Bob the Builder (character)

Bob's catchphrase, "yes we can", is a response to other characters saying "Can we fix it?". "Can we fix it?" is also the name of the theme song, which became a top seller in the UK.

The character's appearance was created by Curtis Jobling. His character sketches initially showed him with a moustache but this made him seem too old for the target audience of preschool children and so he was then restyled as clean-shaven. As stop-motion animation requires frequent repositioning of the models, Bob was given large feet for stability.[2]

When the series was sold internationally, some changes had to be made to make him more acceptable to other cultures. For Japan, the character was shown with all five fingers on each hand, rather than his usual four. This was done because, in that society, a missing finger indicates membership of the criminal Yakuza clans.[3][4] However, none of the footage was altered.

In 2014, the toy company Mattel bought the rights to the character and gave him a Hollywood-style makeover, making him seem younger and slimmer and more realistically proportioned. This was not well-received on social media, where the new look was described as creepy and unconvincing.[5][6][7] Like in Japan, his 2015 redesign has five fingers on each hand, instead of four.

Bob has appeared in every episode in the programme and all related media, except for one episode, which was a spin-off teaser featuring Dingle the Shingler. He officially first appeared in the episode "Scoop Saves the Day" that premiered on 12 April 1999 and has been going ever since 1999. His latest appearance is in "New Year Day's Spectacular", which was first aired on 30 December 2018.

Bob has helped to change negative stereotypes of construction workers among preschool children.[8]