| Oobi | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | |
| Created by | Josh Selig |
| Developed by | Essie Chambers[1] |
| Written by |
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| Directed by |
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| Starring |
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| Composers | Sacred Noise, Inc. |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3[a] |
| No. of episodes |
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| Production | |
| Executive producer | Josh Selig |
| Producers |
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| Production locations | |
| Camera setup | Videotape; Multi-camera |
| Running time |
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| Production companies | Little Airplane Noggin LLC |
| Original release | |
| Network | Noggin |
| Release | 2000 (2000) – February 11, 2005 (2005-02-11)[3] |
| Related | |
| Oobi: Dasdasi | |
Oobi is an Americanchildren's television series produced byLittle Airplane Productions for theNoggin channel. The show's concept is based on a training method used bypuppeteers, in which they use their hands and a pair of glass eyes instead of a full puppet. The main character is a barehand puppet named Oobi. The first season was a series of two-minute shorts. For its second and third seasons, it became a long-form series, with episodes lasting 13 minutes each. The show originally aired from 2000 to February 11, 2005,[3] with reruns continuing through March 18, 2013.[4]
The series was created byJosh Selig. He came up with the idea forOobi while watching bare-handed puppeteers audition forSesame Street. The main characters were played byTim Lagasse,Stephanie D'Abruzzo,Noel MacNeal, andTyler Bunch. All of the puppeteers were veteranMuppet performers.
Oobi was abreakout success for Noggin. It received positive reviews from critics, with praise for the puppeteers' performances, the visual style, and the show's appeal toward multiple age groups.The Age reported that the show developed a strongcult following[5] among older viewers, and Noel MacNeal has said that the show's fans range from amateur puppeteers to "college-age stoners."[6] In 2008, a fan site called OobiEyes.com ran a YouTube promotion, which inspired a community of early YouTubers to make videos with their ownOobi-style puppets.[7]
The show received a variety of awards, including from theTelevision Academy andParents' Choice.Oobi had aNielsen rating of 2.35 among Noggin viewers by 2004, becoming Noggin's highest-rated series at the time.[8] It is the most widely distributed Noggin show, having aired in over 23 markets worldwide by 2005.[9] A foreign adaptation calledOobi: Dasdasi premiered in 2012 and ran for 78 episodes in the Middle East.
The show takes place in a quaint, old-fashioned neighborhood where hand puppets live and act like people. The main character is a curious 4-year-old named Oobi who likes to explore the outside world.[10] He lives in a single-story house with his little sister, Uma, and his grandfather, Grampu. Uma is very overdramatic and, depending on the day, she can be either excited or completely stressed out. Grampu is laid-back and encourages the kids to learn new things, but he is also rather unlucky and always has to clean up the kids' messes. Oobi has a best friend, Kako, who lives across the street and likes to visit.
Most episodes are about Oobi learning about something for the first time, like a new place, a new game, or a holiday. According to Noggin, the show was meant to mirror the stage of early childhood "when everything in [the] world is new and incredible" and "when each revelation helps build a sense of mastery and self-confidence."[11] The characters only talk in simple sentences, based on the speech structure of a child just starting to talk.[12] For example, "Uma, school, first day" is said in place of "It's my first day of school." The show was meant to help developsocial skills, earlyliteracy, andlogical thinking.[13]
In season 1, the episodes are simple shorts about Oobi making new discoveries. In season 2, the episodes were extended and followed a format made up of three parts.[14][15] The first part is a story like the earlier shorts. The second part is a set of interviews between the puppets and human families, centering on the main story's topic. The last part is an interactive game (usually rhyming, guessing, or memory).[14] WhenOobi started a third season in 2004, the game segments were dropped and replaced with longer stories. Interviews were still an important part of the show, but instead of being shown after the story, these segments were shortened and played as transitions between scenes.
