Timothy Goes to School

Timothy Goes to School is a Canadian-Chinese children's animated television series based on the series of Yoko and other individual books by Rosemary Wells such as "Shy Charles", "Fritz and the Mess Fairy", and "Noisy Nora", but is titled after the book of the same name.[1]

Timothy Goes to School
Genre	Children's television series Comedy Slice of life
Created by	Rosemary Wells
Developed by	Kate Barris
Directed by	Gary Hurst
Voices of	Austin Di lulio Lisa Yamanaka Alyson Court Max Morrow Mag Ruffman Darren Frost Rob Stefaniuk Tracy Ryan Joanne Vannicola Linda Kash Fiona Reid Jamie Watson
Theme music composer	Stan Meissner
Opening theme	It's a Brand New Day
Ending theme	It's a Brand New Day (instrumental)
Country of origin	Canada Hong Kong
Original languages	English Chinese
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	26 (52 segments)
Production
Executive producers	Stephen Ching Michael Hirsh Rosemary Wells Patrick Loubert Diana Manson Tina Peel Clive A. Smith
Running time	22 minutes (2 11-minute segments)
Production companies	Silver Lining Productions Animation Services Hong Kong Limited Nelvana
Release
Original network	PBS Kids (US) TVOntario (Canada)
Picture format	480i (4:3 SDTV)
Audio format	Stereo
Original release	September 30, 2000 – January 26, 2002

The show premiered on September 30, 2000, and aired its last episode on January 26, 2002. The show aired on PBS Kids as part of the PBS Kids Bookworm Bunch block from 2000 until 2004.

Premise

Timothy Goes to School primarily focuses on a young enthusiastic raccoon named Timothy (voiced by Austin Di Iulio), who attends kindergarten at a fictional place called "Hilltop School" along with ten other students (each of which are of different animals except for the Frank Twins). The kindergarten class is taught by Mrs. Jenkins, a comforting teacher who enjoys educating and helping her students.[2]

Characters

Below are the characters split up into three groups, children, adults, and others.

Children

Doris- played by Jenna Kelly. Doris and Jenna are both rodents and vermin. Doris is 6ft 1, she seems like the type.

