The Busy World of Richard Scarry is a Canadian/French animated children's television series

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 CINAR Animation (now known as Cookie Jar Entertainment) and France Animation in association with Paramount Television

Paramount Television

Paramount Television was an American television production/distribution company that was active from January 1, 1968 to August 27, 2006.Its successor is CBS Television Studios, formerly CBS Paramount Television...

, which aired from 1994 to 1997, first on Showtime, later on Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon (TV channel)

Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...

, and ran for 65 episodes. The television series was based on the books drawn and written by 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....

. Reruns of the show formerly aired in syndication as part of the Cookie Jar Kids Network block, but the show now continues to air on the Cookie Jar Toons

Cookie Jar Toons

Cookie Jar Toons is a daily children's programming block on the This TV digital broadcast network. The block is programmed by Toronto based Cookie Jar Entertainment...

 block on ThisTV.

Cast

• Sonja Ball
  Sonja Ball
  Sonja Ball is a Canadian voice actress.She is well known for her work as the voice of Arthur's Mother Jane Read in the PBS children's TV series Arthur, Huckle Cat on The Busy World of Richard Scarry, Polly Ester in the English version of Samurai Pizza Cats, Nicole in the Madeline TV specials, and...
  
   as Huckle Cat, Fiona Cat and Sally Cat
• Keith Knight
  Keith Knight (actor)
  Keith Knight was a Canadian actor. He made his screen debut as Larry 'Fink' Finkelstein in the 1979 comedy Meatballs, voiced the White Rabbit in The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland, and voiced Pigface in the BBC drama Ace Lightning. He was also known for voicing Lowly Worm in The Busy World of...
  
   as Lowly Worm
  Lowly Worm
  Lowly 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...
  
   and Able Baker Mouse
• Stephen Ouimette
  Stephen Ouimette
  Stephen Ouimette is a Canadian actor and director, born and raised in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, and a graduate of the University of Windsor...
  
   as Mr. Frumble
• Len Carlson
  Len Carlson
  Len Carlson was a Canadian voice actor on many animated television series from the 1960s onward, an occasional live-action TV actor, and a Kraft Canada TV pitchman during the 1970s and 1980s...
  
   as Huckle Cat (additional lines), Mr. Gronkle and Sergeant Murphy
• John Stocker
  John Stocker
  John Stocker is a Canadian animated voice actor. His career began in the 1970s, when he started voice acting.-Life and career:...
  
   as John Cat,Humperdink

Overview

The series takes place in the fictional city of Busytown

Busytown

Busytown is a fictional town inhabited by an assortment of anthropomorphic animals, 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...

 and mainly stars Huckle Cat, Lowly Worm

Lowly Worm

Lowly 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...

 and many of the other residents of Busytown. Every "human" in the series is an anthropomorphic animal, most commonly 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...

s, 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...

es, breeds of dogs, mice

MICE

-Fiction:*Mice , alien species in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*The Mice -Acronyms:* "Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions", facilities terminology for events...

, rabbit

Rabbit

Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...

s, 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...

s, and 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...

s. Each episode always features a conflict (which is eventually resolved in the end, as usual). However, episodes featuring other anthropomorphic animals, like Couscous catching Pépé le Gangstaire and his dirty rat

Rat

Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...

s, Sam and Dudley, Sneef, Cucumber

Cucumber

The cucumber is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash, and in the same genus as the muskmelon. The plant is a creeping vine which bears cylindrical edible fruit when ripe. There are three main varieties of cucumber: "slicing", "pickling", and...

s and Pickle

Pickle

Pickling is a process of preserving food. Pickle or pickling may refer to:-Food:* Pickled cucumber* Pickled onion* Pickled herring* Indian pickle includes oil-based food preservation* Branston and similar sweet pickle relishes...

s, and etc. have taken place outside of Busytown in other places around the world.

