Poko (TV series)

Poko is a Canadian stop motion children's television series about a young boy, his pet dog, and his toy monkey.[1] 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 is still broadcast 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 is narrated by actor and dancer Cory Bowles.

Poko
Genre	Children's television series
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 Alliance Atlantis Halifax Film Company
Distributor	CBC
Release
Original network	CBC Television
Picture format	4:3 SDTV
Original release	December 1, 2003 – July 31, 2008

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

Characters

• Poko (voiced by Cameron Davidson) is a little boy. Every day he plays in his bedroom, or out in his backyard. Poko, however, 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.
• Minus is Poko's pet dog. He is very playful, and often causes trouble. Minus is named for the sign minus (–). Although he can't always understand what is going on, he sometimes shows 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.
• 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. Bibi first appeared in the second season.

Show structure

The show follows the same sequence every episode:

• Title sequence
• Poko wakes up
• Indoor episode
• Play sequence
• Mighty Murph story (season one); Poko's Playhouse (season two)
• Play sequence
• Outdoors episode
• Play sequence
• Ending sequence

Episodes

There are two segments in each episode. 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 sing "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 singing a background song.

Similiar 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" "Poko's Pool"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	December 1, 2003	TBA	101	N/A
2	"Poko and the Scary Shadow" "Pirate Gold" "Poko Kicks a Ball"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	December 8, 2003	TBA	102	N/A
3	"Mr. Murphy in the Middle" "A Super Monkey Loves to Play" "Reaching Mr. Murphy"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	December 15, 2003	TBA	103	N/A
4	"King Poko" "Super Monkey at the Supermarket" "Poko's Swing"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	December 22, 2003	TBA	104	N/A
5	"Poko Gets Bugged" "Mighty Murph's Street Treats" "Poko Makes a Hole"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	December 29, 2003	TBA	105	N/A
6	"Poko-Motion" "Monkey Business at the Silly Circus" "Poko's Scooter"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	January 5, 2004	TBA	106	N/A
7	"Poko Has a Ball" "A Super Monkey Needs to See" "Poko on the Slide"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	January 12, 2004	TBA	107	N/A
8	"Poko's Little Sister" "A Super Monkey Loves to Drum" "Poko's Pool"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	January 19, 2004	TBA	108	N/A
9	"Baby Murphy" "A Super Monkey Loves to Touch" "Poko's Lemonade Stand"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	January 26, 2004	TBA	109	N/A
10	"Poko and the Bunny Slippers" "A Super Monkey Loves to Drum" "Poko Kicks a Ball"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	February 2, 2004	TBA	110	N/A
11	"Poko and the Scary Shadow" "Something Yummy at the Zoo" "Poko's Laundry Day"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	February 9, 2004	TBA	111	N/A
12	"Poko's New Toy" "A Super Monkey Loves to Fly" "Reaching Mr. Murphy"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	February 16, 2004	TBA	112	N/A
13	"Mr. Murphy in the Middle" "Something Yummy for a Monkey Tummy" "Poko's Broken Toy"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	February 23, 2004	TBA	113	N/A
14	"Poko Alone" "Something Yummy for a Monkey Tummy" "Poko's Swing"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	March 1, 2004	TBA	114	N/A
15	"King Poko" "Pirate Gold" "Fireman Poko"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	March 8, 2004	TBA	115	N/A
16	"Dr. Poko" "A Super Monkey Loves to Play" "Poko Makes a Hole"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	March 15, 2004	TBA	116	N/A
17	"Poko Gets Bugged" "Super Monkey at the Supermarket" "Hide-'n'-Seek Poko"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	March 22, 2004	TBA	117	N/A
18	"Poko's Circus" "Mighty Murph's Street Treats" "Poko's Scooter"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	March 29, 2004	TBA	118	N/A
19	"Poko-Motion" "Monkey Business at the Silly Circus" "Poko's Sandcastle"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	April 5, 2004	TBA	119	N/A
20	"Poko's Band" "A Super Monkey Needs to See" "Poko on the Slide"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	April 12, 2004	TBA	120	N/A

