"Here come the Rubbadubbers - Splish! Splash! Splosh!"
 

    Bath-time fun here with a colourful cast of water toys. There's Tubb the frog, Terence
    the bath bottle crocodile, Finbar the wind-up bath shark, Sploshy the starfish-shaped
    sponge, Winona the squeaky toy whale, Reg the robot and Amelia the flying
    submarine. These bath-time buddies come to life whenever the wash room is empty.
    The gang imagine themselves in all kinds of fantasy situations and they work their
    way through songs, problems, escapades and adventures which take them out
    of the bath room and into a wealth of fantasy scenarios. But the gang are always
    certain to be back in the bath once more, before "Benjie" and "Sis" make their way
    to the facilities...

        

    "Rubbadubbers" is animated by the team at HOT Animation, who previously
    brought Bob the Builder and friends to our screens, and it's great splashy fun
    for little 'uns. The stand-out star of the show is stuttering Finbar, as voiced by Irish
    comedian Sean Hughes (or maybe that should be "stand-up"?). There's some
    lovely detail on offer, like Terence's bubbling nostrils, and the constant ripples
    and bubbles on the bath water. Taking the characters out of what could have
    become quite a dull bath environment means that animators can play with a
    variety of bright scenarios, and they certainly go to town, up in the clouds,
    on theatrical stages, and more. There's some fun interplay between the characters
    too with Tubb being the self-appointed leader, Sploshy always over-exuberant,
    Reg being very reserved and robotic, Terence always hesitant and afraid of
    new things and Finbar simply being gnawing, gnashing, angry at the world.
    (though he couldn't even nibble a lilly pad, in reality).

    As one would expect from such a hit (HIT?) series, there were a plethora of
    licensed goodies produced when the show launched, one of the more popular
    items being this here all-talking, all-chomping Finbar plush toy:

    

     Cute, eh?

 

    Rubbadubbers episodes
    
     Scary Finbar                        Sheriff Terrence 
     Terence of Arabia                 Spaceman Reg
     Deep Sea Reg                      Rocket Sled Reg
     Traindriver Tubb                   Finbar and the Ghosts
     Tubb the Pirate                    Sploshy's Wishes
     Speedy Terence                   The House that Tubb Built  
     Sploshy's Tail                       Terence the Monster Hunter
     Tubb the Magician                 Finbar's Important Part    
     Amelia the Babysitter             Lighthouse Keeper Reg     
     Reg the Monster                   Clean and Groovy
     Terence's Double Trouble        Great Skate 
     Sploshybird                          All Wrapped Up
     Drip!                                   Sploshy of the Arctic
     Sploshy of the Arctic             Copy Sploshy
     Hide and Seek                      Terence's Ties
     High Noon in the Bathroom                        
     Finbar the Star

 

     Rubbadubbers on DVD

    Here are the invididual releases:

      Rubbadubbers: Here Come the Rubbadubbers
                Region 2 / six episodes / HIT Entertainment / May 2003

      Rubbadubbers: Splish! Splash! Splosh!
                Region 2 / four episodes / HIT Entertainment / Sept 2003

      Rubbadubbers: Bathtime Scramble!
                Region 2 / four episodes / HIT Entertainment / Feb 2004

      Rubbadubbers: Swimmin'
                Region 2 / four episodes / HIT Entertainment / April 2007

     And there's a box-set featuring the first three discs:

      Rubbadubbers Box-Set
                Region 2 / three discs / HIT Entertainment / March 2007

     In addition the Rubbadubbers also appear on several of
     HIT Entertainment's Children's Favourites compilations...
         
 

      director:            Brian Little
     series dir
      & producer:       Jackie Cockle
     exec prods:       Theresa Plummer-Andrews (for the BBC)
                             Jocelyn Stevenson (for HIT)
                             Kay Wilson (Nick Jr)
     script editors:   Tim Compton, Anne Starkey
     writers:             Jocelyn Stevenson, Hiawyn Oram,
                             Andrew Brenner, Sally Lever,
                             Hazel McBride, Ross Hastings
     music & lyrics:  Kick     
     animators:        Sarah Owen, Korste Bytheil, Kim Emson,
                             Merike van de Vijve, Jan Mass
     puppets:           Mackinnon & Saunders Ltd
     puppet co-ord:  Leigh Manning (for HOT)
     sets:                 Rick Kent, Geoff Spain, Richard Sykes, Alan Henry
     costumes:         Geraldine Corrigan, Karen Betty
     props & set
      dressing:           Lucy Beckett, Jason Thompson
                             Tony Morris, John Price, Tom Horrell
     props master:    Nigel Place
     assistants to
      the art dir:         Lynne Ainsworth, Trisha Budd
     puppet design:   Curtis Jobling
     des & art dir:      Richard Edmunds
     st'board co-ord: Les Eaves
     st'board art:      Benedict Lewis, Dave King
     initial dev:         Zenith Entertainment
     originator:         Peter Curtis
     lighting des:      Paul Curtis
     camera:            Beth MacDonald, Dick Dando
     ed/dubbing ed:  Mark Edwards
     on-line:             Eldon Snelgrove
     dubb mixer:       Paul Harrison at 422 Manchester
     post prod
      co-ordinator:     Kate Nowakowksi
     prod assistant:  Lizzie Radcliffe
     asst line prod:   Katheryn Gunn
     prod sup:          Laura Dimaio (for HIT)
     head of global
     prod for HIT:     Karen Davidsen
     voices:            John Gordon Sinclair (Tubb)
                            Sean Hughes (Finbar)
                            Maria Darling (Sploshy)

 

     On the web

 
     Rubbadubbers
     The official site for kids...

     HIT Entertainment
     The series rights holders....

     HOT Animation
     They were the animators....

     Mackinnon & Saunders
     They made the models...

 
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