Word Party

Summary

Word Party (also known as Jim Henson's Word Party) is an American animated children's television series that began streaming on Netflix in 2016. The series was created by The Jim Henson Company, using Henson Digital Puppetry Studio.

Word Party
GenreEducational
Created byAlex Rockwell
Voices ofDorien Davies
Victor Yerrid
Donna Kimball
John Tartaglia
Alice Dinnean
Risa Mei
Narrated byPatina Miller
Theme music composerAlex Geringas, Mike Himelstein, Dena Diamond
Opening theme"Word Party"
Ending theme"Word Party" (instrumental)
ComposerMichael Silversher and Patty Silversher
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes60
Production
Executive producersLisa Henson
Halle Stanford
Alex Rockwell
ProducerThe Jim Henson Company
Production locationClubhouse
Running time13 minutes
Production companyThe Jim Henson Company
Original release
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseJuly 8, 2016 (2016-07-08) –
March 2, 2021 (2021-03-02)

Overview edit

The vocabulary-building program features a group of five young animals, Kip the wallaby (John Tartaglia), Bailey the elephant (Victor Yerrid), leader Franny the cheetah (Donna Kimball), the mascot Lulu the panda (Dorien Davies), and Tilly the tortoise (Alice Dinnean), "as they sing, dance and play."[1] The show invites young viewers to help teach the baby animals new words, practice these new words themselves, and celebrate these achievements with a "Word Party!", hence the series' title name. The show is narrated by Patina Miller.

Characters edit

Main

  • Lulu is a baby panda who is the second youngest of the group and the title character of the series. Due to being younger than the other babies (and older than Tilly), it is often hard for her to fully express how she is feeling because it is harder for her to find the necessary words for what she wants to say. She occasionally does not speak in full sentences and gets frustrated when others can not understand her.
  • Kip is a baby wallaby who is the jokester of the group and loves to jump. Sometimes when he tries to guess what the other babies are feeling, or what someone else is trying to tell him, he often has trouble finding out what it is, with him comically and humorously failing. With help from the other babies, and Word Wally, he has the words for what someone else is talking about. He is the second oldest of the group.
  • Franny is a baby cheetah who is Lulu's best friend and the leader of the group. Sometimes it is hard for the others to tell what is bothering her when she is in a low mood, but she accepts help when she needs it most. She has stated several times, "Well, I am the oldest."
  • Bailey is a baby elephant who loves to pretend. He has a big heart, and often helps the other babies when they do not always have the words to express their feelings. He cares a lot about the other babies.
  • Tilly is a Mandarin-speaking baby tortoise who appears as a main character in season 4. Due to being the youngest of the group alongside Lulu, she is often soft-spoken and does not talk very much, though words cannot always describe her sunny disposition. She is the smallest of the babies.

Episodes edit

SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
114July 8, 2016 (2016-07-08)
212October 21, 2016 (2016-10-21)
314October 6, 2017 (2017-10-06)
410January 21, 2020 (2020-01-21)
510March 2, 2021 (2021-03-02)

Season 1 (2016) edit

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date [2]
11"Meet the Babies"July 8, 2016 (2016-07-08)
22"Down on the Farm"July 8, 2016 (2016-07-08)
33"To the Moon!"July 8, 2016 (2016-07-08)
44"The Slow Racer"July 8, 2016 (2016-07-08)
55"Burst My Balloon"July 8, 2016 (2016-07-08)
66"The Color Monster"July 8, 2016 (2016-07-08)
77"Ouch!"July 8, 2016 (2016-07-08)
88"Tickle Time"July 8, 2016 (2016-07-08)
99"Tired Lulu"July 8, 2016 (2016-07-08)
1010"An Egg-Cellent Surprise"July 8, 2016 (2016-07-08)
1111"No Cupcakes For Lunch"July 8, 2016 (2016-07-08)
1212"The Lost Apple"July 8, 2016 (2016-07-08)
1313"A Job For Lulu"July 8, 2016 (2016-07-08)
1414"Bailey the Helper"July 8, 2016 (2016-07-08)

Season 2 (2016) edit

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date [2]
151"Bailey's Garden"October 21, 2016 (2016-10-21)
162"Come Back, Butterfly!"October 21, 2016 (2016-10-21)
173"Lights Out"October 21, 2016 (2016-10-21)
184"The Opposite of Fun"October 21, 2016 (2016-10-21)
195"Lulu's Special Pillow"October 21, 2016 (2016-10-21)
206"Building Blocks"October 21, 2016 (2016-10-21)
217"Nighttime Is for Sleeping"October 21, 2016 (2016-10-21)
228"Too Loud"October 21, 2016 (2016-10-21)
239"The Taste Test"October 21, 2016 (2016-10-21)
2410"Kip Comes to His Senses"October 21, 2016 (2016-10-21)
2511"A Playground Parade"October 21, 2016 (2016-10-21)
2612"Everybody Is Good at Something"October 21, 2016 (2016-10-21)

