Svensk Filmindustri

The character was played by Terje Formoe, who is also the playwright . The first of four plays openened on the outdoor stage of Kristiansand Zoo in the summer of 1990. Word of mouth brought more and more people to the performances. In 1992 there were 11 performances before an audience of 35 000 people. ³The Land of the Midnight Sun² was becoming ³The Land of the Midnight Fun.²

In 1992 the pirate´s first CD was released in shops throughout Norway, selling more than 200 000 copies. Every new generation of children ensures a constant demand for Captain Sabertooth´s CDs, more than 700 000 copies having been sold so far in a country with only 4,5 million inhabitants!

An entire Captain Sabertooth industry has developed since the start in 1990. Norwegian children feel they have a personal relationship to all the characters. At the performances, children and adults sing along to the familiar songs, children wave their pirate flags and their grandparents lift their eye patches to better see The King of the Pirates when he arrives in the dark of the night. All the shows have been presented several times on Norwegian TV with high viewing figures. The 5 videos/DVDs have been sold in a total of 350 000 copies.

In the wake of Captain Sabertooth´s success, a considerable number of licensed products has been developed. All kinds of pirate effects are sold in large quantities. Norwegian children sleep in Captain Sabertooth sheets, drink from the pirates´ mugs, eat Captain Sabertooth bread and play Captain Sabertooth games.

Captain Sabertooth is not typically Nordic either in appearance or personality. The world´s most terrible pirate feels that he belongs on the seven seas all of them! His goal is to capture the hearts of children all over the world.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE CREATOR

Terje Formoe - Norwegian playwright, singer, songwriter, actor, born 1949.

Terje Formoe made his recording debut in 1974 with the single ²Og hvis hun kommer hit²/²Midt i byen² (CBS Records).The album ³Beske Ballader og Blidgjort Blues² (CBS) was released a year later.

His major commercial breakthrough came in 1983, with a collection of songs for children, including ²Juliussangen², on of the best selling Norwegian hits of all times.

Terje Formoe was Director of marketing and entertainment in Kristiansand Zoo from 1984 to 1994. During his tenancy at the Zoo, he wrote the first Captain Sabertooth play, opening in the Zoo theatre on 9 July 1990, with himself playing the Captain. The following Summer Mr Formoe introduced the first performances at night for children, which immediately became a huge success.

The music from the play was released on CD and became the biggest selling CD in Norway in 1993, regardless of category. The second Captain Sabertooth play opened in 1992, and during 11 nightly performances 35 000 children and their parents crammed into the zoo theatre to catch a glimpse of their hero. The CD from the second play was awarded a Norwegian Music Award for Best Children`s CD of 1994.

The third Captain Savertooth play opened in the Kristiansand Zoo in July 1996., while the fourth play opened four years later, in 2000.

To this day, 650 000 people have seen one of the plays performed. 700 000 CDs and music cassettes have been sold, and the 5 DVD/VHS releases have sold more than 350 000 copies. The Captain Sabertooth comic was released in 2000 and has since been published regularly. Nine books about Captain Sabertooth have been published since 1993, and in 1997 a CD-ROM interactive game was released in Norway, Denmark and Germany.

Terje Formoe has also written two other plays for children.

CAPTAIN SABERTOOTH The Feature
Synopsis

Captain Sabertooth: Nobody dares to mention his name aloud. He is the terror of the ocean, ruler of the night, known everywhere as ³The King of the Seven Seas². He has one passion, one vice: The quest for GOLD!

Tiny is a young boy who knows only one world and one law: That of Captain Sabertooth. As a loyal, but ambitious galley boy and one of his great admirers, Tiny sets out to prove that he has what it takes to become a fully-fledged pirate.

Captain Sabertooth smells gold in the air and knows he is close to finding the ultimate price: The lost treasure of Gory Gabriel! On board The Dark Lady Tiny takes part in a breathtaking journey with Captain Sabertooth and his crew from the impenetrable natural fortress of Abra, The Invisible Island, to the beautiful location of Luna Bay. However, instead of them finding riches around the corner, they are confronted by deception and betrayal.

Tiny is now faced with the biggest dilemma of his young life: One which will require all his skills as a pirate and put him in direct conflict with his biggest hero. The greatest pirate of the Seven Seas. Captain Sabertooth!

THE MAIN CHARACTERS

CAPTAIN SABERTOOTH
Since the dawn of time, mankind has braved waves to transport gold and spices to the world´s greatest ports. Valiant sailors have risked their lives in a war with the elements, in the hope that their foolhardiness will somehow pay off. Still theres is one thing they fear more than tidal waves and icy gales...

More than anything they fear the wrath of the most terrible pirate that ever sailed the seven seas: Captain Sabertooth!

Rumour has it that Captain Sabertooth´s proud vessel, The Dark Lady, has sailed the seas for centuries, spreading terror in its wake. Captain Sabertooth and his minions appear when you least expect it, with their pistols popping and their blades slinging from side to side.

