Robocar Poli

Robocar Poli (Korean: 로보카 폴리; RR: Roboka Poli) is a South Korean animated children's television series created by RoiVisual. The series released its first episode on Educational Broadcasting System (EBS) in 2011, and has aired for four seasons. Robocar Poli consists of 104 eleven-minute episodes.

Robocar Poli
Also known as	PiyoPiyo Friends[1] Robo Poli[2]
Genre	Animation Children Comedy Music Adventure Educational Preschool
Created by	Lee Dong-woo (RoiVisual)
Voices of	Marc Thompson, Rebecca Soler, and more[3]
Theme music composer	Shin Seung-jun
Country of origin	South Korea
Original languages	Korean
No. of seasons	8
No. of episodes	208 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer	Eom Jun-yeong
Producers	Kim Seon-goo Bak Jeong-min Nam Han-gil Kim Rae-gyeong Park Jung-min
Running time	Approx. 11 minutes per episode
Production companies	RoiVisual Educational Broadcasting System Hyundai Motors Benex Investment Korea Creative Content Agency
Release
Original network	BBC One, EBS
Picture format	1080i
Audio format	Dolby Digital
Original release	February 28, 2011 – present
Chronology
Related shows	Traffic Safety with Poli Fire Safety with Roy Daily Life Safety with Amber Song-Song Museum (spin-offs)
External links
Website
Production website

Synopsis

In Brooms Town, a small town with a capable rescue team, there are always accidents such as a car sliding off a cliff in the rain, a car crash, or a child locked in a firehouse. In every episode, the town's rescue team saves characters from trouble. At the end of each episode, the rescue team strongly advises the characters who are in danger and viewing children.

Characters

the main characters

Main Characters

• Poli: (voiced by Marc Thompson) A blue and white police car. Poli boasts the fastest top speed. He leads the rescue team with great mental strength and persistence, protects the village from various dangers, and takes responsibility for traffic safety. Poli often gives simple advice on basic safety tips to those willing to listen, and he often makes the plans on a mission.
• Amber: (voiced by Rebecca Soler) Rebecca Soler) A pink and white ambulance van. Wise and clever, Amber provides clues to solutions in situations using her ample knowledge and quick judgement when the rescue team is in trouble. She protects the lives of friends with various medical tools and takes responsibility for safety accidents in daily life. Amber is knowledgeable in caring for plants and animals as well as people and vehicles, but she also has comparable computer skills. Amber was given a slight cosmetic change in Season 3, replacing the red cross on her lightbar with a red letter A.
• Roy: A red and yellow fire truck. Roy is very big and strong. He calmly and reliably solves problems in any rescue situation and is responsible for fire and electrical safety problems in the village. Roy uses a series of alternate attachments that include a crane arm, a portable hoist usable in robot mode, and a cherry picker in addition to his usual ladder. He also pulls much of the trailers the team uses on their missions. Additionally, he is physically the most powerful member of the team and carries a fire hose that sprays anything that can flow in a stream-like form.
• Helly:[4] Helly is a green and yellow helicopter flying through the sky. Armed with a positive and quick witted personality, he livens up the entire rescue team. His high performance search and information transmission abilities make him the messenger of choice of the rescue team. Helly uses his robot form more often than the others, as he has very few alternative ways to move on the ground. He also uses many special tools and equipment in his work. Parts of his legs were recolored in Season 3, as they a notably more grey in color.
• Jin: She is the leader of the rescue squad and she wears orange and yellow clothes. Unlike the other members of the team, she is a human being rather than a machine; she is an inventor, having made several that have help the team, though not all of them have been considered successes.

Mountain Rescue Team

• Carry: A new character, introduced in Season 4. He is a Plane. He also carries Mark and Bucky with himself, because he is a member of the Mountain Rescue Team.
• Mark: A new character, introduced in Season 4. He is a Kia Bongo. He always supports The Rescue Team during missions along with his best friend Bucky.
• Bucky: Another new character, also introduced in Season 4. He is also a Tow truck just like Spooky. Like Mark, Bucky is best friends with Mark and The Rescue Team and Jin. He also helps The Rescue Team too.

