Theodore Tugboat

Theodore Tugboat was a Canadian children's television series about a tugboat named Theodore who lives in the Big Harbour with all of his friends. The show was produced (and is set) in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada by the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation), and the now defunct Cochran Entertainment, and was filmed on a model set using radio controlled tugboats, ships, and machinery. Production of the show ended in 2001, and its distribution rights were later sold to Classic Media. The show premiered in Canada on CBC Television, then went to PBS (Public Broadcasting Service), was on qubo in the US, Most often, the tugs have a problem, or get involved in a struggle with each other or another ship, but they always manage to help one another resolve these problems and see them through. Their main focus however, is to always make the Big Harbour the friendliest harbour in the world, and to always do a good job with their work related tasks.

Origins

The original idea for the series came to Halifax native Andrew Cochran, as he tried to explain the unique characteristics and work of Halifax Harbour vessels to his three-year-old son while walking along the Halifax waterfront. According to Cochran, "When you are with kids, you tend to give human characteristics to buildings, cars and boats." Cochran and his production company, Cochran Entertainment, went on to lead the development of the series with the CBC in Canada, starting in 1989. Production commenced in 1992 with the first broadcasts aired on CBC in 1993. Cochran Entertainment produced all 130 original episodes with Cochran as the executive producer. The design, faces, and names of most of the tugboat characters, as well as the harbour set, were created by art director and master model maker Fred Allen. Some episodes were directed by Robert Cardona, He is the only human on the show, and is portrayed in the Canadian and US versions by the late Denny Doherty, formerly of The Mamas & the Papas, on Russell Street in Halifax's North End, which Doherty (the Harbourmaster) had attended as a child. a Halifax artist and set designer who strove to balance expressive human faces with realistic and weathered industrial details.

Chester (the container ship) gets his name from the seaside village of Chester, Nova Scotia.

Cobequid Cove (visited in the episode "The Dark and Scary Cove") shares its name with the both the Cobequid Bay and the Cobequid Hills mountain range of mainland Nova Scotia. Cobequid is a proud, historic, and distinctly Nova Scotian name, derived from the native Mi'kmaq word "Wakobetgitk", meaning "end of the rushing or flowing water" (in reference to the Bay of Fundy).

Cumberland Gets his name from Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, which is located in the province's northwest region.

Dartmouth (a visiting cable ship) is named after the former city of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, which lies on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour. Dartmouth's municipal government was amalgamated into the Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996, but the area still retains its original name.

Digby (the cable ship) is named after Digby, Nova Scotia, a seaside community on the northwest shore of Nova Scotia, famous for its scallop fishing.

Ecum Secum Circle (visited in the episode "Theodore's Big Decision") shares its name with the rural community of Ecum Secum, Nova Scotia, which is located along the shores of Ecum Secum Harbour. Named in the language of the Mi'kmaq, First Nations people, "Ecum Secum" translates to English as "a red house".

Fundy (the fishing boat) gets his name from the Bay of Fundy, the body of water that separates southern Nova Scotia from southern New Brunswick and eastern Maine, and is the body of water with the world's largest tides, that can exceed .

Guysborough (the garbage barge) is named after Guysborough County on the south shore of Nova Scotia.

Inverness (the cargo ship) gets her name from the community of Inverness, Nova Scotia, which is located on the west coast of Cape Breton Island.

Lunenburg (the lighthouse by Shipwreck Rock) is named after the port town of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, which is where the original Bluenose was built and the Bluenose II calls home.

Margaree Pride (a container ship) shares her name with the communities of Upper, East, Northeast, and Southwest Margaree, Margaree Centre, Margaree Valley, Margaree Forks, Margaree Harbour, and the Margaree River, all located in Inverness County, Nova Scotia.

Northumberland (the submarine) is named after the Northumberland Strait, a body of water that lies between New Brunswick, Nova Scotia mainland, and Prince Edward Island.

Pictou Peaks (a cluster of giant rocks poking up out of the water near the shallow shore). Seen in the episode "Emily Goes Overboard", The 'Pictou Peaks' share their name with the historic port Town of Pictou, located in Pictou County, Nova Scotia. It is believed the name is derived from the word "Piktook", which means "an explosion of gas" in the language of the local Mi'kmaq, First Nations people. a native Mi'kmaq word meaning "deep water".

Seabright (the cargo ship) is named after the tiny community of Seabright, Nova Scotia, which is located southwest of Halifax.

Shediac (a supply shed at the shipyard dock) shares his name with the town of Shediac, New Brunswick, which holds the nickname "Lobster Capital of the World".

Shelburne (the giant sea-going barge) is named after the town of Shelburne, Nova Scotia, which lies on the southwest shore of the province.

Stewiacke (the salvage ship) gets his name from the town of Stewiacke, Nova Scotia, which is located halfway between the equator and the north pole. It was also the hometown of the late Fred Allen, the artist who designed and built the characters and set of Theodore Tugboat. Truro (the fishing trawler) gets his name from the town of Truro, Nova Scotia, which is known as the Hub of Nova Scotia for its central location and historical importance to the province's railroad network.

It was also revealed in the episode "Hank's New Name" that Emily's middle name is Annapolis, after Annapolis County in northwest Nova Scotia.