Oobi was made byLittle Airplane Productions, a studio co-founded byJosh Selig and Lori Shaer. Both co-founders started their careers working onSesame Street. Selig was inspired to createOobi after watching puppeteers perform with their bare hands on the set ofSesame Street.[16] Each puppeteer used their hand and a pair of ping pong balls instead of a full puppet. This is a common technique among puppeteers in training, as it helps them learn the basics of lip-syncing and focusing the eyes of a puppet. Selig noted that the more skilled actors could convey lots of emotions with their hands, and it gave him the idea for a series that showcased the "raw emotion" of bare-handed puppetry.[17]
In 1999,Nickelodeon andSesame Workshop created a cable channel called Noggin. At first, the Noggin channel mainly showed reruns from Sesame Workshop's library, so both companies started to look forpitches for new shows. Josh Selig pitchedOobi to them under the working titlePipo, which he wanted to name the main character.[18] He decided to rename the showOobi after he found out that "Pipo" was already trademarked by an Italian brand of jeans.[18] The new name was meant to mirror the characters' eyeballs with two O's.[18]
The pitch was successful, andOobi entered production. For the first season, Noggin ordered a collection of 48 shorts, which lasted 1 to 2 minutes each and would play during commercial breaks. Josh Selig said, "I set up a shop to produce that series. So we just signed a one-year lease, it was really an experiment for us... and after the first year we found that we loved having a company."[19] The first season of shorts was filmed in 1999[20] and started airing in 2000 on Noggin.
Tim Lagasse was chosen to play Oobi because of his previous bare-handed puppetry inA Show of Hands, a series of short films he made in the early 1990s.[17] The show's main cast and crew members were all Sesame Workshop alumni.Kevin Clash, best known for being the original performer ofElmo, was an ensemble puppeteer onOobi and guest-starred as Randy in the episode, "Babysitter!".[21]Matt Vogel, the current puppeteer forKermit the Frog andBig Bird, played Oobi's friend Angus.Martin Robinson, who playsTelly Monster onSesame Street, built the puppets' glass eyes and accessories onOobi.[17]Lisa Simon, who won 20Daytime Emmys for her work as a director ofSesame Street, was the producer forOobi.[22]The show's background music was created by Sacred Noise, a music production company in New York. Additional music was composed by pianist Marianna Rosett[23] andChristopher North Renquist.[21][24] A few other composers were brought onto the crew for special songs.Jared Faber wrote the theme song.[25] Broadway orchestratorLarry Hochman wrote songs for the "Theater!" episode, which was a ten-minute musical.[26]
Oobi was filmed atKaufman Astoria Studios in New York. The show's set pieces were built on tall wooden poles, positioned to be level with the puppeteers' hands when they raised their arms.[27] This kept the actors' heads out of the camera frame and allowed them to walk normally while performing, making their puppets' movements as smooth as possible. Television monitors were placed below the sets so that the puppeteers could watch their motions and position their characters according to each scene.[27] The actors wore hands-free headsets that recorded their dialogue, making them able to perform and voice their characters at the same time.[28] They sometimes dubbed over their lines in post-production, specifically for the song sequences in episodes like "Theater!", which required them to record different takes to match their voices to the music tracks.[28]
Many of the show's sets were made to evoke the look of old-fashioned home environments. To simulate natural window light in the studio, the crew ofOobi placed shades with foliage patterns over their studio lights; this gave the appearance of sunlight passing through trees.[27]Green screens were used for the sky of the outdoor sets and for the windows of Oobi's house.[27]
