Bunnytown

Bunnytown is an American children's television program that aired on Playhouse Disney in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as several other countries. Reruns of the show continued to air after their initial broadcast episode dates, but was removed in May 2014. The full series can be streamed on iTunes and Apple TV. The merchandise was only little to produce. Disney licensed official plush toys, that were produced in limited quantities, and the DVD, Hello Bunnies, released on March 17, 2009.

Bunnytown
The title card for the Playhouse Disney series "Bunnytown"
GenreChildren's television series
Created byDavid Rudman
Adam Rudman
Todd Hannert
Developed byThe Walt Disney Company
Directed byDavid Rudman
StarringAlice Dinnean-Vernon
Eric Jacobson
Mark Jefferis
Nigel Plaskitt
David Rudman
Victoria Willing
Mak Wilson
Opening themeBunnytown
Ending themeIt's a Bunnytown Life
ComposersTodd Hannert
Terry Fryer
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes26
Production
Executive producersDavid Rudman
Adam Rudman
Todd Hannert
Production locationElstree Studios
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time24 minutes
Production companiesSpiffy Pictures
Baker Coogan Productions
Release
Original networkPlayhouse Disney
Original releaseNovember 10, 2007 (2007-11-10) 
November 8, 2008 (2008-11-08)

Broadcast history

The program, created by David Rudman, his brother Adam and Todd Hannert, under their Spiffy Pictures banner, began airing in Canada on November 3, 2007, and in the USA a week later.

United Kingdom viewers got a premiere of the program on January 13, 2008, on the Playhouse Disney channel sublet of pay-broadcaster Family Channel. In France, the series began on January 27, 2008, and kept its original title Bunnytown. The show was produced at Elstree Studios with many of the "Peopletown" segment exterior scenes done at Clarence Park and Verulamium Park in St Albans.

The series only ran for 1 season and 26 episodes total, which finished its run on November 8, 2008.

The shorts can currently be shown on YouTube and DisneyNOW.[1]

Format

The basic format features between ten and twelve segments as follows:

  • A running gag setting up some sort of problem played out in four parts such as bunnies getting ready to race, drumming, etc. For example, the bunnies get ready for a race in the first episode "Hello Bunnies!" but they end up disco dancing in the first part (events with disco balls usually happen in the third part in most episodes), sleeping in the second, flying in the third and finally racing in the fourth part before the ending song but there is a tape at the finish line which flies them back to the start of the race, but they failed again.
  • Red and Fred, a silent comedy-slapstick pratfall team in Peopletown made up of a fat ginger haired man and a smaller, thin dark haired male, played by Ed Gaughan and Andrew Buckley. This is done in the vein of Laurel and Hardy, who have the same style as Red and Fred. On the US broadcast, they are known as "Two Best Friends". Before this scene, a bunny named Bart Bunnytoes travels through an underground tunnel system to reach Peopletown, where he watches the events before leaving.
  • The Adventures of Super-Bunny, created new for Bunnytown follows the format of Little Bad Bunny stealing carrots from Bunnytown, and Super-Bunny comes to the rescue.
  • The Bunnytown Hop, done by a rock-and-roll band inspired by mega groups such as Earth, Wind and Fire. Characters from earlier segments may take part in this song.
  • Super Silly Sports, also held in Peopletown, hosted by Pinky Pinkerton (portrayed by Scottish actress Polly Frame), best known for her wearing a pink Alice band in her blonde bouffant hairdo along with a matching neck scarf and sportsjacket over a white tennis dress, along with pink and white-striped above-the-knee socks. An example of this spoofing of sports contests and their telecasts within is a staring contest between an 11-year-old boy and an Idaho potato (because both of them have "eyes"). Pinky's signature exclamation is "Oh me, oh my!" done multiple times. Just like in the Red and Fred segments, Bart travels through the underground tunnels to watch the events.
  • After the payoff of the running gag, all of the bunnies gather to sing the closing song "It's a Bunnytown Life", followed by a bunny blowing on a party horn.
  • The Bunnytown segments Two Best Friends (Red and Fred) and Super Silly Sports were formerly shown in bumper segments on Disney Junior.