• Timothy (voiced by Austin Di Iulio) – A raccoon. Although he is the main character of the show, not all episodes are centered on him. He is a well-meaning young boy, generally trying to be a friend to everyone. Occasionally, he can be impulsive. He wears a blue and white striped shirt, although he wore blue overalls on his first day at school and a red jacket on his second day.
• Yoko (voiced by Lisa Yamanaka) – A friendly gray tabby cat originally from Japan who is typically sweet and is the most warm-hearted child in the school. She plays the violin well and sees the best in people. Yoko enjoys many aspects of Japanese culture, including sushi and origami, which has occasionally caused problems for her and her classmates. She is Timothy's best friend and they are often seen together. She wears a yellow dress with a red cardigan over it.
• Nora (voiced by Alyson Court) – A Bole-brown mouse who is sometimes bossy and sulky. She is known for making a lot of noise which has earned her the nickname Noisy Nora. She owns a lizard called Norman who lives in the school. She has an eight-year-old sister, who is in grade 3, named Kate who has not appeared in the show other than as a picture Nora drew of her in "My Family", and an extremely messy baby brother named Jack who occasionally appears. She wears a purple dress.
• Charles (voiced by Max Morrow) – A gray mouse who likes to play by himself at recess but is often seen around Timothy, Lilly or Yoko, being the quieter members of the class. He engages in very creative and imaginative play, as he built a make-believe rocket to the stars. He has expressed shyness strongly in "Shy Charles", both at school and at home. As he is the smallest member of the class, he tends to not be good at sports, but he is not bothered by this. He wears a red shirt and blue overalls.
• Lilly (voiced by Mag Ruffman) – A fox who is forgetful and sometimes scatterbrained, and she often ties a string around a finger in order to remedy this. Lilly has a pet goldfish named Treasure. She is generally extremely absent-minded, but she remembers the most vital things. Her forgetfulness can often be a source of annoyance to the other characters, but they quickly forgive her. She wears a sea green skirt with an orange shirt and a pair of red tennis shoes.
• Frank #1 & Frank #2 (voiced by Darren Frost and Rob Stefaniuk respectively) are French Bulldog twin brothers who love sports and often speak in unison. The brothers speak in stilted, dull voices which suggest they are not particularly intelligent. They are known for fighting, telling jokes, and trying to do their things simultaneously with their signature jolly laughter. They are unable to stand being separated and can sometimes be slightly reckless. Their favorite food is franks and beans. Frank #1 is black and wears a blue jersey, whereas Frank #2 is orange and wears a green jersey.
• Doris (voiced by Tracy Ryan) – A beaver who is a boisterous tomboy. She is a talented soccer player who seems to have a fear of insects and spiders. Doris has three older brothers: Morris, Horace, and Boris. Doris is clearly the tallest student in her class, though at home, she is teased by her brothers as she is much smaller than they are. Doris appears to be the most avant-garde artist in class, as she believes her abstract art should not look like anything else, as long as it makes her happy. Most of the other characters are impressed by her size and strength. She can sometimes be mean, intentionally or not. She wears a pink dress with a darker pink bow in her hair.
• Fritz (voiced by Laurie Elliott) – A skunk who is very fond of science and is another one of Timothy's best friends. He leaves for another school in "Fritz on the Move" and returns soon after in "Many Happy Returns" after his mother got a new job. Fritz is also the most clever in the class, and occasionally knows more than the teacher about a particular subject. Fritz reacts poorly to the failure in his experiments and also has a tendency towards messiness. He originally wore a yellow shirt with a green necktie, but, upon returning in "Many Happy Returns", his tie is replaced by a green multi-pocketed vest.
• Claude (voiced by Joanne Vannicola) – A raccoon who tries to be the best in the school but comes off arrogantly in some cases. Because of this, there is some rivalry between him and Timothy. However, they appear to become good friends after Timothy secretly teaches Claude to swim, after which Claude credits Timothy. He wears a dark green polo shirt and is most often seen with Grace.
• Grace (voiced by Linda Kash) – An upper-class ginger cat who likes things her way. Her interests include dance, especially ballet, and figure skating. She has a quick temper and gets quickly annoyed when mistakes are made and silly questions are asked from the other people in the class. She is seen playing with Claude most of the time. She wears a bright blue dress.
• Juanita (voiced by Susan Laney Dalton) – A tuxedo cat originally from Mexico who only appears in the final two episodes (the final two episodes from Season 2; the second and final season); "Mama Don't Go" and "Making New Friends". Upon joining the school, she is very nervous, anxious, and feels insecure without her mother, but she eventually overcomes her nerves. A new pupil to the school, she sees the best in people like Yoko. She has a doll named María and a gecko named Pablo.

Adults

• Mrs. Jenkins (voiced by Fiona Reid) – A fox and the teacher of the class. Her name was Miss Abercrombie before she married Mr. Jenkins as she was mentioned in the episode "Just in Time". She can play the piano well, sing songs and enjoys birdwatching as a hobby. She wears a green coat over a purple dress and a pair of glasses with red rims.
• Big Frank (voiced by Neil Crone) – A French bulldog and the single and widowed father of the Frank twins. He speaks in a gentle voice and is very kind, a great dad and encourages his sons. He is seen as good with the machinery and repairs, as he is easily able to fix Timothy's bicycle in "Red Thunder". He also helps the Franks fix Yoko's taketombo after they accidentally break it. He wears a blue business shirt.
• Henry (voiced by Jamie Watson) – A beaver. He is a cheerful janitor and bus driver. He wears a blue uniform and was once the student of Mrs. Jenkins back when she was called Miss Abercrombie. Despite his appearance, he is not that old. In "Just in Time", he told the class he attended kindergarten 25 years ago, suggesting he is 30 years old.
• Miss Appleberry – A skunk and a student teacher at Hilltop School who is very cheerful and is sometimes seen with Mrs. Jenkins, mostly on school trips. She usually wears a blue dress. When Mrs. Jenkins sprained her arm in "Get Well Soon", she was the substitute teacher.
• Mrs. Lightfoot – A mouse and the librarian who gives the children their first library cards. She only appears in "Read Me a Story".

