Higglytown Heroes

Higglytown Heroes is an American CGI-animated children's television series produced by Wild Brain, and Happy Nest Company that aired on the Playhouse Disney block on Disney Channel in the United States. The show's characters are shaped like Russian nesting dolls. In the show, children Wayne, Eubie, Twinkle, and Kip learn about all of the important jobs that people do in Higglytown.[1] 65 episodes were produced.[2]

Higglytown Heroes
Promotional Higglytown Heroes poster
Genre
Created byGeorge Evelyn
Holly Huckins
Denis Morella
Kent Redeker
Jeff Ulin
StarringTaylor Masamitsu
Frankie Ryan Manriquez
Liliana Mumy
Rory Thost
Edie McClurg
Dee Bradley Baker
Kevin Michael Richardson
Mindy Sterling
Jim Wise
Rachel York
Alanna Ubach
Valyn Hall
Lara Jill Miller
Opening theme"Here in Higglytown" performed by They Might Be Giants
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes65
Production
Running time20 minutes
Production companiesWild Brain
Happy Nest Company
DistributorBuena Vista Television (2004–07)
Disney-ABC Domestic Television (2007–08)
Release
Original networkPlayhouse Disney
Original releaseSeptember 13, 2004 (2004-09-13) 
January 7, 2008 (2008-01-07)
External links
Website

The theme song of the show, Here in Higglytown, is performed by They Might Be Giants, which was also released on their second children's album Here Come the ABCs. Higglytown Heroes had reruns on Disney Junior on its cable and satellite channel replacing SOAPnet on March 23, 2012. The Higglytown Heroes TV series was made using Alias Maya which was used to design models and textures for the Higglytown Heroes Characters, and Photoshop which was used to create the 2D backgrounds and 2D props.[3]
The lyrics to the first "Hero" song were written by Kent Redeker, one of the show's executive producers. The song was composed and produced by Mark Harrison, the show's senior songwriter.

Hero Song

Each episode contains two songs. An initial "dilemma" song which sets up the "problem" which needs to be solved followed by the "I'm a Higgly Town Hero" song which introduces the hero who solves the problem, some of the heroes would later appear in later episodes.

While every hero song has the same basic melody as the initial hero song written by Harrison, he performed and produced each song with different lyrics and instrumentation to fit the episode's specific hero.

Brad Mossman, the other principal songwriter, composed lyrics and music for a number of dilemma songs in many episodes as well.

In 2011, Relient K re-recorded the theme song for the show for Disney Junior - Live on Stage! This show was re-dubbed in the UK sometime between 2005 and 2010, which aired in the UK on Playhouse Disney on April 11, 2005. In the UK dub, Fran is voiced by veteran actress Sue Johnston, Eubie is voiced by Jonathan Bee and Joe Cooper, Wayne is voiced by Africa Nile, Twinkle is voiced by Amira McCarthy, and Kip was voiced by Matthew Thomas Davies, this also included most of the character cast in the show who ware voiced by the majority of the actors in the UK. Pizza Guy is called Pizza Man instead, causing minor lip-sync issues, most of which would probably not be noticed by the show's target audience.

Characters

  • Eubie – is a male nesting doll with blonde hair, blue eyes and fair skin with freckles. Eubie wears a red shirt with yellow stripes, a matching bottom part and a dark red collar. His pants is also dark brown with silver buttons.
  • Wayne – is a male nesting doll with dark brown hair, tan skin and green eyes. Wayne wears glasses with black edges, a light green shirt and a matching dark green overalls. Wayne is Twinkle's older brother.
  • Twinkle – is a female nesting doll with dark brown tied in puffy pigtails and blue eyes. Twinkle wears a pink headband with pink stars and a small pink bow, a light pink shirt shines with glitter and a pink duck hatching an egg in the middle and magenta skirt with purple stripes. Twinkle is Wayne's younger sister.
  • Kip – is a male nesting doll who wears a light blue T-Shirt with a blue robot, a dark blue coat and blue matching pants, which are kind of look like jeans. Kip has blue colored hair, brown eyes and fair skin.
  • Fran – is a female nesting doll who is a squirrel with red fur and is the pet of Kip.
  • Ms. Fern – is a female nesting doll who serves as a teacher.

