''The ZhuZhus'' (formerly known as ''Polly and the ZhuZhu Pets'') is an animated children's television series developed by Hugh Duffy for

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...

and YTV. The series is based on the American toy franchise '' ZhuZhu Pets''. It is the second animated adaptation starring the Fab Four; Pipsqueak, Mr. Squiggles, Num Nums, and Chunk, following ''

Quest for Zhu ''Quest for Zhu'' is a 2011 American/Canadian direct-to-DVD animated action/adventure family film. It is the first full-length feature film based on the Zhu Zhu Pets franchise. It stars Canadian voice actors Mariah Wilkerson, Shannon Chan-Kent, Ia ...

'' in 2011. The series is about Frankie Pamplemousse, a young girl who owns four talking hamsters. It debuted on

in the United States on September 12, 2016.

Plot

''The ZhuZhus'' is about 8-year-old Frankie Pamplemousse, who lives in Anytown with her parents who run a plumbing home business called Pamplemouse Plumbing. She owns four talking hamsters called the ZhuZhus; Pipsqueak, Mr. Squiggles, Num Nums, and Chunk, as they have adventures in their town.

Characters

Main

* Frankie Pamplemousse (voiced by Jenna Warren) is the 8-year-old owner of the ZhuZhus. She likes sports and hanging out with her friends, the ZhuZhus. She has blonde hair and blue eyes. Before the redub of the series, she was originally named Polly. * Pipsqueak (voiced by

Tajja Isen Tajja Isen (born June 29, 1991) is a Canadian writer, editor, and voice actress. Her first book, the essay collection Some of My Best Friends: Essays on Lip Service, was published in April 2022. As an actor, she is best known for voicing the tit ...

) is Frankie's first ZhuZhu, and the unofficial leader of the ZhuZhus. She loves adventure, and will do anything to help Frankie and the team out. She is fearless, energetic, and very loyal to Frankie. She is yellow and her birthmark, which are located on the Zhus' backs, is a shooting star because she always fires ideas and enthusiasm in every way. * Mr. Squiggles (voiced by Richard Binsley) is Frankie's second ZhuZhu. He is very smart, resourceful, and likes science. He also creates machines and gadgets that help the team out when in need. He is orange, has wrinkles under his eyes, wears a belt, and his birthmark is a spiral because his mind always spins with new ideas. * Num Nums (voiced by Stephany Seki) is Frankie's third ZhuZhu, and Pipsqueak's best friend. She is a very shy and a cautious thinker, and isn't as daring as the rest of the team, but she will do anything to help them. Despite this however, she still has a tough side whenever she or the team is insulted. She is purple, wears pink glasses, and her birthmark is a heart because she always wears it on her sleeve. * Chunk (voiced by Robert Tinkler) is Frankie's fourth ZhuZhu, and the tallest Zhu. As his name suggests, he is very chunky and strong. He is also very stylish and narcissistic, and usually serves as the comic relief. His cousins are Jilly and Bean, two mischievous twins. He is grey and his birthmark is a sun because he lights up the whole room whenever he smiles.

Recurring

* Ellen Pamplemousse or "Mom" (voiced by Stacey DePass) is Frankie's mother and a professional plumber for Pamplemousse Plumbing. She used to be a part of the Power Badge Girls. * Stanley Pamplemousse or "Dad" (voiced by

Zachary Bennett Zachary Bennett is a Canadian actor and musician, who is known for playing Felix King in '' Road to Avonlea''. He also co-starred in the 2006 TV film ''Jekyll + Hyde'' and for voicing Coach Clydesdale on '' Corn & Peg''. He also currently voices ...

