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Stanley is an American children's animated television series that aired on Playhouse Disney based on the series of children's books written by "Griff" (as indicated on the cover of the original book), also known as Andrew Griffin.[1] It was produced by Cartoon Pizza and was developed for television by Jim Jinkins (the creator of Doug, PB&J Otter, Allegra's Window, JoJo's Circus, and Pinky Dinky Doo) and David Campbell.
| Stanley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | |
| Developed by | |
| Voices of |
|
| Theme music composer | Peter Lurye |
| Opening theme | "My Man Stanley" by Baha Men |
| Ending theme | "My Man Stanley" (instrumental) |
| Composer | Stuart Kollmorgen |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 65 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | Cartoon Pizza |
| Original release | |
| Network | Playhouse Disney |
| Release | September 15, 2001 – November 26, 2004 |
The series follows Stanley, voiced by Jessica D. Stone, and teaches a wide variety of issues young children face, including change, growth, rules, and dealing with others. Each episode centers on an animal that deals with or helps explain the issue Stanley is grappling with.[2]
Bahamian Junkanoo and reggae fusion group Baha Men, who are best known for their hit song "Who Let the Dogs Out", sang the series' main theme song, "My Man Stanley".
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Each episode shows Stanley (voiced by Jessica D. Stone) in a situation he does not fully understand. He discusses it with his pet goldfish Dennis (voiced by Charles Shaughnessy) before consulting either his computer or the Great Big Book of Everything, a remarkably complete zoology book aimed at young children. By observing how an animal copes with the same situation Stanley faces, or how it can overcome a similar difficulty, Stanley learns to deal with the situation himself.
Throughout the show Stanley and all his friends are able to talk to his pet cat, Elsie (voiced by Hynden Walch) and dog Harry (voiced by Rene Mujica) as well as Dennis. Other animals also seem to occasionally respond, but never talk or give a definite indication they truly understood what was said. Stanley and his friends actively try to keep the adults (that is, except Stanley's grandmother), and by extension Stanley's older brother Lionel, from realizing this.
The Great Big Book of Everything is magical in nature, able to either let the animals out of the pages or allow the children to enter, sometimes changing them into animals in the process. This does not appear to be imaginary since occasionally adults do notice the noise, and Stanley works hard to hide the animals. There is also an episode where Stanley's brother sees a whale on the roof but dismisses the memory when it disappears back into the book.
The Halloween special features Stanley's grandmother who, it is implied, is a witch. She reveals that she too can work the book, and in fact was the one who gave it to Stanley for a fourth birthday present. She was also the one who taught its theme song to Harry and Elsie.
When someone says the "Great Big Book of Everything", hints it out, or even has the book, Elsie and Harry will wake up or find their way into the scene and start singing. This usually annoys Dennis, who after the introductory verse, says something like "Oh, not again!"
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- Stanley Griff (voiced by Jessica D. Stone) is an imaginative 6-year-old boy. Stanley has three pets: a goldfish named Dennis, a dog named Harry, and a cat named Elsie. Stanley has an older brother named Lionel, who enjoys playing his electric guitar, a father who stays at home and draws cartoons, and a mother who is a dentist (the latter two were revealed in the episode "Double-Duty Dad").
- Dennis (voiced by Charles Shaughnessy) is a male goldfish with an Estuary English accent and one of Stanley's pets. In fact, Dennis is Stanley's best friend who gives him education about animals to help him with his everyday problems, which interest him. Dennis also has to point out the flaws in Stanley's ridiculous solutions. Dennis often breaks the fourth wall by either encouraging the audience to do something fun or by asking them questions.
- Lionel Griff (voiced by Shawn Pyfrom) is the older brother of Stanley. Lionel likes rock and roll music a lot and always wears headphones on his ears, but still loves his younger brother very much by giving him advice, helping out with his homework, and looking out for him. Lionel is 11.5 years old.
- Mark Griff (voiced by David Landsberg) is the father of Stanley and Lionel. Mark is a stay-at-home father but works anyway as a cartoonist.
