Wayside (TV series)

Infobox Television
show_name = Wayside


caption = The class as seen "Wayside"
show_name_2 = Wayside School
format = Animated series
runtime = 30 minutes (60 minute pilot)
creator = Louis Sachar
developer = Riccardo Durante
producer = Lin Oliver
executive_producer = Scott Dyer
presenter = Nelvana
starring = "(see article)"
opentheme = "Fly by the Wayside" by Skye Sweetnam
endtheme = "Fly by the Wayside" (instrumental)
country = CAN USA
language = English
network = Teletoon (Canada) Nickelodeon (USA), Nicktoons Network (2007-present)
first_aired = Pilot aired November 19, 2005 (Canada only);
Series aired March 16, 2007 (Canada),
June 25, 2007 (USA),
February 25, 2008 (UK)
last_aired = Present
num_seasons = 2
num_episodes = 26
chronology =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
related =
website =
imdb_id = 1059741
tv_com_id = 70580

"Wayside" "(also known as Wayside School)" is a Canadian and American co-produced animated television series airing on Teletoon in Canada and Nickelodeon in the United States, based on the "Sideways Stories From Wayside School" book series by Louis Sachar.

Originally a one-hour television movie on Teletoon in November 2005, 26 episodes of the series have been commissioned for 2007. Each episode is composed of two 15-minute shorts. As a production of both Teletoon and Nickelodeon, "Wayside" holds the distinction of being the only series to be both a "Teletoon Original" and "Nicktoon".

In the US, Wayside aired on Nickelodeon weekdays at 12:30pm ET in the United States from June-July 2007, but it has been moved to 3:30pm ET weekdays. As of September 1, 2007, it also airs on the Nicktoons Network. In Canada, it airs on Teletoon every Saturday at 8am ET and 4:30pm ET.

The opening theme, "Fly by the Wayside", is performed by Skye Sweetnam. The series is directed by Riccardo Durante and the head writer/story editor was John Derevlany, who wrote the pilot and developed the series. The pilot was released to DVD under the title "Wayside: The Movie", on September 25, 2007. The first season was released by Paramount Home Entertainment on DVD and Blu-Ray Disc on August 19, 2008.Fact|date=July 2008

Synopsis

"Wayside" is a series taking place at the fictional Wayside School: an unusual Escher-esque 30-story grammar school which had accidentally been built "sideways", with one room in each of the 30 stories instead of 30 rooms on one floor. In the books, there are actually 29 floors in the school, one inhabited by the imaginary Miss Zarves on the imaginary 19th floor. The series revolves around a new student at the school, named Todd, and his adventures adapting to life as a student at the top floor of Wayside School.

Characters

Main

* Todd (Michael Cera in "Wayside: The Movie", Mark Rendall on series)- 12-year old Todd is the new student in Mrs. Jewls' 30th-floor class, and feels like the only person in Wayside with any common sense. He originally transferred to Wayside after an accident involving helping kindergarten kids with retrieving toys, only for an unusual series of events to happen, leading the toys to be destroyed by a wood chipper. Ever since, he has an aversion to kindergarten kids. However, his stay at Wayside is no better: every day, he manages to get enough trouble so as to warrant sending him home early on the kindergarten bus. He never deliberately misbehaves, but Mrs. Jewls frequently punishes him due to technicalities and minor infractions. He is the "victim" of Maurecia's crush, getting punched on many occasions. Many fans have discussed whether or not he secretly likes Maurecia, but up to now there is no official answer.

* Maurecia (Denise Oliver) - Maurecia is an ice cream-loving skater in Mrs. Jewls's class who loves to be active. Maurecia wears her rollerskates and helmet everywhere. She also wears a blue and dark pink miniskirt. She is in love with Todd and punches him whenever she can. Maurecia used to act like more like a girl until Mrs. Gorf became the substitute teacher for Maurecia's class. The substitute changed Maurecia's pet porcupine, Fluffy, into a pineapple and all of Maurecia's classmates into apples (and Myron into a potato). Soon enough, something inside Maurecia "just snapped," and she suddenly got rollerblades, a helmet, and very angry. Maurecia confronted Mrs Gorf. Maurecia demanded that Mrs. Gorf turn the students and Fluffy back, and she did, and Maurecia just stayed as her new aggressive self (when Fluffy changed back, he became sharp and spiky). In the book her pet was a cat named "Strawberry". Her hair was red in the pilot, but bluish-violet in the series. She has a monstrous love for ice cream but in the books she had an ice cream flavor named after her. One question, how does she get up to the 30th floor wearing her rollerskates? In the pilot she wants to become class president (much to Myron's dismay). She famously sang the line, "Poof, Made you goof! White dove, must be love! Stamp it, lock it, no erasies!" in the episode "Age of Aquarium."

