# Oswald (TV series)

Oswald is a preschool educational children's animated television series created by Dan Yaccarino and developed by Lisa Eve Huberman. The show was co-produced by HIT Entertainment and Nickelodeon. The main character is a thoughtful blue octopus named Oswald who lives in an apartment complex.
Overall 26 episodes were produced. In the United States, the series premiered on Nickelodeon (as part of its Nick Jr. block) on 20 August 2001. Reruns were also broadcast on CBS (during the Nick Jr. on CBS block) and on Noggin. When the Noggin brand was relaunched as a streaming service in 2015, all 26 episodes of Oswald were made available for streaming.
Prior to airing, Brown Johnson (senior vice president of Nick Jr.) said "Dan Yaccarino has created an octopus who could be a pre-schooler's best friend".

## Premise

The series is set in Big City, a colorful world populated by anthropomorphic animals, mythological creatures and humanoid beings. Each episode follows the daily experiences of an anthropomorphic blue octopus named Oswald (voiced by Fred Savage), accompanied by his beloved hot dog-shaped dog, Weenie, and their life in the cheerful and whimsically-designed community of Big City. Commonly, the program concentrates on Oswald's experiences with friends, acquaintances and neighbors, including Henry, a penguin, and Daisy, a flower, among others and his patient methods of coping with or tolerating different situations and dilemmas, along with his thoroughly optimistic outlook on life.

## Characters
### Main

* Oswald (voiced by Fred Savage in the US and Richard Pearce in the UK) is the main character who lives in an apartment complex in Big City. A very gentle, polite and bighearted anthropomorphic blue giant pacific octopus with a bowler hat, Oswald is always willing to go out of his way to help his friends. His hobbies are playing the piano and singing.
* Weenie (voiced by Debi Derryberry) is Oswald's dachshund. She bears a strong resemblance to a hot dog and only communicates in "bark-speak". She accompanies Oswald everywhere he goes, and her favorite food is dog biscuits.
* Henry (voiced by David Lander in the US and David Holt in the UK) is Oswald's downstairs adélie penguin neighbor and best friend. Stubborn yet somewhat level-headed, Henry is a creature of habit in every way and usually shuns the idea of trying different things, though he can sometimes be persuaded otherwise. He tries his best to maintain a rigid schedule. As such, he takes care of his extensive spoon collection, watches "Penguin Patrol" every evening, and does the Penguin Polka before bedtime. Most of Henry's favorite foods are fish-flavored, and is a proven expert on snow. Additionally, he has an identical cousin from the frozen north named Louie, and on occasion speaks of an Aunt Arctica. His motto is "Slow and steady!" He always takes two marshmallows in his hot cocoa, saying "No more, no less." He also hates getting wet.
* Daisy (voiced by Crystal Scales in the US and Moir Leslie in the UK) is a tall orange/yellow/green flower. Free-spirited and energetic yet a little clumsy, Daisy participates in sports and other activities. She is a close friend of both Oswald and Henry, the three of them often go on adventures together. Daisy loves sunflower sundaes, riding her unicycle, has a large leaf collection and loves peppermint tea. Daisy is very excitable and often has to be hushed by Oswald when she speaks too loudly.

### Recurring

* Johnny Snowman (voiced by Mel Winkler in the US and Colin McFarlane in the UK) is a laid-back snowman who operates an ice cream shop and also has an ice cream truck. He has a deep baritone voice. He also has a brother in the frozen north named Phil.
* Egbert (voiced by Daran Norris in the US and Gary Martin in the UK) and Leo (voiced by J. Grant Albrecht in the US and David Holt in the UK) are eggs who are also twin brothers. Leo always responds in conversations with an enthusiastic "Yes, yes!" while Egbert refers to everyone as "old boy".
* Madame Butterfly (voiced by Laraine Newman in the US and Moir Leslie in the UK) is the proprietor of the local diner, a favorite lunch stop for Oswald and his friends. Her name is a pun on the opera Madama Butterfly.
* Catrina (voiced by Debi Derryberry) is a baby caterpillar that is just learning how to speak. She is the only child of Madame Butterfly. Like other babies, Catrina is highly curious about everything around her, but is always attended by her mom or others to keep her curiosity in check.