- Dr. Joyce Griff (voiced by Ari Meyers) is the sweet and caring mother of Stanley and Lionel. Joyce works as a dentist and loves her family very much. However, Joyce does have ophidiophobia, which is the fear of snakes. Whether at the pool or the beach, her bathing suit is mostly a two piece bikini style.
- Harry (voiced by Rene Mujica) and Elsie (voiced by Hynden Walch) are two more of Stanley's pets. Harry is a male brown dog who loves eating and napping and Elsie is a female yellow cat who also loves napping and often purrs before she says something. They both sing a song about the Great Big Book of Everything, which greatly annoys Dennis. No matter how far away they are, they always manage to sing the song when the time comes. In "Dolphin Talk", it is Harry's birthday and Elsie, Stanley, Dennis, Marci, and Mimi help plan a surprise party for him.
- Lester Goldberg (voiced by Philece Sampler) is one of Stanley's friends. Lester has a father who is referred to as Mr. Goldberg (voiced by Wallace Shawn) and a mother who is referred to as Mrs. Goldberg (voiced by Didi Conn). In "Little Dog Lost", it is revealed that he is Jewish because not only is his last name Goldberg, Lester doesn't celebrate Christmas and instead he celebrates Hanukkah. But Lester gets a present for every one of the 8 nights of the holiday. In the episode Gorilla Sleepover it is revealed that his mom's first name is Nancy. Lester also has a little sister named Samantha who went to Mrs. Griff for a dental checkup.
- Marci and Mimi (both voiced by Khylan Jones) are African-American identical twin sisters who are very good friends with Stanley. Marci wears her hair in a bun and loves sports while Mimi wears hers down in braids with a purple bow on her head and loves flowers. They also wear opposite-colored clothes with a baseball on Marci's overalls and a pink flower on Mimi's. In "Little Dog Lost", it's revealed that they celebrate Kwanzaa.
- Jane (voiced by Macy H. Morikawa) is a Chinese-American girl that is in Stanley's class. Jane appears in several episodes. Jane invites Stanley to her house in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner".
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Season 1 (2001–02)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Animal topic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Up the Apple Tree" | Jeff Buckland | Jeff Buckland | Giraffe |
| "Kangaroo Clean-Up" | Jeff Kindley | Kangaroo | |||
| 2 | 2 | "Daddy Pride" | Jeff Buckland | Eric Weiner | Lion |
| "Show-and-Tell Shark" | Jeff Kindley | Great white shark | |||
| 3 | 3 | "Bearly Awake" | Jeff Buckland | Jeff Buckland | Grizzly bear |
| "The Eagle Has Landed" | Eric Weiner | Bald eagle | |||
| 4 | 4 | "Watch Out for Lionels" | Jeff Buckland | Jeff Buckland | Armadillo |
| "Growing Pains" | Dennis Garvey & Tommy Nichols | Crab | |||
| 5 | 5 | "Frog Legs" | Jeff Buckland | Eric Weiner | Frog |
| "Whoo's Afraid of the Dark?" | Owl | ||||
| 6 | 6 | "Tiger Hunt" | Jeff Buckland | Jeff Buckland | Tiger |
| "Monkey-Bar Business" | Dennis Garvey & Tommy Nichols | Chimpanzee | |||
| 7 | 7 | "Camel Commotion" | Jeff Buckland | Jeff Buckland | Camel |
| "There's Snow Place Like Home" | Polar bear | ||||
