50 Fun Facts About Playhouse Disney

Which flying Mickey-shaped helper brings the gang their tools on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse?

Toodles pops up whenever Mickey calls his name, so viewers can choose the right tool for the job. In the third season he gained a face, a personality and a voice.

Olie, the young star of Rolie Polie Olie, lives on a planet of geometric shapes as what?

A robot made of spheres, Olie lives with his inventor father Percy, mother Polina, little sister Zowie and dog Spot. His square-shaped neighbours come from Planet Cubey.

Which PB&J Otter character is the baby sister of the Otter family?

Butter is the baby sister of Peanut and Jelly, and the three names spell out the show's title. The series ran for 65 episodes across three seasons.

On Bear in the Big Blue House, which character joins Bear on the balcony for the goodbye song?

Luna, the moon, talks over the day's theme with Bear before they sing together. She was voiced by Lynne Thigpen.

On Handy Manny, which tool is Pat, the talkative and fun-loving member of Manny's toolbox?

A hammer who sometimes struggles to control his own strength, Pat shares the toolbox with a saw named Dusty and a tape measure named Stretch. He is voiced by Tom Kenny.

Leo, June, Quincy and Annie of Little Einsteins travel the world in a red ship named what?

Rocket is a character in his own right, a living ship who carries the team to real places around the world. The series began with a direct-to-video film in 2005.

On JoJo's Circus, which animal is Goliath, the pet who hides from JoJo as each segment starts?

A lion aged four, Goliath goes to circus school alongside JoJo and counts as one of the Tickle family. He also co-hosts the show.

Which Playhouse Disney series starred four children shaped like stacking nesting dolls?

Higglytown Heroes built every episode around an everyday job, calling the people who do it heroes. A squirrel named Fran chaperoned Eubie, Wayne, Twinkle and Kip.

Which animals were Ooh and Aah, the pair who took over as hosts of Playhouse Disney in 2007?

Monkeys in blue and red, Ooh and Aah were brothers who starred in their own short series before they took over as the block's hosts.

The Book of Pooh and My Friends Tigger & Pooh both star characters created by which English author?

A. A. Milne's characters reached Playhouse Disney twice. The Book of Pooh was the third Disney television series built around them, after one live-action show and one cartoon.

Disney Channel's preschool lineup, later Playhouse Disney, competed with which rival block that launched in 1988?

Nick Jr. was the target: Disney Channel had shown preschool programmes in the mornings since 1983, but only gave them a name and identity of their own in 1999.

Every Little Einsteins episode is built around a famous artwork and a piece of which kind of music?

Classical compositions play several times through each story and shape its plot. The idea came from the earlier Baby Einstein videos.

JoJo Tickle, the six-year-old star of JoJo's Circus, goes to school to learn which circus role?

A clown like her famous parents, JoJo studies at the Little Big Top Circus School, where Mrs. Kersplatski teaches the young performers of Circus Town.

The Wiggles, the music group whose shows joined Playhouse Disney in June 2002, formed in which country?

Australia is home to the group, which formed in Sydney in 1991. Its members paid for their first 13-episode television series themselves.

Madeline, seen in new episodes on Playhouse Disney, attends boarding school in which city?

Paris is home to Madeline, eleven other girls and their instructor Miss Clavel. Earlier episodes reran on the block before 26 new ones were made for it.

On the Playhouse Disney cartoon Stanley, which kind of pet is Dennis, the boy's talking best friend?

A goldfish with an English accent, Dennis talks each problem through before Stanley turns to the Great Big Book of Everything, a magical book of animals.

At the start of each Bear in the Big Blue House episode, Bear greets viewers and then does what?

Sniffs them: after the welcome song, Bear catches the viewer's scent and compares it to something pleasant. Each episode then follows a single theme.

Which animal is the secret agent star of Special Agent Oso, whose name is the Spanish word for bear?

A panda who works for an agency called UNIQUE, Oso helps children with everyday tasks such as mailing a letter or riding a bike.

Which alternative rock band wrote and performed the theme song of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse?

They Might Be Giants supplied two original songs for the series, including the opening theme that summons the Clubhouse.

Which sitcom actor voiced Manny Garcia, the Sheetrock Hills handyman of Handy Manny?

Wilmer Valderrama, best known as Fez on That '70s Show, voiced Manny from 2006 to 2013.

Little Einsteins regularly asked viewers at home to help the team's missions by doing what?

Pat their laps was one prompt in a show designed for participation. Viewers were also asked to identify objects, solve puzzles and sing along to complete each mission.

Frank and Buster, the helpful twins of The Koala Brothers, reach friends in which vehicle?

A plane, a yellow and blue two-seater with a propeller, carries the twins on every outing. Frank is the pilot while Buster sits behind him with a telescope.

Which Canadian band of Deedee, Rooney and Moe wore bright costumes and makeup on Playhouse Disney?

The Doodlebops were three actors in coloured costumes and prosthetic makeup: Deedee in pink, Rooney in blue and Moe in orange. The series was made for CBC Television.

On Bear in the Big Blue House, which animal is Treelo, the playful dancer and friend of Ojo?

A lemur coloured white, blue and green, Treelo is always on the move. His friend Ojo is a red bear cub with a wild imagination.

The Imagination Movers, the real band behind the Playhouse Disney sitcom, formed in which city?

New Orleans is where four friends started the band in 2002, first pitching the idea to local public television. On screen they solve problems from the Idea Warehouse.

Which classic Disney villain turns up on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse as a mischievous friend and foe?

