WordGirl

WordGirl is a children’s animated series produced by the Soup2Nuts animation unit of Scholastic Entertainment for PBS Kids. It began as a series of shorts that premiered on PBS Kids GO! on November 10, 2006, usually shown at the end of Maya & Miguel. The segment was spun-off into a new series which premiered on September 3, 2007 on most PBS member stations. The show is aimed at kids aged 6 and up and is designed to teach about the expansive English language. The first season has 31 episodes, the show's second season has 15 episodes. The third season, of which the first ten episodes are planned, is currently in production and will debut either in late 2009 or early 2010.

The show is also seen on some educational networks in Canada, including Knowledge in British Columbia and TVOntario. The program is also syndicated internationally in places as Australia and italy.

Background

The show’s creator, Dorothea Gillim, said that, “Part of my mission is to make kids’ television smart and funny.” She added that, ”I feel as though we’ve lost some ground there, in an effort to make it more accessible...” She says that children’s shows often underestimate children’s intelligence, and that, “WordGirl’s focus is on great stories, characters, and animation. If all those elements are working, then you can hook a child who may come looking for laughs but leave a little smarter.”

Each 11-minute episode in the show’s half hour time slot begins with the instruction to look for two words which will be used throughout the plot of that episode, although this was not present in the series' first three episodes. The words (examples include “diversion,” “cumbersome,” and “idolize”) are chosen according to academic guidelines. The reasoning is that children can understand words like “cumbersome” when told that it means “big and heavy and awkward.”^[2]

News anchor Jim Lehrer agreed to do a mock interview with WordGirl.

Jack Ferraiolo, who developed the series with Gillim and served as the series' head writer in Season One, won an Emmy for his work on WordGirl.

Plot

At the beginning of the series, we are introduced to Becky Botsford, a fifth grade girl who is secretly WordGirl. Becky was born on the planet Lexicon (whose name is another word for “dictionary”). When she was an infant, her spaceship (which was being piloted by Captain Huggy Face at the time) crashed to Earth, where she was adopted by Tim and Sally Botsford. She makes friends at school with Violet Heaslip and the school reporter Todd “Scoops” Ming.

WordGirl uses her great vocabulary to fend off villains such as Granny May, The Butcher, Chuck the Evil Sandwich Making Guy and Dr. Two-Brains. She never reveals her double identity to anyone, including her own family. She and Huggy use their crashed spaceship as a secret hideout.

Characters and Voice Cast

Cast
Voice Actor	Character(s)
Dannah Feinglass	Becky Botsford/WordGirl
Chris Parnell	The Narrator
Tom Kenny	Dr. Two-Brains, TJ Botsford
Cree Summer	Granny May
Patton Oswalt	Theodore "Tobey" McCalister III
Fred Stoller	Chuck the Evil Sandwich Making Guy
Jack Ferraiolo	The Butcher
Pamela Adlon	Eileen, a/k/a The Birthday Girl
Maria Bamford	Violet Heaslip, Sally Botsford, Leslie the Assistant
Ryan Raddatz	Tim Botsford, Todd "Scoops" Ming
Mike O’Connell	Grocery Store Manager
Elliott Gould	The Masked Meat Marauder
Ned Bellamy	The Coach
Brain Posehn	Glen Furlblam, Dr. Two-Brains' biggest fan
James Adomian	Captain Huggy Face/Bob (script readings), Robber, Security Guard, Curator
H. Jon Benjamin	Reginald
Ron Lynch	The Mayor
Jeffrey Tambor	Mr. Big
Larry Murphy	The Amazing Rope Guy, Reporter, Dave
John C. McGinley	The Whammer
Grey DeLisle	Beatrice Bixby/Lady Redundant Woman, Ms. Question
Darran Norris	Seymour Orlando Smooth
Mike Phirman	The Narrator's Brother
Peter Graves	Mr. Callihan
James Mathis	Tiny Big