Puppets, characters and sets

The bunny rod puppets (which take up to eight puppeteers to operate with a trigger at the bottom to move their mouths and invisible marionette strings to work from above on all other parts) are made from foam rubber and covered in fake fur.

Characters include the many types of characters found in pop culture and storybooks. Included are a king and his court (supposedly the leaders of Bunnytown as they live in a castle), pirates, a superhero bunny, a female bunny who is an astronaut, two cave bunnies and their pet dinosaur, an inventor, a farmer and his helpers and many more.

Cast

Puppeteers

Episodes

No.TitleOriginal air date[2]Prod.
code[3]
US viewers
(millions)
1"Hello Bunnies"November 10, 2007 (2007-11-10)101N/A

  • Running Gag: Runners - The Runners are getting ready for a race, but they end up disco dancing in the first part, sleeping in the second part and flying in the third before finally running the race in the fourth part. However, there is a rubberband at the end of the finish line which flings them back to the start of the race, but they failed again.
  • Song: Makin' Music in Bunnytown
  • Super Silly Sports: The 3 Clowns Race
2"Bunny Funnies"November 11, 2007 (2007-11-11)102N/A

  • Running Gag: Artistic Bunny trying to start painting an apple, but ends up with a worm going inside an apple as a spaceship in the first part, a fruit dancing bunny in the second
  • The Adventures of Super-Bunny: Bunnytown Carrot Festival
3"Bunny Giggles"November 17, 2007 (2007-11-17)103N/A
4"Barrel Full of Bunnies"November 18, 2007 (2007-11-18)104N/A
5"Bunny Shenanigans"November 24, 2007 (2007-11-24)105N/A
6"Wintertime In Bunnytown"December 1, 2007 (2007-12-01)116N/A
7"Bunny Ha-Ha's"December 8, 2007 (2007-12-08)106N/A
8"Hiya Bunnies"December 15, 2007 (2007-12-15)108N/A
9"Bunny-A-Go-Go"January 5, 2008 (2008-01-05)109N/A
10"G'Day Bunnies"January 19, 2008 (2008-01-19)107N/A
11"Carrot Giving Day"February 9, 2008 (2008-02-09)113N/A
12"Bonkers for Bunnies"February 23, 2008 (2008-02-23)112N/A
13"Bunnytown Pets"March 1, 2008 (2008-03-01)114N/A
14"Bunnytown Fun"March 24, 2008 (2008-03-24)110N/A
15"King Bunny's Birthday"March 25, 2008 (2008-03-25)115N/A
16"Those Wacky Bunnies"March 26, 2008 (2008-03-26)117N/A
17"Bunny Blankie Blues"March 27, 2008 (2008-03-27)118N/A
18"Bunnytown Follies"March 28, 2008 (2008-03-28)111N/A
19"Bunnytown Babbles"April 5, 2008 (2008-04-05)120N/A
20"Bumbling Bunnies"May 24, 2008 (2008-05-24)121N/A

  • Farmer Bunny attempts to grow a flower but it ends up becoming a pizza in the first part, a clock in the second part and a disco dancing ball in the third part before finally becoming a squirting flower in the fourth part.
  • The Adventures of Super Bunny: The Picnic Disaster - Little Bad Bunny strikes again stealing carrots from the picnic of some nearby bunnies when he realizes he forgot his carrot lunch at home in the fridge.
  • Cave Bunnies - The Cave Bunnies' pet dinosaur is feeling dirty so they decide to give him a bath
  • Red and Fred
  • Song: Making Music in Bunnytown (rehashed from episode 1 "Hello Bunnies")
  • Super Silly Sports: The Tortoise and the Hare Race
  • King Bunny the 4th's Crazy Castle - Royal Rap
21"Bunnies Bunnies Bunnies"June 21, 2008 (2008-06-21)119N/A
22"Groovy Bunnies"July 5, 2008 (2008-07-05)122N/A
23"Bunny-A-Rama"August 16, 2008 (2008-08-16)125N/A
24"What a Bunnytown Hoot"September 27, 2008 (2008-09-27)124N/A
25"Bunnytown Chuckles"October 18, 2008 (2008-10-18)123N/A
26"Get Fit, Bunnytown"November 8, 2008 (2008-11-08)126N/A

References

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