Season one (1994)

No.	Title(s)	Airdate	Description
1	The Talking Bread; Couscous, the North African Detective; The Three Fishermen	March 13, 1994	A bread in Able Charlie Baker's bakery repeatedly says "Mama", Couscous catches Pepe le Gangster and his Dirty Rats who intend to steal the Jewel-of-Jewels, and the Cat Family goes out fishing and returning with fish of different sizes.
2	The Best Birthday Present Ever; Patrick Pig Learns to Talk; Grouchy Mr. Gronkle	March 9, 1994 (special prime-time premiere)	Huckle Cat buys his mother a cuckoo clock for her birthday, Patrick Pig learns how to speak after kissing the Blarney Stone, and Mr. Gronkle is introduced.
3	The Busiest Firefighters Ever; Manuel of Mexico; The Biggest Catch Ever	March 20, 1994	Smoky and his Firefighters are introduced and their firefighting career, a mystery takes place in Mexico and a big catch is received.
4	The Best Babysitter Ever; Mario, the Venetian Gondolier; Mr. Raccoon's Different Day	March 27, 1994	Hilda Hippo babysits for Pig Will and Pig Won't, Mario attempts to be a successful gondolier in Venice using his melon boat and Mr. Raccoon has his coffee shop "redecorated" by Mr. Frumble and Bananas Gorilla.
5	The Best Mistake Ever; Sneef, the Best Detective in Europe; Camping Out	April 3, 1994	Huckle forgets the shopping list and buys the wrong foods, Sneef and Sniff prevent the theft of the Royal Jewels and Huckle and Lowly camp out in the backyard.
6	Mr. Frumble's New Cars; Ernst and Heidi in the Alps; Billy Dog's Bad Day	April 10, 1994	When Mr. Frumble crashes his car and he steals the bulldozer from Roger Rhino, a taxi, and the airplane from Rudolph Von Flugel, Ernst and Heidi have adventures in the Swiss alps and Billy Dog moves to Busytown.
7	The Snowstorm; Professor Dig and His Egyptian Mummy; The Treasure Hunt	April 17, 1994	A big snowstorm causes havoc in Busytown, Professor Dig has an Egyptian mummy which he mistakes as a beautiful woman when his glasses are lost, and a treasure hunt takes place in Busytown.
8	The Missing Bananas; Good Luck in Rome; The Accident	April 24, 1994	Bananas Gorilla steals a batch of bananas, another mystery takes place in Rome and an accident occurs.
9	A Trip to the Moon; Pip Pip Goes to London; Floating Bananas	May 1, 1994	Wolfgang, Benny, Harry and Lowly fly to the moon in Mr. Fix-It's rocket ship, Pip Pip Goes to London and helps the Queen find her lost ring, and floating bananas appear in Busy Bay when Bananas Gorilla takes on a job as a ship cook.
10	Hat Pie; Hans, the Dutch Plumber; Hilda's Romantic Tea Party	May 8, 1994	Lowly Worm's hat is lost in Mother Cat's apple pie, Hans, a plumber working at the Dutch Windmills experiences a leak in a dyke, and Hilda has a tea party for a lonely Miss Honey.
11	Summer Picnic; Cucumber, the African Photographer; A Big Operation	May 15, 1994	The class goes on a picnic that is temporarily spoiled by rain, Cucumber and her assistant Pickles are nervous about photographing lions in Africa, and Huckle has his tonsils removed.
12	Sergeant Murphy's Day Off; Schmudge, the German Chimney Sweep; The Sleeping Car Adventure	May 22, 1994	Sergeant Murphy gets his first day off, Schmudge has good luck as a chimney sweep in Germany, and an adventure in a sleeping car takes place.
13	Busytown Regatta; Schtoompah, the Funny Austrian; Busytown Soap Box Derby	May 29, 1994	Busytown celebrates a regatta race, Schtoompah wreaks havoc when he blows his tuba too hard and Sally Cat, Huckle and Lowly win the Busytown soap box derby.