Episodes

Season 1
Episode #	Airdate	Segment 1	Segment 2
101	9/3/2007	Tobey or Consequences	High-Fat Robbery
102	9/14/2007	You Can’t Crush City Hall	Two-Brain Highway
103	9/21/2007	Coupon Madness	When Life Gives You Potatoes
104	9/28/2007	Jerky Jerk	Becky’s Birthday
105	10/5/2007	Chuck!	Down With Word Up
106	11/23/2007	Book Ends	Mr. Big
107	11/30/2007	Super-Grounded	Mouse Army
108	12/21/2007	Tobey’s Masterpiece	Chuck the Nice Pencil Selling Guy
109	12/28/2007	The Birthday Girl	Granny-Sitter
110	2/22/2008	Mr. Big’s Big Plan	Vocab Bee
111	2/15/2008	Shrinkin’ in the Ray	Department Store Tobey
112	4/11/2008	Chuck E. Sneeze	Swap Meat
113	4/18/2008	Granny’s Good Time All-Cure Spritzer	Mecha-Mouse
114	4/25/2008	Princess Triana & the Ogre of Castlebum	Heat Wave, Crime Wave
115	5/26/2008	Thorn in the Sidekick	Crime Takes a Holiday
116	5/27/2008	Meat With a Side of Cute	Mr. Big Words
117	6/13/2008	Two-Brains Forgets	Banned on the Run
118	7/11/2008	Have You Seen The Remote?	Sidekicked To The Curb
119	7/23/2008	Lady Redundant Woman	A Game of Cat and Mouse
120	8/15/2008	The Masked Meat Marauder	Sandwich World
121	9/12/2008	Violet Superhero	Big Business
122	10/13/2008	The Handsome Panther	The Butcher, the Baker, and the Candlestick Maker
123	11/3/2008	Mousezilla	Villain School
202	11/28/2008*	Return of the Reprise of Lady Redundant Woman	A Simple Plan
203	1/1/2009*	Granny Mayor	Tobey Goes Good
204	1/2/2009*	Bongo Rock	Dr. Three Brains
Season 2
Episode #	Airdate	Segment 1	Segment 2
201	11/4/2008	A Vote for Becky	Class Act
205	2/16/2009	The Two-Brains Boogie	Field Day Fun with Robo-Tobey
206	2/17/2009	Slumber Party Pooper	Line Lessons with Lady Redundant Woman
207	3/23/2009	Mr. Big's Dolls and Dollars	Great Granny May
208	3/24/2009	Theme Park Wham-Page	Chuck Makes a Buck
209	4/30/2009	Highway to Harvati (Original Title: Holiday Road)	Tiny Big (Original Title: Teen Idol)
210	5/1/2009	I Think I'm a Clone Now (Original Title: Lady Redundant Woman Copies WordGirl by Duplicating Her)	Answer All My Questions and Win Stuff
212	5/4/2009	Bonkers For Bingo	The Ballad of Steve McClean
213	6/19/2009	Where's Huggy?	Pretty Princess Premiere
214	7/13/2009	Robo-Camping (Original Title: Camping 2.0)	The Stew, The Proud
215	7/14/2009	Who Wants Candy? (Original Title: Becky and the Chocolate Factory)	Chuck's Brother
216	TBA	Monkey vs. Robot	Becky and the Bard
217	TBA	The Wrong Side of the Law (Two-part episode) (Original Title: Law and Order)
218	TBA	Two Brains Quartet	Big's Big Bounce
219	TBA	Giant Mini-Golf	Meat Crossed Lovers
211	October 2009	Tobey's Tricks and Treats (Halloween Episode)	Escape Wham
Season 3
Episode #	Airdate	Segment 1	Segment 2
301	TBA	Nocan The Contrarian	Meat My Dad
302	TBA	Who Is Ms. Question?	Lunch Lady Chuck
303	December 2009 (tenative)	Oh, Holiday Cheese (Christmas episode)	Change Day
304	TBA	WordGirl Makes a Mistake (Two-part episode)
305	April 22, 2010 (tenative)	Earth Day Girl (Earth Day episode)	A Hero, A Thief, A Store and It's Owner
306	TBA	Opposite Day	Granny's Book Club
307	TBA	Wham Up!	Seeds of Doubt
308	TBA	Be Careful What You Wish For	Lady Redundant Woman Gets The Blues
309	TBA	Quiz Show	The People vs. Ms. Question
310	TBA	Oh, What a Tangled Knot You Tie, Amazing Rope Guy	Kids Action News

* - These episodes are listed as Season One episodes although they premiered in Season Two.

Shorts

The following 30 shorts were produced for PBS Kids GO!, and were usually aired after Maya and Miguel.

