Wilbur is a Canadian live-action/puppet animated children's television series for preschoolers that debuted in the Kids' CBC block of CBC Television on October 30, 2006. In the United States, it first aired on the Ready Set Learn! block (as the very last program to ever premiere on the block) on Discovery Kids on April 16, 2007, later moving to TLC starting on April 23, 2007, airing until March 21, 2008.
Produced by Mercury Filmworks in association with Chilco Productions, EKA Distribution and Egmont Imagination, it focuses on an anthropomorphic calf and his friends as they solve problems by reading books with each other. 26 episodes (52 segments) were produced.
Contents
Plot
Wilbur has an episode with a basic formula: at first, Wilbur and his friends would encounter a problem. After this, Wilbur gets a wiggling sensation which prompts him to read a book that guides the group in solving their problem by singing a tune and short dance. The book in question is usually an animated original story or retelling for the purposes of the show, told in rhyme, and often features Wilbur and his friends in various roles.
After the story is read, the group discusses their problem and a possible idea which usually fails. Thinking that the solution is still inside the book, they decide to read through a second time, this time, with clips showing children reciting the line "Once upon a time" at the beginning, retelling the story in their own words, and finishing by saying "The end". Afterwards, Wilbur and his friends try again, this time, with an idea that works. They reflect on how the story inspired their solution, to which Wilbur ends the episode by saying his catchphrase, “Books are Moooo-velous!”.
Characters
Wilbur the Calf (voiced by Julie Lemieux): The host and protagonist of the series. His barnyards serves as the platform for adventure, stories, songs, games and laughs with his friends. When Wilbur is faced with a problem, he wiggles as a sign that he’ll find the answer in the world of books and reading. His most famous phrase is, “Books are moo-velous.”
Dasha (voiced by Emma Pustil): A brave, curious and inquisitive duck who loves exploring around her. She is seldom barefoot, but she normally wears a pair of shoes (as do her storybook counterparts).
Ray (voiced by Ian Busher): A rooster with an exaggerated personality.
Libby (voiced by Taylor Barber): The youngest member of the group. She is a lamb who only mentions simple phrases related to the context. She is the only character who speaks in third person (excluding her storybook counterparts) and with a toddler's lisp. Libby can be impatient and sensitive, but is reassured by her friends that the solution is not far away.
Production
The franchise existed as a series of videotapes produced in 1997. A pilot for Wilbur was produced by Cuppa Coffee Studios in 2001. Production of the series later began in 2006.