Pupstruction


Pupstruction is an American animated television series created by Travis Braun that debuted on Disney Jr. on June 14, 2023, in the USA. Produced by Titmouse, Inc., the series centers on the crew of a dog construction company. On January 13, 2023, five months prior to premiering, it was renewed for a second season, which premiered on October 14, 2024.
In February 2024, ahead of the second season premiere, the series was renewed for a third season.

Premise

The Pupstruction crew are a group of dogs who fulfill construction projects around the city of Petsburg, sometimes at the request of Mayor Gillmore. They tend to different construction projects while contending with their foil the Lickety Split construction company led by Bobby Boots.

Characters

Pupstruction Crew

  • Phinny is a 7-year-old welsh corgi who is the captain and architect of the Pupstruction crew, the smallest, and youngest of the crew. His vehicle is a crane. Phinny's catchphrase is "Let's crank it up." Sometimes, Phinny will ride around on a bone-shaped skateboard. Whenever a character laments that some action cannot be done, Phinny would see it as a good idea, and make use of it.
  • Tank is an 8-year-old neapolitan mastiff and the largest of the crew who supplies the materials for construction, enjoys different types of food, and has a soft spot for the cuddly animals. His vehicle is a dump truck. Tank's catchphrase is "Ready to haul."
  • Roxy is a 9-year-old rottweiler with walking wheels in place of her back legs who enjoys demolition and is the oldest of the crew. Her vehicle is a wrecking ball/front loader hybrid. Roxy's catchphrase is "Let's crush this!"
  • Luna is an 8-year-old old english sheepdog who does the digging operations. Her vehicle is a backhoe called Scoopy. Luna's catchphrase is "I dig it!" On occasion, Luna will end up chasing her tail who she names Mr. Tail.
  • Maya is a dalmatian who is the mother of Phinny and Bailey and boss of the Pupstruction crew. She is bilingual as she speaks English and Spanish. Maya's vehicle is a helicopter.
  • Harry is a welsh corgi who is the father of Phinny and Bailey. He's a chef who loves cooking food for his family and the Pupstruction Crew. Harry's vehicle is a food truck. He loves his son, but can be very overprotective at times, to the point of worrying too much.
  • Bailey is a 3-year-old toddler dalmatian who is Phinny's baby sister whose age hasn't been determined even though she celebrates her birthday in "Bailey's Birthday". She seems to enjoy construction just like her older brother and mother, but sometimes also enjoys demolition just like Roxy.
  • Grandma Dee is a dalmatian who is Phinny and Bailey's maternal grandmother, and the founder of Pupstruction. Her vehicle is a weathered pink dump truck. Grandma Dee built her own dump truck and taught some of her construction skills to Maya. It is mentioned that Grandma Dee built most of the buildings in Petsburg.

    Recurring

  • Mayor Gilmore is a goldfish who is the mayor of Petsburg and resides in a fishbowl. Her favorite color is purple. Mayor Gilmore is one of Pupstruction's most frequent callers.
  • * Lloyd is a gerbil who is Mayor Gilmore's personal assistant and helps to carry around Mayor Gilmore's fishbowl to different locations. He sometimes sends Pupstruction the locations of their builds.
  • Bobby Boots is a blue tabby cat who is the leader and manager of the Lickety Split construction team and the most frequently recurring antagonist in the series. He desperately wants his construction team to be great and admired, but his rushing style of doing things and incomplete builds is often a recipe for disaster. Bobby and the Lickety Split crew ride in the Destructo-Truck, which comes in handy for Bobby's plots. On occasion when he gets busted by Pupstruction for sabotage upon their completion of a project, Bobby will apologize for his actions.
  • * Scratch and Sniff are Bobby's workers and henchmen. Scratch is a tall and slender calico cat with yellow eyes and a bandage on her tail while Sniff is a large and fat gray cat. They will at times come up with suggestions on how to do a better job, but Bobby always ignores them, just for close attention. Scratch and Sniff are often quite gullible, to the point where they sometimes accidentally expose Bobby's actions to the pups. Unlike their leader, they celebrate a successful build by Pupstruction and sometimes even celebrate with them, much to Bobby's dismay.
  • Chilla Chill is a chinchilla rapper.
  • Pat is a pigeon who works as a mail carrier.
  • Sofia Bonitelli is a white poodle and celebrity chef who owns a restaurant that Pupstruction built her.
  • Floyd is a gerbil and Lloyd's brother who is an air traffic controller for Petsburg's bird community.
  • Professor Frazzle is a cat who is Petsburg's residential scientist. She does various research and invents different objects that come in handy for Petsburg.
  • Santa Paws is a dog version of Santa Claus.
  • PawPaw is a gray welsh corgi farmer, It is Phinny and Bailey’s grandfather, and Harry’s father.

    Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2023–24)

Season 2 (2024–25)

Release

Pupstruction premiered on Disney Jr. and Disney Channel on June 14, 2023. It was later released on the Disney+ streaming service. The second season premiered on October 14, 2024 and the next day on Disney+.

Reception

Critical response

The series received positive reviews from critics. Victoria Davis of Animation World Network said, "The show's overall tone is humorous and fun, but the messages Braun and his team hope to relay to kids are very serious, especially considering the show is speaking to a generation where kids have access to almost every toy and electronic mechanism under the sun that could keep them distracted for long periods of time. And yet, kids still want to play with the wrapping paper more than the toy wrapped inside. Pupstruction nurtures that "imaginative play" part of being a kid that could be lost in today's society if we're not careful." Ashley Moulton of Common Sense Media gave Pupstruction a grade of four out of five stars, complimented the depiction of educational value, stating that the show highlights teamwork and perseverance, and praised the presence of positive messages and role models, citing helpfulness, writing, "Pupstruction is a sweet, appealing preschool series that's appropriate for the youngest viewers."

Accolades

Pupstruction was nominated for Preschool Programming – Best New Series at the 2024 Kidscreen Awards.