| 8 | 8 | "A Whale of a Song" | Jeff Buckland | Jim Rubin | Humpback whale |
| "Sloth for a Day" | Sloth | ||||
| 9 | 9 | "Busy Busy Octopus" | Jeff Buckland | Reed Shelly | Octopus |
| "Honest Ostrich" | Ostrich | ||||
| 10 | 10 | "Dolphin Talk" | Jeff Buckland | Dennis Garvey & Tommy Nichols | Bottlenose dolphin |
| "Whole Lotta Snakin' Goin' On" | Reticulated python | ||||
| 11 | 11 | "Platypus Problems" | Jeff Buckland | Jeff Buckland | Platypus |
| "Rabbit Habit" | Rabbit | ||||
| 12 | 12 | "Savanna-Speeders!" | Jeff Buckland | Robert David | Cheetah |
| "Tyrannosaurus Wrecks" | Tyrannosaurus | ||||
| 13 | 13 | "Hippo Helpers" | Jeff Buckland | Jeff Buckland | Hippopotamus |
| "Where's Stanley?" | Camouflage | ||||
| 14 | 14 | "Penguin Party" | Jeff Buckland | Peggy Sarlin | Penguin |
| "Leave it to Beavers" | P. Kevin Strader | Beaver | |||
| 15 | 15 | "The Joker" | Jeff Buckland | Jim Rubin | Kookaburra |
| "Baby Pictures" | Reed Shelly | Cat/goldfish/dog | |||
| 16 | 16 | "You've Got Pigeon Mail" | Jeff Buckland | Reed Shelly | Pigeon |
| "It's a Prairie Dog's Life" | Jim Rubin | Prairie dog | |||
| 17 | 17 | "Remembering with Elephants" | Jeff Buckland | Petersen Harris | African Elephant |
| "Garbage Can Bandit" | Raccoon | ||||
| 18 | 18 | "Little Dog Lost" | Jeff Buckland | Jeff Buckland | Dog breeds |
| 19 | 19 | "Snow Monkey See, Snow Monkey Do" | Jeff Buckland | Pammy Salmon | Snow monkey |
| "Sick Day Stanley" | Jill Cozza | Impala | |||
| 20 | 20 | "The Big Spill" | Jeff Buckland | Jeff Kindley | Giant anteater |
| "Peekaboo Parrot" | Parrot | ||||
| 21 | 21 | "Gorilla Sleepover" | Jeff Buckland | Robert David | Mountain gorilla |
| "Sea Lion Slip-Up" | Sea lion | ||||
| 22 | 22 | "Worms at Work" | Jeff Buckland | Petersen Harris | Earthworm |
| "Caterpillar Countdown" | Jim Rubin | Monarch butterfly, caterpillar | |||
| 23 | 23 | "In a While, Crocodile" | Jeff Buckland | Eric Weiner | Crocodile |
| "The Color of Stanley" | P. Kevin Strader | Chameleon | |||
| 24 | 24 | "Searching for Spring" | Jeff Buckland | Jeff Kindley | Groundhog |
| "Save the Bluebird!" | Eastern bluebird | ||||
| 25 | 25 | "The Pond Couple" | Jeff Buckland | Robert David | Musk turtle |
| "Who's Afraid of Walter Wolf?" | Gray Wolf | ||||
| 26 | 26 | "A Little Squirrel Music" | Jeff Buckland | Jeff Buckland | Squirrel |
| "A Boy's Best Friend Is His Fish" | Goldfish | ||||
Season 2 (2002–03)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Animal topic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 1 | "Ant Picnic" | Jeff Buckland | Robert David | Ant |
| "The Tooth About Teeth" | Walrus | ||||
| 28 | 2 | "Eel-lectricity" | Jeff Buckland | Jill Cozza | Electric eel |
| "Roller Rhino" | Michele Cavin | Rhinoceros | |||
| 29 | 3 | "Keep 'Em Flying" | Jeff Buckland | Jeff Buckland | Flying fish |
| "Guess What's Coming to Dinner" | Giant panda | ||||
| 30 | 4 | "The Really Real Dragon" | Jeff Buckland | Jeff Kindley | Dragon/Komodo dragon |
| "A Billy Goat for Dad" | Goat | ||||
| 31 | 5 | "Bloodhound Blues" | Jeff Buckland | Robert David | Bloodhound |
| "Clock-a-Doodle Doo!" | Chicken | ||||
| 32 | 6 | "Mistaken Mermaid" | Jeff Buckland | Ronnie Krauss | Manatee |
