L'Albero Azzurro

L'Albero Azzurro is an Italian Rai television program. It is the longest running children's program on Italian public television, broadcast since May 21, 1990.

Presenting itself as the first television experiment in Italy on preschool target (from 3 to 6 years old), the program was initially linked to the pedagogical trend of the Rai productions of the sixties combined with the work of authors (Bianca Pitzorno, Bruno Tognolini, Roberto Piumini, Emanuela Nava, Mela Cecchi, Bruno Munari, Renata Gostoli, Claudio Cavalli, Nico Orengo, Laura Fischetto, Lorenza Cingoli, Giona Peduzzi, Magda Barile, Michela Marelli, Gianluca Col, Claudia Sasso and Mauro Carli) sensitive to the problems of television viewing by children and in collaboration with the Faculty of Education of the University of Bologna.

Born from an idea of ​​the producer Franco Iseppi, the program format as well as the cast of presenters, in its long life, has undergone numerous changes that have gradually made the original educational approach evolve into fiction.

It has been broadcast since the first edition by the Rai Production Center in Turin.

## History of the program

### The first cycle (1990-1994)

The blue tree begins on May 21, 1990, broadcasting from Monday to Friday on Rai 2 at 08:00 and in reruns on Rai 1 at 15:15.

The conductors are Claudio Madia (who makes the manual skills and proposes various games) and Francesca Paganini (who tells fairy tales, nursery rhymes, plays and sings), mentors of the little protagonist Dodò (the name is inspired by the dodo, a species of bird now extinct) , a puppet in the shape of a polka dot bird cub (created by Tinin Mantegazza), inhabitant of the blue tree that gives its name to the show, voiced by Oreste Castagna and animated by Gabriella Roggero and Andrea Gaeta; Dodò will be the only permanent presence in all the series of the program.

The music is curated by Patrizio Fariselli and the direction entrusted to Velia Mantegazza (alternating sometimes to Francesco Cavalli Sforza).

A form of educational entertainment is offered to viewers (without cartoon interludes): during the week, recalled by a song or a nursery rhyme, a theme related to the encounter of children with the world around them is explored, episode by episode (natural elements, time, atmospheric agents, domestic environment, seasons, sounds, food, clothes, animals, colors, geometric shapes, theater, human feelings, etc.).

Alongside Claudio, Francesca and Dodò there is a fair number of secondary characters:

Maestro Fariselli (former member of the Area, which has been broadcasting every Monday since 1993 to introduce the musical theme of the week);

Mr. Cavalli, a mustachioed and brilliant middle-aged man played by the author Claudio Cavalli, with a fixed space dedicated to adventure every Thursday;

Lucilla (Lucilla Salvini), Francesca's older sister;

Mrs. Anna Del Miao (Anna Canzi), the neighbor;

the writer Narcisa (Narcisa Bonati);

Aladdin, friend and right hand of Mr. Cavalli;

the English teacher Cinzia (Cinzia Del Vecchio);

the vagabond-storyteller Berta;

the unpleasant advertising lady (Luisa Oneto);

the child android Millie (the last companion in the adventures of Signor Cavalli and Dodò, voiced by Gloria Sobrito);

the mysterious king of storytellers (played by the author Roberto Piumini);

Oddo, Dodò's secret friend puppet;

Florence (another puppet, proud British bunny, voiced by Claudia Lawrence);

the elf-accordion Doremilla.

In 1994 Video Rai, in collaboration with Edizioni San Paolo, shoots a series of episodes starring only Mr. Cavalli and Dodò around the world in search of adventures but always in contact, through imaginative and funny communication tools, with the blue tree that, in case of need, can help them by reminding them of the realization of useful manual skills and some songs of the first edition (the episodes are in fact chiseled from video clips of the recent past with Claudio and Francesca). These episodes are distributed on VHS as an attachment to the homonymous periodical The blue tree. During the same period, the best episodes of the first seasons are also marketed on VHS.

