Poko (TV series)

Poko is a Canadian stop motion children's television series about a young boy, his pet dog, and his toy monkey.[1] Produced in Canada by the Halifax Film Company, Poko was created by Jeff Rosen, and began production in 2003 and ended in 2006 after three production cycles. Poko is still broadcast in Canada on CBC Television in the Kids' CBC programming block, and was broadcast in Turkey on Yumurcak TV until the channel closed in mid-June 2016. It is narrated by actor and dancer Cory Bowles.

Poko
GenreChildren's television series
Created byJeff Rosen
Developed byJeff Rosen
Cheryl Wagner
Michael Donovan
Written byJeff Rosen
Cheryl Wagner
Directed byChuck Rubin
StarringCory Bowles
Cameron Davidson
Narrated byCory Bowles
Opening theme"Poko Theme Song"
Ending theme"Poko Theme Song" (instrumental)
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes52
Production
Executive producersMichael Donovan
Jeff Rosen
ProducerCharles Bishop
AnimatorThea Pratt
Running time25 minutes
Production companiesEraser Dog Prods.
Salter Street Films
Alliance Atlantis
Halifax Film Company
DistributorCBC
Release
Original networkCBC Television
Picture format4:3 SDTV
Original releaseDecember 1, 2003 (2003-12-01) 
July 31, 2008 (2008-07-31)

The show was awarded the 2004 Gemini for Best Pre-school Program in 2004 and the Alliance for Children & Television (ACT) Grand Prize in 2007.

Characters

  • Poko (voiced by Cameron Davidson) is a little boy. Every day he plays in his bedroom, or out in his backyard. Poko, however, has a magic finger. When he says "Poko pippity pop!", he can draw objects, which then become real, by tracing them in the air with his finger. Poko often encounters obstacles and gets cranky or upset, but then cheers up with the help of an unseen narrator.
  • Minus is Poko's pet dog. He is very playful, and often causes trouble. Minus is named for the sign minus (–). Although he can't always understand what is going on, he sometimes shows much more human-like behaviour, such as being able to walk on his hind feet, play soccer, or dance. He is named for his ability to erase Poko's creations from existence (when they aren't needed anymore or he doesn't like them) by using his nose like an eraser. His silly antics often cause Poko to laugh and say "Silly Minus!"
  • Mr. Murphy is Poko's stuffed toy monkey, who usually just sits around. He can sometimes be seen to have moved his hands (such as to shrug, or cover his eyes), but is never seen actually moving.
  • Bibi is a young girl who is Poko's friend. She comes over sometimes to have a play date with Poko. Bibi can use her magic sticker book in a way that resembles Poko's ability, by opening the book to a sticker of an object and then making that object real. Bibi first appeared in the second season.

Show structure

The show follows the same sequence every episode:

  • Title sequence
  • Poko wakes up
  • Indoor episode
  • Play sequence
  • Mighty Murph story (season one); Poko's Playhouse (season two)
  • Play sequence
  • Outdoors episode
  • Play sequence
  • Ending sequence

Episodes

There are two segments in each episode. The first one is indoors, after Poko wakes up. The second is outdoors, in the garden. In both, Poko encounters a problem, but usually overcomes it after observing a smaller creature (such as a bird, ladybug, worm, etc.) solving a similar problem.

Also beneficial to children, the narrator helps Poko to name and understand his feelings, and find appropriate ways to deal with them: for example, on some occasions, when Poko has become angry at Minus, he has gone and given a blast on his tuba to release his frustration. Another common solution is for Poko to give Mr. Murphy a hug. In this way, the show suggests positive methods of dealing with problems. When this happens they usually sing "hug a monkey...hug him tight...hug him till you feel alright". Poko does either that, or, if Mr. Murphy isn't available, Poko releases his frustration by doing a dance called "The Poko Polka". He also has choices to release his frustration: either spending time alone on his swing, or shake his frustration out.

In the second season, a new segment was added called "Poko's Playhouse", in which Poko Minus and Bibi perform for a stuffed toy audience on a "Grand Ole Opry" type play-stage, with children singing a background song.

Similiar to Toopy and Binoo, some episodes made appearances in more than one episode.

