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Budgie the Little Helicopter

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Budgie the Little Helicopter
File:Budgie the Little Helicopter.jpg
GenreAnimated series
Created bySarah, Duchess of York
Developed bySleepy Kids[1]
Written byBrian Trueman
Directed byGary Blatchford
Voices ofRichard Pearce
Abigail MacVean
Jeremy Nicholas
Kerry Shale
Ray Lonnen
Tony Jackson
Melvyn Hayes
William Vanderpuye
Pippa Haywood
Peter Lloyd
Ania Sowinski
Zoe Hodges
Adrian Hansel
Jeff Rawle
Judy Bennett
Jill Lidstone
Eve Karpf
Gary Martin
Susan Sheridan
Frank Welker
Narrated byJeff Rawle
Theme music composerPaul K. Joyce
ComposerDennis C. Brown
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes39
Production
Executive producersDan Maddicot
Martin Powell
Viven Schrager Powell
Fred Wolf
ProducerMichael Algar
Running time10 minutes
22 Minutes (Christmas Television Special)
Production companiesFred Wolf Films
Sleepy Kids
HTV West
Sarah, Duchess of York
Scottish Television Enterprises[2]
Flowco Animation
(Seasons 2 and 3)
Dai Won Animation
(Overseas Production)
Original release
NetworkITV Network (CITV)[3]
Release4 January 1994 (1994-01-04) –
25 March 1996 (1996-03-25) (series)
25 September 1996 (1996-09-25) (Series finale Special)

Budgie the Little Helicopter is a 1994-1996 British animated television series aimed particularly at children 2 to 8 years old, relating to a fictional helicopter and his friends, based on a series of children's books.[5] The characters were based on the books by Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York.[6] The show was coproduced by Fred Wolf Films Dublin, The Sleepy Kids Company and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York for ITV Wales & West and Scottish Television Enterprises, and originally aired on British television in 1994 on CITV, where it ran for 39 episodes. A range of videos, books, and toys were released under the Budgie label.

The show aired in the United States on FOX, and in the United Kingdom on CITV, as part of the Fox Cubhouse programming block from 1995 to 1996, and moved to the Fox Family Channel in 1998 as part of It's Itsy Bitsy Time.[7] The series was redubbed with North American voices for It’s Itsy Bitsy Time.

On release of the very first book, Sarah was accused by the media of copying the idea for the series from an out-of-print 1960 book Hector the Helicopter, by A.W. Baldwin, which she denied.[8]

The TV series is legally available on Sarah Ferguson's official YouTube channel.[9]

Characters

Aircraft

Main

  • Budgie the Little Helicopter (voiced by Richard Pearce) is the title character (that seems to resemble a Bell 206) with a big yellow cap covering his entire airframe (and a small tuft of brown hair underneath) and also speaks in Teenage accent. He lives and works at Harefield Airfield, and he and Pippa are best friends. He can be cheeky and troublesome at times, but he works hard too, and continuously tries to please Lionel, the Aircraft in charge. He will also bravely come to the assistance of people in danger. He hates going through the heli-wash, and avoids doing so whenever he can. He also has a Phobia about Missiles. A white teddy bear named Snowy can nearly always be seen carried in a deep pocket on Budgie's starboard. His catchphrase is "Rocketing Rotors".
  • Pippa the Single-Engined Mono-Plane (voiced by Abigail MacVean) is Budgie's friend with a tuft of blonde hair and a big pink white-spotted bow attached to her roof. Pippa was the second aircraft to arrive at Harefield Airfield, and at first, she teased Budgie and called him a yo-yo and then a snail. After a race and several comparisons about who was the best of the best, they both became firm friends. She enjoys helping out, and likes using the heli-wash (as opposed to Budgie).
  • Chuck the American Helicopter (voiced by Kerry Shale) (was stated in the second TV episode as being a Boeing CH-47 Chinook) is a twin-rotored helicopter, with what appears to be a crew cut under his cap. He comes from America and does not understand British English well. He sometimes gets cocky and likes to show off, but this led him to trouble when he disrupted an air show and finished up in a pond. He also has a bad habit of frequently calling Lionel "Captain".
  • Lionel the Senior Helicopter (voiced by Jeremy Nicholas) is the series' "aircraft in charge", (influenced by a Westland Lynx), sporting a modern-era pilot's cap, moustache and a collar (with his front landing gear resembling a tie). He does not take kindly to Budgie, Pippa, or especially Chuck causing trouble and making themselves nuisances, but he always keeps things in order with his patient but firm ways. He insists on cleanliness from himself and the other aircraft at all times, and is nicer than what he appears to be. His catchphrase is "Juddering joysticks".

