Wimzie's House

Wimzie's House
Starring Sonja Ball
Tyrone Benskin
Liz McRae
Thor Bishopric
Holly Gauthier-Frankel
Bruce Dinsmore
Jennifer Seguin
Jane Woods
Country of origin Canada
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 112
Release
Original network Télévision de Radio-Canada (1995)
Radio-Québec (1995)
CBC Television (1996)
PBS (October 1, 1997–September 6, 1999)
PBS Kids (September 6, 1999-August 31, 2001)
Original release September 4, 1995 – August 31, 1996

Wimzie's House is a half-hour Canadian preschool television program produced in Montreal which ran as La Maison de Ouimzie on Télévision de Radio-Canada in the morning and Radio-Québec in late afternoons starting September 4, 1995[1], and in English on CBC Television starting October 21, 1996[2] and in the United States on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) from October 1, 1997 to September 28, 2001.[3] Reruns of the show aired in the United States on the Cookie Jar Toons block on This TV and in syndication as part of the Cookie Jar Kids Network block.[4] The series was produced by Cinar (now Cookie Jar Entertainment), with the PBS telecasts presented by Maryland Public Television from 1997 to 2002. The show's puppetry is in the style of Sesame Street, which led to some legal troubles with The Jim Henson Company, in 1999. There were two FMV PC games based on the series.

Plot

Wimzie is a little girl monster who lives with her parents (Rousso & Graziella), grandma (Yaya), and baby brother (Bo). The basic plot was that Wimzie's friends would always come over for the day and they would play together. This usually resulted in a problem that would eventually lead to the moral of the episode.

Main characters

(Voices listed here are for the English-language version.)

  • Wimzie (performed by Brigitte Brideau, voiced by Sonja Ball) - The main character of the show, she is a dragon/bird hybrid with a unique appearance, with yellow-orange skin, purple hair tied in pigtails decorated in baby blue bows and red wing-like antlers on the top of her head. She is five years old, and also introduces the episodes in the beginning of the series. In musical numbers, she performs a few of her solo songs which are titled "When There's A Job To Do", "Turtles", "Be Exactly Who You Are", "Something In My Head", and "I Love You". She has a baby brother named Bo. Horace possibly has a crush on her.
  • Rousso (performed by Michel P. Ranger, voiced by Tyrone Benskin) - Wimzie's father, who is 48 years old. He is a calm dragon with orange skin and blond hair. He works as a firefighter. When not on the job, Rousso likes to relax. He's a little slow but very kind-hearted. It has been revealed that he has a sister named Alice who is Wimzie's aunt.
  • Graziella (performed by Michel Ledoux, voiced by Jennifer Seguin) - Wimzie's mother, who is 32 years old. She is a bird with pink skin and blond hair in a beehive hairdo. When not on the job, Graziella will spend time with children, often giving them advice. She works as a pilot and is often away from home for extended periods. She has the same voice as Doris from Caillou (as both characters are voiced by the same actress), and has a brother named Mario, Wimzie's uncle, who forgot to send Wimzie a binga-boinga on her fifth birthday.
  • Bo (performed by Lucie Beauvais, voiced by Liz MacRae) - Wimzie's baby brother. Being still a baby, he often gets most of Yaya's attention, and the others keep tabs on him as well. He mostly resembles his father and is completely dragon and not a hybrid like his big sister. He is still learning to talk, so he mostly communicates in gibberish. He is around the age of 12–18 months.
  • Yaya (performed by Johanne Rodrigue, voiced by Jane Woods) - Wimzie's 150-year-old grandmother and Graziella's mother. She runs a daycare in Wimzie's house for Wimzie and her friends while their parents are working. She has lavender skin and her hair is a stack of orange, blond and purple. She occasionally gives the children advice when they need it. Despite her old age, she is full of energy, often being more than a match for a houseful of children, daughter and son-in-law. She also silences everyone during an argument by making a foghorn blowing noise and sound, and, nobody knows how she does it. She has a bedroom that is only seen in the intro.
  • Jonas (performed by Andre Meunier, voiced by Thor Bishopric) - A goblin who is five years old and loves science. He collects dirt and has a surprisingly large collection. His skin is green with purple hair and he wears eyeglasses and a propeller cap. Often in his explanations, he would include his catch phrase "It's very scientific." Lou Lou is his little sister. Wimzie possibly has a crush on him.
  • Loulou (performed by Sylvie Comtois, voiced by Holly Gauthier-Frankel) - Jonas' three and a half-year old sister. She wants to be like the bigger kids, yet isn't quite ready to make the jump. She is capable of understanding Bo's baby-jabber. Her complexion is yellow-green. She wears eyeglasses and has purple hair like her brother, tied in a high ponytail decorated in a bow. Her solo songs are titled "When I'm Scared", "I wanna be Big Right Now", "Left Out", and "What's so good about being big?".
  • Horace (performed by Richard Lalancette, voiced by Bruce Dinsmore) - A four-year-old troll, Horace isn't as smart as the other kids, but is always asking questions and learning things. He is the strongest of all the children, but angers easily and can sometimes be rough. He gets along best with Bo and Wimzie. He has the same voice as Binky Barnes from Arthur and his skin is light blue and his hair is orange and very straight. He also has a cousin named Morris who looks a lot like him, and they are both voiced by the same actor. A running gag throughout the show shows always saying, "Uh/um...question." and then another character, like Yaya, Graziella, Wimzie, or Rousso would usually respond by saying, "Yes, Horace?".