Pete is less a menace here than a playful rival, often arriving in disguise to upset the gang's plans. Butch the Bulldog, the nemesis of Pluto, turns out to be his dog.

Rolie Polie Olie, first shown in 1998, was one of the earliest TV series made entirely with what?

Computer animation was still rare on television then, yet the show's designs borrow from old rubber hose cartoons. Creator William Joyce won a 1999 Daytime Emmy for its production design.

Playhouse Disney's mascot from 2002 to 2007 was a talking figure named after which material?

Clay was an anthropomorphic clay figure voiced by Debi Derryberry. He was retired when two new hosts took over the block in 2007.

In My Friends Tigger & Pooh, Darby, Tigger and Pooh solve mysteries under which team name?

The Super Sleuths are led by Darby, a six-year-old girl created for the series, with her dog Buster in tow. Christopher Robin appears only twice.

Which future film star voiced Darby, the girl detective of My Friends Tigger & Pooh, in America?

Chloë Grace Moretz voiced Darby for American audiences, while Kimberlea Berg played the part in the British version.

Which band, known for a Grammy-winning hit about dogs, sang the theme of Playhouse Disney's Stanley?

Baha Men, the Bahamian group behind Who Let the Dogs Out, recorded the theme, which is titled My Man Stanley.

Jim Jinkins, creator of PB&J Otter and JoJo's Circus, is best known for which earlier cartoon?

Doug came first: Jinkins founded Jumbo Pictures to produce it in 1990, then sold the studio to Disney in 1996, two years before his otters arrived.

On Rolie Polie Olie, the Polies' home, known as Housey, is shaped like which kitchen item?

A teapot is the shape of Housey, which stands on Planet Polie in a world of geometric characters. Olie's grandfather Pappy runs a farm by himself.

Which Playhouse Disney series had hosts Tony and Vivian leading crafts in a homemade clubhouse?

Out of the Box took place in a clubhouse built entirely from cardboard boxes, where Tony James and Vivian Bayubay McLaughlin made crafts and acted out stories.

Which Playhouse Disney series followed Zooter the pig and friends, who had wheels instead of feet?

Jungle Junction gave its animals wheels so they could zip along the roads. Its stars included Ellyvan, an elephant who is also a delivery van.

Which British series on Playhouse Disney is based on Lauren Child's books about two siblings?

Charlie and Lola copies the collage look of the books, mixing paper cut-outs, fabric and photographs. Adults are mentioned but never seen or heard.

Timmy Time, which reached Playhouse Disney in 2010, is a spin-off from which stop-motion series?

Shaun the Sheep was itself a spin-off, from the Wallace and Gromit film A Close Shave, which makes the nursery adventures of Timmy the lamb a spin-off twice over.

Which voice actor played both Pooh and Tigger in The Book of Pooh and My Friends Tigger & Pooh?

Jim Cummings has voiced Pooh since 1988 and took over Tigger from Paul Winchell, later reprising both roles in the live-action film Christopher Robin.

Which Mickey Mouse Clubhouse song is named after Mickey's first spoken words in a 1929 cartoon?

Hot Dog! echoes what Mickey said in the 1929 short The Karnival Kid, the first time he spoke on screen. The song is the ending theme of the series.

Which film actor voiced the title secret agent of Special Agent Oso on Playhouse Disney?

Sean Astin, who played Mikey in The Goonies and Samwise in The Lord of the Rings, voiced Oso from 2009 to 2012.

John Tartaglia, creator and star of Johnny and the Sprites, came from which Broadway musical?

Avenue Q had Tartaglia creating and puppeteering the roles of Princeton and Rod when it opened in 2003. Castmate Natalie Venetia Belcon later joined him on television as Gwen.

Which Disney-owned cable channel gave up its space in 2012 to Playhouse Disney's 24-hour successor?

Soapnet, a channel devoted to soap operas, made way for the new preschool network as its subscriber reach declined. An automated feed lingered until the end of 2013.

Playhouse Disney ran without regular commercials, but which fast-food chain was among its sponsors?

McDonald's was named among the underwriters whose sponsorship messages appeared in the breaks, alongside short spots for Disney's own products.

Playhouse Disney's film slot, which ran from 2005 to 2010, was named after which day of the week?

Monday gave Movie Time Monday its name. The slot brought films such as Toy Story, Finding Nemo and The Tigger Movie to the block's young audience.

The last Playhouse Disney block kept the name until September 2013 in which country?

Russia held on to the brand more than two years after the American block was renamed, completing a worldwide relaunch that began in February 2011.

Neighbours of Bear in the Big Blue House, such as Jeremiah Tortoise, live in which community?

Woodland Valley also has a cinema run by a shy armadillo and a telephone operator, Lois, who keeps mishearing what her friends say.

On Handy Manny, the clumsy Mr. Lopart, who usually refuses help at first, owns which kind of shop?

A candy store next door to the workshop belongs to Mr. Lopart, who tries to fix things himself before accepting that he cannot do it alone.

Which Los Angeles rock band performs the theme song of Handy Manny on Playhouse Disney?

Los Lobos, who topped the charts in 1987 with their version of La Bamba, perform the theme. The group comes from East Los Angeles.

Which Broadway composer wrote the theme song for Johnny and the Sprites on Playhouse Disney?

Stephen Schwartz, the composer of Godspell, Pippin and Wicked, wrote the theme, and other Broadway songwriters wrote many of the show's musical numbers.

Which kind of bird is Kessie, a main character who returned in The Book of Pooh?

A bluebird first seen in two episodes of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Kessie was promoted to the regular cast and performed by Stephanie D'Abruzzo.