Other aircraft

  • Patsy the American stunt plane (was stated by Lionel as being a Pitt's Special).
  • Wally the old Supermarine Walrus
  • Jean Claude the pompous French Concorde
  • Jasper Jeer-jet the snobbish private jet. Jasper was a joker to start off and kept on radioing Harefield Airfield pretending there was an emergency, but when he really did need help in a storm, Budgie came to his rescue, and since then Jasper has realised it is not a good idea to play the fool all the time.
  • Henry the three-winged propeller-driven 1930s airliner
  • Olivia The Edgley Optica (only in Put Up or Stuck Up)
  • Dougie The Police Helicopter (only in Eye in The Sky)
  • The Emerald Helicopter (only in Eye in The Sky)
  • Unnamed Boeing 747 jet plane (only in Double Trouble)
  • A Very Naughtiest Version of Budgie
  • The naughty Piper plane, Pippa's "double" (only in Double Trouble)
  • Aircraft Carrier Helicopter
  • Gloria The Glider
  • Mini Planes (only appeared in Deep Sleep)
  • Three other gliders
  • Gus the Guppy (based on an Aero Spacelines Super Guppy), is a huge American transport aircraft.
  • Harvey the grey Royal Navy BAE Sea Harrier jet fighter. Harvey appeared in All at Sea and Boats, Boots and Budgie. His name was revealed in Blown Up Let down. He speaks with a traditional Royal Navy pilot voice.
  • Harvey's 2 BAE Sea Harrier brothers
  • Buddy the Sikorsky Skycrane, Chuck's old friend from the air force
  • 3 French Super Jets (from Budgie Barges In)
  • Genevieve – a French female Jodel D11 aircraft (The Air Show and Budgie Barges In)
  • White jet plane with blue line (only appeared in magazines)
  • Other planes and helicopters (only appeared in books)
  • Monsieur the Mime Helicopter (only appeared in books)
  • Bobby the Blue Helicopter (only appeared in books)
  • Western the Mexican Plane (only appeared in books)
  • Unnamed blue helicopter (only appeared in magazines)
  • Hot air balloons (only appeared in The Balloon Goes Up)
  • Spaceship (only appeared in magazines)

Non-aircraft/ground characters

  • Dell the yellow Baggage cart Towing Truck (voiced by Jeff Rawle, who also serves as the narrator)
  • Smokey the airfield fire engine
  • Don the blue stairs lorry
  • Ernest the tractor (In episode Silent Flight Gloria called him "Mr. Smelly Exhaust" when he was launching gliders using his winch.)
  • Julie the posh purple vintage car
  • Nosey the driller (spoofed on The Three Stooges)
  • Backhoe the Backhoe loader (spoofed on The Three Stooges)
  • Smashit the Bulldozer who gets Budgie in Trouble
  • Sonia the Limousine
  • Jake the Steam locomotive
  • Fred the Canal Barge
  • Harry the Inflatable Boat (only appeared in Blown Up Let Down)
  • Gimbus The Cement Mixer (only appeared in Budgie Sticks To It)
  • Cubey the Stuck Up ROV Submarine (only appeared in the Ups & Downs)
  • Sharkey the Aircraft Carrier (only appeared in the book Budgie Goes To The Sea)
  • Unnamed Blue Car (only appeared in Boom Boom Budgie)
  • Pirate Ship (only appeared in magazines)
  • Tugboat (only appeared in magazines)
  • Aircraft Carriers (only appeared in books)

Human characters

  • Mrs. Nancy Kitchen, the twins' mother
  • Ben Kitchen, Lucy's brother
  • Lucy Kitchen, Ben's sister
  • Mike Sprocket the mechanic, always making mistakes, to the disapproval of Ken. His catchphrase is, "Aw, man!"
  • Ken Wrench the mechanic
  • The control tower operator
  • Jim, one of Budgie's Aircraft pilots
  • Arnold, one of Budgie's Aircraft pilots
  • other Pilots and Drivers to all Others

Animal characters

  • Snowy the Teddy Bear
  • The Rabbit
  • Fergus the cat
  • Oliver the hangar owl
  • The Hangar mouse

Voice Cast (UK only)