Episodes

Season 1 (1995)

  1. The Cookie Crisis
  2. Boo!
  3. The Magic Crayon
  4. I Want My Mommy
  5. Flower Power
  6. Babies Have It Made
  7. The Scaredy Cats
  8. The Treasure Hunt
  9. The Boy Who Cried Wolf
  10. What's the Matter with Horace?
  11. You're Not My Friend
  12. To Share or Not To Share
  13. The Play's the Thing
  14. The Lucky Pin
  15. Queen For A Day
  16. A Fishy Fish Story
  17. To Tell the Truth
  18. Jonas, The Actor
  19. All Alone
  20. You Just Gotta Keep Trying
  21. A Medal for Horace
  22. By the Numbers
  23. Mad at Dad
  24. Aahhchoo!
  25. Wimzie's Hushabye
  26. The Tattletales
  27. I Dare You!
  28. We Want Toys!
  29. The Personal Trainer
  30. Jonas and All of His Hits
  31. Who Do You Trust?
  32. Jonas' Big Purple Map
  33. Wimzie's Three Wishes
  34. Who's The Boss?
  35. The Great Moving Day
  36. The Mighty Monster Power Piggies
  37. Wimzie's Scary Dream
  38. The Little Red Wimzie
  39. Friendship Day
  40. Bye Bye Birdie
  41. A Little Privacy, Please?
  42. I'm Scared for Daddy
  43. Bo Goes Bonkers!
  44. Identical Cousins
  45. The Hand-Me-Down Sweater
  46. I Think I Forgot Something
  47. Mommy's Afraid
  48. The Stuke-A-Piddleys
  49. The Tooth Fairy
  50. Wimzie's Late
  51. The Cookie Caper
  52. Wimzie's Big Trip
  53. The Lost Bone
  54. Official Backwards Day
  55. Doctor Wimzie
  56. The Assistant Grown-Up

Season 2 (1996)

