Wonder Pets : "The phone! the phone is ringing!"

[Northern Piper]

Piper Cub has discovered WonderPets, the most sacahrine child's program known.

In addition to the unbearable cuteness, it relies heavily on ear worms.

what tune is the opening song, "The phone! the phone is ringing!" sung to? I think it's something Tchaicovsky - esque, but is that right?

[going back to the rescue of the baby kangaroo]

[Bob Ducca]

That show was so weird to me at first but I quickly became a fan. They slip a lot of clever subtle "adult" jokes ingot he show here and there. My favorite episodes are "The Rat Pack" and "Fiddler Crab on the Roof."

Thith! Ith! Theriouth!

[jayjay]

It's apparently an original composition by Bollywood brother-composers Salim-Sulaiman.

[Northern Piper]

From the Times of India article linked in the wiki article, it looks like they just provided music for one episode, where the Wonder Pets fly to India to save a Bengal tiger.

The "Phone" tune is used in every episode, so i don't think the Merchants did it.

[Dendarii Dame]

Originally Posted by Bob Ducca

That show was so weird to me at first but I quickly became a fan. They slip a lot of clever subtle "adult" jokes ingot he show here and there. My favorite episodes are "The Rat Pack" and "Fiddler Crab on the Roof."

Thith! Ith! Theriouth!

In "The Wonder Pets Save the Baby Chimp", the chimp's in a space capsule about to be struck by a meteor. Cue a musical explanation of what a meteor is, and Ming Ming says "And it would hurt" to be struck by one. Apparently offended , the meteor stops, reverses course, and pursues the Wonder Pets!

Also loved the episode in which the Wonder Pets are supposed to "save" a puppy, but it's in no danger. It just needs to go outside. I started singing, "Let's save the carpet! Let's save the carpet!"

[China Guy]

This should be in the pit as one of the most obnoxious kids shows ever. And, WTF, are they doing with the one character that speaks with a horrible lisp. Mao on a pogo stick, this show is for 2, 3 or 4 year olds learning how to speak. It isn't cute, it's fucked up to have role models that can't speak even close to properly.

That and ever episode is stupid beyond belief. "Oh, the baby bird forgot how to fly, we have to save him." Maybe we could throw in Calliou and Barney and make the worst beatiality porno in the history of cinema. Gah! Don't get me started on this festering pile of yak excrement.

To the OP, who the hell is calling on behalf of these dumbass animals in trouble? Sheesh, do I have to buy you a WWSD (what would Skald do wrist thingy to get you to focus on more important issues than the music derivation in the opening?

[Southern Yankee]

Meh, it's no Peep.

[Unauthorized Cinnamon]

I like that it bucks the usual trends of TV and movies and has two female leads with only one guy. And the leader is a girl!

[FoieGrasIsEvil]

Originally Posted by China Guy

This should be in the pit as one of the most obnoxious kids shows ever. And, WTF, are they doing with the one character that speaks with a horrible lisp. Mao on a pogo stick, this show is for 2, 3 or 4 year olds learning how to speak. It isn't cute, it's fucked up to have role models that can't speak even close to properly.

That and ever episode is stupid beyond belief. "Oh, the baby bird forgot how to fly, we have to save him." Maybe we could throw in Calliou and Barney and make the worst beatiality porno in the history of cinema. Gah! Don't get me started on this festering pile of yak excrement.

To the OP, who the hell is calling on behalf of these dumbass animals in trouble? Sheesh, do I have to buy you a WWSD (what would Skald do wrist thingy to get you to focus on more important issues than the music derivation in the opening?

Well! What do you think of Team Umizoomi then, huh?

"I can show you anything...on my belly belly screen"

Gah!

[jayjay]

Actually, the theme sounds more Elfman-esque to me than classical. It has a definite "written for soundtrack" flavor to it.

[China Guy]

Originally Posted by FoieGrasIsEvil

Well! What do you think of Team Umizoomi then, huh?

