Line #147 Series/Oobi


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4	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/oobi_the_hand_puppet_tv_show.jpg]]
5
6	->''"Oobi was inspired by watching puppeteers without puppets. I was struck by the amount of feeling and articulation they could get without a piece of cloth on."''
7	-->-- '''[[http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/06/tv/for-young-viewers-out-of-the-mouses-of-babes.html Creator Josh Selig]]'''
8
9	''Oobi'' is a puppet show created by Josh Selig for Creator/{{Noggin}} (a channel co-founded by MTV Networks and Creator/SesameWorkshop). The characters are all [[BareHandedPuppetry bare-hand puppets]]. The concept is based on a technique used by puppeteers learning the basics of lip-syncing and eye focus, where they use their hands and a pair of ping-pong balls instead of an actual puppet.
10
11	The show is about Oobi, a curious and creative hand puppet. He lives with his grandpa Grampu and his overdramatic little sister Uma. Oobi and his family have funny, simple adventures that celebrate the awkward steps of growing up. All of the characters talk in very simple sentences and [[ThirdPersonPerson refer to themselves in the third person]].
12
13	The show won multiple Parents' Choice Awards. The first season was a series of two-minute shorts that ran on Noggin in 2000. It was later picked up for two more seasons, both made up of longer half-hour episodes, which finished airing in 2005. A [[https://vimeo.com/197635405 full-fledged foreign remake]] called ''Oobi: Dasdasi'' premiered in 2012 and ran for 78 episodes in Asia and the Middle East.
14
15	The TropeCodifier for BareHandedPuppetry.
16
17	----
18	!!This series contains examples of:
19
20	* AdaptationDistillation: ''Dasdasi'' gets rid of all the supporting characters and only focuses on the main family (which is increased to include two parents and a baby).
21	* AerithAndBob: Most of the hand puppets have [[Main/MyNaymeIs made-up names]] like Maestru and Mamu or other [[Main/ThemeNaming thematic names]] with O's or U's in them. However, every so often there's a relatively common-sounding name like Uma.
22	* AgelessBirthdayEpisode: "Uma's Birthday!" is this, since her new age is never mentioned. TV guides, from both before and after the episode aired, say she's three.
23	* AlliterativeName: Frieda the Foot.
24	* AllMusicalsAreAdaptations: "Theater!" has a musical version of Little Red Riding Hood.
25	* AllWorkVsAllPlay: Maestru, Oobi and Kako's singing teacher, is all work while Oobi and Kako are all play.
26	* AllJustADream: Played with in "Uma Dreams!" where Grampu has to convince Uma that her dreams aren't real.
27	* AmateurFilmMakingPlot: The episode "Video!" is about the kids making a home movie, then screening it in the living room with popcorn. When Oobi and Kako do their "secret handshake" in the movie, they realize it's not a secret anymore and call it their "famous handshake."
28	* AmusingInjuries: The show employs this trope quite often, with Oobi getting knocked down by Uma on more than one occasion.
29	* ArtEvolution: The pairs of glass eyes used for each of the three kids were updated for each season. Oobi's eyes in the shorts were dark brown at first and got lighter with each new pair.
30	* ArtisticLicenseEconomics: "Shopping!" shows the kids paying for an entire cart of groceries with four quarters.
31	* AudienceParticipation: Every episode from season two includes an interactive game segment. The other episodes have similar interactions but not as part of a special segment.
32	* AscendedExtra: Inka appeared in only one episode of season two, but by the third season, she was an important side character, with a total of eight appearances.
33	* AsideGlance: Oobi does this a lot, usually when Uma or Kako causes trouble.
34	* BabysittingEpisode: "Babysitter!" features Kevin Clash, the original performer of [[Series/ElmosWorld Elmo]], as Oobi and Uma's new babysitter Randy. Uma hates Randy at first since he is nothing like Grampu, but she starts to warm up to him after he shows her how silly he is.
35	* BathsAreFun: The outcome of the "Uma Bathroom!" episode.
36	* BareHandedPuppetry: [[TropeCodifier The trope codifier.]]
37	* BeachEpisode: The "Prince Oobi!" short, which is about Uma naming Oobi the prince of her sand castle.
38	* BewareTheNiceOnes: Oobi goes berserk when Uma breaks his toy car after promising to be careful with it.
39	* BeYourself: The ending of "Grown-Up!" has this as an {{Aesop}}.
40	* BigApplesauce: The show was filmed at Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York.
