Dragon Tales
An educational fantasy series about siblings and dragons in Dragon Land.
Dragon Tales is an animated educational fantasy children's television series created by Jim Coane and Ron Rodecker, developed by Coane, Wesley Eure, Jeffrey Scott, Cliff Ruby and Elana Lesser, and produced by Sesame Workshop, Sony Pictures Television, and Adelaide Productions. The series follows the adventures of two Mexican-American siblings, Emmy and Max, and their dragon friends Cassie, Ord, and the two-headed dragon Zak and Wheezie. It aired on PBS from September 6, 1999 to November 25, 2005, and is notable for being one of the few PBS Kids programs co-produced by a major Hollywood studio's television subsidiary.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Adventure / Fantasy / Educational
- Creator
- Ron Rodecker · Jim Coane
- Developer
- Jim Coane · Wesley Eure · Jeffrey Scott · Cliff Ruby · Elana Lesser
- Director
- Tim Eldred · Gloria Jenkins · Bob Hathcock · Curt Walstead · Phil Weinstein
- Voices
- Andrea Libman · Danny McKinnon · Ty Olsson · Chantal Strand · Jason Michas · Kathleen Barr · Eli Gabay · Scott McNeil · Garry Chalk · Aida Ortega
- Theme Music Composer
- Mary Wood · Jesse Harris · Joey Levine
- Composer
- Joey Levine & Co. · Jim Latham · Brian Garland · Cheryl Hassen
- Country
- United States · Canada
- Language
- English
- Num Seasons
- 3
- Num Episodes
- 94 (155 original segments) / (78 original episodes total)
- Open Theme
- "Dragon Tales" performed by Mary Wood
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The series originated from dragon sketches created in 1978 by Laguna Beach artist and retired educator Ron Rodecker while he was recovering from coronary artery bypass surgery. In 1995, producer Jim Coane discovered the artwork and developed it into a television series. The project was considered risky because it was not based on an existing franchise. After PBS member stations initially passed, Coane met Marjorie Kalins of Children's Television Workshop, who helped secure a $6.2 million grant from the Department of Education and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Wesley Eure, a former cast member of Days of Our Lives and host of Finders Keepers, wrote the grant proposal and created the first treatment, including the initial conception of the two-headed dragon characters originally named 'Snarf and Bugger.'
Reader's Guide
Dragon Tales holds significance as an educational children's program that combined pro-social lessons with academic content such as shapes, counting, and Spanish words. Its curriculum emphasized emotional challenges, understanding others' feelings, and overcoming fears—themed through each dragon's glowing badge. The show's funding model, involving federal grants and corporate sponsors like Kellogg's and American Greetings, was unusual for a PBS series. It also represents one of the last major Western animation productions to use traditional cel animation in its first season. The series remains available for free streaming on Tubi and The Roku Channel, and its legacy includes demonstrating how a non-franchise original property could succeed on public television, as well as providing early representation of Mexican-American characters in children's animation.
Did You Know?
- The series was inspired by dragon sketches Ron Rodecker made while recovering from coronary artery bypass surgery in 1978.
- Wesley Eure created the initial concept for the two-headed dragon Zak and Wheezie, originally called 'Snarf and Bugger.'
- The show received a multi-million dollar federal grant that beat out requests from The Muppets and Sesame Street.
- Dragon Tales used digital ink-and-paint animation from the start, not traditional cel animation.
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