### The second cycle (1995-2003)

In this new cycle (broadcast since January 1995) the episodes evolve from probable self-conclusive situations to fiction with a real plot (without destroying the song-nursery-rhyme-games scheme and seasoned by a greater number of special effects ) behind which the educational arguments lie; but this will require the presence of conductors who also display theatrical skills. The music and the direction are respectively entrusted to Giovanni Caviezel and Loris Mazzetti. Next to Dodò (the only survivor of the previous cycle) come Lavinia Nove (Augusta Gori), a scuccurilla, an unspecified creature halfway between a woman and a cat, an elf and a monkey, Empirio (Carlo Rossi), a dazed owner and manager of the Emporio di Piazza albero azzurro, where he lives with Lavinia (who is his apprentice), Arras the sailor (Flavio Arras), the Musician with the Bust (a marble statue that comes to life with the sound of some magic words, played by Giovanni Caviezel) and Luisa (Luisa Oneto, already present in the first cycle with the role of the advertising lady), neighbor of Empirio, Dodò and Lavinia. Among the other novelties there are the cartoons of the Bear Balosso, a series of animated shorts created by Anna De Carlo and scripted and narrated in rhyme kissed by Roberto Piumini; to these were also added the illustrative drawings of the fairy tales told by the various presenters during each episode, plus the possibility was given for the parents of the little viewers to send to the program and see broadcast video footage on glimpses of the daily life of their children.

In 1996 (in conjunction with the new direction of Patrizia Carmine) the program changes its appearance again and some protagonists, abandoning the imaginative and fantastic tones of the previous episodes: Luisa is replaced by Anna (played by Marcella Barros). Furthermore, in some episodes of that year Claudio Madia (former host of the first cycle of the transmission) returns temporarily in place of Empirio. In 1997 Lavinia transforms into Augusta (also Augusta Gori), an ingenious and resolute young woman.

In addition to these there are also Pietro (Pietro Pignatelli), a naturalist who lives in a tent in the forest of the blue tree, Kao (Kal Dos Santos) a Brazilian musician and the Japanese Fusako (Fusako Yusaki), a plasticine artist.

In addition to Dodò we find a growing number of puppets of his friends: the toad Boris, grouchy and wise, Ugolino the singing fish (voiced by Giovanni Caviezel), the hedgehog Crispino (voiced by Augusta Gori and later by Antonella Giuffrida), shy and messy, the seal pup Nina, the wasp Zorba (both voiced by Antonella Giuffrida), unpleasant and annoying enemy of Dodò, the black cat Tricky (Augusta's pet), the spider Philip, the Octopus Ploppete, mouse Rodicchio (all dubbed by Monica Mantegazza since 1997, Rodicchio mouse had already appeared, with a different physiognomy, already since 1995), bold and braggart and the beaver Paletta, hardworking and with a marked Bergamasco accent (voiced by Marco Filatore). This group of puppets will be entrusted with the conduct of a small spin-off of the program, The stories of the blue tree, where the group gathers at the Boris pond to watch, together with the children at home, the cartoons broadcast by a magic television that, on call, emerges from the marsh. In recent years, the afternoon reruns on Rai 1 are eliminated and the broadcast is broadcast only in the morning on Rai 2.

In 2001 Dodò's voice was changed: Oreste Castagna (voice of the puppet since 1990) was replaced by Marco Ghirlandi (2001-2002), then in turn replaced by Felice Invernici (2002-2004).

### The third cycle (2003-2007)

In 2003 we witness another change in the format and cast: Augusta Gori and Carlo Rossi leave the program and are replaced by the presenter and singer Barbara Eforo (in the broadcast simply Barbara, who sings two songs: one that acts as the final theme sung with Luca Ghignone and Scatolone Fabbricone alone). In addition to Barbara there are also Toyolaia (Laura Righi), Nemo (Andrea Beltramo), Faber (Sebastiano Di Bella), Gigilla (Antonella Giuffrida and later Alessia Donadio) and Fischietto (Diego Casalis); New puppets arrive to join the existing ones: the marmot Pispolo (voiced by Anna Lana) and the cock Sghembo, envious and unscrupulous (voiced by Manuela Tamietti, who until 2005 also dubbed the character Otto). In this phase, the direction passes to Pierluigi Pantini, former director of the first edition of Melevisione, thanks to which the program reaches new audience records.

In 2004 there is a new change in Dodò's voice: Felice Invernici is in fact replaced by Stefano Brusa (2004-2007).

The music in this edition is played live and pervades the broadcast almost at all times. From 1 January 2007, The blue tree will be broadcast not only on Rai 2 around 08:00, but also on the Rai Yoyo channel in the afternoon, visible first on Sky and then on digital terrestrial.

Furthermore, in this edition, the traditional actor-character combination is no longer valid, as a single actor plays different characters depending on the story told in the episode and there are no longer famous fairy tales accompanied by illustrator drawings.