Cast

Main voices

Guest voices

Episodes

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
126September 13, 2004 (2004-09-13)August 8, 2005 (2005-08-08)
214November 14, 2005 (2005-11-14)July 24, 2006 (2006-07-24)
325September 2, 2006 (2006-09-02)January 7, 2008 (2008-01-07)

Season 1 (2004–05)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byStoryboard byOriginal air dateProd.
code
11"Up A Tree" / "Missing Grandpop (aka "Missing Grandad")"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaHolly Huckins & Kent Redeker
Kent Redeker
Leah Waldron
George Evelyn
September 13, 2004 (2004-09-13)101
22"Twinkle Tooth" / "Flower Power"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaCate Lieuwen
Peter Gaffney
John Korellis
Leah Waldron
September 20, 2004 (2004-09-20)102
33"Smells Like a Mystery" / "Ship Ahoy!"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaFord Riley
Peter Gaffney
Nick Hewitt
Halo Pictures
October 11, 2004 (2004-10-11)103
44"Halloween Heroes" (aka "Higgly Halloween")"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaKent RedekerWilliam ReissOctober 25, 2004 (2004-10-25)104
55"Soup With Stars" / "The Happy Friendly Sparkly Toast Club"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaJule Selbo
Kent Redeker
Kinjo Estioko
Tom Nesbitt
November 1, 2004 (2004-11-01)105

The kids try to find stars for soup with stars tonight.

Inspired by their friends' club, the kids scramble to make their own.
66"Catch Up With Ketchup" / "Star Struck"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaTBATBANovember 8, 2004 (2004-11-08)106

The kids must bring ketchup to Kid's dad's hot dog stand.


Wayne breaks his glasses during a shooting star watch.
77"First Snow" / "Snow Dazed"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaTBATBANovember 15, 2004 (2004-11-15)107
88"Flappy's Not Happy" / "Electric Evening"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaTBATBANovember 22, 2004 (2004-11-22)108
99"All Tire'd Out" / "Great Un-Expectations"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaTBATBADecember 6, 2004 (2004-12-06)109
1010"Twinkle's Wish"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaTBATBADecember 13, 2004 (2004-12-13)110
1111"Smooth Operator" / "Stinky Situation"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaPeter Gaffney
Holly Huckins
Kinjo Estioko
William Reiss
December 13, 2004 (2004-12-13)111
1212"Weather or Not" / "Green in the Gills"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaChris Nee
Steve Viksten
Romy Garcia
Leah Waldron
December 20, 2004 (2004-12-20)112
1313"Twinkle's Masterpiece" / "The Egg-cellent Adventure"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaSusan Kim
Holly Huckins
Halo Pictures
Tom Nesbitt
January 3, 2005 (2005-01-03)113

Twinkle makes a masterpiece.

When the diner runs out of eggs, the kids must find more.
1414"Wayne's Ripping Adventure" / "Meet Eubie's Cousin"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaTBATBAJanuary 8, 2005 (2005-01-08)114

Wayne has ripped his pants, and Twinkle's recital is fast approaching!

Eubie's cousin is introduced at the playground.
1515"Say What" / "Higgly Harmonies"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaSteve Viksten
Kent Redeker
Kinjo Estioko
William Reiss
January 17, 2005 (2005-01-17)115
1616"Wayne's Good Guess" / "Wayne's 100 Special Somethings"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaJule Selbo
Holly Huckins
Tom Nesbitt
Marcelo de Souza
January 31, 2005 (2005-01-31)116
1717"Patty Cake" / "Havin' A Ball"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaRachelle Romberg
Susan Kim
Achiu So
Leah Waldron
February 7, 2005 (2005-02-07)117

The kids scramble to find more bread for their picnic.

