Poko (TV series)

Poko
Genre	Children's animation
Created by	Jeff Rosen
Developed by	Jeff Rosen Cheryl Wagner Michael Donovan
Written by	Jeff Rosen Cheryl Wagner
Directed by	Chuck Rubin
Starring	Cory Bowles Cameron Davidson
Narrated by	Cory Bowles
Opening theme	"Poko Theme Song"
Ending theme	"Poko Theme Song" (instrumental)
Country of origin	Canada
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	52
Production
Executive producers	Michael Donovan Jeff Rosen
Producer	Charles Bishop
Animator	Thea Pratt
Running time	25 minutes
Production companies	Eraser Dog Prods. Salter Street Films (Season 1) Alliance Atlantis Halifax Film Company (Season 2)
Original release
Network	CBC Television
Release	June 9, 2003 (2003-06-09) – May 25, 2006 (2006-05-25)

Poko is a Canadian stop motion children's television series about a young boy, his pet dog, and his toy monkey. Produced in Canada by The Halifax Film Company, Poko was created by Jeff Rosen, and began production in 2003 and ended in 2006 after three production cycles. Poko aired in Canada on CBC Television in the Kids' CBC programming block, and was broadcast in Turkey on Yumurcak TV until the channel closed in mid-June 2016. It was narrated by actor and dancer Cory Bowles. In Brazil, it was narrated by the frontman of Capital Inicial, Dinho Ouro Preto.

The show was awarded the 2004 Gemini for Best Pre-school Program in 2003 and the Alliance for Children & Television (ACT) Grand Prize in 2007.

Characters

Main

• Poko is a little boy who, every day, plays in his bedroom, or out in his backyard, but he also has a magic finger. When he says "Poko pippity pop!", he can draw objects, which then become real, by tracing them in the air with his finger. Poko often encounters obstacles and gets cranky or upset, but then cheers up with the help of an unseen narrator. Voiced by Cameron Davidson.
• Minus is Poko's pet dog. He is very playful, and often causes trouble. Minus is named for the sign minus (–); while not always understanding what's going on, he is sometimes showing much more human-like behaviour, such as being able to walk on his hind feet, play soccer, or dance. He is named for his ability to erase Poko's creations from existence (when they aren't needed anymore or he doesn't like them) by using his nose like an eraser. His silly antics often cause Poko to laugh and say "Silly Minus!"
• Mr. Murphy is Poko's stuffed toy monkey, who usually just sits around. He can sometimes be seen to have moved his hands (such as to shrug, or cover his eyes), but is never seen actually moving.

Recurring

• Bibi is a young girl who is Poko's friend. She comes over sometimes to have a play date with Poko. Bibi can use her magic sticker book in a way that resembles Poko's ability, by opening the book to a sticker of an object and then making that object real, while saying "Bibi bibbity bop!". Bibi first appeared in the second season. Voiced by Claudia Ottosen.

Show structure

The show follows the same sequence in every episode:

• Title sequence
• Poko wakes up (longer version only in season 1)
• Indoor episode
• Play sequence
• Mighty Murph story (season 1); Poko's Playhouse (season 2)
• Play sequence
• Outdoors episode
• Play sequence
• Ending sequence

Episodes

Each episode features two segments. The first one is indoors, after Poko wakes up. The second is outdoors, in the garden. In both, Poko encounters a problem, but usually overcomes it after observing a smaller creature (such as a bird, ladybug, worm, etc.) solving a similar problem.

Also beneficial to children, the narrator helps Poko to name and understand his feelings, and find appropriate ways to deal with them: for example, on some occasions, when Poko has become angry at Minus, he has gone and given a blast on his tuba to release his frustration. Another common solution is for Poko to give Mr. Murphy a hug. In this way, the show suggests positive methods of dealing with problems. When this happens they usually perform the following: "hug a monkey...hug him tight...hug him till you feel alright". Poko does either that, or if Mr. Murphy isn't available, Poko releases his frustration by doing a dance called "The Poko Polka". He also has choices to release his frustration: either spending time alone on his swing, or shake his frustration out.

In the second season, a new segment was added called "Poko's Playhouse", in which Poko, Minus, and Bibi perform for a stuffed toy audience on a "Grand Ole Opry" type play-stage, with children performing a background song for each episode.

Similar to Toopy and Binoo, some episodes made appearances in more than one episode.

