Stanley (2001 TV series)

Stanley is an American interactive animated television series that aired on Playhouse Disney based on the series of children's books written by "Griff" (as indicated on the cover of the original book), also known as Andrew Griffin.[1] It was produced by Cartoon Pizza and was developed for television by Jim Jinkins (the creator of Doug, PB&J Otter, Allegra's Window, JoJo's Circus, and Pinky Dinky Doo) and David Campbell.

Not to be confused with Stanley (1956 TV series).

Stanley
Title card
GenreChildren's television series
Educational
Created byJim Jinkins
David Campbell
Developed byJim Jinkins
David Campbell
Voices ofCharles Shaughnessy
Jessica D. Stone
David Landsberg
Ari Meyers
Rene Mujica
Shawn Pyfrom
Hynden Walch
Philece Sampler
Khylan Jones
Candi Milo
Wallace Shawn
Theme music composerPeter Lurye
Opening theme"My Man Stanley" by Baha Men
Ending theme"My Man Stanley" (Instrumental) by Baha Men
ComposerStuart Kollmorgen
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes65
Production
Running time30 minutes
Production companyCartoon Pizza
DistributorBuena Vista Television
Release
Original networkPlayhouse Disney
Original releaseSeptember 15, 2001 (2001-09-15) –
November 26, 2004 (2004-11-26)

Stanley teaches a wide variety of issues preschool children face, including change, growth, rules, and dealing with others. Each episode centers on an animal that deals with or helps explain the issue Stanley is grappling with.[2]

Junkanoo and reggae fusion group Baha Men, known for their hit song "Who Let the Dogs Out?", sang the theme song for the series, "My Man Stanley". Relient K later re-recorded the theme song in 2011, as part of Disney Junior - Live on Stage!

Synopsis

Each episode shows Stanley (voiced by Jessica D. Stone) in a situation he does not fully understand. He discusses it with his pet goldfish Dennis (Charles Shaughnessy) before consulting either his computer or the Great Big Book of Everything, a remarkably complete zoology book aimed at young children. By observing how an animal copes with the same situation Stanley faces, or how it can overcome a similar difficulty, Stanley learns to deal with the situation himself.

Throughout the show Stanley and all his preschool aged friends are able to talk to his pet cat, Elsie (Hynden Walch) and dog Harry (Rene Mujica) as well as Dennis. Other animals also seem to occasionally respond, but never talk or give a definite indication they truly understood what was said. Stanley and his friends actively try to keep the adults (that is, except Stanley's grandmother), and by extension Stanley's older brother Lionel, from realizing this.

The Great Big Book of Everything appears to be magical in nature, able to either let the animals out of the pages or allow the children to enter, sometimes changing them into animals in the process. This does not appear to be imaginary since occasionally adults do notice the noise, and Stanley works hard to hide the animals. There is also an episode where Stanley's brother sees a whale on the roof but dismisses the memory when it disappears back into the book.

The Halloween special features Stanley's grandmother who, it is implied, is a witch. She reveals that she too can work the book, and in fact was the one who gave it to Stanley. She was also the one who taught its theme song to Harry and Elsie.

When someone says the "Great Big Book of Everything", hints it out, or even has the book, Elsie and Harry will wake up or find their way into the scene and start singing. This usually annoys Dennis, who after the introductory verse, says something like "Oh, not again!"

