The Busy World of Richard Scarry
The Busy World of Richard Scarry is an American/Canadian/French animated children's television series, produced by CINAR Animation (now known as WildBrain, previously Cookie Jar Entertainment and later DHX Media) and France Animation in association with Paramount Television, which aired from 1994 to 1997, first on Showtime, later on Nickelodeon, and ran for 65 episodes.[2] The television series was based on the books drawn and written by Richard Scarry.[3] Reruns of the show formerly aired in syndication as part of the Cookie Jar Kids Network block, but the show now continues to air on the Cookie Jar Toons block on This TV until October 26, 2013. Reruns of the show aired on Qubo from May 13, 2013, to September 25, 2016. However, it returned to Qubo on March 28, 2017, as part of the network's Night Owl block until May 26, 2018, and currently airs on Light TV.
| The Busy World of Richard Scarry | |
|---|---|
 Cover for The Busy World of Richard Scarry: Every Day There's Something New DVD | |
| Genre | Cartoon series |
| Created by | Richard Scarry |
| Written by | Thomas LaPierre |
| Directed by | Greg Bailey Marcos Da Silva Pascal Morelli Stephan Martinière Nadja Cozic |
| Voices of | Keith Knight Sonja Ball |
| Theme music composer | Milan Kymlicka |
| Composer(s) | Laurent Petitgirard |
| Country of origin | Canada France United States |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 65 (195 segments) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Micheline Charest |
| Producer(s) | Ronald A. Weinberg |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | CINAR France Animation Paramount Television |
| Distributor | Cinar |
| Release | |
| Original network | Canada Family Channel (English) Ici Radio-Canada Télé (French) France France 3, Canal J United States Showtime, Nick Jr. |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) |
| Original release | March 9, 1994[1] – 1997 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | Busytown Mysteries |
Cast
- Sonja Ball as Huckle Cat, additional voices
- Keith Knight as Lowly Worm, Snozzle, Able Baker Charlie, additional voices
- Judy Marshak as Fiona Cat, additional voices
- Philip Williams as Sergeant Murphy, Bruno Bear, additional voices
- Stephen Ouimette as Doctor Lion, Mr. Raccoon, additional voices
- Len Carlson as Mr. Frumble, Mr. Gronkle, Mayor Fox, additional voices
- Tara Meyer as Sally Cat, additional voices
- Cathy Gallant as Hilda Hippo, P.S. Pig, Thump, Deputy Flo, additional voices
- John Stocker as John Cat, Mr. Humperdink, Scotty Dog, Pedro, Wolfgang Wolf, additional voices
- Rino Romano as Billy Dog, additional voices
- David Berni as Bananas Gorilla, additional voices
- Peter Wildman as Mr. Fixit, Sniff, Pickles, additional voices
- Hadley Kay as Sprout Goat, Dennis Elephant, additional voices
- Stuart Stone as Kenny Bear (seasons 1-3), Pig Will (seasons 1-3), Pig Won't, Manuel
- Linda Feige as Miss Honey (early episodes)
- Susan Roman as Cucumber, Professor Dog, April Rhino, Squirty, additional voices
- Tara Strong as Lynnie Raccoon (season 5), additional voices
- Michael Caloz as Kenny Bear (later season 3), Vanderbuilt Gronkle, Robby Lion, Pig Will (season 5)
- Julie Lemieux as Russ
Overview
The series takes place in the fictional city of Busytown and mainly stars Huckle Cat, Lowly Worm and many of the other residents of Busytown. Every "human" in the series is an anthropomorphic animal, most commonly pigs, foxes, breeds of dogs, mice, rabbits, goats, and cats. Each episode always features a conflict (which is eventually resolved in the end). However, episodes featuring other anthropomorphic animals, like Couscous catching Pépé le Gangstaire and his dirty rats, Sam and Dudley, Sneef and Sniff, Cucumber and Pickles, etc. have taken place outside of Busytown in other places around the world.
