Oswald is a children's animated television series co-produced by Nickelodeon and HIT Entertainment. It first aired on August 20, 2001, on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block in the United States. The show was created by Dan Yaccarino. It was also broadcast on Noggin and CBS (during the Nick Jr. on CBS block) in reruns. 26 episodes were produced.
The series was added to Paramount+ (at the time CBS All Access) in January 2021.
Plot[]
The series is set in Big City, a colorful world populated by anthropomorphic animals, mythological creatures and humanoid beings. Each episode follows the daily experiences of an anthropomorphic blue octopus named Oswald (voiced by Fred Savage), accompanied by his beloved hotdog-shaped pet, Weenie, and their life in the cheerful and whimsically-designed community of Big City. Commonly, the program concentrates on Oswald's experiences with friends, acquaintances and neighbors, including Henry, a penguin, and Daisy, a flower, among others – and his patient methods of coping with or tolerating different situations and dilemmas, along with his thoroughly optimistic outlook on life.
Characters[]
Main[]
- Oswald (voiced by Fred Savage) – The main character (four arms, four legs) who lives in an apartment complex with Henry the Penguin and several other animals including a turtle named Buster. A very gentle, polite and big-hearted blue octopus, Oswald is always willing to go out of his way to help his friends. His favorite hobbies are playing the piano and singing.
- Weenie (voiced by Debi Derryberry) – Weenie is Oswald's pet dachshund. Weenie bears a strong resemblance to a hot dog and only communicates in "bark-speak". Weenie accompanies Oswald everywhere he goes, and her favorite food is vanilla dog biscuits.
- Henry the Penguin (voiced by David Lander) – Oswald's downstairs neighbor and best friend. Henry is a creature of habit in every way and usually shuns the idea of trying different things, though he can sometimes be persuaded otherwise. He does his best to maintain a rigid schedule, which includes taking care of his extensive spoon collection, ending every evening watching "Penguin Patrol", his favorite TV show, and doing the Penguin Polka before bedtime. Most of Henry's favorite foods are fish-flavored and he is a proven expert on snow. He has an identical cousin from the North named Louie, and on occasion speaks of an Aunt Arctica. His motto is "slow and steady". He always takes two (used to be three) marshmallows in his hot cocoa, saying "No more, no less". He also hates getting wet.
- Daisy (voiced by Crystal Scales) – Daisy is a tall orange/yellow/green daisy. Free-spirited and energetic, Daisy participates in sports and other activities. She is a close friend of both Oswald and Henry; the three of them often go on adventures together. Daisy loves sunflower sundaes, riding her unicycle, has a large leaf collection and loves peppermint tea. Daisy is very excitable and often has to be hushed by Oswald when she speaks too loudly.
Recurring[]
- Johnny Snowman (voiced by Mel Winkler) – A laid-back snowman who operates an ice cream shop and also has an ice cream truck. Johnny wears a black top hat, sports a carrot nose, and has a deep baritone voice. He also has a brother in the frozen north named Phil.
- The Egg Twins – They are two identical twin eggs, named Egbert (voiced by Daran Norris) and Leo (voiced by J. Grant Albrecht). Leo always responds in conversations with an enthusiastic "Yes, yes!" while Egbert refers to everyone as "old boy".
- Catrina (voiced by Debi Derryberry) – A baby caterpillar that is just learning how to speak. She is the only child of Madame Butterfly. Like other babies, Catrina is highly curious about everything around her, but is always attended by her mom or others to keep her curiosity in check.
- Madame Butterfly (voiced by Laraine Newman) – The mother of Catrina and the proprietor of the local diner, a favorite lunch stop for Oswald and his friends.
Minor[]
- Pongo (voiced by Richard Kind) – Pongo is a large yellow and red dragon with a long, thin, green mustache and is quite similar to the dragons in Chinese culture and folklore. He lives in a Chinese-style home in Big City. In sharp contrast to his otherwise intimidating size, Pongo is very shy and soft-spoken, and known for his occasional clumsiness.
