The_Adventures_of_Abney_&_Teal

<i>The Adventures of Abney & Teal</i>

The Adventures of Abney & Teal

British-Canadian children's television series

The Adventures of Abney & Teal is a British animated surreal children's television programme which uses a mixture of 2D and CGI animation based on the works of writer and illustrator Joel Stewart. The show, which follows the adventures of two friends, is set on a series of small islands on a lake in a park in an unnamed city. The show was first broadcast on CBeebies in the United Kingdom in September 2011, and is produced by Ragdoll Worldwide, the joint venture of Ragdoll Productions and BBC Worldwide.[1]

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Characters

The Adventures of Abney & Teal centres on two animated rag dolls named Abney and Teal who live on an island in a lake in a park in a city. Abney lives in a hut at the base of a tree. Teal sleeps in the branches of the tree, with her only possessions a blanket and an umbrella. Abney & Teal share their environment with several friends:

Main characters

  • Abney is Teal's best friend. He lives in the hut at the base of the tree, and owns many objects that he is very fond of, he also has porridge to make for everyone to eat. He wears a grey and white jumper and a long orange scarf and trousers, he has fabric-like grey fur and floppy ears.
  • Teal is Abney's adventurous and fearless best friend. She lives in the branches of the tree, and owns an umbrella, blanket and some pillows. She wears a yellow and pink dress with two pockets and some jeans with red shoes, she has dark red hair supported by two ribbons one green and one blue.

Supporting characters

  • Neep, a small turnip-like creature who digs underground. He's pretty mischievous and loves porridge.
  • Bop, an aquatic mammal somewhat resembling a male elephant seal who drinks water from the lake and blows bubbles.
  • The Poc-Pocs, a set of 7 identical-shaped but different-sized comma-shaped wooden objects or hard tropical tree seeds, so named after the noise they make jumping about. Their first appearance was in the first episode, "The Porridge Party".
  • Toby Dog, a melodeon-playing dog who always sits upright on the same place on the lake's mainland shore. He normally plays the same tune with his accordion, which the narrator describes as several sorts of music. There are rare occasions where Toby Dog will play a variation of his tune, notably the lullaby on the episode Bop's Babies.This is also similar to the tune that is played at the end of the episode (presumably by him).

From time to time Neep's 'friends and relations' come to visit. They look much like Neep but have different colours and sizes and varying other features. For example, Zeep has a long white and yellow moustache, and Boop wears red glasses.

Production

The show is produced by Anne Wood who, as founder of Ragdoll Productions, had previously brought successful children's shows such as Teletubbies and In the Night Garden... to BBC Television.[2] Wood stated that she had been an admirer of Stewart's picture books and their "distinct brand of gentle, fantastical humour and exquisite drawing style", but stated that it was his work on the book Addis Berner Bear Forgets that prompted her to contact the author.[3] As well as creator Stewart is also the series director, and spent three years working on the show before it aired.[4] Stewart stated in 2011 that the characters were all original constructs, designed in his sketchbooks, and the inspiration for the setting came from a visit to Victoria Park in East London.[4] The show is co-written by Steve Roberts and Matilda Tristram.[4] The show was created using real life models, that had been photoscanned into movable rigs.[5]

The show is narrated by British actor Adrian Scarborough who also provides the voice for Abney, while Teal is voiced by Shingai Shoniwa, who is best known as the lead singer of the Noisettes music band.[6] None of the other characters have speaking roles, apart from Neep's ability to say his own name. Each episode is roughly eleven minutes long. The first series of 26 episodes started airing in the United Kingdom during September 2011. The show is aimed at 3-6-year-olds, but has been recognised for its adult friendly style, which harks back to earlier British children's programmes, drawing comparisons with the work of Oliver Postgate.[7] BBC licensing manager, Julie Kekwith, acknowledged the show's retro-feel in 2011, stating "we're sure [it] will appeal to adults and parents as well as children." and that the show has a "unique nostalgic and literary feel".[8] While Kate Monaghan in a 2011 review described the animation as having an "old-fashioned, puppet-esque feel", Fernando De Jesus of ITV Studios commented that the show has a "sort of chic brashness".[9]

In January 2012 it was announced that the show would be further promoted by a range of soft toys and games, made by Rainbow Designs.[10]

The first six episodes of Series 2 were broadcast in April 2012. The remaining episodes began airing on 28 October 2012. Series 2 also had 26 episodes.[11]

Episodes

All 52 episodes were combined into 26 episodes and were broadcast on Itv2 from 2013 to 2017.

