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:Dinosaur Train

{{Short description|Preschool animated television series on PBS Kids}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2012}}

{{Infobox television

| image = DinosaurTrain.jpg

| alt_name = Jim Henson's Dinosaur Train

| genre = Educational
Comedy

| creator = Craig Bartlett

| based_on =

| developer =

| writer =

| director = Craig Bartlett
Terry Izumi

| creative_director =

| presenter = Dr. Scott D. Sampson

| starring =

| judges =

| voices = Phillip Corlett
Claire Corlett
Erika-Shaye Gair
Alexander Matthew Marr
Ian James Corlett
Colin Murdock
Ellen Kennedy
Sean Thomas
Laura Marr

| narrated =

| theme_music_composer =

| opentheme = "Dinosaur Train"

| endtheme = "Dinosaur Train"

| composer = Jim Lang
Mike Himelstein
Michael Silversher

| country = {{Plainlist|

}}

| language = English

| num_seasons = 5

| num_episodes = 100 (+1 direct-to-TV movie){{cite web |url=http://muppetnewsflash.blogspot.com/2008/09/henson-moving-foward-with-dinosaur.html |title=Henson Moving Forward with "Dinosaur Train" and "The Skumps" |website=Muppet News Flash |date=September 17, 2008 |access-date=September 6, 2013 |archive-date=March 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317204659/http://muppetnewsflash.blogspot.com/2008/09/henson-moving-foward-with-dinosaur.html |url-status=live }}

| list_episodes = List of Dinosaur Train episodes

| executive_producer = Craig Bartlett
Brian Henson
Lisa Henson
Halle Stanford

| producer = Sue Bea Montgomery

| location =

| cinematography =

| camera =

| runtime = 28 minutes

| company = Infocomm Media Development Authority
Sparky Animation
The Jim Henson Company
FableVision
Snee-Oosh, Inc. (uncredited)
Tail Waggin' Productions

| network = PBS Kids

| first_aired = {{Start date|2009|9|7}}

| last_aired = {{End date|2021|04|12}}

| related =

| image_size =

| image_alt =

}}

Dinosaur Train is an Animated series on Wikipedia -->animated television series]] aimed at toddlers ages 3 to 6 and created by Craig Bartlett, who also created Nickelodeon's Hey Arnold!.{{cite book |last1=Perlmutter |first1=David |title=The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows |date=2018 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-5381-0373-9 |pages=156–157 }} The series features a Tyrannosaurus rex named Buddy who, together with the rest of his family, who are all Pteranodons, takes the Dinosaur Train to explore the Mesozoic, and have adventures with a variety of dinosaurs. It is produced by The Jim Henson Company in association with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (formerly the Media Development Authority), Sparky Animation, FableVision, Snee-Oosh, Inc., Reel FX, and Sea to Sky Entertainment. {{As of|2018|9|post=,}} PBS Kids had ordered 11 more episodes, taking the total number of episodes to 100.{{cite press release |date=September 25, 2018 |title=The Jim Henson Company Celebrates 100-Episode Milestone For Award-Winning Preschool Animated Series Dinosaur Train™ With New Season Five Episodes For PBS KIDS® |publisher=Jim Henson Company |url=https://www.henson.com/press-release-2018-09-25/ |access-date=2021-08-16 |archive-date=August 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815225900/https://www.henson.com/press-release-2018-09-25/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/8935z1/this_is_craig_bartlett_animation_creator_of_ready/|title=r/IAmA - This is Craig Bartlett, animation creator of Ready Jet Go!, Hey Arnold!, and Dinosaur Train – ask me anything!|website=reddit|date=April 2, 2018|access-date=April 7, 2018|archive-date=March 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312011434/https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/8935z1/this_is_craig_bartlett_animation_creator_of_ready/|url-status=live}}{{cite web |first=Jane |last=Hobson |date=September 26, 2018 |website=kidscreen |url=http://kidscreen.com/2018/09/26/henson-roars-for-more-dinosaur-train/ |title=Henson roars for more Dinosaur Train |publisher=Brunico Communications Ltd. |access-date=September 27, 2018 |archive-date=September 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927050512/http://kidscreen.com/2018/09/26/henson-roars-for-more-dinosaur-train/ |url-status=live }} A film based on the series from Universal Pictures and Universal 1440 Entertainment titled, Dinosaur Train: Adventure Island premiered on April 12, 2021.{{cite web | url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CC8z2JwpZPb/ | title=Craig Bartlett on Instagram: "I'm thrilled to be mixing the Dinosaur Train movie today! 85 minutes of thrills and spills! Tons of songs! All aboard!! #dinosaurtrain" | access-date=September 2, 2020 | archive-date=March 23, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323201331/https://www.instagram.com/p/CC8z2JwpZPb/ | url-status=live }}

