Handy Manny

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Handy Manny
HandyManny.jpg
Manny (left) and tools (left to right) Squeeze, Turner, Dusty, Stretch, Rusty, Felipe, Pat (picture from the 2006-11 website)
GenreAnimation
Preschool
Edutainment
Comedy
Created byRoger Bollen
Marilyn Sadler
Rick Gitelson
Directed byTed Bastien
StarringWilmer Valderrama
Dee Bradley Baker
Tom Kenny
Fred Stoller
Nika Futterman
Kath Soucie
Carlos Alazraqui
Grey DeLisle (season 2+)
Nancy Truman
Opening theme"Handy Manny Theme Song" by Los Lobos
Ending theme"Handy Manny Theme Song" (Instrumental)
Composer(s)Fernando Rivas
Rick Gitelson
Country of originUnited States
Canada
Original language(s)English
Spanish
No. of seasons3[1]
No. of episodes113 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)Pam Lehn
Rick Gitelson
Producer(s)Vanessa Tilley, Jane Sobol
Running time30 minutes
Production company(s)Nelvana
DistributorBuena Vista Television (2006–07)
Disney–ABC Domestic Television (2007–13)
Release
Original networkPlayhouse Disney/Disney Junior
Picture format480i (4:3 SDTV) (2006-2007)
1080i (16:9 HDTV) (2007-2013)
Original releaseSeptember 16, 2006 (2006-09-16) –
February 14, 2013 (2013-02-14)[2]
Chronology
Related showsBob the Builder
External links
Official website

Handy Manny is an American Canadian CGI-animated children's television series. It first aired on September 16, 2006 as originally part of Disney Channel's Playhouse Disney daily block intended for preschoolers. The show's final episode aired on February 14, 2013.[3] On February 14, 2011, it was moved to the Disney Junior block, serving as Playhouse Disney's replacement. The show's title character is voiced by Wilmer Valderrama.

The show was created by Roger Bollen, Marilyn Sadler and Rick Gitelson. The animation is produced by Toronto-based Nelvana and features the voice performances of Wilmer Valderrama, Dee Bradley Baker, Tom Kenny, Fred Stoller, Nika Futterman, Kath Soucie, Carlos Alazraqui, Grey DeLisle and Nancy Truman. The theme song is performed by Los Lobos. In 2011, It was re-recorded by Relient K for Disney Junior - Live on Stage!

Synopsis[edit]

Handy Manny (a play on the phrase "handy man") is set in the fictional town of Sheetrock Hills where the titular character, Manny, owns a repair shop along with his anthropomorphic talking tools. It is unknown exactly where this town is located, but there are a multitude of Spanish speaking residents within it and the town is surrounded by tropical ocean water (as seen in the introduction). Most 30-minute episodes contain two stories. They typically begin with Manny and the tools interacting in Manny's repair shop. While there, someone, usually needing something repaired or assembled, calls Manny, who answers, "Hola, Handy Manny's Repair Shop. You break it..." and then the Tools shout "We fix it!" After hearing who needs help where, Manny and the Tools sing "Hop Up, Jump In" while the Tools hop into his tool box. In most episodes when Manny and the Tools leave for the repair, they see Mr. Lopart with his pet cat Fluffy in front of his candy store. Mr. Lopart would try to do something on his own without any prior experience. Manny offers him to help but Mr. Lopart says that he doesn't need any help, after Manny and the Tools leave the item Mr. Lopart was building would malfunction and cause a mess. Once Manny and the tools arrive at the repair site, they collaborate on the best way to fix the broken item. Manny then goes to Kelly's hardware store where she always has the item that they need. Once they have the items needed for the repair, they go back to the work-site and sing "We Work Together" while performing the repairs.

Episodes[edit]

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
125September 16, 2006 (2006-09-16)October 8, 2007 (2007-10-08)
241October 27, 2007 (2007-10-27)October 4, 2009 (2009-10-04)
347November 7, 2009 (2009-11-07)February 14, 2013 (2013-02-14)

Characters[edit]

  • Manny[4] (full name Manuel Estevez Garcia III; voiced by Wilmer Valderrama) - A Mexican-American repairman who lives in Sheet Rock Hills. He has brown eyes and brown hair, and carries a pencil behind his ear. He wears a red and white hat, a green shirt, blue jeans, boots, and a yellow tool belt with a silver buckle.
  • Kelly (voiced by Nancy Truman)[5] - A hardware store owner. She lives in Sheet Rock Hills with her friends and family. Kelly has a teenage brother named Elliot. It was said in various episodes that Kelly loves keeping toys behind her desk for Manny and the tools to give to Chico and Pepe as gifts. Her family name is Crenshaw. Kelly almost always has the materials that Manny and the tools need for their projects.
  • Mr. Lopart (full name Leonard Francis Lopart; voiced by Tom Kenny) [6] - The owner of a candy store next to Manny's workshop. He is a middle-aged man who lives a happy life with his cat Fluffy (also voiced by Tom Kenny). His mother is Mrs. Lopart and he has twin nephews named Lyle and Leland.

