Oswald

**Oswald** is an American children's television series created by **Dan Yaccarino**, and co-produced by **Nickelodeon** and **Hit Entertainment**. The series first aired on August 20, 2001, on Nickelodeon's **Nick Jr.** block in the United States. It also broadcasted on **Noggin** and on the **CBS** programming block, **Nick Jr. On CBS** (reruns). A total of 26 episodes were produced. The series is based off the book of the same name, before the show's debut.

The series was added to **Paramount+** (at the time CBS All Access) in January 2021.

## Premise

The series is set in Big City, a colorful town world populated by anthropomorphic animals, mythical creatures, and humanoid beings. Each episode follows the daily experiences of an anthropomorphic blue octopus named Oswald, who is accompanied by his beloved hot-dog canine pet, Weenie, and their life in the cheerful and whimsically-designed community of Big City. Commonly, the the program focuses on Oswald's experiences with friends, acquaintances, including Henry; a penguin, Daisy; a flower, among others - and his patient methods of coping with or tolerating different situations and dilemmas, along with his thoroughly positive outlook on life.

## Characters

**Main**

* **Oswald** - The main protagonist of the series, who lives in an apartment complex with Henry the Penguin and several other animals including a turtle named Buster. He is a very gentle, polite, big-hearted blue octopus who is willing to go out of his way to help his friends. His favorite hobbies are playing the piano and singing. He is voiced by **Fred Savage**.
* **Weenie** - Oswald's pet dachshund. She resembles a hot dog and only communicates in "bark-speak". Weenie accompanies Oswald everywhere he goes. Her favorite food is vanilla dog biscuits. She is voiced **Debi Derryberry**.
* **Henry** - Oswald's downstairs neighbor and best friend. 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 does his best to maintain a rigid schedule, which includes taking care of his extensive spoon collection, ending every evening watching "Penguin Patrol", his favorite TV show, and doing the Penguin Polka before bedtime. Most of Henry's favorite foods are fish-flavored and he is a proven expert on snow. He has an identical cousin from the North named Louie, and on occasion speaks of an Aunt Arctica. His motto is "slow and steady". He always takes two (which used to be three) marshmallows in his hot cocoa, saying "No more, no less". He also dislikes getting wet. He is voiced by **David Lander**.
* **Daisy** - A tall orange/yellow/green daisy. Free-spirited and energetic, 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 way too loudly. She is voiced by **Crystal Scales**.

**Recurring**

* **Johnny Snowman** - A laid-back snowman who operates an ice cream shop and also owns an ice cream truck. Johnny wears a black top hat, has a carrot nose, and speaks in a deep baritone voice. He also has a brother in the frozen north named Phil. He is voiced by **Mel Winkler**.
* **The Egg Twins** - Two identical twin eggs, named Egbert and Leo. Leo always responds in conversations with an enthusiastic "Yes, yes!" while Egbert refers to everyone as "old boy". They are friends of Oswald. They are voiced by **Daran Norris** and **J. Grant Albrecht**.
* **Catrina** - A purple 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. She is voiced by **Debi Derryberry**.
* **Madame Butterfly** - The mother of Catrina and the proprietor of the local diner, a favorite lunch stop for Oswald and his friends. She is a little overprotective and sometimes too cautious, but she turns to the gang when they need help. She is voiced by **Laraine Newman**.

**Minor**

* **Pongo** - Pongo 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. (voiced by **Richard Kind**)
* **Buster** - A very slow moving turtle who lives in the same apartment building as Oswald. He appears in several episodes.
* **Cactus Polly** - A helpful cactus lady who carries a lasso and speaks like a cowgirl from the wild west. (voiced by **Laraine Newman**)
* **Sammy Starfish** - Oswald's musical idol. Sammy is a jazz singer. Oswald's dream is to play piano for Sammy Starfish, which becomes a reality when Sammy's show comes to Big City and the tickets are all sold out. (voiced by **Tony Orlando**)
* **Steve Tree** - Steve is a tree that comes to life. Sometimes his pet woodpecker, Woodrow pecks on him, usually on his head. (voiced by **Fred Stoller**)
* **Andy Pumpkin** - Steve Tree'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. (voiced by **Eddie Deezen**)
* **Bingette Bunny** - 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. (voiced by **Kathy Najimy**)
* **Roderick Robot** - A mechanical man with a mechanical cat, Tinsel. Oswald cat-sits for Roderick, and it turns out Tinsel is a very naughty cat.
* **Bingo** - Big City's barber, a quiet rabbit who also runs a newspaper store from which Henry buys his newspaper. He only talks in the episodes "The Naughty Cat" and "Henry Needs a Haircut". (voiced by **Mac Davis**)
* **Louie** - Henry's cousin from the Arctic. (voiced by **Michael McKean**)
* **Flippy** - A fish who Oswald bought at the pet store, but had to give him up to the Big City Aquarium as the he grew too large.
* **Paper People** - Silent humans made of paper who appear in several episodes as cameo characters.
* **Woodrow** - Steve tree's pet woodpecker.
* **Tinsel** - Roderick's mechanical pet cat.
* **Fish** - The fish who appear in the episode "Goin' Fishing".
* **Maestro Bingo** - A bunny who runs a store of various musical instruments and appears in the episodes "Daisy Plays an Instrument" and "Fixing the Piano".

