Puffin Rock
Puffin Rock is an Irish children's television series. Based on Puffin Island, situated off the Irish coast, the series follows a young puffin named Oona and her little brother Baba as they explore their world. The program is narrated by Chris O'Dowd. The series premiered on 12 January 2015.
Puffin Rock | |
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Genre | Children's television series |
Created by | Lily Bernard Tomm Moore Paul Young |
Written by | Sara Daddy Davey Moore Rachel Dawson Chris Baugh Denise Cassar |
Directed by | Maurice Joyce |
Voices of | Kate McCafferty Sally McDaid Darragh Gargan Anna McDaid Laura McCallan Brenn Doherty |
Narrated by | Chris O'Dowd |
Country of origin | Ireland |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 26 (78 segments) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Gerry Shirren Fionnuala Deane Francesca Dow |
Producers | Paul Young Laura Campbell John McDaid |
Editor | Alan Slattery |
Running time | 19 minutes each episode |
Production companies | Cartoon Saloon Dog Ears Penguin Random House[1] |
Release | |
Original network | RTÉjr |
Original release | 12 January 2015 – 12 August 2016 |
It originally aired on RTÉjr in Ireland, Nick Jr., Nick Jr. Too and Milkshake! in the United Kingdom, Nick Jr. in Italy, ABC Kids in Australia,[2]ERT2 in Greece and Netflix in Ireland, the United States, Canada, Latin America, Spain, the Benelux countries, UK, Poland, France, Denmark and Germany.[3]
Characters
- Oona (voiced by Kate McCafferty) - A female Atlantic Puffin and the protagonist of the series. She is preschool-aged and treats every day as a new opportunity.
- Baba (voiced by Sally McDaid) - Oona's younger brother. He is easily distracted and can be slightly clumsy at times. Baba says "Ba ba boooo!" at the end of the theme song.
- Mama Puffin (voiced by Geraldine Cole) - Oona and Baba's mother.
- Papa Puffin (voiced by Brian McMonagle) - Oona and Baba's father.
- Mossy (voiced by Darragh Gargan) - Oona's best friend, a brown Eurasian Pygmy Shrew. He lives in a tree stump on the island and is usually focused on food.
- May (voiced by Anna McDaid) - An energetic rabbit who lives in a burrow on the island. She is very competitive and regularly challenges Oona to races.
- Silky (voiced by Laura McCallan) - A grey-coloured seal pup who lives in a nearby lagoon. She joins Oona and Baba on their underwater adventures.
- Otto (voiced by Brenn Doherty) - A green owl who normally appears slightly uncoordinated. He is an expert flier and shares flying tips with Oona.
- Bernie (voiced by Jim Craig) - An elderly hermit crab who enjoys telling tales of his youth to Oona and Baba.
- Flynne (voiced by Orna Canning) - A fox who does not like to be bothered but has shown from time to time that she has a caring heart.
- Spikey - A baby hedgehog who Baba enjoys playing with.
- Chloe - A migrating Arctic Tern who visits Puffin Rock during the summer.
Episodes
The first season began airing on RTÉjr on 12 January 2015. The second season aired in 2016.
Season 1
- Puffin Practice / The Mystery Egg / To See the Moon - Oona tries to teach her brother Baba how to act like a grown-up puffin; Oona, Baba, and Mossy must help an egg find its parents; Oona wants to stay up late to see a super moon.
- The Shiny Shell / Friendly Flynne / A Feather Bed - A shell that Baba finds attracts seagulls; Flynne the fox tries to prove that she is nice; Oona and Baba find bedding for the Puffins' burrow.
- Beach Rescue / Lost Berries / Night Lights - A baby seagull gets trapped in fishing line; Mossy needs to collect berries for the Shrew Crew; Oona makes a trip to the sea at night.
- Pond Life / Bird Detective / Bernie's Shell - Oona has to keep Baba clean; Oona learns about seagulls' behavior; Oona and Silky find Bernie a new shell.
- Hop, Skip and Bump / Bouncing Back / A Noisy Neighbor - May teaches Oona how to hop "like the experts"; Oona and Silky have trouble finding a game that they both enjoy; A noisy starling bird keeps Oona awake.
- Stormy Weather / Rock Music / Baba's Adventure - During a storm, Oona and Baba are stuck on a cliff; Oona practices singing with her mother; Baba finds his way home, with the help of his friends.
- The Burrow Race / Silky's Slide / Ruffled Feathers - Oona and May race each other to discover who is fastest; After a storm, Silky is left stranded at sea; Oona, Baba, and Otto search for a white egret.
- Finding Bernie / The Foggy Day / Run, Flap, Fly - Oona and Silky help Bernie get home safely; Mossy and the Shrew Crew help Oona and Baba find their way home in the fog; Oona learns a new skill.
- Follow the Puffin / Spot the Puffin / The Sad Whale - Oona is put in charge of the Shrew Crew; Oona feels self-conscious about her multicolored beak; Oona and Silky must find a whale's family.
- The Fast Day / Baba's Friend / Flying High - Oona and Baba try to keep up with a speedy moth; Baba befriends a green caterpillar; Oona and Otto practice flying.