* Myron (Martin Villafana) - If there is anyone who wants to be class president most in the school, it's Myron. He's the dumbest student (thanks to Mrs. Gorf gawking up a storm on him!) in Mrs. Jewls's class. He will stop at nothing to become class president (crying like a baby on some occasions). He is also extremely selfish and sometimes scatterbrained and clueless. He considers himself to be the most popular, intelligent, and most deserving student, when in most cases, he's a wannabee who will copy anything assuming it will benefit him in someway. Mr. Kidswatter always calls him by the wrong name (for example, Morgan) except for in "The Three Erics" when Myron takes off his glasses. He was president for only one day until he forgot to turn on the lights (in which he was forced to give the job to Maurecia). He wears an aqua-colored sweater. He is also very fat. Myron does not have big ears like the books. He has a pet chipmunk named Cheese (which he's allergic to).

* Dana (Lisa Ng) - Dana is a girl in Mrs. Jewls' class, who is cast as a brainy, a Type A personality overachiever. She tends to be selfless and lacks control of her emotions - her trademark catchphrase is "Enough with the fun!" on some occasions. She is the first one to meet Todd in the pilot. One of Dana's personality traits is that she loves rules. She wrote the rules and regulations of the school and obsessively maintains them - "The Wayside Rulebook states, Chapter 5, Section 2-B, Paragraph 4: All oral reports are to be performed without talking." One episode gives her full name as "Yo Dana". In the books she thinks John is "a ratfink." She wears a green striped shirt. She also has a pet dog named Pugsy.

* Mrs. Jewls (Kathy Najimy in "Wayside: The Movie", Julie Lemieux on series) - Mrs. Jewls is the enthusiastic teacher of the 30th-floor class. She sometimes refers to her students, Todd in particular (due to her perception that he breaks the rules or does something bad), as monkeys. Her teaching style is unorthodox and offbeat at best, and it is sometimes questioned whether she has any real academic credentials (she claims that Ancient Greece was founded by a T-Rex and a Wolf Man at the first Olympics). However, this is considered to be one of her endearing traits by her students. In "Teacher's Parent Conference", it was revealed that she was raised in the circus. She has a pet cat named Monkeyface and a goldfish named Goldie.

* Mr. Kidswatter (Kedar Brown) - Mr. Kidswatter is the principal of Wayside School, who has a tendency to make long drawn-out speeches over the school PA system. He has an aversion to children(referred to as "whatchamacallits") and doors (referred to as "goozacks"), believing that the students' plan to throw him a birthday party was a plot on to overthrow him. A running gag in this series is that he always refers to Todd by his home address (344 South Fairview, Toad in "Principles of Principals") rather than his name. His own name implies the use of strict policies ("kid swatter"), and despite his position of authority, he never actually completed his education at the very school he administrates.

* Louis (Sergio Dizio) - Louis is the caretaker at Wayside, who is in charge of recess, the gym, and the cows. He takes care of the grounds keeping work with a very mellow and relaxed demeanor. As an alumnus of Wayside itself, Louis also acts as a "big brother" figure to all of the students. In "The Elevator", it is seen that students like to dress up like him and be in a group called "rescue dudes". Louis is a fictionalized version of the show's creator and books' author, Louis Sachar. In the books he had a "mustache of many colors." In the book Sideways Stories from Wayside School it is shown that the kids " Boo " at Louis.

