Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks
Tags: psychedelic

Plot synopsis:
Jakers! takes place in two different settings, in two different time periods.
In the present time (the frame story), Piggley Winks lives in the United States of America (or Great Britain, according to different versions) and tells stories of his childhood in a rural area in the south of Ireland to his three grandchildren. In flashback, he is seen as a child, playing with his friends and going to school in rural Ireland in the mid-1950s. Most of the main characters are anthropomorphic animals—including Piggley and his family, who are all pigs. However, there are normal, non-anthropomorphic animals in the show as well.
=== Past ===
Piggley Winks lived with his parents Padrig and Elly and his younger sister Molly at Raloo Farm in Ireland during the 1950s. His best friends are Dannan O'Mallard, a duck who lives in a hut by a pond with her rarely seen grandmother, and Fernando Toro, known as Ferny, a young bull who lives with his father, the Spanish blacksmith Don Toro in the village of Tara. His rival is the main antagonist, Hector McBadger.
Piggley lives his everyday life on the farm as a normal child, going to school, helping his parents, taking care of his sister, and having adventures, almost always followed by his friends. He has always been interested in stories and legends, and his fertile mind and mischievous spirit put him in many unpredictable situations, like believing fairies turned Ferny into a bug, trying to hatch a supposed dragon's egg, using the Salmon of Knowledge to pass the school exam, and even trying to capture the legendary Fir Darrig.
Each story also features a subplot featuring Wiley, the sheep (voiced by Mel Brooks). As the only sheep in the flock who can talk, he believes he is their natural leader, and tries to get the other sheep to do all kinds of anthropomorphic things (singing, racing, playing sports, acting, etc.), with varying degrees of success. He is later assisted by his mate, a female sheep named Shirley (in earlier seasons, Shirley could not talk, and in the episode "Growing Pains" gave birth to a lamb, later named Little Baa).
A running gag on the show is that Wiley's subplot and Piggley's plot would collide (e.g. in "Sheep on the Loose", Wiley runs away and Piggley, as the shepherd, tries to find him).
CommonSenseMedia explain that at the end of each episode there is a live-action segment, in which "group of children talk about their own experiences and feelings, reflecting on what the episode has been about".
=== Present ===
An elderly Piggley lives with his daughter Ciara and her three children, the twins Sean and Seamus, and their older sister Meg. Whenever the children have a problem, Piggley tells them one of his childhood stories as a moral lesson. The grandchildren are able to identify exaggerations in his stories.
The original American accents of Ciara and her children have been dubbed with English accents for broadcast in the United Kingdom.

Review: You're telling me it's a kids' show?
But I didn't even notice it!.
Why isn't anyone talking about this show?
Why isn't everybody watching it?
Seriously, as far as kids shows go, this is a true landmark, and one of the finest things going on TV at the moment.
I read that this show is aimed at children from 3-7 years old, but if that's the case, how come I, 19 years old, have been watching it every day for weeks?
I never had too many hopes on television.
I knew there were a couple of gems to be fished out of the swamp of sit-coms and aimless dramas, but I never thought a kids show, of all things, would put them all to shame.
Why can't other writers watch this show and learn a few things about complexity and deepness in writing?
The stories are rich, well paced, funny and constructive.
Even the more subpar episodes put the latest seasons of The Simpsons on the trashbin (and I am a fan of the Simpsons).
The characters are complex and extremely realistic.
It truly surprised be how well the writers work these characters, and make pigs, ducks and bulls sound, act and FEEL like real children.
They're right there, in front of your eyes, and you don't realize they are computer animated.
And I thought that characters in shows like those could be shallow and bi-dimensional, and it would be fine, after all, it's just educational entertainment for children.
With beautiful computer-animated graphics and solid voice acting, you know you're in for a real treat.
I just can't believe a show as good as this can be done.
And why are people still watching Clifford?.
What a GREAT show!.
Found this show by accident skimming the Time Warner cable guide.
Almost skipped it because of the name, which made no sense to me, but I flipped past the channel and was instantly captivated by the terrific animation.
My 2 1/2 year old daughter loves Jojo's Circus and The Koala Brothers, and the animation was similar (better in my opinion) and the Irish accents on Jakers are charming (especially since we're Irish).