Others

There are several notable adults and relatives, though many only appear in a couple of episodes (Yoko's mother, Doris' brothers, Nora's baby brother Jack, Charles's Auntie Bea, and the other children's parents). Yoko, Fritz, and Lilly do not appear to have their fathers while the Franks and Claude do not appear to have a mother, however, these situations are never explained in the show.

Episodes

Season 1 (2000)

No. overall	No. in season	Title [3][4]	Original air date [3][4]
1	1	"Timothy Goes to School/Yoko"	September 30, 2000
"Timothy Goes to School" – Timothy is concerned about the clothes that he needs to wear on his first day of the school since Claude always tells him what not to wear. "Yoko" – Yoko feels like an outcast because many students tease her Japanese lunches.
2	2	"On the Fritz/The Great Obstacle Course"	October 7, 2000
"On the Fritz" – Fritz makes a big mess and blames all of it on "the mess fairy". "The Great Obstacle Course" – The children at Hilltop School run a Sports Day, but Claude and Grace are the only ones who care about winning.
3	3	"Small Change/Shy Charles"	October 14, 2000
"Small Change" – Nora is reluctant to change of her room and she feels very moody and stern until she finds out that change is a good thing. "Shy Charles" – Charles is very shy when he sees his Auntie Bea, but he has to make a decision when Timothy gets locked in the janitorial closet.
4	4	"Don't Lose It Lilly/Frankless Frank"	October 21, 2000
"Don't Lose It Lilly" – The children respectfully show Lilly how she can remember everything. "Frankless Frank" – Frank #1 has a fever and has to stay at home, and Frank #2 feels lonely.
5	5	"Paint by Numbers/The Sleepover"	October 28, 2000
"Paint by Numbers" – Doris likes to paint abstract art, but the only person that she knows who appreciates it is Charles. "The Sleepover" – After hearing that the mischievous Frank twins are coming over for a sleepover, Timothy hides his favorite stuffed toy penguin as he thinks that the Franks will make fun of him.
6	6	"The Music Tree/Team Project"	November 4, 2000
"The Music Tree" – Yoko is chosen to be the lead cast of the Hilltop School Orchestra and gets stage fright. "Team Project" – Timothy chose Claude for a team project in order to win a silver star, but Claude will not let him do any of the work.
7	7	"Cherry Blossom/Talent Show"	November 11, 2000
"Cherry Blossom" – Yoko grows a Japanese Sakura plant. She becomes impatient and she learns that the trees take a long time in order to grow. "Talent Show" – Grace accidentally sprains her ankle and she is unable to perform her ballet at the school talent show, so she ends up being the Stage director and pulling a curtain when Timothy presents the actors.
8	8	"Scary Monsters/Lifesaver Lilly"	November 18, 2000
"Scary Monsters" – Nora has a strong fear of dinosaurs that prevents her from going on the school trip. The children help her face her fear by showing her that not all dinosaurs are extremely scary. "Lifesaver Lilly" – Lilly is not chosen to look after the class goldfish, Goldie. On a day with a heavy snowstorm, Lilly goes to the school and quickly grabs the goldfish and she looks after it at her home.
9	9	"Red Thunder/Putting It All Together"	November 25, 2000
"Red Thunder" – Timothy gets a new bicycle for his birthday. After participating in a safety day about bicycles at the school, he copies the brothers of Doris with their BMX bicycle tricks at the house of the Franks. Lily does not appear in this episode. She also does not appear in The Tree Fort and The Sandcastle. "Putting It All Together" – The children have to put together a jigsaw puzzle for a picnic in an hour.
10	10	"The Big Snowfall/Forever Friends"	December 2, 2000
"The Big Snowfall" – Doris unsuccessfully tries to show responsibility while looking after Lilly on her first snowfall. "Forever Friends" – Timothy's friendship with Yoko becomes strained as Yoko has to practice her ballet recital with Grace.
11	11	"Taking the Plunge/Timothy's Way"	December 9, 2000
"Taking the Plunge" – Timothy takes it upon himself to teach Claude how to swim. "Timothy's Way" – Timothy cannot think of anything to teach the children at school until he discovers that he is an expert at playing marbles.
12	12	"The Treefort and the Sandcastle/Get Well Soon"	December 16, 2000
"The Treefort and the Sandcastle" – The children at school split themselves into a boys-only Treefort club and a girls-only sandcastle club "Get Well Soon" – Mrs. Jenkins has an injury, so Miss Appleberry fills in as their substitute teacher. Everyone makes a get well soon card, but Fritz makes a present after hearing that Mrs. Jenkins' bird feeder had been damaged.
13	13	"In the Spotlight/Fritz on the Move"	December 23, 2000
"In the Spotlight" – Charles enjoys leaves but he is too shy to talk publicly about them. "Fritz on the Move" – Fritz moves far away so he is unable to attend Hilltop School anymore. Timothy feels upset, so the children and Mrs. Jenkins show him many ways in order to make him feel better and see Fritz again.