Spin-off Characters

• Kevin: (voiced by Grey Griffin), A boy with blonde hair. He only appeared in Traffic Safety with Poli.
• Susie: (voiced by Cristina Vee), Kevin's younger sister.
• Sally: (voiced by Lisa Ortiz), Kevin and Susie's mother.
• Bob: (voiced by Eric Stuart), Kevin and Susie's father.
• Elizabeth: Kevin's cat (accidentally called Mittens by Sally).
• Doug: (voiced by Collin Dean), A boy with brown hair and freckles. He is also best friends with Kevin.
• Jenny: (voiced by Michele Knotz), A girl with red hair. She is also Kevin and Doug's classmate.
• Cindy the pizza delivery girl: (voiced by Rachael Lillis), She delivers pizzas to everybody.
• Peter: (voiced by Veronica Taylor), A boy with blonde hair. He only appeared in Fire Safety with Roy and Daily Life Safety with Amber.
• Lucy: (voiced by Liliana Mumy), Peter's younger sister.
• Robert: (voiced by Bill Rogers), Peter and Lucy's father.
• Sarah: (voiced by Amy Birnbaum), Peter and Lucy's mother.
• Buddy: Peter's dog.
• Johnny: (voiced by Tara Strong), A boy with brown hair. He is also best friends with Peter.
• Ralph: (voiced by Jason Griffith), Johnny's Father. He has a moustache.
• Cindy: (voiced by Emily Bauer), A girl with orange hair. Cindy is good at studying and sports. She is prim and very decisive. She is also Peter, Johnny, and Charles' classmate.
• Monica: (voiced by Eileen Stevens), Cindy's mother.
• Charles: (voiced by Ted Lewis), A boy with black hair and glasses. He is also Peter, Johnny, and Cindy's classmate. Charles' hobby is reading fairy tales; he's a rather nerdy smart student. He is more quiet and timid than his other friends.
• Tommy: (voiced by Jimmy Zoppi), A firefighter. He doesn't live in Broom's Town.

Villains

• Truck-X: A naughty truck, who has been disguising himself as all kinds of trucks, he only appeared in Brave Mr. Musty. He kidnapped Mini and her friends, but got caught and arrested by Poli and his teammates.
• Poacher: A naughty jeep, who has been hunting for animals. In his only appearance in Move Out! Battle in the Woods, Poacher hunted the deer, but got caught and arrested by the Brooms Town rescue team and a mountain rescue team.
• James: A stranger, who has been up to no good, he only appeared in Don't Go with Strangers. He tricked Peter and Johnny, and kidnapped Peter, but got caught and arrested by Poli, when Johnny called for help.

