''Allegra's Window'' is an American
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film
Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...
children's television series
Children's television series (or children's television shows) are Television show, television programs designed specifically for Child, children. They are typically characterised by easy-going content devoid of sensitive or adult themes and are ...
that aired on
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
during its
Nick Jr. block from October 24, 1994, to December 8, 1996,
with reruns being shown until February 5, 1999;
it was later shown on
Noggin from February 2, 1999, to April 6, 2003. The series deals with the daily life of a precocious, imaginative
puppet
A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre which dates back to the 5th century BC in anci ...
character named Allegra, and featured live actors, puppets and animation, that was the similar to ''
Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...
''. The show was created by Jan Fleming, John Hoffman and
Jim Jinkins, the latter of whom is also the creator of ''
Doug''. Two of the puppeteers,
Kathryn Mullen and
Anthony Asbury, would later work together on the PBS series ''
Between the Lions'' as the performers of Lionel and Leona Lion.
The series also spawned a series of
music video
A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
s aired during interstitials that aired on Nick Jr.
In the 2010s, the first season was released on
iTunes
iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
and
Amazon Video
Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
. On March 5, 2015, the whole series was released for viewing on
Noggin's paid-subscription service from its initial launch.
Synopsis
The series follows Allegra through the daily triumphs, trials, and tribulations of being a little girl. She and her big brother Rondo, along with her best friend Lindi (a yellow
dog), a pesky blue neighborhood
cat named Riff and a green boy named Poco all try to learn about the world around them with the help of their neighborhood friends. At the end of each episode, Allegra sits at her window and reflects on all the lessons she has learned. The series was music-based and included musically inspired characters named Lindi, Rondo, Riff, Poco, Reed, Miss Melody, Ellington, Encora, Sonata, Clef, Woofer, Aria, Tweeter, Flugie, Vi, and of course, Allegra the title character's name herself. There were also segments that feature talking musical instruments that live on the wall of Reed's Music shop.
Over 100 original songs were created for the series, under the oversight of musical director
Don Sebesky.
The original decision to use the name Allegra for the show's lead occurred after creator/executive producer Jan Fleming attended a dinner party at the house of London-based academics and was introduced to their youngest daughter, Allegra. That evening, she remarked that it would be a great name for the little girl at the center of the project she was working on.
Characters
* Allegra (performed by
Kathryn Mullen) is the title character of the series, a 3-year-old girl.
She is just learning about the world outside of her home and is quite brave. She mostly encounters problems and is always relied on her friends to find a solution. She also is known for having curly doodle hair, which Rondo points out and hates the fact that he does. She is also the leader of the gang.
* Rondo (performed by
Anthony Asbury) is the older brother of Allegra. He is 6 years old and often tries to act tough. Nevertheless, he has a great deal of love and protection for his younger sister. It is mentioned that he is in the first grade by Allegra. In some episodes, Rondo walks upside down with his shoes on up.
* Lindi (performed by
Pam Arciero) is a yellow
dog who is Allegra's best friend and lives with Reed. She is feisty and often acts as her voice of reason in many cases throughout the series. She loves playing in the mud and also enjoys dance, especially
ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
.
* Riff (voiced by
Martin P. Robinson) is the pesky and grumpy neighborhood blue
cat and Rondo's best friend and also a big brother type to him. Although he frequently takes advantage of Allegra's naivety, his favorite target is Mr. Cook. He becomes nicer as the series progresses.
* Mr. Cook (performed by
Tim Lagasse) (credited as Timothy Lagasse) is the town baker who is frequently the butt of Riff's antics. He is generally upbeat and always speaks in
third person and also speaks broken English. Rather than saying their names, he usually refers to the other characters based on their personality and appearance.
* Poco (voiced by Anthony Asbury) is Mr. Cook's nephew. The funniest and most curious character of the show, he tells jokes and teams up with Allegra, Rondo, Lindi, and Riff. Like his uncle, he also speaks in third person. He is the youngest character, being only 2 years old. Poco appears in the second and third seasons of the show.
* Reed (played by
Bob Stillman) is a musician who runs the town's music shop. He is also Lindi's master. In the first season, he was depicted as being easily forgetful.
* Miss Melody (played by Andrea Frierson) is a teacher who runs Little Blue Daycare and favors Allegra.
* Ellington (played by Harry Burney) is the oldest resident of Hummingbird Alley. He is very kind and gentle to everyone in town, especially towards the kids. He appears in the first season only.
* Encora (played by Joanne Baum) is a friendly and energetic mail carrier with a love for singing. She rides a bicycle which she calls her "recycle cycle". She was introduced at the beginning of the second season.
* Sonata (performed by Pam Arciero) is Allegra and Rondo's mother.
* Clef (performed by Martin P. Robinson) is Allegra and Rondo's father.
* Grandma (performed by
Heather Asch) is Allegra and Rondo's grandmother and Sonata's mother.
* Woofer (performed by Anthony Asbury), Aria (performed by Heather Asch), and Tweeter (performed by Tim Lagasse) are three tiny
hummingbirds who live in a nest above a tree in Reed's piano garden.
* Flugie (performed by Martin P. Robinson) and Vi (performed by Heather Asch) are a
tuba
The tuba (; ) is the largest and lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece (brass), mouthpiece. It first appeared in th ...
and a
viola
The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...
who hang on a wall at Reed's music shop.
* Jingle (performed by Heather Asch) and Jazz (performed by Tim Lagasse) are two toy balls who are often played with by Rondo and Allegra.
* Steve is an
Australian green tree frog who is Allegra and Rondo's pet. He appears in the second season only.
* Arnold is an
insect
Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...
who is the pet of the three hummingbirds.
Production
''Allegra's Window'' was taped at
Nickelodeon Studios in
Orlando at
Universal Studios Florida
Universal Studios Florida is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida, that opened on June 7, 1990. Owned and operated by NBCUniversal, it features numerous rides, attractions, and live shows that are primarily themed to movies, television, and ...
,
and was produced by Topstone Productions and
Jumbo Pictures.
Episodes
Series overview
Season 1 (1994)
Season 2 (1995–1996)
Season 3 (1996)
VHS releases
* ''Allegra's Window: Small Is Beautiful'' (Released on July 25, 1995, by Sony Wonder)
* ''Allegra's Window: Waiting for Grandma'' (Released on August 29, 1995, by Sony Wonder)
* ''Allegra's Window: Storytime Sing-Along'' (Released on March 26, 1996, by Sony Wonder)
* ''Allegra's Window: Allegra's Christmas'' (Released on October 15, 1996)
* ''Allegra's Window: Play Along with Allegra and Friends'' (Released on May 13, 1997)
* ''Allegra's Window: Sing Along with Allegra & Lindi'' (Released on April 7, 1998)
See also
*
Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...
*
Big Bag
*
Bear in the Big Blue House
*
Between the Lions
*
Barney & Friends
''Barney & Friends'' is an American children's television series created by Sheryl Leach targeted at children ages two to five. The flagship production of the ''Barney'' franchise, it originally aired on PBS under the PBS Kids brand from Ap ...
*
Eureeka's Castle
References
External links
*
''Allegra's Window'' at locatetv.com
{{Nick Jr.
1990s American children's television series
1990s Nickelodeon original programming
1994 American television series debuts
1996 American television series endings
1990s preschool education television series
American preschool education television series
American children's musical television series
American television series with live action and animation
American television shows featuring puppetry
American English-language television shows
Nick Jr. original programming
Television series about children
Television series created by Jim Jinkins
Personal development television series