Number	Title
WG101	“Catch as Catch Can”
Can WordGirl prevent a cumbersome meteorite from destroying the city?
WG102	“Enter, the Butcher”
WordGirl meets the Butcher, master of meat and mangler of words, and tries to prevent him from robbing a bank. WordGirl also tries to convince the Butcher that he's not “a fender” but “offended”, just like Captain Huggy Face being offended by being called "Pudgy-Toes", when she tells him he “butchers” the English language.
WG103	“Re-enter, the Butcher”
WordGirl tries to stop the Butcher from robbing Ye Olde Fancy Schmancy Jewelry Store. They also have to deal with a pompous store clerk. At the end, WordGirl and Captain Huggy Face decided to pay a visit to Professor Steven Boxleitner.
WG104	“What’s Up, Doc?”
WordGirl pays a visit to Professor Steven Boxleitner (author of the book Superheroes and You: A Practical Guide) to figure out a way to stop the vicious Butcher.
WG105	“Re-Re-enter, the Butcher”
WordGirl tries to prevent the Butcher from robbing a grocery store since she told the narrator that they have a two-minute show going on. She also tries to clear up a misunderstanding between the Butcher and the Grocery Store Manager, who believes that the Butcher is there for a job. The Butcher then attacks the grocery Store Manager and thanks WordGirl for clearing up a misunderstanding but WordGirl decided to take the Butcher down. By the time, WordGirl and the Butcher continues arguing about the misunderstanding, the show ran out of time and they stick with their fight pose.
WG106	“Yes Sir, That’s My Butcher”
WordGirl and the Butcher face off for their big, big battle royale. WordGirl reveals her secret weapon "up her sleeves": her always-hungry ally, Captain Huggy Face!
WG107	“The Crazy World of Doctor Two-Brains”
In a lab experiment that goes horribly wrong, Professor Steven Boxleitner accidentally fuses his mind with that of his vicious lab mouse named Squeaky (who pushed a button marked "Holy Cow! Don't Press This Button!") and becomes the villainous Dr. Two-Brains. Becky (WordGirl’s secret identity) tries to distract her little brother TJ so she can transform into WordGirl and capture Dr. Two-Brains before he goes on a cheese-stealing rampage but TJ wants to go to the grocery store (that's where Dr. Two-brains will strike at) with Becky.
WG108	“Two-Brains in the Grocers”
WordGirl tries to capture Dr. Two-Brains after he eats all the cheese in the grocery store, but Dr. Two Brains is able to escape by causing a ruckus. WordGirl goes after him but realizes that it is almost time for dinner.
WG109	“The Times, They Are A-Cheesy”
The Botsford family (including Becky Botsford, a.k.a WordGirl) are flabbergasted when Dr. Two-Brains appears on television, threatening to turn the city into goop if he doesn’t get every piece of cheese in the city.
WG110	“Mouse Trap”
WordGirl and Captain Huggy Face confront Dr. Two-Brains at his secret hideout and witness part of his argument with himself. Dr. Two-Brains proves that their attacks on him would be futile by capturing them in his giant mousetrap. By the time she wakes up, WordGirl and Captain Huggy Face are trapped and are about to be turned into goop with Dr. Two-Brains' new machine: the Goop Ray! Is this the end of WordGirl and Captain Huggy Face?!
WG111	“Squeaky’s Machine”
Dr. Two-Brains is about to use his Goop Ray to give WordGirl and Captain Huggy Face a “one-way ticket to Goop Town,” but is stopped by Mr. Botsford asking questions about what cheese is acceptable, when TJ rescues WordGirl. After the defeat, Captain Huggy Face gives his identification card to Mrs. Botsford.
WG112	“Driving Miss Granny”
A new villain’s in town! Granny May and her timid (and enormous) grandson Eugene rob an armored car in broad daylight.
WG113	“Kiss My Granny”
While trying to stop Granny May from robbing Ye Olde Fancy Schmancy Jewelry Store, WordGirl and Captain Huggy Face are blinded by Granny's dazzling jewelry, then captured in her knitted “Web of Yarn.”
WG114	“Living in the Granny’s Paradise”
Although WordGirl and Captain Huggy Face are able to use their coordination to escape Granny’s trap, they are soon caught in the unbreakable grip of Eugene.
WG115	“Play Date”