Season 3 (2017) edit

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date [2]
271"Hit It!"October 6, 2017 (2017-10-06)
282"Raffe's Broken Wheel"October 6, 2017 (2017-10-06)
293"Hey, Have You Heard? It's the Word Potty!"October 6, 2017 (2017-10-06)
304"Mind Your Manners"October 6, 2017 (2017-10-06)
315"Art from the Heart"October 6, 2017 (2017-10-06)
326"Stormy Weather"October 6, 2017 (2017-10-06)
337"Fuzzy Furry Friendships"October 6, 2017 (2017-10-06)
348"Franny’s Fractions"October 6, 2017 (2017-10-06)
359"A Bed for Raffe"October 6, 2017 (2017-10-06)
3610"The Stink Monster"October 6, 2017 (2017-10-06)
3711"Nice Moves!"October 6, 2017 (2017-10-06)
3812"A Very Buggy Picnic"October 6, 2017 (2017-10-06)
3913"Ocean Chase"October 6, 2017 (2017-10-06)
4014"Shop Til You Drop"October 6, 2017 (2017-10-06)

Season 4 (2020) edit

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date [2]
411"The Big Surprise"January 21, 2020 (2020-01-21)
422"You Say Hello, I Say Nĭ hăo"January 21, 2020 (2020-01-21)
433"Walk the Walk!"January 21, 2020 (2020-01-21)
444"Hungry Thirsty Tilly"January 21, 2020 (2020-01-21)
455"Clickety Clock-tastrophe"January 21, 2020 (2020-01-21)
466"Tilly the Toy"January 21, 2020 (2020-01-21)
477"Lulu's Travels"January 21, 2020 (2020-01-21)
488"What's Mine is Yours"January 21, 2020 (2020-01-21)
499"The Upside Down Smile"January 21, 2020 (2020-01-21)
5010"Bath Time!"January 21, 2020 (2020-01-21)

Season 5 (2021) edit

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date [2]
511"Blast Off!"March 2, 2021 (2021-03-02)
522"Dinosaurs on the Playground!"March 2, 2021 (2021-03-02)
533"The Lost Treasure"March 2, 2021 (2021-03-02)
544"A World Without Colors"March 2, 2021 (2021-03-02)
555"What About Lulu?"March 2, 2021 (2021-03-02)
566"Food Fight!"March 2, 2021 (2021-03-02)
577"The Loudest Sneeze"March 2, 2021 (2021-03-02)
588"Spread the Love"March 2, 2021 (2021-03-02)
599"The Courageous Colors!"March 2, 2021 (2021-03-02)
6010"All in the Family"March 2, 2021 (2021-03-02)

Word Party Presents: Math! edit

Word Party Presents: Math! is a spinoff that teaches math. It was released on Netflix on December 28, 2021. A sneak peek of the spinoff was uploaded on the Netflix Jr channel on December 1, 2021. It introduces new friends to the series, Cookitybot and Math Molly.

Episodes edit

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date
11"No Fair!/Meet Cookitybot!"December 28, 2021 (2021-12-28)
22"Counting Cupcakes/Kip's Moment of Ten"December 28, 2021 (2021-12-28)
33"The Shape Hunt/The Right Triangle"December 28, 2021 (2021-12-28)
44"A House for Raffe/Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Shapes"December 28, 2021 (2021-12-28)
55"A Pattern for Friendship/Tilly Dancer"December 28, 2021 (2021-12-28)
66"Pandazilla!/All-Star Mathletes"December 28, 2021 (2021-12-28)
77"Raffes for All!/Breaking Eggs"December 28, 2021 (2021-12-28)
88"Let Tilly Eat Cake/The Tallest Baby"December 28, 2021 (2021-12-28)
99"Ready Player Tilly/The Gold Rush"December 28, 2021 (2021-12-28)
1010"Kip the Mathemagician/Let Me Count the Ways"December 28, 2021 (2021-12-28)

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (June 30, 2015). "Netflix Adding Three Original Preschool Toons". Animation Magazine. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Word Party Episode Listings". The Futon Critic.

External links edit

  • Word Party at IMDb