Characters
  • Stanley Griff (Jessica D. Stone) - is an imaginative young boy. Stanley has three pets: a goldfish named Dennis, a dog named Harry, and a cat named Elsie. Stanley has an older brother named Lionel, who enjoys playing his electric guitar, a father who stays at home and draws cartoons, and a mother who is a dentist (the latter two were revealed in the episode "Double-Duty Dad").
  • Dennis the Goldfish (Charles Shaughnessy) - is a male goldfish of Stanley Griff. In fact, Dennis is Stanley's best friend who gives him education about animals to help him with his everyday problems, which interest him. Dennis also has to point out the flaws in Stanley's ridiculous solutions. Dennis even breaks the fourth wall by either encouraging the audience to do something fun or by asking them questions at the end of almost every episode.
  • Lionel Griff (Shawn Pyfrom) is the older brother of Stanley. Lionel likes rock and roll music a lot and always wears headphones on his ears, but still loves his younger brother very much by giving him advice, helping out with his homework, and looking out for him. Lionel is a teenager.
  • Mark Griff (David Landsberg) - is the father of Stanley and Lionel. Mark is a stay-at-home father but works anyway as a cartoonist. Mark wears glasses, a dark purple short-sleeved shirt, dark pants, has short dark strands of hair and has a beard.
  • Joyce Griff (Ari Meyers) - is the sweet and caring mother of Stanley and Lionel. Joyce works as a dentist and loves her family very much. However, Joyce does have ophidiophobia, which is the fear of snakes. Joyce has red hair, wears jeans, a green collared short-sleeved shirt, red lipstick and white shoes. Whether at the pool or the beach, her bathing suit is mostly a two piece bikini style.
  • Lester Goldberg (Philece Sampler) - is one of Stanley's friends. Lester has a father who is referred to as Mr. Goldberg (Wallace Shawn) and a mother who is referred to as Mrs. Goldberg (Didi Conn). In "Little Dog Lost", it is revealed that he is Jewish because not only is his last name Goldberg, Lester does not celebrate Christmas and Lester celebrates Hanukkah. But Lester gets a present for every one of the 8 nights of the holiday. In the episode Gorilla Sleepover it is revealed that his mom's first name is Nancy. Lester also has a little sister named Samantha who went to Mrs. Griff for a dental checkup and in the episode "Tasmanian Tantrum" Samantha throws tantrums when Samantha wants something.
  • Marci & Mimi (Khaylan Jones) - are African-American identical twin sisters who are very good friends with Stanley. They both have black hair, but Mimi's hair is long with a purple hairbow on the top of her head and Marcie's hair is tied in a ponytail. In "Little Dog Lost", it's revealed that they celebrate Kwanzaa.
  • Jane (TBA) - is a Chinese-American girl that is in Stanley's class. Jane has pigtails and appears in several episodes. Jane invites Stanley to her house in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner".
  • Ben (Aria Noelle) - is a male boy that wears a hat. Ben appears in "Me and My Pal Fish!" where Ben takes Stanley's ball. Stanley stands up to him saying that he and Lester make a great team. Ben makes cameos in other episodes.
  • Teresa Kirby (TBA) - is a female girl that appears in the episode "Shell Game". Teresa is the same age as Stanley. Teresa gets shy and Stanley doesn't know why Teresa's shy. Later on, Stanley apologizes and him and Teresa were great friends. Teresa has a pet turtle (Because Stanley and Dennis learned about turtles in this episode).
  • Unnamed Female Student (TBA) - is an unnamed orange-haired female girl that is in Stanley's class. Female Student makes cameos in the episodes where Stanley is in class. Female Student has speaking appearances in In a While Crocodile, Save the Bluebird, and Dances with Flamingos. Female Student has orange pigtails, glasses, blue dress, and purple high heels.
  • Fox (TBA) - is a male animal that appears in the episode "Watch Out for Lionels" and "Outfoxing Lionel". It barks out loud at the armadillo, who then rolls up into a ball. In the episode "Outfoxing Lionel", the fox was the primary source of this episode.

