Nanalan’ (partially lost Canadian children’s TV series; 2005-late 2000s)
The cast as they appeared in the half-hour episodes. From bottom right: Mona, Nana Bea, Mr Wooka and Russell.
Status: Partially Lost
Nanalan’ is a 1999-2004 Canadian preschool TV series created by Jamie Shannon and Jason Hopley of the Grogs, a Canadian puppetry troupe. The show ran originally as 72 three-minute interstitial shorts produced for TreehouseTV in Canada and Nick Jr. in the US, and later 43 half-hour episodes for the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) and PBS Kids.
Production
The series features a unique mix of practical puppetry and 'cutouts on sticks', and stars an endlessly curious and imaginative 3-year-old toddler named Mona who is babysat each day by her adoring grandmother Nana Bea, with the help of Nana's terrier Russell.[1] The human puppets were heavily stylized toward the humorously grotesque in the distinctive Grogs style, with Mona's features consisting entirely of black button eyes, a wide mouth (often wide open) and two tiny pigtails on either side of her round head.
The shorts focus almost entirely on Mona's POV as she explores her Nana's backyard, with only occasional cameos from Nana herself - thus the dialogue consists almost entirely of the little girl's 'baby talk', simple phrases repeated several times and usually mispronounced (hence the series title, a Mona-esque contraction of 'Nana Land'). Plots centred around Mona and her faithful but mischievous canine sidekick (whom she calls 'Russer') having small adventures and making big discoveries about the natural world around them.
Despite some older viewers finding the show's surreal appearance and dialogue unsettling, these mini-episodes proved so popular with their target audience that Nanalan’ was developed into a half-hour series, debuting on CBC in September 2003[2]. This iteration not only featured more elaborate, conventionally attractive puppets and sets but noticeably upgraded Mona's verbal skills. To assist with this, episode plots now included much more interaction with Nana Bea, who besides teaching the gentle life lesson of the day could interpret and confirm what her tiny granddaughter - and of course 'Russer' - were trying to say.
The show also significantly expanded on Mona's world, including a first look inside Nana's house, appearances by Mona's mother (who is essentially a larger version of Mona's puppet with more elaborate clothes and hair) and visits to Nana's next-door neighbour Mr Wooka, himself an amateur puppeteer who puts on an impromptu show in each episode. The series now also included original songs and read-along segments intercut with the main plotlines.
Availability
The series has been removed from both the CBC and PBS official sites and has not had an official release since then. Nanalan' does, however, have an official YouTube channel, which is in the process of uploading many episodes of both versions.[3]
However, according to Jamie Shannon, they don't have access to the final short of the series, that being "Cow",[4] all that curently exists of it is a behind the scenes picture of the cow costume.
Pre-season 1
| # | Episode Title | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dragonfly | Found |
| 2 | Bubble | Found |
| 3 | Birdy | Found |
| 4 | Scarf | Found |
| 5 | Don't Cry | Found |
| 6 | Caterpillar | Found |
| 7 | Feed The Chipmunk | Found |
| 8 | Lollipop | Found |
| 9 | Leaf Raking | Found |
| 10 | Flamingo | Found |
| 11 | Frog | Found |
