Holly Hobbie & Friends
Holly Hobbie & Friends is a series of American animated specials produced by Nickelodeon and American Greetings.[1] It is the first series to star the Holly Hobbie doll, albeit redesigned from her traditional look. The specials aired on both Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block and the separate Noggin channel.[2]
| Holly Hobbie & Friends | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Genre | Children's series Drama |
| Created by | Holly Hobbie |
| Developed by |
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| Written by | Kate Boutilier Eryk Casemiro Mario Piluso (additional material) |
| Directed by |
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| Voices of | |
| Opening theme | "Twinkle in Her Eye" performed by LeAnn Rimes |
| Composers |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producer | Dina Buteyn (line producer) |
| Running time | 44 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Animation services | Wang Film Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network |
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| Original release | February 10, 2006 – February 3, 2009 |
| Related | |
In this incarnation of Holly Hobbie, Holly is a ten-year-old girl who forms a secret club (called the Hey Girls) with her two best friends, Amy and Carrie. Holly is the great, great granddaughter of the original Holly Hobbie character. According to American Greetings, the intention was for Holly to "look pretty much the same, but with new, contemporary colors and patterns."[3]
The first special, "Surprise Party," premiered during the Nick Jr. block on February 10, 2006. Eight episodes were made in total. A line of merchandise was also made as a partnership between American Greetings and Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products.[4]
DVD releases for the specials were released by Paramount Home Entertainment, but later transitioned to Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.[5][6]
A video game based on the series for the Nintendo DS released on October 8, 2007.
Music
The show's theme song "Twinkle in Her Eye" was performed by the country singer LeAnn Rimes.[7]
Premise
Holly Hobbie is a 10-year-old girl from a big city. She often visits her best friends Amy Morris and Carrie Baker in a small country town called Clover. The specials feature themes like friendship, dreams, music and aspirations.
Characters
Main
- Holly Hobbie (voiced by Alyson Stoner and Nicole Bouma) is a kind-hearted girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She likes to do cartwheels and design her own clothes. Holly and her friends are part of a secret club called the Hey Girls Club. She has a cocker spaniel named Doodles.
- Amy Morris (voiced by Liliana Mumy and Maryke Hendrikse) is a silly and imaginative girl with short brown hair and green eyes. She likes to daydream and ride horses. She has her own horse named Cider.
- Carrie Baker (voiced by Tinashe Kachingwe and Dorla Bell) is a smart and determined African American girl with dark brown hair and brown eyes. She’s the most straight-laced and sensible of the Hey Girls, and she often acts the voice of reason.
Kids
- Robby Hobbie (voiced by Jansen Panettiere and Kelly Metzger) is Holly's 8-year-old little brother. He can be a little annoying and weird at times.
- Kyle Morris (voiced by Paul Butcher and Kelly Metzger) is Amy's younger brother and Robby's best friend. He hangs out with Robby most of the time.
- Devon (voiced by Kim Mai Guest) is a teenage girl and an honorary member of the Hey Girls Club. She works as a waitress at Aunt Jessie's Café. She studies the ocean in college.
- Portia (voiced by Kathleen Barr) is Holly's friend in New York City. She can be a little bit bossy and snobby but she has a good heart and loves fashion.
Adults
- Aunt Jessie (voiced by Rusty Schwimmer and Heather Doerksen) is Holly's aunt who runs a café. She has a cat named Bonnet.
- Uncle Dave (voiced by Diedrich Bader and Brian Dobson) is Holly's uncle.
- Joan Hobbie (voiced by Jane Lynch and Saffron Henderson) is Holly's mom.
- Gary Hobbie (voiced by Rob Paulsen and Ian Corlett) is Holly's dad.
- Jim Bidderman (voiced by Michael McShane).
- Bud Morris (voiced by Bill Mumy) is Amy's dad.
- Teresa Morris (voiced by Molly Hagan) is Amy's mom.
- Carolyn Baker (voiced by Dawnn Lewis) is Carrie's mom.
- Mayor Whitman (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) is a mayor of the country town Clover.