Season 2 (2008)

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	American air date	Prod. code	US viewers (millions)
1	"Poko the Submarine Explorer" "Poko, Bibi and the Dragon"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	February 7, 2008	TBA	201	N/A
2	"Super Poko" "Poko and Bibi's Bug Adventure"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	February 14, 2008	TBA	202	N/A
3	"Poko and Bibi at the Fancy Restaurant" "Poko the Pirate"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	February 21, 2008	TBA	203	N/A
4	"Poko Plays School" "Poko's Picnic"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	February 28, 2008	TBA	204	N/A
5	"Poko and Bibi Play House" "Poko and the Dinosaur"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	March 6, 2008	TBA	205	N/A
6	"Poko's Shadow Show" "Poko and Bibi Play Soccer"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	March 13, 2008	TBA	206	N/A
7	"Bibi's Ballet Class" "Poko's Ducky Day"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	March 20, 2008	TBA	207	N/A
8	"Poko's Puppet Show" "Poko's Lemonade Stand"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	March 27, 2008	TBA	208	N/A
9	"Poko's Robot" "Poko Plays Golf"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	April 3, 2008	TBA	209	N/A
10	"Hocus Pocus Poko" "Poko and Bibi's Playdate"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	April 10, 2008	TBA	210	N/A
11	"Poko's Patients" "Poko Goes Camping"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	April 17, 2008	TBA	211	N/A
12	"Poko and Bibi's Dress-Up Day" "Minus Has the Hiccups"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	April 24, 2008	TBA	212	N/A
13	"Poko's Puzzle" "Nutty's Nuts"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	May 1, 2008	TBA	213	N/A
14	"Mr. Murphy's Birthday" "Poko the Gymnast"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	May 8, 2008	TBA	214	N/A
15	"Poko's Masks" "Poko Plays Croquet"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	May 15, 2008	TBA	215	N/A
16	"Poko and Bibi at the Toy Store" "Jungle Jim"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	May 22, 2008	TBA	216	N/A
17	"Bibi's Pop-Up Book" "Poko’s Piñata"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	May 29, 2008	TBA	217	N/A
18	"Poko and Bibi's Treasure Hunt" "Poko and Minus Play Tag"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	June 5, 2008	TBA	218	N/A
19	"Poko's Harmonica" "Poko's New Friend"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	June 12, 2008	TBA	219	N/A
20	"Minus the Babysitter" "Poko's Monster Truck"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	June 19, 2008	TBA	220	N/A
21	"Poko and Bibi Play Statue" "Poko the Pilot"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	June 26, 2008	TBA	221	N/A
22	"Poko's Pie" "Poko and Bibi Play Fairies"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	July 3, 2008	TBA	222	N/A
23	"Poko's Messy Room" "Poko and Bibi of the Arctic"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	July 10, 2008	TBA	223	N/A
24	"Poko's Flowers" "Poko's Windy Day"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	July 17, 2008	TBA	224	N/A
25	"Poko and Bibi's Petting Zoo" "Poko's Balloon Ride"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	July 24, 2008	TBA	225	N/A
26	"Poko and Bibi Play Musical Chairs" "Minus Gets a Bath"	Chuck Rubin	Jeff Rosen and Cheryl Wagner	July 31, 2008	TBA	226	N/A

Play sequence

There are two thirty-second shorts 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 parodied as Superman as Mighty Murph can be seen doing a scene which is a reference to the Superman (Fielscheir animated 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)

References

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbzXacND9eo

External links

• https://web.archive.org/web/20140426221553/http://www.canadaonscreen.ca/productions/television/poko
• Poko at IMDb
• Poko Pippity Pop - Kids' CBC Web Game
• Poko on Kids' CBC - for parents
• POKO on Halifax Film's website