| "It Pays to Be a Pelican" | Robert David | Brown pelican | |||
| 33 | 7 | "Woodpecker Woes" | Jeff Buckland | Robert David | Woodpecker |
| "P.U. Pup" | Susan Kim | Skunk | |||
| 34 | 8 | "Grandma Griff's Mystery Guest" | Jeff Buckland | Jeff Kindley | Bat |
| 35 | 9 | "Mockingbird Scat" | Jeff Buckland | Eric Weiner | Mockingbird |
| "Horsepower" | Horse | ||||
| 36 | 10 | "Proud as a Peacock" | Jeff Buckland | Ronnie Krauss | Peacock |
| "Dances with Flamingos" | Susan Kim | Flamingo | |||
| 37 | 11 | "Sunburn Stanley" | Jeff Buckland | Jill Cozza | American lobster |
| "Time for Toolfish" | Michele Ferraiolo Cavin | Hammerhead shark/Sawfish | |||
| 38 | 12 | "Web Weavers" | Jeff Buckland | Susan Kim | Spider |
| "Muddy Buddies" | Pig | ||||
| 39 | 13 | "The Robbing Raven" | Jeff Buckland | Robert David | Raven |
| "Flashlight Fireflies" | Firefly | ||||
| 40 | 14 | "Mysterious Moe" | Jeff Buckland | Jeff Buckland & Michele Ferraiolo Cavin | Bornean orangutan |
| "Spelling Bee Situation" | Tina Moglia | Honeybee | |||
| 41 | 15 | "Follow the Lemur" | Jeff Buckland | Ronnie Krauss | Ring-tailed lemur |
| "Zebra Jigsaw" | Susan Kim | Zebra | |||
| 42 | 16 | "Hummingbird Humdinger" | Jeff Buckland | Carin Greenburg Baker | Hummingbird |
| "Koala Cuddle" | Koala | ||||
| 43 | 17 | "Double-Duty Dad" | Jeff Buckland | Jeff Kindley | Seahorse |
| "Look Who's Helping" | Capuchin monkey | ||||
| 44 | 18 | "Tasmanian Tantrum" | Jeff Buckland | Jill Cozza | Tasmanian devil |
| "Sea Otter Safety" | Michele Ferraiolo Cavin | Sea otter | |||
| 45 | 19 | "Going-Away Goose" | Jeff Buckland | Petersen Harris | Canada goose |
| "Time to Climb!" | Susan Kim | Yak | |||
| 46 | 20 | "Stanley's Super Spectacles" | Jeff Buckland | Robert David | Dragonfly |
| "The Ugly Griffling" | Swan | ||||
| 47 | 21 | "Doing Like Ducks" | Jeff Buckland | Susan Kim | Duck |
| "Speedy Does It" | Pammy Salmon | Roadrunner | |||
| 48 | 22 | "X-Ray X-tra!" | Jeff Buckland | Ronnie Krauss | X-ray fish |
| "Under the Umbrella Bird" | Susan Kim | Umbrella bird | |||
| 49 | 23 | "I Scream for Ice Cream" | Jeff Buckland | Robert David | Cow |
| "Snack Savers" | Susan Kim | Vole | |||
| 50 | 24 | "A Little Nightingale Music" | Jeff Buckland | Carin Greenberg Baker | Nightingale |
| "Super Squirrel" | Susan Kim | Flying squirrel | |||
| 51 | 25 | "Outfoxing Lionel" | Jeff Buckland | Jill Cozza | Red fox |
| "Jackrabbit Hide-and-Seek" | Susan Kim | Black-tailed jackrabbit | |||
| 52 | 26 | "Me and My Palfish" | Jeff Buckland | Carin Greenburg Baker | Clownfish |
| "At the Zoo!" | Robert David | Mandrill | |||
Season 3 (2004)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Animal topic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53 | 1 | "Stanley's Dinosaur Round-Up" | Jeff Buckland | Sherri Stoner | Brachiosaurus |
| 54 | 2 | ||||
| 55 | 3 | ||||
| 56 | 4 | "To Catch a Hamster" | Jeff Buckland | Jill Cozza | Hamster |
| "Pearls of Wisdom" | Claudia Silver | Oyster | |||
| 57 | 5 | "Living with Leopards" | Jeff Buckland | Robert David | Leopard/Snow leopard |
| "A Chinese New Year" | Pippin Parker | Chinese zodiac | |||
| 58 | 6 | "A Turkey of a Thanksgiving" | Jeff Buckland | Andy Yerkes | Domestic turkey |
| 59 | 7 | "The Way of the Buffalo" | Jeff Buckland | James Ponti | Bison |
