Martha Speaks (TV series)
| Martha Speaks | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Children Preschool Educational Comedy Slapstick Animation |
| Created by | Susan Meddaugh |
| Based on | Martha Speaks by Susan Meddaugh |
| Developed by | Ken Scarborough |
| Written by | Ken Scarborough |
| Directed by | Dallas Parker Colleen Holub |
| Voices of | Tabitha St. Germain Madeleine Peters Brian Drummond Alex Ferris Valin Shinyei Cedric Payne Christina Crivici Michelle Creber Vanesa Tomasino Nicole Oliver Kathleen Barr French Tickner Maxine Miller Matt Hill Samuel Vincent Terry Klassen |
| Narrated by | J.T. Turner |
| Theme music composer | Daniel Ingram Hal Beckett |
| Opening theme | "Martha Speaks" (lyrics by Ken Scarborough) by Robert Wilson (a few spoken-word lines provided by Tabitha St. Germain) |
| Ending theme | "Martha Speaks" (instrumental) |
| Composer | Daniel Ingram |
| Country of origin | United States Canada |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 96 (183 segments) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Carol Greenwald Chris Bartleman (seasons 1–4) Blair Peters (seasons 1–4) |
| Producer | Sarah Wall |
| Running time | 28 minutes (approximately 13 minutes per episode) |
| Production companies | WGBH Boston Studio B Productions (Seasons 1–3) DHX Media Vancouver (Season 4) Oasis Animation (Seasons 5–6) |
| Original release | |
| Network | PBS Kids (United States) TVOKids (Canada) |
| Release | September 1, 2008 – November 18, 2014 |
Martha Speaks is an animated educational preschool television series based on the 1992 children's book of the same name by Susan Meddaugh and debuted on September 1, 2008 on PBS, on the PBS Kids programming block. The series was produced by WGBH Boston, with animation by DHX Media/Vancouver for the first four seasons and Oasis Animation for the final two seasons of the series.
The series focuses mainly on synonyms, phonics, and vocabulary, with each episode featuring an underlying theme illustrated with a wide variety of keywords. The show also occasionally focuses on introducing children aged four to seven to different concepts of science, history, astronomy and other learning concepts (from the Spanish language to passing mentions of it).
On July 6, 2009, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on September 14, 2009. On August 2, 2010, the series was renewed for another two seasons. The third season premiered on October 11, 2010 and the fourth season premiered on February 20, 2012. On April 29, 2013, the series was renewed for an additional two seasons. The fifth season premiered on June 24, 2013 and the sixth season premiered on March 31, 2014.
On October 10, 2014, it was announced that the sixth season would be its last. The series finale aired on November 18, 2014.