Episode list
Season 1: 1994
| Nº | Cartoons | Air date | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Talking Bread / Couscous, the North African Detective / The Three Fishermen | March 13, 1994 | A bread in Able Baker Charlie's bakery repeatedly says "Mama", Couscous catches Peppy the Gangster and his Dirty Rats who intend to steal the Jewel-of-Jewel and the Cat Family goes fishing and returning with fish of different sizes. |
| 2 | The Best Birthday Present Ever / Patrick Pig Learns to Talk / Grouchy Mr. Gronkle | March 9, 1994 (special prime-time airing) | Mother Cat gets a birthday present, Patrick Pig learns how to speak for the first time and Mr. Gronkle is introduced. |
| 3 | The Busiest Firefighters Ever / Manuel of Mexico / The Biggest Catch Ever | March 20, 1994 | Smoky and his Firefighters are introduced and their firefighting career, a mystery takes place in Mexico and a big catch is received. |
| 4 | Mr. Raccoon's Different Day / Mario, the Venetian Gondolier / The Best Babysitter Ever | March 27, 1994 | Hilda babysits, Mario is introduced and his career as operating gondoliers in Venice and Mr. Raccoon has a bad day. |
| 5 | The Best Mistake Ever / Sneef, the Best Detective in Europe / Camping Out | April 3, 1994 | Huckle forgets a shopping list, Sneef and Sniff succeed in catching the Royal Jewels and the Cat family goes camping. |
| 6 | Mr. Frumble's New Cars / Ernst and Heidi in the Alps / Billy Dog's Bad Day | April 10, 1994 | When Mr. Frumble crashes his car, he steals the bulldozer from Roger Rhino, a taxi and the airplane from Rudolph Von Flugel, Ernst and Heidi from the Swiss alps are introduced and Billy Dog has a bad day. |
| 7 | The Snowstorm / Professor Dig and His Egyptian Mummy / The Treasure Hunt | April 17, 1994 | A big snowstorm causes havoc in Busytown, Professor Dig is introduced with his own Egyptian mummy and a treasure hunt takes place in Busytown. |
| 8 | The Missing Bananas / Good Luck in Rome / The Accident | April 24, 1994 | Bananas Gorilla steals a batch of bananas, another mystery takes place in Rome and an accident occurs. |
| 9 | A Trip to the Moon / Pip Pip Goes to London / Floating Bananas | May 1, 1994 | Wolfgang, Benny, Harry and Lowly try to fly to the moon, Pip Pip goes to London to find the Queen's ring, and experiences many problems and strange floating bananas appear. |
| 10 | Hat Pie / Hans, the Dutch Plumber / Hilda's Romantic Tea Party | May 8, 1994 | Hat Pie, a new food, is made, Hans, a plumber working at the Dutch Windmills experiences a leak in a dyke and Hilda has a tea party. |
| 11 | A Big Operation / Cucumber, the African Photographer / Summer Picnic | May 15, 1994 | Huckle has his tonsils removed, Cucumber is really nervous about photographing lions and the class goes on a picnic. |
| 12 | Sergeant Murphy's Day Off / Schmudge, the German Chimney Sweep / The Sleeping Car Adventure | May 22, 1994 | Sergeant Murphy gets his first day off, Schmudge a chimney Sweeper in Germany is introduced and Hilda takes a train ride. |
| 13 | Busytown Regatta / Schtoompah, the Funny Austrian / Busytown Soap Box Derby | May 29, 1994 | Busytown celebrates a regatta race, Schtoompah wreaks havoc when he blows his tuba too hard and a Soap box race takes place in Busytown. |
Season 2: 1995
| Nº | Cartoons | Air date | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | The Big Story / Couscous in Gibraltar / The Firefighter's Ball | Spring 1995 | Huckle and Lowly become news reporters, Couscous captures Peppy and his Dirty Rats in Gibraltar and Smoky, Sparkey and Nozzle get a firefighters ball. |
| 15 | The Field Trip / The Great Pie Robbery / Clean Garage | Spring 1995 | The Scouts go on a field trip, Madame Dog's pies get stolen and the Cat Family cleans out their garage. |
| 16 | Captain Willy and the Pirates / Flying Noodles / Roughing It | Spring 1995 | Captain Willy is put ashore by pirates and attempts to get his boat back, as well as catch them and strange flying noodles are featured. |
