Special Agent Oso

Special Agent Oso is an American computer-animated children's television series created by Ford Riley for Playhouse Disney. The series debuted on April 4, 2009. It deals with Oso, a panda bear, who is a special agent working for the United Network for Investigating Quite Usual Events, an agency dedicated to helping children with such everyday tasks as mailing a letter, riding a bike, or making a sandwich. The series ended on May 17, 2012. A total of 60 episodes over two seasons have aired.
The series received generally positive reviews from critics. It was nominated for Outstanding Original Song at the 2010 Daytime Emmy Awards. Both Special Agent Oso and the spin-off, which aired during interstitials, Special Agent Oso: Three Healthy Steps (a show on healthy habits) are available to stream on Disney+.
Premise
Each episode begins with Special Agent Oso beginning a training exercise given by one of his three instructors, Wolfie, Dottie, or Bufo, which he usually fails on his first try, causing him to say "It's all part of the plan more or less." Invariably, during the exercise, at least one child is confronted with a simple task which they have trouble completing, an event which a Shutterbug drone notices, which in some way relates to Oso's assignment (primarily due to the lesson that both he and the child learn). Paw Pilot, Oso's computerized assistant, alerts him about a special assignment by alerting Oso by repeating "Special Alert" twice. Oso is always assigned to the case, and Paw Pilot, along with the voice over Mr. Dos, illustrates his client's plight and assigns him a mission to help the child complete the task. To do so, Paw Pilot provides Oso with "three special steps," a simplified step-by-step guide to completing the task, while Mr. Dos gives Oso a briefing as to the child's exact problem. Oso is transported to the child's location and attempts to follow the steps as the steps, in and of themselves, are usually too vague to complete the task properly. Paw Pilot also gives further elaborations, including at least one helpful trick, which reveals the mistake Oso has made during the training exercise. On the third and final step, Paw Pilot senses the time limit on the task between 3 and 19 seconds and begins counting down when the time limit is near. Oso and the child usually complete the task, just as the time runs out. The completion of all three steps often involves gadgets, such as a pen that can become a grappling device and a jetpack.
Returning from the assignment, the helpful trick given during the assignment always turns out to be the same trick Oso needed to complete the interrupted training exercise, which he likewise completes and passes, getting a "digi-medal," a digital award, for both the training exercise and the special assignment.
Episodes
The show has 60 episodes; 24 in the first season and 36 in the second. The episode names are usually references to the names of the James Bond films from Eon Productions, such as The World Is Not Enough and The Man with the Golden Gun but not a parody of them. Across its run, Special Agent Oso had at least one episode title that referenced each of the then-22 Bond films (Skyfall was still in development at the time the show concluded). Some episode titles also reference the Carly Simon song Nobody Does It Better, theme song to The Spy Who Loved Me. One episode references the non-Eon film Never Say Never Again. One episode also spoofs Another Way to Die, which is the theme song to Quantum of Solace.
Format
Each episode is composed of four components:
The Three Special Steps are the steps that Paw Pilot gives Oso to follow when he is on his special assignments. Oso has a matter of time to finish the three special steps. The third step is usually timed between 3 and 19 seconds.
The training exercises are Oso's training task assigned by Wolfie, Dotty or Buffo. Oso usually fails on his first try, but in the course of doing the special assignments, he refers to the mistake he made in his training exercise, thanks to the person he is helping. He then returns to his training exercise and does it right on his second try, then earns a "Digi-Medal."
The special assignments are missions that Oso is requested to complete by the mysterious Mr. Dos, in order to help a child in need. Sometimes, Oso asks the audience to help him on his special assignments if it gets tricky and he needs some help. Oso tries to complete the Three Special Steps that Paw Pilot gives him. Then he earns a "Digi-Medal."
Audience participation or interaction with Oso. Sometimes, Oso will ask the audience to help him find something hidden or missing on the screen. Other times, Oso will ask the audience to try something physically demanding that he is doing.
Characters
Main
Oso (voiced by Sean Astin) is the colorful special agent stuffed panda who predominantly works on helping children perform various tasks. His name, Oso, is Spanish for bear.
Paw Pilot (voiced by Meghan Strange) is Oso's computerized assistant who guides him through the three special steps he needs to accomplish his current mission. Her name is a reference to the Palm Pilot series of handheld computers.
Mr. Dos (voiced by Gary Anthony Williams) is Oso's smartwatch boss that assigns his missions.
Wolfie (voiced by Phill Lewis) a special agent that regularly oversees Oso's training.
Dottie (voiced by Amber Hood) is the other special agent animal that regularly oversees Oso's training.
Professor Buffo (voiced by Brad Garrett and later Jess Harnell) is a slightly clumsy and excitable Italian-speaking bison who is the inventor of Oso's gadgets.
Whirly Bird (voiced by Cam Clarke) is Oso's bird-shaped autogyro who takes Oso to wherever someone needs help. He doesn't hear very well and often misunderstands what Oso tells him, which usually leads to Oso's ejection at inopportune moments and places.
Shutterbug is a mute ladybug-shaped robotic camera who keeps an eye out for children who need help.
