''Kipper'' is a British

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

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

based on the characters from

Mick Inkpen Mick Inkpen (born 22 December 1952) is a British author and illustrator. He is best known for his creations Kipper the Dog and Wibbly Pig. Background Inkpen was born on 22 December 1952 in Romford, Essex, England. He was educated at Roy ...

's ''

Kipper the Dog Kipper the Dog is a character in a series of books for preschool-age children by British writer Mick Inkpen. The books consist of 34 titles (as of July 2005), which have sold over 8 million copies and have been translated into over 20 language ...

'' picture book series. Some episodes are based on particular stories by Mick Inkpen. Seventy-eight episodes were produced. The videos have won awards including a BAFTA award for best children's animation. The show was released on VHS and

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

by HIT Entertainment PLC.

Summary

The series follows Kipper the Dog as he goes on many fun and exciting adventures in a variety of places throughout England with his friends, Tiger, Pig, Arnold, and Jake.

Episodes

Characters

* Kipper (voiced by

Martin Clunes Alexander Martin Clunes Order of the British Empire, OBE Deputy Lieutenant, DL (born 28 November 1961) is an English actor, comedian, director and television presenter. He is best known for portraying Martin Ellingham in the ITV (TV network), IT ...

) is a fun-loving, caring, and warm-hearted dog with a soft voice who is the titular character of the series. He embodies the true essence of what it means to carpe diem. He is also very selfless, even though he hoards lots of small belongings like books and toys. Kipper is a beagle and Jack Russell terrier mix who has many exciting encounters with his friends. * Tiger (voiced by

Chris Lang Chris Lang (born 1961) is a British screenwriter, producer and actor. Lang has written for many British television series but is best known as the writer, creator and executive producer of '' Unforgotten''. Career Actor He trained at RADA, ...

) is Kipper's best friend. He is more realistic, practical, and wise than Kipper with a tendency to think long term. Sometimes Tiger can be very smug and haughty, even though he really is a kind dog at heart. Tiger is a Scottish terrier and Schnauzer mix. * Pig (voiced by Chris Lang) is Kipper's second best friend. Pig likes to eat chocolate cakes and cookies. * Arnold (voiced by Chris Lang) is Pig's toddler cousin who is more curious and observant than Pig. Arnold normally doesn't say anything, but at times he says easy words such as "duck", "kitten", and "igloo". * Jake (voiced by Chris Lang) is a friendly and clumsy old English dog who is one of Kipper's best friends. He is a minor character in the first series and joins the main characters in the second series where he, Kipper, and Tiger have had many adventures together. * Mr. Frog (voiced by Chris Lang) is a magic frog who runs into Kipper occasionally. * The Bleeper People (voiced by Chris Lang) are two space aliens who live on the moon. * Mouse (voiced by

Julia Sawalha Julia Sawalha (born 9 September 1968) is an English actress who played Saffron "Saffy" Monsoon in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulous''. She is also known for her portrayal of Lynda Day, editor of the ''Junior Gazette'', in ''Press Gang'', as ...

) is a young female mouse who lives with Kipper at his house. She speaks with an English accent and is a minor character.

Broadcast

The series aired on

CITV CITV (short for Children's ITV, also known as the CITV Channel) is a British free-to-air children's television channel owned by ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive and acquisitions, every day from 6 am to 9 pm which ...

Tiny Pop Tiny Pop (styled as tiny POP) is a British free-to-air children's television channel in the United Kingdom, owned by Narrative Entertainment UK Limited. Broadcast on many of the major digital television platforms in the UK, Tiny Pop, which was ...

, and

Nick Jr. Nick Jr. (known on-air as the Nick Jr. Channel) is an American pay television channel spun off from Nickelodeon's long-running programming block of the same name. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Gr ...

in the United Kingdom and also on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

, and

PBS Kids Sprout Universal Kids is an American children's television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming unit of Comcast's NBCUniversal. The channel launched on September 26, 2005, as PBS Kids Sprout, a preschool-oriented channel jointly ...

in the United States. It also aired in Canada on YTV around the late 1990s as a part of its

YTV Jr. YTV Jr. (formerly known as The Treehouse) was a block on YTV for preschoolers that was launched in 1994 and aired weekdays until 2002. History When YTV launched, it had a block of programs for preschoolers with a focus on Canadian content. In ...

lineup.

Home media

UK releases

In the United Kingdom, HIT Video and HIT Entertainment PLC both released various VHS tapes and

releases of the television series.

US releases

In the United States, VHS tapes of the show were originally released by Hallmark Home Entertainment through

Family Home Entertainment Family Home Entertainment (FHE) was an American home video company founded in 1980 by Noel C. Bloom. It was a division of International Video Entertainment, which had its headquarters in Newbury Park, California. History The company was founde ...

Artisan Entertainment Artisan Entertainment (formerly known as U.S.A. Home Video, International Video Entertainment (IVE) and LIVE Entertainment) was an American film studio and home video company. It was considered one of the largest mini-major film studios until ...

, and briefly

Lyrick Studios Lyrick Studios, formerly The Lyons Group, was an American video production and distribution company based in Allen, Texas best known for their flagship property '' Barney & Friends''. The company was known for producing and distributing telev ...

, and later on, VHS tapes and DVDs were released by HIT themselves.

Digital download releases

This list is for videos that were never released on physical media and are only available on digital download in the US. There are currently only two. One is called "Tales of Adventure" featuring episodes already on other releases. The other is an alternate version of "The Visitor & Other Stories" in which the episodes are in reverse order as to how they are on the US VHS release.

Reception

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

gives ''Kipper'' four out of five stars, and it says the show's characters are positive role models, except Tiger, "but he always learns his lessons"; all the characters "do lots of exploring and learn lessons about friendship, kindness, and the difference between right and wrong". A list published by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute names ''Kipper'' as the top television show for two- and three-year-old children because of its focus on "developing social and emotional intelligence" through interactions among its characters.

References

External links

* {{IMDb episodes, 0260628, Kipper 1990s British animated television series 1990s British children's television series 1997 British television series debuts 2000 British television series endings 2000s British animated television series 2000s British children's television series Children's television characters British children's animated comedy television series English-language television shows ITV children's television shows PBS Kids shows Animated television series about children Animated television series about dogs Animated television series about pigs Television series by Mattel Creations HIT Entertainment British television shows based on children's books