Peep and the Big Wide World

Infobox television
show_name = Peep and the Big Wide World


caption =
format = Animated television series
runtime = 30 Minutes
creator =
starring = Joan Cusack
Scott Beaudin
Amanda Soha
Jamie Watson
country = United States and Canada
network = TLC
Discovery Kids
TVOntario
No. of Episodes = 49
first_aired = July 21, 2004
last_aired = present
num_episodes =

"Peep and the Big Wide World" is an animated cartoon that teaches nature and basic science concepts to preschoolers. The main characters include a baby chicken named Peep and his friends Quack, a duck, and Chirp, a robin. The show is based on a National Film Board of Canada cartoon short of the same name, created by Kai Pindal. [http://www.nfb.ca/collection/films/fiche/?id=17646]

The show is produced by WGBH in Boston and 9 Story Entertainment in Toronto. In the US, this show airs in the US on WGBH, Discovery Kids, and TLC as part of its commercial-free and sponsor-free "Ready Set Learn!" programming block [http://www.nsf.gov/news/now_showing/tv/peep.jsp] . In Canada, it airs on TVOntario. Show DVDs and books are also available for purchase. Peep and the Big Wide World is currently sponsored by the National Science Foundation in conjunction with WGBH as part of an education and outreach program. The principal investigator is Kate Taylor, also of the ZOOM block.

Overview

Young viewers follow Peep, Chirp, and Quack as they investigate and explore the world around them. Following the 9-minute animated segment, there is a 2-minute live-action segment with children exploring and demonstrating the same topic presented in the animated segment. Animation consists of bright colors and simple shapes.

Peep (voiced by Scott Beaudin) is chick who lives in a can near a trash dump.Chirp (Amanda Soha) is a young robin living on a nearby tree branch. Several episodes depict her trying to learn to fly. Quack (Jamie Watson), the oldest of the three, is a duck who lives in a nearby pond. Quack often mentions his high opinion of ducks. Chirp is often depicted as the most out-spoken of the trio, often pointing out mistakes made by Quack and Peep. Peep is depicted as a kind, but wide-eyed character, easily becoming distracted by falling leaves, sunflowers, new noises, and the like.

Episodes

Minor Characters

* Nellie, the dog
* Newton, the turtle who lives under an apple tree
* Squeak, the mouse
* The blue jays
* Beaver Boy, Quack's friend and swimming companion
* Hummingbirds, who do not speak except for the humming of their wings
* Squirrel, who uses motions to communicate
* Fish Jr.
* Hoot, the owl
* Raccoon
* Tom, the cat
* The Ants
* Rabbits
* Willow, the female turtle who lives under a Willow Tree
* Robin (Guest Star) voiced by Holly Hunter
* Quack #2 (Guest Star) voiced by Megan Mullally

Performers

The show is narrated by Joan Cusack.

Music Composition

Music for Peep and the Big Wide World is composed by Terry Tompkins and Steve D'Angelo, from Eggplant. The opening theme is performed by Taj Mahal. [ [http://www.peepandthebigwideworld.com/videos/themesong.html Opening video, with lyrics and credits on official page] ]

Quotes

Quack

*"You guys broke it. His inner weasel is all hanging out and stuff!"
*"I'll be your Quack. Your very first duck."
*"A duck is not a duck without his hat."
*(sung) "Oh, there's nothing like a duck. You can look, but you won't have any luck"
*"Of course I'm a duck! I have all the duck bits! The bill. The webbed feet. The cute tail. The sailor hat."
*"I always wanted to be the hero of all squirrels; I just thought it'd never happen"
*"The first thing you need to know is that ducks are the greatest animal of all."
*"All I want to do right now, is put on my hat and go sit in my puddle."
*"I quack...quack quack...Chirp chirps....quack quack...and Peep here peeps...quack quack....kinda like that."
*"I AM NOT LOUD! I'm exuberant."
*"When I say 'ouch', stop pulling."
*"I've told you, flying is for the birds!"
*"I was born blue, I was raised blue, and by golly I'll stay blue."
*(Sung) "Is there anything better than ducks? No. There's nothing better than ducks. So sing hey, sing ho for ducks, Woah --especially ducks underwater!"
*"I need a break from being freed!"
*(sung)" Oh I wish I was a duck! Hey, look I already am! What a stroke of luck! Glad I'm not a purple ham!"

Chirp

*"Oh, every bird should have a home. And every home a bird. If you build yourself a home. You can fly, I heard. Honestly I didn't hear it. I just made it up. But it makes sense. I need a place to live and act grown up."
*"Flying birds have nests! I bet if I had one of those, I could fly, too!"
*(gasp) "A talking log! Oh log, I'm such a big fan of the work that you and the trees are doing for us birds."
*(sigh)"oh brother...."

Peep

*"As if things weren't already hard enough for a one-day-old. Now I have to walk around a whole can."
*"Quack, you shouldn't put things that you find in your mouth. They may be someone's hobby."
*"I lost a whole duck!"
*"I guess this just goes to prove something...but I don't know what."

References

External links

* [http://www.peepandthebigwideworld.com Peep and the Big Wide World]
* [http://www.wgbh.org/ WGBH]
* [http://www.9story.com 9 Story Entertainment]
* [http://www.nsf.gov/news/now_showing/tv/peep.jsp National Science Foundation grant information]
* [http://www.nfb.ca/animation/objanim/en/films/film.php?sort=director&director=Pindal%2C+Kaj&id=17646 Watch the original NFB animated short online]