| Welcome to Pooh Corner | |
|---|---|
 VHS cover for the American VHS release. |
|
| Format | Live-action/puppets |
| Starring | Joe Giamalva Patty Maloney Ronald Mangham Norman Merrill, Jr. Mark Sawyer Frank Groby Sharon Baird |
| Voices of | Hal Smith Will Ryan Ron Gans Phil Baron |
| Narrated by | Laurie Main |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 120 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 Minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | The Disney Channel |
| Original run | April 18, 1983 – 1986 |
Welcome to Pooh Corner was a live-action/puppet television series that aired on The Disney Channel, featuring the characters from the Winnie-the-Pooh universe portrayed by actors in human-sized puppet suits, except Roo, who was usually a traditional puppet. The animatronic costumes used for the characters were created by Alchemy II, Inc, headed by Ken Forsse who later created the toy sensation Teddy Ruxpin.
Very few of the actors who played the characters in Disney's original Pooh short films reprised their roles here, nor are the parts played by any of the characters' current voice actors such as Jim Cummings.
Contents |
Background
Each show began with an introduction sequence with Laurie Main speaking to the audience. He would relate what he was talking about to an event that occurred in the Hundred Acre Wood, the home of the Pooh characters, and then he would proceed to read from a book entitled Welcome to Pooh Corner. He would then narrate the episode acted out by the characters. The action was filmed before a blue screen, rather than using traditional sets.
Since the show was designed for The Disney Channel before it began airing commercials, there were no breaks for commercials. As a result, the show lasted a full thirty minutes. The main story ran about twenty minutes followed by two shorter segments. The first segment was a music video featuring one of ten songs, used over and over throughout the show's run. These songs were written by the Academy Award winning Sherman Brothers who had provided the majority of the Winnie the Pooh music over the years. The Sherman Brothers also wrote the show's theme song, using the music from the original Winnie-the-Pooh theme song from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, albeit with a slightly altered tempo.
The last segment of the show was a presentational arts and crafts demonstration. One of the cast members would speak to the narrator, looking directly into the camera, while they showed the viewers at home how to make something. In addition to normal episodes, several holiday episodes were also produced, along with a home video special, Too Smart for Strangers (1985), where Pooh and his friends explain to people what to do when they meet someone they don't know.
Dumbo's Circus, another live-action/puppet series that ran on The Disney Channel, was produced in a similar way, with actors in costumes in front of a blue screen.
The show's title derives from the second Winnie the Pooh storybook, The House at Pooh Corner.
Welcome to Pooh Corner began airing when the network launched on April 18, 1983 and was removed from the channel when it began airing commercial breaks in 1997. As a result, the show's VHS releases have become hard to find.
Episodes
Voices
- Hal Smith - Winnie-the-Pooh, Owl
- Will Ryan - Tigger, Rabbit
- Phil Baron - Eeyore, Piglet
- Ron Gans - Kanga, Roo
Songs
The songs used in this series were written by Robert B. and Richard M. Sherman, including the theme songs that represent each character:
- "Try a Little Something New" (Rabbit's Theme, which was originally written for Mary Poppins, but cut from the film prior to its release)
- "Just Say, 'Yes I Can'" (Eeyore's Theme)
- "You're the Only You" (Tigger's Theme)
- "I Hum to Myself" (Piglet's Theme)
- "The Right Side" (Winnie-the-Pooh Theme)
- "Responsible Persons" (Owl's Theme)
Notable differences
Welcome to Pooh Corner differs from its other incarnations in a number of ways:
- Piglet always has on a scarf, or a muffler as the narrator calls it.
- Tigger is colored red with black stripes, and has a talent for art.
- Rabbit is a talented magician, aside from being a gardener.
- Owl always has on glasses, and on several occasions, has on a pilot's cap and scarf when flying. As Owl begins to take off, a sound of a plane's engine starting can be heard, followed by the take off.
- Roo is seen wearing a red shirt (However, at least one Disney book from 1986 did have Roo wearing a red shirt).
- Roo's character originally was like a toddler and was done by a puppet and would most often be sitting on something like Eeyore or Tigger's back, Kanga's pouch, or his high chair. In later episodes, his character was portrayed as being more preschool-aged; he was then able to walk around in more scenes and was never in his mother's pouch.
VHS Releases
US releases
Six VHS tapes were released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment in the mid-1980s for the then new video home rental market. Each tape contained four episodes.
- Volume One contains the episodes "You Need A Friend", "Doing What I Do Best", "The Pooh Scouts" and "Brighten Your Corner".
- Volume Two contains the episodes "Safety First", "Rabbit Learns to Share", "The Great Outdoors" and "Surprise, Surprise".
- Volume Three contains the episodes "Piglet Pride", "Roo's Great Adventure", "Eeyore Talks to Himself" and "Snow Falls On Pooh Corner".
- Volume Four contains the episodes "Hello, Hello There", "Practice Makes Perfect", "The Old Swimming Hole" and "Pooh Makes a Trade".
- Volume Five contains the episodes "A Bicycle Built for Five", "My Echo and I", "Pooh Learns to Remember" and "Wishing".
- Volume Six contains the episodes "Don't Quit", "Holiday for Pooh Bear", "Pooh Builds a Bee House" and "Piglet Lends a Helping Hand".
UK releases
The show was also released on VHS PAL in the UK as part of a six-volume set which also each featured an episode of Good Morning, Mickey!, Donald Duck Presents, The Mouse Factory and Mousercise. Each tape contained one episode of Welcome to Pooh Corner.
- Volume One contains the episode "Eeyore Joins the Band".
- Volume Two contains the episode "Spaghetti".
- Volume Three contains the episode "A Bicycle Built for Five" (also released in the US).
- Volume Four contains the episode "Piglet's Slumber Party".
- Volume Five contains the episode "Eeyore's Costume Party".
- Volume Six contains the episode "Handyman Tigger".
External links
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