Every week during production, the puppeteers visited a local manicurist to get their fingernails touched up.[16] Most of the male puppeteers, such as Tim Lagasse, also had to shave their arms regularly if they played younger characters; Josh Selig said in a 2004 interview that Lagasse had to shave often so that Oobi would not "look like a hairy kid."[16] Tyler Bunch was told specifically not to shave because his natural arm hair gave Grampu the appearance of an elderly, hairy grandfather.[16]
When Cheryl Blaylock was offered the role of Frieda the Foot, she had to revisit puppeteer training techniques to learn to use her foot as a puppet.[29] She recounted in a 2012 interview: "I had to actually go back to Puppetry 101 to train my foot to lip sync. Oh yes, I was determined to do some kind of toe wiggle that could be convincing."[29] For episodes with Frieda, the crew had to construct a new set that allowed Blaylock to raise her foot alongside the hand puppets. To do this, they assembled a ramp-like stage with a chair connected to it, resting on its side. Blaylock was able to lie down in the chair and rest her leg on the ramp, making her foot appear to be standing at the same height as Oobi.[27]
In May 2012, the Iranian cable channelIRIB TV2 produced its own adaptation of the show, calledOobi: Dasdasi.[30][31] None of the original crew members were involved.Amir Soltan Ahmadi andNegar Estakhr, two of Iran's foremost puppeteers, directed and starred in the program. In an interview with the newspaperJaam-e Jam, Estakhr said that she watched episodes ofOobi in English and wanted to make a tailored version for an Iranian audience.[32] Like the original show, it features brother and sister hand puppets who live with their grandfather, but the cast was expanded to include two parents. The three adult characters wore Arab garments.[30]
78 eight-minute episodes were made.[33] They aired from September 22 to December 20, 2012.[33] In July 2013,Oobi: Dasdasi was sold to broadcasters in five countries: Kuwait, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka.[34][35][36] IRIB TV2 aired the show in Iran andNHK aired a subtitled version in Japan.[37]IRIB's Art News Agency hosts full episodes ofOobi: Dasdasi on its website.[38]
48 shorts and 52 long-form episodes were made across three seasons.[39] Each short is 1–2 minutes long, and the long-form episodes are 10–13 minutes each. The long-form episodes were usually shown in pairs.[40][41]
In the United States,Oobi was mostly shown on Noggin. In April 2002, the first season of shorts was also shown during commercial breaks on Nickelodeon'sNick Jr. block.[42][43] Four episodes of the second season were simulcast on both Noggin and Nickelodeon on April 7, 2003.[44][45]
The show was on Noggin'son-demand service from 2004 to 2009.[46][47][48] In 2005,Oobi episodes were posted online toNick Jr. Video, a broadband video channel.[49] Later that year, the show was part of "Cox Family Fun Night," a weekly event that was shown every Sunday for subscribers of theCox cable company.[50] Throughout 2005, selectGeneral Motors cars had TVs preloaded with Noggin shows, includingOobi.[51][52] Reruns ofOobi were shown on the Nick Jr. channel from September 28, 2009 until March 18, 2013.[4][53] From May 2015 to March 2020, the show was available on theNoggin streaming app.[54] The show has been available onAmazon Video since June 2018.[55] From 2021 to 2024, the series was available onParamount+.[56]
By the end of its run in 2005,Oobi was aired in over 23 international markets.[9] In Canada,TVOntario aired the first season of shorts.[2] It carried the show from September 1, 2003 to September 2, 2006.[57][58] On December 5, 2004, the series started airing onAFN Prime, a channel operated by the U.S. Armed Forces that is available worldwide.[59] It was shown on the channel every Sunday until April 3, 2005.[60] The Australian channelABC Kids ran premieres of the show from February 8 to March 15, 2005,[61] with reruns until February 2, 2007.[62]Oobi aired onKids Central in Singapore in 2007.[63]Nickelodeon Philippines airedOobi from 2011 to 2012. The show was also shown inTonga.[9]Oobi has been one of Nickelodeon Pakistan's flagship series since 2009; as of 2023, it continues to air on the channel once a day.[64][65]
