Holly Hobbie & Friends

*Holly Hobbie & Friends*
Holly Hobbie & Friends
	Title card
Genre	Children's series; Comedy; Drama
Created by	Holly Hobbie
Developed by	Kate Boutilier; Eryk Casemiro;
Written by	Kate Boutilier; Eryk Casemiro; Mario Piluso (additional material)
Directed by	Mario Piluso; Brenda Piluso (animation);
Voices of	Alyson Stoner; Liliana Mumy; Tinashe Kachingwe;
Theme music composer	Jared Faber
Opening theme	"Twinkle in Her Eye" performed by LeAnn Rimes
Composers	Jared Faber (score); Mandy Collins (songs); Charlotte Spencer (songs);
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	8
Production
Executive producers	Ramsey Ann Naito; Maureen Taxter; Jeff Weiss; Jeffrey Conrad; Tamra Knepfer; David Polter;
Running time	44 minutes
Production companies	American Greetings; AG Properties; Nickelodeon Animation Studio; (credited as Nick Jr. Productions for episodes 1–4);
Original release
Network	Nickelodeon (Nick Jr. block); Noggin;
Release	February 10, 2006 –; February 3, 2009
Related
	Holly Hobbie;

Holly Hobbie & Friends is a series of American animated specials produced by Nickelodeon and American Greetings.^[1] It is the first series to star the Holly Hobbie doll, albeit redesigned from her traditional look. The specials aired on both Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block and the separate Noggin channel.^[2]

In this incarnation of Holly Hobbie, Holly is a 10-year-old girl who forms a secret club (called the Hey Girls) with her two best friends, Amy and Carrie. Holly is the great, great granddaughter of the original Holly Hobbie character. According to American Greetings, the intention was for Holly to "look pretty much the same, but with new, contemporary colors and patterns."^[3]

The first special, "Surprise Party," premiered during the Nick Jr. block on February 10, 2006. Eight episodes were made in total. A line of merchandise was also made as a partnership between American Greetings and Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products.^[4]

DVD releases for the specials were released by Paramount Home Entertainment, but later transitioned to Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.^[5]^[6]

A video game based on the series for the Nintendo DS released on October 8, 2007.

Music

The show's theme song "Twinkle in Her Eye" was performed by the country singer LeAnn Rimes.^[7] She also voices Kelly Deegan in the Christmas episode, Christmas Wishes.

Premise

Holly Hobbie is a 10-year-old girl from a big city. She often visits her best friends Amy Morris and Carrie Baker in a small country town called Clover. The specials feature themes like friendship, dreams, music and aspirations.

Characters

Main

Holly Hobbie (voiced by Alyson Stoner and Nicole Bouma in episodes 5-8) is a kindhearted girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She likes to do cartwheels and design her own clothes. Holly and her friends are part of a secret club called the Hey Girls Club. She has a cocker spaniel named Doodles.
Amy Morris (voiced by Liliana Mumy and Maryke Hendrikse in episodes 5-8) is a silly and imaginative girl with short brown hair and green eyes. She likes to daydream and ride horses. She has her own horse named Cider.
Carrie Baker (voiced by Tinashe Kachingwe and Dorla Bell in episodes 5-8) is a smart and determined African American girl with dark brown hair and brown eyes. She’s the most straight-laced and sensible of the Hey Girls, and she often acts the voice of reason.

Supporting

Kids

Robby Hobbie (voiced by Jansen Panettiere and Kelly Metzger) is Holly's 8-year-old little brother. He can be a little annoying and weird at times.
Kyle Morris (voiced by Paul Butcher and Kelly Metzger in episodes 5-8) is Amy's younger brother and Robby's best friend. He hangs out with Robby most of the time.
Devon (voiced by Kim Mai Guest) is a teenage girl and an honorary member of the Hey Girls Club. She works as a waitress at Aunt Jessie's Café. She studies the ocean in college.
Joey Deegan (voiced by Spencer Ganus).
Paul Deegan (voiced by Harrison Fahn).
Portia (voiced by Kathleen Barr) is Holly's friend in New York City. She can be a little bit bossy and snobby but she has a good heart and loves fashion.