Main tools[edit]

  • Felipe [5] (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui) - A yellow Phillips-head screwdriver (hence his name) who always considers himself to be a very important tool. He is always overconfident and popular about himself. He sometimes thinks of himself as a superhero. Sometimes, his ideas make a problem worse. He provides a lot of the Spanish language content in the show, translating for the other tools. He also loves to sing but is not very good at it. He usually gets under Turner's skin and his headache, sometimes purposely. He bonds with Flicker and tries to bond with Turner. He also bonds with Pat sometimes.
  • Turner [5] (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) - A purple flat-head screwdriver who appears to be sarcastic and is bossy to Felipe, usually going against Felipe's overconfidence. There are some cases where he shows a genuinely caring relationship with Felipe. In the season one episode "Supremoguy", Felipe needs rescuing and Turner is the first to say "I'll get ya". Also in the episode "Breakfast of Champions", when Felipe feels worn out, he shows genuine concern for him. He appears to have a secret soft spot for babies and animals (including birds, kittens, and butterflies) and for dancing, even crying in "Handy Manny & The 7 Tools", although he loudly denies it. In the episode "Tools for Toys", he is easily liked by Mr. Singh's daughter, Leela. In the same episode, she kisses him at the top of the head and he blushes. Turner loses his patience with Pat due to his lack of intelligence and with Rusty due to his fear of many things.
  • Pat [6] (voiced by Tom Kenny) - A blue hammer who is talkative, extremely silly and dumb, an idealistic tool, clumsy and not so intelligent, though he does have flashes of cleverness from time to time. He sometimes finds it hard to control his strength. His catchphrase is "I'm a hammer". He is obsessed with nails. It is hinted that he is Rusty's best friend because he is usually the first to comfort him. His lack of intelligence annoys Turner.
  • Dusty (voiced by Kath Soucie) - A red hand saw who is very smart and gives good advice. She acts as the big sister of the group and is very good with detective work by solving mysteries. She also bonds with almost all the other tools. Dusty doesn't have eyelashes despite the fact she is a female tool except when she dresses as a ballerina; which consists of a bow and a tutu. Her talent is ballet.
  • Squeeze (voiced by Nika Futterman) - A green pair of pliers. She loves to lend a helping hand, and is sometimes impatient to fix something (usually repairs that involve bolts). She also appears to be giggly, girly, and preppy. Her childlike cuteness makes her a very loveable tool. Before Flicker was introduced, she was considered the baby among the tools.
  • Stretch [5] (also voiced by Nika Futterman) - A pink tape measure who loves to measure things. He can speak out accurate measurements, has a very mathematical mind, has a good memory, ~He knows everything especially for numbers and measurements and can use his tape as an extendable hand. He bonds with almost every tool. He speaks with a lisp.
  • Rusty (voiced by Fred Stoller)[5] - An orange monkey wrench who is not very brave and is a worrier and frightened of everything, generally being frightened of pretty much anything. Most of the time he needs reassurance from his fellow tools and Manny. It is hinted that Pat is his best friend because he is usually the first to comfort him. Sometimes his fear of stuff allows the others to lose patience with him, mainly Turner. He bonds with Pat, Dusty, and Squeeze. He is the second-oldest tool but his intense fear of stuff makes him seem younger than he really is. In "Firefighter Manny", Rusty knows how to be not scared to be a firefighter tool.
  • Flicker (voiced by Grey DeLisle) - Manny's youngest tool (first appearing in season 2) is a golden yellow flashlight who speaks Spanish and is still learning English (In Tagalog version, it speaks English and learning Tagalog), slowly picking up more of the language throughout season 3. He flashes his light whenever he feels excited. In Handy Manny's School for Tools, he seems to be fully bilingual. He is shown to love food. He has freckles and Felipe has to translate what he says sometimes.
  • Fix-it is a robot dog who lives in Manny's shop and is most likely to be Squeeze's best friend.

