Big Bag | |
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Title card | |
Genre | Puppetry Educational Sketch comedy |
Created by | Nina Elias-Bamberger |
Developed by | Lou Berger Allan Neuwirth Gary Cooper |
Directed by | Emily Squires Yoram Gross |
Starring | Selena Nelson Cullen Douglas Clare Sera Tessa Ludwick John Mountford Ashley Jones James Ryan Puppeteers: Joey Mazzarino Rickey Boyd Alice Dinnean Jeff Conover James Stone Matt Vogel |
Voices of | María Conchita Alonso Fran Brill Kevin Clash Allen Enlow James Spector Kimberly Brooks (uncredited) |
Narrated by | Andrew Sachs ("William's Wish Wellingtons" segment) |
Theme music composer | Michael Abbott Sarah Weeks |
Opening theme | "Big Bag!" |
Ending theme | "Big Bag!" |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 39 |
Production | |
Executive producers | Nina Elias-Bamberger Buzz Potamkin Khaki Jones |
Producers | Nina Shelton Marie Poe (animation) |
Production locations | Disney-MGM Studios Bay Lake, Florida |
Editors | Scott P. Doniger Julie Sanker |
Running time | 54 minutes (season 1) 24 minutes (season 2) |
Production company | Children's Television Workshop |
Original release | |
Network | Cartoon Network |
Release | June 2, 1996 (1996-06-02) – May 11, 1998 (1998-05-11) |
Big Bag is an American live-action/animated children's television series created by Nina Elias-Bamberger for Cartoon Network and Children's Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop). It was targeted at preschool viewers. The show was co-produced by Cartoon Network and CTW, with Muppet characters created by the Jim Henson Company. It aired from 1996 to 1998, with reruns airing through 2001, alongside another program titled Small World. Localized versions of Big Bag aired on Canal J in France and Yorkshire Television in the UK.
The principal Muppet character is Chelli, a puppet dog who is joined by his best friend Bag. Chelli and Bag run a general store. They live on Main Street in an unidentified town with their human friend Molly and a variety of other animals named for their species. Two sock puppets named Lyle the Sock and Argyle McSock work as stockroom boys and often interact with the main cast. In season 2, a humanoid Muppet character called Sofie was introduced. The first season features frequent interaction with a large cast of human regulars, including an assortment of child friends and colorful locals.
Additional puppets were performed by Jeff Conover, Andy Stone, and Matt Vogel.
The scenes with Chelli and friends served as frames for a variety of individual animated segments, which were also rotated between seasons. As opposed to the shorter clips on Sesame Street, the seven animated segments ran approximately 3 to 8 minutes each and were produced by various studios in New York City, Australia, and Europe, often with consultation from Sesame Workshop and Cartoon Network (Big Bag aired back to back with Small World, another preschool series which showcased different international cartoons). The shorts included:
In the second season, every segment except Troubles the Cat and Koki was removed. A new segment was added:
Season | Episodes | Air date | ||
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First aired | Last aired | |||
1 | 13 | June 2, 1996 (1996-06-02) | August 25, 1996 (1996-08-25) | |
2 | 26 | April 6, 1998 (1998-04-06) | May 11, 1998 (1998-05-11) |
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
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14 | 1 | "Join the Club!" | April 6, 1998 (1998-04-06) | |
Chelli and Sofie disagree about club rules. Segments: Troubles the Cat: The Best Pie In Town, Koki: A Day At The Movies, Ace and Avery: The Rainy Day | ||||
15 | 2 | "The Sock Hop" | April 7, 1998 (1998-04-07) | |
The gang throws a sock hop to cheer homesick Argyle. Segments: Troubles the Cat: Daniel City, Koki: Papa's New Piano, Ace and Avery: Follow the Leader | ||||
16 | 3 | "Birthday Blahs" | April 8, 1998 (1998-04-08) | |