### Minor

* Pongo (voiced by Richard Kind in the US and Gary Martin in the UK) is a large yellow and red dragon with a long thin green mustache and is quite similar to the dragons in Chinese culture and folklore. He lives in a Chinese-style home in Big City. In sharp contrast to his otherwise intimidating size, Pongo is very shy and soft-spoken, and known for his occasional clumsiness.
* Buster is a very slow moving turtle living in the same apartment building as Oswald. He appears in several episodes.
* Cactus Polly (voiced by Laraine Newman in the US and Jo Wyatt in the UK) is a helpful Southern-accented cactus lady who carries a lasso and talks like a cowgirl from the wild west.
* Gingerbread People are anthropomorphic gingerbread men who reside in Big City and are often seen in the backgrounds of episodes.
* Sammy Starfish (voiced by Tony Orlando) is Oswald's musical idol and a jazz singer. Oswald's dream is to play the piano for Sammy Starfish, which becomes a reality when Sammy's show comes to Big City and the tickets are all sold out.
* Steve Tree (voiced by Fred Stoller in the US and Gary Martin in the UK) is a tree that comes to life. Sometimes his pet Woodrow pecks on him, usually on his head.
* Andy Pumpkin (voiced by Eddie Deezen in the US and David Holt in the UK) is Steve's loopy best friend. He is a happy-go-lucky pumpkin person and works at a candy shop. He tends to speak in hyper tones when working in the candy shop.
* Bingette Bunny (voiced by Kathy Najimy) is a ditsy rabbit who runs the gardening store where Oswald buys his tomato plants. She is usually very unhelpful but usually says "Just doing my job!" when Oswald leaves the store.
* Roderick Robot is a mechanical man with a mechanical cat, Tinsel. Oswald cat-sits for Roderick, and it turns out Tinsel is a very naughty cat.
* Bingo (voiced by Mac Davis) is Big City's barber, a rabbit who also runs a newspaper store from which Henry buys his newspaper. He only talks in the episodes "Henry Needs a Haircut" and "The Naughty Cat".
* Louie (voiced by Michael McKean) is Henry's cousin from the arctic.
* Flippy is a fish who Oswald bought at the pet store but had to give to the Big City Aquarium as the fish grew too large.
* The Paper People are silent humans made of paper who appear in several episodes as cameo characters.
* Woodrow is Steve's pet woodpecker.
* Tinsel is Roderick's pet mechanical cat.
* The Fish are fish who appear in the episode "Going Fishing".
* Maestro Bingo runs a store of various musical instruments and appears in the episodes "Daisy Plays an Instrument" and "Fixing the Piano".