Season 1 (2003–2004)

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	American air date	Prod. code	US viewers (millions)
1	"Baby Murphy" Something Yummy for a Monkey Tummy"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	June 9, 2003 (2003-06-09)	January 6, 2004	101	N/A
	"Poko's Pool"
2	"Poko and the Scary Shadow" Pirate Gold"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	June 14, 2003 (2003-06-14)	January 12, 2004	102	N/A
	"Poko Kicks a Ball"
3	"Mr. Murphy in the Middle" A Super Monkey Loves to Play"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	June 19, 2003 (2003-06-19)	January 20, 2004	103	N/A
	"Reaching Mr. Murphy"
4	"King Poko" "Super Monkey at the Supermarket"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	June 25, 2003 (2003-06-25)	January 26, 2004	104	N/A
	"Poko's Swing"
5	"Poko Gets Bugged" Mighty Murph's Street Treats"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	July 1, 2003 (2003-07-01)	February 2, 2004	105	N/A
	"Poko Makes a Hole"
6	"Poko-Motion" "Monkey Business at the Silly Circus"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	July 7, 2003 (2003-07-07)	February 9, 2004	106	N/A
	"Poko's Scooter"
7	"Poko Has a Ball" "A Super Monkey Needs to See"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	July 12, 2003 (2003-07-12)	February 16, 2004	107	N/A
	"Poko on the Slide"
8	"Poko's Little Sister" "A Super Monkey Loves to Drum"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	July 17, 2003 (2003-07-17)	February 23, 2004	108	N/A
	"Poko's Pool"
9	"Baby Murphy" "A Super Monkey Loves to Touch"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	July 23, 2003 (2003-07-23)	March 1, 2004	109	N/A
	"Poko's Lemonade Stand"
10	"Poko and the Bunny Slippers" "A Super Monkey Loves to Drum"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	July 28, 2003 (2003-07-28)	March 8, 2004	110	N/A
	"Poko Kicks a Ball"
11	"Poko and the Scary Shadow" "Something Yummy at the Zoo"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	August 3, 2003 (2003-08-03)	March 15, 2004	111	N/A
	"Poko's Laundry Day"
12	"Poko's New Toy" "A Super Monkey Loves to Fly"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	August 8, 2003 (2003-08-08)	March 22, 2004	112	N/A
	"Reaching Mr. Murphy"
13	"Mr. Murphy in the Middle" "Something Yummy for a Monkey Tummy"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	August 13, 2003 (2003-08-13)	March 29, 2004	113	N/A
	"Poko's Broken Toy"
14	"Poko Alone" "Something Yummy for a Monkey Tummy"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	August 18, 2003 (2003-08-18)	April 5, 2004	114	N/A
	"Poko's Swing"
15	"King Poko" "Pirate Gold"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	August 24, 2003 (2003-08-24)	April 12, 2004	115	N/A
	"Fireman Poko"
16	"Dr. Poko" "A Super Monkey Loves to Play"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	August 29, 2003 (2003-08-29)	April 18, 2004	116	N/A
	"Poko Makes a Hole"
17	"Poko Gets Bugged" "Super Monkey at the Supermarket"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	September 4, 2003 (2003-09-04)	April 24, 2004	117	N/A
	"Hide-'n'-Seek Poko"
18	"Poko's Circus" "Mighty Murph's Street Treats"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	September 10, 2003 (2003-09-10)	April 30, 2004	118	N/A
	"Poko's Scooter"
19	"Poko-Motion" "Monkey Business at the Silly Circus"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	September 16, 2003 (2003-09-16)	May 7, 2004	119	N/A
	"Poko's Sandcastle"
20	"Poko's Band" "A Super Monkey Needs to See"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	September 21, 2003 (2003-09-21)	May 13, 2004	120	N/A
	"Poko on the Slide"

Season 2 (2005–2006)

