''Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse'' (also known as ''Edouard et Martin'' for the French dub in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

) is a children's animated television series co-produced by Nelvana and Hong Guang Animation for

Teletoon Teletoon (stylized as TELETOON) is a Canadian English-language specialty channel owned by Teletoon Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. Its name is a portmanteau of "television" and "cartoon". The channel primarily broadcasts an ...

and PBS Kids. It tells the stories of a young horse named Marvin who is part of a carnival. Among the executive producers are

Michael Paraskevas Michael Paraskevas (born 1961) is an American illustrator, cartoonist, and animation producer best known for co-creating along with his mother Betty in the Canadian animated children's television series ''Maggie and the Ferocious Beast''. The sh ...

and

Betty Paraskevas Rita E. "Betty" Paraskevas (April 8, 1929 – April 7, 2010)

, creators of ''

Maggie and the Ferocious Beast ''Maggie and the Ferocious Beast'' is a Canadian animated children's television series created by Michael and Betty Paraskevas. The program was based on the 1996 book ''The Ferocious Beast with the Polka-Dot Hide'' and its sequels, which were a ...

'', who also created the book that the show is based on. The show aired on

PBS Kids PBS Kids is the brand for most of the children's programming aired by the Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) in the United States. Some public television children's programs are not produced by PBS member stations or transmitted by PBS. Inste ...

in the United States as part of the

PBS Kids Bookworm Bunch The PBS Kids Bookworm Bunch was a preschool television block produced by Canada-based animation studio Nelvana Limited (now Nelvana Enterprises) that aired on PBS from September 30, 2000 to September 5, 2004. It typically aired on weekend mornings ...

from 2000 to 2004. In Canada, it aired on

, and in the United Kingdom, the series also aired on

Tiny Pop Tiny Pop (styled as tiny POP) is a British free-to-air children's television channel in the United Kingdom, owned by Narrative Entertainment UK Limited. Broadcast on many of the major digital television platforms in the UK, Tiny Pop, which was ...

. Reruns of the show aired on

Qubo Qubo ( ; stylized as qubo) was an American television network for children between the ages of 5 and 14. Owned by Ion Media, it consisted of a 24-hour free-to-air television network often mentioned as the "Qubo channel" (available as a digital ...

in the US from 2007 to 2020. Some episodes include original songs to help illustrate the theme or accompany montages that carry the story forward.

Characters

*Marvin (voiced by Ron Pardo) is a dancing brown

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...

with a black mane and a tail who performs in Fast-Talking Jack's carnival. He used to be in movies and on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, his first big break, although he's not proud of his performance in it. His

hooves The hoof (plural: hooves) is the tip of a toe of an ungulate mammal, which is covered and strengthened with a thick and horny keratin covering. Artiodactyls are even-toed ungulates, species whose feet have an even number of digits, yet the rumi ...

are

tuxedo Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element ...

-themed and they make the tapping sounds. He also wears a red bowtie around his neck. In the beginning of one of the episodes, it is taken off. *Edward Larue III ("Eddy Largo") (voiced by Marlowe Gardiner-Heslin) is a 9-year-old boy. In the first episode, he looks for a job and is hired on as a

gofer A gofer, go-fer or gopher is an employee who specializes in the delivery of special items to their superior(s). Examples of these special items include a cup of coffee, a tool, a tailored suit, or a car. Outside of the business world, the term ...

and all-around assistant to owner Fast-Talking Jack. He changes his name to "Eddy Largo" because he felt that his real name was apparently too bland. *Diamonds (voiced by

Fiona Reid Fiona Reid, CM (born 24 July 1951) is an English-born Canadian television, film, and stage actress. She is best known for her roles as Cathy on the TV series ''King of Kensington'' and Harriet Miller in the film ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding''. E ...

) is a fancy pink

elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantida ...

, she is the main attraction of the

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...

. She has a big cloth on her back with a yellow

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

as a decoration. Her act involves balancing on an inflated beach ball. She appears in almost every episode, most notably "Dare to Dream". *Elizabeth the Emotional Pig (voiced by

Sheila McCarthy Sheila McCarthy (born January 1, 1956) is a Canadian actress and singer. She has worked in film, television, and on stage. McCarthy is one of Canada's most honoured actors, having won two Genie Awards (film), two Gemini Awards (television), an A ...

) is easily upset and has a tendency to moan and cry. When things go right, she feels ecstatically happy. She wears a turquoise

dress A dress (also known as a frock or a gown) is a garment traditionally worn by women or girls consisting of a skirt with an attached bodice (or a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece garment). It consists of a top piece that co ...

with two yellow lines on her skirt with

button A button is a fastener that joins two pieces of fabric together by slipping through a loop or by sliding through a buttonhole. In modern clothing and fashion design, buttons are commonly made of plastic but also may be made of metal, wood, o ...

s, collar flaps and cuffs. Her specialty is

juggling Juggling is a physical skill, performed by a juggler, involving the manipulation of objects for recreation, entertainment, art or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling. Juggling can be the manipulation of one object ...