Series 1 (2011)

  1. The Porridge Party/The Star Stick
  2. The Poc Pocs' Holiday/The Storm
  3. The Radio/The Rainbow Whistle
  4. Stuck/Firefly Lullaby
  5. The Poc Poc Hunt/The Mystery
  6. The Train/Sky High
  7. Neep's Birthday/Abney Finds A Hole
  8. Faraway Island/Bop's Best Bubble
  9. The Slide/The Enormous Neep
  10. The Buzzing Thing/The Moon
  11. The Snow Neep/The Perfect Tree
  12. The Artwork/Abney's Magic Show
  13. The Woolly Tangle/The Leaf Sweep
  14. Straw Hat Trouble/The Mysterious Mist
  15. The Visit/The Enormous Sneeze
  16. The Handbag/Neep and the Dragon
  17. The Very Hot Day/The Very Cold Day
  18. Hiccups/The Enormous Cabbage
  19. The Summerhouse/Brilliant Wheels
  20. Bop's Babies/Sleep Digging
  21. The Porridge Tower/Abney's Aquarium
  22. Shadows/The Café
  23. Abney's Precious Things/Frogs
  24. Sticky Neep/Porridge Machine
  25. The Camera/Spring Cleaning
  26. Spots/Rock Music

Broadcasting

The Adventures of Abney and Teal was broadcast on CBeebies and on Itv2 in the United Kingdom and on ABC Kids in Australia from 2013 to 2017.

Merchandise

There are plush toys, books, a magazine with a little ukulele and flute, jigsaw puzzles, home media, and dominoes.

Home media

The Adventures of Abney and Teal was released on two DVDs, "The Adventures of Abney & Teal: Faraway Island and Other Adventures" by Abbey Home Media in United Kingdom and "The Adventures of Abney & Teal: Outdoor Adventures" by BBC Worldwide in Australia. The show was released on eight DVDs by BBC Worldwide in Hong Kong, China.

Notes

  1. [1]
    "Network TV BBC Week 39: Monday 26 September 2011". BBC Press Office. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  2. [2]
    Young, Graham (29 January 2012). "Play it Again: The Teletubbies are 15 years old!". Sunday Mercury. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  3. [3]
    McMullen, Marion (6 January 2012). "Ragdoll says eh-oh to Abney and Teal... Firm behind Teletubbies brings two new stars to children's TV". Coventry Newspapers. thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  4. [4]
    Stewart, Joel (22 September 2011). "The Adventures of Abney & Teal". BBC. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  5. [5]
    Stewart, Joel (18 May 2012). "Joel Stewart: Making Abney & Teal". Joel Stewart. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  6. [6]
    "Noisettes star in kids' TV role". Belfast Telegraph. 29 September 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  7. [7]
    Hogan, Michael (14 February 2012). "Is pre-school TV having a golden moment?". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  8. [8]
    "The Adventures of Abney & Teal - Rainbow Designs awarded master toy and gift licence". BBC Media Centre. 16 September 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  9. [9]
    De Jesus, Fernando Gutierrez; Monaghan, Kate (8 September 2011). "Bomb Squad / Jo Brand's Big Splash / Adventures of Abney and Teal". broadcastnow.co.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  10. [10]
    Loveday, Samantha (6 January 2012). "Ragdoll's Abney & Teal bolstered by new toy line". licensing.biz. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  11. [11]
    "CBeebies Programme - The Adventures of Abney and Teal".
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