**UK Dubs**

* Oswald voiced by **Richard Pearce**
* Wennie voiced by **Debi Derryberry** (also from the American dub)
* Henry voiced by **David Holt**
* Daisy voiced by **Moir Leslie**
* Madame Butterfly voiced by **Moir Leslie**
* Gingerbread voiced by **David Holt**
* Head Gingerbread Man voiced by **Gary Martin**

## Broadcast

The series first aired on the **Nick Jr.** television block on **Nickelodeon** on August 20, 2001. It was removed from the lineup on May 24, 2005. On April 7, 2003, Oswald began airing on **Noggin**, which had recently shifted its target audience to preschoolers. Reruns of the show aired on the 24-hour Nick Jr. channel upon its launch in 2009, but it was removed on March 8, 2013. The series aired briefly on **Nick On CBS** for one year from September 15, 2001, to September 7, 2002.

## Episodes

1. **Chasing The Ice Cream Truck / The Camping Trip**
2. **The Polka Dot Umbrella / One More Marshmallow**
3. **Daisy Plays An Instrument / The Ball Of Yarn**
4. **Down In The Dump / The Birdhouse**
5. **Henry Needs A Haircut / Flippy The Fish**
6. **Rollerskating / I Guess You Never Know**
7. **Sleepover / Big Banana**
8. **Leaky Faucet / Catrina's Birthday Cake**
9. **Cloud Collecting / Pongo The Friendly Dragon**
10. **A Nice Quiet Picnic / The Big Parade**
11. **The Go-Kart Race / Autumn Leaves**
12. **A Day At The Beach / The Sand Sculpture Contest**
13. **Fixing The Piano / Henry Wants To Fly**
14. **Daisy And The Duckling / The Double Date**
15. **The Sniffles / The Broken Vase**
16. **The Big Balloon Rescue / Snow To Go**
17. **Odd One Out / Goodbye, Best Friend**
18. **The Tomato Garden / Bird Watching**
19. **Friends Indeed / Sammy Starfish Live**
20. **The Pet Show / Going Fishing**
21. **The Naughty Cat / The Giant Egg**
22. **A Sticky Situation / Tutti-Frutti Pie**
23. **Job For A Day / Perfect Match**
24. **Catrina's First Snow / The Snow Festival**
25. **The Biggest Wish / The Stopped Clock**
26. **Weenie Needs A Bath / Hide And Seek**

## Home Media

Home media releases of Oswald. **Paramount Home Entertainment** is the VHS and DVD distributor for the series in the US while **HIT Entertainment** is the VHS and DVD distributor for the series internationally.

**Main Releases**

* **Best Buddies! VHS**
* **Outdoors With Oswald - VHS**
* **Welcome To Big City! DVD**
* **On-The-Go Oswald - VHS & DVD**
* **Hats Off To Oswald - DVD**

**Indian Releases (English)**

* **Big Banana And Other Stories**
* **Roller Skating And Other Stories**
* **The Pet Show And Other Stories**
* **The Sammy Starfish Live And Other Stories**
* **The Day At The Beach And Other Stories**
* **The Big Balloon Rescue And Other Stories**

## CDs

An Nick Jr. audio CD titled "**Pop Goes The Octopus**" was released in August 20, 2001. The CD features 13 track tunes from the children's series, Oswald.

1. **Oswald Opening Theme**
2. **Roller Skating**
3. **What to Collect**
4. **The Perfect Cloud Collection**
5. **Polka Dot Umbrella**
6. **Sammy Starfish Theme**
7. **Here She Is (AKA Pet Show)**
8. **The Big Parade**
9. **I'm In The Air (AKA One More Marshmallow)**
10. **Tutti-Frutti Pie**
11. **Down In The Dump**
12. **A Big Banana"**
13. **Oswald Closing Theme**

**Video CD's**

A number of video CD's was distributed in China from an educational company by the name of **DigiLearn**. The CD's can be played and viewed from a VCD. Each CD contains 4 episode stories.