Cast

Episodes

Season 1 (2001)

1. "Up the Apple Tree / Kangaroo Clean-Up"

  • Stanley is surprised when Lionel wakes him up looking for tape to wrap a birthday present for Mom. It seems Stanley's completely forgotten his mother's birthday and now he's in serious need of a present. He knows that she likes apples, but has trouble getting one down from a tree. He decides to summon a giraffe from The Great Big Book of Everything for help. (Animal Topic: Giraffe)
  • When Stanley messes up his parents room, they declare that he'll have no dessert unless he cleans it up. Stanley doesn't want to miss out on banana whammy, but doesn't know how he can possibly clean up the giant mess he's created. Thinking he can get an animal to do it for him, he looks up kangaroos in The Great Big Book of Everything. He discovers some important facts about kangaroos and also stumbles upon an idea for cleaning. (Animal Topic: Kangaroo)

2. "Daddy Pride / Show-and-Tell Shark"

  • Stanley is upset that his Daddy often has to stop playing with him to go to work. He decides that maybe he should get an animal to be his Daddy—perhaps a lion. Worried that this may not be the best idea, Dennis urges him to consult The Great Big Book of Everything. Stanley learns that when it comes to lions, playing is serious business, and a lion may not be well-suited to be his father. (Animal Topic: Lion)
  • Stanley has an assignment to bring a really cool animal to show off at show-and-tell. Dennis is excited by the project, until he hears some of Stanley's wild ideas of what he's going to bring. He considers a Tyrannosaurus Rex and an elephant before finally decided on a shark. Stanley, learns, however, that he's neither well-equipped to care for a shark, nor are sharks really the right temperament for animal to bring to school. (Animal Topic: Great white shark)

3. "Bearly Awake / The Eagle Has Landed"

  • Stanley doesn't get enough sleep, and eventually sleeps in school. Stanley then gets tired when Lionel tells a joke involving "7 ate 9" at dinner time where the Griffs are having spaghetti. Stanley doesn't want to sleep at night, so he learns about bears in the Great Big Book of Everything, and learns about why sleep is very important. (Animal Topic: Grizzly bear)
  • Stanley builds a kite for a contest, but he needs a little help. So Stanley learns about eagles in The Great Big Book of Everything. (Animal Topic: Bald eagle)

4. "Watch Out for Lionels / Growing Pains"

  • Stanley is so sick and tired of Lionel always pestering him around. First, Lionel won't give back Stanley's snake, then, Lionel takes his toy tiger and puts it on a plant, and then, Lionel drinks all of his milk and eats a part of his sandwich. This makes Stanley very mad and frustrated at Lionel. What can Stanley do, so that Lionel will stop bugging him? Now's the time to go in The Great Big Book of Everything! From there, Stanley studies armadillos, armor-plated champions of defense!!!!!! For example, an armadillo rolled into a ball, because it was scared by a fox barking at it, Stanley then gets the idea to then ignore it. (Animal Topic: Armadillo)
  • Stanley sleeps a lot on his bed. Sure, it IS useful for his many imaginative adventures, but, one night, when he experiences trouble in his bed, he has a problem. He does not want a new bed! Stanley then goes into The Great Big Book of Everything to learn about crabs, and why crabs grow, they need more space for their new home!!! (Animal Topic: Crab)

5. "Frog Legs / Whoo's Afraid of the Dark?"

  • Stanley is less-than-excited when he learns that he's finally old enough to join his family in the big pool. In fact, he doesn't want to admit it, but he's a bit scared. When he states that humans are meant to stay on land, Dennis mentions an animal that copes quite well on both land and water—the frog. Stanley decides to find out more about this animal by hopping into The Great Big Book of Everything. (Animal Topic: Frog)
  • Stanley and his pets all want to get to sleep, but Stanley keeps hearing mysterious noises. His mom assures him that there is nothing to be afraid of, but Stanley remains convinced that he's hearing a scary monster. He knows that owls can see in the dark and wonders how they do it. He seeks the answer in The Great Big Book of Everything in the hope that it will help him to spot the monster so everyone can finally get some sleep. (Animal Topic: Owl)

6. "Tiger Hunt / Monkey Bar Business"