After destroying a giant, rampaging robot as WordGirl, Becky returns home to find that she has an unexpected playdate with Theodore MacCallister III. When Becky discovers that Theodore is actually “Tobey,” the mischievous genius behind the giant robot’s rampage, she risks revealing her secret identity.
WG116	“Tobey or Not Tobey”
Tobey and Becky argue over whether Tobey’s Robot caused real damage to the city or only a minor hullabaloo. Tobey decides to “play a game” with Becky to see if she’s really WordGirl or not.
WG117	“The Wrath of Tobey”
Tobey gives Becky an impossible choice: reveal herself as WordGirl and destroy the robot threatening her house, or do nothing and watch her house get demolished. Becky and Bob (a.k.a. Captain Huggy Face) initiate Emergency Plan #47 (letting Bob disguise himself as WordGirl), with mixed results.
WG118	“Chuck, the Evil Sandwich Making Guy”
Chuck, the Evil Sandwich Making Guy threatens to squash the Grocery Store Manager with his giant sandwich press after calling the press “extreme".
WG119	“Name That Dude”
WordGirl and the Narrator have a hard time not laughing at Chuck, the Evil Sandwich Making Guy’s name. Chuck captures WordGirl with his noxious Pickled Eggs. As WordGirl, Scoops, and the Grocery Store Manager head towards certain doom on the giant sandwich press, all of them try to think of a less absurd name for Chuck. Meanwhile, Captain Huggy Face races to the rescue.
WG120	“Chucky and the Sandwich Factory”
WordGirl sends Captain Huggy Face to search for the ultimate crowbar in order to help them escape Chuck, the Evil Sandwich Making Guy’s giant sandwich press.
WG121	“Movie Trailer”
The origin of Captain Huggy Face and WordGirl.
WG122	“WordGirl and the Butcher”
WordGirl tries to prevent the Butcher from setting off his “Steak Bomb” and ruining the day of vegetarians city-wide.
WG123	“WordGirl and Dr. Two-Brains”
Dr. Two-Brains becomes frustrated with a malfunctioning trap.
WG124	“WordGirl and Chuck, the Evil Sandwich Making Guy”
WordGirl and Captain Huggy Face struggle to break free from Chuck, the Evil Sandwich Making Guy’s “Atomic Hot Dog Lasso.”
WG125	“WordGirl and Dr. Two-Brains, Part Two”
WordGirl tries to thwart Dr. Two-Brains’ latest scheme but is distracted by a yummy mixed-fruit beverage.
WG126	“Becky and Scoops”
Scoops ponders WordGirl’s secret identity while Becky saves him from perils that he doesn’t notice.
WG127	“WordGirl and the Narrator”
WordGirl wants a new Super Hero name. She convinces the Narrator to put his reputation on hold and announce the new name she has in mind, just to see how it sounds (“The Super Sweet and Really Strong Princess Who Also Knows Vocabulary!”).
WG128	“WordGirl and Captain Huggy Face, Part One”
WordGirl makes Captain Huggy Face try on some new costumes because she feels his regular costume lacks pizzazz.
WG129	“WordGirl and Captain Huggy Face, Part Two”
When Captain Huggy Face is late for a robot battle because of the bus schedule, WordGirl suggests some other modes of transportation.
WG130	“Becky and Mr. Botsford”
Despite certain clues, Mr. Botsford is oblivious about WordGirl’s secret identity.

Merchandising

Books

Because Scholastic owns the right to WordGirl, series episodes have been adapted into paperback books as of 2008. The first two stories were available at company sponsored "Book Fairs" (sales to children in schools); the remaining books are being published quarterly on an annual basis for the retail market.

WordGirl comic book

PBS gave out a WordGirl comic book published by Marvel titled "Mystery Meat". The ending does not appear in the comic book, but can be revealed by mailing a self-addressed stamped envelope, or by watching a video of the ending on the WordGirl website. Since then, the comic book has appeared as an online version on said site.

Kids Meal Giveaways

Wendy's in May of 2009 gave out a collection of toys and a audio CD adaptation of four stories with each of their Kids' Meals.

Other stuff

Disguise is planning a WordGirl Halloween costume for release in 2009, and BriarPatch will have board and card games and jigsaw puzzles starting in 2010.

External links

• Scholastic's Word Girl site
• Vorlage:Imdb title
• Vorlage:Tv.com