''Ripples'' () is an Italian children's

animated television series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...

created and produced by Animabit and Rai Fiction. The first series was broadcast on Italian RAI television beginning July 8, 2007. It currently airs on RAI television, KidZone TV and

TV2 (Norway) TV 2 Direkte ('' English: TV 2 Live'') is a Norwegian terrestrial television channel. Its headquarters are located in Bergen. TV 2 began test broadcasting on 13 November 1991, and a year later, it was officially launched on 5 September 1992, bec ...

ABC Australia The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is a ...

and

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; , ) is a private-media conglomerate headquartered in Wadi Al Sail, Doha, funded in part by the government of Qatar. The network's flagship channels include Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English, which pro ...

Concept

Each episode may focus on a particular sea environment or on the main character’s interaction with the world. The protagonist, a little boy called Ripples, is the one who is best able to act on the information he gathers. The pelican Icarus, who is something of a mentor figure for the group, often has the task of instigating a quest in the earlier stages of the episode. The octopus Polly and the hermit crab Jason provide the comic moments.

Characters

;Ripples :Ripples is a half human half fish he can survive on land or

underwater An underwater environment is a environment of, and immersed in, liquid water in a natural or artificial feature (called a Water, body of water), such as an ocean, sea, lake, pond, reservoir, river, canal, or aquifer. Some characteristics of the ...

. He is the main character in the show ''Ripples''. He always solves problems with his friends by thinking hard and coming up with an idea. He has

orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

hair,

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

eyes,

eyebrows,

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and Agriculture, cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called necta ...

skin and

green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...

and

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

pants with a

shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

on his pants. He wants to be a sailor when he grows up in the episode 'The Magic Amphora' and he said he will get the old

fishing boat A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to catch fish and other valuable nektonic aquatic animals (e.g. shrimps/prawns, krills, coleoids, etc.) in the sea, lake or river. Humans have used different kinds of surface vessels in commercial, arti ...

and make it brand new and he said that he will sail the seven seas. ;Jason :Jason is a hermit crab who lives around sandy areas. He is one of Ripples friends. He also helps his friends solve problems throughout their adventures. He has

eyes,

eyebrows, a

red-orange Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color family and pigment most often used between antiquity and the 19th century from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide). It is synonymous with red orange, which often takes a moder ...

body and he has a shell. Throughout their adventures he stands up for his friends and tries to be brave. He said he wanted to be a skater when he grows up in the episode 'The Magic Amphora' when Icarus asked him he said a skater named Jason the lightning flash. ;Polly :Polly is an octopus who lives underwater. She is one of Ripples' friends. She always has a smile on her face except for when a problem occurs in her friends way. In the end Polly is always happy for her friends after an adventure. She has

eyes,

eyebrows, a

magenta Magenta () is a purple-red color. On color wheels of the RGB color model, RGB (additive) and subtractive color, CMY (subtractive) color models, it is located precisely midway between blue and red. It is one of the four colors of ink used in colo ...

body and she has tentacles. She can make herself into anything. She says she wants to be a rock star when she grows up in the episode 'The Magic Amphora' when Icarus asks her and she said a singer that sings rock star music. ;Icarus :Icarus is a pelican who lives on boats and ships. He is one of Ripples' friends. He doesn't hang around his friends instead he stays on top of ships and boats. When his friends need help he always gives them advice. He has

eyes,

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

eyebrows,

feathers Feathers are epidermis (zoology), epidermal growths that form a distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on both Bird, avian (bird) and some non-avian dinosaurs and other archosaurs. They are the most complex integumentary structures found in ...

and he has a

beak The beak, bill, or rostrum is an external anatomical structure found mostly in birds, but also in turtles, non-avian dinosaurs and a few mammals. A beak is used for pecking, grasping, and holding (in probing for food, eating, manipulating and ...

Other characters

;Lucinda :Lucinda is a

sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerh ...

who lives in wet lands and underwater. She is one of Ripples' friends. She gives her friends lifts to other destinations so her friends can solve a variety of problems quicker. She has

eyes,

brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing and painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors Orange (colour), orange and black. In the ...

eyebrows,

body and she has a

back shell. ;Lillo :Lillo is a snipefish who swims underwater day to night. He is one of Ripples' friends. He hangs out with Ripple and his friends and he plays with them and has much fun. He has three small brothers. His den got pulled away from the

storm A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstor ...

in the episode "The

Rainbow A rainbow is an optical phenomenon caused by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky. The rainbow takes the form of a multicoloured circular ...

