''The Doodlebops'' is a Canadian

live action Live action is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live action with animation to create a live-action animated feature film. Live action is used to define film, video games o ...

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 ...

produced by

Cookie Jar Entertainment The Cookie Jar Group, commonly known as simply Cookie Jar and formerly known as CINAR, was a Canadian animation studio, media production and distribution company that existed from 1976 until it was folded into DHX Media, now WildBrain, on Dec ...

for

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

in Canada, although the series aired in the United States on

Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...

Playhouse Disney Playhouse Disney was a brand of programming blocks and international cable and satellite television channels that were owned by the Disney Channels Worldwide unit (now Disney Branded Television) of The Walt Disney Company's Disney–ABC Tele ...

(now known as

Disney Junior Disney Jr. (formerly Disney Junior) is an American pay television network owned by the Disney Branded Television sub-division of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company. Aimed mainly at children two to seven year ...

) from April 11, 2005 to November 17, 2007. The series combines music, choreography, humour, and skits to teach social lessons. It included scenes from a concert in front of preschool audiences being participated actively.

Characters

The members of ''The Doodlebops'' consisted of actors Lisa Lennox, Chad McNamara, and Jonathan Wexler wearing costumes and prosthetic cosmetics to portray fictional musical artists. With a predictable storyline, each episode consisted of some troubles which the three main characters had to resolve.

Main

* Deedee Doodle (keyboards, keytar, vocals) (portrayed by Lisa Lennox) is dressed in purple and pink with a pink "bob" haircut and a purple headband. She plays the

keytar A keytar (a portmanteau of ''keyboard'' and ''guitar'') is a keyboard instrument similar to a synthesizer or MIDI controller that is supported by a strap around the neck and shoulders, similar to the way a guitar is held. Overview Though the ...

and the keyboards and is the lead vocalist for numerous songs, including "Different Things", "Tick Tock", "Tap, Tap, tap", and "When The Lights Go Out". * Rooney Doodle (guitar, vocals) (portrayed by Chad McNamara) is dressed in blue. He also plays the guitar. Like his outfit, both his hair (in

dreadlocks Dreadlocks, also known as dreads or locs, are a Hairstyle, hairstyle made of rope-like strands of matted hair. Dreadlocks can form naturally in Hair#Texture, very curly hair, or they can be created with techniques like twisting, Backcombing, ba ...

) and ukulele are blue. He has a red

beret A beret ( , ; ; ; ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap made of hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre. Mass production of berets began in the 19th century in Southern France and the north of History of Spain (1808 ...

on his head with his matching shoes. He is an inventor and likes to watch demolition derbies.Season 2, Episode 23 "The Solo Surprise" * Moe Doodle (drums, vocals) (portrayed by Jonathan Wexler) wears a yellow and orange striped top and orange pants. Like his pants, his hair (in a mullet) is also orange. He plays the drums and is known for his loud and messy antics. In the segment called "Don't Pull the Rope" in each episode, he pulls a red velvet rope and water completely drenches him.

Supporting

* Bus Driver Bob (portrayed by

John Catucci John Catucci ( , ; born July 11, 1973) is a Canadian sketch comedian, singer,John Catucci
at Diamon ...

) drives the Doodlebug bus. He knows how to play the guitar but is shy about it and only plays for himself. He also has a twin brother named Bus Driver Rob and another off-screen brother named Obear. * Mazz (portrayed by Kim Roberts) is the Doodlebops' manager during season 1 and Jazzmin’s sister. * Jazzmin (portrayed by

Jackie Richardson Jackie Richardson (born January 4, 1947) is a Canadian singer and actress. Richardson is known for her screen roles in '' Turning to Stone'', '' The Gospel According to the Blues'', ''The Doodlebops'', and '' Sins of the Father''. She is also kn ...

) is the manager of the Doodlebops for the final two seasons, replacing Mazz, her sister. Jazzmin, who can play the

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...

