''The ZhuZhus'' (formerly known as ''Polly and the ZhuZhu Pets'') is an

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

children's television series Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television show, television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during ...

developed by Hugh Duffy for Disney Channel and YTV. The series is based on the American toy franchise ''

ZhuZhu Pets ZhuZhu Pets (, formerly known as Go Go Pets in the UK) is an American line of plush robotic hamster toys created by Cepia LLC in 2009. Multiple spin-off toy lines, including ZhuZhu Puppies and Kung Zhus, have been released. History ZhuZhu Pet ...

''. It is the second animated adaptation starring the Fab Four; Pipsqueak, Mr. Squiggles, Num Nums, and Chunk, following '' Quest for Zhu'' in 2011. The series is about Frankie Pamplemousse, a young girl who owns four talking hamsters. It debuted on Disney Channel in the United States on September 12, 2016.

Plot

''The ZhuZhus'' is about 8-year-old Frankie Pamplemousse, who lives in Anytown with her parents who run a plumbing home business called Pamplemouse Plumbing. She owns four talking hamsters called the ZhuZhus; Pipsqueak, Mr. Squiggles, Num Nums, and Chunk, as they have adventures in their town.

Characters

Main

* Frankie Pamplemousse (voiced by Jenna Warren) is the 8-year-old owner of the ZhuZhus. She likes sports and hanging out with her friends, the ZhuZhus. She has blonde hair and blue eyes. Before the redub of the series, she was originally named Polly. * Pipsqueak (voiced by

Tajja Isen Tajja Isen (born June 29, 1991) is a Canadian writer, editor, and voice actress. Her first book, the essay collection Some of My Best Friends: Essays on Lip Service, was published in April 2022. As an actor, she is best known for voicing the tit ...

) is Frankie's first ZhuZhu, and the unofficial leader of the ZhuZhus. She loves adventure, and will do anything to help Frankie and the team out. She is fearless, energetic, and very loyal to Frankie. She is yellow and her birthmark, which are located on the Zhus' backs, is a shooting star because she always fires ideas and enthusiasm in every way. * Mr. Squiggles (voiced by Richard Binsley) is Frankie's second ZhuZhu. He is very smart, resourceful, and likes science. He also creates machines and gadgets that help the team out when in need. He is orange, has wrinkles under his eyes, wears a belt, and his birthmark is a spiral because his mind always spins with new ideas. * Num Nums (voiced by Stephany Seki) is Frankie's third ZhuZhu, and Pipsqueak's best friend. She is a very shy and a cautious thinker, and isn't as daring as the rest of the team, but she will do anything to help them. Despite this however, she still has a tough side whenever she or the team is insulted. She is purple, wears pink glasses, and her birthmark is a heart because she always wears it on her sleeve. * Chunk (voiced by

Robert Tinkler Robert Tinkler is a Canadian voice actor who provides voices for a number of cartoons and anime shows. He voiced Max in '' The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police'', Delete in the children's animated series '' Cyberchase'', Pelswick Eggert ...

) is Frankie's fourth ZhuZhu, and the tallest Zhu. As his name suggests, he is very chunky and strong. He is also very stylish and narcissistic, and usually serves as the comic relief. His cousins are Jilly and Bean, two mischievous twins. He is grey and his birthmark is a sun because he lights up the whole room whenever he smiles.

Recurring

* Ellen Pamplemousse or "Mom" (voiced by Stacey DePass) is Frankie's mother and a professional plumber for Pamplemousse Plumbing. She used to be a part of the Power Badge Girls. * Stanley Pamplemousse or "Dad" (voiced by

Zachary Bennett Zachary Bennett is a Canadian actor and musician, who is known for playing Felix King in '' Road to Avonlea''. He also co-starred in the 2006 TV film ''Jekyll + Hyde'' and for voicing Coach Clydesdale on '' Corn & Peg''. He also currently voices ...

) is Frankie's father and also a professional plumber for Pamplemousse Plumbing. He loves music and was previously a Wilderness Teen Ranger. Thus, he knows a lot about nature. * Wilfred P. Kerdle or Mr. Kerdle (voiced by

Patrick McKenna Patrick McKenna (born May 8, 1960) is a Canadian comedian and actor. He is best known for playing Harold Green on the television series '' The Red Green Show''. Early life Patrick McKenna became interested in Second City when a high-school teac ...