". He has

eyes, a

yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In t ...

body and he has a mouth tube that can sound like a trumpet. ;Dido & Dado :Dido & Dado are

sea bream Sparidae is a family of ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Spariformes, the seabreams and porgies, although they were traditionally classified in the order Perciformes. The over 150 species are found in shallow and deep marine waters in te ...

s. They both have the same appearance. When Ripples and his friends are solving problems they get attached but in the end they are back to normal. They both have

eyes,

grey Grey (more frequent in British English) or gray (more frequent in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning that it has no chroma. It is the color of a cloud-covered s ...

body and they both have

stripes on themselves. Their den gets dumped in the episode "A Sea Of...

Garbage Garbage, trash (American English), rubbish (British English), or refuse is waste material that is discarded by humans, usually due to a perceived lack of utility. The term generally does not encompass bodily waste products, purely liquid or ...

Environments

;The Sea :For Ripples, Polly and Jason, the sea is their

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

, their home, and a natural playground that offers up one adventure after another. As well as being home to various species of

flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

and

fauna Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...

, the sea floor is a magic playground with mysterious rock formations lit by dancing rays of light filtering down through the water from the surface.

Seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of ''Rhodophyta'' (red), '' Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

s, sandbanks and

ravine A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys. Ravines may also be called a cleuch, dell, ...

s are the haunts of most of Ripples’ friends: fish, squid, oysters, sea urchins, even sharks and whales. ;The Fishing Boat :An old, beached fishing vessel is Icarus’ favourite place for resting a while between flights. It offers him a range of "creature comforts": the beam serves as a perfect lookout point from which to observe the

horizon The horizon is the apparent curve that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This curve divides all viewing directions based on whethe ...

, the deck is an excellent spot to curl up for a nap, while the cabin provides shelter from wind and rain. The semi-submerged boat is also a playground for Ripples and his friends, who come and go through the hole-ridden hull and meet all sorts of land and sea creatures in the hold. ;The Beach :This is the border zone between three distinct worlds: the underwater world of the fish, the dry land of the marine birds and the evershifting surface of the sea, with its

waves United States Naval Reserve (Women's Reserve), better known as the WAVES (for Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), was the women's branch of the United States Naval Reserve during World War II. It was established on July 21, 1942, ...

and currents. Ripples, who is able to breathe both below and above the sea, is often to be found at the beach, investigating the strange and wonderful objects that are often washed up on the

shore A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

storms A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstorm) ...

and

tides Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...

: he might even bump into turtles, crabs and other

crustaceans Crustaceans (from Latin meaning: "those with shells" or "crusted ones") are invertebrate animals that constitute one group of Arthropod, arthropods that are traditionally a part of the subphylum Crustacea (), a large, diverse group of mainly aquat ...

. ;The Rocks :These are the

oases In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment seagulls Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the subfamily Larinae. They are most closely related to terns and skimmers, distantly related to auks, and even more distantly related to waders. Until the 21st century, most gulls were placed ...

, with

albatrosses Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds related to the procellariids, storm petrels, and diving petrels in the order Procellariiformes (the tubenoses). They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacif ...

and with other such explorers, wanderers and adventurers.

Episodes - First Series (1-26)

# The Magic Amphora # The Missing Pearls # The Firefly Lamp # Kiko The Dolphin # Charlotte The Oyster # The Urchinday # The Chick # The King Of The Seagulls # A Sea Of... Garbage # The Rainbow # Star Little Star # Doctor Jason # Polly The Babysitter # The Little Bird From The Sea # Autumn Is Near # The Bungling Sardine # The Penguin # The Two Turtles # Happy Birthday Ripples # Wild Oscar # A Home For Esmeralda # Journey Into The Depths # A Dolphin Called...Jason # United We Stand, Divided We Fall # Night Flight # The Great Jack

Episodes - Second Series (27-52)

# The Little Mermaid # A Ray Of Flowers # Hiccups # The Cloud Catchers # Lunch Is Served # The Flag # The Great Current # When The Snow Falls # Sweet Dreams # Return Of Michaelangelo # The Eel’s Great Journey # The Fizzy Drink # The Unbeatable Bumbo # A Sea Full Of Stories # Best Of Friends # The Enchanted Vessel # Uncle Hercules # The Secret Room # The Great Spring Clean # In A Jam # Jason’s Odyssey # Journey To The Centre Of The Earth # Mexico And Bluebubbles # The Puffin’s Secret # A Stroke Of Genius # Super Jason

Voices

* Ripples-Felicity Duncan * Jason-Dave Kitchen * Polly-Jo Lee * Icarus-Stuart Organ

Episodes synopsis (1-26)

;The Magic Amphora :Ripples and his friends Jason and Polly find a mysterious and magic

amphora An amphora (; ; English ) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storage rooms and packages, tied together with rope and delivered by land ...