The show has beendubbed in different languages. From 2005 to 2006, an Icelandic-dubbed version ofOobi aired onStöð 2.[66] In China, a Mandarin Chinese dub aired onHaHa Nick from May 1 to August 5, 2005.[67][68] In Israel, a Hebrew dub was made withGilad Kleter andYoram Yosefsberg as the voices of Oobi and Grampu. It aired onNickelodeon Israel andBabyTV from 2008 to 2013.[69][70] In France and Wallonia, a French dub aired onNickelodeon France andNickelodeon Junior from 2005 to 2012.[71][72][73] In June 2010, the episode "Make Music!" was featured in Nickelodeon France'sFête de la Musique event.[74] A Polish dub calledRączusie[75] aired onNickelodeon Poland from July 19, 2009 to February 28, 2010.[76][77]Nickelodeon Arabia, which broadcasts to the Middle East and North Africa, aired an Arabic dub from 2009 to 2011.[78]Oobi was not part ofNickelodeon Asia's main lineup, but the channel's website featured games of the show until 2016.[79]
Oobi had high ratings for the Noggin channel. In 2004, Noggin reported that three shows—Oobi,Miffy and Friends, andConnie the Cow—increased the channel's daily viewership by 55 percent over the year before.[80] The average number of viewers watchingOobi increased by 43 percent during the same time.[80] Noggin also reported thatOobi had grown in ratings in each quarter of 2004: +8% from first to second, +22% from second to third, and +10% from third to fourth.[8] The steady increase in ratings was reported byMultichannel News author Mike Reynolds, who attributed Noggin's popularity to its "breakout original seriesOobi."[81] The show's growing audience led Noggin to order a third season.[82] The premiere of the "Uma Preschool!" episode on September 6, 2004, posted a 2.35 Nielsen rating among the preschool age group, becoming the highest-rated premiere of a Noggin show to that date.[16][80] In December 2004, Noggin published a press release with the subtitle:"Noggin's Oobi Delivers Highest Rated Original Premiere In Network's History."[8]
The strangest [Noggin] show, hands down (pun intended), isOobi, whose surprisingly appealing puppet characters are bare human hands with goggle-eyes, accessories and homey little indoor and outdoor sets.
The puppeteers' performances and the show's style have been praised by critics.Common Sense Media reviewer Andrea Graham gave the show a five-star review, writing that "when it comes to preschool programming,Oobi really breaks the mold, succeeding in its simplicity."[84] Jeanne Spreier of theDallas Morning News calledOobi "the most imaginative and interesting preschooler program to debut in years," describing its characters as "amazingly expressive hands that show anger, fear, happiness, even age and youth."[85] The Coalition for Quality Children's Media wrote positively ofOobi, complimenting its concept, and calling it "thoroughly enjoyable" and "extremely well received."[86] Diana Dawson of theHerald-Journal liked the show's old-fashioned look, stating that "in a world that too often forgets the innocent joy of playing kick-the-can and catching fireflies, there's something incredibly endearing about the bare-handed puppetry."[87]DVD Talk'sHolly Ordway calledOobi "a clever way to encourage kids to be imaginative."[88] Jaime Egan of Families.com commended the show's messages of inclusion and diversity, calling them "invaluable" and highlighting Frieda and Kako as stand-out characters.[89] Ryan Ball ofAnimation Magazine called the show "an offbeat new entry" to Noggin's lineup, adding that "the fact that all the characters are played by hands just adds to the quirkiness."[90] In 2010,Babble.com listedOobi second on their list of top twelve television series for young children.[91] In 2018, writer Jon Weisman namedOobi one of the best kids' shows of the 2000s, calling it "low-key charming" and praising the theme song.[92]
Some critics have commended the show for its widespread appeal. In an interview withThe New York Times, Tom Ascheim said that "the show's quirky appeal extended far beyond Noggin's target audience. 'The simplicity is really understandable by my two-year-old, but my ten-year-old really giggles atOobi.'"[93] Andrew Dalton ofThe Stir said that he was a fan of the show himself, adding thatOobi is "just happy to be simple and gleeful, and that actually makes it more appealing to sit and watch as a grown-up."[94]The San Diego Union-Tribune's Jane Clifford felt that it could be enjoyed by viewers of all ages, remarking that "if as a kid you ever drew eyes or a mouth on your hand and then 'talked' to a friend, you'll relate to this show."[95] TheArkansas Democrat-Gazette namedOobi the best cable premiere of April 2003, reporting: "I've seen every blessed minute of each general-audience premiere; they are good. But another new show outreaches the rest:Oobi."[96] In a 2018 interview, Noel MacNeal recounted, "Some of our biggest fans became [college] kids coming back from parties, who were just like really stoned, and would just sit and watchOobi."[6]
