers fish and chips.
Doctor Lion: a lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
who runs both a private practice and works at the Busytown Hospital and is the primary health care provider for most of the citizens.
Nurse Nelly: a cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
nurse who often works as Dr. Lion's assistant both at his office and in the hospital.
Postman Pig: a pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
letter carrier. Although not the only carrier in Busytown, his route includes the Cat family's home.
P.S. Pig: a pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
letter carrier. who appears in The Busy World of Richard Scarry.
Pig-Will and Pig-Won't: Two pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
brothers who drive a sausage shaped car and are friends of Huckle and Sally. Pig-Will wears a green shirt and Pig-Won't wears a red shirt.
Goldbug: A cricket
Cricket (insect)
Crickets, family Gryllidae , are insects somewhat related to grasshoppers, and more closely related to katydids or bush crickets . They have somewhat flattened bodies and long antennae. There are about 900 species of crickets...
the Busytown Action Bug news who drives a small yellow van.
Bully Bobcat: a bobcat
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
who decides Squeaky.