* Miss Mush (Jayne Eastwood) - Miss Mush is the head of the school cafeteria, located on the 15th floor. In the pilot, it was implied that she was also the school nurse, although this is not the case in the series. In the episode, "Honors Class", it is mentioned that she teaches the honors class on the 29th floor. The meals which she prepares often contain strange ingredients, and are often inedible; she seems to find more typical foods and kitchen standards to be abhorrent or incomprehensible. Despite this, she is loved by the students. Most notable among her dishes is a green glowing dish called "Mushroom Surprise", which has the property of being able to melt anything that comes in contact with it (and causes those who eat it to fall in love with the first person they see, causing Todd to fall in love with Mrs. Jewls). In numerous episodes she is said to hail from "the Mamaland", a fictional Eastern European country. She often speaks in third person. She always carries around Sammy and speaks to him, though she knows he is dead.

* Shari (Denise Oliver) - Shari is an overcoat-wearing student in Mrs. Jewls' class, who is usually asleep. In the episode "Cabbage my Boy" it is suggested that she is only asleep while attending school, because her activities at home with her family (who also wear overcoats, even the baby) leave her with no time to sleep. She weighs 49 pounds. In the episode "Imperfect Attendance" Dana says that Shari does all her best work when sleeping, she doesn't want to wake her up. She has a pet turtle named Yorpet. Here's a fun fact: to prepare for the role of Shari, Strong had to avert from all sleep for at least 30 hours to give Shari her sleepy voice.

* Stephen (Terry McGurrin) - Stephen is a boy in Mrs. Jewls' class, who is always attired in his Halloween elf costume. His family is seen in similar holiday-themed attire. He is one of the three students on the school tetherball team. In "Rat in Shining Armor", it is revealed that his idea of a costume is wearing normal clothes. He has two sets of "costumes". In "Cabbage My Boy", it is revealed that his family is Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and a Thanksgiving Turkey. He is the first supporting character to have his own episode. He has a pet orange named Red.

upporting

* The Three Erics (Terry McGurrin, Peter Oldring, and Dwayne Hill in that order) - The Erics (Bacon, Fry, and Ovens) are three similarly-attired students in Mrs. Jewls' class, who do everything together. They are the second supporting characters on the show to have their own episode. (According to the Wayside rulebook in every class there should be three students named Eric, not more, not less) They like One Republic and want to be in the NFL. They have a pet Goat, Dog, and Cat each named Billy.

* Jenny (Denise Oliver) - Jenny is a student in Mrs. Jewls' class who always wears a helmet and some sort of Evel Knievel like jump suit, as she rides a motorcycle to (and in) school. She has an affection for Myron and appears to be best friends with Maurecia, who she refers as Sista Mo. She's also on Wayside's tether ball team. In "Dana Checks Out," she calls Dana "Sista Dee." She has a pet dog named What (which is also her catchphrase).
* John (Dwayne Hill in the pilot, Denise Oliver in the series) - John is a student in Mrs. Jewls' class who is always seen upside-down. In "Cabbage My Boy", it is revealed that his whole family stands upside-down like he does. He is the fourth character to have his own episode. He has a pet frog named Yogurt.

* Joe (Terry McGurrin) - Joe is a student in Mrs. Jewls who is often seen, and has an orange afro. In "Wayside Christmas" he got a blow dryer as a present. In "Joe and Fro," Joe lets small animals live in his hair to protect them from Mr. Kidswatter. He is the third supporting character to have his own episode. He has 55,006 strands of curly hair. He has a pet hamster named Mino.

* Rondi (Grey Delisle) - Rondi is a very fat girl in Mrs. Jewls class who is missing her two front teeth. The gap in her teeth is caused by her eating too many sweets (mainly cake). She wears a blue blouse and is smiling all the time. She brushes her teeth in a couple episodes (so she doesn't lose any more teeth). Eating too much cake is what caused her to be very frumpy. She was seen pulling Leslie's pigtails in the pilot and also sporting blue hair (a blooper). She has a pet parrot named Crackers.

* Leslie (Lisa Ng) - Leslie is a girl who has two pigtails that are sometimes useful. In "Music Lessons", she uses her pigtails as hands to play Bongos. It looks like she is good friends with Bebe. Leslie is the only character to have never said anything. She has made noises, though. In the pilot she screams, and in "Daring Love" she laughs. She has a pet cat named Pajamas.

* Bebe Gunn (Denise Oliver) - Bebe Gunn is a girl in Mrs. Jewls class who is a very good artist. In "Wayside Christmas", her art skills are showcased, although she doesn't talk. In "Music Lessons", it is revealed that she is friends with Leslie when she says, "Cool, Leslie. Real cool." She has a pet bird named Picasso.
* Deedee (Denise Oliver) - Deedee is a girl with lemon-lime hair, who sits near the middle of the classroom. In the pilot, she is on the 17th floor. She wears a pink and purple shirt to school. She has a pet dog named Cat.

