JoJo's Circus


JoJo's Circus is a stop-motion animated children's television series created by Jim Jinkins, David Campbell, Lisa Jinkins, and Eric Weiner and produced by the Canada-based Cuppa Coffee Studios and Cartoon Pizza. The series was written by Douglas Wood, who previously worked for two Warner Bros. Animation series, Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs as a creative executive. The series' songs were composed by Jeffrey Zahn and Jim Latham, with lyrics done by Judy Rothman. The theme song was performed by BECKY.
The series ran on Disney Channel as part of the Playhouse Disney block from September 28, 2003 to February 14, 2007 with reruns until 2008.
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Plot

The series that takes place in a fantasy Circus Town, a self-sufficient city whose intellectual center is the "Big Top" tent. The story centers on JoJo Tickle, an active 6-year-old clown girl, and Goliath, JoJo's pet lion. She and Goliath learned at the Little Big Top Circus School, where all young soon-to-be circus performers learn under their teacher Mrs. Kersplatski. Along with her friends, JoJo discovers and learns while dealing with challenging situations.

Format

JoJo's Circus depends on repetition in its structure. Each segment always begins with JoJo searching for Goliath, who is always hiding. JoJo then is introduced with the situation that will occupy the theme of the show. A song, usually about the resolution of the situation, is then performed by JoJo.
At the conclusion of each episode, a supporting character asks, "What did you learn today, JoJo?", and before she can reply, JoJo is taken away for the last segment, the "spotlight moment". JoJo is then placed on a makeshift stage with various cameramen, lighting grips, and producers running about, while the "Spotlight Moment" song plays, asking what she's learned, is sung and JoJo taps her foot along. Subsequently, JoJo says what she has learned in the course of the episode.

Characters

The show's voice directors are Kent Meridith and Debra Toffan.

Main

  • JoJo Tickle is a very cheerful 6-year-old clown girl whose parents are famous circus clowns and the hostess of the show. She's very kindhearted, has a great sense of humor and boundless curiosity; she loves to clown around. Quite often, she talks to the audience. JoJo attends Clown School with various friends, including her best friend Skeebo Seltzer. They are taught by Mrs. Kersplatski.
  • Goliath is JoJo's 4-year-old pet lion who attends school just like JoJo and the show's co-host. He's also part of the Tickle family. Because of his great playfulness, he hides a lot from JoJo in the beginning of each episode. He is JoJo's best friend.
  • Skeebo Seltzer/Funnyshoes is a purple-colored, class cowboy clown who is also JoJo's closest best friend, just like Goliath, and attends school with her and the other circus kids. Skeebo's very eager to make people laugh a lot by making new jokes, gags and tricks that sometimes fall flat. Since "Skeebo's Pet", he has a pet dog named Harpo.
  • Croaky Frogini is the great leaper of the group. She met JoJo on the first day of school when she realized she had different abilities and agreed to help each other learn different tricks.
  • Peaches Tickle is JoJo's mother, Mr. Tickle's wife, Lotta Yucks' granddaughter, Granny and Grampy's daughter and Uncle Flippy's sister. She is a very tall, skinny clown who is full of lots of sunshine and often makes goodies for her family and Circus Town residents. She is a klutzy ilk, but a very good juggler and sometimes catches 15 objects in the air when she accidentally trips.
  • Mrs. Karen Kersplatski is JoJo's teacher and the ringmistress of the Big Top. A warm and encouraging teacher with glasses, Mrs. Kersplatski gives the circus kids a strong sense of mastery and confidence, with her combination of hard work and play. Often she has a tendency to be rather clumsy and often says, "I'm okay!" after tripping up. In the special "A Circus Town Wedding", she marries Mr. Muscles and becomes Maya's stepmother.

Supporting

  • Trina Tightrope is a ballet dancing tightrope walker and a fellow classmate of the Circus Clown School. She comes across as abrupt and snobbish on some reason, but apologizes for her mistakes when she becomes aware of them. She has a pet cat named Caterina.
  • Mr. Tickle is JoJo's father, Peaches' husband, Lotta Yucks' grandson-in-law, Granny and Grampy's son-in-law and Uncle Flippy's brother-in-law. He is a very jolly clown who often blasts off in a cannon and whose first name is never mentioned.
  • Dinky Pachyderm is a very sweet and frisky young baby elephant and a fellow classmate of JoJo. While Dinky may be a bit clumsy and somewhat oafish, when he dances, he turns into "Mr. Graceful". Hide and seek is his personal favorite game.
  • Tater Spudinski is one of the two children in the Spudinski group. His sleepy potato sort-of seems to be the antithesis to the "get up and go" feel of the show, but sometimes he just can't help but join in the fun. In the second season, he has a younger sister named Small Fry.
  • Bal Boa is a sneaky contortionist snake with a talent for making number and letter shapes. Bal Boa also has a knack for troublemaking. He thinks it's fun to coax JoJo and others into doing what they are not supposed to do, and the children are sometimes susceptible to Bal Boa's charms. Bal Boa is also an expert on harvesting squirting flowers by doing a trance dance.