41	* BigBudgetBeefUp: The transition from two-minute shorts to longer episodes brought improved eye pieces for the characters, much more expansive sets (including a large number of one-off locations like the Chinese restaurant and the dance studio), and a larger ensemble cast of Muppeteers.
42	* BigEater: Kako loves cake and immediately volunteers when Uma wants to play a cake-counting game with him. Of course, he gets sick of it after eating three slices in a row.
43	* BorrowedCatchphrase: "Grampu Day!" has all of the kids using Grampu's signature "Lovely!" Randy also does it while performing an impression of Grampu for Uma.
44	* ABoyAGirlAndABabyFamily: The family in ''Dasdasi'', the Iranian adaptation.
45	* ButtMonkey: Grampu. For example: the "Make Pizza!" episode, where the kids accidentally cover him in pizza dough, and "Make Art!", where Uma sticks a paper circle onto his face, and Kako covers him in paint.
46	* TheCameo: Kevin Clash, aka the performer of [[Series/SesameStreet Elmo]], makes a guest appearance as Randy the babysitter. He also plays a number of background characters who don't have any lines.
47	* CampingEpisode: "Camp Out!"
48	* CharacterCatchphrase:
49	** Uma: "Nice!" and "Pretty."
50	** Kako: "Perfecto!"
51	** Grampu: "Lovely!"
52	** Inka: "Beautiful!"
53	* CharacterFocus: Uma, Kako, Grampu, and Inka all get a few [[ADayInTheLimelight days in the limelight]].
54	* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Uma started out as a fairly generic baby in the first season of shorts, but Stephanie D'Abruzzo played the role in such an unexpectedly goofy and melodramatic way that she became a very frequent [[SpotlightStealingSquad spotlight stealer]].
55	* CharlieBrownBaldness: Sophie the baby, who only has a strand of blonde hair.
56	* CircusEpisode: "Pretend Circus!"
57	* CloudCuckooLander: Uma and, to a lesser extent, Kako.
58	* ComicalOverreacting: Uma, to pretty much everything.
59	--> '''Stephanie D'Abruzzo, about Uma:''' "I wish I had the rights to the character, as I would love to do little videos with her where she gets frustrated by the world around her. I want to see her just try to open a sugar packet for two minutes, then end with her in a spotlight singing [[Music/StephenSondheim Sondheim]]'s ''Losing My Mind''."
60	%%* ConstantlyCurious: Oobi.
61	* ContinuityNod:
62	** "Chez Oobi!", one of the last two episodes to air in America, features Oobi and Kako playing the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" song that was first used in one of the early shorts.
63	** Mrs. Johnson's cat first appears in "Camp Out!", the first episode of season two. She shows up again in "Superheroes!", the last episode of the series.
64	* CostumeEvolution: The eye pieces and accessories for Oobi, Uma, and Kako were updated for every season.
65	* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Oobi and Kako try to figure out what job would be best for them in "Grown-Up!"
66	* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Oobi, Uma, and Kako are out trick-or-treating with Grampu when they run into their friend Angus. "Mrs. Johnson house," he declares. "Good stuff!" ''Right...''
67	* ADogNamedDog: Maestru the maestro.
68	* DisguisedInDrag: Kako dresses as a female librarian and a female postal worker in "Neighborhood!"
69	* EarlyBirdCameo: Maestru shows up in "Theater!" before being officially introduced in "Sing!" four episodes later.
70	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first season of shorts used completely different sets of eyes for the kid characters and didn't feature any supporting characters. Also, none of the puppets had accessories, making it hard to tell Oobi from Uma.
71	%%* TheEeyore: Angus.
72	* EveryEpisodeEnding: In seasons two and three, episodes always end with the line "Oobi, you, friends," coupled with a wave goodbye from every character on screen.
73	%%* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Grampu.
74	* ExpositoryThemeTune: The intro introduces all of the main characters and their purposes.
75	* FamilyThemeNaming: Oobi, Uma, and their aunt Oota all begin with the "oo" sound.
76	* FantasySequence: Quite a few happen throughout the series, like the kids' imaginary circus in "Pretend Circus!"
77	* FunnyForeigner: Inka, who loves everything about her home country of France, and Bella, who talks in an exaggerated Italian accent.
78	* GagHaircut: "Haircut!" features Oobi dancing with a wig. He accidentally flings it across the room and onto Grampu's head.
79	* {{Gasp}}: Kako in "Build Fort!" when Oobi angrily tells him his fort is better than his.