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Storyboard by | Original release date |
| 1 | "Chasing the Ice-Cream Truck""The Camping Trip" | Nelson RecinosHenry Lenardin-Madden | Annie EvansSuzanne Collins | Jim SchumannKelly James | 20 August 2001 (2001-8-20) |
| Oswald and Weenie chase after Johnny's ice cream truck. / Oswald, Weenie, Henry and Daisy go camping in Big City Park, but it begins to rain, so they rush back to Oswald's apartment building and camp there instead. ||||||
| 2 | "The Polka Dot Umbrella""One More Marshmallow" | Nelson RecinosGeorge Chialtas and Henry Madden | Gary Apple | Diane KredensorMike J. Smith | 21 August 2001 (2001-8-21) |
| Oswald finds a polka dot umbrella and though he tries many times to get rid of it, it keeps finding him. But in the end, it really comes in handy. / Oswald hosts a tea party for Henry and Daisy but when Weenie eats one of the marshmallows for Henry's hot cocoa, Oswald goes to a confectionery and encounters many obstacles in trying to make his way back to the tea party. ||||||
| 3 | "Daisy Plays an Instrument""The Ball of Yarn" | George ChialtasHenry Lenardin-Madden | Annie EvansJ-P Chanda | Jim SchumannMike Smith | 22 August 2001 (2001-8-22) |
| After listening to Oswald playing his grand piano, Daisy wishes she could play an instrument of her own, so Oswald takes her to the Big City music store where she tries out different instruments. / A ball of red yarn is Weenie's favorite toy to play with. When it begins to bounce, Oswald accidentally grabs a string of the yarn, making it unravel out of his apartment all the way out through the city. So Oswald and Weenie chase after it as it entangles several of their friends along the way. ||||||
| 4 | "Down in the Dump""The Birdhouse" | Henry Lenardin-MaddenChristine Kolosov | Gary AppleSuzanne Collins | Kelly JamesJim Schumann | 23 August 2001 (2001-8-23) |
| Oswald has to clean his apartment, but it doesn't turn out good. So when he decides to put the things he no longer needs in a wagon to take to the Big City dump, several citizens find uses for them. / Oswald builds a birdhouse, adds some color, and some flowers. But a rain advisory washes away the color, flowers, and bells making the birdhouse look plain, in which the birds like. ||||||
| 5 | "Henry Needs a Haircut""Flippy the Fish" | Henry Lenardin-MaddenNelson Recinos and Ken Kessel | Fred StroppelAnnie Evans | Mike SmithKaren Heathwood | 24 August 2001 (2001-8-24) |
| Henry has a feather sticking out on top of his head, but his feather will not stay down and he is scared to go to the barber's because he keeps thinking the barber is too scary. / Oswald buys a pet fish and names her Flippy because of the flip that she does, jumping out of her fishbowl and splashing back in it. Unfortunately, Flippy keeps overeating and growing bigger and bigger. So Oswald and Weenie take her to the Big City public aquarium, where she becomes a big star at a seal show the next day. ||||||
| 6 | "Rollerskating""I Guess You Never Know" | Henry Madden | Frederick StroppelGary Apple | Kelly JamesMike Smith | 27 August 2001 (2001-8-27) |
| Oswald learns how to roller skate. / It is Henry's birthday, and Oswald tries to teach Henry to try new things on this special day. ||||||
| 7 | "Sleepover""Big Banana" | Henry MaddenNelson Recinos | Jeff KindleyDan Yaccarino | Diane Kredensor | 28 August 2001 (2001-08-28) |
| Oswald and Weenie have a sleepover at Henry's apartment, and it's Weenie's very first sleepover ever. / Oswald plants a banana seed, and the next morning, he finds that it has grown into a colossal banana overnight. It is so big that he decides to have a "Big Banana Day" and share it with everyone, resulting in a new holiday with a festival in the park. ||||||
| 8 | "Leaky Faucet""Catrina's Birthday Cake" | George ChialtasNelson Recinos | Rick GroelAnnie Evans | Jim SchumannDiane Kredensor | 29 August 2001 (2001-08-29) |
| Oswald's kitchen sink springs a leak, causing the entire Big City to flood all over and he and Weenie to get separated. / Oswald bakes a huge birthday cake for Catrina's birthday party, but he crashes into Eggbert and Leo, causing the entire pastry to fall in a lake. ||||||
| 9 | "Cloud Collecting""Pongo the Friendly Dragon" | George ChialtasHenry Lenardin-Madden | Dan YaccarinoFredrick Stroppel | Diane KredensorJim Schumann | 10 September 2001 (2001-9-10) |
| Daisy collects leaves and Henry collects spoons, so Oswald wants to collect something too, so he tries to collect clouds. / Oswald meets a friendly dragon named Pongo, who wants to help, only to makes things worse. ||||||
| 10 | "A Nice Quiet Picnic""The Big Parade" | Ken Kessel | Suzanne CollinsKate Long | Kelly JamesMike Smith | 17 September 2001 (2001-9-17) |
| Oswald, Henry, and Weenie set out to have a picnic and are soon joined by many of their friends. / Oswald hears parade music and thinks that a big parade is headed his way, so he convinces Henry and Daisy to go with him to watch the parade, and end up inventing their own. ||||||
| 11 | "The Go-Kart Race""Autumn Leaves" | Henry Lenardin-MaddenKen Kessel | Annie EvansFrederick Stroppel | Karen HeathwoodDiane Kredensor | 24 September 2001 (2001-9-24) |
| Oswald and his friends compete in a go-kart race and they all tie. / Henry tries to rake some fallen leaves, but Oswald and Weenie keep jumping on them which makes him frustrated. ||||||
| 12 | "A Day at the Beach""The Sand Sculpture Contest" | Henry Lenardin-Madden | Frederick StroppelGeoff Stevenson | Karen HeathwoodKelly James | 15 February 2002 (2002-2-15) |
| Oswald and the gang go to the beach, but Henry does not like swimming. Luckily, as Daisy gets stranded on an island, it's Henry to the rescue! / Oswald is the judge of the Annual Big City Beach Sand Sculpture Contest. ||||||
| 13 | "Fixing the Piano""Henry Wants to Fly" | Ken KesselHenry Lenardin-Madden | Justin ChandaFredrick Stroppel | Jim SchumannKelly James | 8 March 2002 (2002-3-8) |