The kids play ball.
1818"Bright Sights, Big City" / "Kid’s Shadow"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaFord Riley
Cate Lieuwen & Sharon Shatz-Rosenthal
Marcelo de Souza
William Reiss
April 4, 2005 (2005-04-04)118
1919"Fran Takes a Hike" / "Mystery at Kid’s House"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaTBATBAApril 4, 2005 (2005-04-04)119
2020"Kid Joins the Circus" / "Baby Boom"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaKent Redeker
Peggy Sarlin
Kinjo Estioko
Marcelo De Souza
May 9, 2005 (2005-05-09)120
2121"Twinkle's Favorite Author" / "Don't Fence Me In"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaTBATBAMay 23, 2005 (2005-05-23)121
2222"Higgly Hoedown" / "Eubie's Turbo Sled"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaTBATBAJune 27, 2005 (2005-06-27)122
A cow gets in everyone's way to the annual hoedown. Then, Eubie gets a sled.
2323"Kip’s Sweet Tooth" / "Wayne's Lollipop"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaTBATBAJuly 11, 2005 (2005-07-11)123
2424"Higgly Frog Day" / "Eubie's Elly-Fantastic Adventure"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaKent RedekerTom Nesbitt
William Reiss
July 4, 2005 (2005-07-04)125
2525"Kip’s Dad Gets a Strike" / "A Really Hot Day"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaKent Redeker
Holly Huckins
Nick Hewitt
Patricia Ross
July 18, 2005 (2005-07-18)126

When Kip's dad's bowling ball breaks in half, the kids must get him a new one.

The kids try to get cool on a hot day.
2626"Eubie's Pink Dots" / "Two Bees or Not Two Bees"George Evelyn and Denis MorellaLaura McCreary
Holly Huckins
William Reiss
Halo Pictures
August 8, 2005 (2005-08-08)124

Season 2 (2005–06)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date
271"Twinkle Twinkle Little Fish" / "All the Wrong Moves"November 14, 2005 (2005-11-14)
Twinkle & Wayne's mom, Plunkie, goes to the beach with the Higgly kids. Kip, Eubie and Wayne immediately jump into the water! Only, Twinkle doesn't want to go in because she doesn't want to wet her pom-pom hair. Plunkie gives her a swampy glitter bathing cap that she made especially for Twinkle. But then, a seagull and a dolphin steal the bathing cap, and the dolphin accidentally swooped her bathing cap deep in the water. But then, a submarine captain helps them get Twinkle's bathing cap back./Eubie receives a letter from his cousin, Ooba, who invites him to her wedding. At first Eubie is very happy, but when Aunt Mellie tells him that he also has to dance there, he then faces a problem. Eubie can't dance!
282"Kip Gets Swing Fever" / "Wayne's Pieces of Gold"January 16, 2006 (2006-01-16)
293"All Warm Inside" / "Calling All Ducks"January 30, 2006 (2006-01-30)
304"A Totally Secret Valentine" / "A Valentine for Miss Fern"February 13, 2006 (2006-02-13)
315"Cry Baby Pookie" / "Wait for Me"March 6, 2006 (2006-03-06)

Kip's baby sister, Pookie, has her first birthday today. While she's having her afternoon nap, Bitty and the Higgly kids are preparing a birthday party for her. When everything is finally done, Pookie wakes up crying, and nothing can comfort her.

The Higgly kids fly their kites on the Higgly hill. When the nice baker (From the earlier episode "Patty Cake") comes over, he gives them some cookies, but at that moment, a gust of wind sweeps his baker's hat off. But the baker can't bake without his hat. Eubie catches the hat and, as a reward, the baker invites Eubie and his friends to a fine French restaurant. But none of them can read the menu because there are only foreign-language dishes inside.
326"The Legend of Higgsquatch"March 11, 2006 (2006-03-11)
337"Balloon-a-Palooza" / "Wayne's Day Out"March 20, 2006 (2006-03-20)
348"Wayne's Big, Big Discovery" / "Dirigible Day"April 3, 2006 (2006-04-03)
359"The Fran in the Moon"May 8, 2006 (2006-05-08)
3610"Me and My Shadow" / "Out to Sea"June 12, 2006 (2006-06-12)
3711"Don't Wayne on My Parade" / "Twinkle's Terrific Twirl"July 3, 2006 (2006-07-03)
3812"Eubie's Big Boat Float" / "A Slippery Situation"July 17, 2006 (2006-07-17)
3913"Kip’s Rocket Rescue" / "Let's Get Moving"July 25, 2006 (2006-07-25)

Season 3 (2006–08)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date
401"Corn to Be Wild" / "Overnight Moose"September 4, 2006 (2006-09-04)

Eubie, Twinkle, Kip and Wayne help Eubie's Grandpop Crink harvest corn on his farm. While Aunt Mellie and Uncle Zooter prepare the delicious corn cob banquet for the picnic, the friends go to the pond and swim. But when they want to go back to the courtyard, a huge boulder blocks their way. But then, the bulldozer operator comes to the scene. He simply pushes the rock aside with his bulldozer. As a thank you, he's invited to the picnic.