Season 2 (2001-2002)

No. overall	No. in season	Title [3][4]	Original air date [3][4]
14	1	"Many Happy Returns/You're Invited"	November 3, 2001
"Many Happy Returns" – Timothy finds out that Fritz has a surprise for him. Timothy discovers that his surprise is not a delivery, but that Fritz is moving back to Timothy's hometown and attends Hilltop School again. "You're Invited" – Everybody gets an invitation to Lilly's spring party except Doris. She tries to be friendly but later discovers that her brothers left the invitation outside.
15	2	"The Greatest/Rocky Friendship"	November 10, 2001
"The Greatest" – Because he found Nora's pet iguana, Timothy is forced to help all the children. "Rocky Friendship" – Charles and Fritz argue over a rare red rock. Timothy has to decide who should have it.
16	3	"Two for Tea/Abracadabra"	November 17, 2001
"Two for Tea" – Yoko's mother comes to the school in order to demonstrate the Japanese tea ceremony called "Sado". "Abracadabra" – Grace peeks in Fritz's book of magic tricks then she steals his talent. Fritz thinks that Timothy told her and he blames him. Later, Grace admits her mistake, and she is very well again.
17	4	"The Taketombo/Having a Wonderful Time"	November 24, 2001
"The Taketombo" – Yoko receives a Japanese toy called a Taketombo, which is accidentally broken by the Frank brothers and then repaired with the help of Big Frank. "Having a Wonderful Time" – The students of the school visit Hilltop Park and Grace becomes ultra-prepared, but Lilly worries that she is not having fun.
18	5	"The Shutterbug/The Friendship Stone"	December 1, 2001
"The Shutterbug" – Timothy brings a camera to the school, but when he takes his pictures, he thinks that none of the photographs are precise enough to be put in an album. Everyone ends up liking the photos after all with the butterfly Lilac of Lilly. "The Friendship Stone" – Nora and Lilly exchange a lucky penny for a painted stone as they are real friends. Lilly loses the stone that she receives and worries that their friendship would be over. However, Nora is not upset.
19	6	"New Found Franks/When I Grow Up"	December 8, 2001
"New Found Franks" – The Franks learn to play with the other children, but they still want to play together. "When I Grow Up" – Yoko helps Nora choose what job she wants to have when she grows up.
20	7	"The School Play/Full of Beans"	December 15, 2001
"The School Play" – Yoko is chosen to be a tooth with a cavity in the school play about dental care, but she is not very satisfied with her part. She later finds a way in order to make her part more fun. "Full of Beans" – The Franks go too far on their jokes which makes all of the children, including each other, angry and wound-up.
21	8	"Read Me a Story/The Gift"	December 22, 2001
"Read Me a Story" – Because of learning how to read, Nora fears that her beloved storytime with her mother could come to an end, but Nora's mother still continues to read to Nora after all. "The Gift" – Nora wants to get a special gift for Yoko's birthday party, so she eats her least favorite cereal because it has an emerald ballet slipper as a prize. Nora finds out that it makes a pretty shoe for the porcelain doll Katana of Yoko and a necklace for Yoko as well.
22	9	"Measuring Up/Lost and Found"	December 29, 2001
