Kratts' Creatures
1996 TV series or program
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Kratts' Creatures is a half-hour children's television series that originally ran on PBS during the summer of 1996. The first in a series of programs produced by the Kratt Brothers, Chris and Martin, Kratts' Creatures was made to be the first wildlife show aimed specifically towards young children.[1] It featured the Kratt Brothers as they traveled worldwide, exploring different animals and their habitats. They received assistance from their friends Allison Baldwin (Shannon Duff) and Ttark, an animated anthropomorphic dinosaur (voiced by Ron Rubin). The show ran for one season on PTV from June 3, 1996, to August 9, 1996, with 50 episodes, with reruns continuing to air until June 9, 2000. Due to its popularity, the show inspired an unofficial spin-off, Zoboomafoo, created by the Kratts, which premiered on January 25, 1999.[2]
Created byMartin Kratt
Chris Kratt
Leo Eaton
Chris Kratt
Leo Eaton
Presented byChris and Martin Kratt
Shannon Duff
Shannon Duff
Voices ofRon Rubin
| Kratts' Creatures | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Children's television series |
| Created by | Martin Kratt Chris Kratt Leo Eaton |
| Presented by | Chris and Martin Kratt Shannon Duff |
| Voices of | Ron Rubin |
| Theme music composer | Pure West |
| Composer | Pure West |
| Country of origin |
|
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 50 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Jon Slan Leo Eaton Richard Borchiver |
| Producer | Wilson Coneybeare |
| Production locations | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Running time | 28 minutes |
| Production companies | Paragon Entertainment Corporation Earth Creatures Maryland Public Television TMG Groups |
| Original release | |
| Network | PBS |
| Release | June 3 – August 9, 1996 |
| Related | |
| Zoboomafoo (1999–2001) Be the Creature (2003–2007) Wild Kratts (2011–present) | |
Cast
- The Kratt Brothers:
- Chris Kratt: The younger brother. Chris wears green in North America and Africa, while he wears red in Central America and Australia.
- Martin Kratt: The older brother. Martin usually wears blue in North America, Africa, and Australia, while in Central America, he usually wears white.
- Shannon Duff as Allison Baldwin: Allison is a personal agent of the Kratt Brothers. She is most commonly seen at their base of Creature Central but occasionally joins the brothers in the field. She is very adept with the gadgets at Creature Central and frequently expands on topics with research from the Creature-Web or books.
- Ron Rubin as Ttark: Ttark is an anthropomorphic blue creature who resembles an aardvark. He often appears on television at Creature Central. Ttark frequently uses alliteration in creature-related turns of phrase. He is seen to be very knowledgeable about ancient and extinct animals but is often behind the times about the creatures of modern times. His name is "Kratt" spelt in reverse.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Other notes | Original release date | PBS Kids Go! release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Big Five, Little Five" | VHS release | June 3, 1996 | October 27, 2006 | |
|
The brothers visit South Africa, in search of the Big Five and the Little Five animals of the savanna. | |||||
| 2 | "City Critters" | VHS release | June 4, 1996 | November 3, 2006 | |
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The brothers search the city for animals who call urban areas their home. | |||||
| 3 | "Sharks" | VHS release | June 5, 1996 | November 10, 2006 | |
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The brothers take to the Bahamian waters in search of sharks and other sea creatures that interact with them. | |||||
| 4 | "Running with the Wild Dogs" | VHS release | June 6, 1996 | November 17, 2006 | |
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The brothers track the African savanna in search of the elusive and disappearing African wild dog. | |||||
| 5 | "In Search of the Tasmanian Tiger" | VHS release | June 7, 1996 | November 24, 2006 | |
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The brothers retrace the steps of fictional explorers in search of a Tasmanian tiger. As they travel, they encounter many of the island's creatures. | |||||
| 6 | "The Great Defenders" | VHS release | June 10, 1996 | December 1, 2006 | |
|
Chris and Martin team up with Allison to examine the way different creatures defend themselves against their predators. | |||||
| 7 | "Pan Troglodytes: An In-depth Analysis" | VHS release | June 11, 1996 | December 8, 2006 | |
|
The brothers go to Africa to investigate chimpanzees. | |||||
| 8 | "The Great Canadians" | VHS release | June 12, 1996 | December 15, 2006 | |
| 9 | "Rain Forests: Under the Canopy" | VHS release | June 13, 1996 | December 22, 2006 | |
|
The brothers visit the rainforests of Costa Rica, where they encounter a few of the many creatures who live there including tapirs, jaguars, toucans, hummingbirds and three-toed sloths. | |||||