  1. The Sore Winner
  2. To Each His Own
  3. The Contest
  4. Please Don't Say That!
  5. Be Yourself
  6. The Boys Against The Girls
  7. The Storm
  8. You Have to Learn the Trade
  9. Substitute Daddy
  10. Wimzie the Magician
  11. The Best Hiding Place on Earth
  12. The Jingle
  13. Mind Your Manners
  14. Picking a President
  15. We Can Do It!
  16. The Accident
  17. Happy Birthday, Yaya!
  18. The Dropsies
  19. Icky, Yucky and Goofy
  20. Cinderloulou
  21. Loulou Thinks Big
  22. Nicknames
  23. A Little Bit Testy
  24. Noises Night and Day
  25. Motherly Love
  26. I Don't Like Chores!
  27. Imagination in Action
  28. Promises, Promises, Promises
  29. The Telephone Call
  30. Am I Dreaming?
  31. What's the Truth?
  32. Wimzie the Prankster
  33. My Doll is for Sale
  34. The Show-Off
  35. Growing Up is Hard To Do
  36. From Dirt... to Ice Cream
  37. Shaggy's Visit
  38. Wimzie's Rainbow Wig
  39. Ants in My Pants
  40. The Silent Treatment
  41. Daddy's Girl
  42. Go for the Gold
  43. Wimzie's Family Career Day
  44. It's Bedtime!
  45. The Blackout
  46. Who Needs Yaya?
  47. All 'Round the World in a Day
  48. The Big Dinosaur
  49. The Gizmo-A-Gig-A-Bopper
  50. The Surprise That ... Wasn't
  51. The Ugly Scary Statue
  52. Horace Goes Whammer
  53. Wimzie Sees It All
  54. Wimzie the Interrupter
  55. The Magic Starfruit
  56. The Perfect Christmas