80	** He does it again in "Recital!" when Oobi accidentally plays the last note of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" wrong.
81	** Oobi in "Oobi's Car!" when he finds his car broken.
82	* GratuitousSpanish: Kako uses a lot of well-known Spanish phrases, the most notable one being his catchphrase "Perfecto!"
83	* GrowingUpSucks: "Grown-Up!" features Uma convinced that kids are much cooler than adults.
84	* GrowlingGut: Happens to Uma at the beginning of "Make Pizza!"
85	* HalloweenEpisode: "Halloween!"
86	* HappilyMarried: Kako's parents, Mamu and Papu.
87	* HisNameReallyIsBarkeep: Grampu. Everyone—even his girlfriend Inka and other adults like Maestru—calls him that, leading the viewer to believe that it must be his real name.
88	** "Grampu Day!" has a scene where Oobi calls him the "best Grampu ever," opening up the possibility that Grampu is just the show's version of the word "grampa." That doesn't explain why everyone calls him by that name, though.
89	** However, in "Uma Preschool" Grampu introduces himself to Uma's teacher by saying his name is Grampu and is Uma's grandfather which means that they do use the word "grandfather."
90	* IconicOutfit: Uma's barrette and Kako's hat. Oddly enough, these accessories weren't part of either character's design when the show first began.
91	* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Every episode title ends with an exclamation mark, with the sole exception being "Uma Sick" (because, frankly, there's nothing exciting about being sick).
92	* InvisibleParents: Oobi and Uma's parents are never mentioned.
93	* JabbaTableManners: Kako apparently has these.
94	** "Share Pretzels!" has him wolfing down Oobi's pretzels noisily and messily.
95	** At one point in the interview segments in "Asparagus!", he eats a girl's entire bowl of carrots, not only while making noisy gobbling noises, but also sending several carrots flying everywhere.
96	* JoinsToFitIn: Oobi in "Frieda Friend!"
97	* LampshadeHanging: Almost a running gag. There are a few episodes that specifically call attention to the characters being hands rather than people. The most obvious is "Chopsticks!", which centers around Uma trying (and failing countless times) to use chopsticks with her...''face?''
98	* LaterInstallmentWeirdness: The third season has a lot more focus on the supporting cast and has much more vibrant sets than the early episodes.
99	* LimitedSocialCircle: The shorts (season one) and most episodes in season two only feature the four main characters.
100	* LimitedWardrobe: Played straight with the main characters, who only dress up when the plot demands it. Averted with Inka, who changes outfits regularly.
101	* LionsAndTigersAndHumansOhMy: Humans exist in the ''Oobi'' universe, but only show up in interview segments and briefly in "Chopsticks!" as part of a photo. This raises the question: if the hand puppets coexist with humans, who have non-anthropomorphic hands, ''how in the world are the hand puppets sentient?'' (See RuleOfFunny below.)
102	* LongRunners: ''Oobi'' has more episodes than any other Noggin show. It has 48 shorts and 52 long-form episodes: a total of 100 individual stories.
103	* LongSongShortScene: The aforementioned "Itsy Bitsy Spider" song is played for at least a minute in the short of the same name. It's only played for a few seconds in "Chez Oobi!" as a gag.
104	* MeaningfulName: Maestru, who is a maestro.
105	* MerchandiseDriven: Averted to hell and back. The team at Little Airplane specifically made the show as simple and old-fashioned as possible because they were convinced that the kids' TV industry had gotten too commercial.
106	** On top of that, authentic Oobi eyes and accessories were only given away at a couple of promotional events. The demand for actual merchandise was so high that [[https://web.archive.org/web/20110131222204/http://www.oobieyes.com/ an entire online catalogue]] of unofficial Oobi puppets was created in 2006 and operated until 2013.
107	* MinimalistCast: The first season of shorts only featured the four main characters.
108	* MissingMom: In addition to their InvisibleParents, Oobi and Uma's grand''mother'' is never seen or mentioned. It's very clear that Grampu is single and even dating Inka, but since he has grandkids, he must have had other family members at some point.
109	* MistakesAreNotTheEndOfTheWorld: In one episode, Oobi has a piano recital and when he makes a mistake, he gets scared and runs off the stage. Kako reassures him that mistakes are no big deal and Oobi comes back and does it again, this time perfectly.
110	* MyNaymeIs: Grampu, Maestru, Mamu, Papu.
111	* MythologyGag: Photos of Oobi and Uma's designs from season one can be seen throughout the house in seasons two and three.
