''Busytown Mysteries'', also known as ''Hurray for Huckle!'', is an

animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...

television series produced by Canadian studio

Cookie Jar Group The Cookie Jar Group, commonly known as simply Cookie Jar and formerly known as CINAR, was a Canadian animation studio, production company, media production and distribution company that existed from 1976 until it was folded into DHX Media, no ...

, with Singapore studio Peach Blossom Media joining in production and animation for the second season. It airs in Canada as part of the Kids' CBC block and on the Tiny Pop channel in the

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. In the United States, the show was scheduled to debut 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 ...

, but it aired as part of the

Cookie Jar TV Cookie Jar TV was an American children's programming block that aired on CBS, originally premiering on September 16, 2006, as the KOL Secret Slumber Party; the block was later rebranded as KEWLopolis ( ) on September 15, 2007, and finally as ...

block on CBS instead, and then returned to the United States on

Starz Starz (stylized in all caps as STARZ; pronounced "stars") is an American pay television network owned by Starz Entertainment, and is the flagship property of Starz Inc. Launched in 1994 as a multiplex service of what is now Starz Encore, ...

. The first season was directed by Ken Cunningham and produced by Christine Davis. Animation for this season was produced by Helix Digital Inc. Post production was handled by Fearless Films and Supersonics Productions Inc. This season was the winner of the 2009 CFTPA award for best children's program, and nominated for the 2009 Pulcinella award for best preschool series at Italy's prestigious " Cartoons on the Bay". The second season was directed by Larry Jacobs with post directing by Ken Cunningham and produced by Genna Du Plessis, and Audrey Velichka.

Overview

The show takes place in Richard Scarry's Busytown and teaches the

deductive reasoning Deductive reasoning is the process of drawing valid inferences. An inference is valid if its conclusion follows logically from its premises, meaning that it is impossible for the premises to be true and the conclusion to be false. For example, t ...

through stories in which Huckle Cat (with his sister Sally Cat, and friend Lowly Worm) solve mysteries by examining evidence, with occasional help from friends such as Hilda Hippo, and twins Pig Will and Pig Won't. The mysteries are filed through insect reporter Gold Bug, who comes with a microphone and his own personal news van.

Voice cast

* Joanne Vannicola as Huckle Cat, Sally's older brother and the leader of his detective group. Huckle is the most mature, observative and intelligent of his group, though he isn't above childish behavior. He drives a red car with a picture of his face on the hood. * Ellie Ellwand as Sally Cat, Huckle's younger sister. Sally is much more immature than her brother, but she is always on his side. She rides a red scooter and wears a matching helmet doing so. * Paul Wensley as Lowly Worm, a friend of Huckle and Sally's. Lowly is easy going and has a bit of a joking spree, often disguising himself as a long and thin object. A running gag in the series is Lowly's penchant for sneezing when near something he's allergic to (often a flower). He drives a red car shaped like an apple. * Julie Lemieux as Pig Will, Pig Won't's twin, and a friend of Huckle's. Pig Will is cheery and optimistic, and although he and his brother mean well, their penchant for ridiculous theories, focus on food, and constant arguments often serve as a common source of the group's annoyances. He and his twin share a truck with a cab shaped like a sausage. Pig Will is identified by his straight ears, green shirt, and higher-pitched voice. ** Lemieux also voices Hilda Hippo, a friend of Huckle's. Hilda enjoys numerous activities most consider feminine, and is typically seen bonding the most with Sally. She has numerous activities and drives a pink and purple buggy. * Richard Binsley as Pig Won't, Pig Will's twin, and a friend of Huckle's. Pig Won't is grumpy and pessimistic, and although he and his brother mean well, their penchant for ridiculous theories, focus on food, and constant arguments often serve as a common source of the group's annoyances. He and his twin share a truck with a cab shaped like a sausage. Pig Won't is identified by his bent ears, red shirt, and lower-pitched voice. * Kevin Dennis as Goldbug, Busytown's main reporter. He is often around when there is a mystery around, but he also does reports on key events all over Busytown. He uses a large variety of small orange vehicles, namely a news van, helicopter, and occasionally a boat.

Episodes

Each of the following episodes consists of two seasons.

Season 1 (2007)

Season 2 (2009–2010)

Home releases

Between 2009-2010, NCircle Entertainment released several

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

releases of the series in the United States. The first two releases: "The Very Best Busytown Friends Ever!" and "Zooming Around Busytown" were released on February 10, 2009. The third: "The Best Outside Fun Ever!" was released on June 30, 2009. All three of these releases were released under the show's alternate title: ''Hurray for Huckle!''. The last two releases: "A Pickle of a Pickle in Busytown", released on May 25, 2010, and "The Mysterious Mysteries Of Busytown", released on July 13, 2010, were released under the show's original title. On July 27, 2010, Mill Creek Entertainment released a DVD called ''You and Me Solve a Mystery'', a 3-disc set featuring the entire second season of the series on DVD, once again in the United States. Similar to other Cookie Jar releases from Mill Creek, the set also contains a bonus episode of '' The Busy World of Richard Scarry'' alongside four other Cookie Jar shows: '' Wimzie's House'', '' A Miss Mallard Mystery'', '' Nellie the Elephant'' and '' Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings''. The company also released the first disc as a standalone release on the same day, titled "The Biggest Mysteries Ever!", containing the same bonus episode of ''The Busy World of Richard Scarry''.

References

External links

*
Busytown Mysteries
at Big Cartoon Database {{Children's programming on CBS in the 2000s 2000s Canadian animated television series 2010s Canadian animated television series 2000s Canadian children's television series 2010s Canadian children's television series 2007 Canadian television series debuts 2010 Canadian television series endings Singaporean animated television series Canadian children's animated fantasy television series Canadian children's animated mystery television series Canadian preschool education television series 2007 Singaporean television series debuts 2010 Singaporean television series endings Animated preschool education television series 2000s preschool education television series 2010s preschool education television series CBC Kids original programming Television series by Cookie Jar Entertainment Television series by WildBrain Canadian flash animated television series Canadian television shows based on children's books Animated television series about cats Animated television series about children Animated television series about pigs Animated television series about siblings Canadian English-language television shows Busytown Children's television series about talking animals