A revival is currently in the works at the Jim Henson Company.{{cite web |last1=Grobar |first1=Matt |title=Bryan O’Connell Joins The Jim Henson Company As VP Children’s Television |url=https://deadline.com/2025/04/jim-henson-company-hires-bryan-oconnell-vp-childrens-tv-1236366510/ |website=Deadline |access-date=17 April 2025}}

Premise

The show is set in a whimsical prehistoric world of jungles, swamps, active volcanoes and oceans, all filled with dinosaur and other prehistoric animal life, and connected by a train line known eponymously as the Dinosaur Train. This steam-engine train can be customized for dinosaurs of all kinds: windows accommodate long-necked sauropods, there is headroom in the Observation Car for the larger theropods, and the Aquacar is an aquarium for sea-going passengers. The train itself is run by Troodons, being one of the smartest dinosaurs in this fictional universe. The Dinosaur Train circles the whole world, crossing oceans and inland seas, with stops to visit undersea prehistoric animals. It can travel through the entire Mesozoic Era, the "Age of Dinosaurs", passing through magical Time Tunnels to the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous time periods.{{citation needed|date=August 2019}}

The world of Dinosaur Train is seen through the eyes of Buddy the Tyrannosaurus rex. According to the show's main title song, Buddy was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Pteranodon. He hatched at the same time as his Pteranodon siblings Tiny, Shiny, and Don. By traveling in the Dinosaur Train around the Mesozoic, supplied with dinosaur facts by the train's Troodon Conductor, Buddy learns that he is a Tyrannosaurus rex. As an adopted child in a mixed-species family, Buddy is curious about the differences between species and likes to learn about all the dinosaurs he can by riding the Dinosaur Train. The dinosaur species featured in the show are actual dinosaurs discovered by paleontologists.

Dinosaur Train is produced and animated by Sparky Animation in Singapore, with casting by Vidaspark and voice-overs recorded at Kozmic Sound in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.{{citation needed|date=August 2019}} It premiered on Labor Day 2009 and airs daily on PBS Kids, and in various countries around the world. 40 half-hour episodes were ordered by PBS Kids for the 1st season. After that 49 additional episodes were made.{{citation needed|date=August 2019}} Each episode is followed by a live-action segment featuring Dinosaur Train educational consultant and paleontologist Dr. Scott D. Sampson, who appears onscreen to explain the show's dinosaur curriculum in greater detail.{{cite web |title=About Dinosaur Train |website=PBS KIDS for Parents |url=https://www.pbs.org/parents/shows/dinosaur-train/about/ |access-date=August 26, 2019 |archive-date=August 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190826204537/https://www.pbs.org/parents/shows/dinosaur-train/about/ |url-status=live }}

Episodes

{{Main|List of Dinosaur Train episodes}}

{{:List of Dinosaur Train episodes}}

Voice cast

File:Dinosaur Train characters.png

=Main cast=

=Additional voices=

=UK voice cast=

The UK dub only aired the first two seasons on Nick Jr. in the UK and Ireland from 2012 to 2015.

Production

=Development=

In early 2008, after the successful first run of Hey Arnold! on Nickelodeon, Craig Bartlett decided to create another children series, this one set during the era of the dinosaurs, including the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. Bartlett conceived the idea for the show, drew the main characters, and wrote a pilot script. Bartlett said he got the idea of the show after he saw one of his kids put a toy dinosaur in a toy train.{{cite news |first=Tom |last=Keogh |date=September 6, 2009 |title=All aboard the "Dinosaur Train," a new kids' show created by Seattle native Craig Bartlett |newspaper=Seattle Times |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/television/2009807902_dinosaur06.html |access-date=April 29, 2018 |archive-date=April 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180429093337/http://old.seattletimes.com/html/television/2009807902_dinosaur06.html |url-status=live }}