, usually

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...

s. She also compulsively eats

corn on the cob Corn on the cob is a culinary term for a cooked ear of sweet corn (maize) eaten directly off the cob. The ear is picked while the endosperm is in the "milk stage" so that the kernels are still tender. Ears of corn are steamed, boiled, or ...

. She appears in almost every episode, most notably "Elizabeth in Charge". *Stripes the

Tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living Felidae, cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily pr ...

(voiced by Ron Pardo) is rather grumpy, but has a soft spot for "Mr. Grizzly", his torn-and-tattered stuffed bear. It's mentioned in the episode "Stripes Takes Off" that he weighs 400 pounds. His favorite meals are 32 chickens for dinner and a giant bowl of Crunchy Creatures cereal soaked for 10 minutes to have the right degree of sogginess for breakfast. He also enjoys reading the newspaper. Being a tiger, most people are afraid of him, so he is often seen inside his cage. *Fast-Talking Jack (voiced by

Dwayne Hill Dwayne Hill (born June 5, 1966) is a Canadian voice actor. In 2009, he was nominated for two Gemini awards, one in the solo category for '' Grossology'', the other, which he won, was for best ensemble in '' Atomic Betty''. Overall, he has voiced ...

) is the

owner Ownership is the state or fact of legal possession and control over property, which may be any asset, tangible or intangible. Ownership can involve multiple rights, collectively referred to as title, which may be separated and held by different ...

of the

carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival t ...

and a ringmaster of the big show in which he also plays a " lion tamer" for Stripes' act. *Edna (voiced by Robin Duke) is the smart fortune teller who also makes the

lemonade Lemonade is a sweetened lemon-flavored beverage. There are varieties of lemonade found throughout the world. In North America and South Asia, cloudy still lemonade is the most common variety. There it is traditionally a homemade drink using ...

and lemon ice sold at the carnival. She is a stickler for using juice she hand squeezes herself. Her screechy singing voice can break glass. Although she's not in many episodes, her most notable appearances are in "Eddy's Fortune" and "Edna the Singing Sensation". *Lyman Slime (voiced by Rummy Bishop) is the sleazy owner of a

clown A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms. History The most ancient clowns have been found in ...

circus, who sees Jack's carnival as unwelcomed competition. He sometimes sends his three clowns to spy on the carnival or to sabotage it. *The Penguin's Five are a band that accompanies the acts at the performance tent, made up of five

penguin Penguins (order Sphenisciformes , family Spheniscidae ) are a group of aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is found north of the Equator. Highly adap ...

s (hence the name). *Eddy's Grandma can be somewhat formidable, has a habit of firmly tapping the floor with her cane when wanting to emphasize a point. Eddy spends the summer at her house while he works at the carnival. She still calls Eddy his real name, Edward. *Squinty Pete is the proprietor of the Whomp-A-Weasel game in the carnival's midway. *Mr. P. Nutty sells peanuts during the big show and around the carnival. Wears a Peanut costume featuring a huge grin. His real name is Philbert, has a high-pitched voice and professes to be shy. *Lulabelle Rose is a tan

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than fo ...

with a light brown mane and tail with red lips and a daisy on her ear and Marvin's girlfriend. She is great at tap dancing just like him. Her only appearance is "The Importance of Being Eddy". *Lucy is Jack's niece who appeared in the episode "Eddy's Charm". Eddy has a crush on her. *Boris is a Russian circus bear looking for work at the circus. He specializes in peeling peanuts and telling stories about Russia. He appeared in "Truth or Bear". *Clyde is a racehorse who is Marvin's younger brother (even though he's now bigger than Marvin). He appeared in "Marvin Keeps Track". He and Marvin used to do great things together when they were young and Marvin was always the winner, but now Clyde always beats Marvin. Marvin was not pleased to see him because he had forgotten that about their past, but then Clyde reminded him. So if not for Marvin, Clyde never would've been a racehorse.

Episodes

Season 1 (2000)

Season 2 (2001–2002)

References

External reference

Marvin the Tap Dancing Horse Summary of the ShowMarvin the Tap Dancing Horse SynopsisNelvana: Marvin the Tap Dancing Horse Episode Guide
{{Former PBS Kids shows 2000s Canadian animated television series 2000s Canadian children's television series 2000 Canadian television series debuts 2001 Canadian television series endings 2000 Chinese television series debuts 2001 Chinese television series endings 2000s preschool education television series Canadian children's animated comedy television series Canadian children's animated education television series Canadian children's animated fantasy television series Canadian television shows based on children's books Chinese children's animated comedy television series Chinese children's animated fantasy television series Circus television shows English-language television shows PBS Kids shows PBS original programming Television series by Nelvana Teletoon original programming Treehouse TV original programming Animated television series about children Animated television series about horses Animated television series about elephants Television series about tigers Animated television series about pigs Animated television series about penguins