) is the cranky janitor of Frankie's school. He tries to stop the Zhus from coming into the school and insults them. * Cindy and Mindy Gelato (voiced by Rebecca Brenner and Samantha Weinstein) are twins and Frankie's friends. * Madge Mervins (voiced by Brianna D'Aguanno) is Frankie's neighbor and worst enemy. She always tries to beat Frankie at everything. She has blue hair and brown eyes and a cat named Princess Tickyboo. * Whendy Sails (voiced by

Nicole Stamp Nicole Stamp is a Canadian television host, director, actor, filmmaker, playwright, and voice actress. Career Stamp works as a host, producer, and director, having started her career at TVOntario, where she co-hosted TVOntario's afternoon blo ...

) is a celebrity and news reporter for Channel 5. * Jessica Beeker (voiced by

Addison Holley Addison Holley (born May 18, 2000) is a Canadian actress who has had starring roles in several television series. Holley was born in Burlington, Ontario. In 2016, she was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Child ...

) is Frankie's favorite popstar. * Dr. Phelmholz (voiced by Rob Rubin) is an Austrian doctor from Vienna.

Production

''The ZhuZhus'' is produced by Nelvana and Cepia LLC, in association with

Corus Entertainment Corus Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian mass media company. Formed in 1999 as a spin-off from Shaw Communications, it has prominent holdings in the radio, publishing, and television industries. It is headquartered at Corus Quay in Toronto, Onta ...

. The series is animated using

Toon Boom Animation Toon Boom Animation Inc. is a Canadian software company that specializes in animation production and storyboarding software. Founded in 1994 and based in Montreal, Quebec, Toon Boom develops animation and storyboarding software for film, televi ...

and recorded in Studio 306 Inc. It was first announced on February 12, 2015 by Kristin Musulin of ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

'' as a Nelvana production, with a planned release of 2016. The show was originally referred to as "ZhuZhu Pets" before the official title was revealed. The last episode to air on Disney Channel with that title was "Fur-Vivor/Zhuper Girl", which premiered on October 21, 2016, and the show went on a hiatus. After its hiatus the series gained a new name and Polly's name was changed to Frankie for the rest of the series' run. Eventually all seven episodes that were previously broadcast on Disney Channel were redubbed to say Frankie instead of Polly.

Episodes

Shorts

A short webseries called "Zhu's News" was released to YTV's

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

channel starting July 17, 2017. Each episode stars Whendy Sails of Channel 5 recapping moments in the series.

Release

Broadcast

''The ZhuZhus'' debuted on Disney Channel in the United States on September 12, 2016 as ''Polly and the ZhuZhu Pets''. After the show went on a hiatus and changed its name, the first episode to air was "Zhu Years Eve/Lookies for Cookies" on January 7, 2017, and the show was added to the ''Get Animated!'' block. On August 29, 2016, Denise Petski of ''

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, wit ...

'' announced that

Disney Channels Worldwide Disney Branded Television is a unit of Disney General Entertainment Content which oversees development and production of content geared towards children, teenagers and families for Disney+, Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD. The unit a ...

acquired both multi-territory broadcast and on demand rights to ''The ZhuZhus'' in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Central and Eastern Europe, Germany, Luxembourg, the Middle East, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Switzerland. The series aired on Disney Channel in Australia and New Zealand on February 13, 2017, Disney Channel in South Africa on March 6, and

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning ...

in the United Kingdom and Ireland on May 2. The series was scheduled to premiere on YTV in Canada in December 2016, but eventually it premiered on July 4, 2017. Reruns in Canada premiere airs on Disney Channel and Disney Junior.

Home media

On September 25, 2018, Cinedigm released a DVD featuring all 26 episodes of the series named "The ZhuZhus: Season 1".

Reception

Emily Ashby of

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

rated ''The ZhuZhus'' a 3 out of 5 stars, stating "the series does well to stand on its own entertainment merit, but it can't avoid commercial tie-ins altogether." Bruce Katz of Cepia feels that "the animation further enhanced the personality of the characters," and says that "they've captured the essence of what

is all about."

Media information

Two online games are currently available on ''The ZhuZhus'' website called ''Tube Racers'' and ''Costume Couture''. An app was also released on April 18, 2017 called ''The ZhuZhus: Zhuniverse'', which is available to play on iTunes and

Google Play Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store and formerly the Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certified devices running on the Android operating sy ...

Notes

References

External links