Martha Speaks (TV series)

Premise

Episodes

Characters

Main

Animals

• Martha Lorraine is the titular protagonist. Martha is a talking Labrador mix that was born an energetic stray and was put in the dog pound as a puppy. She gained the ability to talk after Helen gave her a bowl of alphabet soup; the letters in the soup went to her brain instead of her stomach. In order to retain this ability, Martha has to continue to eat the soup. She is also capable of speaking many different languages if the soup she eats is from another country, but can only speak one language at a time. Though, the phenomenon couldn't be repeated with another dog. She was based on a dog owned by Susan Meddaugh, which in turn may have been named after the dog in subject of The Beatles song "Martha My Dear". She can understand most animal languages, except for a few exotic animals such as monkeys and giraffes. These languages are difficult, as slight elongation or slightly higher pitch will mean something entirely altered. In the episode "Itchy Martha", Martha teaches T.D.'s father to speak a word in dog, coaching him to say it exactly right. Almost all animals are able to understand some sort of human language, but are not able to speak it. In a newer episode, it is stated that Martha understands a wide range of animal languages, possibly because they have the same grammar system. She has had three superhero alter-egos.
• Skits Lorraine is Helen's other dog, who tries the same alphabet soup but doesn't share the same talking ability. Though he is unable to speak, he is nonetheless a very smart dog. He was found by T.D., since he was unable to keep Skits because his father is allergic to dogs.

  Children

• Helen Lorraine is Martha's and Skits' tomboyish owner who is usually the voice of reason of the group. Helen is closest to Martha and thinks of Martha as her best friend. Out of the six main kids, Helen is very sensible. Despite this, she can be a bit overbearing and even show her rough side. She always hangs around her friends, but T.D. is said to be her best friend. She is 11 years old and biracial, coming from a Caucasian father and a Latin-American mother. In "Verb Dog", it's revealed that she has her own superhero alter ego, "When Action Calls!", is very huge and can brainwash dogs simply by calling their names.
• T.D. Kennelly is the best friend of Helen. His father, O.G., is an inventor, and his mother serves as the vice-principal at his school. T.D. has a grandfather named C.K., who is employed as a farmhand, and a younger cousin referred to as C.D. He has also mentioned an older sister, who remains unnamed and has not appeared in the series due to her academic commitments. T.D. embraces a Bohemian lifestyle characterized by surreal elements. In the episode "Verb Dog, When Action Calls!", he features a robotic alter-ego equipped with tentacles that extend from his back.
• Truman Oatley is another one of Helen's best friends who enjoys reading lots of historical works of literature and is prone to seasickness. He is African-American. He is often a pessimist who focuses on the negative without any confidence and is unwilling to try other things because he is frequently convinced that the activity is pointless; additionally he is afraid of insects. Truman is younger than Helen, T.D., and Alice. Oddly, the design on his vest closely resembles the logo of the Santiago Metro.
• Alice Boxwood is another one of Helen's best friends. She has an older brother named Ronald who mocks her a lot, and a pet cat named Nelson, with whom Martha is mortal enemies. Her superhero alter-ego possesses ice powers; her only weakness is anyone making her laugh, which causes her to lose control of her powers and freeze herself.
• James "Jake" Lorraine is Helen's toddler sibling whom Martha enjoys teaching on how to talk, with unsuccessful attempts. His birth is emphasized in the episode "The Jakey Express". In the Spanish dub, he is named "Pedrito".

  Adults

• Danny Lorraine is Helen's father who works as a bus driver and an actor in the community theater. He is friendly but very stern, though part-time, he has a somewhat immature and cringe personality, such as singing music at home.
• Mariella Lorraine is Helen's Latina florist mother, who works as an actor in the community theater. She often uses Spanish words and phrases, giving the translation shortly afterwards. Her parents and maiden surname are unknown, but her brother Jorge is seen in the series.
• Mrs. Clusky is Helen's teacher from Montreal. She was initially very shocked when she found out that Martha can speak, though has since gotten used to it. She has three nieces, and a white poodle, François, who is very spoiled and demanding.

  Recurring

Children

• Carolina is Helen's maternal cousin. She is very fashion-conscious of others; in music, she sings off-key. She is described as a know-it-all with some signs of shallow. Like her aunt Mariella, Carolina often uses Spanish words and phrases, giving the translation shortly afterwards. Her father is named Jorge.
• Ronald Boxwood is Alice's older brother who can tend to act very arrogant, and he loves to scare, show-off, tease and annoy Alice and her friends a lot, including Martha. He also loves Nelson.

  Adults

• Lucille and Bernard Lorraine are Helen's grandparents. They live simple and odd lifestyles and are allergic to certain things, such as flowers and bacon.
• Mr. Pangborn is a neighbor who recently moved to Martha's neighborhood. He has an elderly cat named Lightning and previously had a serious mice issue. Once Martha figured out how to deal with them, Mr. Pangborn allowed the mice to live at his house.

  Production

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Broadcast

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