Make Way for Noddy
CGI-animated series based on Enid Blyton's Noddy character.
Make Way for Noddy, often written as make way for NODDY or just Noddy, is an animated TV show based on Enid Blyton’s classic character. It aired in British English on Channel 5 (later called Five) as twelve-minute segments within the Milkshake! block, running from September 2, 2002, to April 7, 2006. The music and songs were created by Steven Bernstein and Julie Bernstein, with additional work from Larry Grossman and Lorraine Feather. Musical direction was handled by Sharon Sampson and Terry Sampson.
Quick Facts
- Seasons
- 1
- Episodes
- 100
- Runtime
- 11 minutes
- Country
- United States; United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Genre
- Comedy; Musical
- Narrator
- Michael Donovan
- Presenter
- Naomi Wilkinson
Facts from the source article.
Premise
The series changed its format from previous Noddy incarnations to take advantage of CGI and appeal to contemporary audiences, such as Noddy now flying a plane as part of his taxi duties and making Master Tubby Bear a more believable character. It largely stuck to what the franchise established. Make Way for Noddy also introduced actual children voicing the younger characters.
Characters
The main character of the series is Noddy, a wooden boy who lives in Toyland and works as the primary taxi driver. He is voiced by David A. Kaye or Alberto Ghisi in the US and by Martin Skews or Edward Chun in the UK. Noddy is creative and childlike, but he has a peculiar habit of nodding uncontrollably, especially after sneezing, and he must physically stop himself from doing so. His best friend is Tessie Bear, a female teddy bear voiced by Britt McKillip in the US and Joanna Ruiz in the UK. Tessie is always eager to try new things and help anyone she meets. Big Ears, voiced by Michael Dobson in the US and Pavel Douglas in the UK, is a garden gnome (though originally a brownie in the books) who acts as a mentor and father figure to Noddy and the other toys. He is wise and has a good sense of humor, often saying, "You funny little Noddy!" Mr. Plod is Toyland's only policeman, voiced by Richard Newman in both regions and sometimes by Pavel Douglas in the UK. He is strict about keeping order but means well, and his catchphrase is "Halt, in the name of Plod!" or "Stop, in the name of Plod!" Dinah Doll, voiced by Tabitha St. Germain in the US and Andrea Harris in the UK, runs a shop in Toytown and serves as a big sister figure to Noddy. Bumpy Dog, voiced by Felix McCabe, is Tessie Bear's dog, who is very playful but also loyal and sensitive. The series' antagonists are two goblins: Sly and Gobbo. Sly, voiced by Doug Parker in the US and Ben Small in the UK, is more airheaded and curious, while Gobbo, voiced by Don Brown in the US and John Telfer in the UK, is more conniving and intelligent. Gobbo is the dominant one, and Sly often complains that Gobbo gets all the fun. Mr. Sparks, voiced by Lee Tockar in the US and John Telfer in the UK, is a street-smart mechanic in Toyland. Miss Pink Cat, voiced by Tabitha St. Germain in the US and by both her and Carrie Mullan in the UK, owns the ice cream shop and has a pessimistic, sophisticated French accent. Master Tubby Bear, voiced by Manny Petruzzelli in the US and Carrie Mullan in the UK, is a young teddy bear who was changed from a tricky mummy's boy in earlier versions to a moody but lovable anti-idol kid in this series. Finally, Martha Monkey, voiced by Kathleen Barr in the US and Joanna Ruiz in the UK, is a stuffed monkey with an energetic but bossy tomboy personality.
Production
The series was announced in production in October 2000, with 100 11-minute episodes and a feature-length Christmas special for 2001 delivery. In January 2001, SD Entertainment were announced as producers, their first project. The soundtrack was composed by Steven and Julie Bernstein with additional songs by Larry Grossman and Lorraine Feather; Terry and Sharon Sampson directed the music, and the cast of Kidsongs performed the theme song and music video segments. On 14 June 2001, BBC Worldwide pre-sold the series to RTP in Portugal. BBC Worldwide initially planned international distribution until Chorion decided to self-distribute. Portuguese licensing went to Biplano and Editorial Verbo. On 17 December 2001, Chorion announced pre-sales to TVOntario in Canada, Alter Channel in Greece, France 5 in France, Rai YoYo in Italy, and Hop! Channel in Israel. BBC Worldwide's Australian branch pre-sold to Nickelodeon and TVNZ for 50 episodes. BBC Worldwide held licensing rights in India and pre-sold to Cartoon Network in 2004. Channel 5 acquired UK broadcast rights in summer 2002 for fall broadcast. In June 2002, Universal Pictures Video acquired UK video rights. A spin-off interstitial series, Say It with Noddy, aired as part of the main show in the US and as a separate program in the UK, featuring Noddy learning foreign language words from a robot named Whizz (voiced by Matt Hill in the US and Justin Fletcher in the UK).
American version
In 2005, the series premiered in the United States on PBS Kids. As PBS lacks commercials, the series was edited to a half-hour format with two twelve-minute segments, two interstitial programs, a music video, and footage of British television presenter Naomi Wilkinson from Milkshake!. PBS acquired US broadcast rights in October 2004. Reruns continued through June 2010, and later aired on NBC and PBS Kids Sprout until September 2015. As of 2022, the series is available to stream on Peacock.
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