112	* TheNicknamer: Randy the babysitter. To him, Oobi is "Oobi-Dude" and Uma is "Uma-Zooma."
113	* NeatFreak: Angus.
114	* NeverSayDie: Averted in "Garden Day!"; when the kids don't think that their plant is growing, Kako asks if the plant is "Dead?".
115	* NonStandardCharacterDesign: Tyler Bunch, who plays Grampu, never shaved his arm so that Grampu would have arm hair and resemble a grandfather hand. This decision was made during production of the original shorts, which only featured the four main characters. More adult characters were added in the full-length episodes, but none of them have arm hair, making Grampu stand out.
116	* NoPeripheralVision: Grampu never thinks to look up in "Make Pizza!" when the pizza dough clings to the ceiling and later falls down, covering him.
117	* ObjectCeilingCling: The pizza dough in "Make Pizza!" True to the gag, it falls on Grampu when he comes by.
118	* OnceAnEpisode: Every episode of the second season featured interviews with real kids and a game segment. The games were dropped for season three.
119	* OnceASeason: There are two episodes focusing on Frieda the Foot, one in season two and one in season three.
120	* OneShotCharacter: Most season two episodes that aren't set at Oobi's house feature at least one guest character. Some of these one-offs, like Inka and Frieda, were brought back for the third season and became supporting characters.
121	* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Mamu and Papu.
122	* OnlySixFaces: Since all of the characters are hands, the crew had to find creative ways to make sure the characters ''didn't'' all have the same face. This led to some characters having their fingers extended, some having them curled, and others having a fist-like appearance.
123	** The cast of the Iranian adaptation ''Dasdasi'' also includes fingers with faces.
124	* OnlyShopInTown: Bella's supermarket is the only store that the characters actually visit.
125	* OutOfCharacterMoment: Oobi's freakout in "Oobi's Car!" is totally out of character for him, although that was the point.
126	* OutOfFocus: Many later episodes place Uma in the starring role rather than Oobi. The most prominent examples are "Uma Dreams!" and "Uma Preschool!" from season three. In both episodes, Oobi only shows up briefly at the beginning and at the end to give his signature "Oobi, you, friends!"
127	* TheOutsideWorld: The interviews with real families/kids featured in every episode take place in the real world where humans are present. The actual stories take place in the show's fictional universe and never feature humans, with the exception of a photo in "Chopsticks!" that shows people in Shanghai.
128	%%* ParentalSubstitute: Grampu.
129	* ParrotExposition: Whenever Oobi teaches Uma a new word, she tends to repeat it. A lot.
130	* PottyEmergency: Oobi gets this at the end of "Uma Bathroom!".
131	%%* PowerTrio: The three kids.
132	* PrecociousCrush: Uma, on Kako. She even kisses him in "Neighborhood!" ''three times''.
133	* ProductPlacement: Averted; real-world products are never featured. "Halloween!" does, however, feature parody Sun-Maid raisin boxes with a hand puppet instead of the Sun-Maid Girl on the front.
134	%%* ProtagonistTitle
135	* PunctuatedForEmphasis:
136	** "Sleepover!":
137	--> '''Uma:''' Uma... ''(sniff)'' miss... ''(sniff)'' '''''Oobiii!!!'''''
138	** "Oobi's Car!":
139	--> '''Oobi:''' Red... Car... '''''OOBI'S?!?!'''''[[note]]'''Uma:''' No squeak.[[/note]]
140	* RearrangeTheSong: The theme song was extended when the show became a full-length series.
141	* RecurringExtra: There are a couple of unnamed puppets who make occasional appearances in the background.
142	* RestaurantOwningEpisode: "Chez Oobi!" Is about Oobi and Kako turning the house into a fancy restaurant for Grampu and Inka, it surprisingly goes well, they even made fruit tarts for desert!
143	* {{Retraux}}: One of the creators' goals was to make ''Oobi'' as simple and old-fashioned as possible while still making it charming and relatable for the kids of the mid-2000s. Below is a quote from Josh Selig on why he thinks the show was so successful:
144	--> '''Josh Selig:''' "I think that the simplicity allows young children to enjoy the characters and storylines. It's a show entirely without clutter. Kids' television is like a big soda machine, and watching ''Oobi'' is like drinking pure rainwater."
145	* RuleOfFunny: The entire premise, which makes absolutely no sense when you start to think about it (do the hand puppets have feet? how do they eat? how do they use the bathroom?), could be summed up by the rule.