Season two (1995-96)

No.	Title(s)	Airdate	Description
14	The Big Story; Couscous in Gibraltar; The Firefighter's Ball	Spring 1995	Huckle and other children in his class seek stories for the school newspaper, Couscous stops Pepe and his Dirty Rats, this time in Gibraltar, and Smoky, Sparkey and Nozzle hold a firefighters ball, "decorated" by volunteer firefighter Mr. Frumble.
15	Scout's Field Trip; The Great Pie Robbery; Clean Garage	Spring 1995	The Scouts go on a field trip, a lot of pies get stolen and the Cat Family cleans out their garage.
16	Captain Willy and the Pirates; Flying Noodles; Roughing It	Spring 1995	Captain Willy is put ashore by pie-rats and attempts to get his boat back, Cucumber and Pickles solve the mystery of flying noodles in Japan, and the Cat Family has a camping adventure.
17	Young Vikings; Sneef Saves the Queen; Hilda the Director	Spring 1995	Huckle and Lowly go sailing on a Viking raft that they built, Sneef stops Lady Cheetah from steeling the Queen of England's crown jewels, and Hilda holds auditions for actors to star in her play.
18	High Flyers; Steamboat Mystery; The Best Waiters Ever	Spring 1995	A mystery involving a steamboat takes place; Wolfgang, Benny, and Harry get jobs as waiters.
19	The Big Move; Sneef in Russia; Mr. Frumble Gets a Job	Spring 1995	Billy Dog discovers that he is moving, Sneef and Sniff save a Russian mystery and Mr. Frumble gets his first job.
20	Ambulance Cake; The Supermarket Mystery; Big Trouble for Bananas Gorilla	Spring 1995	Mother Cat bakes a cake to sell at the hospital bake sale, a mystery occurs when food is stolen from the supermarket, and Bananas Gorilla gets in more big trouble having stolen more bananas.
21	New Friend on the Block; Couscous in the Sahara; Sergeant Murphy's Deputy	Spring 1995	A new friend for Huckle arrives on his street, Couscous catches Pepe and his Dirty Rats by trapping them in a jail disguised as an Egyptian pyramid, and Sergeant Murphy gets a new (and overzealous) deputy.
22	Sally's First Day at School; Cucumber in Rockies; The Biggest Storm Ever	Spring 1995	Sally Cat has her first day of kindergarten, Cucumber and Pickles stop Husky Blue-Eyes and Grizzly Jack from stealing a boxcar of food in the Canadian Rockies, and a big storm/flood occurs in Busytown.
23	No Time for Bananas; Sneef in India; Sally Cat's First Trip	Spring 1995	Bananas Gorilla does not get a chance for bananas, Sneef and Sniff stop Lady Cheetah from stealing the jewels of a maharajah in India, and Sally Cat goes on her first trip without her family.
24	Grand Hotel; Couscous on the Nile; Cat Family Ski Trip	Spring 1995	Huckle, Lowly and Sally help their travel agent father review the Busytown Grand Hotel, Couscous stops Pepe le Gangster from stealing the treasures of the Nile, and the Cat Family goes on a ski trip.
25	Lowly Breaks His Leg; Cucumber in Machu Pichu; The Plight of Penelope Parakeet	Spring 1995	Lowly breaks his one leg and Huckle helps nurse him back to health, Cucumber saves a Machu Pichu mystery where the 10 golden rings are stolen, and Hilda's pet parakeet Penelope accidentally gets outdoors.
26	A Newspaper Mom; Cucumber in Rio; Donut Raffle	Spring 1995	Mother cat gets a job for newspaper delivering, Cucumber and Pickles solve a mystery of missing costumes during Carnivale in Brazil, and a Donut Raffle takes place in Busytown.
27	The Knights of Busytown; Cave Pigs; Bucketman in Busytown	Fall 1995	Knights and a bucketman are a major occurrence in Busytown and the life of cave pigs is featured.
28	Billy Dog Gets Glasses; Cordelia's Debut; Lowly Joins the Circus	Fall 1995	Billy Dog gets his own glasses for the first time, Cordelia debuts and Lowly Worm takes part in a circus.
29	The Big Dare; Oliver's Sandwich; Pig Will Won't	Fall 1995	A big dare takes place, Oliver gets problems with his sandwich and Pig Won't refuses to be agreeable, even if it's for his own good.
30	The Best Birthday Party Ever; Martha's First Book; Locked Out	Fall 1995	Sally Cat and another child from school share a birthday party, the story of the printing press and first book are told, and one gets locked out.
31	Dad's Neat Job; The Discovery of America; Mr. Gronkle's Friends	Fall 1995	Father Cat does a new job, the story of America being discovered is featured and Mr. Gronkle's friends are introduced.
32	Denys at Camp; Peasant Pig's Little Gifts; Little Fixit	1996	Denys go to camp, Peasant Pig gets his own gifts and Little Fixit, the sister of Mr. and Mrs. Fixit is introduced.