Other Characters

• Annie: She is best friends with Mary. She likes to hangout with her, But only on occasions.
• Benny: A Hyundai Porter who is nice, neat and very frantic. He likes to hang out with his best friends, Mini and Rody.
• Betty: She is Mr. Wheeler's granddaughter, who lives in a different country.
• Bruner: A Backhoe Loader who is a member of The Construction Team. However, he looks more like a stupid robot than a backhoe loader. He is also the big cousin of Bruny.
• Bruny: A Loader who is the little cousin of Bruner. He is also too young to be a member of The Construction Team.
• Camp: A Recreational vehicle who is a camper, He always has been camping in the woods since when he was little. He was mean and nasty, but for now, he is now friends with Poli and his teammates.
• Cap: A Taxi who is best friends with Posty. But sometimes they argue at each other, Although they both stay the same.
• Cici: A Container Ship who works at the Harbour. She is a member of the Harbour Team and is friends with Lefy, Leky, and Lety.
• Cleany: A Street sweeper who is sometimes clumsy, But is good with his friends and his job as cleaning all over Broom's Town.
• Dump: A Dump truck who is the leader of The Construction Team, He is also best friends with Titan.
• Jessie: She wears glasses, and likes to go for a walk with her mom.
• Lefy: An orange Crane who is part of The Harbor Team and is friends with Lety and Leky.
• Leky: A yellow Crane who is also part of The Harbor Team and he is friends with Lefy and Lety.
• Lety: A blue Crane who is also part of The Harbor Team and he is friends with Lefy and Leky.
• Lifty: A Forklift who is a member of The Harbor Team, she is friends with Cleany and she is best friends with Terry.
• Marine: A Lifeboat who is a member of The Harbor Team, he is a lucky sailor who is sometimes the guardian of the crew, he also has a pet dolphin named Ming Ming.
• Mary: She is a calm, shy and a good friend to The Rescue Team. She is well-behaved just like her friend Annie.
• Max: A Road roller/Steamroller who is part of The Construction Team.
• Micky: A Cement mixer who is the member of The Construction Team.
• Mini: (voiced by Lisa Ortiz) A Kei car who is sweet, shy and soft. She is best friends with Rody and Benny and the granddaughter of Musty.
• Mr. Builder: He is the master of The Construction Team. He tough and short tempered and often shouts at them.
• Mr. Wheeler: He is the store clerk of Brooms Town. He is sometimes snobbish, sarcastic and narcissistic, But he is good to Jin and The Rescue Team for his commands and actions. He is also Betty's grandfather.
• Ms. Belle: She is the harbor master.
• Musty: A Lincoln Mark VIII who is elderly, loyal and calm. He is the mayor of Brooms Town and is the grandfather of Mini.
• Poke: An excavator who is a member of The Construction Team. Unlike the rest of the characters, he doesn't talk.
• Posty: A mail Auto rickshaw on three wheels who is a cheap, spectacular and vehicle. She is best friends with Cap and her job is delivering mail. She is a Piaggio Ape.
• Rody: (voiced by Sarah Natochenny), A Hyundai Porter who is cool, selfish and mean. But he is good to his friends, Mini and Benny.
• Ryan: He wears glasses, he has been writing thank you, now he's learned to write someone's address, and a return address.
• Sam: Annie and Mary's first classmate.
• SchoolB: A School bus who is like a teacher to the kids and always make good deeds and starts dropping off and picking up kids from school.
• Spooky: A tow truck (specifically a 'boom' truck) who is mischievous, stubborn and timid, But he is always helpful and is a good friend to The Rescue Team.
• Stacy: An owner of the battery recharter station. She has brown hair and wears a dark-magenta outfit.
• Terry: A Container Truck who is the leader of The Harbor Team and is a loyal friend to the 3 crane crew and he is best friends with Lifty.
• Tim: Annie and Mary's second classmate.
• Titan: A Dump truck who is best friends with Dumpo. And a member of The Construction Team.
• Toby: Annie and Mary's third classmate.
• Tracky: A Tractor who is a farmer who works in a barnyard with a farm. He is also like a boss to the crew.
• Trino: A Train who is a fabulous new friend to come to Brooms Town Railroad Station.
• Whooper: A Transit bus who is a wise villager like village guy in the neighborhood city of Broom's Town.

Production

While in production, this series was selected for the section of full-length animation at Global Animation Project 2009 hosted by Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), under the title of PiyoPiyo Friends.[1]

Broadcast

In the latter half of 2011, the films were exported from South Korea to France. Internationally, the program currently airs on French and Taiwanese channels. The series aired in Japan on TV Tokyo between April 6, 2013 and September 24, 2014.[5] Also aired in South Korea channel on Tooniverse.

An English dub of Robocar Poli airs in American on Okto.[6] In Canada, it debuted on Treehouse TV on January 6, 2018.[7] It is also available on Netflix and YouTube.[8][9] A separate British dub of the series began airing on Nick Jr. Too in the UK starting February 27, 2017.[10]

Episodes

Season		Episodes		Originally aired
				First aired	Last aired
	1	26		February 28, 2011	July 12, 2011
	2	26		December 26, 2011	May 15, 2012
	3	26		February 26, 2014	May 22, 2014
	4	26		August 31, 2015	November 24, 2015
	5	26		July 2, 2020	August 13, 2020

Reception

This series has had high ratings in South Korea, and became the chief rival of Pororo the Little Penguin which had been number one in the industry. Related merchandise includes cakes,[11] toys,[12] books, and apparel. In South Korea, Poli is frequently called 폴총리 (Pol-chong-ri) which means "Poli, the Minister of Children".[13] This follows Pororo which is famously known as 뽀통령 (Po-tong-ryeong), meaning "Pororo, the President of Children".[14]

Merchandise

On March 12, 2013, Korea Post issued commemorative stamps for the series. As the third installment of the "Korean-Made Characters Series Stamps", Robocar Poli was introduced, following the introduction of Pororo the Little Penguin and Pucca.[15] Two million copies of the stamps were printed for sale (10 copies per set).[16]