- Buster – A very slow moving turtle living in the same apartment building as Oswald. He appears in several episodes.
- Cactus Polly (voiced by Laraine Newman) – Polly is a helpful cactus lady who carries a lasso and talks like a cowboy from the wild west.
- Sammy Starfish (voiced by Tony Orlando) – Oswald's musical idol, Sammy is a jazz singer. Oswald's dream is to play piano for Sammy Starfish, which becomes a reality when Sammy's show comes to Big City and the tickets are all sold out.
- Steve Tree (voiced by Fred Stoller) – Steve is a tree that comes to life. Sometimes his pet Woodrow the woodpecker pecks on him, usually on his head.
- Andy Pumpkin (voiced by Eddie Deezen) – Steve Tree's loopy best friend. He is a happy-go-lucky pumpkin person and works at a candy shop. He tends to speak in hyper tones when working in the candy shop.
- Bingette Bunny (voiced by Kathy Najimy) – A ditsy rabbit who runs the gardening store where Oswald buys his tomato plants. She is usually very unhelpful but usually says "Just doing my job!" when Oswald leaves the store.
- Roderick Robot is a mechanical man with a mechanical cat, Tinsel. Oswald cat-sits for Roderick, and it turns out Tinsel is a very naughty cat.
- Bingo (voiced by Mac Davis) – Big City's barber, a quiet rabbit who also runs a newspaper store from which Henry buys his newspaper. He only talks in the episodes "The Naughty Cat" and "Henry Needs a Haircut".
- Louie (voiced by Michael McKean) – Henry's cousin from the Arctic.
- Flippy – A fish who Oswald bought at the pet store but had to give to the Big City Aquarium as the fish grew too large.
- Paper People – Silent humans made of paper who appear in several episodes as cameo characters.
- Woodrow – Steve Tree's pet woodpecker.
- Tinsel – Roderick's mechanical pet cat.
- Fish – Fish who appear in the episode "Goin' Fishing".
- Maestro Bingo – He runs a store of various musical instruments and appears in the episodes "Daisy Plays an Instrument" and "Fixing the Piano".
UK Dubs[]
- Oswald voiced by Richard Pearce
- Wennie voiced by Debi Derryberry (also from the American dub)
- Henry voiced by David Holt
- Daisy voiced by Moir Leslie
- Madame Butterfly voiced by Moir Leslie
- Gingerbread voiced by David Holt
- Head Gingerbread Man voiced by Gary Martin
Release[]
Broadcast history[]
In the United States, Oswald first aired on the Nick Jr. television block on Nickelodeon on August 20, 2001. It was removed from the lineup on May 24, 2005. On April 7, 2003, Oswald started airing on Noggin, which had recently shifted its target audience to preschoolers. Reruns also aired on the 24-hour Nick Jr. channel upon its launch in 2009, but they were removed on March 8, 2013. The show aired briefly on Nick on CBS for one year from September 15, 2001, to September 7, 2002.
In 2018, Oswald made a guest appearance in the Robot Chicken episode "Scoot to the Gute", with Fred Savage reprising his role.
Home media[]
Paramount Home Entertainment is the VHS and DVD distributor for the series in the US while HIT Entertainment is the VHS and DVD distributor for the series internationally.
Main releases[]
| Release Date | Name | Number of Episodes | Episode Titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2, 2003 | Best Buddies | 4 |
|
| Outdoors with Oswald | 4 |
| |
| Welcome to Big City! | 8 |
| |
| January 27, 2004 | On-the-Go Oswald | 8 |
|
Episodes on Nick Jr. compilation DVDs (US only)[]
| Release Date | Name | Number of Episodes | Episode Titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 2005 | Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 1 | 2 |
|
| September 26, 2006 | Nick Jr. Favorites Holiday | 2 |
|
Reception[]
The series received four out of five stars on Common Sense Media.