| 10 | "Creatures of the Night" | VHS release | June 14, 1996 | December 29, 2006 | |
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The brothers examine nocturnal creatures in Australia, including brush-tailed possums, Tasmanian devils, flying foxes, kangaroos, and different kinds of bats. | |||||
| 11 | "Elephants 1: Educating Emily" | VHS release | June 17, 1996 | January 5, 2007 | |
|
The brothers visit the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya, where they become caretakers of orphaned baby elephants for a day. | |||||
| 12 | "Elephants 2: Wild Elephants Can't Drag Me Away" | VHS release | June 18, 1996 | January 12, 2007 | |
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The brothers search for wild elephants in Africa, in preparation for releasing the orphaned elephants they helped care for. | |||||
| 13 | "Weird Creatures" | VHS release | June 19, 1996 | January 19, 2007 | |
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The brothers search for creatures that "break the rules," including egg-laying mammals, flightless birds and sea creatures that look like vegetables. | |||||
| 14 | "Planet of the Dolphins" | VHS release | June 20, 1996 | January 26, 2007 | |
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The brothers head to the waters in search of dolphins. | |||||
| 15 | "The Great Bear Show" | VHS release | June 21, 1996 | February 2, 2007 | |
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The brothers stick to North America to examine different kinds of bears. | |||||
| 16 | "Mgobo of Baboon Mountain" | VHS release | June 24, 1996 | February 9, 2007 | |
| 17 | "The How Show" | VHS release | June 25, 1996 | February 16, 2007 | |
|
The brothers answer some puzzling questions about animals, including "How do reptiles survive in the desert," "How do snakes eat things bigger than their heads," "How do some creatures see in the dark" and "How do animals know what to eat?" | |||||
| 18 | "Kickboxing Kangaroos" | VHS release | June 26, 1996 | February 23, 2007 | |
| 19 | "The Giant Bug Invasion" | VHS release | June 27, 1996 | March 2, 2007 | |
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Allison, Martin, and Chris examine insects, including caterpillars, butterflies, ants, and scorpions. | |||||
| 20 | "Heavyweights of Africa" | VHS release | June 28, 1996 | March 9, 2007 | |
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The brothers look at some of the biggest animals in the African savanna -- the hippopotamus and rhinoceros. | |||||
| 21 | "The Redcoats Are Coming" | VHS release | July 1, 1996 | March 16, 2007 | |
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The brothers examine one of the greatest hunters in North America -- the red fox. | |||||
| 22 | "The Cow Show" | VHS release | July 2, 1996 | March 23, 2007 | |
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The brothers travel to the Florida Everglades to study the creatures that live there, including the manatees, or "sea cow." | |||||
| 23 | "Maximum Cheetah Velocity" | VHS release | July 3, 1996 | March 30, 2007 | |
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The brothers look at the fastest land animal in the world -- the cheetah. | |||||
| 24 | "Wild Ponies" | VHS release | July 4, 1996 | April 6, 2007 | |
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The brothers look at horses and go in search of wild ponies. | |||||
| 25 | "Who's Who?" | VHS release | July 5, 1996 | April 13, 2007 | |
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The brothers each choose an animal and track its history of evolution to show how all animals are related. | |||||
| 26 | "Arribada 1: Sea Turtle Invasion" | VHS release | July 8, 1996 | April 20, 2007 | |
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The brothers head to Costa Rica for "Arribada" (The Arrival), where sea turtles from all over the world come to one beach to lay their eggs. | |||||
| 27 | "Arribada 2: Running the Gauntlet" | VHS release | July 9, 1996 | April 27, 2007 | |
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The brothers continue their examination of the "Arribada" (The Arrival), where sea turtles from all over the world have come to one beach to lay their eggs. After the eggs are laid, numerous predators abound. | |||||
| 28 | "Around Australia in Eight Days" | VHS release | July 10, 1996 | May 4, 2007 | |
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The brothers explore Australia, examining creatures including kangaroos, penguins, camels and crocodiles. | |||||
| 29 | "Hyenas Are Cool" | VHS release | July 11, 1996 | May 11, 2007 | |
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The brothers cover the African savanna in search of the hyena. | |||||
| 30 | "Mungu's Revenge" | VHS release | July 12, 1996 | May 18, 2007 | |
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The brothers and Allison share legends surrounding different creatures. | |||||