| "Follow That Falcon" | Tina Moglia | Peregrine falcon | |||
| 60 | 8 | "Shell Game" | Jeff Buckland | Jill Cozza | Painted turtle |
| "Sheep and a Haircut" | Michele Ferraiolo Cavin | Sheep | |||
| 61 | 9 | "No News Like Shoe News" | Jeff Buckland | Michele Ferraiolo Cavin | Snowshoe hare |
| "Ladybug, Ladybug" | Pippin Parker | Ladybug | |||
| 62 | 10 | "Curse of the Angry Coral" | Jeff Buckland | Andy Yerkes | Coral |
| "A Little Bird Told Me" | Cedar waxwing | ||||
| 63 | 11 | "Stanley's Great Big Book of Adventure" | Jeff Buckland | Joseph Mazzarino | Kokako bird |
| 64 | 12 | Walrus | |||
| 65 | 13 | Snowy owl Jackrabbit Snake Elephant Camel Penguin Rhinoceros Puma Tyrannosaurus rex | |||
TV specials
- "Little Dog Lost" (Christmas)
- "Grandma Griff's Mystery Guest" (Halloween)
- "Stanley's Dinosaur Round-Up"
- "A Turkey of a Thanksgiving" (Thanksgiving)
- "Stanley's Great Big Book of Adventure"
In the U.S., the series debuted on Playhouse Disney on September 15, 2001. When Playhouse Disney rebranded its on-air presentation in 2007, Stanley was put on a new time slot at 6:00 AM ET on weekends. Stanley stopped airing in May 2008, but the show was still available on PlayhouseDisney.com. In February 2011, the show was completely removed when Playhouse Disney rebranded as Disney Junior. The show was briefly seen online on DisneyJunior.com as part of "fan favorites" week on the week of June 20, 2011. From March 23, 2012, to September 2, 2013, the series returned on the U.S. airwaves on Disney Junior. And Stanley was kept on demand from that point until 2019, when it was removed. The show has yet to be added to Disney+; although, reruns are currently airing on the weekends on Disney Junior in Japan.[3]
In Canada, it ran on The Family Channel from 2002 to 2007 and then was moved to Disney Junior, which ran from November 30, 2007, until September 29, 2013, when it was removed from the schedule. It also aired on the Canadian-French version of Disney Junior since 2010.
Canada
- Family (Canada) (2001 - November 29, 2007)
- Disney Junior (English Canada) (November 30, 2007 – September 27, 2013)
- Disney Junior (French Canada) (May 6, 2011 - 2013)
- Playhouse Disney (English Canada) (November 30, 2007 - September 27, 2013)
- Playhouse Disney (French Canada) (July 5, 2010 - May 5, 2011)
United States
- Disney Channel (Playhouse Disney) (September 15, 2001 - 2008)
- Disney Junior (March 23, 2012 - 2013)
Japan
- Disney Channel (Disney Junior) (2012–present)
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- 2002 – Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program – Charles Shaughnessy for playing "Dennis" (won)
On January 3, 2006, Walt Disney Home Entertainment and Cartoon Pizza released a full-length direct-to-video movie based on Stanley, entitled Stanley's Dinosaur Round-Up. The film centers on the titular character as he, along with Elsie, Dennis, Harry, Marci, Mimi and Lester team up to save his Great Uncle Stew (John Ritter, who completed his work for the film before he died)'s dude ranch from the greedy Rockin' Rory (Randy Quaid) who intends to buy the ranch and turn it into an amusement park.
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