Flipper-reboot series

The Flipper reboot series follows a talking Bottle-nose Dolphin named Flipper who is the wild pet of Porter Ricks, a park warden, and his sons Sandy (15) and Bud (10). Flipper lives in a lagoon near the Ricks cottage at Coral Key Park and Marine Preserve. With the Ricks family, Flipper helps protect the park and preserve and its wild inhabitants, even the sharks. He is also instrumental in apprehending criminals and thugs in the park. Flipper is generally recognized by the characters in the show (and the theme song) as being a particularly intelligent and capable dolphin. Flipper is the special companion of the youngest member of the Ricks family, Bud, and several episodes feature Flipper rescuing Bud from dangerous situations. Flipper is able to somehow communicate through different chatter like tones, speaking with words [just like in Flipper and Lopaka] head nods and shakes and others attention seeking antics with Sandy and Bud and draw their (and Porter's) attention to danger or in the direction of people needing help. There are few women in the lives of the Ricks males but in the first season, Porter does have a date while Sandy falls for the girl operator of a floating zoo who appears in four episodes. A female oceanographer enters the series in the second season to add a feminine touch to the proceedings but little more than mild flirtations and fondness between her and Porter ensues. Promotional material for the third season announced a new girlfriend for Sandy, although she only appeared in one episode and he has an almost flirtatious scene with another girl in a few separate episodes. The series is distinguished for its lush photography of subtropical Florida and its colorful underwater sequences.

And more seasons are underway.....so, stay tuned!

From Wild Brain and MGM kids.

* Also see Jungle Girl & the Lost Island of the dinosaurs

## Contents

* 1 episode list sampler
	+ 1.1 Characters
	+ 1.2 Animal cast
	+ 1.3 Humans

## episode list sampler

* Shark invasion: A marine researcher is called in to investigate when Flipper talks to a school of sharks and convinces them to find another place to live when they invade the park.

* Dinosaur fantasy: When flipper and his animal pals discover a secret dinosaur kingdom, they befriend a Tyrannosaurus Rex who just might help fend off some nasty thugs.

* S-o-sharks [Save our sharks]: There is another shark breakout in the preserve, and Porter has his hands full with getting them to move to some other place, saving stupid divers, closing the park to swimmers, and keeping Flipper happy.

* Flipper P.I: An eye witness identifies Porter Ricks as being the man that robbed his boat. Flipper and the boys must prove his innocence, with the help of a pelican, a moray eel and even a big blue octopus.
* Polly wants a dolphin: When a lost parrot [scarlet macaw] needs help, Flipper and his pals agree to help the chatterbox bird find his way home.
* Rescue in the everglades:While checking on a poaching complaint, Porter is injured and captured by an alligator poacher and taken to his camp. When he's late for a camping trip with his sons, they worry and contact the coast guard. Luckily, a alligator-protecting ranger will help Flipper and his pals save the alligators, defeat the poacher [with help from some talking alligators] and preserve the wild animals as well as defending their habitat.
* Whale protection: Bud has an essay to write about preventing whale-hunting to save the whales. While thinking about it he goes to sleep in his skiff and has a strange dream. Before his eyes, Captain Peabody is about to harpoon the animal but the whale flips the skiff over.
* Alligator rescue: After showing off, Flipper is stolen by some men trying to make a movies involving attacks of alligators. They want Flipper to be the star, luckily, a group of gators, owls and other animals will help Flipper save the gators, defeat the nasty man and save the day, alligator-style.
* Seal sun-day: When a seal asks for help, Flipper and his pals agree.
* Dolphin to the future: Scott Emson is trying to study sharks, but Flipper doesn't seem to understand that a hunter wants the sharks...to be caught! Luckily, Flipper and his new shark pal Sledgehammer the great hammerhead shark will defeat the hunter, with help from various animals and save the day
* Where there's a will, there's a stingray: A large stingray has shown up in Coral key park and everyone is afraid of it. Luckily, Flipper befriends the stingray and helps him find a new home and help the people overcome their fears and learn that some creatures aren't really as scary as they seem.
* Holiday special-a Dolphin Christmas carol: when a man thinks he's like scrooge, Flipper and his pals read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens to him to help change his mind.

and more are on their way, kids.....