Other

  • Fellini and Federico Frogini are the two Italian-accented brothers are expert jumpers and trapeze artists. Fellini and Federico are uncle and father, respectively, to Croaky. They are also called the Flying Froginis.
  • Dr. Seltzer/Funnyshoes is Skeebo's mother. She is Circus Town's only doctor and Fire Chief Seltzer's wife. Though she's not in many episodes and only makes cameos in some episodes, her most notable appearances are in the episodes, "A Serious Case of the Sillies", and "Tickled Pink".
  • Fire Chief Seltzer/Chief Funnyshoes, also known as Seltzy,, is Skeebo's father. He is the chief of the local fire department in Circus Town and Dr. Seltzer's husband. He is also the director of the Circus Town Clown Band.
  • Mr. and Mrs. Spudinski are Tater's parents, who have the same sleepy nature as he does. It's revealed in "The Thanksgiving Hip-Hooray Parade" episode that Tater calls his father "Daddy Spud", and in "Circus Town Makeover" Mrs. Spudinski's name is revealed as Ida and Mr. Spudinski's name is revealed as Russ.
  • Small Fry Spudinski is Tater's baby sister and one of the two children in the Spudinski clan.
  • Mr. Aldeberto Muscles is the circus strongman and a physical education instructor. He knows a lot of different exercises that he teaches to those in Circus Town. He has a daughter named Maya and recently married Mrs. Kersplatski, but it's unknown whether he was divorced or widowed by Maya's mother. He is in dual language and also speaks in both English and Spanish.
  • Maya Muscles is the daughter of Mr. Muscles and stepdaughter of Mrs. Kersplatski. Maya can be rather shy at times, but she loves to get up and go. She is known by her nickname "Little Mouse" by her father and her favorite "happy place" is a daisy patch.
  • Mrs. Pachyderm is Dinky's mother. She has also been referred to as Mrs. Elephant.
  • Babalulu is Circus Town's pretzel vendor and ice cream shop owner. JoJo and her friends sometimes visit her at the ice cream parlor for a treat. JoJo and her friends taught Babalulu how to make pretzel twists in the episode "A New Twist".
  • Lotta Yucks is JoJo's great-grandmother, Peaches' grandmother, Mr. Tickle's grandmother-in-law, Granny's mother and Grampy's mother-in-law. She was a famous circus performer doing tightrope and comical pratfall acts.
  • Jumberto is a jackrabbit magician whose tricks rarely work.
  • Jig, Jag, and Jug are the three mischievous nephews of Jumberto.
  • Terrific is a famous tiger tamer in Circus Town. He has a tiger named Tippoo.
  • Uncle Flippy is a farmer, JoJo's maternal uncle, Peaches' brother, Mr. Tickle's brother-in-law, Granny and Grampy's son. Uncle Flippy owns a farm on the outskirts of Circus Town. On the episode entitled "Uncle Flippy's Funny Farm", JoJo and her classmates help Uncle Flippy round up all the animals who escaped from the barn. Strangely, he has a pet tiger and two horses named Moe and Costello.
  • Super Duper Girl is JoJo's favorite TV superhero clown whose motto is "Morning, Noon or Night I Always Do What's Right!" while fighting "Big Meanies" who "Pick on" others.
  • Baloney Balloony is known for making balloon animals. Baloney Balloony can make any animal-shaped balloons with his hands. He has a grandson named Bailey.
  • Cotton Andy is a cotton candy vendor who own a cotton candy machine named "Whoopsabelle" and also officiated as Justice of the Peace for the marriage of Mrs. Kersplatski and Mr. Muscles in the wedding episode "A Circus Town Wedding".
  • Bingo Bongo is the world's greatest traveling clown who travels via hot air balloon.
  • Charlie the Clown Baby is one of JoJo's cousins who the Tickles sometimes babysit. He is the son of Peaches' sister.
  • Grampy Tickle, Young Grampy Tully and Granny Tickle are JoJo's maternal grandparents, Peaches' parents, Mr. Tickle's parents-in-law, Lotta Yucks' son-in-law and daughter. Tully and Sadie Tickle were experts on clowning way before JoJo was born. Their famous act is the "Silly Shoe Shuffle", in which Granny Tickle passed the act to both JoJo and Goliath.
  • Terra Cotta is a young clown girl who wears an oversize flowerpot for a hat, and she bought JoJo's silly skates in the "Too Many Toys" episode.
  • Mrs. Cotta is Terra Cotta's mom who wears a planter for a hat.
  • Mr. Postman is an octopus/polyp who is the Mail Carrier for Circus Town.
  • Mrs. Boa is Bal Boa's mother.
  • Hogan the Hamster is one of the class pets who live at the Little Big Top Clown School.