The man they call The King of Pirates has hidden fantastic riches in his vast castle. Some say that he can actually smell gold and diamonds.

All pirates dream that they will one day be among Captain Sabertooth´s men. But only the very best will be allowed passage aboard The Dark Lady, his dreadful ship. Only the most fearless will be allowed to serve Captain Sabertooth.

LONGFINGER
Longfinger is Captain Sabertooth¹s right hand and has sailed with him for many years. He is known to seafarers as ²The Shadow of Captain Sabertooth² and is the only member of the crew allowed access to the Captain¹s castle hideout. He is a brilliant navigator, a skilled swordsman, and a good storyteller. He is a handsome looking man, but unpredictable, capable of changing from a gracious gentleman into the most cold-blooded, ruthless pirate in an instant.

TINY
During a terrible storm on The Grass Sea, the crew of The Dark Lady rescued a baby boy from the sea. The boy grew up among the pirates and was given the name Tiny, ³the world´s youngest pirate². He had to learn quickly how to be tough and fearless. Though most of the men are nice to him, he still knows what it is like to be the youngest and weakest member of the crew. He constantly tries to prove to Captain Sabertooth that he is ready to become a fully-fledged pirate. Behind his hard pirate exterior, however, is a soft and uncertain boy. He nourishes secret dreams of a different life in a far-away-land - perhaps with a girlfriendŠ

VERONICA
Veronica was raised by her Aunt Bessie, the innkeeper in Luna Bay. She is sweet, conscientious and... bored! For the most part her life has been very quiet and secure. She spends most of her time swimming in the sea, helping out at Aunt Bessie¹s inn and listening to Rudy the fisherman¹s stories. Her only real friend is a pet shark (!), Ravenous, but she is definitely longing for someone her own age to play with. None of the boys in the village have been able to catch her interest, though. She is a little mature for her age, as well as naive, yet also enterprising and bold. Her impulsive nature sometimes lands her in some potentially dangerous situations, though it does not really matter since nothing ever happens in peaceful Luna Bay.

HAPPY JACK
Happy Jack is wearing a mask. Behind his smiling face he hides a cunning and evil personality. Pretending to be a crippled gourmet cook, he finds work on The Dark Lady along with his two helpers Turdle and Bink. His secret goal is to get rid of ³the great Captain² and become the new ³King of the Seven Seas.² He is just waiting for the right moment...

RED RUDY
Rudy is full of stories about life at sea, some more believable than others. As far as he is concerned, Luna Bay is the most beautiful place on earth. Ever since he first laid eyes on it, as he sailed in on his ship, the Gorine, he knew this was where he could live and die a happy man. Rudy spends most of his time fishing or wooing and singing for Aunt Bessie. He is an honest man, an idealist and a romantic who enjoys a laugh and wants Luna Bay to remain an idyllic paradise. There is more to Rudy than meets the eye, and he can sometimes reveal some unusual qualities. Concealed behind his good-natured exterior is a strong and bold adventurer.

Rudy¹s greatest weakness lies in his longing to become a rich man. Just thinking about this most precious of metals is enough to give him a severe case of gold fever.

AUNT BESSIE
Aunt Bessie runs the inn in Luna Bay. She is a very buxom, motherly woman in her prime who thinks that Rudy is the most handsome man she has ever laid eyes on. However, she has little patience for his stories about Captain Sabertooth, which she dismisses as a bunch of old legends and fantasy. Whenever there is talk of treasure chests and gold, Aunt Bessie is the one who puts her foot down and brings everyone back to earth.

WALLY & WIMP
Wally and Wimp are the fattest members of Captain Sabertooth¹s crew. They are identical twins and virtually indistinguishable. Unfortunately for Wally, this often means that he has to take the blame for Wimp¹s clumsy mistakes. Wally is one minute older than Wimp, which is why he always thinks he knows best. Actually it is the other way around, although it really makes little difference as they are both a bit on the slow side. Both admire Captain Sabertooth more than anyone else in the world - except their mother, of course. Though Wally is proud to be a member of Captain Sabertooth¹s crew, he would happily return to his mother¹s loving care and lead a life of luxury and ease but first he has to gather enough gold. Wally is jealous of his little brother, complaining that he has always been ²mommy¹s little golden boy². Consequently, Wally is always snapping at Wimp. As for Wimp, he enjoys life on the sea and aboard The Dark Lady, even though he often feels homesick.

ODIN AND BENJAMIN
As far as their appearance is concerned, Odin and Benjamin are the exact opposite of Wally and Wimp. They have stringy hair and lanky torsos and are even slower than Wally and Wimp. Odin and Benjamin are a constant source of irritation on board The Dark Lady, having a tendency to repeat what other people say, mixing up the words, getting it all wrong.

TULLY
Always busy in the Galley preparing meals for the Captain and his crew. Using whatever he can find even in the garbage-bin, he turns up to be one of the worst cooks on the seven seas. The Captain starts looking for someone to replace this dangerous crew member threatening to severely poisen his men several times every day.