| 17 | Young Vikings / Sneef Saves the Queen / Hilda the Director | Spring 1995 | Huckle and Lowly go sailing on a raft that they built, Sneef captures the culprit who stole the Queen of England's crown and Hilda holds auditions for actors to star in her play. |
| 18 | High Flyers / Steamboat Mystery / The Best Waiters Ever | Spring 1995 | A mystery involving a steamboat takes place and new waiters come in. |
| 19 | The Big Move / Sneef in Russia / Mr. Frumble Gets a Job | Spring 1995 | Billy Dog is moving away, Sneef and Sniff save a Russian mystery and Mr. Frumble gets his first job. |
| 20 | Ambulance Cake / The Supermarket Mystery / Big Trouble for Bananas Gorilla | Spring 1995 | The hospital hosts a bake sale, groceries are stolen from the supermarket and Bananas Gorilla gets in more big trouble having stolen more bananas. |
| 21 | Sergeant Murphy's Deputy / Couscous in the Sahara / New Friend on the Block | Spring 1995 | A new friend for Huckle arrives on his street, Couscous catches Pepe and his Dirty Rats by trapping them in an Egyptian pyramid that they are searching for treasure in and Sergeant Murphy gets a deputy. |
| 22 | The Biggest Storm Ever / Cucumber in Rockies / Sally's First Day at School | Spring 1995 | Sally Cat starts kindergarten, Cucumber manages to stop a runaway boxcar that is carrying a wedding cake in the Canadian rockies and a big storm occurs in Busytown. |
| 23 | No Time for Bananas / Sneef in India / Sally Cat's First Trip | Spring 1995 | Bananas Gorilla does not get a chance for bananas, Sneef and Sniff solve an Indian mystery and Sally Cat goes on her first trip. |
| 24 | Grand Hotel / Couscous on the Nile / Cat Family Ski Trip | Spring 1995 | The Busytown Grand Hotel is introduced, Couscous succeed another mystery taking place on a boat on the Nile River and the Cat Family goes skiing. |
| 25 | Lowly Breaks His Leg / Cucumber in Machuu Pichuu / The Plight of Penelope Parakeet | Spring 1995 | Lowly breaks his one leg and has to survive with being unable to use it, Cucumber saves a Machuu Pichuu mystery where all the costumes for a parade are stolen and Huckle and Lowly pet-sit Penelope Parakeet. |
| 26 | A Newspaper Mom / Cucumber in Rio / Donut Raffle | Spring 1995 | Mother cat gets a job for newspaper delivering, Cucumber solves another mystery in Rio and a Donut Raffle takes place in Busytown. |
Season 3: 1995–96
| Nº | Cartoons | Air date | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | The Knights of Busytown / Cave Pigs / Bucketman in Busytown | Fall 1995 | Knights and a bucketman are a major occurrence in Busytown and the life of cave pigs is featured. |
| 28 | Billy Dog Gets Glasses / Cordelia's Debut / Lowly Joins the Circus | Fall 1995 | Billy Dog gets his first pair of glasses, Cordelia debuts and Lowly Worm takes part in a circus. |
| 29 | The Big Dare / Oliver's Sandwich / Pig Will Won't | Fall 1995 | A big dare takes place, Oliver gets problems with his sandwich and Pig Will becomes Pig Won't. |
| 30 | The Best Birthday Party Ever / Martha's First Book / Locked Out | Fall 1995 | Two birthday parties take place in Busytown, Martha reads her first book and someone gets locked out. |
| 31 | Dad's Neat Job / The Discovery of America / Mr. Gronkle's Friends | Fall 1995 | Father Cat does a new job, the story of America being discovered is featured and Mr. Gronkle's friends are introduced. |
| 32 | Denys at Camp / Peasant Pig's Gifts / Little Fixit | 1996 | Denys go to camp, Peasant Pig gets his own gifts and Little Fixit, the sister of Mr. and Mrs. Fixit is introduced. |
| 33 | The School Dance / The First Olympics / Hilda for President | 1996 | A school dance takes place, The story of the Greek Olympics is featured and Hilda runs for president. |
| 34 | Mr. Frumble's Brother / Viking Pigs / The Perfect Wedding | 1996 | Mr. Frumble's twin brother is introduced, the Viking pigs are introduced and Miss Honey and Bruno Bear are getting married. |
| 35 | A Tough Test / The First Pyramid / The Big Date | 1996 | A tough test takes place, the story of the discovery of the first pyramid is featured and Billy's mother goes on a date. |
