BIG BAG: LET'S WORK TOGETHER {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)

Summary

The first in this children's series, starring an anthropomorphic bag, in which children at home are encouraged to use ordinary household items -- such as spoons and cardboard tubes -- from their own "big bag" in live-action segments in between numerous cartoons.

In this episode, Chelli the patchwork dog moves to a new city with his friend Bag, though Bag misses riding on the train in his former town. At the toy store, owner Molly reminds them to finish unpacking their boxes before going off to play, and they sing a song as they work together to complete the task. Kim visits the store and tells the others that she plans to build a clubhouse with her friends' help. Bernard the crossing guard uses a cardboard tube as a "troublescope," which leads to a "Troubles the Cat" cartoon episode, "What a Mess!". Troubles and her friends make a mess while playing, and their mother reminds them to clean up before going out for pizza. Troubles uses her "troublescope" to determine what the kids are feeling and finds that they are all reluctant to tidy up, and the kids suggest different contests to see who will have to complete the chore. Their games only contribute to the mess, and after another reminder from Mama, the kids decide to work together to clean up. Troubles then realizes that she is not coming along on the pizza trip, but settles for her cat food instead.

Waldo Muckle then arrives at the toy store to show off his new "invention," the Steaming Oatmeal Cooler, made from a paper towel tube. Next, in an installment of "William's Wish Wellingtons" entitled "Will & Barksure," young William plays in the rain and soaks his shoes, prompting his mother to take him shopping for Wellingtons, which he is disappointed to find are merely boots. He then discovers a note in one of the boots telling him that they are magical, however, and his wish for a dog comes true. His parents allow him to keep Barksure, though they remind him that he must care for his pet himself.

After a "sock-sock" joke from Argyle and Lyle, Kim brings her friends Ashley and Jamie to the store, and mail-carrier Josie stops by with a video for Molly, featuring a number of children discussing nice things they have recently done. Next, in an installment of "Slim Pig" entitled "Horse Goes Swimming," Slim Pig invites his friends to go swimming on a hot summer day, though Horse cannot leave the yard and is stuck in the sweltering barn. They decide to fill a tub with water and bring it to Horse, though it proves too heavy to move. Slim Pig folds himself into a "bucket" and Mouse summons a few friends to make an assembly line, and they all work together to fill the tub with water for Horse.

Trudy the exercise instructor stops by the toy store and leads the gang in some aerobics, but Ashley then says that she wants to build a lion cage rather than a clubhouse, and Jamie argues for an ice cream stand, leading the three friends to split up. In the "Big Bag Beat" segment, a number of children engage in a "jam improv" and create a song. In a "Koki" installment entitled "Bedtime for Koki," Koki objects to her eight o'clock bedtime and sneaks out of bed to watch late-night TV. As a result, she is very sleepy throughout the next day, much to her duck friend's annoyance, but she goes to bed on time that night and is awake and ready for the following day.

Chelli sadly tells Molly about the girls' disagreement, but Kim and her friends soon make up and decide to make a choo-choo train for Bag instead. In a "Tobias Totz and His Lion" cartoon called "The Opera Singer," Tobias tries to cheer up his lion friend with a game of soccer and a hot dog trick, but nothing works until he puts on a music record. All of the zoo animals enjoy the opera music together, but the record blows away in a gust of wind and breaks. Everyone is sad until the singer herself, Gina, arrives at the zoo and serenades them all. Kim invites Argyle and Lyle to enjoy the train as well, and everyone reprises their song about working together.

Bernard inspects everyone's hats, and in a final "Samuel & Nina" segment entitled "Wrong Way Whale," Samuel and Nina relax by a river and make a new friend, a whale. After a day of playing together, Samuel and Nina realize that they must help the whale return to his home in the ocean, but find that he is too heavy for them to haul by rowboat. They ask several woodland friends for help, and they all combine their efforts to pull the whale by a rope out to the open sea, where he happily reunites with his mother. Commercials deleted.

Details

• NETWORK: Cartoon Network
• DATE: June 2, 1996 9:00 AM
• RUNNING TIME: 0:54:53
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: B:50237
• GENRE: Children's programs
• SUBJECT HEADING: Children's programs; Puppets; Animation
• SERIES RUN: Cartoon Network - TV series, 1996-1999
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• Nina Elias Bamberger … Executive Producer, Created by
• Patricia Ryan Lampi … Producer
• Nina Shelton … Associate Producer
• Marie Poe … Animation Producer
• Kim Walls … Music Video Producer
• Scott Preston … Director
• Lou Berger … Developed by
• Allan Neuwirth … Developed by
• Gary Cooper … Developed by
• Barry Harman … Writer, Music by
• Michael Abbott … Music by
• Sarah Weeks … Theme Music by
• Selena Nelson … Cast, Molly
• Tessa Ludwick … Cast, Kim
• Cullen Douglas … Cast, Male Townspeople
• Clare Sera … Cast, Female Townspeople
• Ashley Jones … Cast, Neighborhood Kid
• John Mountford … Cast, Neighborhood Kid
• Jamie Ryan … Cast, Neighborhood Kid
• Joey Mazzarino … Cast
• Rickey Boyd … Cast
• Jeff Conover … Cast
• "Troubles the Cat"
• Brian O'Connell … Executive Producer
• Maciek Albrecht … Director
• Suzan Pitt … Director
• Nina Elias Bamberger … Developed by
• Marie Poe … Developed by
• Luis Santeiro … Developed by
• Nina Shelton … Developed by
• Jim Martin … Developed by
• Karen Mendez … Created by
• Marina Mendez … Created by
• Sindy McKay … Writer
• Arnold Black … Music by
• Kinny Landrum … Music by
• Maria Conchita Alonso … Cast, Voice, Troubles
• "William's Wish Wellingtons"
• Theresa Plummer-Andrews … Executive Producer
• Karen Davidson … Producer
• Graham Ralph … Director
• Carole Lapworth … Based on the idea by
• Kick Production … Music by
• "Slim Pig"
• Malcolm Parry … Executive Producer, Theme Music by
• Heather Pedley … Producer
• Jocelyn Stevenson … Writer
• "Koki"
• Paco Rodriguez … Executive Producer
• Angels Carafi … Producer
• Jordi Amoros … Director
• Gary Cooper … Writer
• Allan Neuwirth … Writer
• Manel Gil … Music by
• Rudy Gnutti … Music by
• "Tobias Totz and His Lion"
• Peter Hille … Executive Producer
• Maya Rothkirch … Producer
• Thilo Rothkirch … Director
• Rainold Hahn … Music by
• "Samuel & Nina"
• Tim Brooke-Hunt … Executive Producer
• Sandra Gross … Executive Producer
• Yoram Gross A.M. … Producer, Director
• Paul Lacy … Writer
• Guy Gross … Music by
• Big Bag Beat: "Jam Improv"
• Terrie McGinnis … Producer
• Jon Kane … Director
• Brendan Dolan … Music by