Ripples is a CGI Italian animated television series created and produced by Animabit and Rai Fiction. The first serie of Ondino (Italian title) was broadcast on Italian RAI television on July 8, 2007. The series currently airs on RAI television , TV2 (Norway) , ABC Australia and Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...

.

Concept

The subject area of each episode may focus on a particular sea

Sea

A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...

 environment

Natural environment

The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....

 (natural phenomena or living things), or concentrate on the main character’s interaction with the human world.
The protagonist, a little boy called Ripples, is the one who is best able to act on the information he gathers. The pelican

Pelican

A pelican, derived from the Greek word πελεκυς pelekys is a large water bird with a large throat pouch, belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae....

 Icarus, who is something of a mentor figure for the group, often has the task of instigating a quest in the earlier stages of the episode. The octopus

Octopus

The octopus is a cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms, and like other cephalopods they are bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms...

 Polly and the hermit crab

Hermit crab

Hermit crabs are decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea. Most of the 1100 species possess an asymmetrical abdomen which is concealed in an empty gastropod shell that is carried around by the hermit crab.-Description:...

 Jason provide the comic moments.

Characters

Ripples

Ripples is a half human half fish he can survive on land or underwater

Underwater

Underwater is a term describing the realm below the surface of water where the water exists in a natural feature such as an ocean, sea, lake, pond, or river. Three quarters of the planet Earth is covered by water...

. He is the main character in the show Ripples. He always solves problems with his friends by thinking hard and coming up with an idea. He has orange hair, black eyes, black eyebrows, white skin and green and gold pants with a shell

Seashell

A seashell or sea shell, also known simply as a shell, is a hard, protective outer layer created by an animal that lives in the sea. The shell is part of the body of the animal. Empty seashells are often found washed up on beaches by beachcombers...

 on his pants. He wants to be a sailor when he grows up in the episode 'The Magic Amphora' and he said he will get the old fishing boat and make it brand new and he said that he will sail the seven seas.

Jason

Jason is a hermit crab who lives around sandy areas. He is one of Ripples friends. He also helps his friends solve problems throughout their adventures. He has black eyes, black eyebrows, an orange body and he has a shell.Throughout their adventures he stands up for his friends and tries to be brave. He said he wanted to be a skater when he grows up in the episode 'The Magic Amphora' when Icarus asked him he said a skater named Jason the lightning flash.

Polly

Polly is an octopus who lives underwater. She is one of Ripples' friends. She always has a smile on her face except for when a problem occurs in her friends way. In the end Polly is always happy for her friends after an adventure. She has black eyes, black eyebrows, a purple body and she has tentacles.She can make herself into anything. She says she wants to be a rock star when she grows up in the episode 'The Magic Amphora' when Icarus asks her and she said a singer that sings rock star music.

Icarus

Icarus is a pelican who lives on boats and ships. He is one of Ripples' friends. He doesn't hang around his friends instead he stays on top of ships and boats. When his friends need help he always gives them advice. He has black eyes, white eyebrows, white feathers and he has a beak

Beak

The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...

.

Other characters

Lucinda

Lucinda is a sea turtle

Sea turtle

Sea turtles are marine reptiles that inhabit all of the world's oceans except the Arctic.-Distribution:...

 who lives in wet lands and underwater. She is one of Ripples' friends. She gives her friends lifts to other destinations so her friends can solve a variety of problems quicker. She has green eyes, brown eyebrows, green body and she has a back shell.

Lillo

Lillo is a snipefish who swims underwater day to night. He is one of Ripples' friends. He hangs out with Ripple and his friends and he plays with them and has much fun. He has three small brothers. His den got pulled away from the storm

Storm

A storm is any disturbed state of an astronomical body's atmosphere, especially affecting its surface, and strongly implying severe weather...

 in the episode 'The Rainbow

Rainbow

A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines on to droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere. It takes the form of a multicoloured arc...

'. He has black eyes, a yellow body and he has a mouth tube that can sound like a trumpet.

Dido & Dado

Dido & Dado are sea breams . They both have the same appearance. When Ripples and his friends are solving problems they get attached but in the end they are back to normal. They both have black eyes, grey body and they both have green stripes on themselves. Their den gets dumped in the episode 'A Sea Of... Garbage

Waste

Waste is unwanted or useless materials. In biology, waste is any of the many unwanted substances or toxins that are expelled from living organisms, metabolic waste; such as urea, sweat or feces. Litter is waste which has been disposed of improperly...

'.

Environments

The Sea

For Ripples, Polly and Jason, the sea is their habitat

Habitat

* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...

, their home, and a natural playground that offers up one adventure after another. As well as being home to various species of flora

Flora

Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...

 and fauna

Fauna

Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...