, aspires to be a

stage actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

. She can disappear by snapping her fingers. * Jumping Judy (portrayed by dancer Stacey Bafi-Yeboa (credited as Stacey Martin)) is Mazz's cousin who bounces when she moves. * Audio Murphy (voiced by Jason Hopley) is a blue dog who acts as the Doodlebops'

video producer Video production is the process of producing video content. It is the equivalent of filmmaking, but with video recorded either as analog signals on videotape, digitally in video tape or as computer files stored on optical discs, hard drives, SSDs, ...

. He is a puppet that first appeared in season 2. He claims that his

middle name In various cultures, a middle name is a portion of a personal name that is written between a person's given name and surname. A middle name is often abbreviated and is then called middle initial or just initial. A person may be given a middle ...

is "A Surprise". He loves to

knit Knitting is a method for production of textile fabrics by interlacing yarn loops with loops of the same or other yarns. It is used to create many types of garments. Knitting may be done by hand or by machine. Knitting creates stitches: ...

. * Mudge (voiced by Ron Stefaniuk) is a purple cat who is often the victim of Deedee's

knock-knock jokes The knock-knock joke is an audience-participation joke cycle; a knock-knock joke is primarily a child's joke, though there are exceptions. The scenario is of a person knocking on the front door to a house. The teller of the joke says, "Knock, kn ...

. He lives in the vanity. * Mr. Moosehead (voiced by Ron Stefaniuk) is the head of a moose which hangs on the wall of the Doodlebops' clubhouse. Loosely based on the Banana Vac from ''

The Banana Splits ''The Banana Splits'' is an American children's television variety show produced by Hanna-Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions and featuring the Banana Splits, a fictional rock band composed of four costumed animal characters in red helmets with ...

''.

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2005)

Season 2 (2006)

Season 3 (2007)

Telecast and home media

Starting its TV airing run in 2005, the series premiered on the

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

in Canada in the

Kids' CBC ''CBC Kids'' is a Canadian children's block on CBC Television. The block was launched as Hodge Podge Lodge in 1987 and contains programming targeted at children. The block airs on weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Saturdays from ...

morning program schedule. Cookie Jar classified the ''Doodlebops'' as their flagship franchise, following their rebranding from the Montreal-based

CINAR The Cookie Jar Group, commonly known as simply Cookie Jar and formerly known as CINAR, was a Canadian animation studio, media production and distribution company that existed from 1976 until it was folded into DHX Media, now WildBrain, on Dec ...

. On April 1, 2005, Cookie Jar pre-sold the US broadcast rights to the series to

, and the series would premiere on the

block on April 11, 2005. After its removal from Disney Channel on January 2, 2009, the series would later re-air on

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

Cookie Jar TV Cookie Jar TV was an American children's programming block that aired on CBS, originally premiering on September 16, 2006, as the KOL Secret Slumber Party; the block was later rebranded as KEWLopolis ( ) on September 15, 2007, and finally as ...

block from 2011 to 2013, and on

This TV This TV (also known as This TV Network and alternately stylized as thisTV) was an American free-to-air television network owned by Allen Media Broadcast Networks, LLC, part of the Allen Media Group division of Entertainment Studios. Originally ...

Cookie Jar Toons ''Cookie Jar Toons'' (also known as ''This is for Kids'') was a daily children's programming block on the This TV digital broadcast network when it was partially owned by the former Weigel Broadcasting (seven years later, the network was acquired ...

block around the same time. In 2016, the show returned to

Starz Starz (stylized in all caps as STARZ; pronounced "stars") is an American pay television network owned by Starz Entertainment, and is the flagship property of Starz Inc. Launched in 1994 as a multiplex service of what is now Starz Encore, ...

. In foreign countries, the show has been professionally dubbed into Irish and is broadcast as part of the children's afternoon package Cúla 4 on the Irish-language television station

TG4 TG4 (; , ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television channel. It launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on-demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond. TG4 was initially known as (TnaG), before bein ...