Home media

UK VHS

VHS Title VHS number Release date Episodes
Budgie the Little Helicopter Pippa Arrives VA30318 7 March 1994 Pippa Arrives, Chuck Comes Unstuck, Budgie's Blizzard, Ice Work, Budgie, Budgie Takes a Catch
Budgie the Little Helicopter The Air Show VA30336 7 November 1994 The Air Show, All At Sea, Boats, Boots and Budgie, Copters and Robbers
Budgie the Little Helicopter Daydreams and Candy Floss VA30359 6 March 1995 Daydreams and Candy Floss, Flying in Arctic Circles, What's Bruin?, Down on the Farm
Budgie the Little Helicopter Budgie Sticks To It VA30372 3 July 1995 Budgie Sticks To It, Skids, Stunts and Soap, Aliens Have Landed, Who's A Clever Budgie?, Blown Up, Let Down
Budgie the Little Helicopter Wally Waddles In VA30394 6 November 1995 Wally Waddles In, The Balloon Goes Up, Surprise, Surprise, Deep Sleep
Budgie the Little Helicopter The Complete First Series VA30626 13 May 1996 Pippa Arrives, Chuck Comes Unstuck, Budgie's Blizzard, Ice Work, Budgie, Budgie Takes a Catch, The Air Show, All At Sea, Boats, Boots and Budgie, Copters and Robbers, Daydreams and Candy Floss, Flying in Arctic Circles, What's Bruin?, Down on the Farm
Budgie the Little Helicopter The Complete Second Series VA30647 7 October 1996 Budgie Sticks To It, Skids, Stunts and Soap, Aliens Have Landed, Who's A Clever Budgie?, Blown Up, Let Down, Wally Waddles In, The Balloon Goes Up, Surprise, Surprise, Deep Sleep, Bad News, Good News, Budgie Barges In, Dutch Courage, Budgie's Opening Goal
Budgie the Little Helicopter The Complete Third Series VA30680 3 March 1997 Boom Boom Budgie, Writers in the Sky, Double Trouble, Eye in the Sky, Chuck's Buddy, The Aqueduct, Plane Silly, The Plane Who Cried Wolf, The Runaway Train, A Tail of Woe, Put Up or Stuck Up, Silent Flight, Ups & Downs

US VHS releases

Episodes

Season 1 (1994)

title information
Pippa Arrives Pippa, the new arrival, comes to Harefield, but commentary sparks chaos with Budgie.
Chuck Comes Unstuck The Harefield fete soon comes to Harefield, but Chuck's shenanigans cause many mishaps.
Budgie's Blizzard During a sudden blizzard, Budgie has to take a pregnant woman to the hospital when she is about to have her baby.
Ice Work, Budgie After running out of fuel during the midnight hospital run, Budgie finds that the field he landed on is actually a frozen pond, and Pippa gets stuck in a snowdrift while delivering his fuel. Luckily, the children are nearby and come up with creative solutions.
Budgie Takes a Catch After Budgie laughs at Lionel's mishap with a vacuum cleaner, the aircraft in charge takes him off the airshow and leaves him on lobster duty as punishment. He ends up losing the lobsters and doing a fog rescue.
The Air Show Budgie and his friends take part in the air show, but 2 suspicious men arrive on the big day and steal Genevieve.
All At Sea Budgie is delivering parts to a navy ship and has to spend the night on an aircraft carrier due to a storm.
Boats, Boots and Budgie The river overflows, flooding the airfield and a cow named Daisy has to move to another field. Budgie then tries to fix the source of the flood.
Copters and Robbers The two plane bandits steal a truck with the twins as stowaways, forcing Budgie and his friend, Pippa to give chase.
Daydreams and Candy Floss Budgie ends up in Musselton after stopping the plane bandits, and has to wait for Pippa to guide him home. He helps some people after they get stuck on a broken roller coaster, getting a ride in the process while Pippa helps with a sand race.
Flying in Arctic Circles Budgie and his friends arrive in the Arctic Circle, and Budgie saves the professor after he slipped into the volcano.
What's Bruin? In the arctic circle, Pippa, Ken and Mike are stranded on an slab of ice broken off from shore and the mechanics are chased by a polar bear. Budgie also saves a baby whale.
Down on the Farm Farmer Hayes falls ill and cannot do his daily chores, so the aircraft decide to join in, but Lionel's engine overheats and a stray spark from it set the hay on fire, and Smokey's lack of water leaves Lionel in danger.