Chelli needs help with Sofie's last-minute birthday party when he realizes he can't do it on his own. Segments: Troubles the Cat: The Case of the Missing Coin, Koki: Crazy for Cleanin', Ace and Avery: It's My Party | ||||
17 | 4 | "Zoom to the Zoo" | April 9, 1998 (1998-04-09) | |
The pals use pets and imagination to create a zoo when they cannot go to a real zoo due to Molly injuring herself. | ||||
18 | 5 | "The Showdown" | April 10, 1998 (1998-04-10) | |
Buckaroos Sofie and Chelli have a drawing contest after Sofie gets something in the mail from her cowboy cousin. | ||||
19 | 6 | "Elmo's Visit" | April 13, 1998 (1998-04-13) | |
Elmo (from Sesame Street) visits Chelli, realizing they are pen-pals. | ||||
20 | 7 | "Afraid of the Dark" | April 14, 1998 (1998-04-14) | |
Chelli and Sofie overcome their fear of the dark after Bag accidentally causes a blackout in the store. | ||||
21 | 8 | "Presto Change-O" | April 15, 1998 (1998-04-15) | |
Sofie and Chelli disobey Argyle and play with his magic kit making Bag invisible by mistake. | ||||
22 | 9 | "To See or Not to See" | April 16, 1998 (1998-04-16) | |
Sofie dislikes her glasses. | ||||
23 | 10 | "Giggle Cookies" | April 17, 1998 (1998-04-17) | |
Chelli tries to get some cookies without asking, but thanks to a mishap from Bag, the "choco-lock cookies" cause whoever eats them to laugh uncontrollably. | ||||
24 | 11 | "Royal Bag" | April 20, 1998 (1998-04-20) | |
Sharing is discussed in this episode. | ||||
25 | 12 | "It's Showtime" | April 21, 1998 (1998-04-21) | |
Chelli and Sofie want to produce a play of "The Three Little Pigs", but Bag would rather pretend he is a robot. They compromise and put on a play of "The Three Evil Space Pigs", starring Sofie and the socks as the pigs, and Bag as "Robo-Wolf". | ||||
26 | 13 | "Case of the Missing Sock" | April 22, 1998 (1998-04-22) | |
Chelli (pretending to be Sherlock Holmes) and Bag (playing Dr. Watson) search for missing socks. | ||||
27 | 14 | "Chelli's in Charge" | April 23, 1998 (1998-04-23) | |
Chelli is put in charge of the store while Molly is busy. Chelli creates a new song and dance. | ||||
28 | 15 | "Fair Play at the Country Fair" | April 24, 1998 (1998-04-24) | |
Chelli does not like Sofie's new game. | ||||
29 | 16 | "Bathtub Blues" | April 27, 1998 (1998-04-27) | |
Lyle does not want to take a bath. | ||||
30 | 17 | "Parrot Patrol" | April 28, 1998 (1998-04-28) | |
Sofie and Chelli lose Molly's bird. | ||||
31 | 18 | "Where's Harriet?" | April 29, 1998 (1998-04-29) | |
Chelli plays along when Sofie introduces him to her imaginary friend, Harriet. | ||||
32 | 19 | "Oatmeal Man" | April 30, 1998 (1998-04-30) | |
Chelli and Sofie learn to be more careful with their words when they accidentally hurt Bag's feelings. | ||||
33 | 20 | "You Don't Look Bluish" | May 1, 1998 (1998-05-01) | |
Chelli, Bag, and Sofie confess after disobeying Molly's orders. | ||||
34 | 21 | "Mrs. Everard Returns" | May 4, 1998 (1998-05-04) | |
35 | 22 | "Attention Shoppers" | May 5, 1998 (1998-05-05) | |
Bag is upset that he can't be understood over the store's new P.A. system. | ||||
36 | 23 | "Sofie the Champ" | May 6, 1998 (1998-05-06) | |
37 | 24 | "Dr. Bag" | May 7, 1998 (1998-05-07) | |
38 | 25 | "Doing My Share" | May 8, 1998 (1998-05-08) | |
39 | 26 | "I Ought to be in Pictures" | May 11, 1998 (1998-05-11) | |
Chelli, Bag and Sofie make their own movie with a camcorder. |
TV series produced by Children's Television Workshop/Sesame Workshop | |
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Post-1970s debuts |
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1980s debuts | |
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2000s debuts | |
2010s debuts | |
2020s debuts | |
See also |
Yoram Gross filmography | |
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Feature films |
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TV series |
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