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	American air date	Prod. code	US viewers (millions)
1	"Poko the Submarine Explorer"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	September 5, 2005 (2005-09-05)	TBA	201	N/A
	"Poko, Bibi and the Dragon"
2	"Super Poko"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	September 10, 2005 (2005-09-10)	TBA	202	N/A
	"Poko and Bibi's Bug Adventure"
3	"Poko and Bibi at the Fancy Restaurant"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	September 13, 2005 (2005-09-13)	TBA	203	N/A
	"Poko the Pirate"
4	"Poko Plays School"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	September 16, 2005 (2005-09-16)	TBA	204	N/A
	"Poko's Picnic"
5	"Poko and Bibi Play House"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	September 20, 2005 (2005-09-20)	TBA	205	N/A
	"Poko and the Dinosaur"
6	"Poko's Shadow Show"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	September 26, 2005 (2005-09-26)	TBA	206	N/A
	"Poko and Bibi Play Soccer"
7	"Bibi's Ballet Class"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	September 30, 2005 (2005-09-30)	TBA	207	N/A
	"Poko's Ducky Day"
8	"Poko's Puppet Show"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	October 4, 2005 (2005-10-04)	TBA	208	N/A
	"Poko's Lemonade Stand"
9	"Poko's Robot"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	October 10, 2005 (2005-10-10)	TBA	209	N/A
	"Poko Plays Golf"
10	"Hocus Pocus Poko"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	October 16, 2005 (2005-10-16)	TBA	210	N/A
	"Poko and Bibi's Playdate"
11	"Poko's Patients"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	October 22, 2005 (2005-10-22)	TBA	211	N/A
	"Poko Goes Camping"
12	"Poko and Bibi's Dress-Up Day"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	October 28, 2005 (2005-10-28)	TBA	212	N/A
	"Minus Has the Hiccups"
13	"Poko's Puzzle"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	November 3, 2005 (2005-11-03)	TBA	213	N/A
	"Nutty's Nuts"
14	"Mr. Murphy's Birthday"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	November 9, 2005 (2005-11-09)	TBA	214	N/A
	"Poko the Gymnast"
15	"Poko's Masks"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	March 20, 2006 (2006-03-20)	TBA	215	N/A
	"Poko Plays Croquet"
16	"Poko and Bibi at the Toy Store"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	March 26, 2006 (2006-03-26)	TBA	216	N/A
	"Jungle Jim"
17	"Bibi's Pop-Up Book"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	April 2, 2006 (2006-04-02)	TBA	217	N/A
	"Poko’s Piñata"
18	"Poko and Bibi's Treasure Hunt"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	April 8, 2006 (2006-04-08)	TBA	218	N/A
	"Poko and Minus Play Tag"
19	"Poko's Harmonica"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	April 14, 2006 (2006-04-14)	TBA	219	N/A
	"Poko's New Friend"
20	"Minus the Babysitter"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	April 20, 2006 (2006-04-20)	TBA	220	N/A
	"Poko's Monster Truck"
21	"Poko and Bibi Play Statue"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	April 26, 2006 (2006-04-26)	TBA	221	N/A
	"Poko the Pilot"
22	"Poko's Pie"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	May 1, 2006 (2006-05-01)	TBA	222	N/A
	"Poko and Bibi Play Fairies"
23	"Poko's Messy Room"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	May 7, 2006 (2006-05-07)	TBA	223	N/A
	"Poko and Bibi of the Arctic"
24	"Poko's Flowers"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	May 13, 2006 (2006-05-13)	TBA	224	N/A
	"Poko's Windy Day"
25	"Poko and Bibi's Petting Zoo"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	May 19, 2006 (2006-05-19)	TBA	225	N/A
	"Poko's Balloon Ride"
26	"Poko and Bibi Play Musical Chairs"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	May 25, 2006 (2006-05-25)	TBA	226	N/A
	"Minus Gets a Bath"

Play sequence

Two thirty-second shorts exist in each episode where Poko, Minus and Mr. Murphy play against a monocolor background. They may be swimming, surfing, riding an imaginary Roller coaster, or doing other activities or even dressing up like a ball.

Mighty Murph

In the middle of each show in season one, Poko reads a Mighty Murph story. Each one is made using Macromedia Flash, in cartoon style, and involves a baby Mr. Murphy in some dilemma, such as being hungry, or having nowhere to play. He then imagines he is Mighty Murph (a superhero who is a parody of Superman, as Mighty Murph can be seen doing a scene which is a reference to the Superman 1940s film series), and flies around to find a solution to his problem. His search is fruitless, and he realizes the best place is just where he is, as his own self with his mother. The stories are told by the narrator.

Awards

• Gemini - Best Pre-School Program (2004)
• ACT Award - Grand Prize (2007)
• ACT Award - Animation Age 3-5 (2007)

External links

• POKO | canadaonscreen.ca
• Poko at IMDb
• Poko Pippity Pop - Kids' CBC Web Game
• Poko on Kids' CBC - for parents
• POKO on Halifax Film's website