Polka Dot Shorts

***Polka Dot Shorts*** was a children's television series from TVOntario
 in Canada, but which has been broadcast around the world. It was
created, produced, and edited by Jed MacKay. Approximately 180 episodes
were produced from 1993–2001, all of which were produced by MacKay and
directed by Michael McNamara. The series won a Gemini Award from the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television in 2000 for "Best Pre-School Program or Series"[*citation needed*].

## Plot

The series is based on *Polka Dot Door*,
 and stars the characters Polkaroo, Humpty, Dumpty, Marigold, and Bear.
The characters are portrayed by "physical theater" actors in large
costumes; Marigold's performer, for example, had a ballet and circus
background. Charles P. Schott ("Bear") was a Gemini Awards Finalist for "Best Performer in a Pre-School Series", in 2002[*citation needed*].
Originally, each episode started with a human host (Deborah
Drakeford) who would introduce each episode to a gathering of children
as she was about to read the story from a book. The stories themselves
were dramatized by actors in large suits, playing the puppets from *Polka Dot Door*,
 while the reader provided the dialogue. A new character was added to
the Polka Dot Door family: Polkaroo's pet, named Bibble. Although Bibble
 was only capable of making sounds that loosely resemble
"bibblebibblebibble", he was able to bibble in various tones which
indicated his mood.

At one point in every episode, one or more of the characters would discover a large pair of polka dot
 shorts, and exclaim, "A great big pair of polka dot shorts! How did
they get there?" Polkaroo's response would be, "I haven't the foggiest!"

Another special feature of the series was that some episodes were
done entirely in rhyme, in which case the character who found the polka
dot shorts would exclaim, "Polka dot shorts, a great big pair! How on
earth did they get there?"

After the first two seasons the episodes were re-edited. The human
hostess/storyteller was cut, and the show would begin immediately.

## Characters

**Polkaroo**: (Voiced by Andrew Sabiston)
 A green kangaroo-like animal with yellow hair, a long yellow furry
tail, a red-and-yellow polka dot on his neck and a gown covered in polka
 dots. He appears in every episode. He lives in a small house with his
pet Bibble. He enjoys having his friends round to play and is mostly the
 one who finds the polka dot shorts. He sometimes talks in rhyme and
when his friends argue or do something he doesn't like, he often
interrupts them with "Excuse me".

**Bibble**: Polkaroo's mischievous pet which looks like a
multi-coloured mop head covered in pom-poms. Often seen moving about
making a "bibbly" sound, hence his name. He likes to pull pranks, and
sometimes annoys the others with them.

**Humpty**: (Voiced by Tony Daniels)
 A big green egg with purplish hair and a white nose. He wears a
burgundy coloured suit patterned with pink roses, a tie with a large H
on it, and green boots. Humpty is playful and sometimes a bit
mischievous, but he always goes out of his way to help his friends. When
 the gang start to feel scared or nervous, he often says "Pull yourself
together." He is Dumpty's older brother.

**Dumpty**:played by Brunella Battista (Voiced by Julie Lemieux)
 Humpty's younger brother. He is brown coloured with a blue checked
nose. He wears a cream-coloured cap with the letter D on it, a blue bow
tie and a blue suit with flowers and checks on it. The youngest of the
group, he loves to help and wants to fit in. He sometimes annoys his
older brother Humpty, but deeply cares for him.

**Bear**: (Voiced by Brian Moffatt) A brown bear who wears a green
 bow tie with white polka dots. He has a great fondness for honey,
speaks with a posh accent, and can sometimes be a bit of a show-off. He
often says "Coincidence, I think not."

**Marigold** (Played by Alisa Walton, voiced by Deborah Drakeford)
 A kindhearted doll with orange yarn-like hair in pigtails. She wears a
green dress with flowers on it, and yellow-and-white striped leggings.
She loves gardening and grows many different plants.

## Repeats

Polka Dot Shorts has been screened on BBC1 and BBC2 from 1999 - 2001 with one showing at Christmas 2003, CBBC on Choice have shown Polka Dot Shorts once in 2000. CBeebies have also aired from 2002-2003 and Tiny Living in 1999-2001.