  • Cha Cha the Clown Crab is one of the class pets from the Little Big Top Clown School who JoJo takes care of for the night.
  • The Fire Clowns are the firefighting crew at the Circus Town firehouse under the command of Fire Chief Seltzer who carry JoJo off at the end of each episode and help build the makeshift stage for JoJo's "spotlight moment". They're also the resident orchestra for Circus Town's Big Top.
  • King Regis and Queen Regina JoJo's Royal Uncle and brother of Mr. Tickle and Aunt from Really Royal Land who are the Parents of Princess Josephina.
  • Princess Josephina is JoJo's similar-looking royal cousin who lives in Really Royal Land. She has a pet lion named Hercules who looks just like Goliath. She and JoJo decide that it would be fun to trade places.
  • Jibby Jabby-Jamboree, also known as Jibbs, is the butler who serves the Royal Family of Really Royal Land.
  • Miss Blathers is Princess Josephina's personal tutor on etiquette.
  • Bailey Balloon is Baloney Ballooney's grandson. Bailey Ballooney normally attends Small Top Hills School and only visited JoJo's class on Valentine's Day. JoJo comes up with a special way to make him a valentine in the episode "My Clowny Valentine".
  • Mr. Jing-a-Ling is the telephone at Fire Chief Seltzer's firehouse where Fire Chief Selzer receives their emergency calls.
  • Waldo is a sea lion who suffered from memory loss who JoJo helps to remember a musical piece before a major performance.
  • Ivan is a famous circus bear from Circusylvania who only speaks Circusylvanian.
  • Franco the Fantastic is a lion who is known as "The King of the Jungle" and "The Greatest Circus Lion of All Times".
  • Alex is Skeebo's cousin who is deaf and only speaks in sign language.
  • Mr. and Mrs. Tightrope are Trina's parents who are slightly uppity and snooty, but very loving and kind.
  • T.J. Freckles/ T.J. Hiccups is Skeebo's Ventriloquist puppet in which Skeebo uses in his act.
  • Dr. Longtall is the veterinarian who takes care of Goliath and the other sick animals at Circus Town.
  • Miss Spritzy is the hairstylist who works at the Circus Town Hair Salon.
  • Chico the Mouse is the ringmaster of the Mouse Circus.
  • Grasshopper the Magnificent is the tightrope walker of the Mouse Circus.
  • Sasharoo is the wild animal trainer in the Mouse Circus who trains with a chipmunk.
  • Professor Tick Tock is the watcher of the cuckoos of the Cuckoo Forest and provider of the cuckoo clocks for Circus Town.
  • The Cricketeers are a musical group formed of a family of crickets who comes to perform at Circus Town. Hector is the leader and his wife is Gracie and his son is Cody. Goliath has a crush with Gracie.
  • Nosey Josie is the reporter for the Circus Town News Network who has a nose for news.
  • Jumping Jack is the host of Circus Town Makeover and exercise/fitness guru.
  • The citizens of Sky Top are the villagers who live in the village of Sky Top who at once thought that Normus the Giant was a mean giant who once destroyed their village, but discovered that Normus was actually very friendly.
  • Normus is a very friendly giant who lives on top of the beanstalk who due to a misunderstanding by the townsfolk of the beanstalk village of Sky Top thought he was a mean giant who almost destroyed the town and had a slight fear of clowns.
  • Cozy is Normus' pet chipmunk.

Development and concept

The show emphasizes simple, everyday lessons such as playing with others, detecting the sequence, personal hygiene, responsibility, and safety. Also, foremost is the show's emphasis on exercise: JoJo often asks for audience participation for the viewers. The series is animated in claymation, which is a serious departure to Jinkins' past 2D-animated works.
Two characters JoJo and her pet lion, Goliath, returned in a yoga-style interstitial called Feeling Good with JoJo.

Episodes

Series overview


''Feeling Good with JoJo''

Feeling Good with JoJo is a series of five-minute shorts that were a spin-off of JoJo's Circus. The series featured JoJo Tickle and her pet lion Goliath teaching the viewers yoga lessons. Sometimes one of the show's characters were involved. In the intro, JoJo would stand in front of the stage, spin around and magically have her hair tied up in a bun while wearing a yellow shirt with a clown on it. The shorts run from February 24, 2006 to May 16, 2008, spanning 2 seasons with a total of 20 episodes.

Episodes