;The Missing

Pearls A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living Exoskeleton, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pear ...

:Ripples, Polly and Jason offer to help several oysters find their pearls after they mysteriously went missing in the night. ;The

Firefly The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

Lamp :Jason wakes up and realises his shell is missing. Ripples rushes to the beach to find it, but he finds it difficult to see in the dark luckily he is helped by the firefly Lulu. ;Kiko The

Dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal in the cetacean clade Odontoceti (toothed whale). Dolphins belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontopori ...

:Kiko the dolphin has always lived in captivity in a water circus. He manages to escape to see the wonders of the sea. He meets Ripples and his friends, who are very curious and ask him details of the journeys he has made. ;Charlotte The Oyster :Lillo tells Ripples, Polly and Jason that his little brothers are born. So, the three friends set off for the beach to find presents for the babies. ;The Urchin Day :Followed by Polly and Jason, Ripples dives down to find a present for the 'urchinday' of their urchin friend Spillo (Pinprick). ;The Chick :Seagull loses one of the five eggs she is brooding, which ends up on the beach and Jason finds it just as its hatching. ;The King Of The Seagulls :Ripples, Polly and Jason show Icarus three objects they received from Lucinda. The pelican shows them the Feather of Honour received years back from the King of the Seagulls, but a flurry of wind blows it away. ;A Sea Of...

:A large boat is sailing around and spreading garbage everywhere; a can falls near Ripples, Polly and Jason who, joined by Lucinda decide to go to Icarus and ask for his help to put an end to this havoc. ;The

:Ripples, Polly and Jason dive under water during a rain shower and meet Lillo, who tells them to go somewhere else because the vault of his den is about to crumble away. ;Star Little

Star A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by Self-gravitation, self-gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sk ...

:Ripples, Polly and Jason wake up in the night and join Icarus in admiring a beautiful sky full of shooting stars. ;Doctor Jason :Ripples pricks himself with a thorn as he is playing with Polly and Jason. The three run to the fishing boat, where Dr. Otto, a large octopus, takes the thorn out of Ripples foot. ;Polly The

Babysitter Babysitting is temporarily caring for a child. Babysitting can be a paid job for all ages; however, it is best known as a temporary activity for early teenagers who are not yet eligible for employment in the general economy. It provides auto ...

:Ripples and Jason are busy employing several objects found on the beach as musical instruments. ;The Little Bird From Over The Sea :Ripples, Polly and Jason meet a little bird who has just completed a long journey to spend the

winter Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Dif ...

on their beach. ;Autumn In Near :On the beach Ripples, Polly and Jason meet Gegè, a

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

swallow who charms Polly with his verses. ;The Bungling

Sardine Sardine and pilchard are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring suborder Clupeoidei. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century; a somewhat dubious etymology says it com ...

:Ripples, Polly and Jason try to console Samy, a little sardine who is always bumping into her companions. ;The

Penguin Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...

:Ripples and his friends meet a lost Penguin called Michelangelo. ;The Two Turtles :Ripples, Polly and Jason meet Helga, a land turtle who wants to learn to swim. ;Happy Birthday :It's Ripples Birthday but nobody seems to want to spend the day with him. ;Wild Oscar :Ripples, Polly and Jason meet a bad-tempered hermit crab called Oscar. ;A Home For Esmerelda :Sara the seal and young Esmeralda's den is being destroyed by a group of men who are building a

harbour A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be Mooring, moored. The t ...

. ;Journey Into The Depths :Ripples and his best friends find themselves in the deepest darkness, but Flish and Flash help them to back home. ;A Dolphin Called Jason :While playing with Polly and Ripples, Jason bangs his head, loses his memory and thinks he is Kiko the dolphin. ;United We Stand, Divided We Fall :Ripples and his friends have a competition between the boys and the girls. ;Night Flight :Ripples, Polly and Jason get lost in the woods. ;The Great Jack :Joe the

albatross Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds related to the procellariids, storm petrels, and diving petrels in the order Procellariiformes (the tubenoses). They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Paci ...

gives a crab the news of the imminent arrival of a creature called Jack. This causes a round of Chinese whispers and has everyone wondering who and what Jack is. {{Authority control 2007 Italian television series debuts 2009 Italian television series endings 2000s animated television series Italian children's animated television series