In spring 2001,Oobi won aParents' Choice Gold Award.[97] Later in the same year, the show had two nominations from the Coalition for Quality Children's Media, winning one of them.[98][99] In 2004, the show won a second Parents' Choice Award,[100] and a nomination in the "Up to 6 Fiction" category at thePrix Jeunesse International Festival.[101] In 2007, Common Sense Media named the show on its annual list of "Best Bets for Young Kids."[102] In June 2009, Josh Selig won an Innovation Award from theTelevision Academy for his work on the show.[103] In 2014, Prix Jeunesse namedOobi in its category "The Greatest Impact Programmes of the Last 50 Years."[104]
| Year | Presenter | Award/Category | Nominee | Status | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Parents' Choice Foundation | Television Gold Award | Little Airplane Productions | Won | [97] |
| Coalition for Quality Children's Media | Kids First Endorsement Award | Won | [98] | ||
| Best Children's Film or Video | Nominated | [99] | |||
| 2004 | Parents' Choice Foundation | Television Silver Honor | Won | [100] | |
| Prix Jeunesse International | Up to 6 Fiction | Nominated | [101] | ||
| 2007 | Common Sense Media | Best Bet for Young Kids 2-4 | Won | [102] | |
| 2009 | Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation | Innovation Award | Josh Selig | Won | [103] |
| 2014 | Prix Jeunesse International | Greatest Impact Programme of the Last 50 Years: 2004 | Little Airplane Productions | Won | [104] |
Oobi has made an impression on celebrities. ActressUma Thurman, who shares her first name with the character Uma, revealed to Stephanie D'Abruzzo (who plays Uma) that she was familiar with the show and its characters in 2004.[105] Also in 2007, two clips from theOobi episodes "Showtime!" and "Uma Bathroom!" were shown onJoel McHale's talk showThe Soup during the segment "What the Kids Are Watching", where McHale took scenes from children's shows out of context.[106]
During its run, the show developed acult following of puppet fans and amateur filmmakers who created their ownOobi puppets.[5] In 2003, theBoston Herald said thatOobi was "already very popular" with "those of the Muppet generation."[107] In the same article, Tom Ascheim stated that Oobi "getsfan mail," and he guessed that the show was catching on because viewers could easily make their ownOobi puppets with their hands.[107] In 2004,The Melbourne Age reported that "the show - the work of variousSesame Street alumni - is developing a strong cult following; the real Uma [Thurman] is said to be a fan of hand Uma."[5] From 2006 to 2013, an online shop called OobiEyes.com sold handmadeOobi puppets and accessories.[7] OobiEyes.com held an advertising campaign with YouTube in 2008, which inspired a community of early YouTubers to make videos with their ownOobi-style puppets.[7]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 "Dog Problems" Official Music Video, December 1, 2006,Nettwerk Music[108] |
In November 2006, indie rock bandThe Format released a music video for their song "Dog Problems" which was inspired byOobi.[108] It featured hand puppets in the style of the show.[109] In 2009, an advertising contest called theCannes Young Lions Competition included anOxfam commercial based onOobi. Titled "Let Your Hands Do the Talking," it starred spoofs of celebrities portrayed as hand puppets and given "Oo"-themed names like Oobi and Uma.[110] In January 2014, the condom companyDurex made a commercial that starred a parody version of Oobi named Elizabeth.[111][112][113] In an interview withLa República, the commercial's director said, "Elizabeth is a parody of the television character Oobi, who is also a funny talking hand."[114]