"I can show you anything...on my belly belly screen"

Gah!

There is a special level in hell past the ice that Dante didn't visit since they didn't have stooopid kid cartoons back in his day that is reserved for the fuckwits that invent these gawdawful shows. Dammit, we had Captain Kangaroo and we liked it.

[WhyNot]

Om my gods, Wonderpets is my favorite kids-my-kids-generation show bar freaking none.

Even Barney wasn't as motivating to small children cleaning a room as "What's Gonna Work? Teeeeeeeaaaaaamwork!" and, yes, while they are earworms, they're not sung by a grown man who's giggling.

I am, however, horribly ashamed to admit that I didn't "get" it when they had a "celery-bration" at the end of each show, until my 5 year old pointed it out to me. (Yes, Mom stretched the viewing of that show a good year and a half past its intended demographic.)

Originally Posted by China Guy

This should be in the pit as one of the most obnoxious kids shows ever. And, WTF, are they doing with the one character that speaks with a horrible lisp. Mao on a pogo stick, this show is for 2, 3 or 4 year olds learning how to speak. It isn't cute, it's fucked up to have role models that can't speak even close to properly.

Yeah. Fuck children's characters with speech impediments.

[Northern Piper]

Originally Posted by WhyNot

Even Barney wasn't as motivating to small children cleaning a room as "What's Gonna Work? Teeeeeeeaaaaaamwork!" and, yes, while they are earworms, they're not sung by a grown man who's giggling.

Yes, the Cub's been singing the "teamwork" bit quite a lot. Haven't noticed any uptick in tidiness, though.

[WhyNot]

Originally Posted by Northern Piper

Yes, the Cub's been singing the "teamwork" bit quite a lot. Haven't noticed any uptick in tidiness, though.

Well, ya gotta get in there as part of the "team", of course, but I could get a good 10 minutes of cleaning out of my 3 year old with enough verses of that song. And only about 30 seconds without it.

[Helena]

We have an "Underpants" song that we sing to the Wonder Pets tune.

[Emtar KronJonDerSohn]

I hate the wonder pets. They are not welcome in my home.

I couldn't agree more about the lisp. I speak like a semi-educated adult with a proper mouth full of teeth and (gasp) wouldn't you know it? I have a two year old who speaks in full sentences and doesn't require constant translation to communicate with guests.

[Bricker]

I have fond memories of The Wonder Pets. Bricker Jr has of course outgrown them now, but he was a huge fan of Noggin back in 2006, and Noggin promoted the hack out of the new show debut, so he was all revved up to watch it.

We have friends now with kids in the target age group, and were discussing "Fiddler Crab on the Roof" just this past weekend!

[Charley]

I kind of like it, at least compared to the other options. I'm between a child moving on from it and one not yet old enough for tv, so perhaps my memory's being kind.

I always giggle that the background whenever they fly anywhere is the same North American forest - I could hazard a guess where, but probably get it wrong. Australia, the UK, China - they all seem to have the same pine/spruce forests . I particularly cherish the episode set in Manchester starring a pseudo-cockney skunk, which seemed (from my tv experience anyway) to take place in a facsimile of Central Park. I lost count of the number of ways they screwed that up, but in truth it does make me smile.

I'd so much rather this than the godawful Umizoomi, or Dora.

[BigT]

Originally Posted by WhyNot

Yeah. Fuck children's characters with speech impediments.

None of those are designed for little kids learning to talk as a type of edutainment program. A better example would be someone like Elmo, who can't handle pronouns.

[Cheesesteak]

Originally Posted by Charley

I'd so much rather this than the godawful Umizoomi, or Dora.

Any kids show, like Dora, that includes the phrase "Let's say it again, louder!" in their script is on my shit list. And buy the girl some clothes that fit for crying out loud.

