Donkey Hodie (TV series)
American live-action puppet children's television series from PBS Kids
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Donkey Hodie is an American puppet live action musical children's television series created by David and Adam Rudman for PBS Kids, and is aimed at preschoolers ages 3 to 5. Inspired by characters created by Fred Rogers, the series premiered May 3, 2021,[1] and is the second spin-off of Rogers' television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood after Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.[2] The first full episode was initially set to premiere in the winter of 2021 on PBS Kids in the United States, but it was pushed back to May 3 of the same year.
| Donkey Hodie | |
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| Genre | Children's television series Musical Comedy |
| Created by | David Rudman Adam Rudman |
| Based on | |
| Developed by | Ellen Doherty |
| Starring |
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| Theme music composer | Bill Sherman |
| Opening theme | "With Our Pal Donkey Hodie" performed by Taylor Iman Jones, Haley Jenkins, Frankie Cordero, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, and David Rudman |
| Ending theme | "With Our Pal Donkey Hodie" (instrumental) |
| Composers |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 75 (146 segments) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Running time | 23 minutes (two 11-minute segments) |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | PBS Kids |
| Release | May 3, 2021 – present |
| Related | |
| Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood Nature Cat | |
Plot
In the land of Someplace Else, just north of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, Donkey Hodie and her friends go throughout their day while solving different problems along the way.
Cast
- Haley Jenkins as Donkey Hodie, the granddaughter of Grampy Hodie (the original Donkey Hodie[3]). Like her grandfather, her name is a pun on the novel Don Quixote. She's eponymously named, sunny and brave.
- Stephanie D'Abruzzo as Duck Duck, Harriet Elizabeth Cow, Mama Panda, and Doc Skunk; Duck Duck's name is eponymous.
- David Rudman as Bob Dog, an upbeat orange dog, Grampy Hodie and Stanley the Dragon.
- Frankie Cordero as Purple Panda and Turtle Lou.
- Peter Linz as Clyde the Cloud.
- Matt Vogel as King Friday, the ruler of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.
- Joey Mazzarino as Game Show Gator and Super Porcupine.
- Leslie Carrara-Rudolph as Dodie Hodie, Donkey's cousin.
- Jimmica Collins as Rockstar Penguin.
- Melvin Campbell as Rogers the Fish
The original Donkey Hodie, Bob Dog, Purple Panda, Harriet Cow and King Friday all originated on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. All other characters were newly created for the Donkey Hodie series.[3]
Episodes
Production
The series was announced in January 2020. The title character is the granddaughter of the original Donkey Hodie, a character from the Neighborhood of Make Believe on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.[3][4][5][6]
Music
Like Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, the series includes both new songs as well as songs written by Rogers.
The music for the show was composed by Bill Sherman, Zack Zeyde, and Noah Deblasis.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 |
Television Critics Association Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming | Donkey Hodie | Nominated | |
2022 |
Children's and Family Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design for a Live Action Program | Joel K. Flory and Mark Kluiszo | Nominated | |
| Writers Guild of America Awards | Television: Children’s Script | Adam Rudman, David Rudman, and Joey Mazzarino | Nominated | ||
2023 |
Children's and Family Emmy Awards | Outstanding Puppetry Performance | Harley Jenkins | Nominated | |
| Frankie Cordero | Nominated | ||||
| Television Critics Association Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming | Donkey Hodie | Nominated | ||
2025 |
Children's and Family Emmy Awards | Outstanding Preschool Series | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Interactive Media | Cousin Hodie Playdate | Won | |||
| Television Critics Association Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming | Donkey Hodie | Nominated | [7] |