Spin-offs

Traffic Safety with Poli

«Traffic Safety with Poli»(Korean: 폴리와 함께하는 교통안전 이야기; RR: Polli-wa Ham-kke-ha-neun Gyo-tong-an-jeon Yi-ya-gi) is a first spin-off of the original series. As part of Hyundai Motors' global corporate social responsibility project with RoiVisual and EBS, the series was produced to educate children on the importance of traffic safety,[17] and has aired for two seasons. The first season of the spin-off was shown as six 11-minute episodes, each with two segments. In Singapore, it debuted on Okto on December 27, 2015.[18] It premiered in Canada on Treehouse TV on February 2, 2019.[19]

Season		Episodes		Originally aired
				First aired	Last aired
	1	12		December 5, 2011	December 20, 2011
	2	14		March 1, 2013	May 31, 2013

Fire Safety with Roy

«Fire Safety with Roy» is the second spin-off of the original series. Centered on Roy, it debuted in August 2017 on EBS. In Singapore, it debuted on Okto on December 8, 2018.[20]

Daily Life Safety with Amber

«Daily Life Safety with Amber» is the third spin-off of the original series. Centered on Amber, it debuted in August 2018 on EBS. In Singapore, it debuted on Channel 5's Okto block on October 19, 2019.[21]

References

1. "'Global Animation Project 2009' kicks off". Retrieved 19 March 2013. For the section of full-length animation, two works such as 'the Hen that Went outside the Yard (MK Pictures) and PiyoPiyo Friends (Roivisual) have been chosen.
2. "Robo Poli (Children) 2018–Present". TV Passport. Archived from the original on 6 February 2018.
3. "Press Conference Korea Indonesia Film Festival (KIFF) 2015 – Facebook". facebook.com. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
4. Bristol, Kate (March 8, 2016). "YEAHHH! ROBOCAR POLI! I play the little green helicopter in this show (his name is Hally) and it's SUPER CUTE. heart emoticon". Retrieved April 9, 2016 – via Facebook.
5. "テレビ東京・あにてれ　ロボカーポリー". TV Tokyo. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
6. "Robocar Poli S3 & S4 (HD) Show Info". Okto. Mediacorp. Archived from the original on January 15, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
7. "Beyblade Burst Evolution on Télétoon; Mary and the Witch's Flower in theatres next month". I Miss Bionix. January 21, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
8. @netflix_bot (March 17, 2017). "Robocar Poli (2011) TV-Y [Series] is now available on Netflix Instant" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
9. "Robocar POLI TV". Roivisual. YouTube. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
10. "Nick Jr. Too UK To Premiere "Robocar Poli" On Monday 27th February 2017". NickALive!. February 4, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
11. Lee, Seong-soo (9 June 2011). 뽀로로 케이크 다음은 로보카 폴리다. EBN (in Korean). Retrieved 20 March 2013.
12. Lee, Gyeong-seon (25 January 2012). "로보카폴리 잡아라" 아빠는 지금 전쟁중. Kukinews (in Korean). Retrieved 20 March 2013.
13. Lee, Yeon-chun (20 December 2012). 올해 크리스마스, 어린이에겐 대통령보다 폴총리. NEWSPIM (in Korean). Retrieved 20 March 2013. See "로보카 폴리는 '폴총리(로보카폴리+총리)'라는 별칭으로 불릴 정도로 어린이들 사이에서 최고의 인기를 누리고 있는 캐릭터".
14. [우정이야기]'폴총리' 우표나라에 출동하다. The Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). Retrieved 20 March 2013. See "어린이 대통령이라고 해서 '뽀통령'으로 통하는 '뽀로로'".
15. Jo, Yeong-min (11 March 2013). '로보카 폴리' 12일 우표로 출시. Asia News Agency (in Korean). Retrieved 18 March 2013.
16. Lee, Mi-ji (13 March 2013). 로보카 폴리 우표 200만장 발행. NocutNews (in Korean). Retrieved 3 April 2013.
17. Lee, Gang-hyeok (20 July 2011). 현대차, '폴리'와 함께 교통안전 애니메이션 공급. NEWSPIM (in Korean). Retrieved 19 March 2013.
18. "Robocar Poli Traffic Safety Series Show Info". Okto. Mediacorp. Archived from the original on December 21, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
19. "TV Schedule for Treehouse HD". TV Passport. Archived from the original on January 19, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
20. "Robocar Poli Fire Safety Show Info". Okto. Mediacorp. Archived from the original on December 17, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
21. "Daily Life Safety with Amber Show Info". Toggle.sg. Mediacorp. Archived from the original on October 22, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2019.

External links

• Official website
• Robocar Poli on EBS (in Korean)

{{Animation industry in South Korea