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Martha Speaks (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Martha Speaks is an animated children's television sitcom based on the 1992 children's book of the same name
by Susan Meddaugh
about a talking dog named Martha (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain
), who is owned by ten-year-old Helen Lorraine (known in the books as Helen Finney). When Helen feeds Martha some alphabet soup, the soup travels to her brain instead of her stomach, resulting in her ability to speak. The show focuses on synonyms and vocabulary
, with each episode featuring an underlying theme illustrated with key words. The show takes place in the fictional town of Wagstaff City, a parody of Flagstaff, Arizona
.
The show is produced by WGBH
in Boston
, along with Vancouver
based animation studio DHX Media Vancouver (formerly Studio B Productions), and debuted on September 1, 2008 on PBS Kids
and PBS Kids Go!
stations across the United States. Some episodes of this TV series were available for limited theatrical release on January 3, 2009.
The third season of Martha Speaks premiered on PBS Kids on October 11, 2010., and the series has been renewed for a fourth season with 10 episodes.
When aired, the show was followed by Music Time With Steve Songs and later by Dot's Story Factory. Season two episodes have been followed by a segment called Who's That Dog!, in which a clip of a kid and their dog is shown.
In the Fall of 2009, Martha Speaks launched its first list of official tie-in books, which include 24-page readers, chapter books, and a picture book.
On March 9, 2010, a DVD set of the series was released. It features eight episodes from Season One: "Martha Says It with Flowers," "Raiders of the Lost Art," "Martha Gets Spooked," "Martha Changes Her Luck," "Martha Sings," "TD Makes the Band," "There Goes the Neighborhood," and "Ice Scream."
Martha Speaks (book)
Martha Speaks is the fictional book written by Susan Meddaugh. It is the first in a series of six books featuring the title character Martha.-Setting:...
by Susan Meddaugh
Susan Meddaugh
Susan Meddaugh is an American author, best known for writing children's books.-Martha Speaks books:Susan Meddaugh has written six Martha Speaks books:* Martha Speaks: 1A* Martha and Skits 2A* Martha Blah Blah 6A* Perfectly Martha 7B...
about a talking dog named Martha (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain
Tabitha St. Germain
Tabitha St. Germain is a Canadian stage actress. She has made the transition from stage work to voice work, and has since become one of the core female voice actresses working with Ocean Productions in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.- Anime :* .hack//Roots - Asta, Nazo Grunty* Black Lagoon -...
), who is owned by ten-year-old Helen Lorraine (known in the books as Helen Finney). When Helen feeds Martha some alphabet soup, the soup travels to her brain instead of her stomach, resulting in her ability to speak. The show focuses on synonyms and vocabulary
Vocabulary
A person's vocabulary is the set of words within a language that are familiar to that person. A vocabulary usually develops with age, and serves as a useful and fundamental tool for communication and acquiring knowledge...
, with each episode featuring an underlying theme illustrated with key words. The show takes place in the fictional town of Wagstaff City, a parody of Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff is a city located in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2010, the city's population was 65,870. The population of the Metropolitan Statistical Area was at 134,421 in 2010. It is the county seat of Coconino County...
.
The show is produced by WGBH
WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV, channel 2, is a non-commercial educational public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service , and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time television programming...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, along with Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
based animation studio DHX Media Vancouver (formerly Studio B Productions), and debuted on September 1, 2008 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...
and PBS Kids Go!
PBS Kids GO!
PBS Kids GO! is an educational television brand used by PBS for programs intended for older children, rather than the original PBS Kids. It is primarily broadcast on PBS stations during the afternoons...
stations across the United States. Some episodes of this TV series were available for limited theatrical release on January 3, 2009.
The third season of Martha Speaks premiered on PBS Kids on October 11, 2010., and the series has been renewed for a fourth season with 10 episodes.
Production
The episodes are produced by Carol Greenwald, and was developed for television by Emmy Award-winning writer Ken Scarborough, the show's head writer and creative producer. Mr. Scarborough is also head writer for the show. Other writers include Joe Fallon, Peter Hirsch, Raye Lankford, Pippin Parker, Ron Holsey, and Dietrich Smith. Music for the series and the theme song is by Canadian composer Daniel Ingram. Lyrics for the theme song are by head writer, Ken Scarborough. The show is animated in Vancouver by Studio B Productions using Flash. Meddaugh, author of the book. is involved in the show and oversees the production. Despite some concerns over the word definitions presented on the show, she said she is now satisfied that they do not interrupt the story. Producer Carol Greenwald first contacted Meddaugh when she was involved in the TV series Arthur; the author has also been approached by HBO and Disney.Language system
Martha can understand most animal languages except for a few exotic animals such as monkeys and giraffes. These languages are simple, as slight elongation or slightly higher pitch will mean something entirely different. In the episode "Itchy Martha", Martha teaches T.D.'s father to speak a word in dog, coaching him to say it exactly right. Almost all animals are able to understand some sort of human language but are unable to speak it. In a newer episode, it is revealed that Martha understands a wide range of animal languages, possibly because they have the same grammar system.Episodes
Season one of the series ended with a total of 40 episodes; it premiered in September 2008. 30 episodes were produced for Season 2 and then split in half to be aired over two broadcast seasons, with 15 episodes each.When aired, the show was followed by Music Time With Steve Songs and later by Dot's Story Factory. Season two episodes have been followed by a segment called Who's That Dog!, in which a clip of a kid and their dog is shown.
| Season | Episodes | First airdate | Last airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 40 | September 1, 2008 | July 24, 2009 |
| 2 | 15 | September 14, 2009 | May 14, 2010 |
| 3 | 15 | October 11, 2010 | June 28, 2011 |
Merchandise
PBS KIDS! reported that episodes of the series would be available as downloads in fall 2008. Episodes are available for purchase via downloading.In the Fall of 2009, Martha Speaks launched its first list of official tie-in books, which include 24-page readers, chapter books, and a picture book.
On March 9, 2010, a DVD set of the series was released. It features eight episodes from Season One: "Martha Says It with Flowers," "Raiders of the Lost Art," "Martha Gets Spooked," "Martha Changes Her Luck," "Martha Sings," "TD Makes the Band," "There Goes the Neighborhood," and "Ice Scream."
Funding
- The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (2008–present)
- A cooperative agreement from the United States Department of EducationUnited States Department of EducationThe United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
's Ready To Learn Grant (2008–present) - The Arthur Vining Davis FoundationsThe Arthur Vining Davis FoundationsThe Arthur Vining Davis Foundations are a group of charitable foundations established by American industrialist Arthur Vining Davis, onetime Alcoa president and Florida land developer.-History:...
(2008-present) - Contributions to your PBS stations from Viewers Like YouPublic 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....
(2008–present) - Chick-fil-AChick-fil-AChick-fil-A |"fillet"]]) is a quick service restaurant chain headquartered in College Park, Georgia, United States, specializing in chicken entrées and is known for promoting the company founder's claims of Christian values. Long associated with the southern United States, where it has been a...
(2010-present)
See also
- List of Martha Speaks characters
- List of Martha Speaks episodes
- Susan MeddaughSusan MeddaughSusan Meddaugh is an American author, best known for writing children's books.-Martha Speaks books:Susan Meddaugh has written six Martha Speaks books:* Martha Speaks: 1A* Martha and Skits 2A* Martha Blah Blah 6A* Perfectly Martha 7B...