  • When Stanley's family gets tired of him taking pictures of them, they encourage him to find something else to take pictures of. Stanley decides to play a hide-and-seek game with Elsie and takes pictures of her, but wants her to dress up in his old set of tiger pajamas. Elsie, proud of her fur, reluctantly agrees, but then goes off for a cat nap behind the furnace where Stanley can't find her. When Stanley loses the game of hide-and-seek, he realizes he's going to need to learn more about tigers, and by association, cats, in order to figure out the best way to locate Elsie. (Animal Topic: Tiger)
  • Stanley has been training hard for the upcoming school field day, but there's one event that he can't seem to master—the monkey bars. He tries swinging upon them, but ends up falling repeatedly. He decides to learn more about chimpanzees in the hopes of getting swinging tips, but it isn't until he talks to his brother that he really gets results. (Animal Topic: Chimpanzee)

7. "Camel Commotion / There's Snow Place Like Home"

  • When Stanley and his family visit the park on a hot day, Stanley brings along a lot of seemingly unneeded items, but doesn't bring along his canteen. At the park, he gets very thirsty and heads for the water fountain. As he grows hotter and hotter, it reminds him of a desert. He decides to look up deserts in The Great Big Book of Everything and learns about camels in the process. (Animal Topic: Camel)
  • Stanley heads out one morning to play with Mimi and Marci in the snow, but doesn't put on his snowsuit because he feels it's too bulky. At first, they have fun playing, but Stanley soon starts to get very cold. As he warms up inside, he learns about polar bears on the Internet. (Animal Topic: Polar bear)

8. "A Whale of a Song / Sloth for a Day"

  • Stanley is slated to sing in the school play, "The Elephant's Garden," but comes down with a sudden case of stage fright before even hitting the stage. He's convinced that he can't sing and that everyone is going to laugh at it. He looks to The Great Big Book of Everything and whales for inspiration. (Animal Topic: Humpback whale)
  • Each weekend, Stanley's family holds a project day and Stanley serves as the helper. When he expresses a desire for more responsibility, he's allowed to become Chief of Newspaper Gathering, Bundling and Recycling. He then procrastinates on his work, leaving him little time left. Frustrated, he seeks to learn about the sloth, who leads a seemingly carefree lifestyle. (Animal Topic: Sloth)

9. "Busy Busy Octopus / Honest Ostrich"

  • When Stanley's family holds a neighborhood party, Stanley decides to put on a one-person toy animal show. He's been working hard on the show and really wants to put on a great show all by himself. His friends are rather upset when he tells them that he doesn't want any help whatsoever. Then, he hears that the party is starting early, and it looks like he isn't going to have is show ready on time. He decides that perhaps he could learn from an octopus how to get many things done at once, since they have eight arms. (Animal Topic: Octopus)
  • When Marci needs a soccer ball that she let Stanley borrow for a big game, he finds himself in a pickle. He doesn't know how to tell Marci that he's lost it and is afraid that he will lose her friendship. Instead of telling her, he decides to run and hide. He thinks of the ostrich, who he believes is able to bury its head. He hops into The Great Big Book of Everything and discovers some surprising facts about ostriches (Animal Topic: Ostrich)

10. "Dolphin Talk / Whole Lotta Snakin' Going On"

  • It's Harry's birthday and Stanley, Dennis, Elsie, Marci and Mimi are planning a surprise party for him. Harry always gets in their way and they're looking for a way to communicate in secret, without spoiling his surprise party. Through a trip into "The Great Big Book of Everything", they learn how dolphins talk through sounds and sign language. (Animal topic:.Bottlenose dolphin)
  • Stanley loves his pajamas more than everything, even though he is already worn out and meanwhile much too small for him. Stanley did not want to take off his clothes anymore. When Stanley takes a trip to The Great Big Book of Everything, he learns that even snakes shed off their old skin when they grow. (Animal topic: Reticulated python)

11. "Platypus Problems / Rabbit Habit"