Recurring tools[edit]

  • Zip (voiced by Eddie Deezen) - One of the automobic team in "The Tools New Team". He first met Stretch and Felipe. He talks fast, knows it all and works super fast as Spinner and Felipe. Zip is a power socket tool.
  • Sneeze (voiced by Tom Kenny) - A vacuum cleaner and one of the automobic team. He sneezes saw dust and other things. In The Tools New Team, Manny meets Sneeze hiding in one of the boxes. He has a long nose as an elephant and his dream is to become an actor in "Handy Manny & The 7 Tools". He is also friends with Elliot. His first appearance is "The Tools New Team".
  • Ticks and Totts (voiced by Jesse Corti and Cristobal Parson) - Two socket wrench twin brothers. They each speak English and Spanish. They both meet Dusty and Flicker as they overheard them. They each has six sides like fixing Marcelo's bike. They are one of the automobic team.
  • Roland (voiced by Bill Fagerbakke) - The biggest, giant, rolling toolbox. He can be clumsy like Pat and he forgets all the time. His snoring is so loud. He also carries the automobic team. His drawers are often seen opened with the automobic team inside the drawers. He is shown to be gluttonous as shown when he ate the chips when serving food and beverages on the plane in "Hank's Birthday". Roland meets Pat and Squeeze. He is one of the automobic team.
  • Lefty, Lily, & Junior (voiced by Mark Decarlo, Grey DeLisle and Kath Soucie) - Combination wrenches and a happy family. Lefty is orange and he is a father. Lily is yellow and she is a mother. And Junior is their son and he is light blue. They all met Turner and Rusty. Lily can be emotional at times. Lily is overprotective to Junior. Junior can be shy sometimes. Lefty knows that Junior can do his best. He is also shown to have a close father-son relationship with Junior as well. Junior is as cheerful as Squeeze. They are part of the automobic team.
  • Beamer (voiced by Steve Moreno) - A wobbly laser level. He first appeared in "Art Show" at Kelly's hardware store. Beamer knows how to straighten things out. Beamer later got adopted by Carmella as her own tool.
  • Spinner (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui) - One of Manny's power tools. He considered the fastest power drill in Concrete Falls. He is best friends with Jack. Also appears in Big Construction Job.
  • Jack (voiced by Daran Norris) - A jackhammer and one of Manny's power tools. He can go fast too just like Spinner. Also appears in Big Construction Job.
  • Pinzas - A needle nose pliers who shares his character with Squeeze. Also appears in Big Construction Job.

Special guest stars in the series have included Lance Bass, Kurtwood Smith, Shelley Morrison, Fred Willard, Penn Jillette, Jane Lynch, Jon Polito, Ashley Parker Angel, Brian George, Shannon Durig, Marion Ross, Chris Rock, James Belushi, Ice-T, Henry Winkler, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Freddy Rodriguez, Ed O'Neil, Denzel Whitaker, Zachary Gordon, Lauren Tom, Rosario Dawson, and Bob Glouberman.

DVD releases[edit]

Seven DVD compilations have been released and one upcoming:

DVD title Release date Episodes Other information
Region 2 Region 1
Handy Manny: Tooling Around January 25, 2010 August 21, 2007 Squeeze's Day Off
Amigo Grande
A Sticky Fix
Pat the Screwdriver
Supremoguy
Handy Manny: Fixing It Right TBA February 19, 2008 Manny to the Rescue
Felipe Strikes Out
Pat's Big Idea
Rusty to the Rescue
Detective Dusty
Handy Manny: Manny's Pet Roundup July 6, 2009 August 5, 2008 Lyle and Leland Lopart
Blackout on the Block
Squeeze Makes a Promise
Pet Problem
Kitty Sitting
Gopher Help
Renaldo's Pretzel Castle
All the episodes in this DVD are related to animals and pets.
Handy Manny: Manny's Green Team TBA March 31, 2009 Saving the Turtles
Science Fair
Manny Goes Solar
Light Work
Bloomin' Tools
All the episodes in this DVD are related to recycling and caring for the earth.
Handy Manny: A Very Handy Holiday November 2, 2009 A Very Handy Holiday
Have a Handy New Year
Language: English

Subtitles: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch.

Handy Manny: Motorcycle Adventure TBA December 1, 2009 Motorcycle Adventure
A Very Handy Holiday
Handy Manny: Big Race TBA April 20, 2010 Big Race
Fast Eddie's Scooter
Bunny in the Basement
Handy Manny: Happy Birthday! April 26, 2010 Cinco-De-Mayo
Pinata Party
Skateboard Park
Handy Manny: Big Construction Job November 7, 2010 November 16, 2010 Big Construction Job/Good Fences/Butterfly

References[edit]

  1. ^ "News". News.toonzone.net. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
  2. ^ "Handy Manny Episodes". tv.com. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  3. ^ "The Seattle Times: Television: Kids will find a lot to like in this fall's new TV shows". seattletimes.com. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  4. ^ "Behind The Voice Actors - Handy Manny". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d e Terrace 2008, p. 428
  6. ^ a b Madden, John (23 January 2010). "Mr. Lopart and SpongeBob stop by: a chat with voiceover legend Tom Kenny". Wired. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
Book references

External links[edit]