Songs

  1. Wimzie's House Theme Song (song in at the beginning of every episode)
  2. Uh-Oh! (song in "The Cookie Crisis", "The Boys Against the Girls", "What's The Truth?", "The Blackout" and "Horace Goes Whammer")
  3. Always Tell the Truth (song in "The Cookie Crisis" and "Ants in My Pants")
  4. Best Of Friends (song in "Boo!" and "The Silent Treatment")
  5. I Don't Like That (song in "Boo!", "The Show-Off", "The Silent Treatment", "Horace Goes Whammer" and "Wimzie the Interrupter")
  6. They Are Mine! (song in "The Magic Crayon")
  7. It's Okay To Say What We Feel (song in "The Magic Crayon" and "Nicknames")
  8. Time to Relax (song in "I Want My Mommy")
  9. Pretending (song in "I Want My Mommy" and "Wimzie's Family Career Day")
  10. Some Things In Life Just Take Time (song in "Flower Power")
  11. Together (song in "Flower Power")
  12. I Wish I Were A Baby (song in "Babies Have It Made")
  13. I Rather Just Be Me (sung in "Babies Have It Made")
  14. Frightened In the Night (sung in "The Scaredy Cats")
  15. Count On Your Friends (sung in "The Scaredy Cats" and "Motherly Love")
  16. Sometimes There Are Two of Me (sung in "The Treasure Hunt", "The Sore Winner" and "Wimzie Sees It All")
  17. I Know What I Should Do (sung in "The Treasure Hunt" and "The Big Dinosaur")
  18. Let's Laugh Together (sung in "The Boy Who Cried Wolf", "Mind Your Manners" and "Wimzie the Prankster")
  19. Playing Hide and Seek (sung in "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" and "The Best Hiding Place on Earth")
  20. Why Do We Need Friends? (sung in "What's The Matter With Horace?" and "Am I Dreaming?")
  21. Even If We Fight (sung in "What's The Matter With Horace?")
  22. Left Out (sung in "You're Not My Friend" and "Cinderloulou")
  23. Making Our Friendship Grow (sung in "You're Not My Friend")
  24. It's My Turn (sung in "To Share Or Not To Share")
  25. If It's Mine (sung in "To Share Or Not To Share" and "My Doll is for Sale")
  26. We Want To Have Fun (sung in "The Play's The Thing")
  27. Dilemma (sung in "The Play's The Thing")
  28. I Do Well When I Feel Good (sung in "The Lucky Pin" and "The Show-Off")
  29. Rousso's Recipe (sung in "The Lucky Pin")
  30. Sick Of Being Sick (sung in "Queen For A Day")
  31. Sometimes Friends Can Make You Mad (sung in "Queen For A Day")
  32. Animal Friends (sung in "A Fishy Fish Story" and "Shaggy's Visit")
  33. Goldfish Goldfish (sung in "A Fishy Fish Story")
  34. Love Makes Life Worth Living (sung in "To Tell The Truth")
  35. True Or False (sung in "To Tell The Truth" and "What's The Truth?")
  36. When It Hurts (sung in "Jonas, The Actor" and "I Think I Forgot Something")
  37. Sometimes Everyone Feels Afraid (sung in "Jonas, The Actor")
  38. All Alone (sung in "All Alone")
  39. Number 1 (sung in "All Alone")
  40. Try Try Try Again (sung in "You Just Gotta Keep Trying" and "We Can Do It!")
  41. Practice Makes Perfect (sung in "You Just Gotta Keep Trying")
  42. Forgetting Is Okay (sung in "A Medal For Horace" and "Wimzie the Prankster")
  43. The Things You Miss (sung in "A Medal For Horace")
  44. One Two Three (sung in "By the Numbers")
  45. There's Only One Me (sung in "By the Numbers")
  46. Lullaby for Bo (sung in "Mad At Dad" and "It's Bedtime!")
  47. That Makes Me Mad! (sung in "Mad At Dad")
  48. Darn These Allergies (sung in "AAHCHOO!")
  49. Things That I Don't See (sung in "AAHCHOO!")
  50. I Have A Secret (sung in "Wimzie's Hushabye" and "Shaggy's Visit")
  51. When I Have A Friend (sung in "Wimzie's Hushabye" and "To Each His Own")
  52. The One Color Crayon Blues (sung in "The Tattletales")
  53. Tattletale (sung in "The Tattletales" and "The Surprise That...Wasn't")
  54. Green Grape Funk (sung in "I Dare You!")
  55. Don't You Dare (sung in "I Dare You!")
  56. Everybody Must Have Toys (sung in "We Want Toys!" and "Imagination in Action")
  57. There Are Ways To Say I Love You (sung in "We Want Toys!", "Motherly Love" and "The Telephone Call")
  58. You Gotta Get Physical (sung in "The Personal Trainer" and "The Big Dinosaur")
  59. Healthy Habits (sung in "The Personal Trainer" and "Loulou Thinks Big")
  60. Hands Are Not Made For a Fight (sung in "Jonas and All of His Hits")
  61. Time-outs (sung in "Jonas and All of His Hits", "Be Yourself" and "Wimzie the Interrupter")
  62. On TV! On TV! (sung in "Who Do You Trust?")
  63. Not Too Much TV (sung in "Who Do You Trust?" and "The Blackout")
  64. I Love My Dirt (sung in "Jonas' Big Purple Map" and "From Dirt...to Ice Cream")
  65. Permission First (sung in "Jonas' Big Purple Map", "The Telephone Call" and "Wimzie's Rainbow Wig")
  66. The Wishing Song (sung in "Wimzie's Three Wishes" and "Wimzie Sees It All")
  67. Families and Friends (sung in "Wimzie's Three Wishes" and "Am I Dreaming?")
  68. I Was Born To Lead (sung in "Who's The Boss?")