Wayne, Eubie, Twinkle and Kip drive with Uncle Lemmo to the impressive Moose Monument, a huge mountain in the shape of a moose head. After an eventful day, it finally starts to rain and they drive back home, but unfortunately the bridge is flooded. It's a good thing the motel exists, thanks to our friend, the motel manager. Our friends can spend the night there, wait for the rain, and drive home the next morning.
412"Higgly Island"September 25, 2006 (2006-09-25)
It is bitterly cold in Higglytown. But then, the kids (And Fripp, Kip's dad), get a letter from Uncle Zeke, that says that Uncle Zeke invites them all to the Higgly Islands. On the first day, Wayne finds a crown on the beach. But as soon as he puts them on, strange things happen to him! When everyone gets cursed, they decide to get rid of the crown as soon as possible. The crown is indeed cursed and only those who solve three tasks can break the curse!
423"Shear Luck" / "Big Night Out"October 16, 2006 (2006-10-16)

Kip, Eubie, Twinkle and Wayne are so excited, because every year, the “Biggest, Tallest, Longest” day is held in Higglytown. On this day everyone brings something with them, and puts on something that should be the biggest, the tallest or the longest so that they win. Kip's grandma-ma tries to knit the longest scarf for the kids that has ever been in Higglytown. But suddenly, the wool is all gone. Then, a sheep shearer rushes to their aid and makes new wool for Kip's grandma-ma. In conclusion, the Higgly kids win the prize for the longest scarf.

Aunt Mellie, Uncle Zooter, Fripp, Bitty and Plunkie are very happy when they learn that the hit musical "I Love You and Your Kangaroo Too!" is taking place today in Higglytown. But the problem is: When they want to buy tickets, they are all sold out. But, Pizza Guy has an idea. Everyone in Higglytown takes part in a Go-Go Spring competition. Those who can jump the longest on their Go-Go springs win five tickets to the musical. But, there's another problem: Who is going to watch over the Higgly kids? Chaos stops when a cheerful teenage babysitter comes to the kids' aid.
434"Calling All Cars" / "Amazing Museum"October 23, 2006 (2006-10-23)

Eubie, Twinkle, Kip and Wayne are allowed to drive through a car wash with Fripp. The Higgly kids enthusiastically build their own car and drive it on the sidewalk through the city. But when they want to cross a street, they discover a broken spot on the road. But then, the road workers come to the rescue. They come and repair the street so that all cars can continue safely.

Wayne, Eubie, Twinkle and Kip play knights and dragons. When they learn that an exhibition about old knight's armor has been set up in the museum, they really want to go there. But there's a lot more art to be seen in the museum: birds, toast, and ballerinas. After a while, the Higgly kids get lost, and can no longer find the knight's department. The museum curator of the museum leads them there and explains the individual departments along the way, until they finally arrive at the knight's armor.
445"Frozen Fish Follies" / "Look Who's Squawking"November 6, 2006 (2006-11-06)

Ferdy, who lives in the icy far north, invites Pizza Guy and the Higgly kids to ice fish. Pizza Guy catches a huge fish, and wants to take it to Higglytown. But it is not that simple. His pizza copter is frozen, and now they can't fly back home. A dog sled musher and his sled dogs come to their aid and bring everyone back to Higglytown.

