Sitting Ducks (TV series)
Sitting Ducks is an American children's animated television series based on the 1970s "Sitting Ducks" lithograph and the 1998 children's book of the same name, created by the poster artist Michael Bedard.[1] Sitting Ducks first appeared in 2001 in Europe, later debuting in the United States on Cartoon Network, in Australia on ABC3, in Canada on CBC Television, in the United Kingdom on BBC Two, Disney XD and in the Japanese version of Cartoon Network.[2]
| Sitting Ducks | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Genre |
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| Created by | Michael Bedard (lithography) |
| Developed by | Sitting Ducks Productions |
| Directed by | Walt Kubiak |
| Creative directors |
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| Voices of | Ian James Corlett Dave "Squatch" Ward |
| Theme music composer | Kick Productions Limited |
| Composers | Kick Productions Limited (Season 1) Charlie Brissette (Season 2) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 (52 segments) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Editors |
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| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Distributor | NBCUniversal Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | Cartoon Network |
| Original release | September 13, 2001 – July 5, 2003 |
The show lasted for two seasons each comprising thirteen episodes, with the last episode shown on July 5, 2003. Reruns of the show were aired on Qubo in 2007, and were later aired as part of its block Qubo Night Owl, until June 30, 2012.
Background
The show takes place in a town called Ducktown and focuses on a duck named Bill and his best friend Aldo, an alligator from the neighboring town of Swampwood. The pair usually end up in varied situations and adventures, getting around on Bill's scooter.
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 13 | September 13, 2001 | March 10, 2002 | ||
| 2 | 13 | April 12, 2003 | July 5, 2003 | ||
Characters
- Bill (Ian James Corlett) – An anthropomorphic diminutive duck who waddles to a different beat. A very kind hearted, good natured fellow who is always there when needed. One of his dreams is to fly. With the help of his friend Dr. Cecil, he tries again and again to fly, and eventually is told that the reason he can't is because ducks became too terrestrial. Bill's main appearance difference, apart from his smallness, is his bow tie which he changes every year at the Ducktown Picnic. Bill lives in an apartment with his pet parrot, Jerry. He's been called a "gator lover" for his rare efforts to turn alligators into allies of Ducktown.
- Aldo (Dave Ward) – A lumbering but kind-hearted alligator from the town of Swampwood. He's Bill's best friend, though he often receives grief from his fellow gators on being a "duck lover". Has a blind Uncle Artie and a baby cousin Andy. Once was the cook at the bowling ball factory, he transferred to the assembly line after he befriended Bill, as he didn't want to cook any more ducks. He also fights urges so he won't eat ducks.
- Bev (Kathleen Barr) – Owner of the Decoy Cafe, where many ducks go to eat. She's a sweet duck who also has an alias, Madam Bevousky, as whom she offers fortune telling services to the residents of Ducktown. She is also the focus of Bill's romantic interests.
- Ed, Oly and Waddle (Louis Chirillo, Phil Hayes and Jay Brazeau) – Three brothers and friends of Bill who live next door to him. These three goofy and lazy freeloaders are similar to the Three Stooges and tend to scheme their way into things and are usually the ones behind some prank or plot, from which they always try to distance themselves when things go awry. Ed wears a tropical shirt and speaks with a New York accent. Oly wears a green beret, has big, soft feathers (as seen in "Fowl Weather Feathers") and speaks with a "beatnik" accent. Waddle is the shortest and fattest and has a more childlike voice.
- Cecil (Ian James Corlett) – Ducktown's only dentist and an inventor, Cecil speaks with a British accent and is always there to offer advice to Bill or the others. Naturally, Aldo is typically his only customer, being the only person in town who actually has teeth. He also provides beak adjustments for the ducks.
- Claire – Cecil's wife who was scared of alligators, just like Aldo in the first episode.
- Fred (Phil Hayes) – a melancholy, but sometimes nervously hyper penguin, who migrated from Antarctica to Ducktown (possibly to get away from the killer whales & leopard seals), in which he has a citizenship. He's somewhat of a loner most of the time, always seen surrounding himself with bags of ice or air conditioning to remain comfortable in the intolerable (to him) heat. Has a duck girlfriend, Dot Cable, and a fashionable cousin, Gelata.
- Raoul (Michael Benyaer) – A Hispanic crow who tends to be the freeloading troublemaker in Ducktown, and likes trading insults with Bill. He especially enjoys mocking Bill's attempts to fly.
- Drill Sergeant Duck (Cathy Weseluck) – A tough police duck who makes it hard for Aldo to come into Ducktown, as she also is the leader of the Duck Defense League, an anti-gator organization.
- Other characters that have appeared in the show have been voiced by Dale Wilson, Brian Dobson, Sylvia Zaradic, Chantal Strand, Chiara Zanni, Pauline Newstone, Paul Dobson, Lee Tockar, Garry Chalk, Jay Brazeau, and Scott McNeil.
Home media
VHS releases
| Title | Release Date | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|
| Sitting Ducks: Duck Cravings | February 10, 2004 | Also available on DVD format. Episodes: Running Duck, Hic Hic Hooray, Peeking Duck, Midnight Snack, Ducks on Ice, Great White Hype, All In a Day's Work Includes a bonus episode "Where's Aldo?" |
| Sitting Ducks: Ducktown Adventures | February 10, 2004 | Also available on DVD format. Episodes: Mind Over Mallard, Got Milk?, Duck Naked, Bill Hatches an Egg, Hey, Bill's On The News, Denture Adventure, Waddle's Spud Bud Includes a bonus episode "The Fly Who Loved Me" |
| Sitting Ducks: Bill & Friends | February 10, 2004 | Also available on DVD format. Episodes: Ducks for Hire, Fred's Meltdown, License to Scoot, Pest of a Guest, Bev's Big Day, Feeding Frenzy, Born to be Wild Includes a bonus episode "The Visitor" |
DVD releases
| Title | Release Date | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|
| Sitting Ducks – Season 1: Quack Pack | February 10, 2004 | Consists of the complete first season. Features two interactive games and character profiles. |
Merchandise
Sitting Ducks proved to be a big hit with the European children's show market, and as a result toys, clothing and other merchandise were created.
Print
The cartoon itself also spawned a couple of books. Quacking Up is a joke book written by Rick Walton featuring the characters from the television show, and Plucked Duck a children's picture book by Danielle Mentzer and Annmarie Harris based on the episode "Duck Naked". Both books were released in 2004, roughly one year after the show had ended.
Video games
In May 2003, Light and Shadow Production and Asobo Studios picked up the rights from Universal Studios to create games for Sitting Ducks.[3] Then, during 2004, Sitting Ducks was released for Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Advance and PlayStation 2.[4] An Xbox version was also planned to include a multiplayer racing option, but was quietly cancelled.[5]
References
- Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 556–557. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 748. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- Calvert, Justin (2003-05-27). "Sitting Ducks announced". GameSpot. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
- "Sitting Ducks for PS2". GameSpot. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
- "Sitting Ducks for Xbox". GameSpot. Retrieved 2009-02-15.