Adults

Aunt Jessie (voiced by Rusty Schwimmer and Heather Doerksen in episodes 5-8) is Holly's aunt who runs a café. She has a cat named Bonnet.
Uncle Dave (voiced by Diedrich Bader and Brian Dobson in episodes 5-8) is Holly's uncle.
Joan Hobbie (voiced by Jane Lynch and Saffron Henderson in episodes 5-8) is Holly's mom.
Gary Hobbie (voiced by Rob Paulsen and Ian Corlett in episodes 5-8) is Holly's dad.
Jim Bidderman (voiced by Michael McShane).
Willie Scranton (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker).
Bud Morris (voiced by Bill Mumy) is Amy's dad.
Teresa Morris (voiced by Molly Hagan) is Amy's mom.
Carolyn Baker (voiced by Dawnn Lewis) is Carrie's mom.
Kelly Deegan (voiced by LeAnn Rimes).
Annabelle Crow (voiced by Marion Ross) is a town witch and old lady.
Mayor Whitman (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) is a mayor of the country town Clover.
Andy Lieberman (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) is Uncle Dave's friend.

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"Surprise Party"	Mario Piluso	Kate Boutilier and Eryk Casemiro	February 10, 2006 (2006-02-10) (TV)^[8] March 7, 2006 (2006-03-07) (DVD)
Holly visits Clover to plan a surprise birthday party for her Aunt Jessie. While there, she plays a prank on Robby by cutting fake crop circles in a corn patch, making him think aliens made them.
2	"Christmas Wishes"	Mario Piluso	Kate Boutilier and Eryk Casemiro	October 24, 2006 (2006-10-24) (DVD) November 13, 2006 (2006-11-13) (TV)^[9]
Holly and her friends take part in a play that retells the story of Christmas and they bring Christmas cheer to a widowed mother and her twin sons. Meanwhile, Robby dresses up as Santa to earn some extra money.
3	"Secret Adventures"	Mario Piluso	Kate Boutilier and Eryk Casemiro	February 16, 2007 (2007-02-16) (TV)^[10] February 20, 2007 (2007-02-20) (DVD)
Holly, Amy and Carrie help Holly's mom and Aunt Jessie gather sap for the family's famous maple syrup recipe. When they accidentally spill it, they are all afraid to tell the truth.
4	"Best Friends Forever"	Mario Piluso	Kate Boutilier and Eryk Casemiro Mario Piluso (additional material)	September 7, 2007 (2007-09-07) (TV)^[2] September 18, 2007 (2007-09-18) (DVD)
Holly and her friends meet Mrs. Annabelle Crow, the "town witch" who’s actually a nice old lady. When they find out that Annabelle's house is set to be demolished, they come up with a way to save it.
5–6	"Inside Out"	Mario Piluso Brenda Piluso (animation)	Mario and Brenda Piluso (story) Cliff Ruby and Elana Lesser (script)	August 12, 2008 (2008-08-12) (DVD)
5–6	"Hats Off"	Mario Piluso Brenda Piluso (animation)		August 12, 2008 (2008-08-12) (DVD)
Holly and her friend from the city, Portia, visit Clover to attend a library auction. However, Portia ends up being mean to Amy and Carrie. Amy and Carrie come to visit Holly in New York City, but Carrie feels homesick from the countryside.
7–8	"Cover Girl"	Mario Piluso Brenda Piluso (animation)	Mario and Brenda Piluso (story) Cliff Ruby and Elana Lesser (script)	February 3, 2009 (2009-02-03) (DVD)
7–8	"Reboot"	Mario Piluso Brenda Piluso (animation)		February 3, 2009 (2009-02-03) (DVD)
Holly moves to Clover, but when she starts school, she gets assigned to a different class than Amy and Carrie. There, Holly meets a shy girl named K.T. who’s constantly picked on by her classmates. The school is holding an open house. Holly, Amy and Carrie encourage their new friend K.T. to submit her idea for the student award show.