The Higgly kids and Uncle Lemmo want to plant a flower bed in Lemmo's garden. They diligently prepare everything, and then they buy seeds from the nursery. When they start sowing, but all of a sudden, many penguins are sitting in their garden. Nobody knows where they come from, and nobody knows how to get rid of them. The kids can't plant like that! It's good that an animal control officer comes by and brings the lost penguins back to the zoo.
456"Wayne's Day to Shine" / "Wayne Listens Up"November 20, 2006 (2006-11-20)
467"A Hoppin' Poppin' Problem" / "Hay Hay Hay!"November 27, 2006 (2006-11-27)
478"Happy Campers" / "All Washed Out"January 1, 2007 (2007-01-01)
489"Hat's All Folks" / "Hop Hop Hooray"January 8, 2007 (2007-01-08)
4910"Shuffleboard Buddies" / "All Mapped Out"January 22, 2007 (2007-01-22)
5011"12-Pie Abe" / "The Day the Diner Stood Still"January 22, 2007 (2007-01-22)
5112"Saturday Night Higgly" / "Monster Sandwiches"January 27, 2007 (2007-01-27)
5213"The Big Pink Elephant Sale" / "Higglies on Horseback"February 19, 2007 (2007-02-19)
5314"Buki-Buki Boo-Boo" / "Signs of Spring"March 12, 2007 (2007-03-12)
5415"Easy to Get Sneezy" / "Unlock the Magic"March 26, 2007 (2007-03-26)
5516"Wayne's Cycle Recycle" / "Wayne's Wet Pet"April 2, 2007 (2007-04-02)
5617"X Marks the Spot" / "Eubie's View"May 7, 2007 (2007-05-07)
6318"Little Big Fish" / "Good Sports"May 21, 2007 (2007-05-21)

Eubie's allowed to go fishing with his Uncle Zooter and Aunt Mellie, and his friends Kip, Wayne and Twinkle. But to everyone's surprise, Kip actually catches a whale. As it turns out, the whale is a baby and the baby had got lost in the river. But even Pizza Guy, with his sardine pizza, can't lure the whale back into the sea. Then comes a marine biologist. With the help of an underwater microphone, she can tell the whale where to swim. When they finally reach the open sea, the whale mother is very happy to see her child healthy again.

When tidying up, Fripp finds a box of colored chalk. When he tells the kids that he used it to paint pictures on the sidewalk, Kip, Eubie, Twinkle and Wayne start to paint pictures enthusiastically. But when the chalks are used up, only a piece is left.
5719"Whing-A-Ding Whirly Box" / "Windy Watchers"May 28, 2007 (2007-05-28)
5820"Choo-Choo Zucchini" / "Something Ducky Going On"June 25, 2007 (2007-06-25)
5921"Fripp's Flip-Flap Flop" / "Say Cheese"July 2, 2007 (2007-07-02)
6022"Canyon Capers" / "High-Country Hiccups"July 9, 2007 (2007-07-09)
6123"Calling All Heroes"August 13, 2007 (2007-08-13)
When Wayne's outdoor birthday party is interrupted by a pizza dough storm, all the Higglytown Heroes come to the rescue.
6224"Happy Flappy Birthday" / "The Cuckoo County Caw-Caw Contest"September 10, 2007 (2007-09-10)
6425"Tis the Season to be Snowy" / "Bingo Bongos"December 2, 2007 (2007-12-02)

There's a heat wave in Higglytown two days before Christmas. But then, Pizza Guy invites the kids and their parents to his hut in the mountains. There's a lot of snow there. Once there, the kids decorate the Christmas tree and hang fairy lights. But when they want to hang up their Christmas stockings for Santa, they discover that there's no fireplace in Pizza Guy's hut. Pizza Guy is desperate. He had completely forgotten that! But then, Stan the bricklayer Hero comes to their aid and builds a chimney through which Santa Claus can come at night!

The rock band 'The Supertasters' want to give a concert in Higglytown, but unfortunately their drummer, Marty, is sick. Since Fran is a great bongo drummer, The Supertasters invite her to play the concert with them, so that they don't have to cancel it.
6526"Wayne's Toasty Invention" / "Spell it Safe"January 7, 2008 (2008-01-07)

Miss Fern explains to the kids in kindergarten how inventions came around. People have always needed something urgently and that's why they've become inventive. Of course, the Higgly kids all want to invent something immediately, but Wayne is unhappy. No matter what he invents, it's already been invented. By chance, he invents a new toast creation at lunch. The next day he takes toast with banana on raisins for all the kids at kindergarten. It tastes so good, that they eat all toasts! But oh dear, Wayne doesn't have lunch now! His friends offer to share their break with him, but nobody has a toast with them. What are they supposed to do now? How good that the lunch lady comes to the rescue!

Kip's sisters, Wiki and Tini, who go to school for older children, take part in a spelling bee. Ms. Fern decides to go with the kids to watch. But then the Higgly kids get lost in the big school.

References

  1. Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 282–284. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  2. Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 135. ISBN 9781476672939.
  3. "Sean Dicken – Animation Director, Animator".

Cited works

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