I'm generally happy if the show is inoffensive, quiet and has nice music. Wonder Pets gets a thumbs up on that score.

I'm going to put in a good word now for Octonauts, awesome theme song, fun underwater adventure show. Interestingly enough, the problems they solve aren't childish nonsense problems. Sure, a real underwater adventurer team wouldn't help a molting elephant seal meet up with his friends on the beach, but elephant seals are real, molting is real, and the fact they congregate on a particular beach is real, so it's cool.

Compare that to, I dunno, Special Agent Oso, who was on a time critical mission to help a little girl build a sand castle.

[Death of Rats]

Originally Posted by BigT

None of those are designed for little kids learning to talk as a type of edutainment program. A better example would be someone like Elmo, who can't handle pronouns.

Even more, all but one of those were created for ADULTS. Thewy were not created as children's characters. They became so with the second gerneration of viewers started seeing them on tv rather then as a leadin to a movie. Why do you think most of them were trying to sell you War Bonds at some point.

[TruCelt]

Oh, man, Wonder Pets as one of the few that didn't grate on me. I liked the music, and it was great that she was getting such a wide variety of it.

I never thought of any of them having specific genders though.

[Inner Stickler]

Originally Posted by Emtar KronJonDerSohn

I couldn't agree more about the lisp. I speak like a semi-educated adult with a proper mouth full of teeth and (gasp) wouldn't you know it? I have a two year old who speaks in full sentences and doesn't require constant translation to communicate with guests.

One wonders then how kids with lisps came about in the years before Wonder Pets.

[Poysyn]

When the Little Dose was small, I didn't mind Wonder Pets - it was better than Boobah, Little Bear, Caillou or Berenstein Bears.

But my favorites were the Backyardigans and Toopie and Binou although I didn't mind Franklin.

[Anonymous Coward]

I hate hate hate Caillou. Whiny little shit.

I didn't mind Little Bear. The art was nice and the zen Frog was good for a laugh.

Backyardigans and Wonder Pets have decent music and the occasional funny one-liner.

Toopie and Binou are one of the little dude's favorites so they get a lot of play around here. However Octonauts and Bubble Guppies are gaining ground. I think the days of T&B are just about done in our house.

[Max Torque]

Originally Posted by Northern Piper

Piper Cub has discovered WonderPets, the most sacahrine child's program known.

In addition to the unbearable cuteness, it relies heavily on ear worms.

Someone doesn't like the Wonder Pets?

This.

Is.

Sewious!

[Le Ministre de l'au-delà]

Hoo, boy. Here's the music in question - Wonderpets Theme Song.

The tough part is that it's nothing obvious. Unlike, say, Carl Stalling in Looney Tunes, where you can hear right away 'Oh, that's the Overture to Act III of Die Walküre by Richard Wagner', this is either taken from something less well known, or very cleverly crafted to sound like something 19th century without actually being 19th century.

The first thing that jumps out at me is the triplets in the woodwinds and horns in the Major section, around 1:35 or so in that YouTube clip. Sounds to me like the opening of Mendelssohn's 4th Symphony, 'The Italian'. Here's Bernstein taking it a quite a quick tempo. Or, here, from the Overture to Act III of Lohengrin - listen around :55 for the fast triplets with the brass. (And I'm smiling to myself at how totally pissed off Wagner would be to have a similarity between his music and Mendelssohn's pointed out!)

So that's the first question - is this based around some commonalities of 19th century compositional practice, or is it taken directly from an as yet undetermined, lesser known piece? I'm still grinding away on that question...

A simpler path would be to write an e-mail to Flying Airplane productions, but it would have to be carefully worded to ensure that one is asking for their influences without implying that one thinks the music is stolen derivative.


(And I have no idea why the YouTube ads on that Wagner except are all about +45 year old singles, but something about it ticks me right off...)

[Northern Piper]

For some reason, I missed this reply when you posted it, Le Minstre - thanks! very informative, as always!