Rubbadubbers
| Rubbadubbers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Children's television series |
| Created by | Peter Curtis |
| Voices of |
John Gordon Sinclair Sean Hughes Maria Darling |
| Theme music composer | Kick |
| Opening theme | "Here Come The Rubbadubbers" |
| Ending theme | [Instrumental, with voices] |
| Composer(s) | Kick |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 53 |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | Bathsville City |
| Running time | 20 minutes per episode [approx.] |
| Production company(s) |
HIT Entertainment Hot Animation |
| Distributor |
HIT Entertainment (International) MTV Networks (US) |
| Release | |
| Original network |
BBC (UK) Nickelodeon (US) |
| Original release | 8 July 2002 – 9 October 2004 |
Rubbadubbers is a British stop-motion children's television series produced by HIT Entertainment. The series aired on the BBC in the United Kingdom, ABC Television and ABC2 (11 August 2003 - 30 July 2008) in Australia and Nickelodeon in the United States (as part of the Nick Jr. block).[1]
Plot
Eight fictional bath toys live a peaceful, healthy life at Benjie and Sis's house in the United Kingdom. Not every episode begins with the Rubbadubbers in the bathroom. Some episodes begin with the Rubbadubbers inside the bathroom where they live, and in other episodes, the Rubbadubbers are found in the hallway, either on the chest of drawers or on the window-sill.
After a short while, one of the characters says "if only" followed by what they wish, for example, "If only I could have all the bubbles in the world". That particular character is then automatically escorted to any particular location in Bathsville City where that "if only" comes true.
It always turns out that if the "if only" goes wrong, for example, having all the bubbles in the world is actually a bad idea, then the same character wishes another "if only" that automatically escorts them back from the following Bathsville City location either to the bathroom or to the hallway. Everyone then feels happy again. Every episode ends with Reg announcing to the other Rubbadubbers that the children, Benjie and Sis, are arriving for their bath.
In the outdoor world locations, the props and the scenery are made entirely from bathroom equipment, toothbrushes, cotton buds, soap dishes, floor tiles, sponges, shower curtains, towels, mats, radiators, fans, heating vents and even musical instruments!
Characters
- Tubb, a male frog with a Scottish accent, is the leader of the Rubbadubbers. He has green eyes, pink skin, and he always wears patterned shorts, and a yellow T-shirt with very short traffic-light coloured sleeves. He enjoys playing with the other bath toys, cleaning anything with his cotton bud, and floating on a green lily-pad. Voiced by John Gordon Sinclair.
- Terence, a male crocodile with a British accent, can blow bubbles through his nose. He has one white tooth, two yellow eyes, wears a white collar and a red necktie, has green skin, and a yellow body. He dislikes getting splashed, and has a red toothbrush for cleaning his tooth with. Terence also has several spots on his backside. Voiced by John Gordon Sinclair.
- Finbar, a male shark with a Welsh accent, who has white and blue skin, oval-shaped eyes, and he can cool things down by moving his tail from side to side. Finbar also has 2 wheels, 3 fins, and 1 white clockwork wheel. Voiced by Sean Hughes.
- Winona, a female rubber whale who squeaks instead of talking. She is one of the characters who doesn't use "If only" wishes. She has purple skin, two wheels on her underside, a small blow-hole, two small eyes, and a black mouth. She likes the bath water quite a lot, and she enjoys making waves with her blow-hole. Voiced by Maria Darling
- Reg, a male metal mechanical robot who dislikes getting wet and enjoys playing with the other bath toys inside the bathroom. He has orange skin, green eyes, a diamond-shaped hole, a blue stammer for a mouth, and a volume control on his back. At the end of every episode, he announces the children's arrival: "Rubbadubbers, Rubbadubbers, the children are coming! It's Bath Time Scramble!" Voiced by John Gordon Sinclair.
- Amelia, a female submarine with an English accent, can fly in the air as well as travelling on and under the bath water. She has two red wings, a red nose, a red mouth, two blue eyes, a red propeller and four red wheels. Voiced by Maria Darling.