| Oswald's piano is broken, so he takes it to Maestro Bingo to get it fixed, only to discover a ladybug inside. / Henry believes that he can fly, so he tries everything from his friends, but nothing works until a bubble traps him. ||||||
| 14 | "Daisy and the Duckling""The Double Date" | Henry Lenardin-MaddenKen Kessel | Alana Burgi SankoSusan Kim | Mike SmithKaren Heathwood | 15 March 2002 (2002-3-15) |
| Oswald and Daisy find a duckling who becomes separated from her mother. / Henry is having a "Penguin Patrol" watch party and Daisy is having a backyard pool day, so Oswald schedules the two events at the same time. ||||||
| 15 | "The Sniffles""The Broken Vase" | Henry Lenardin-MaddenKen Kessel | Justin ChandaSuzanne Collins | Diane KredensorKelly James | 21 March 2002 (2002-3-21) |
| Oswald goes out into Big City to get some cocoa and a newspaper for Henry, who has an unsettling case of the Arctic Sniffles. But when a rain cloud chases Oswald and Weenie, Oswald catches them as well. / When Daisy accidentally breaks Henry's special vase, she, Oswald, and Weenie try to fix it in time before Henry gets back from his fly catching trip. ||||||
| 16 | "The Big Balloon Rescue""Snow to Go" | Robert ShellhornChristine Kolosov | Susan Kim | Mike SmithJim Schumann | 22 July 2002 (2002-7-22) |
| Catrina flies away on a balloon and Oswald must save her. / During a heat wave advisory, Oswald, Weenie, Henry and Daisy go on a trip to find the sweetest snow. ||||||
| 17 | "Odd One Out""Goodbye Best Friend" | Henry Lenardin-Madden | Dan Yaccarino | Mike SmithJim Schumann | 16 September 2002 (2002-9-16) |
| Oswald is excited to meet Henry's cousin, Louie. But the duo have a great time all by themselves and Oswald is left out. Luckily, as Henry and Louie catch up on old times, they seek Oswald out. / Oswald is sad as Henry decides to move back to the Frozen North with Louie, so the others have a going-away party for him. In the end, Henry decides to stay in Big City after saving them from being blown away, as Catrina goes too far with his balloons. ||||||
| 18 | "The Tomato Garden""Bird Watching" | Ken Kessel and Robert ShellhornHenry Lenardin-Madden | Alana Burghi SankoKate Long | Karen HeathwoodKelly James | 17 September 2002 (2002-9-17) |
| As Oswald eats his last tomato for breakfast, he decides to get more by planting tomatoes in the garden, but he is surprisingly upset when he sees one of the tomatoes have been half eaten. It turns out the tomatoes are eaten by an entire group of unwanted snails, so Oswald ends up making a restaurant for the snails. / Oswald and Daisy go birdwatching, but Daisy is too loud, she scares the birds away. As Oswald finds a giant bird, she carries him in midair, so it's Daisy to the rescue, or bust! ||||||
| 19 | "Friends Indeed""Sammy Starfish Live" | Henry Lenardin-MaddenRobert Shellhorn | Suzanne CollinsDan Yaccarino | Mike SmithJim Schumann | 23 September 2002 (2002-9-23) |
| Oswald finds himself stuck in the middle of a confrontation between an enraged Henry and Daisy. / As Oswald and Weenie see the news about their favorite singer, Sammy Starfish, performing live, all tickets have been sold out and Oswald must find another way to see the show. ||||||
| 20 | "The Pet Show""Going Fishing" | Robert ShellhornHenry Lenardin-Madden | Annie Evans | Diane KredensorMike Smith | 24 September 2002 (2002-9-24) |
| It's the Big City Grand Pet Show, but as Weenie is behaving peculiarly of Steve's woodpecker, Woodrow, pecking down the tent, she wins 1st prize anyway. / Oswald, Weenie, Henry and Daisy go fishing but Henry whom is not catching a fish. ||||||
| 21 | "The Naughty Cat""The Giant Egg" | Robert ShellhornDebbie Bonzon | Suzanne CollinsGeoff Stevenson | Karen HeathwoodDiane Kredensor | 25 September 2002 (2002-9-25) |
| Oswald pet-sits for Roderick Robot's pet cat, Tinsel, but Tinsel runs away and makes things worse. This makes Oswald frustrated, so he must save the day. / Oswald tries to find an egg's owner. ||||||
| 22 | "A Sticky Situation""Tutti-Frutti Pie" | Robert ShellhornHenry Lenardin-Madden | Susan KimSuzanne Collins | Kelly JamesJim Schumann | 26 September 2002 (2002-9-26) |
| Oswald and Daisy try to make her Aunt Marigold's famous honey buns, but Daisy adds too much sticky honey, and they get stuck to each other, along with other friends. Luckily it starts to rain and everyone gets unstuck. / Oswald takes Catrina to pluck some tutti-frutti berries, only to get carried away with trying to eat them when her mother, Madame Butterfly, tells her no, causing problems. ||||||
| 23 | "Job for a Day""Perfect Match" | Robert ShellhornDebbie Bonzon | Alana Burghi SankoFrederick Stroppel | Mike SmithDiane Kredensor | 27 September 2002 (2002-9-27) |
| Johnny is sick, so Oswald and Weenie go to make a special ice cream delivery. / Pongo wants to become friends with Laverne the elephant. ||||||
| 24 | "Catrina's First Snow""The Snow Festival" | Nelson RecinosChristine Kolosov | JP ChandaSusan Kim | Diane KredensorKaren Heathwood | 17 September 2003 (2003-9-17) |
| Oswald babysits Catrina on a snowy day, but every time Oswald shows Catrina all the fun things he is doing, Catrina is sad. / Oswald hopes for snow to fall on the day of Big City's snow festival. ||||||
| 25 | "The Biggest Wish""The Stopped Clock" | Henry Lenardin-Madden | S : Jason Edward, T : Frederick Stroppel Frederick Stroppel | Diane KredensorKaren Heathwood | 18 September 2003 (2003-9-18) |
| Oswald finds a firefly. / As Big City's clock somehow is not working and all residents are still asleep, it is up to Oswald, Weenie, Henry and Daisy to figure out what is causing this stroking catastrophe to make the clock work again, and to wake up Big City. ||||||
| 26 | "Weenie Needs a Bath""Hide and Seek" | Henry Lenardin-MaddenRobert Shellhorn | Suzanne CollinsAlana Burghi Sanko | Diane KredensorKelly James | 19 September 2003 (2003-9-19) |
| Weenie gets dirty before having her picture taken, so Oswald takes Weenie for a bath, but she hates baths. / Weenie disappears during a game of hide and seek, only to hitch a ride in Johnny's ice cream truck. ||||||