33	School Dance; The First Olympics; Hilda for President	1996	A school dance takes place, The story of the Greek Olympics is featured and Hilda runs for president.
34	Mr. Frumble's Brother; Viking Pigs; The Perfect Wedding	1996	Mr. Frumble's brother is introduced, the Viking pigs are introduced and a wedding takes place in Busytown.
35	A Tough Test; The First Pyramid; The Big Date	1996	A tough test takes place, the story of the discovery of the first pyramid is featured and a big date takes place.
36	Inventor of the Year; Macaroni Polo; Lone Wolf at the Lighthouse	1996	One of Busytown's residents gets an award for being the inventor of the year, Macaroni Polo is introduced and Lone Wolfe is at a lighthouse.
37	Fun-Time Riddle Race; The First Balloon; Billy Dog's Space Rock	1996	A big riddle race takes place in Busytown starting at the Fire station (with the riddle "When things get really hot, we'll bring you some water") and ending at the Observatory (with the riddle "When it gets dark, look up and watch the show"), the story of the first balloon (a.k.a. Montgolfier) is featured and Billy Dog loses a meteorite from the observatory and tries to find and return it.
38	The Best Amusement Park Ever; The First Bridge; Say Cheese Please!	1996	Wolfgang, Benny and Harry open a big amusement park, but having trouble in the process, the story of the first bridge is featured (caused by a toppling tower that lands on the river) and the class has to take photos of their families, but experiencing many problems and Huckle finally succeeds in taking the best picture.
39	Has Anyone Seen My Book?; P.J. Pig's Brave Day; Vanderbuilt's New Shoes	1996	A book goes missing, P.J. Pig does his best and Vanderbuilt gets new shoes.
40	The Perfect Gentleman; The Best Painter Ever; The Best Day for Dennis	1996	A new gentleman comes, a painter does some amazing work and Dennis has his best day.
41	A Trip Back in Time; Home Sweet Home; P.S. Pig's Special Friend	1996	A trip back in time takes place and P.S. Pig gets a new friend.
42	Mr. Fixit's Magnet Machine; Sneef and Sniff at the Opera; Mr. Gronkle Won't Mind	1996	Mr. Fixit causes havoc with his new magnet machine that gets out of control and attracts anything made of metal, Sniff and Sneef solve a voice problem at a European Opera and an eventful day occurs in the lives of Lowly, Huckle, and Father Cat.
43	Peter's Visit; The First Skis Ever; Stage Fright	1996	Peter visits, Bernard helps his brother Bruno by rescuing him using the first skis ever, and some stage fright occurs.
44	End of the Rainbow; A Signal for Peng; Mr. Frumble's Birthday Party	1996	Mr. Frumble has his own birthday party and Peng gets a signal.
45	Bananas the Magician; The First Horseless Carriage; Princess Hilda	1996	Bananas Gorilla acts as a magician, Hilda acts as a magician and the story of the first horseless carriage is featured.
46	Daylight Savings Time; Eager Beaver's Clever Game; The Pickle Car Wash	1996	The story of Daylight Savings Time is featured, Eager Beaver makes a clever game and Mr. Frumble has his own car wash for his Pickle Car.
47	Triple a Deliveries; Stanley's Amazing Photo; Lost in the Swamp	1996	Stanley does some of the best photographing and one gets lost in the swamp.
48	Mr. Fix-It's Super Submarine; Cahuchu's Magic Tree; Mr. Bean's Restaurant	1996	Mr. Fix-It invents a submarine and Lowly and Huckle give it a test ride, Little Cahuchu discovers a tree with magical bouncing sap, and Mr. Bean opens a drive-in restaurant.
49	The Best Christmas Present Ever; Abe and Babe's Christmas Lesson; Sally Cat's Christmas Dream	1996	A big Christmas present comes to Busytown, Abe and Babe get a Christmas lesson and Sally Cat gets her Christmas Dream.
50	The Best Car Trip Ever; Earnest's Dish You Can Eat; Cousin Ross	1996	The Cat family goes on a big car trip, Earnest introduces his dish you can eat and cousin Ross is introduced.
51	Fill'er Up Scotty; Niagara Falls Mystery; Helper's Helper	1996	Scotty operates a gas station, Cucumber stops naughty Beaver Sweet Tooth from blocking Niagara Falls, and one helper gets another helper.
52	Who's Afraid of the Big Eclipse; Hold Your Breath!; Pumpkin Heads	1996	When there is a misprint in The Bugle, the townspeople think that the sun will disappear for 360 years, Toula and her father catch a gold necklace in their net and Huckle, Lowly and Sprout participate in a pumpkin contest.