  69. Life Is Simply Grand (sung in "Who's The Boss?")
  70. When I Miss Someone I Love (sung in "The Great Moving Day")
  71. To Help A Friend (sung in "The Great Moving Day", "Substitute Daddy" and "The Gizmo-A-Gig-A-Bopper")
  72. The Mighty Monster Power Piggies (sung in "The Mighty Monster Power Piggies")
  73. Find Your Own Dream (sung in "The Mighty Monster Power Piggies", "Picking A President" and "I Don't Like Chores")
  74. The Monster Mask (sung in "Wimzie's Scary Dream")
  75. I Like To Dream (sung in "Wimzie's Scary Dream")
  76. On Lazy Days (sung in "The Little Red Wimzie")
  77. When There's A Job To Do (sung in "The Little Red Wimzie", and "I Don't Like Chores!")
  78. Are You My Friend? (sung in "Friendship Day")
  79. Even If We're Friends (sung in "Friendship Day" and "The Contest")
  80. It's Okay To Cry (sung in "Bye Bye Birdie" and "Promises, Promises, Promises")
  81. We All Need Taking Care Of (sung in "Bye Bye Birdie")
  82. Yaya's Diary (sung in "A Little Privacy, Please?" and "Who Needs Yaya?")
  83. Tape Recorder Rap (sung in "A Little Privacy, Please?" and "All 'Round the World in a Day")
  84. Turtles (sung in "I'm Scared for Daddy" and "Go for the Gold")
  85. I'm A Fireman (sung in "I'm Scared for Daddy" and "Promises, Promises, Promises")
  86. Where Is Bo? (sung in "Bo Goes Bonkers!" and "The Ugly Scary Statue")
  87. Taking A Nap (sung in "Bo Goes Bonkers!")
  88. Stand Up and Speak Out (sung in "Identical Cousins")
  89. I Like To Be Me (sung in "Identical Cousins")
  90. Brand New Again (sung in "The Hand-Me-Down Sweater" and "The Gizmo-A-Gig-A-Bopper")
  91. What Makes Something Special (sung in "The Hand-Me-Down Sweater", "You Have to Learn the Trade" and "My Doll is for Sale")
  92. Me and My Dad (sung in "I Think I Forgot Something" and "Wimzie the Magician")
  93. Feeling Afraid (sung in "Mommy's Afraid")
  94. Sometimes I'm Scared (sung in "Mommy's Afraid", "The Storm", "Growing Up is Hard To Do" and "Ants in My Pants")
  95. Invisible Me (sung in "The Stuke-A-Piddleys" and "The Dropsies")
  96. The Words You Say (sung in "The Stuke-A-Piddleys" and "All 'Round the World in a Day")
  97. That's The Rule (sung in "The Tooth Fairy" and "Please Don't Say That!")
  98. Stay Awake (sung in "The Tooth Fairy" and "It's Bedtime!")
  99. Tick Tock Clock (sung in "Wimzie's Late")
  100. Right On Time (sung in "Wimzie's Late")
  101. Snacktime Is Fun (sung in "The Cookie Caper", "The Jingle" and "The Surprise That... Wasn't")
  102. Privacy (sung in "The Cookie Caper")
  103. It's Fun To Go Travelling (sung in "Wimzie's Big Trip" and "Who Needs Yaya?")
  104. Disappointment (sung in "Wimzie's Big Trip" and "The Perfect Christmas")
  105. Digging In The Dirt (sung in "The Lost Bone")
  106. Bones (sung in "The Lost Bone" and "The Accident")
  107. Let's Be Different (sung in "Official Backwards Day")
  108. The Searching Song (sung in "Official Backwards Day", "Happy Birthday, Yaya!" and "Go for the Gold")
  109. I'm Taking Care of Mommy (sung in "Doctor Wimzie")
  110. Yaya's Good Tummy Soup (sung in "Doctor Wimzie")
  111. It's Fun To Be Detectives (sung in "The Assistant Grown-Up")
  112. Responsibility (sung in "The Assistant Grown-Up")
  113. I Won (sung in "The Sore Winner" and "A Little Bit Testy")
  114. I Like Painting Pictures (sung in "To Each His Own")
  115. Playing Dress Up Is Such Fun (sung in "The Contest", "Wimzie's Rainbow Wig" and "Wimzie's Family Career Day")
  116. Watch Your Words (sung in "Please Don't Say That!" and "Icky, Yucky and Goofy")
  117. Shhhhh (sung in "Be Yourself" and "Noises Night and Day")
  118. Boys and Girls (sung in "The Boys Against the Girls" and "Daddy's Girl")
  119. Scary Noises (sung in "The Storm")
  120. Find A Better Way (sung in "You Have to Learn the Trade")
  121. Our Dad (sung in "Substitute Daddy" and "Daddy's Girl")
  122. Magic! (sung in "Wimzie the Magician" and "The Magic Starfruit")
  123. Do The Right Thing! (sung in "The Best Hiding Place on Earth")
  124. Trying To Figure Problems Out (sung in "The Jingle")
  125. Good Manners (sung in "Mind Your Manners")
  126. Presidents (sung in "Picking A President")
  127. No Problem! (sung in "We Can Do It!")
  128. Brothers and Sisters (sung in "The Accident")
  129. Imagination (sung in "Happy Birthday, Yaya!")
  130. Better Be Careful! (sung in "The Dropsies", "Imagination in Action" and "The Ugly Scary Statue")
  131. I'm Special (sung in "Icky, Yucky and Goofy" and "The Magic Starfruit")
  132. What's So Good About Being Tall? (sung in "Cinderloulou")
  133. I Wanna Be Big Right Now (sung in "Loulou Thinks Big" and "Growing Up is Hard To Do")
  134. The Nicknames (sung in "Nicknames")
  135. We All Need Each Other (sung in "A Little Bit Testy" and "From Dirt to... Ice Cream")
  136. Noisy Noises (sung in "Noises Night and Day")
  137. I Love Snow (sung in "The Perfect Christmas")

