Dot.

Did You Know?

• An HTML game called Dot's Rangeroo Scavenger Hunt is available on Kids' CBC and Universal Kids's websites.
• An app called Dotopedia, inspired by Wikipedia, was released for Android and iOS devices on December 12, 2016.
• The series airs on Canal Panda in Portugal, Piwi+ in France, and SVT in Sweden as of 2017.

Characters

Dot Comet is an eight-year-old girl who is full of energy and knows her way around technology, always eager to discover new things. Her name is a clever twist on the internet domain .com, and her look includes a pink dress covered in dots, yellow rubber boots, and short, curly dark blue hair. Her voice is provided by Lilly Bartlam. Scratch Comet, voiced by Terry McGurrin, is her canine companion and closest pet. Her best human friend is Hal, voiced by Isaiah Slater, who enjoys pretending to be different characters. Ruby Marshall, voiced by Grace Oliver, has blonde hair and wears glasses; the episode "Super Ruby" shows that she also uses hearing aids. Nev Jumelle, voiced by Abigail Oliver, and Dev Jumelle, voiced by Ethan Tavares, are siblings—Nev is the sister, Dev the brother. Dot’s mother, Mrs. Comet, is voiced by Denise Oliver; she once sang "Oh Chanukah" with her daughter and grew up in the same house the Comets now live in, with her own father. Dot’s father, Mr. Comet, voiced by Terry McGurrin, sang "Up on the House Top" with her. Dot’s maternal grandfather is Grandpapa, voiced by René Lemieux, and her maternal grandmother is Anne. Her paternal grandmother is Nana, voiced by Lynne Griffin. Hal has a brother named Greg, who speaks in the episode "Hal In One" but no voice actor is credited for him. Ruby’s mother is Mrs. Marshall, voiced by Nicki Burke. Nev and Dev’s father is Mr. Jumelle, voiced by Anand Rajaram; he appears alone in "Remembering Ogopogo" and "Garden Stakes," and with their mother in "DramaRama." A character called Knight is voiced by Juan Chioran, Judge by Terry McGurrin, and Mr. Sherman, an elderly neighbor, by Art Hindle. Rangeroo Leader Kerry, voiced by Helen King, is a digital nature guide on Dot’s tablet who teaches her about the outdoors, often before her dad can; in "Garden Stakes," Dot and Hal meet her in person and call her by that name. Stellakazam, voiced by Denise Oliver, is a magician who performed at Ruby’s birthday party, which Dot missed because she was sick.

Production

The Jim Henson Company acquired the rights to Randi Zuckerberg's book Dot. in February 2014, planning a TV series with Lisa Henson and Zuckerberg as executive producers. CBC greenlit the animated show in November 2015, bringing on Industrial Brothers as co-producer and animation studio, while Henson Company managed global distribution. The first season of 52 episodes premiered on October 22, 2016. A second season, with 26 episodes, was ordered on January 26, 2018.

Reception

Common Sense Media gave Dot. a rating of 5 out of 5. The review noted that the series centers on a curious 8-year-old who uses technology, math, and science concepts to learn new things, but never at the expense of real-world experiences and the people she cares about. It highlighted that the show exposes children, particularly girls, to STEM concepts in an age-appropriate way through the likable titular character, and presents Dot's parents as role models and educators.