## Release
### Broadcast history

In the United States, Oswald first aired on the Nick Jr. television block on Nickelodeon on 20 August 2001. It was removed from the block on 10 October 2003, and the network on 24 May 2005. On 7 April 2003, Oswald started airing on Noggin during its daytime preschool block. Reruns also aired on the 24-hour Nick Jr. Channel upon its launch in 2009, but they were removed on 11 December 2014. The show aired briefly on Nick on CBS for one year from 22 September 2001, to 7 September 2002.
When the Noggin brand was relaunched as a streaming service in 2015, all 26 episodes of Oswald were made available for streaming. The series was added to Paramount+ (at the time CBS All Access) in January 2021.

### Home media

Paramount Home Entertainment is the VHS and DVD distributor for the series in the United States while HIT Entertainment is the VHS and DVD distributor for the series internationally.

#### Main releases

| Release Date | Name | Number of Episodes | Episode Titles |
| 2 September 2003 | Best Buddies | 4 | "Odd One Out" / "Goodbye Best Friend" "Friends Indeed" / "Sammy Starfish Live" |
| 2 September 2003 | Outdoors with Oswald | 4 | "A Day at the Beach" / "The Sand Sculpture Contest" "The Tomato Garden" / "Bird Watching" |
| 2 September 2003 | Welcome to Big City! | 8 | "Odd One Out" / "Goodbye Best Friend" "Friends Indeed" / "Sammy Starfish Live" "A Day at the Beach" / "The Sand Sculpture Contest" "The Tomato Garden" / "Bird Watching" |
| 27 January 2004 | On-the-Go Oswald | 8 | "Daisy and the Duckling" / "The Double Date" "Chasing the Ice-Cream Truck" / "The Camping Trip" "Henry Needs a Haircut" / "Flippy the Fish" "A Sticky Situation" / "Tuffi-Frutti Pie" |

#### Episodes on Nick Jr. compilation DVDs (US only)

| Release Date | Name | Number of Episodes | Episode Titles |
| 24 May 2005 | Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 1 | 2 | "A Day at the Beach" / "The Sand Sculpture Contest" |
| 26 September 2006 | Nick Jr. Favorites Holiday | 2 | "Catrina's First Snow" / "The Snow Festival" |

## Reception

The series received four out of five stars on Common Sense Media.