* **A Nice Quiet Picnic And Other Stories**
* **One More Marshmallow And Other Stories**
* **The Sand Sculpture Contest And Other Stories**
* **The Pet Show And Other Stories**
* **The Camping Trip And Other Stories**
* **Fixing The Piano And Other Stories**
* **Goodbye, Best Friend And Other Stories**
* **Down In The Dump And Other Stories**
* **The Naughty Cat And Other Stories**
* **The Big Parade And Other Stories**
* **I Guess You Never Know And Other Stories**

## Books

Book releases of **Oswald...**

* **I Love Big City!**
* **The Big Surprise**
* **A Little Nap**
* **Oswald's Sleepover**
* **Oswald Makes Music**
* **Bicycle For Sale**
* **Special Delivery**
* **Oswald's Treasures**
* **Oswald's Camping Trip**
* **Henry's First Haircut**
* **Counting With Oswald**
* **Colors With Oswald**
* **Opposites With Oswald**
* **Where's Weenie?**
* **Christmas In Big City**
* **Oswald (2001)**
* **Spring Is In The Air**
* **The Rainy Day**
* **Henry Wants To Fly**
* **Welcome To Big City!**
* **Oswald's Garden**
* **Hooray For Fall!**
* **Ah-Choo!**

## Games

Flash game releases by the Nick Jr. website.

* **Oswald's Ice Cream Cone**
* **Oswald's Hat**
* **Oswald's Special Of The Day**
* **Henry's Puzzle**

## Gallery

Oswald - TV PosterOswald - TV Poster (2)Oswald - LogoOswald - Opening TitleOswald - Logo (2)Oswald - Logo (3)Oswald - Outdoors With Oswald - VHS (September 2003)Oswald - On-The-Go Oswald - VHS (January 2004)Oswald - Best Buddies - VHS (September 2003)Oswald - Welcome To Big City! DVD (September 2003)Oswald - On-The-Go Oswald - DVD (January 2004)Oswald - Hats Off To Oswald - DVD (January 2004)Oswald - Big Banana And Other Stories - DVDOswald - Roller Skating And Other Stories - DVDOswald - The Big Balloon Rescue And Other Stories - DVDOswald - The Day At The Beach And Other Stories - DVDOswald - The Sammy Starfish Live And Other Stories - DVDOswald - The Pet Show And Other Stories - DVDOswald - Story Book (May 2001)Oswald - Counting With Oswald - Story Book (July 2003)Oswald - I Love Big City! Story Book & Board Book (January 2005)Oswald - The Big Surprise - Lift-The-Flap Book & Board Book (July 2003)Oswald - Oswald Makes Music - Story Book (January 2002)Oswald - A Little Nap - Story Book (January 2003)Oswald - Oswald's Camping Trip - Story Book (July 2003)Oswald - Henry's First Haircut - Story Book (December 2003)Oswald - Bicycle For Sale - Story Book (September 2002)Oswald - Oswald's Treasures - Story Book (March 2004)Oswald - Oswald's Sleepover - Story Book (July 2003)Oswald - Special Delivery - Story Book (January 2002)Oswald - Christmas In Big City - Story Book (October 2003)Oswald - Opposites With Oswald - Story Book (July 2003)Oswald - Colors With Oswald - Story Book & Board Book (May 2004)Oswald - Oswald's Garden - Ready-To-Read Book (January 2007)Oswald - Hooray For Fall! Ready-To-Read Book (September 2003)Oswald - Ah-Choo! Ready-To-Read Book (January 2007)Oswald - Spring Is In The Air - Coloring Book (January 2004)Oswald - The Rainy Day - Coloring & Activity Book (June 2003)Oswald - Welcome To Big City! Coloring & Bathtub Sticker Book (June 2003)Oswald - Henry Wants To Fly! Coloring Book (January 2004)Oswald - Pop Goes The Octopus - Album CD (August 2001)Oswald - A Nice Quiet Picnic & Other Stories - Video CDOswald - A Nice Quiet Picnic & Other Stories - Video CD (Back Cover)Oswald - The Big Parade & Other Stories - Video CDOswald - The Big Parade & Other Stories - Video CD (Back Cover)Oswald - The Camping Trip & Other Stories - Video CDOswald - The Camping Trip & Other Stories - Video CD (Back Cover)Oswald - The Pet Show & Other Stories - Video CDOswald - The Pet Show & Other Stories - Video CD (Back Cover)Oswald - Fixing The Piano & Other Stories - Video CDOswald - Fixing The Piano & Other Stories - Video CD (Back Cover)Oswald - I Guess You Never Know - Video CDOswald - I Guess You Never Know - Video CD (Back Cover)Oswald - The Sand Sculpture Contest & Other Stories - Video CDOswald - The Sand Sculpture Contest & Other Stories - Video CD (Back Cover)Oswald - Goodbye, Best Friend & Other Stories - Video CDOswald - Goodbye, Best Friend & Other Stories - Video CD (Back Cover)