Guest voices
Madison Davenport as Stacy/Fiona
Grace Rolek as Molly/Sophie
Khamani Griffin as Danny/Aaron/Paulie
Maria Celeste as Samantha
Kara R. Stribling as Abby/Jessica
Isabella Murad as Sally/Cassie/Michelle/Anna/Audrey
Colin Ford as Joe/David
Sekai Murashige as Jack/Jennethan
Ciara Bravo as Sarah
Billy Unger as Michael/Quinn
Kurt Doss as Dawson/Austin/Logan
Kimberly Brooks as Grace
Kristen Combs as Caroline/Aaliyah/Avery
Quinton Lopez as Jim
Juliette Alba as Olivia
Jack Samson as Ben/Nathan
Harrison Fahn as Jake/Oliver/Anthony
Isabella Acres as Jade/Mia #1
Madison Pettis as Katie/Tara
John Devito as Sam/Theo
Fiona Riley as Addison/Maya
Church Lieu as Frank
Jillian Henry as Brianna
Stefanie Scott as Emma
Hynden Walch as Hailey
Nina Barry as Nicole
Jacob Bertrand as Spencer
Tiffany Espensen as Joon Kim/Carina
Élan Garfias as Cody/Grayson/Jose/Eric
Luke Manriquez as Carlos
Kwesi Boakye as Andrew
Diane HSU as Min/Meehwa
Firoozeh Adli as Makayla/Marie/Faith
Zachary Gordon as Tyler/Rasheed
Kailey Swanson as Ashley
Jelani Imani as William/Joshua/Dylan
Avion Baker as Natalie/Nadia/Charlotte
Abby Weiss as Lisa
Nancy Kim as Jennifer
Luke Davis as Gavin
Zachary Michael as John
Brianna McCracken as Alexis
Cameron Escalante as Chloe
Sabre Jacobs as Kaylee
Parish Allen as Lizzie
Vanessa Millsaps as Lily
Coleen Crabtree as Leila
Raymond Ochoa as Noah
Ryan Christopher Lee as Noh Yoon/Nicholas/Liam/Charlie
Rico Rodriguez as Lin/Xavier/Marco/Brandon
Jacob Medrano as Alberto
Sayeed Shahidi as Evan
Liberty Smith as Madison/Lena
Alec Gray as Dimitri
Caitlin Carmichael as Athena
Jet Jurgensmeyer as Rudy/Gabriel/Aiden
Maxim Knight as David #2
Wilmer Valderrama as Handy Manny
Nika Futterman as Stretch & Squeeze
Carlos Alazraqui as Felipe
Dee Bradley Baker as Turner
Tom Kenny as Pat
Fred Stoller as Rusty
Kath Soucie as Dusty
Grey DeLisle as Flicker
Nancy Truman as Kelly
Erica Luttrell as Dylan and Sophie’s moms
Jennifer as Ashley #1
William Cwammendi as Wontwo
Additional voices
Lou Holtz as Uncle Lou (character was modeled to look like himself)
Rob Paulsen as Cassie's Dad/Dawson's Dad/Emma's Dad
Gwendoline Yeo as Jack's Mom
Maria Canals as Cody's Mom
James Sie as Joon Kim's Dad
Colleen O'Shaughnessey as Jade's Mom/Jake's Mom/Nadia's Mom
Sarah Chalke as David's Mom
Jeannie Elias as Michael's Mom/Quinn's Mom
James Arnold Taylor as Mr. Thompson
Lucas Grabeel as Uncle Eric
Mel Brooks as Grandpa Mel
Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Brayden's Dad
Kimberly Brooks as Andrew's Mom/Caroline's Mom
Broadcast
The first season of Special Agent Oso premiered in the United States and United Kingdom on April 4, 2009, and aired through April 17, 2010. The second and final season premiered on July 10, 2010 and the series finale aired May 17, 2012. In season 2, new characters, Professor Buffo and Special Agent Musa, were introduced. The show has a crossover with Handy Manny called "The Manny with the Golden Bear."
Reception
Critical response
Hannah Johnson of Screen Rant found the character of Dotty to be a positive role model, writing, "It is evident that she has worked hard to get where she is, being the only female supervisor in an androcentric career, where all her colleagues are men. The orange cat has a fun and giggly personality, her favorite color is pink, and she likes visiting space as part of her missions. Dotty is a complex character succeeding in a man's world." Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media gave Special Agent Oso a grade of four out of five stars, praised the depiction of positive messages and role models, citing resourcefulness and perseverance, and complimented the presence of educational value in the show, saying, "Age-appropriate skills like shape recognition, chronology, and spatial relationships are emphasized within the context of the plot, so kids learn while they enjoy the stories. The show's best quality is its positive message about the joy to be found in helping others."
Ratings
During April, Playhouse Disney UK saw its best weekly share among kids at 2.3%, a month that also had its best series launch with the preschool-targeted Special Agent Oso, which premiered on April 4 at 9:50 a.m. and attracted 377,000 viewers, including 181,000 kids aged four to 15.
Accolades
Spin-off
Special Agent Oso: Three Healthy Steps
Special Agent Oso: Three Healthy Steps is a short series that aired in the United States during the Disney Junior programming block. The spin-off premiered on February 14, 2011. It encourages children to use "three healthy steps" regarding eating, being healthy, and exercising. This series combined both animated characters and real life actors. The animated characters that are featured in the short series are Special Agent Oso, Paw Pilot, Special Agent Wolfie, Special Agent Dotty, and Professor Buffo.
References
External links
Disney Channel press release for Special Agent Oso
Special Agent Oso on TV.com
Special Agent Oso on LOVEFILM
Disney Junior original programming
2009 American television series debuts
2012 American television series endings
2000s American animated television series
2010s American animated television series
Television series by Disney Television Animation
American preschool education television series
American computer-animated television series
American children's animated action television series
American children's animated adventure television series
American children's animated comedy television series
American children's animated fantasy television series
Animated preschool education television series
2000s preschool education television series
2010s preschool education television series
Animated television series about bears
Television series about wolves
Animated television series about foxes
English-language television shows