146	* RunningGag: Uma's love of chickens (the animal, not food).
147	* SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud: Employed often, usually when a character is talking to the audience and asking them to imitate something. For example, "Uma Bathroom!" has Uma asking the viewers to 'splash' along with her as she takes a mudbath.
148	* ScaryShadowFakeout: Near the end of "Camp Out!", after the kids finish the game segment, Grampu shows up and plays a prank on the kids, in which he scares them by making a giant spider shadow.
149	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: In "Halloween!", when the gang arrives at Mrs. Johnson's house, Kako knocks on the door, but since he was still scared of Halloween at that time, he immediately tries to bail out afterwards, saying "No one home," but Uma stops him.
150	* SequelEpisode: "Recital!" from season three, which continues the "Piano Lesson!" story from season two.
151	* ShaveAndAHaircut: Used in "Playdate!", "Build Fort!", and "Kako Dinner!".
152	* SingingInTheShower: "Uma Bathroom!" has Uma singing and dancing in the tub.
153	* SpinOff: While there was never a continuation of the show in the United States, an Iranian versio titled "Dasdasi" was created without the original puppeteers in 2012. It was shown throughout Asia until 2013, more than a decade after the original show began.
154	* SickEpisode: "Uma Sick," which is also the only episode without an Excited Title.
155	* StealthInsult: Happens in the short "Animal Cookies!". After Oobi finds a pig cookie, Kako starts oinking and greedily eats all of the animal cookies, leaving none for Oobi. Annoyed, Oobi states "pig", both referring to what animal cookie he had, and as an insult for Kako.
156	* SurpriseParty: The appropriately-titled "Uma's Birthday!" features Uma's surprise party becoming too much about the pizzazz and less about her.
157	* TalkingInBed: In the episode, "Uma Dreams!", Oobi is heard doing this, with his catchphrase, "Oobi, you, friends", no less.
158	%%* TeamChef: Grampu.
159	* ThemeNaming: Almost all of the characters have O's or U's in their names: Oobi, Uma, Grampu, Mamu, Papu, Maestru, etc.
160	* ThirdPersonPerson: Every single character! For example, "Uma, school, first day" is said in place of "It's my first day of school."
161	* TitlePlease: None of the season one shorts have title cards.
162	* TitleThemeTune: "Oh, Oobi! Oobi, Oobi, Oobi, Oobi, Oobi! He's got a lot to see, he's got a lot to do."
163	* ToiletHumor: Sophie poops her diaper in "Baby!"
164	* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Uma and her best friend Moppie. "Uma Preschool!" even features Moppie pretending to be a princess and Uma pretending to be a king.
165	* TrademarkFavoriteFood:
166	** Oobi apparently loves "Toasty Chunks".
167	** Kako notes that he loves hot sauce in, "Grampu Day!"
168	** Kako also notes that Grampu loves tuna and jam when making Grampu special food for the occasion in the same episode.
169	* TuttiFruttiHat: In the episode "Shopping!", Kako, then Grampu, are both shown wearing this.
170	* TwoShorts: The long-form episodes, spanning about ten minutes each, are always paired with another when being broadcast.
171	* {{Uncanceled}}: The final episodes of the original series aired in February 2005; ''Dasdasi'' premiered in December 2012 and wrapped up the following year.
172	* UniversalAdaptorCast: "Theater!" has the puppets playing characters from Little Red Riding Hood.
173	* UnnamedParent: Grampu, if you don't believe [[HisNameReallyIsBarkeep it's his real name]].
174	* [[ValentinesDayEpisodes Valentine's Day Episode]]: "Valentine!"
175	* VocalEvolution: In the early shorts, Oobi's voice is quieter and somewhat raspy compared to his more energetic voice in the later episodes.
176	* WatchItStoned: Due to the bizarre concept of hands as characters, the show has picked up somewhat of a reputation for being trippy, and thus a favorite of stoned college students. While it was airing, at least. This was even brought up in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Er1KOtJvjg an interview]] with Kako's puppeteer, Noel [=MacNeal=].
177	-->'''Noel [=MacNeal=]:''' Some of our biggest fans became [college] kids coming back from parties, who were just like really stoned, and would just sit and watch Oobi.
178	* WhiteVoidRoom: Oobi and Grampu visit one in "Dance Class!" when Oobi needs to concentrate on perfecting his dance moves.
179	* YoungerThanTheyLook: Oobi and Kako sound and act a bit older than they are.
180	----

Context Series / Oobi