| 31 | "Creature Rescue" | VHS release | July 15, 1996 | May 25, 2007 | |
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The brothers rescue animals that are in trouble in numerous locations and predicaments. | |||||
| 32 | "Lion, King of the Beasts?" | VHS release | July 16, 1996 | June 1, 2007 | |
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The brothers examine the "king of the beasts," the lion. | |||||
| 33 | "Marshmania" | VHS release | July 17, 1996 | June 8, 2007 | |
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The brothers travel to the marshy wetlands of Virginia to see what creatures live there. | |||||
| 34 | "Why?" | VHS release | July 18, 1996 | June 15, 2007 | |
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The brothers attempt to answer puzzling questions about creatures, including "Why do animals play," "Why do animals live in groups" and "Why are there no bears in Africa?" | |||||
| 35 | "Koalas and Wombats: The Untold Story" | VHS release | July 19, 1996 | June 22, 2007 | |
| 36 | "Backyard Bandits" | VHS release | July 22, 1996 | June 29, 2007 | |
| 37 | "Hanging with the Monkeys" | VHS release | July 23, 1996 | July 6, 2007 | |
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The brothers head to a Central American rainforest to check out the similarities and differences between man and monkeys. | |||||
| 38 | "The Best of the Best" | VHS release | July 24, 1996 | July 13, 2007 | |
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The brothers check out animals with the greatest attributes, including those with the best teeth, the best runners, and the best jumpers. | |||||
| 39 | "Polyp Power" | VHS release | July 25, 1996 | July 20, 2007 | |
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The brothers visit and explore Australia's Great Barrier Reef. | |||||
| 40 | "Wings!" | VHS release | July 26, 1996 | July 27, 2007 | |
| 41 | "Phantom Wolves" | VHS release | July 29, 1996 | August 3, 2007 | |
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The brothers go in search of the wolf, and along the way, examine other animals, including wolverines, squirrels, bears and elk. | |||||
| 42 | "Australia: Land of Mystery and Intrigue" | VHS release | July 30, 1996 | August 10, 2007 | |
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The brothers check out the continent of Australia and explain how the different animals who reside there originally arrived in that country. | |||||
| 43 | "Leopard: Prince of Death" | VHS release | July 31, 1996 | August 17, 2007 | |
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The brothers take to the African savanna to examine the mighty leopard, and the animals that interact with her. | |||||
| 44 | "When?" | VHS release | August 1, 1996 | August 24, 2007 | |
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The brothers look at time: when creatures do what they do, and how important timing is to their activities. | |||||
| 45 | "Parched and Thirsty in the Outback" | VHS release | August 2, 1996 | August 31, 2007 | |
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The brothers examine creatures who live in the hot and dry Outback in Australia and search out how these creatures survive with so little water. | |||||
| 46 | "Gatorglades" | VHS release | August 5, 1996 | September 7, 2007 | |
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The brothers head to the Florida Everglades to examine crocodiles and alligators. | |||||
| 47 | "Spots and Stripes Forever" | VHS release | August 6, 1996 | September 14, 2007 | |
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The brothers examine animals who have built-in camouflage such as stripes and spots. These creatures include zebras, giraffes and leopards. | |||||
| 48 | "Three Cool Cats" | VHS release | August 7, 1996 | September 21, 2007 | |
| 49 | "Where?" | VHS release | August 8, 1996 | September 28, 2007 | |
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The brothers explore creature distribution, explaining why different creatures live where they do. | |||||
| 50 | "Around Africa in Eight Hours" | VHS release | August 9, 1996 | October 5, 2007 | |
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The brothers retrace their visit to Africa, re-exploring creatures they've seen before, and spotting some new ones as well. | |||||
VHS releases
- "In Search of the Tasmanian Tiger" / "Mungu's Revenge"
- Ultimate Animals / "Big Five, Little Five"
- "The Great Defenders" / "Spots and Stripes Forever"
- "Kickboxing Kangaroos" / Koalas or Wombats: The Untold Story"
- "Wild Ponies" / "Phantom Wolves"
- "Leopard: Prince of Death" / "Creatures of the Night"
- "When?" / "The How Show"
- "Hyenas are Cool"/ "Three Cool Cats"
- "Hanging with the Monkeys" / "Lion, King of Beasts"
- "Heavyweights of Africa" / "Wings"
- "Heavyweights of Africa" / "Around Africa in Eight Hours"
- "GatorGlades" / "Sharks"
- "Rainforests: Under the Canopy" / "Parched and Thirsty in the Outback"
- Behind the Scenes