, the sea floor is a magic playground with mysterious rock formations lit by dancing rays of light filtering down through the water from the surface. Seaweed

Seaweed

Seaweed is a loose, colloquial term encompassing macroscopic, multicellular, benthic marine algae. The term includes some members of the red, brown and green algae...

 forest

Forest

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

s, sandbanks

Sandbanks

Sandbanks is a small peninsula or spit crossing the mouth of Poole Harbour on the English Channel coast at Poole in Dorset, England. It is well-known for the highly regarded Sandbanks Beach and property value; Sandbanks has, by area, the fourth highest land value in the world...

 and ravine

Ravine

A ravine is a landform narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streamcutting erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys. A ravine is generally a fluvial slope landform of relatively steep sides, on the order of twenty to...

s are the haunts of most of Ripples’ friends: fish, squid, oysters, sea urchins, even sharks and whales.

The Fishing Boat

An old, beached fishing vessel is Icarus’ favourite place for resting a while between flights. It offers him a range of “creature comforts”: the beam serves as a perfect lookout point from which to observe the horizon

Horizon

The horizon is the apparent line that separates earth from sky, the line that divides all visible directions into two categories: those that intersect the Earth's surface, and those that do not. At many locations, the true horizon is obscured by trees, buildings, mountains, etc., and the resulting...

, the deck

Deck (ship)

A deck is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull of a ship. On a boat or ship, the primary deck is the horizontal structure which forms the 'roof' for the hull, which both strengthens the hull and serves as the primary working surface...

 is an excellent spot to curl up for a nap, while the cabin

Cabin (ship)

A cabin or berthing is an enclosed space generally on a ship or an aircraft. A cabin which protrudes above the level of a ship's deck may be referred to as a "deckhouse."-Sailing ships:...

 provides shelter from wind and rain. The semi-submerged boat is also a playground for Ripples and his friends, who come and go through the hole-ridden hull and meet all sorts of land and sea creatures in the hold.

The Beach

This is the border zone between three distinct worlds: the underwater world of the fish, the dry land of the marine birds and the evershifting surface of the sea, with its waves

WAVES

The WAVES were a World War II-era division of the U.S. Navy that consisted entirely of women. The name of this group is an acronym for "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service" ; the word "emergency" implied that the acceptance of women was due to the unusual circumstances of the war and...

 and currents. Ripples, who is able to breathe both below and above the sea, is often to be found at the beach, investigating the strange and wonderful objects that are often washed up on the shore

Shore

A shore or shoreline is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. In Physical Oceanography a shore is the wider fringe that is geologically modified by the action of the body of water past and present, while the beach is at the edge of the shore,...

 by storms and tides: he might even bump into turtles, crabs and other crustaceans.

The Rocks

These are the oases

Oasis

In geography, an oasis or cienega is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source...

 of the sea, the place for a chat with seagulls, with albatrosses and with other such explorers, wanderers and adventurers.

Episodes - First Series (1-26)

1. The Magic Amphora
2. The Missing Pearls
3. The Firefly Lamp
4. Kiko The Dolphin
5. Charlotte The Oyster
6. The Urchinday
7. The Chick
8. The King Of The Seagulls
9. A Sea Of… Garbage
10. The Rainbow
11. Star Little Star
12. Doctor Jason
13. Polly The Babysitter
14. The Little Bird From The Sea
15. Autumn Is Near
16. The Bungling Sardine
17. The Penguin
18. The Two Turtles
19. Happy Birthday Ripples
20. Wild Oscar
21. A Home For Esmeralda
22. Journey Into The Depths
23. A Dolphin Called...Jason
24. United We Stand, Divided We Fall
25. Night Flight
26. The Great Jack

Episodes - Second Series (27-52)

1. The Little Mermaid
2. A Ray Of Flowers
3. Hiccups
4. The Cloud Catchers
5. Lunch Is Served
6. The Flag
7. The Great Current
8. When The Snow Falls
9. Sweet Dreams
10. Return Of Michaelangelo
11. The Eel’s Great Journey
12. The Fizzy Drink
13. The Unbeatable Bumbo
14. A Sea Full Of Stories
15. Best Of Friends
16. The Enchanted Vessel
17. Uncle Hercules
18. The Secret Room
19. The Great Spring Clean
20. In A Jam
21. Jason’s Odyssey
22. Journey To The Centre Of The Earth
23. Mexico And Bluebubbles
24. The Puffin’s Secret
25. A Stroke Of Genius
26. Super Jason

Voices

• Ripples-Felicity Duncan

• Jason-Dave Kitchen

• Polly-Jo Lee

• Icarus-Stuart Organ

Episodes synopsis (1-26)

The Magic Amphora

Ripples and his friends Jason and Polly find a mysterious and magic amphora

Amphora

An amphora is a type of vase-shaped, usually ceramic container with two handles and a long neck narrower than the body...

The Missing Pearls

Ripples, Polly and Jason offer to help several oysters find their pearls after they mysteriously went missing in the night.

The Firefly

Firefly

Lampyridae is a family of insects in the beetle order Coleoptera. They are winged beetles, and commonly called fireflies or lightning bugs for their conspicuous crepuscular use of bioluminescence to attract mates or prey. Fireflies produce a "cold light", with no infrared or ultraviolet frequencies...