  • It's Animal Awareness Day at School and all the children are allowed to choose an animal costume with which they should come to school the next day. Stanley has a hard time figuring out the animal he's supposed to be. He only gets a long beak, flippers and a big, flat tail as a costume. Of course he pulls The Great Big Book of Everything and it turns out that he has to disguise himself as a platypus, which occurs only in rivers and lakes in Australia and has extremely interesting properties. (Animal topic: Platypus)
  • Marci and Mimi should get a pet and decide on a rabbit. (Animal topic: Rabbit)

12. "Savanna-Speeders! / Tyrannosaurus Wrecks"

  • Stanley believes his new sneakers help him to become as fast as a cheetah. But after losing the race at school, he decides to travel to Africa with Dennis to learn more about cheetahs - after all, they are the fastest animals on land. (Animal topic: Cheetah)
  • Stanley wishes to be a T-Rex so that he's big and powerful and can force his big brother Lionel to play with him. But the more he learns about the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex, the more he realizes that it is better to be loved than to be feared. (Animal topic: Tyrannosaurus)

13. "Hippo Helpers / Where's Stanley?"

  • Stanley and Lionel are having big problems getting along. But when their mom explains the word "symbiosis" to them, which means nothing else than the peaceful coexistence of different kinds of living things that help each other. (Animal topic: Hippopotamus)
  • Stanley plays hide-and-seek with his friends. But since he always loses because he's the first to be found, playing with his friends is no fun anymore. But when Dennis shows him how the animals camouflage, he has a brilliant idea. (Animal topic: Camouflage)

14. "Penguin Party / Leave it to Beavers"

  • Stanley's going skating with Mimi and Marci. But he cannot skate and is afraid that everyone laughs at him when he falls. Then he gets to know a bird that can't fly and yet are very admirable: penguins. (Animal topic: Penguin)
  • Stanley and his friends Mimi and Marci want to build their own clubhouse, but they find that this is not so easy. But of the hardworking beavers who are experts in building, they learn a few tricks that are very helpful. And you always have to have patience with something like that anyway. (Animal topic: Beaver)

15. "The Joker / Baby Pictures"

  • Stanley wants to be as funny like his friend Marci and tries to tell a joke at school. He is very disappointed when he realizes that nobody finds his joke funny. Dennis thinks he may not have the right audience and so they are going on an adventure trip to Australia, because there is supposed to be one bird, the Kookaburra, better known as the "laughing bird". (Animal topic: Kookaburra)
  • Miss Diaz, Staley's teacher asks the children to bring baby photos to school. Everyone should guess which photo belongs to which child. In the Great Big Book of Everything, Stanley looks at how long it takes for different animals and humans to grow up. (Animal topics: Cat/goldfish/dog)

16. "You've Got Pigeon Mail / It's a Prairie Dog's Life"

  • Stanley is terribly sad because his mom is going to go to a dentist's convention in Spring City for three days, which is 2,000 kilometers away. He would like to send her a picture to show her how much he misses her, but he does not know how. A letter would take far too long, so he and his friends consult The Great Big Book of Everything. There they find the carrier pigeon, but that can only fly in one direction, to their hometown. So that's out of the question. Finally, Stanley asks his father for help and the problem is already solved. They scan the image into the computer and send it to Stanley's mom's laptop. (Animal topic: Pigeon)
  • Stanley and his friends are terribly upset. Her parents do not let her go alone on the street. Stanley wished he was a prairie dog so that he can move freely. (Animal topic: Prairie dog)

17. "Remembering with Elephants / Garbage Can Bandit"

18. "Little Dog Lost"

  • Dog breeds

19. "Snow Monkey See, Snow Monkey Do / Sick Day Stanley"

20. "The Big Spill" / Peekaboo Parrot"

21. "Gorilla Sleepover / Sea Lion Slip-Up"

22. "Worms at Work / Caterpillar Countdown"

23. "In a While, Crocodile / The Color of Stanley"

24. "Searching for Spring / Save the Bluebird!"

25. "The Pond Couple / Who's Afraid of Walter Wolf?"

