Animal Jam (TV series)

Animal Jam
Genre
Created byJohn Derevlany
Directed by
  • Dean Gordon
  • David Gumpel
  • Jimmy Huckabee
Presented by
  • Leslie Carrara-Rudolph
  • Rickey Boyd
Starring
  • Rickey Boyd
  • Leslie Carrara-Rudolph
  • John Kennedy
  • David Maida
  • Andy Stone
  • John Tartaglia
Theme music composerPeter Lurye
ComposerMichael and Patty Silversher
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes30
Production
Executive producers
  • John Derevlany
  • David Gumpel
  • Jim Rapsas
  • Halle Stanford
Production locations
Running time30 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network
ReleaseFebruary 24 (2003-02-24) –
April 4, 2003 (2003-04-04)

Animal Jam is an American educational children's television series created by John Derevlany (who also wrote most of the episodes) and produced by The Jim Henson Company which first aired from February 24 to April 4, 2003.

Production, development and broadcast

The show featured many innovations in puppet design and production from the Jim Henson Company.

The series premiered on TLC from February 24, 2003 until 2005, and ran on Discovery Kids until December 2006.

In Australia, the series aired on ABC Kids beginning on April 25, 2006 until August 10, 2007.

Characters

  • Edi, a zebra who hosts the Jungle Jam Room.
  • Waffle, a monkey who dresses like a cowboy.
  • Bozark, an elephant who is the Animal Jam Superstar.
  • DJ 1, a panda who serves as one of the three DJs.
  • DJ 2, a koala who acts as one of the three DJs.
  • DJ 3, a leopard who serves as one of the three DJs.
  • Pancake, a water buffalo who is Waffle's adoptive sister.

Episodes

  1. Body Talk (February 24, 2003 (2003-02-24))
  2. Walk the Walk (February 25, 2003 (2003-02-25))
  3. Love 'Em and Leap 'Em (February 26, 2003 (2003-02-26))
  4. Side by Side by Side (February 27, 2003 (2003-02-27))
  5. Not So Lost in Space (February 28, 2003 (2003-02-28))
  6. Pretzel Monkey and Cheese Dip to the Rescue (March 3, 2003 (2003-03-03))
  7. The Quick, the Slow and the Waffle (March 4, 2003 (2003-03-04))
  8. The Right Size for You (March 5, 2003 (2003-03-05))
  9. The Not So Moving Episode (March 6, 2003 (2003-03-06))
  10. Every Which Way But Forward (March 7, 2003 (2003-03-07))
  11. Take a Seat, Please (March 10, 2003 (2003-03-10))
  12. Swimmin' (Twistin' Too) and Flying (March 11, 2003 (2003-03-11))
  13. I Am the Rain (March 12, 2003 (2003-03-12))
  14. Boo Day (March 13, 2003 (2003-03-13))
  15. Battle of the Animal Jam Bands (March 14, 2003 (2003-03-14))
  16. Touched by a Monkey (March 17, 2003 (2003-03-17))
  17. Rockin' and Rollin' (March 18, 2003 (2003-03-18))
  18. Crouching Edi, Hidden Waffle (March 19, 2003 (2003-03-19))
  19. Snow Day (March 20, 2003 (2003-03-20))
  20. On the Spot (March 21, 2003 (2003-03-21))
  21. Animal Jam Olympics (March 24, 2003 (2003-03-24))
  22. The Parade Episode (March 25, 2003 (2003-03-25))
  23. Edi Finds Her Groove (March 26, 2003 (2003-03-26))
  24. Everything's Springin' Up! (March 27, 2003 (2003-03-27))
  25. A Hug a Day (March 28, 2003 (2003-03-28))
  26. Bright Lights, Big Shadow (March 31, 2003 (2003-03-31))
  27. Hands Across Animal Jam (April 1, 2003 (2003-04-01))
  28. A Water Buffalo Named Pancake (April 2, 2003 (2003-04-02))
  29. Waffle Jam! (April 3, 2003 (2003-04-03))
  30. Dance It Out! (April 4, 2003 (2003-04-04))

Cast

The following are Animal Jam's puppeteers:

  • Rickey Boyd – Waffle
  • Leslie Carrara-Rudolph – Edi, Pancake (voice)
  • John Kennedy – DJ 1, Pancake (puppeteer)
  • David Maida – Bozark
  • Alison Mork – Additional Puppeteer
  • Andy Stone – DJ 3
  • John Tartaglia – DJ 2

Dancers

  • Mark Augustine
  • Thea Cabreros
  • Clara Kreuger
  • Spencer Locke
  • Gizelle Pagan
  • Steven Willsey

Later appearances

  • Pancake the Water Buffalo appears as "Pancake Buffalo" in the Hannah Montana episode "Hannah in the Street with Diamonds" performed by Victor Yerrid and voiced by Susie Geiser. Pancake is the beloved puppet star of the local Malibu kids' series called "The Pancake Buffalo Show". When Hannah Montana receives a diamond on a Hollywood street modeled after the Hollywood Walk of Fame, she requests the location be moved due to overly-frequent business in the area and learns that the area her diamond was originally intended to be placed was given to Pancake Buffalo. When Miley attempts to ask the kindly puppeteer of Pancake named Cindy Merriwether (played by Edie McClurg) to switch diamonds, she only communicates (rudely) through Pancake and refuses. Hannah then schemes to switch Pancake's dismal Street Diamond location with Hannah Montana's by playing on the childhood nostalgic fondness of her show by Hollywood Parade of Street Diamonds Committee Chairman Randall Harrison (played by Michael Boatman). She is successful, but ultimately a porta-john is placed directly over the newly moved Diamond much to Miley's astonished joy. Pancake is later seen "occupying" the stall and shooing away anyone who wishes to make use of it.
  • The puppets for Waffle the Cow-Monkey, DJ 1, DJ 2, DJ 3, and Pancake the Water Buffalo made appearances in Puppet Up!
  • Bozark the Elephant appeared in the movie Old Dogs. He alongside Scales the Dragon from the pilot to "Little Mermaid's Island" and Beak and YesNo from the proposed show "Muppetmobile" were seen as part of Jimmy Lunchbox's show.
  • The puppet for Waffle the Cow-Monkey appeared in No, You Shut Up! and The Happytime Murders.

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