| 12 | Sandbox | Found |
| 13 | Over the Fence | Found |
| 14 | Bee | Found |
| 15 | Tube | Found |
| 16 | Russell's Itch | Found |
| 17 | Russell's Dinner | Found |
| 18 | Russell's Balloon | Found |
| 19 | Snake | Found |
| 20 | Hula Hula | Found |
| 21 | Spider | Found |
| 22 | Butterfly Tag | Found |
| 23 | Feather | Found |
| 24 | Sneeze | Found |
| 25 | Dinner Guest | Found |
| 26 | Feeding The Birds | Found |
| 27 | Blowing A Balloon | Found |
| 28 | Frog | Found |
| 29 | The Bath | Found |
| 30 | Love | Found |
| 31 | Nap Swap | Found |
| 32 | Pea Pod | Found |
| 33 | Ouch | Found |
| 34 | Windy Day | Found |
| 35 | Big Dog | Found |
| 36 | Apple | Found |
| 37 | Picnic | Found |
| 38 | Birthday | Found |
| 39 | New Friend | Found |
| 40 | Clouds | Found |
| 41 | Worm | Found |
| 42 | Stretching | Found |
| 43 | Potato Bug | Found |
| 44 | Hose | Found |
| 45 | First Snow | Found |
| 46 | Stick | Found |
| 47 | Puppet | Found |
| 48 | Bent Flower | Found |
| 49 | Carrot | Found |
| 50 | Hot Day | Found |
| 51 | Nana's Fish | Found |
| 52 | Dance | Found |
| 53 | Snowball | Found |
| 54 | Garden Gnome | Found |
| 55 | Costume Party | Found |
| 56 | Secret | Found |
| 57 | Out of the Pool | Found |
| 58 | New Doll | Found |
| 59 | Imitate Bugs | Found |
| 60 | Mona Lisa | Found |
| 61 | Save the Fish | Found |
| 62 | Lightning | Found |
| 63 | Patio Lanterns | Found |
| 64 | Snow Person | Found |
| 65 | Firefly | Found |
| 66 | Whirlpool | Found |
| 67 | Cocoon | Found |
| 68 | Grey Day | Found |
| 69 | Blanket | Found |
| 70 | Maraca | Found |
| 71 | Munk Love | Found |
| 72 | Cow | Lost |
Season 0
| Episode Title | Status |
|---|---|
| Inside Nana's House | Found |
Season 1
| # | Episode Title | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lollipop | Found |
| 2 | Sunshine | Found |
| 3 | Big Girl | Found |
| 4 | Rainy Day | Found |
| 5 | Free | Found (cropped 4:3) |
| 6 | Purple Juice | Found |
| 7 | Snow | Found |
| 8 | Chirp | Found |
| 9 | PlayDay | Found |
| 10 | Goodbye | Found |
| 11 | Chipmunk In The House | Found |
| 12 | Hummingbird | Found |
| 13 | Love | Found |
| 14 | Home | Found |
| 15 | Birdsong | Found |
Season 2
| # | Episode Title | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hooray For You! | Found |
| 2 | Smelly Smell | Found |
| 3 | Brownies | Found |
| 4 | Hootenanny | Found |
| 5 | Under My Wing | Found |
| 6 | Sick As A Dog | Found |
| 7 | Nanalympics | Found |
| 8 | Spring | Found |
| 9 | Bee Sting | Found |
| 10 | Purple Monster | Found |
| 11 | Bubbles | Found |
| 12 | Helpful Girl | Found |
| 13 | Night Night Nana | Found |
| 14 | Pumpkin | Found |
| 15 | 1-2-3 Apple Tree | Found |
| 16 | Windy Day | Found |
| 17 | Russell Did It | Found |
| 18 | Treasure | Found |
| 19 | Four-Part Harmony | Found |
| 20 | Soft as Nana | Found |
| 21 | Mud Puddle | Found |
| 22 | Camp Wooka | Found |
| 23 | Toad Meet Budgie | Found |
| 24 | Mona a Go-Go | Lost |
| 25 | New Friends | Lost |
| 26 | Winter Wonderland | Found |
Gallery
Videos
Images
Behind the scenes photo of the "Cow" short.
External Links
- Wikipedia article on the series.
- http://television.aol.com/show/nanalan/58419/episodes?count=14&skip=42
References
- ↑ https://theglobeandmail.com/arts/puppeteers-pull-their-own-strings/article1125279/
- ↑ https://ia902703.us.archive.org/34/items/cbc-logs/CBC_0309_CBC0309.txt
- ↑ https://neatorama.com/2007/08/04/nanalan-guys-surprised-own-nana-with-a-song/
- ↑ Email sent to Jamie asking about the short. Retrieved 13 Jul '24