Air dates

Canada: CBC (1994–1999)

U.S.: Discovery Kids (1996–2001), PBS Kids (1994–2002)

Canada: BBC Kids (1995–August 28, 2009)

U.S.: Qubo (2007–September 13, 2009)

Trivia

Series creator Andrew Cochran, as well as a line of scale die-cast models and bathtub toys manufactured by Ertl. The characters were retired in 2000. A life-sized replica of Theodore Tugboat (called Theodore Too) was constructed by the series producers in the late 1990s, through the Great Lakes to Chicago, Illinois, and back again to Halifax. It still resides in Halifax Harbour where it was purchased by a touring company, and is used for sight seeing tours of the harbour. There was also a series of nineteen books published by Random House, a set of squeezy toys made by Alpi, and puzzles and games by International Playthings. The videos were released by Warner Brothers/PBS Kids in the US, and by Children's Group in Canada. Theodore Tugboat merchandise can still be purchased from many on-line auction and shopping websites. Retail merchandise can also be purchased from the Theodore Tugboat Gift Shop, on the waterfront in downtown Halifax, near Theodore Too and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

Theodore Tugboat VHS tapes

Canadian VHS tapes:

The Canadian Theodore VHS tapes were made by Children's Group. They contained stickers of all the tugboats and two episodes. These tapes have become rare, and almost always sell in the double digits on eBay and Amazon.com. ;The list: # Theodore to the Rescue – "Theodore to the Rescue" and "Theodore and the Northern Lights" # Theodore's Whistle – "Theodore's Whistle" and "George's Ghost" # Theodore's Big Adventures – "Theodore and the Oil Rig" and "Hank and the Hug" # Whale of a Tug – "Whale of a Tug" and "Carla the Cool Cabin Cruiser" # Hank and the Nightlight – "Hank and the Nightlight" and "Theodore Hugs the Coast" # Theodore and the Harbour Crane – "Theodore and the Harbour Crane" and "Hank's Wheezy Whistle" # Theodore and the Treasure Team – "Northumberland is Missing" and "All Quiet in the Big Harbour" # Emily Goes Overboard – "Emily Goes Overboard" and "Dartmouth Says Goodbye"

US tapes:

The US Theodore Tugboat tapes were made by PBS/Warner Brothers. Most of these tapes are common on online sites. They usually contain three episodes, however, some of the more rare ones are different, (Theodore's Big Adventure has two and Theodore's Exceptional Friends has five). Theodore's Exceptional friends has become a collectors item for Theodore fans as it not only has 5 episodes, but also a special Theodore Tugboat handbook made by PBS. ;The list: # Theodore's Friendly Adventures (1998) – "Theodore and the Unsafe Ship", "A Joke too Far", and "Hank and the Sunken Ship" # Theodore Helps a Friend (1998) – "Theodore and the Hunt for Northumberland", "Bedford's Big Move", and Guysborough Makes a Friend" # Big Harbour Bedtime (1998) – "Emily and the Sleep Over", "Theodore's Bright Night", "Foduck and the Shy Ship" # Nighttime Adventures (1999) – "Night Shift", "Rebeca and the Big Snore", and "Hank Stays Up Late" # Underwater Mysteries (1999) – "Theodore's Big Decision", "George and the Underwater Mystery", and "Pugwash is Gone!" # Theodore's Exceptional Friends (2000) – "Snorri the Viking Ship", "Guysborough's Garbage", "Hank Hurts a Ship", Theodore and the Ice Ship", "Dartmouth Says Goodbye" # Theodore's Big Adventure (PBS version) – "Theodore and the Big Oil Rig", and "Hank and the Hug"

Theodore Tugboat DVDs

DVDs: The Theodore Tugboat Gift Shop in Halifax has copies of some US releases on DVD. These include; Big Harbour Bedtime, Nighttime Adventures, and Theodore's Friendly Adventures.

Theodore Tugboat books

Random House: Random House has released paperback Theodore Tugboat books. (Theodore and the Whale, and Theodore's Whistle)

Jellybean Books: Jellybean Books has released hardcover Theodore Tugboat books. (Theodore and the Stormy Day, Theodore's Best Friend, Theodore's Birthday Surprise, and Theodore to the Rescue)

Theodore Tugboat toys/games

Ertl toys: Ertl released a number of Theodore Tugboat toys, including die-cast boats, a set of rubber boats that float, a "Press'n Roll" series of plastic boats (where pressing the smokestack then releasing it makes the boat move), and sets of glow in the dark wall decorations.

BRIO toys: BRIO released many Theodore Tugboat toys for interaction with its toy trains. Other than the tugboats, Brio released Benjamin Bridge, Clayton the Crane, Chester the Container Ship, Barrington, Bonavista, and the Dispatcher. The tugs and the Dispatcher feature moving eyes.

International Playthings: International Playthings released the Theodore Tugboat Cargo Game.

See also

Theodore Too – The life-size replica of Theodore Tugboat

Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends – Another show Robert Cardona worked on.

TUGS – Another show about tugboats that Robert Cardona worked on.

References

External links

Theodore Too

Category:Tugboats in fiction Category:Nova Scotia in fiction Category:Canadian children's television series Category:Television series produced in Halifax, Nova Scotia Category:PBS network shows Category:CBC network shows Category:1993 Canadian television series debuts Category:1998 Canadian television series endings Category:Television programs featuring anthropomorphic characters Category:Qubo