Season 2 (1995)

title information
Budgie Sticks To It While a new airport is being built, Budgie decides to visit it and ends up getting himself stuck in some thick cement.
Skids, Stunts and Soap Patsy makes a visit to Harefield Airfield, and chaos erupts, when Budgie sets a prank for Pippa.
Aliens Have Landed While Lionel is out on a job, Budgie hears that aliens are invading them thanks to a radio.
Who's A Clever Budgie? Chuck brings in loads of nuts from Brazil, and a stowaway parrot that proves quick to cause mayhem. Unbeknownst to them, the crates also contain stolen statues that are being targeted by thieves.
Blown Up, Let Down Pippa plays a retaliation prank on Budgie after a shape insult by pretending to be on a Super Guppy headed for America, but it backfires when Budgie gets lost at sea after he runs out of fuel. Luckily though, the aircraft carrier finds and rescues Budgie, but then, a bad treat is in store for Budgie - the heli-wash.
Wally Waddles In Wally comes to Harefield and stops a boat thief during a visit to the beach.
The Balloon Goes Up A balloon festival is taking place near Harefield, but suddenly, a balloon starts rising with both the twins on board, putting them in horrible danger. Budgie saves them after they land in a tree, and Chuck mistakes the animal balloons for monsters.
Surprise, Surprise Heavy pipes fall on the heliwash, badly damaging it in the process while Mrs. Kitchen is baking a cake for Ken's birthday, but the others mistake it for Budgie's.
Deep Sleep Wally recounts his time of saving a man from a shark on a stormy afternoon, causing Budgie to have a strange dream.
Bad News, Good News Harefield is about to be closed to be replaced by a factory, and Budgie rallies the gang to prevent it from happening.
Budgie Barges In Budgie and the other aircraft travel across to France for an air show, but when Ken stops Mike from refueling Budgie before they all go on a tour, he gets stuck on board a barge (a small boat) and the race is on to stop him from crashing into a low bridge before it's too late.
Dutch Courage On the way back from France, the aircraft have to drop a delivery off in Holland, but Budgie experiences a problem when he accidentally mistakes a windmill for a helicopter and both he and Pippa delay flower pickers by mistaking them for thieves.
Budgie's Opening Goal The new Harefield airport is finally opened and Budgie aids the Minister for Airports.

Season 3 (1996)

title information
Boom, Boom, Budgie Budgie tries to break the sound barrier during a tyre mix-up.
Writers in the Sky Budgie and an Airship save the day when Chuck crash-lands into a pond.
Double Trouble Budgie and Chuck discover that Pippa got replaced by a double in league with 2 criminals attempting to steal Harefield's business.
Eye in the Sky Budgie tasks as becoming a traffic helicopter for the day, but more trouble ensues in the process.
Chuck's Buddy When Chuck's old friend Buddy the Sky Crane arrives, he tries to remake things just the way he knows... only for disaster to strike.
The Aqueduct The aqueduct is under threat of collapsing due to erosion from a water pipe.
Plane Silly Budgie has to search for Ben and Lucy's lost model air-plane while a statue is coming to Harefield.
The Plane Who Cried Wolf Jasper has been constantly lying, so no one believes that he is in trouble. Budgie comes to his aid regardless.
The Runaway Train Jake is pulling the Royal Carriage and suddenly goes out of control on the railway line, forcing Budgie to try and stop him.
A Tail of Woe Lionel badly damages his tail rotor when he tries to avoid Ben and Lucy Kitchen's rabbits. Budgie sets out to find a new replacement before the twins find the lost rabbits.
Put Up or Stuck Up The air museum has opened at Harefield at last, and Budgie has to complete all his tasks on time for it.
Silent Flight The aircraft all set out to rescue some skiers stranded on a snowy mountain while flying with the gliders, all while Budgie helps Gloria take off on her own.
Ups and Downs Chuck is punished for mock imitation by having to pick up all the rotten vegetables on board a ship. Budgie is delivering pieces for a new bridge, but he soon spots two people trying to catch a dolphin and has to rescue a construction scout submarine entangled in their net.

Home video releases

In 1997, UAV Entertainment released some episodes of the series on individual VHS tapes and the complete series tapes were also released. Two DVDs were released in the UK in 2004 and 2006 with selected episodes. In 2007, Jigsaw Entertainment released the complete series on DVD in Australia and New Zealand.

References

  1. ^ "Budgie boost for Kids". Independent. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  2. ^ Eadie, Alison (4 December 1993). "Fergie's Budgie Coming to the US". Sun Sentinel. London. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  3. ^ Shepherd, John (17 March 1994). "Shares in Sleepy Kids doze". Independent. London. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  4. ^ "Budgie the little Helicopter – UMBRELLA FX".
  5. ^ Dullea, Georgia (16 February 1994). "AT TEA WITH: The Duchess of York; Mercy, Mischief and a Royal Fiction". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  6. ^ "Fergie's soaring". Canoe. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  7. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 162. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  8. ^ Starting over at 40
  9. ^ "Budgie the Little Helicopter S1 Ep1 Pippa Arrives". YouTube.
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