"Measuring Up" – Charles finds out that he is the smallest in the class, but he finds out that Doris, who is the biggest in the class, is the youngest in her family. "Lost and Found" – When Yoko's mother shows her a special set of netsuke figures made by Yoko's grandfather, which were given as a wedding gift to his wife, Yoko asks her to take them to the school for "In the Spotlight." When the figures go missing, it transpires that one of the students may have stolen them, and Yoko is very upset. The student who stole the figures returned them, along with a candy heart that shows empathy.
23	10	"Professor Fritz/Two Tutu Friends"	January 5, 2002
"Professor Fritz" – Fritz develops a rocket experiment for an open house day, but after the experiment goes wrong, Fritz just gives up. Timothy helps Fritz through his problems and he increases his self-confidence. "Two Tutu Friends" – Grace invites Doris to her ballet class. One day, Doris laughs at an embarrassing moment that happened to Grace. When Doris tells the other children, Grace does not want to play with Doris anymore. Later, Doris apologizes to Grace and they become friends again.
24	11	"My Family/Just in Time"	January 12, 2002
"My Family" – Nora hates her baby brother Jack but soon realizes what fun an infant sibling can be. "Just in Time" – Lilly puts her favorite doll Thumbelina in the time capsule box, but soon she begins to regret it.
25	12	"Charles the Athlete/Be My Valentine"	January 19, 2002
"Charles the Athlete" – The Franks want to teach Charles how to be an athlete, but he does not show any interest and he wants to be an astronaut instead. So, the Franks play with him. "Be My Valentine" – Lilly, Yoko, Charles and Timothy make Valentine's Day cards for each other, but Lilly mixes them up and puts them in the wrong cubbies.
26	13	"Mama Don't Go/Making New Friends"	January 26, 2002
"Mama Don't Go" – Juanita is new to Hilltop School. Timothy and Yoko help her manage without her needing her mother with her. "Making New Friends" – Juanita struggles to make new friends, so Timothy, who becomes the Captain of the Ship of Friends of the class, shows her what fun she could discover. Perhaps on the next day, she can bring her pet gecko Pablo to the class in order to show Nora the friendship with her pet iguana Norman.

Broadcast

Timothy Goes to School was broadcast in the United States of America on the channels PBS Kids, Discovery Kids, and Qubo.[5] In Canada, the show aired on stations YTV, Treehouse TV, and TVO Kids. Reruns were later broadcast on Discovery Kids (until 2006) and Qubo in the United States. The show also aired on the UK digital TV channel Tiny Pop.

Outside of North America, the show aired in Israel on Hop! (טימותי הולך לבית הספר), in the Middle East on Almajd TV Network, and in Latin America on ZAZ. In Brazil, it was aired on TV Cultura (2003–2007). In Mexico and Latin America, it was broadcast on ZAZ.

References

1. Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 643–644. ISBN 978-1538103739.
2. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 850. ISBN 978-1476665993.
3. "Timothy Goes to School – Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
4. "Timothy Goes to School – Episode Guide". Zap2it. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
5. http://www.qubo.com/shows/timothy-goes-to-school

External links

• Timothy Goes to School at IMDb
• Timothy Goes to School at TV.com