Theodore Tugboat

My three sons weren't allowed to watch much TV, outside of PBS shows, when they were toddlers. When they discovered reruns of Theodore on the local PBS outlet they absolutely loved it. The stories were sweet and simple, teachy without being preachy, and they watched every episode. They also collected all the "action" figures (such as they were) and played with them for hours, and they even had a few easy-to-read books with stories about Theodore and his little tugboat friends.

By the time they turned four, my kids had outgrown the show, and stopped reading the books, just like they did with Thomas the Tank Engine and Jay-Jay the Jet Plane, and like we all did with Captain Kangaroo and Bozo, etc.

The host, a.k.a. the Harbour Master, was played with gentle grace by Denny Doherty of the Mamas and the Papas, who died today (1/19/07). He was wonderful on the show. May he rest in peace.

If I were to describe Theodore Tugboat in one word, it would be cute. It's essentially Thomas the Tank Engine (which I have also always loved) on water with the same type of appeal. Through the Harbour Master's (Denny Doherty) storytelling, Theodore and his companions have fun adventures and learn lessons. One thing that I really like is that the problems the Harbour Master faces before he begins to narrate the episode are the same problems faced by Theodore and friends and both problems are later resolved. For example, in one episode the Harbour Master is a little nervous about sleeping in his office and Hank is afraid to sleep without any lights on. A bit of trivia: the show had its beginnings when a certain Andrew Cochrane was trying to figure out how to explain the goings-on at Halifax Harbour to his son and came to the realization that children tend to anthropomorphize practically everything in sight. Overall, I admit that while I'm 20 now, I am still quite fond of Theodore Tugboat. The shots are truly outstanding, the episodes themselves are well written, all the characters engaging, although George comes across as a little vain I can name several worse examples (I'm looking at you, Bella Swan), the setting look realistic and well-designed, and the score is really catchy. Another thing I have to admire is how the narrator does "the voices", such as a commanding tone for Foduck and the Dispatcher, a cheeky-sounding voice for Hank, and a big booming voice for Owen.

I loved this show when I was a kid. The story lines were really simple, warm, and friendly. What I admire most about this show is that it encouraged good morals and taught great lessons to kids such as the importance of keeping your word and maintaining friendships. I will admit that the concept of the show is a bit weak; a fellow telling a story while remote control boats act it out, but the show was well produced and keeping in mind the age targeted, it held the attention of the youngster.

In a world of violent, evil filled kid shows, Theodore was a breath of fresh air! I certainly wish that there would be more shows like this one on the air for my kids to watch.

This was a good show for young children. I appreciated the lack of violence and/or bad attitudes that might be found on shows like Thomas the Tank Engine. The characters presented situations that children WILL encounter and taught such feelings and values as being considerate/respectful of others' feelings, empathy when something bad or sad happens, and learning to enjoy the world and people around you for who and what they are (diversity). The show is probably good for children up to 8 or 9 years old and then would probably loose interest after that. I strongly recommend this show for young children and would love to buy full DVD sets of all of the episodes. CBC did a great job with this series.

I had spent 4 yrs. as a tug boat specialist in the Navy when my family stumbled upon this show back in it's day. We watched when we could and were very unhappy when it was taken off the air. The stories have friendly characters and non-computer generated scenes and back drops. My children enjoy shows, especially on PBS, that make them and the characters solve problems. We really enjoyed this show due to the fact that it does, in a child-like fashion, teach problem solving skills. In a video/T.V. world w/ trains, veggies, planes, and monkeys it's nice to see them find an original story line. For those who didn't like it, there's always purple-Dino's, tel-tubs's, and bu-boo's. For those who have 2-5yr. old kids, my family recommends you look into this series, your kids will enjoy it.