In July 2016,Disney XD made a one-offtelevision pilot calledRight Hand Guy, which starred a pre-teen whose right hand becomes a puppet and befriends him. The creator, Dan Lagana, took inspiration fromOobi while developing the pilot.[115][116] Lagana showed theOobi episode "Babysitter!" to the actors so that they would be familiar with the hand movements.[117]
The show has been mentioned in books. In his autobiographyAlternadad, comedianNeal Pollack talks aboutOobi and names Grampu his favorite character. He writes thatOobi "featured a hilarious character called Grampu ... he made funny faces when he had to eat the awful food the kids cooked for him, and he also flirted with Oobi's piano teacher."[118] It is a plot point in Laura Lynn's novelAriel's Office, where the narrator's daughter watches Noggin and is "transfixed" by Oobi.[119] It is described as a "Noggin show that use[s] Señor Wences-style human hand puppets" in Dade Hayes's novelAnytime Playdate, which studies the preschool TV business.[120] The filmmakerRobert Rodriguez also talks aboutOobi in his bookThe 1950s' Most Wanted.[121]Lisa Guernsey describesOobi in her 2012 bookScreen Time, which reports on how TV affects children.[122]
Clips fromOobi were included as special features on ten Nick Jr. DVDs sold in 2003 and 2004. The first wasBlue's Clues: Shapes and Colors!, which featured the "Dance!" short.[123] The last wasOswald: On-the-Go Oswald, which featured a clip from the "Dance Class!" episode.[124] Some of these videos were repackaged and sold in DVD packs from 2004 until 2015.[125]
Oobi has also been featured in TV-related magazines. The August 2004 issue ofNick Jr. Magazine had a craft section about how to makeOobi hand puppets.[126] In August 2004 and April 2005,TV Guide ran interviews with Stephanie D'Abruzzo and Josh Selig about the show.[105] The show is mentioned in the September 2004 issue ofBig Apple Parent.[127] The October 2004 issue ofPlaythings includes another interview with Josh Selig with pictures from behind the scenes ofOobi.[128][129]Kidscreen included news about the show in July 2005[130] and in June 2007.[18]
In 2001, Noggin's website added a page called "Oobi Online," which had a series of flash games starring Oobi.[11] Noggin staff described the page as a place "where kids can match shapes with bubbles, colors with snacks, compose music, and draw and dance with Oobi."[131] A few of the games were inspired by episodes of the show, while other games had their own unique stories.[132] From 2004 to 2006, Noggin.com also hosted printables of Oobi.[133] Four of the games were imported to NickJr.com in 2009.[134]
From 2001 to 2007, Noggin held live events to promote the show. The first was anOobi tour at the 2001 North American Trade Show in Minnesota.[135] The tour featured a replica of the set for Oobi's house.[135] The second event was Club Noggin, a monthly event held atGGP Malls across America in 2004. At Club Noggin, visitors could getOobi puppet eyes and make crafts based on the show.[136] The third event was the Noggin Auction, an online charity auction hosted on Noggin.com in November 2006. Viewers could bid on props from different Noggin shows, including hats and towels with Oobi on them.[137] The last event was "Oobi Arts and Crafts," held at theNick Hotel in Florida in November 2007. At these sessions, hotel guests were given plastic puppet eyes like Oobi's.[138]
Episodes of the show were also screened at a few promotions and festivals. In 2001 and 2002, the show was part of the Kids First Film Festival, an annual event held across the United States.[86][99] From 2002 to 2004, theJillian's restaurant chain held "Noggin Play Days" where it screenedOobi shorts.[139] In August 2009, three episodes ofOobi were screened byMultikino, a chain of movie theaters across Poland.[140] They were shown as part of a promotion called "Mornings with Nick," which advertised new shows onNickelodeon's Polish channel.[140]
The show - the work of variousSesame Street alumni - is developing a strong cult following; the real Uma [Thurman] is said to be a fan of hand Uma.
Some of our biggest fans became [college] kids coming back from parties, who were just like really stoned, and would just sit and watchOobi.
After a successful run as a short-form series on Noggin and Nick Jr.
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