After seeing a couple of episodes now, I love the stories and so does my daughter.
They are not overly dumded down like too many kids shows.
The show gives good messages in one of the most intelligent and fun ways of any kid's show I've seen.
As I said, I have a 2 1/2 year old so I've seen a LOT!
I was also certain I recognized the voice of the one sheep, and sure enough, in looking it up on IMDb, I found it IS Mel Brooks playing the voice of a hilarious character!
The characters in this little show are extremely well developed and presented.
GREAT little series!.
Get this on your Tivo Season Pass list..
I'm pretty sure they write this for adults, and then just remove anything that isn't appropriate for kids.
Just a laugh a minute.
My eight-year-old caught me watching it and was amazed to see me laughing at a kid's show.
Better than the vast majority of the sitcoms that run during prime time, Jaker's is worth recording this during the day and using it to fill in the dead spots on the television lineup during the evening.
Remarkable how good a kid's show can be when a few good writers put their mind to making something durable.
Keeping it accessible to young viewers makes this quite a trick, and Jaker's does it.Wiley the sheep sounds suspiciously like former Gov. William J.
LePetomaine of Nevada.
Career change?.
Fantastic children's show--great for parents too!.
This is the best children's program I have ever seen.
It teaches responsibility, imagination, manners, multiculturalism and more in a most enjoyable fashion.
The animation is beautiful and the stories are pure delight for both kids and adults.
This is the one show I allow my 4 year old to watch every day and I enjoy it as well.
Each episode follows the same format, a modern day Grandpa Piggley tells stories to his three grandchildren about his adventures growing up in rural Ireland.
The childhood tales feature his family, his school full of adorable animal friends and his ever faithful companions, Ferny and Dannan (a veritable Ron and Hermione, if you will).
They have wild imaginations and good intentions and truly, each episode is pure delight.
I can't recommend it highly enough..
I can't recommend it highly enough..
Jakers A Kids Show???.
I read of a 19 year old watching Jakers The Adventures Of Piggly Winks and, I and my husband are 38 and 40 and we watch it everyday.
We think that it is the coolest show (although they should do more Mauri and Holly stuff) and we go out of our way to watch and or record it.
It is the cutest show and whoever thinks it's for children should try and watch a few episodes of it and they would have a change of heart.
It is a excellent show for children, teens and, adults of all ages.
Good Irish theme.Characters are fun to watch and a delight to observe.
Fun for the whole family.We highly recommend this program for someone who is seeking an unforgettable adventure.
Jakers The Adventure Of Piggly Winks is a one of a kind show.
-Curt & Lisa.
The Adventures of Piggley Winks.
Have just discovered this on Children's TV on BBC 1 and it's brilliant!
The characters are original and charming however the stars of the show are the 'random' sheep (voiced by Mel Brookes...say no more!) The situations featured in the stories are the things that children face all the time, which is why it appeals to all ages.
The 'moral' to the tale is stated at the end, although it is the characters of the 'children' (pig, duck, bull) that makes it so charming.
Although animals they are realistic.
The programme works on several layers though (especially with the sheep who offer a parrallel story)which is why its wit also appeals to adults.
This is wasted on children!.
Best Cartoon on TV.
I tune in every day to watch Piggly Winks...and I don't have any kids.
I love the premise of the show; an older Piggly Winks relaying life's lessons to his grandkids.
I love the characters, especially Ferny and Dannon, but all the characters are enjoyable to watch.
But mostly, I think this show is very well written.
The story lines are easy to follow, but are presented with humor and subtle details that adults will find entertaining.
The variety of characters give the show a fun diversity, and the details in the animation means you can re-watch it and see things you didn't see before.
I am very happy that I found this show..
So Glad.
I thought that my husband and I (38 & 35) were out of our minds, even if the kids are napping or in school we still sit down and watch Jakers.
We are serious Jakers Junkies.
We watch it 4-5 times a day between sprout and our local PBS.
I am so happy to see that we are not the only adults who absolutely love it.
I will say the only disappointment I have is that there never seems to be any new ones, although the local PBS has shown a few that we have never seen on sprout, I was disappointed that Wiley's voice was different(not Mel Brooks) in the episode about the haunted shipwreck.