(including the songs). In April 2006, the series was pre-sold to

in the United Kingdom and premiered on there on the 24th. UK free-TV rights were acquired by

GMTV GMTV (an initialism for Good Morning Television), now legally known as ''ITV Breakfast, ITV Breakfast Broadcasting Limited'', was the name of the national ITV (TV network), ITV breakfast television contractor/licensee, broadcasting in the Uni ...

, and in January 2007 the series was pre-sold to other Playhouse Disney networks across the world including

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

, among others. The series was also pre-sold to

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 ...

in France, and

VRAK TV Vrak (stylized as VRΔK) was a Canadian French language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. subsidiary Bell Media. The channel primarily broadcast live-action programming aimed at 13-to-35 age group audiences. Launched in 1988 as Le Canal Fa ...

in the French-language Canada. Between 2006 and 2007,

Lionsgate Home Entertainment Lionsgate Studios Corp. (simply known as Lionsgate Studios) is a Canadian-American film and television production and distribution conglomerate, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, and primarily based in Santa Monica, California. It was f ...

released four DVD volumes of the show. As of 2022, the show is now streaming on

Tubi Tubi (stylized as tubi) is an American over-the-top ad-supported streaming television service owned by Fox Corporation since 2020. The service was launched on April 1, 2014, and is based in Los Angeles, California. In 2023, Tubi, Credible L ...

Merchandise

Toyrange

In November 2005, Cookie Jar announced

Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company headquartered in El Segundo, California. Founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth Handler, ...

as the worldwide toy license holder for the show.

Animated spin-off

Doodlebops Rockin' Road Show!

In 2009,

greenlit a ''Doodlebops'' animated spin-off series titled ''Doodlebops Rockin' Road Show!'' for Cookie Jar. In September 2009, Cookie Jar announced they would co-produce the series with the German Optix Entertainment, and the Argentinian

Illusion Studios Illusion Studios S.A. (styled as ILLUSIONSTUDIOS) is an Argentine entertainment company founded in 2001, and based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It produces content for children and young people and is known for creating '' Top Cat: The Movie (Don ...

. In Canada, the series premiered on

on February 20, 2010 and CBS's Saturday morning block in the U.S. The series focuses on the Doodlebops going on a worldwide tour with Bus Driver Bob, Deedee Doodle’s small pink dog named Bop-Bop, and a new character: Mail Snail. These were the only characters to appear in this spin-off. Lisa Lennox, Chad McNamara, Jonathan Wexler and

John Catucci John Catucci ( , ; born July 11, 1973) is a Canadian sketch comedian, singer,John Catucci
at Diamon ...

voiced and reprised their roles as Deedee, Rooney, Moe and Bus Driver Bob. In each episode, Mail Snail would deliver the Doodlebops a video disc sent by a

child in need of help. The child would then be turned into an animated character and sent to the bus to be a "Doodle for a Day". The series was panned by critics and fans of the original series and was cancelled in 2011 after only one season.

Concerts

The Doodlebops: Together Forever Tour

A theatrically live show entitled ''The Doodlebops: Together Forever Tour'' was developed and toured Canada in early 2009. The show includes musical performances of signature favourites as well as new songs. This incorporates giant screens, original sets, and costumes. This production features a new cast of performers portraying the Doodlebops. The show was produced by Koba Entertainment, and presented by Paquin Entertainment.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Doodlebops, The Canadian children's musical groups 2005 Canadian television series debuts 2007 Canadian television series endings 2000s Canadian children's television series 2000s Canadian comedy television series 2000s Canadian music television series 2000s preschool education television series Canadian children's comedy television series Canadian children's musical television series Canadian preschool education television series Canadian television shows featuring puppetry Television series by Cookie Jar Entertainment Television series by WildBrain Fictional trios Canadian English-language television shows