Season 1 (2003-2004)

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateAmerican air dateProd.
code
US viewers
(millions)
1"Baby Murphy"
"Something Yummy for a Monkey Tummy"
"Poko's Pool"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerDecember 1, 2003 (2003-12-01)TBA101N/A
2"Poko and the Scary Shadow"
"Pirate Gold"
"Poko Kicks a Ball"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerDecember 8, 2003 (2003-12-08)TBA102N/A
3"Mr. Murphy in the Middle"
"A Super Monkey Loves to Play"
"Reaching Mr. Murphy"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerDecember 15, 2003 (2003-12-15)TBA103N/A
4"King Poko"
"Super Monkey at the Supermarket"
"Poko's Swing"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerDecember 22, 2003 (2003-12-22)TBA104N/A
5"Poko Gets Bugged"
"Mighty Murph's Street Treats"
"Poko Makes a Hole"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerDecember 29, 2003 (2003-12-29)TBA105N/A
6"Poko-Motion"
"Monkey Business at the Silly Circus"
"Poko's Scooter"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerJanuary 5, 2004 (2004-01-05)TBA106N/A
7"Poko Has a Ball"
"A Super Monkey Needs to See"
"Poko on the Slide"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerJanuary 12, 2004 (2004-01-12)TBA107N/A
8"Poko's Little Sister"
"A Super Monkey Loves to Drum"
"Poko's Pool"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerJanuary 19, 2004 (2004-01-19)TBA108N/A
9"Baby Murphy"
"A Super Monkey Loves to Touch"
"Poko's Lemonade Stand"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerJanuary 26, 2004 (2004-01-26)TBA109N/A
10"Poko and the Bunny Slippers"
"A Super Monkey Loves to Drum"
"Poko Kicks a Ball"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerFebruary 2, 2004 (2004-02-02)TBA110N/A
11"Poko and the Scary Shadow"
"Something Yummy at the Zoo"
"Poko's Laundry Day"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerFebruary 9, 2004 (2004-02-09)TBA111N/A
12"Poko's New Toy"
"A Super Monkey Loves to Fly"
"Reaching Mr. Murphy"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerFebruary 16, 2004 (2004-02-16)TBA112N/A
13"Mr. Murphy in the Middle"
"Something Yummy for a Monkey Tummy"
"Poko's Broken Toy"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerFebruary 23, 2004 (2004-02-23)TBA113N/A
14"Poko Alone"
"Something Yummy for a Monkey Tummy"
"Poko's Swing"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerMarch 1, 2004 (2004-03-01)TBA114N/A
15"King Poko"
"Pirate Gold"
"Fireman Poko"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerMarch 8, 2004 (2004-03-08)TBA115N/A
16"Dr. Poko"
"A Super Monkey Loves to Play"
"Poko Makes a Hole"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerMarch 15, 2004 (2004-03-15)TBA116N/A
17"Poko Gets Bugged"
"Super Monkey at the Supermarket"
"Hide-'n'-Seek Poko"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerMarch 22, 2004 (2004-03-22)TBA117N/A
18"Poko's Circus"
"Mighty Murph's Street Treats"
"Poko's Scooter"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerMarch 29, 2004 (2004-03-29)TBA118N/A
19"Poko-Motion"
"Monkey Business at the Silly Circus"
"Poko's Sandcastle"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerApril 5, 2004 (2004-04-05)TBA119N/A
20"Poko's Band"
"A Super Monkey Needs to See"
"Poko on the Slide"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerApril 12, 2004 (2004-04-12)TBA120N/A

Season 2 (2008)