Is this a permanent change?
I hope not.
Now I have to go and get ready for the 11:00pm episode after everyone else is in bed.
Glad to see there are others like me!.
Jakers!.
Jakers!.
Jakers!.
I discovered this show because we adopted a little boy (now 2 1/2) and of course, I started watching children's TV.
This is by far the best children's show I have seen (possibly because it is not just a children's show), and I often watch it whether my son is watching it or not.
The landscapes are beautiful, and the characters are amazing.
I like them all.
Piggly, of course, but also Ferny, Molly, Dannan, Hector, Mr. Hornsby, and Don Toro, the blacksmith.
It brings me back to a simpler time, when kids (like when I was growing up) didn't have so many toys, and we had to use our imagination much more for our everyday adventures.
I haven't seen many new episodes, and wonder how much time it takes to do a new show..
Weew!.
I love this show.
I watch it every morning when I get up.
The characters are so damn cute and the animation is awesome.
I love the Irish accents.
I'm 19 years old and this show is one of my favorites.
It kicks my ass.
Whoever made this show is a genius.
I seriously can't decide which character is the cutest.
Maybe Molly.
And I just figured out today that Mel Brooks does the voice of Wiley the sheep.
This is theeeeeeee most awesome show Evarrrrr.
Why do I have to make ten lines of text when all you have to do is go watch PBS and see how awesome it is for yourself.
I seriously wish there were cute shows like this on when I was young.
I do have to mention that Sean and Seemus get on my nerves though.
Woo. This show is brilliant.
I have to agree with everyone's review but have to give it another fantastic rap.
I am not Irish nor do I have any family connections to Ireland but ever since I was a child, I am now 38, I have wanted to go to Ireland.
I went there in 1990 for a brief time and I fell in love with everything about the country.
This cartoon transports me back to Ireland every time I watch it.
The characters are delightful, they have fun without being mean or stupid yet they are often silly, they take you back to being a child when you took pleasure in the simple beauty of life and friends and family were the most important things in your life.
The accents, the characters, the story lines, everything about this show is brilliant.
I love living in Australia but honestly dream of living in Ireland raising my children on a farm with my boyfriend.
My boyfriend bought me a Jakers' DVD with 4 episodes on it and it would be one of the best gifts he has ever given me..
Jakers,This Is Grand.
Each episode revolves around a similar format and is divided into two portions: the present day with Piggley telling stories to his grandkids (the twins Sean and Seamus and their older sister Peg), and the 1950s Ireland of Piggley's childhood where he spends time with his own parents and sister Molly and friends Ferny the bull and Dannon the duck.
In the present, Sean, Seamus, Peg, Sean and Seamus, or all three, have some kind of problem and Piggley recalls a time were he was in a similar situation.
For example, there's an episode where Sean and Seamus have to read Tom Sawyer for school (even though they seem to be in like 1st grade) and Piggley tells them about how he had to read a book version of an old folktale called Finn McCool.
In another episode, Sean and Seamus want to go to a very scary haunted house rather than go to their school's Halloween party and Piggley tells about how he stayed up to listen to a creepy radio show.
The landscapes are lovely and all the characters are quite amusing.
Piggly of course but also Ferny, Dannon, Molly, Millie, Wiley, Hector, Mr Hornsby, Miss Nanny, Don Toro, Peg, although Sean and Seamus do get a little annoying.
A great show not just for kids but for anyone.
I wish there would be some new episodes..
OMG i remember seeing this as a child and i absolutely loved it!.
I remember watching this programme when it was aired on RTE 2 and I liked it because I had never ever seen a cartoon that was based in Ireland.
Also the Irish accents were absolutely brilliant.
I was absolutely shocked to think that the rest of the voice actors who voiced the characters, were actually American.
You would honestly think that they were originally from Ireland, I still can't get over that!It was such a cute cartoon, I couldn't understand why it only won 10 awards but, i think it should've won like an Emmy or something big because it was so good!
I like how the story is set on a grandfather who is telling his grandchildren of his adventures as a kid.
It does make you think of your grandparents backstory.
I really cant wait to show this to my future kids and show them this!