- Sploshy, a female starfish-shaped sponge with a Cockney accent, has suction cups behind her hands, feet, and head. She has magenta skin, five triangular arms, two small eyebrows, 2 yellow eyes of varying sizes, and a mouth. She likes to make noises and enjoys lounging around on the side of the bath as well as floating on the surface of the water. She loves dancing just as much as Angelina Ballerina does, but she gets annoyed very easily and often cartwheels and walks around. Voiced by Maria Darling.
- Lawrence, a male crocodile with a British accent, is the eighth and extra character of the Rubbadubbers and is practically identical to Terence. He can do amazing tie-tricks, he also dislikes getting splashed, he has two white teeth, the same two yellow eyes, he wears the same collar, has the same yellow body, but the only difference is, his necktie that he wears is blue. Lawrence only appears in a few episodes, he isn't mentioned in the Opening and Closing Themes, he has the same spots down his backside, but he doesn't have a red toothbrush like Terence and he doesn't use "If Only" wishes either. Voiced by John Gordon Sinclair.
- The two children, Benjie and Sis, are both often referred to by the characters, but they are never seen.
Episodes
Series 1
- 1. Messenger Terence
- 2. Sploshy of the Arctic
- 3. Finbar the Word Shark
- 4. Scary Finbar
- 5. Tubb's Towers
- 6. Amelia the Monster
- 7. Reg the Monster
- 8. Terence's Double Trouble
- 9. Sploshybird
- 10. Little Red Riding Tubb
- 11. Reg in Square World
- 12. Terence of Arabia
- 13. Sheriff Terence
- 14. Sploshy the Stone-Seeker
- 15. Spaceman Reg
- 16. Deep Sea Reg
- 17. Train Driver Tubb
- 18. Tubb the Pirate
- 19. Terence the Shop Keeper
- 20. Silly Sploshy
- 21. Speedy Terence
- 22. Sploshy's Tail
- 23. Finbar's Important Part
- 24. Rocket Sled Reg
Series 2
- 25. Amelia and the Detectives
- 26. Terence the Spy
- 27. Terence's Bubble Trouble
- 28. Tubb the Magician
- 29. Amelia the Diver
- 30. Amelia the Babysitter
- 31. Tubb the Frog Prince
- 32. Finbar and the Ghosts
- 33. Sploshy's Wishes
- 34. The House That Tubb Built
- 35. Finbar and the Green Hat Gang
- 36. Terence the Monster Hunter
- 37. Lighthouse Keeper Reg
- 38. Finbar's Rescuers
- 39. Copy Sploshy
- 40. Terence's Ties
- 41. Finbar the Mighty Movie Star
- 42. Reg's Game Plan
- 43. Doctor Terence
- 44. Farmer Sploshy
- 45. Princess Amelia
- 46. Super Amelia
- 47. Muddy Finbar
- 48. Footballer Tubb
Series 3
- 49. Finbar's Gift
- 50. Tuffty Tubb
- 51. Sporty Reg
- 52. Skypainter Amelia
- 53. Reg and the Library
Mini adventures
- 1. Row, Row, Row
- 2. Steamy Mirror
- 3. Beyond the Bath
- 4. On A Roll
- 5. Swimming Races
- 6. Hide And Seek
- 7. Great Skate!
- 8. Swimmin'!
- 9. Drip
- 10. High Noon In The Bathroom
- 11. Being Choosy
- 12. All Wrapped Up
- 13. Something Sticky
- 14. Having A Ball
Broadcast
Rubbadubbers aired in the United Kingdom on CBeebies every day at varying times between 2003 and 2006, and in the United States, the programme aired weekly at varying times on Nick Junior.
DVD releases
Rubbadubbers was released on DVD from 2001 by Hit Entertainment and owned by Hot Animation. Apparently, several DVD Releases were being made and they still are available in the United Kingdom and in the United States of America.
VHS releases
Rubbadubbers was also released on video from 2003 after occasional re-runs on Nick Junior, although Rubbadubbers is no longer broadcast, the programme can still be seen on various Children's Favourites DVDs/VHSes and a few different titles, which still are available in the United States and in the United Kingdom.