Season three (1997)

No.	Title(s)	Airdate	Description
53	Now That's Progress; The Royal Game of Dennis; The Mole Machine	1997	Dennis gets a royal game and progress takes place, Mr. Fixit invents a mole machine.
54	Superstitious Bananas; Pépé le Gangstaire; Drive-Through Movie	1997	Bananas Gorilla gets his superstitious bananas and a drive-through theater opens.
55	Practice Makes Prefect; The Piggy Express; King and Queen for a Day	1997	N/A
56	The Winners; No More Games, Manuel!; We Won't Go to the Doctor!	1997	N/A
57	Never Too Small; Albert, the Belgian Barge Captain; Rainy Day	1997	N/A
58	Mr. Gronkle Comes to Stay; Leo-pardo's Smile; Blooming Busytown	1997	Mr. Gronkle stays with the Cat family during winter, but freezes in the ice, Leo-pardo smiles for the first time and flowers are blooming all over Busytown.
59	Be My Valentine; The First Valentine Ever; Match-Makers	1997	The story of the first valentine is featured, and one wants to be their own valentine.
60	Now I Know My One, Two, Threes!; Counting Chickens; Count on Us!	1997	The use of counting chickens is featured.
61	The Spelling Bee; Message in a Bottle; The Sleepover	1997	A message in a bottle appears, and a sleepover takes place.
62	Mr. Gronkle Moves Away; Forget-bur Never Forgets; Tooth Trouble	1997	Mr. Gronkle moves out of Busytown.
63	The First Easter Egg Ever; There Really is an Easter Bunny; Huckle's Feathery Friends	1997	The story of the first Easter egg is featured as a tale from Bohemia, the real Easter Bunny comes to Busytown, and Huckle saves and rehabilitates some baby birds.
64	The First Halloween Ever; Who's too Scared to Masquerade?; The New Neighbors	1997	The story of the first Halloween is featured, are pulled into the air by a giant magnet attached to an airship and neighbors move in to Busytown.
65	The Mystery of the Stone Circle; The Big Apple Christmas Caper; Santa Needs Help (Series Finale)	1997	A stone circle vanishes, Sneef and Sniff solve a mystery in New York City when all metal objects (cars, parts of skyscrapers, etc.) get pulled up by a giant magnet attached to an airship, and Hilda Hippo tells a Christmas story wherein Santa Claus gets in trouble.

DVD releases

On July 27, 2010, Mill Creek Entertainment

Mill Creek Entertainment

Mill Creek Entertainment is a home entertainment company that manufactures movie and television DVD compilation box sets at "value" prices. Nashville's Amity Entertainment is an affiliate to Mill Creek...

 released The Busy World of Richard Scarry: Every Day There's Something New on DVD in Region 1 (US only). This 3-disc set features the first 30 episodes of the series. On July 19, 2011, Mill Creek will release The Busy World of Richard Scarry: Fun in Busytown!, a 4-disc set that features the remaining 35 episodes of the series.

Music

Most of the music was written by two composers. The theme song was written by Sara Zahn and composed by Milan Kymlicka

Milan Kymlicka

Milan Kymlicka was a Canadian arranger, composer and conductor of Czechoslovakian birth. He became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1974. He was best known for his composition of film and television scores, including those for the animated television series Rupert and Babar...

, while the underscore was composed and conducted by Laurent Petitgirard

Laurent Petitgirard

Laurent Petitgirard is a French classical composer and conductor.- Biography and career :Laurent Petitgirard studied piano with Serge Petitgirard and composition with Alain Kremski...

. Several other composers contributed to several educational shorts in the series.

External links

• The Busy World of Richard Scarry at Cookie Jar Entertainment