Reception

The specials received positive reviews. Regina McMenomy, a researcher at Washington State University specializing in female pop culture, praised how Holly embraces her girlishness while still being a "strong, independent" thinker. In comparison, "so many [other] newer girl characters focus on power and gender equality that they've lost their femininity," said McMenomy.^[11] Writing for The World, Jacqueline Cutler said that the show keeps the "sweet spirit" of the original Holly Hobbie brand. She also said that it would connect to its target audience: "If you're a traditional little girl and love copious amounts of sugar and everything cute, then Nickelodeon's Holly Hobbie & Friends airing Monday, Nov. 13, is for you."^[12] The Dove Foundation awarded the series its "Dove Family-Approved Seal" and wrote that "Holly Hobbie is a wonderful role model for children and adults. She has a way of brightening your day."^[13]

Notes

^ Animation outsourced to Wang Film Productions and Toon City Animation.

References

^ Ball, Ryan (June 9, 2005). "Nickelodeon Animates Holly Hobbie". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Noggin September TV Schedule". Noggin.com. Archived from the original on September 16, 2007.
^ "Holly Hobbie is alive and well and making a comeback". Deseret News. May 2, 2005.
^ Baisley, Sarah (February 13, 2006). "Nickelodeon Unveils Three New Toy Lines at Toy Fair". Animation World Network.
^ "HOLLY HOBBIE: BEST FRIENDS FOREVER". Sony Pictures Entertainment. Archived from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
^ "HOLLY HOBBIE: SECRET ADVENTURES". Sony Pictures Entertainment. Archived from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
^ "Holly Hobbie and Friends Christmas Wishes: Just in time for the holidays". People. November 22, 2006. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
^ "Nick Jr. Schedule - Week of February 06". NickJr.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2006.
^ "Nick Jr. Schedule - Week of November 13". NickJr.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2006.
^ "Nick Jr. Schedule - Week of February 12". NickJr.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2007.
^ Critchell, Samantha (December 1, 2006). "Time for girls to be girls?". Associated Press.
^ Cutler, Jacqueline (November 11, 2006). "Holly Hobbie keeps sweet spirit in 'Christmas'". The World. Archived from the original on July 19, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Holly Hobbie and Friends: Best Friends Forever review". The Dove Foundation. Archived from the original on 2022-07-19. Retrieved 2022-07-19.

External links

[1] Animation outsourced to Wang Film Productions and Toon City Animation.

[2] Ball, Ryan (June 9, 2005). "Nickelodeon Animates Holly Hobbie". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.

[Noggin-Sep-3] "Noggin September TV Schedule". Noggin.com. Archived from the original on September 16, 2007.

[4] "Holly Hobbie is alive and well and making a comeback". Deseret News. May 2, 2005.

[5] Baisley, Sarah (February 13, 2006). "Nickelodeon Unveils Three New Toy Lines at Toy Fair". Animation World Network.

[6] "HOLLY HOBBIE: BEST FRIENDS FOREVER". Sony Pictures Entertainment. Archived from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2023.

[7] "HOLLY HOBBIE: SECRET ADVENTURES". Sony Pictures Entertainment. Archived from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2023.

[8] "Holly Hobbie and Friends Christmas Wishes: Just in time for the holidays". People. November 22, 2006. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021.

[9] "Nick Jr. Schedule - Week of February 06". NickJr.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2006.

[10] "Nick Jr. Schedule - Week of November 13". NickJr.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2006.

[11] "Nick Jr. Schedule - Week of February 12". NickJr.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2007.

[12] Critchell, Samantha (December 1, 2006). "Time for girls to be girls?". Associated Press.

[13] Cutler, Jacqueline (November 11, 2006). "Holly Hobbie keeps sweet spirit in 'Christmas'". The World. Archived from the original on July 19, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

[14] "Holly Hobbie and Friends: Best Friends Forever review". The Dove Foundation. Archived from the original on 2022-07-19. Retrieved 2022-07-19.

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