* Fluffy (Grey Delisle) - Fluffy is Maurecia's pet porcupine, who hates Todd. In the episode called "Mrs. Gorf", he really was fluffy (before Mrs. Gorf turned him into a pineapple and back). He likes ice cream, just like Maurecia. He also likes Ms. Mush's mushroom surprise, shown in "Miss Fortune". He wore rollerskates in "My Fluffy Hair".

* Sammy - Sammy is Miss Mush's dead rat. Sammy assists Miss Mush, but he's dead, so he just keeps Miss Mush company. Although Miss Mush does seem to acknowledge Sammy's departure from the living world, she sometimes points out things about him that a dead being couldn't possibly do; these things include going on vacation, dancing, or catching a disease. Sometimes she's even saddened that Sammy seems to have more of a life than she does. A running gag in the series (carried over from the books) is that the "dead" part of being a dead rat may refer both to Sammy being not alive and implying that a "dead rat" is a species of rat. In "Todd Falls In Love" it is implied that Sammy might have been dead for a year, the last time anyone (which happened to be Sammy) ate Miss Mush's mushroom surprise and that it killed Sammy. However, it can also mean that the only reason someone ate the mushroom surprise was because he or she was already dead.

*Poobinsky/Stewy - An octopus that Miss Mush can never cook because he always runs away. He was introduced in the pilot with a green color, but is purple in the series.

* Mrs. Gorf (Julie Lemieux) - Although only shown in one episode, she has the power to turn students into apples, cows into pumpkins, Myron into a potato, and Fluffy into a pineapple. Her name spelled backwards is "frog."

* Le Chef (Peter Oldring) - The French chef in the Teacher's Lounge

* Mr. Blunderbuss (Jeffery Jones) - Mr. Blunderbuss is a teacher on the 14th floor who's been on many daring explorations. He led Mrs. Jewls' class on a camping trip in "Mrs. Gorf."

* Papa Jewls (Dwayne Hill) - Papa Jewls is so far seen in only one episode, "Teacher's Parent Conference." Watch it, he's from the circus! He says that his daughter "has been perfect ever since she somersaulted into this world, cartwheeled through childhood, and cannonballed out of teacher's school. Cannonballed!"

Mentioned

There are some character(s) who have been mentioned in the series, but are never seen.

* Miss Zarves - Miss Zarves was a teacher who was mentioned by Jenny to Dana in "Dana Checks Out", but was never seen. She taught a class on the nonexistent 19th floor. In "Sideways Stories From Wayside School" and its sequels, Miss Zarves' floor occupies a sort of alternate reality which the students sometimes stumble upon.

* D.J - D.J is mentioned in The Pilot when Mrs. Jewls is counting votes. There was a rumor that he is shown in The Pilot, but there was no proof of it. Actually, D.J. is seen in the book series.

Floors of the school

*1st-Principal's Office
*5th-Pottery Class
*17th-Short Room
*29th-Audotorium/Honors Class
*30th- Mrs. Jewl's Class

Differences from the books

* In the episode "Cabbage my Boy", Todd is in an only child. In the books he has a baby brother named Ralphie (who is Myron's younger brother, named "Fido" in "Meet the Pets").
* In the series, Mr. Kidswatter is on the 1st floor. In the books he is on the 4th floor.
* In the series, Maurecia loves Todd beyond reason for no reason. In the books she hates him beyond reason for no reason.
* In the series, Mrs. Gorf is a substitute. In the books, she's the original.
* In the series, before Todd arrived, Maurecia and Myron stood up to Mrs. Gorf. In the book Todd and Jenny stood up to her.
* In the series, Myron is dark-skinned. In the books, he is white-skinned.

Episodes

Pilot

External links

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* [http://www.nick.com/shows/wayside/index.jhtml Official US Website]
* [http://www.teletoon.com/teletoon3/teletoon.php?language=en&brand=teletoon&init=chunk&func=php|templates/show.php|/tv/wayside/wayside_en.xml&xVar= Official CA Website]