| 36 | Inventor of the Year / Macaroni Polo / Lone Wolf at the Lighthouse | 1996 | One of Busytown's residents gets an award for being the inventor of the year, Macaroni Polo is introduced and Lone Wolfe is at a lighthouse. |
| 37 | Fun-Time Riddle Race / The First Balloon / Billy Dog's Space Rock | 1996 | A big riddle race takes place in Busytown starting at the Fire station (with the riddle "When things get really hot, we'll bring you some water") and ending at the Observatory (with the riddle "When it gets dark, look up and watch the show"), the story of the first balloon (a.k.a. Montgolfier) is featured and Billy Dog loses a meteorite from the observatory and tries to find and return it. |
| 38 | The Best Amusement Park Ever / The First Bridge / Say Cheese, Please! | 1996 | Wolfgang, Benny and Harry open a big amusement park, but having trouble in the process, the story of the first bridge is featured (caused by a toppling tower that lands on the river) and the class has to take photos of their families, but experiencing many problems and Huckle finally succeeds in taking the best picture. |
| 39 | Has Anyone Seen My Book? / P.J. Pig's Brave Day / Vanderbuilt's New Shoes | 1996 | Sally's book goes missing, P.J. Pig does his best and Vanderbuilt gets new shoes. |
Season 4: 1996
| Nº | Cartoons | Air date | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | The Perfect Gentleman / The Best Painter Ever / The Best Day for Dennis | 1996 | A new gentleman comes, someone paints the Sistine Chapel and Dennis has his best day. |
| 41 | A Trip Back in Time / Home Sweet Home / P.S. Pig's Special Friend | 1996 | Mr. Fixit builds a time machine, cavemen create a shelter, and P.S. Pig gets a new friend. |
| 42 | Mr. Fixit's Magnet Machine / Sneef and Sniff at the Opera / Mr. Gronkle Won't Mind | 1996 | Mr. Fixit causes havoc with his new magnet machine that gets out of control and attracts anything made of metal, Sniff and Sneef solve a voice problem at a European Opera and an eventful day occurs in the lives of Lowly, Huckle, and Father Cat. |
| 43 | Peter's Visit / The First Skis Ever / Stage Fright | 1996 | Peter visits, the story of the first skis takes place and Dennis gets stage fright. |
| 44 | End of the Rainbow / A Signal for Peng / Mr. Frumble's Birthday Party | 1996 | Peng gets a signal and Mr. Frumble has his own birthday party. |
| 45 | Bananas the Magician / The First Horseless Carriage / Princess Hilda | 1996 | Bananas Gorilla acts as a magician, Hilda acts as a magician and the story of the first horseless carriage is featured. |
| 46 | Daylight Savings Time [sic?] / Eager Beaver's Clever Game / The Pickle Car Wash | 1996 | The story of Daylight Saving Time is featured, Eager Beaver makes a clever game and Mr. Frumble has his own car wash for his Pickle Car. |
| 47 | Triple a Deliveries / Stanley's Amazing Photo / Lost in the Swamp | 1996 | Stanley does some of the best photographing and one gets lost in the swamp. |
| 48 | Mr. Fixit's Super Submarine / Cahuchu's Magic Tree / Mr. Bean's Restaurant | 1996 | Mr. Fixit invents a submarine and Lowly and Huckle give it a test ride, Little Cahuchu discovers a tree with magical bouncing sap and Mr. Bean opens a drive-in restaurant. |
| 49 | The Best Christmas Present Ever / Abe and Babe's Christmas Lesson / Sally Cat's Christmas Dream | 1996 | A big Christmas present comes to Busytown, Abe and Babe get a Christmas lesson and Sally Cat gets her Christmas Dream. |
| 50 | The Best Car Trip Ever / Earnest's Dish You Can Eat / Cousin Ross | 1996 | The Cat family goes on a big car trip, Earnest introduces his dish you can eat and cousin Ross is introduced. |
| 51 | Fill'er Up Scotty / Niagara Falls Mystery / Helper's Helper | 1996 | Scotty operates a gas station, Cucumber succeeds a mystery when Niagara Falls stops flowing and it is blocked by Beaver Sweet Tooth's gang and one helper gets another helper. |
| 52 | Who's Afraid of the Big Eclipse / Hold Your Breath! / Pumpkin Heads | 1996 | When there is a misprint in The Bugle, the townspeople think that the sun will disappear for 360 years, Toula and her father catch a gold necklace in their net and Huckle, Lowly and Sprout participate in a pumpkin contest. |