- Silky's Seahorses / Keeping Cosy / Baba's Picnic - Silky finds seahorses in the rock pool; Mossy learns how to keep warm on a cold day; Baba and Mossy set up a picnic for their friends.
- Cave Camping / The Empty Shell / Three's a Crowd - The Puffin family visits an underwater cave; The red crabs are put in danger; Pip feels left out of Baba and Pop's activities.
- Mossy Goes Solo / Flooded Burrow / Daytime Sleepover - Mossy leaves the Shrew Crew; The Puffins must stay with May after their burrow floods; Oona and Baba sleep at Otto's home.
Season 2
- Back to the Pond / The Fallen Rocks / Homesick Hoglet - The Puffin family guide a friendly frog to the pond; Oona and her pals help free a trapped Bernie; Baba and baby hedgehog Spiky go exploring.
- Silky and the Octopus / The Salmon Leap / The Great Gull - Oona and Silky have an octopus adventure!; Otto tries to get his siblings to fall asleep; Oona and Baba protect a baby seagull from the Great Gull.
- Baba-sitting / The Puffin Way / Bernie and the Bee - It's spring and Baba wants to wake Spiky from his winter nap!; Oona learns about the slow and steady "Puffin Way"; Baba and Oona rescue a tired bee.
- Find the Owls / Mossy's Flea / Dinner at Bernie's - Otto and the puffins search for the hidden Pip and Pop; Mossy's flea pal Fred peps up a playdate; Oona helps Bernie prepare for a special dinner.
- The Dung Beetle / Oona's Fishing Trip / Spot the Ladybird - Oona and Baba help a poop-rolling dung beetle build a nest; On a windy day, Papa and Oona go fishing; Baba, May, and Mossy look for ladybirds.
- The Best Shell / The Meteor Shower / The Dragonfly Display - When Baba takes Bernie's favorite shell, Oona helps him return it; The kids enjoy a shooting star show; Baba has a close call during a dragonfly hunt.
- Silky's New Friend / The First Snow / Oona's Cave - Silky introduces the gang to her new pal, a clever clam; The kids enjoy their first snowfall; Silky and Mossy help Oona practice burrow building.
- Just Like Mama / Diving Deeper / A Day Out - Oona discovers the many ways she's just like Mama; At diving practice, Oona gets a special lesson from Silky; Papa takes the family on a fun day out.
- Owl School / A Hot Day / A Summer Visitor - Baba and Oona join Pip and Pop for Otto's "big owl" lessons; On a hot day, Oona worries that Flynne may be in trouble; Oona makes a new forever pal.
- Lamb Chase / Mossy Impossible / A Special Seashell - Oona and Baba help a lost lamb; When Oona becomes tangled up in debris, Mossy jumps into action!; Oona looks for shiny shells to cheer up a sick Baba.
- Turtle Taxi / New Neighbors / Rainbow - Bernie rides a turtle for a daring sea rescue; The Great Gull steals the seagulls' nests, but clever Oona has a plan; The kids race to catch a rainbow.
- Puffin Treasure / Mossy's Mystery / The Longest Day - Mama treats Baba to a treasure hunt; The shrews' berries are under threat, but Mossy is on the case!; The kids gather to watch a special sunrise.
- House Hunting / Super Snail / Day and Night - Bernie searches for a new shell for Bernadette; Oona and May help Baba find his snail pal; Can the owls stay awake to watch the solar eclipse?
Accolades
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
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Kidscreen Awards | February 9, 2016 | Best New Series, preschool | Won | [4][5] | |
Best Animated Series, preschool | Won | ||||
Annie Awards | February 4, 2017 | Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production For Preschool Children | Puffin Rock - The First Snow - Episode: 59 | Nominated | [6] |
Outstanding Achievement, Production Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production | Lily Bernard for The First Snow - Episode: 59 | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Achievement, Writing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production | Davey Moore for The First Snow - Episode: 59 | Nominated | |||
International Emmy Kids Awards | April 10, 2018 | Best preschool program | Nominated | [7][8] |
Production
The series was made by Kilkenny-based Cartoon Saloon, the studio behind the Academy Award-nominated feature Song of the Sea.[9]
Movie adaptation
In July 2019, Cartoon Saloon announced that a film based on the series was in development.[10]
References
- "Northern Ireland's Puffin Rock". Culture Northern Ireland. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- Multiplatform, Children's TV Online. "Puffin Rock - ABC KIDS". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
- "Netflix picks up Irish-based animation 'Puffin Rock'". The Irish Times.
- "The 2016 Kidscreen Awards winners are…". 9 February 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- Milligan, Mercedes (9 February 2016). "Kidscreen Awards Winners Announced". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- "44th Annie Award Nominees". International Animated Film Society. 28 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- "Puffin Rock Keeps on Rockin' with an Emmy Nomination!". Animation Ireland. 13 November 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- Roxborough, Scott (16 October 2017). "MIPCOM: Nominations for International Emmy Kids Span 16 Countries". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- "Cartoon Saloon's 'Puffin Rock' Lands on Nick Jr". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ‘Puffin Rock Movie’ Takes Wing|Animation Magazine