Among the various authors who alternate in the various editions, coordinated by Mauro Carli, from 2002 to 2013 it is the poetess and humorist Alessandra Berardi who writes the words of the songs, the rhyming lyrics, and the little stories. This cycle is written by Mauro Carli, Claudia Sasso, Magda Barile, Alessandra Berardi, Renato Gabrielli, Giona Peduzzi, Pierluigi Pantini, Gianluca De Col, Franco Fraternale, Michela Marelli, Renata Ciaravino [1].

### The fourth cycle (2007-2013)

With this new edition the format and the cast change once again: Barbara Eforo and the previous group leave the stage to the presenter and singer Sara Bellodi (simply Sara in fiction, who sings with Luca Ghignone, Andrea Beltramo, Alessandro Mercurio and Tiziana Martello, the song A good song to eat; with Luca Ghignone, Andrea, Alessandro and Ilenia Bratomi When I sing; then she also sings two songs: one that acts as a final theme with Luca Ghignone, and another that is called Scatolone Fabbricone alone , takes care of manual skills and teaches how to cook).

Furthermore, Dodò's voice also changes again: Stefano Brusa is in fact replaced by Luca Ghignone (2007-2015).

In addition, various trios of characters enter the program: the Cavemen, the Builders, the Capataz and the Japanese, all interpreted by the three voice actors and singers Alessandro Mercurio (later replaced by Francesco Gargiulo), Ilenia Bratomi (later replaced by the voice actress and singer Tiziana Martello) and Andrea Beltramo (who with their sketches build the comic facet of the show), Nonna Giustina (the storyteller Piera Cravignani) who tells Dodò the little stories and the musician and composer Marco Bigi, who writes the music for all the songs and accompanies the trio in the songs, under the direction of Tiziana Pellerano.

Even the puppets undergo a further restyling: in addition to the Dodò puppet we still find Sghembo and Zorba (voice Tiziana Martello), Lambrico and Otto la mole (voices respectively of Tony Mazzara and Marco Manzini).

In 2010 Sara Bellodi leaves the program and is replaced by Laura Carusino, simply Laura in fiction.

The latter sings Here we need an idea and A song in color together with the trio itself.

In this edition Zorba the wasp is replaced by Zarina the mosquito (voiced by Tiziana Martello).

### The fifth cycle (2013-2018)

In this fifth cycle appears Gipo, a fictional character played by Oreste Castagna (the first historical voice actor of Dodò), also present in the program The stories of Gipo and Il videogiornale del Fantabosco, another Rai Yoyo program.

In 2015 Luca Ghignone is replaced as the voice actor of Dodò by Andrea Beltramo, who is then replaced in turn after a few episodes by Paolo Carenzo (current voice of the puppet), as Beltramo returns as host of the program together with Laura.

A talking leaf appears carrying Dodò, Laura and Gipo to a part of the world for an adventure, and a box appears where there are the words of the world's children.

From 2013 to 2020, the program airs only on Rai Yoyo, from Monday to Friday at 08:30 am, temporarily abandoning the Rai generalist channels after 23 years.

Some historical characters such as Otto, Sghembo, Vecchio Maestro and Nonna Giustina disappear. The space dedicated to the Fabbricone Box and the Golosone Cestone also disappears. The inner nucleus of Blu Cactù and Zollah-bi also disappear.

A new puppet also appears in some episodes: Lallo, the horse, transported directly from Casa Lallo, another Rai Yoyo program.

### The sixth cycle (from 2018)

The new edition of the program begins on February 19, 2018 and this time it returns to be broadcast in the afternoon, exactly from 16:20 on Rai Yoyo. Alongside Dodò we find Laura Carusino, Andrea Beltramo, Zarina the mosquito and Ruggero the lion (voiced respectively by Michela Di Martino and Piero Marcelli). Gipo, Lallo, the Fogliolina Magica and the Box Yawning Words leave the scene definitively. Furthermore, after 22 years of absence, Fusako Yusaki (already present in the second cycle of the program) returns.

In March 2020, on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the program and due to the Coronavirus epidemic and the consequent closure of schools, which resulted in a greater number of children at home even during the morning, the program as well as on the afternoon slot of Rai Yoyo temporarily returns to air also in its historical location, that is the morning slot of Rai 2.

## Characters

Dodò is a talking bird, created as a white stuffed bird with blue polka dots commanded by Davide Arena, with a wooden beak and two ping pong balls for eyes, mascot and protagonist of the children's television program The Blue Tree, currently broadcast in the afternoon on Rai Yoyo every day from Monday to Friday. The voice is that of the dubber Paolo Carenzo. The puppet also participates in special episodes of other shows such as Yoyo's Mail and Christmas with Yoyo.