Bob the Builder is a British stop motion animated children's television series created by Keith Chapman for HIT Entertainment and Hot Animation. In the original series, which aired from 1999 to 2011, Bob appears in a stop motion animated program as a building contractor, specializing in masonry, along with his colleague Wendy, various neighbors, and friends, and their gang of anthropomorphised work-vehicles and equipment. The show is broadcast in many countries but originated from the United Kingdom where Bob was voiced by English actor Neil Morrissey. The show later used CGI animation starting with the spin-off series Ready, Steady, Build!. British proprietors of Bob the Builder and Thomas the Tank Engine sold the enterprise in 2011 to US toy-maker Mattel for $680 million.
Censorship[]
- Early versions of the episode "Wallpaper Wendy" feature a scene of Bob mumbling after the wallpaper gets stuck on his face. This mumbling was misinterpreted as swearing, causing later versions of the episode to have Bob's mumbling muted. The early version can be seen on the Bob's White Christmas and Other Stories VHS.
UK & North American censorship[]
- The ending where Lenny Lazenby smashes his electric guitar is removed in the US version and most UK versions. This was likely due to Nick Jr.'s restrictions or the creators were never satisfied with it and decided to remove it when the series was introduced to the US. The alternate ending was also featured in most UK releases. This episode was also excluded from Paramount+ and skipped in the Japanese dub, likely for similar reasons. The ending scene still remained absent in the PBS and Sprout airings of the episode.
External links[]
- Bob the Builder (TV Series) at the Bob the Builder Wiki