In 1999, The Jim Henson Company issued a lawsuit against the company, claiming the series' puppets and resultant merchandise violated its copyright and trademark rights on The Muppets. CINAR and its licensees Eden LLC and Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company denied and continue to deny any wrongdoing or liability for infringement.

A confidential settlement allowed CINAR to continue broadcasting the series, selling show merchandise, and a "mechanism for preserving the distinctive look of Jim Henson's Muppets in CINAR's future productions."

Ronald A. Weinberg, CINAR President and Co-CEO:

We are delighted that it's been settled and that the agreement leaves an open door between the two companies. It's also good news that WIMZIE'S HOUSE will continue to enjoy such a broad audience on PBS in the U.S. and on other channels in over 100 countries around the world. Furthermore, it means that the licensing initiative we launched last year will continue to flourish with both established and new licensee partners.

Media

Video releases

Five hour-long VHS tapes were released by Sony Wonder in 1999 to 2000.

  • Babies Have It Made (March 7, 2000)
  • Happy Holidays (September 12, 2000)
  • It's Magic Time (August 10, 1999)
  • Pet Tales (March 7, 2000)
  • You're Special (August 10, 1999)

PBS DVD Video

  • Season 1 (March 21, 2000)
  • Season 1: Part 2 (April 11, 2000)
  • Season 2 (October 24, 2000)
  • Season 3: The Final Season (November 14, 2000)

DVD releases

On July 27, 2010, Mill Creek Entertainment released a 10 episode Best-of collection entitled Wimzie's House: A World of Enchantment on DVD in Region 1.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Marcotte, Gilles (1995-09-02). "Nos choix : Lundi 9h30 Radio-Canada" [Our picks : Monday 9:30am Radio-Canada] (pdf). La Presse, supplément Télé-Plus (in French). 111th year, number 309. Montreal. p. 3. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
  2. ↑ "TV Listings, Télé-Matinée at 11am, 5 Black & 6 Black (CBC), Wimzie : Début" (pdf). La Presse, supplément Télé-Plus (in French). 112th year, number 355. Montreal. 1996-10-19. p. 10. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
  3. ↑ "Wimizie's House TV Show". TV.com. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
  4. ↑ "Network B" (PDF). Ascent Media. Retrieved 2010-03-11.
  5. ↑ https://www.amazon.com/Wimzies-House-World-Enchantment-Wimzie/dp/B003R2YVQ2
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