''Polka Dot Shorts'' is a Canadian

children's television series Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during the early evenin ...

produced by

TVOntario TVO Media Education Group (often abbreviated as TVO and stylized on-air as tvo) is a publicly funded English-language educational television network and media organization serving the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario ...

, which has been broadcast around the world. It was created, produced, and edited by Jed MacKay. Approximately 180 episodes were produced from 1993 to 2001, all produced by MacKay and directed by Michael McNamara. The series won a Gemini Award from the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television in 2000 for "Best Pre-School Program or Series".

About

The series is based on ''

Polka Dot Door Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas. History Etymology The term ...

'', and stars the characters Polkaroo, Humpty, Dumpty, Bear and Marigold. The characters are portrayed by "physical theater" actors in large costumes; Marigold's performer, for example, had a ballet and circus background. Charles P. Schott ("Bear") was a Gemini Awards finalist for "Best Performer in a Pre-School Series" in 2002. Originally, each episode started with a human host (Deborah Drakeford) introducing the episode to a gathering of children as she was about to read the story from a book. The stories themselves were dramatized by actors in large suits, playing the puppets from ''Polka Dot Door'', while the reader provided the dialogue. A new character was added to the ''Polka Dot Door family'': Polkaroo's pet, Bibble. Although Bibble was only capable of making sounds that loosely resembled "bibblebibblebibble", he did so in various tones which indicated his mood. At one point in every episode, one or more of the characters would discover a large pair of

polka dot Red polka dots on a yellow background Girl wearing polka dot dress Polish ceramics German ceramics Polka dot is a pattern consisting of an array of large filled circles of the same size. Polka dots are commonly seen on children's clothing, ...

shorts, and exclaim, "A great big pair of polka dot shorts! How did they get there?" Polkaroo's response would be, "I haven't the foggiest!" Some episodes were done entirely in rhyme, in which case the character who found the polka dot shorts would exclaim, "Polka dot shorts, a great big pair! How on earth did they get there?" After the first two seasons the episodes were re-edited. The human hostess/storyteller was deleted, and the show would begin immediately. The show has been broadcast on the CBBC and Living TV's morning slot

Tiny Living The Children's Channel, also known as TCC, was a British-based pan-European children's television channel in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, which was owned by Living TV Group, Flextech in London, England, UK. It began broadcasting on the o ...

in the UK as well as being released on video by Abbey Home Media. A live theatre production toured across the UK in the early 2000s.

Characters

Polkaroo (played by Greg Lanthier, voiced by

Andrew Sabiston Andrew Sabiston is a multi-award nominated Canadian children's television series Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning a ...

): A green kangaroo-like animal with yellow hair, a red nose, a long yellow furry tail, a red-and-yellow polka dot on his neck and a gown covered in polka dots. He appears in every episode. He lives in a small house with his pet Bibble. He enjoys having his friends round to play and is mostly the one who finds the polka dot shorts. He sometimes talks in rhyme, and when his friends argue or do something he doesn't like, he often interrupts them with "Excuse me". Bibble: Polkaroo's mischievous pet which looks like a multi-coloured mop head covered in pom-poms. Often seen moving about making a "bibbly" sound, hence his name. He likes to pull pranks, and sometimes annoys the others with them. Humpty (played by Line Roberge, voiced by

Tony Daniels Tony Daniels is a Canadian voice actor. He is well known for providing the voices of Uncle Flippy in ''JoJo's Circus'', as well as Jedite and Wiseman in the original English dub of ''Sailor Moon''. He is also known for providing the voice of ...

): A big green egg with purplish hair and a white nose. He wears a burgundy coloured suit patterned with pink roses, a tie with a large H on it, and green boots. Humpty is playful and sometimes a bit mischievous, but he always goes out of his way to help his friends. When the gang start to feel scared or nervous, he often says "Pull yourself together." He is Dumpty's older brother. Dumpty (played by Brunella Battista, voiced by

Julie Lemieux Julie Lemieux (born December 4, 1962) is a Canadian voice actress. Career Lemieux has provided the voice for characters such as Sammy Tsukino in ''Sailor Moon'', young Darien Shields in '' Sailor Moon R: The Movie'', and Peruru in '' Sailor Moon ...

): Humpty's younger brother. He is brown coloured with a blue checked nose. He wears a cream-coloured cap with the letter D on it, a blue bow tie, a blue suit with flowers and checks on it, and brown boots. The youngest of the group, he loves to help and wants to fit in. He sometimes annoys his older brother Humpty, but deeply cares for him. Bear (played by Charles P. Schott, voiced by Brian Moffatt): A brown bear who is Polkaroo's best friend and wears a green bow tie with white polka dots. He has a great fondness for honey, speaks with a posh accent, and can sometimes be a bit of a show-off. He often says "Coincidence, I think not." Marigold (played by

Alisa Walton Alisa Walton (born January 15, 1970) is a Canadian actress best known for her work as Marigold on TVOntario's '' Polka Dot Shorts'' from 1993 to 2001, and as Socks the Monkey on the series' '' Elliot Moose'' on TVOntario and PBS. Walton is als ...

, voiced by Deborah Drakeford): A kind-hearted doll with orange yarn-like hair in pigtails. She wears a green dress with flowers on it, yellow-and-white striped leggings, and black buckle shoes. She loves gardening and grows many different plants. She often says "You know what? I'll tell you what."

Episodes

Series 1 (1994)

Shadow Dancer The Rookie Treasure Map Goodnight Polkaroo The Ball That Got Broken Just For Two

Series 2 (1995)

Sweet and Sour Surprise Small Comfort Whip Whop Woes Thunder Bear Bibble's Bubble Bath Rainbow Bird Humpty's Fair Share Not Enough Helpers A Star Is Born Great White Bibble Home Sweet Home Cutler in The Cake Phantom of The Nursery Rhyme Polkaroo of The Jungle Aloha Unbearable The Holden Pear Sleeping Beauty Show Me The Honey Royal Visit Humptanic King Dumpty Kla Two Picture Perfect Knock Knock Jack and The Beanstalk Cereal Bowl A Windy Day Lots of Spots The Sandwich Seasons Greetings Polkaroo

Series 3 (1996)

Badge of Merit Polkaroo The Painter Hooray for Dumpty In The Bag Incredible Shrinking Plant Big Boot Polkarobot Vote For Me The Bibble Ra Bibble Day Magnet Mayhem Polkaroo's Tanksgiving The Snowman Bibbles Birthday Knock on Wood Pardon My Garden The Great Obstacle Race The Wonderfully Marvelous Thingamajig

Series 4 (2004)

A Champion Chomper

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0114158, title=Polka Dot Shorts TVOntario original programming Canadian television shows featuring puppetry Sentient toys in fiction 1993 Canadian television series debuts 2001 Canadian television series endings English-language television shows Television shows filmed in Toronto 1990s Canadian children's television series 2000s Canadian children's television series Television series about bears CBeebies