Season 5: 1997
| Nº | Cartoons | Air date | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 53 | The Mole Machine / The Royal Game of Dennis / Now That's Progress | 1997 | Dennis gets a royal game and progress takes place, Mr. Fixit invents a mole machine. |
| 54 | Superstitious Bananas / Pépé le Gangstaire / Drive-Through Movie | 1997 | Bananas Gorilla starts having good luck after getting some bananas, and a drive-through theater opens. |
| 55 | King and Queen for a Day / The Piggy Express / Practice Makes Prefect | 1997 | Huckle and Hilda become king and queen, Piggy delivers mail, and there is a school recital. |
| 56 | The Winners / No More Games, Manuel! / We Won't Go to the Doctor! | 1997 | N/A |
| 57 | Never Too Small / Albert, the Belgian Barge Captain / Rainy Day | 1997 | N/A |
| 58 | Mr. Gronkle Comes to Stay / Leo-pardo's Smile / Blooming Busytown | 1997 | Mr. Gronkle stays with the Cat family during winter, but freezes in the ice, Leo-pardo smiles for the first time and flowers are blooming all over Busytown. |
| 59 | Match-Makers / Forget-bur Never Forgets / Toof Trouble | 1997 | The story of the first valentine is featured, and one wants to be their own valentine. |
| 60 | The New Neighbors / The First Halloween Ever / Now I Know My One, Two, Threes! | 1997 | A family moves into Busytown, the story of the first Halloween is told, and Sally learns how to count. |
| 61 | Mr. Gronkle Moves Away / Counting Chickens / The Spelling Bee | 1997 | Mr. Gronkle moves to the countryside. A message in a bottle appears. |
| 62 | Huckle's Feathery Friends / The First Valentine Ever / The Sleepover | 1997 | Mr. Gronkle moves out of Busytown, and a sleepover takes place. |
| 63 | Count on Us! / The First Easter Egg Ever / Be My Valentine | 1997 | The story of the first easter egg is featured, the Easter Bunny comes to Busytown and Huckle gets some bird friends. |
| 64 | The Mystery of the Stone Circle / The Big Apple Christmas Caper / Who's too Scared to Masquerade? / | 1997 | The story of the first Halloween is featured, are pulled into the air by a giant magnet attached to an airship and neighbors move into Busytown. |
| 65 | A Message in a Bottle / Santa Needs Help / There Really is an Easter Bunny | 1997 | Santa Claus gets in trouble, (cars, parts of skyscrapers, etc.) get pulled up by a giant magnet attached to an airship and A stone circle vanishes Sneef and Sniff succeed a mystery in New York City when all metal objects. (Series Finale) |
Home releases
On July 27, 2010, Mill Creek Entertainment released The Busy World of Richard Scarry: Every Day There's Something New on DVD in Region 1 (US only). This 3-disc set features the first 30 episodes of the series.[4] On July 19, 2011, Mill Creek released The Busy World of Richard Scarry: Fun in Busytown!, a 4-disc set that features the remaining 35 episodes of the series.[5]
On August 4, 2015, Mill Creek Entertainment released The Busy World of Richard Scarry- The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.[6]
Music
Most of the music was written by two composers. The theme song was written by Sara Zahn and composed by Milan Kymlicka, while the underscore was composed and conducted by Laurent Petitgirard and Steve Wener. Several other composers contributed to several educational shorts in the series.
References
- Erickson, Hal. Television cartoon shows: an illustrated encyclopedia, 1949 through 2003. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 166. ISBN 0786422556. OCLC 57349103.
The Busy World of Richard Scarry series preached ... Showtime: debuted March 9, 1994
- Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 100. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. pp. 36–37. ISBN 9781476672939.
- "The Busy World of Richard Scarry: Every Day There's Something New". 27 July 2010 – via Amazon.
- "Busy World of Richard Scarry - Fun in Busytown!". 19 July 2011 – via Amazon.
- Mill Creek's 'Complete Series' 6-DVD Set...Soon! Archived 2015-07-26 at the Wayback Machine
External links
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