### Animal cast

* **Flipper the dolphin**, Flipper is a talking bottle nose dolphin [like Flipper and Lopaka]and the companion animal of the Ricks family. Flipper is an extraordinarily intelligent dolphin that helps enforce regulations in the preserve, assists Porter Ricks with rescues at sea, and keeps a watchful eye on Sandy and Bud, whom he has rescued or helped rescue from danger on numerous occasions. The Classic Flipper was portrayed by five different dolphins; the most commonly used ones were named "Kathy" and "Susie".
* **Riley**, a sea otter
* **Ray**-a friendly stingray
* **Puffy**-a porcupine puffer fish
* **Finn, Nip, and Bubbles** - Three Great White Sharks who help Dexter, Flipper's former enemy
* **Serge**-the sea snake with the brains
* **Ultra** - Ultra is a pink dolphin
* **Kraken-orb**, a mean Humboldt squid, who is more of an anti-villain than a true bad guy
* **Slink**-a nasty sea krait, he works as Kraken-orb's helper
* **Dexter**-a giant octopus who is a friend, since he used to be an enemy
* **Otto**, a common octopus
* **Pelican Pete**, a pelican, is depicted in the new Illumination movie as Sandy's pet before he met Flipper, had a recurring role on the show, and appears in many episodes.
* **Sledgehammer**, a friendly great hammerhead shark with a Squid ward-type voice, he's a friend of Flipper
* **Myrtle**, a hawks-bill sea turtle with a kind heart, cute voice, she eats sponges and she has some hawks-bill turtle pals
* **Long john Polly,** a yellow-headed amazon parrot with a pirate-type voice
* **Gilbert**, a friendly seagull with a jittery voice
* Various other animals appearing on the show include a Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Spray (real name was Chobee from Okeechobee, Florida) (seen only in some episodes), a few seals, a few elephants, some nice alligators, sand tiger sharks, parrots, rhinos, owls, turkeys, vultures, pythons, a few dinosaurs and pterosaurs [in the Dinosaur Valley episode], a few sea turtles, parrots a female albino dolphin (whose baby Flipper befriends during her first appearance, in the "White Dolphin trouble" episode), and another female dolphin, introduced at the end of the second season, dubbed "Miss Lorelei" by the Ricks family. Lorelei is soon to be Flipper's "girlfriend".

### Humans

* **Porter Ricks**: Brian Kelly fills the show's moral center with his portrayal of Porter Ricks, a loving father, conscientious government employee, rugged outdoors-man, and all-around good guy. Porter is a widowed father with two sons, Sandy and Bud, and is employed as chief warden and park ranger at the fictional Coral Key Park and Marine Preserve in southern Florida. Kelly replaced Chuck Connors (the original Porter Ricks in the first movie *Flipper*) in the second movie *Flipper's New Adventure*, although he was then only at park ranger training school. Reflecting on Porter being single, Brian Kelly told *TV Guide* (July 9, 1966): "I'm going to bring a couple of bikini girls on. I want some groovy-looking' girls because a lot of fathers who see the show say, "Where are the chicks?". Porter's parenting style is firm yet fun, as he involves his boys (particularly the older son Sandy) in his various exciting water-borne tasks as park ranger, all the while gladly allowing Flipper to befriend his sons and help with various crucial rescue efforts.
* **Sandy Ricks**: Luke Halpin plays Porter's elder son, Sandy. Sandy begins season one as a 15-year-old outdoorsy, athletic teenager sometimes given to boyish mishaps and poor choices (although usually more responsible than his impish younger brother Bud), and ends season three as an 18-year-old, old enough for adult responsibilities and duties. Sandy often accompanies his father on dangerous adventures and rescues at and under the sea. The character of Sandy is carried over from both the feature films (Halpin was the sole lead actor/character to appear in both movies and the entire TV series), where he was the one who first met Flipper and became his special friend. Halpin became an expert diver, thus was able to perform the extensive water-related scenes throughout the series, largely without stunt doubles. Halpin's role as Sandy Ricks catapulted him to the rarefied atmosphere of teen super-stardom, a status bolstered by his frequent appearances in just cutoff blue jeans showing his tanned, athletic swimmer's build, blond hair, and model-quality telegenic looks.
* **Bud Ricks**: Redheaded, freckle-faced Tommy Norden portrayed the younger son, Bud, a character created specifically for the TV series. He begins season one as an impish 10-year-old boy who has a difficult time staying out of trouble. Many episodes revolve around mistakes made by Bud, intentionally or unintentionally, and his need to be rescued from the consequences. Bud is gullible and easily swallows the tall tales Hap Gorman feeds him. Bud is at home on or near the sea, and loves animals of all sorts. Flipper is his special companion, and he ends season three as a 13-year-old able to do more of the work that his older brother Sandy does.
* **Hap Gorman**: Andy Devine appeared five times in the show's first season as an old salt and marine carpenter named Hap Gorman. Hap was something of a bungler, who tried Porter's patience. Hap, in the traditional vein for Andy Devine, enjoyed spinning yarns and tall tales about bejeweled maharajahs, faraway kingdoms, and exotic ports for the amusement of skeptical Sandy and gullible Bud.
* **Ulla Norstrand**: Swedish-born actress Ulla Strömstedt appeared 12 times in the second season as Ulla Norstrand, an oceanographer whose work frequently took her to Coral Key Park and Marine Preserve. She was often instrumental in enforcing the park's regulations. One of her trademarks was her miniature yellow submarine which she was often seen using in her oceanographic explorations, and which was sometimes pivotal in story lines. She was a potential love interest for Porter Ricks, although no serious relationship was ever shown to develop.
* **Warden Ed Dennis** was portrayed by Miami actor Dan Chandler. The recurring role of a Coral Key Park game warden was created by writer Maria K. Little, who needed a sidekick to play off of Porter Ricks. Dennis performed such sidekick chores as helping find a kidnapped Flipper and saving Porter Ricks from murderous lobster poachers.
* **Sheriff**, also **Old Man Coleman**, were two roles portrayed by actor Eric Apple white, appearing in five episodes across all three seasons of the TV series. His older brother George Apple white