 Lamp

Jason wakes up and realises his shell is missing. Ripples rushes to the beach to find it, but he finds it difficult to see in the dark luckily eh is helped by the firefly Lulu.

Kiko The Dolphin

Dolphin

Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...

Kiko the dolphin has always lived in captivity in a water circus

Sea World

Sea World is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, and theme park located on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It includes rides, animal exhibits and other attractions, and promotes conservation through education and through the rescue and rehabilitation of sick, injured or orphaned wildlife. The...

. He manages to escape to see the wonders of the sea. He meets Ripples and his friends, who are very curious and ask him details of the journeys he has made.

Charlotte The Oyster

Lillo tells Ripples, Polly and Jason that his little brothers are born. So, the three friends set off for the beach to find presents for the babies.

The Urchin

Sea urchin

Sea urchins or urchins are small, spiny, globular animals which, with their close kin, such as sand dollars, constitute the class Echinoidea of the echinoderm phylum. They inhabit all oceans. Their shell, or "test", is round and spiny, typically from across. Common colors include black and dull...

 Day

Followed by Polly and Jason, Ripples dives down to find a present for the 'urchinday' of their urchin friend Spillo (Pinprick).

The Chick

Seagull loses one of the five eggs she is brooding, which ends up on the beach and Jason finds it just as its hatching.

The King Of The Seagulls

Ripples, Polly and Jason show Icarus three objects they received from Lucinda. The pelican shows them the Feather of Honour received years back from the King of the Seagulls, but a flurry of wind blows it away.

A Sea Of... Garbage

Waste

Waste is unwanted or useless materials. In biology, waste is any of the many unwanted substances or toxins that are expelled from living organisms, metabolic waste; such as urea, sweat or feces. Litter is waste which has been disposed of improperly...

A large boat is sailing around and spreading garbage everywhere; a can falls near Ripples, Polly and Jason who, joined by Lucinda decide to go to Icarus and ask for his help to put an end to this havoc.

The Rainbow

Rainbow

A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines on to droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere. It takes the form of a multicoloured arc...

Ripples, Polly and Jason dive under water during a rain shower and meet Lillo, who tells them to go somewhere else because the vault of his den is about to crumble away.

Star Little Star

Star

A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...

Ripples, Polly and Jason wake up in the night and join Icarus in admiring a beautiful sky full of shooting stars.

Doctor Jason

Ripples pricks himself with a thorn

Thorns, spines, and prickles

In botanical morphology, thorns, spines, and prickles are hard structures with sharp, or at least pointed, ends. In spite of this common feature, they differ in their growth and development on the plant; they are modified versions of different plant organs, stems, stipules, leaf veins, or hairs...

 as he is playing with Polly and Jason. The three run to the fishing boat, where Dr. Otto, a large octopus, takes the thorn out of Ripples foot.

Polly The Babysitter

Ripples and Jason are busy employing several objects found on the beach as musical instruments.

The Little Bird From Over The Sea

Ripples, Polly and Jason meet a little bird who has just completed a long journey to spend the winter

Winter

Winter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.-Meteorology:...

 on their beach.

Autumn In Near

On the beach Ripples, Polly and Jason meet Gegè, a poet

Poet

A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

 swallow who charms Polly with his verses.

The Bungling Sardine

Sardine

Sardines, or pilchards, are several types of small, oily fish related to herrings, family Clupeidae. Sardines are named after the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, around which they were once abundant....

Ripples, Polly and Jason try to console Samy, a little sardine who is always bumping into her companions.

The Penguin

Penguin

Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...

Ripples and his friends meet a lost Penguin called Michelangelo.

The Two Turtles

Ripples, Polly and Jason meet Helga, a land turtle who wants to learn to swim.

Happy Birthday

It's Ripples Birthday but nobody seems to want to spend the day with him.

Wild Oscar

Ripples, Polly and Jason meet a bad-tempered hermit crab called Oscar.

A Home For Esmerelda

Sara the seal and young Esmeralda's den is being destroyed by a group of men who are building a harbour.

Journey Into The Depths

Deep sea

The deep sea, or deep layer, is the lowest layer in the ocean, existing below the thermocline and above the seabed, at a depth of 1000 fathoms or more. Little or no light penetrates this part of the ocean and most of the organisms that live there rely for subsistence on falling organic matter...

Ripples and his best friends find themselves in the deepest darkness, but Flish and Flash help them to back home.

A Dolphin Called Jason

While playing with Polly and Ripples, Jason bangs his head, loses his memory and thinks he is Kiko the dolphin.

United We Stand, Divided We Fall

Ripples and his friends have a competition between the boys and the girls.

Night Flight

Ripples, Polly and Jason get lost in the woods

Forest

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

.

The Great Jack

Joe the albatross

Albatross

Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds allied to the procellariids, storm-petrels and diving-petrels in the order Procellariiformes . They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific...

gives a crab the news of the imminent arrival of a creature called Jack. This causes a round of Chinese whispers and has everyone wondering who and what Jack is.