Children's television series
Raggs
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Genre
| Children's television
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Created by
| Toni Steedman
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Written by
| Kym Goldsworthy (lead writer)
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Directed by
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- Ian Munro
- Ralph Strasser
- Peter Nathan
- Daniel Nettheim
- Jonathan Geraghty
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Starring
| April L. Kresken (Raggs), Kimberly Miller Harwell (Trilby)
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Theme music composer
|
- Rebecca Kent Story
- Michael McGinnis
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Opening theme
| "Raggs TV Theme Song"
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Ending theme
| "Raggs TV Theme Song"
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Composers
|
- Fred Story
- Rebecca Kent Story
- Michael McGinnis
- Erin Odani
- David Floyd
- Barbara Lewis
- Jamie Hoover
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Country of origin
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Original language
| English
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No.
of seasons
| 3
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No.
of episodes
| 78
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Executive producers
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Running time
| 30 minutes
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Production companies
|
- Principal Production
- ABC Studios, Sydney (2006?2009)
- Supplemental Production
- Blue Socks Media (2009?2012)
- Co-production
- Raggs LLC
- Emulsion Arts
- Southern Star International
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Network
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Release
| 2 January 2006
(
2006-01-02
)
?
18 February 2009
(
2009-02-18
)
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Raggs
is a live-action/animated TV series for children about five dogs that form a
Ragtime
band called The Raggs Band. There are 196 half hour episodes and 200 original songs in multiple languages. It was originally produced in
Sydney
, Australia, with additional production in the
United States
in English and Spanish. It was first broadcast in Australia on
Seven Network
on January 2, 2006. In 2014, The Raggs Band reunited to record 20 classic kid's songs.
Broadcast
[
edit
]
In the United States,
Raggs
first aired with a limited release of 26 episodes on
PBS
stations in select markets beginning June 1, 2007.
[1]
Later,
American Public Television
introduced a nationwide broadcast release, which began distribution to additional
public television
stations on February 4, 2008.
[2]
The first 60 episodes aired as Season 1,
[3]
and the next thirteen episodes aired as Season 2 beginning February 2, 2009, with reruns continuing until February 1, 2014.
[4]
Raggs
began broadcasting on
SABC 2
in South Africa on May 7, 2018.
Raggs
aired in the U.S. and
Canada
on
Smile
,
Qubo
,
V-me
,
Telemundo
, and in
Latin America
on
FETV
Canal-Panama, RTV-Ecuador, Canal Dos-El Salvador, Guest Choice Cable-Dominican Republic and Corporacion Televicentro-Honduras.
Raggs
' YouTube channel, RaggsTV, hosts short episodes and animations to classic kids' songs.
History
[
edit
]
Raggs
was originally created in 1990 by U.S. advertising executive Toni Steedman for her 6-year-old daughter, Alison, as a series of carpool stories. Steedman later used the Raggs characters for a regional mall promotion and advertising campaign. By 2001, the successful mall programs encouraged Steedman, along with former
HBO
producer Carole Rosen, to create a one-hour
music video
-inspired
pilot
called "Pawsuuup," which was shot in
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
, and
New York City
in August 2001. While Steedman shopped the pilot for a production or broadcast partner,
The Raggs Band
(also known as the
Raggs Kids' Club Band
because of the regional mall kids' clubs for which Raggs served as mascot) began playing concerts at fairs, festivals and performing arts venues.
In 2005, Steedman and her company, Raggs LLC, entered into a co-production relationship with Southern Star International (now
Endemol Australia
) to produce the
Raggs
series for the
Seven Network
in
Sydney
,
Australia
. Production began in 2005 using
Alias Maya
at the ABC Studios in Sydney, and the first episode of Series 1 began airing daily at 9 am on Seven in January 2006. Series 1 consisted of 65 half hours episodes.
Raggs
quickly garnered strong ratings and, within a few months of airing, Seven ordered Series 2, an additional 65 episodes. In 2007, Seven ordered Series 3, also 65 episodes, bringing the total to 195 original half hours by 2009. Each episode featured original
Raggs’
music, written and produced in the U.S. by Concentrix Music and Sound Design, requiring over 200 original songs for the 195 half hours of shows.
In March 2007,
Telemundo
, the
NBC
-owned Spanish language network, and
V-me
, the public Spanish Language network owned by
PBS
and by its own company V-me Media Inc., licensed 144 episodes of
Raggs
in Spanish.
[5]
Southern Star distributed
Raggs
to several countries including Singapore, Bulgaria, South Africa and India. In the U.S., Steedman worked to establish
Raggs
on public television.
KQED
San Francisco
signed on as the presenting station in association with
American Public Television
, and
Raggs
began airing on public TV stations in 2007 in select markets and in 2008 nationwide.
[1]
[3]
In January 2010, Steedman reacquired Southern Star's distribution and licensing rights under Blue Socks Media LLC. Blue Sock Media LLC, completing a complete consolidation of the worldwide assets, later purchased Raggs LLC. Steedman continues to head Blue Socks Media in
Charlotte, North Carolina
.
[
citation needed
]
The Raggs characters are used at Grand Palladium family-friendly resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico to host the kids program, "Play at Palladium with Raggs." Features include a live show, disco party, and character breakfast.
[
citation needed
]
Palace Theatre 2004
[
edit
]
Throughout 2004, the band starred in a 90-minute performance at The Palace Theatre in Myrtle Beach, alongside comic strip cat
Garfield
. The performances focused on the RAGGS Kids Club Band planning a birthday party for the famous orange cat. Suspecting things, Garfield "won't relax until he gets the surprise".
[
citation needed
]
RAGGS Kids Club Band: PAWSUUUP! Tour
[
edit
]
A DVD was released 17 August 2004, featuring in-concert performances of seven of the band's songs, and three "music videos". The 55-minute-long program was produced by
Linda Mendoza
of Line by Line Productions and executive produced by Carole Rosen.
The crew included screenwriter
Mark Valenti
(
Rugrats
,
Hey Arnold!
,
Totally Spies!
), lighting designer Alan Adelman (75+ episodes of
Great Performances
,
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
), music producers Fred and Becky Story (Concentrix Music & Sound), costume designer "Greyseal", and choreographer Hardin Minor (National Dance Institute).
The DVD earned 3.5 out of 4 stars from Suite 101 Family Entertainment film critic Nicholas Moreau, tied for the highest ever rating for an independently produced DVD. The music from the tour was later released as a
CD
album.
Raggs
Live Around the World
[
edit
]
The Raggs Band has played more than 2,000 live performances in four continents. In the US, Raggs has performed at many state fairs, basketball games, regional malls, national fundraisers such as the
Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon
, and parades. Overseas, the Raggs Band has performed at American military bases in Japan, South Korea, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, and Iceland.
In Australia, the Raggs Band performed at Westfield Malls, and was one of two children's acts to perform on
Carols in the Domain
, a nationally televised live musical show.
Episodes
[
edit
]
Series 1 (2006?2008)
[
edit
]
Series 2 (2008?2009)
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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Children's and family
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Prime-time drama
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Factual
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Game show and reality
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