- Andy Lieberman (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) is Uncle Dave's friend.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Surprise Party" | Mario Piluso | Kate Boutilier and Eryk Casemiro | February 10, 2006 (TV)[8] March 7, 2006 (DVD) | |||||
| Holly visits Clover to plan a surprise birthday party for her Aunt Jessie. While there, she plays a prank on Robby by cutting fake crop circles in a corn patch, making him think aliens made them. | |||||||||
| 2 | "Christmas Wishes" | Mario Piluso | Kate Boutilier and Eryk Casemiro | October 24, 2006 (DVD) November 13, 2006 (TV)[9] | |||||
| Holly and her friends take part in a play that retells the story of Christmas and they bring Christmas cheer to a widowed mother and her twin sons. Meanwhile, Robby dresses up as Santa to earn some extra money. | |||||||||
| 3 | "Secret Adventures" | Mario Piluso | Kate Boutilier and Eryk Casemiro | February 16, 2007 (TV)[10] February 20, 2007 (DVD) | |||||
| Holly, Amy and Carrie help Holly's mom and Aunt Jessie gather sap for the family's famous maple syrup recipe. When they accidentally spill it, they are all afraid to tell the truth. | |||||||||
| 4 | "Best Friends Forever" | Mario Piluso | Kate Boutilier and Eryk Casemiro Mario Piluso (additional material) | September 7, 2007 (TV)[2] September 18, 2007 (DVD) | |||||
| Holly and her friends meet Mrs. Annabelle Crow, the "town witch" who’s actually a nice old lady. When they find out that Annabelle's house is set to be demolished, they come up with a way to save it. | |||||||||
| 5–6 | "Inside Out" | Mario Piluso Brenda Piluso (animation) | Mario and Brenda Piluso (story) Cliff Ruby and Elana Lesser (script) | August 12, 2008 (DVD) | |||||
| "Hats Off" | |||||||||
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Holly and her friend from the city, Portia, visit Clover to attend a library auction. However, Portia ends up being mean to Amy and Carrie. Amy and Carrie come to visit Holly in New York City, but Carrie feels homesick from the countryside. | |||||||||
| 7–8 | "Cover Girl" | Mario Piluso Brenda Piluso (animation) | Mario and Brenda Piluso (story) Cliff Ruby and Elana Lesser (script) | February 3, 2009 (DVD) | |||||
| "Reboot" | |||||||||
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Holly moves to Clover, but when she starts school, she gets assigned to a different class than Amy and Carrie. There, Holly meets a shy girl named K.T. who’s constantly picked on by her classmates. The school is holding an open house. Holly, Amy and Carrie encourage their new friend K.T. to submit her idea for the student award show. | |||||||||
Reception
The specials received positive reviews. Regina McMenomy, a researcher at Washington State University specializing in female pop culture, praised how Holly embraces her girlishness while still being a "strong, independent" thinker. In comparison, "so many [other] newer girl characters focus on power and gender equality that they've lost their femininity," said McMenomy.[11] Writing for The World, Jacqueline Cutler said that the show keeps the "sweet spirit" of the original Holly Hobbie brand. She also said that it would connect to its target audience: "If you're a traditional little girl and love copious amounts of sugar and everything cute, then Nickelodeon's Holly Hobbie & Friends airing Monday, Nov. 13, is for you."[12] The Dove Foundation awarded the series its "Dove Family-Approved Seal" and wrote that "Holly Hobbie is a wonderful role model for children and adults. She has a way of brightening your day."[13]
See also
References
- Ball, Ryan (June 9, 2005). "Nickelodeon Animates Holly Hobbie". Animation Magazine.
- "Noggin September TV Schedule". Noggin.com. Archived from the original on September 16, 2007.
- "Holly Hobbie is alive and well and making a comeback". Deseret News. May 2, 2005.
- Baisley, Sarah (February 13, 2006). "Nickelodeon Unveils Three New Toy Lines at Toy Fair". Animation World Network.
- "HOLLY HOBBIE: BEST FRIENDS FOREVER". Sony Pictures Entertainment. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- "HOLLY HOBBIE: SECRET ADVENTURES". Sony Pictures Entertainment. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- "Holly Hobbie and Friends Christmas Wishes: Just in time for the holidays". People. November 22, 2006. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- "Nick Jr. Schedule - Week of February 06". NickJr.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2006.
- "Nick Jr. Schedule - Week of November 13". NickJr.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2006.
- "Nick Jr. Schedule - Week of February 12". NickJr.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2007.
- Critchell, Samantha (December 1, 2006). "Time for girls to be girls?". Associated Press.
- Cutler, Jacqueline (November 11, 2006). "Holly Hobbie keeps sweet spirit in 'Christmas'". The World – via Newspapers.com.
- "Holly Hobbie and Friends: Best Friends Forever review". The Dove Foundation.