) is Frankie's father and also a professional plumber for Pamplemousse Plumbing. He loves music and was previously a Wilderness Teen Ranger. Thus, he knows a lot about nature. * Wilfred P. Kerdle or Mr. Kerdle (voiced by Patrick McKenna) is the cranky janitor of Frankie's school. He tries to stop the Zhus from coming into the school and insults them. * Cindy and Mindy Gelato (voiced by Rebecca Brenner and

Samantha Weinstein Samantha Gail Weinstein (born March 20, 1995) is a Canadian actress. Life and work She was born as Samantha Gail Weinstein in a Toronto hospital in 1995 to Jewish parents. She started her acting career at the age of 6, in a theatre camp where s ...

) are twins and Frankie's friends. * Madge Mervins (voiced by Brianna D'Aguanno) is Frankie's neighbor and worst enemy. She always tries to beat Frankie at everything. She has blue hair and brown eyes and a cat named Princess Tickyboo. * Whendy Sails (voiced by Nicole Stamp) is a celebrity and news reporter for Channel 5. * Jessica Beeker (voiced by Addison Holley) is Frankie's favorite popstar. * Dr. Phelmholz (voiced by Rob Rubin) is an Austrian doctor from Vienna.

Production

''The ZhuZhus'' is produced by

Nelvana Nelvana Enterprises, Inc. (; previously known as Nelvana Limited, sometimes known as Nelvana Animation and simply Nelvana or Nelvana Communications) is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment company owned by Corus Entertainment. Founded ...

and Cepia LLC, in association with Corus Entertainment. The series is animated using Toon Boom Animation and recorded in Studio 306 Inc. It was first announced on February 12, 2015 by Kristin Musulin of '' USA Today'' as a Nelvana production, with a planned release of 2016. The show was originally referred to as "ZhuZhu Pets" before the official title was revealed. The last episode to air on

with that title was "Fur-Vivor/Zhuper Girl", which premiered on October 21, 2016, and the show went on a hiatus. After its hiatus the series gained a new name and Polly's name was changed to Frankie for the rest of the series' run. Eventually all seven episodes that were previously broadcast on Disney Channel were redubbed to say Frankie instead of Polly.

Episodes

Shorts

A short webseries called "Zhu's News" was released to YTV's YouTube channel starting July 17, 2017. Each episode stars Whendy Sails of Channel 5 recapping moments in the series.

Release

Broadcast

''The ZhuZhus'' debuted on

in the United States on September 12, 2016 as ''Polly and the ZhuZhu Pets''. After the show went on a hiatus and changed its name, the first episode to air was "Zhu Years Eve/Lookies for Cookies" on January 7, 2017, and the show was added to the ''Get Animated!'' block. On August 29, 2016, Denise Petski of '' Deadline Hollywood'' announced that Disney Channels Worldwide acquired both multi-territory broadcast and on demand rights to ''The ZhuZhus'' in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Central and Eastern Europe, Germany, Luxembourg, the Middle East, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Switzerland. The series aired on

in Australia and New Zealand on February 13, 2017,

in South Africa on March 6, and Boomerang in the United Kingdom and Ireland on May 2. The series was scheduled to premiere on YTV in Canada in December 2016, but eventually it premiered on July 4, 2017. Reruns in Canada premiere airs on

and Disney Junior.

Home media

On September 25, 2018,

Cinedigm Cinedigm Corp. is an American entertainment company headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Cinedigm's businesses encompass digital cinema, streaming channels, content marketing, and distribution. History Early years Cinedigm Corp was founded ...

released a DVD featuring all 26 episodes of the series named "The ZhuZhus: Season 1".

Reception

Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media rated ''The ZhuZhus'' a 3 out of 5 stars, stating "the series does well to stand on its own entertainment merit, but it can't avoid commercial tie-ins altogether." Bruce Katz of Cepia feels that "the animation further enhanced the personality of the characters," and says that "they've captured the essence of what ZhuZhu Pets is all about."

Media information

Two online games are currently available on ''The ZhuZhus'' website called ''Tube Racers'' and ''Costume Couture''. An app was also released on April 18, 2017 called ''The ZhuZhus: Zhuniverse'', which is available to play on

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

and Google Play.

Notes

References

External links