26. "A Little Squirrel Music / A Boy's Best Friend is His Fish"

Season 2 (2002–03)

1. "Ant Picnic / The Tooth About Teeth"

2. "Eel-lectricity / Roller Rhino"

3. "Keep 'Em Flying / Guess What's Coming For Dinner"

4. "The Really Real Dragon / A Billy Goat for Dad"

5. "Bloodhound Blues / Clock-a-Doodle-Doo!"

6. "Mistaken Mermaid / It Pays to Be a Pelican"

7. "Woodpecker Woes / P.U. Pup"

8. "Grandma Griff's Mystery Guest"

9. "Mockingbird Scat / Horsepower"

10. "Proud as a Peacock / Dances with Flamingos"

11. "Sunburn Stanley / Time for Toolfish"

12. "Web Weavers / Muddy Buddies"

13. "The Robbing Raven / Flashlight Fireflies"

14. "Mysterious Moe / Spelling Bee Situation"

15. "Follow the Lemur / Zebra Jigsaw"

16. "Hummingbird Humdinger / Koala Cuddle"

17. "Double-Duty Dad / Look Who's Helping"

18. "Tasmanian Tantrum / Sea Otter Safety"

19. "Going-Away Goose / Time to Climb!"

20. "Stanley's Super Spectacles / The Ugly Griffling"

21. "Doing Like Ducks / Speedy Does It"

22. "X-Ray X-tra! / Under the Umbrella Bird"

23. "I Scream for Ice Cream / Snack Savers"

24. "A Little Nightingale Music / Super Squirrel"

25. "Outfoxing Lionel / Jackrabbit Hide-and-Seek"

26. "Me and My Palfish / At the Zoo!"

Season 3 (2004)

1."Stanley's Dinosaur Roundup"

2. "To Catch a Hamster / Pearls of Wisdom"

3. "Living with Leopards / A Chinese New Year"

4. "A Turkey of a Thangskiving"

5. "The Way of the Buffalo / Follow That Falcon"

6. "Shell Game / Sheep and a Haircut"

7. "No News Like Shoe News / Ladybug, Ladybug"

8. "Curse of the Angry Coral / A Little Bird Told Me"

9. "Stanley's Great Big Book of Adventure"

TV specials
  1. "Little Dog Lost" (Christmas)
  2. "Grandma Griff's Mystery Guest" (Halloween)
  3. "A Turkey of a Thanksgiving" (Thanksgiving)
  4. "Stanley's Great Big Book of Everything Adventure"

Broadcast history

In the U.S., the series aired on Disney Channel's daytime preschool block Playhouse Disney since its debut, September 15, 2001. When Playhouse Disney rebranded its on-air presentation in 2007, Stanley was put on a new timeslot at 6:00 AM ET on the weekdays. As of May 2008, Stanley no longer airs on Playhouse Disney, but DVDs and books are still available. In February 2011, the show was completely removed when Playhouse Disney rebranded as Disney Junior. The show was briefly seen online on DisneyJunior.com as part of "fan favorites" week on the week of June 20, 2011. From March 23, 2012 to September 3, 2013, the series returned on the U.S. airwaves on Disney Junior.

In Canada, it ran on The Family Channel from 2002 to 2007 and then was moved to Disney Junior, which ran from November 30, 2007 until September 29, 2013, when it was removed from the schedule. It also aired on the Canadian-French version of Disney Junior since 2010.

Canada

United States

Awards and nominations

Emmy Award

Film

On January 3, 2006, Walt Disney Home Entertainment and Cartoon Pizza released a full-length direct-to-video movie based on Stanley. Entitled Stanley's Dinosaur Round-Up, the film centers on the titular character as he, along with Elsie, Dennis, Harry, Mimi, Lester, and Marci, team up to save his Great Uncle Stew (John Ritter, who completed his work for the film before he died)'s dude ranch from the greedy Rockin' Rory (Randy Quaid) who intends to buy the ranch and turn it into an amusement park.

References
  1. Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 587. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  2. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 787–788. ISBN 978-1476665993.

Channels

Others

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