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateAmerican air dateProd.
code
US viewers
(millions)
1"Poko the Submarine Explorer"
"Poko, Bibi and the Dragon"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerFebruary 7, 2008 (2008-02-07)TBA201N/A
2"Super Poko"
"Poko and Bibi's Bug Adventure"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerFebruary 14, 2008 (2008-02-14)TBA202N/A
3"Poko and Bibi at the Fancy Restaurant"
"Poko the Pirate"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerFebruary 21, 2008 (2008-02-21)TBA203N/A
4"Poko Plays School"
"Poko's Picnic"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerFebruary 28, 2008 (2008-02-28)TBA204N/A
5"Poko and Bibi Play House"
"Poko and the Dinosaur"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerMarch 6, 2008 (2008-03-06)TBA205N/A
6"Poko's Shadow Show"
"Poko and Bibi Play Soccer"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerMarch 13, 2008 (2008-03-13)TBA206N/A
7"Bibi's Ballet Class"
"Poko's Ducky Day"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerMarch 20, 2008 (2008-03-20)TBA207N/A
8"Poko's Puppet Show"
"Poko's Lemonade Stand"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerMarch 27, 2008 (2008-03-27)TBA208N/A
9"Poko's Robot"
"Poko Plays Golf"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerApril 3, 2008 (2008-04-03)TBA209N/A
10"Hocus Pocus Poko"
"Poko and Bibi's Playdate"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerApril 10, 2008 (2008-04-10)TBA210N/A
11"Poko's Patients"
"Poko Goes Camping"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerApril 17, 2008 (2008-04-17)TBA211N/A
12"Poko and Bibi's Dress-Up Day"
"Minus Has the Hiccups"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerApril 24, 2008 (2008-04-24)TBA212N/A
13"Poko's Puzzle"
"Nutty's Nuts"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerMay 1, 2008 (2008-05-01)TBA213N/A
14"Mr. Murphy's Birthday"
"Poko the Gymnast"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerMay 8, 2008 (2008-05-08)TBA214N/A
15"Poko's Masks"
"Poko Plays Croquet"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerMay 15, 2008 (2008-05-15)TBA215N/A
16"Poko and Bibi at the Toy Store"
"Jungle Jim"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerMay 22, 2008 (2008-05-22)TBA216N/A
17"Bibi's Pop-Up Book"
"Poko’s Piñata"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerMay 29, 2008 (2008-05-29)TBA217N/A
18"Poko and Bibi's Treasure Hunt"
"Poko and Minus Play Tag"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerJune 5, 2008 (2008-06-05)TBA218N/A
19"Poko's Harmonica"
"Poko's New Friend"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerJune 12, 2008 (2008-06-12)TBA219N/A
20"Minus the Babysitter"
"Poko's Monster Truck"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerJune 19, 2008 (2008-06-19)TBA220N/A
21"Poko and Bibi Play Statue"
"Poko the Pilot"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerJune 26, 2008 (2008-06-26)TBA221N/A
22"Poko's Pie"
"Poko and Bibi Play Fairies"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerJuly 3, 2008 (2008-07-03)TBA222N/A
23"Poko's Messy Room"
"Poko and Bibi of the Arctic"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerJuly 10, 2008 (2008-07-10)TBA223N/A
24"Poko's Flowers"
"Poko's Windy Day"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerJuly 17, 2008 (2008-07-17)TBA224N/A
25"Poko and Bibi's Petting Zoo"
"Poko's Balloon Ride"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerJuly 24, 2008 (2008-07-24)TBA225N/A
26"Poko and Bibi Play Musical Chairs"
"Minus Gets a Bath"
Chuck RubinJeff Rosen and Cheryl WagnerJuly 31, 2008 (2008-07-31)TBA226N/A

Play sequence

There are two thirty-second shorts in each episode where Poko, Minus and Mr. Murphy play against a monocolor background. They may be swimming, surfing, riding an imaginary Roller coaster, or doing other activities or even dressing up like a ball.

Mighty Murph

In the middle of each show in season one, Poko reads a Mighty Murph story. Each one is made using Macromedia Flash, in cartoon style, and involves a baby Mr. Murphy in some dilemma, such as being hungry, or having nowhere to play. He then imagines he is Mighty Murph (a superhero who is parodied as Superman as Mighty Murph can be seen doing a scene which is a reference to the Superman (Fielscheir animated series), and flies around to find a solution to his problem. His search is fruitless, and he realizes the best place is just where he is, as his own self with his mother. The stories are told by the narrator.

Awards

  • Gemini - Best Pre-School Program (2004)
  • ACT Award - Grand Prize (2007)
  • ACT Award - Animation Age 3-5 (2007)

References

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