=Episode segments=

  • Time for a Tiny Ditty – Tiny either tries singing about something she learned on the show or about her favorite dish (fish).
  • Buddy has a Hypothesis – Children learn from Buddy and Tiny what a hypothesis means.
  • Dr. Scott the Paleontologist – Scott Sampson is a paleontologist who appears on the show to teach children about the dinosaurs which have appeared in each episode, and how dinosaurs compare to present-day animals (including humans).{{cite news | url =http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/ae/tv-radio/dinosaur-train-combines-two-popular-routes-356273/ |title='Dinosaur Train' combines two popular routes |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post Gazette |date=September 4, 2009 |first=Rob |last=Owen |url-status=dead |access-date=September 6, 2013 |archive-date=July 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729103945/http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/ae/tv-radio/dinosaur-train-combines-two-popular-routes-356273/ }} He received his PhD in zoology from the University of Toronto in 1993{{Cite web |date=2010-06-09 |title=Scott D. Sampson |url=http://www.umnh.utah.edu/sampson |access-date=2022-01-19 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100609195835/http://www.umnh.utah.edu/sampson |archive-date=9 June 2010 |url-status=dead}} and, {{as of|2019|8|lc=y|post=,}} is the CEO for Science World at TELUS World of Science in Vancouver, BC.{{cite web|url=https://www.scienceworld.ca/senior-leadership|title=Senior Leadership Team|website=Science World at TELUS World of Science|access-date=August 26, 2019|archive-date=June 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629130057/https://www.scienceworld.ca/senior-leadership|url-status=live}}

=Songs=

  • "Theme Song" – The opening theme, which is about a mom named Mrs. Pteranodon and her children, including a T. Rex whose egg landed in her nest, revealed to be written by King in his debut episode.
  • "Hungry Hungry Herbivore" – An adult Brachiosaurus (judging by his deep voice) shows up to sing a song about how herbivores love to eat green food.
  • "I'm a T-Rex" – Buddy sings that he finally realizes that he is T-Rex, and sings about living in the Cretaceous Forest.
  • "Dinosaurs A-Z" – Mr. Conductor sings the Dinosaur Alphabet that his mother taught him. A later version of the song is sung by Buddy and Tiny, keeping track of the twenty-six different dinosaur species in the song to pick up on the train for a picnic at Troodon Town.
  • "Cryolophosaurus Crests" – King sings about his crest.
  • "My Tiny Place" – Tiny sings about her "Tiny Place", which is actually her hideout in the form of a small hole in a tree. She sometimes shares it with Cindy Cimolestes.
  • "Nice to Meet You (My Name is Tiny)" – Tiny's song she sings to Leslie to tell her how she can talk to other dinosaurs without getting scared.
  • "All Aboard" – The original theme song before the official Dinosaur Train theme song.
  • "Tiny Loves Fish" – Tiny sings a song about how she loves fish.
  • "I Love Trains" – Mr. Conductor sings about his love for trains.{{Cite episode |title=Hootin' Hadrosaurs!/Surprise Party |series=Dinosaur Train |network=PBS Kids |date=November 9, 2009 |season=1 |number=113 }}
  • "I'll Always Be Your Mom" – Mrs. Pteranodon sings to her kids on how much she loves them.
  • "Dinosaur Feet" – Daphne Daspletosaurus and the gang sings about their great big stomping dinosaur feet.
  • "Sleep Little Dinosaur" – Buddy, Tiny, Shiny, Mrs. Pteranodon and Tank Triceratops sing Tank's lullaby that his mom sings to him every night.
  • "A New Way to Sing a Song" – Shiny sings in a concert with Buddy, Tiny, Don, Cory Corythosaurus and Perry Parasaurolophus.
  • "Dinosaur Block Party" – Mr. Conductor sings about living in an ecosystem at the Pteranodon family's block party.
  • "Get into Nature Song" – Song about the Nature Trackers club and getting into nature.
  • "That's Not a Dinosaur" – Tiny and the gang sings about how not every animal in the Mesozoic Era is or is not a dinosaur.
  • "No Place Like Our Nest" – The Pteranodon family sings about how their nest is the only home for them.
  • "The Biggest Dinosaurs" – Over several episodes the Pteranodon family go on trips to see the biggest sauropods, and this song is specific to those episodes.
  • "The Prettiest Pteranodon" – Mr. Pteranodon sing it to his wife while on date night.
  • "Taking the Zeppelin Home" – Mr. Conductor, Thurston, Mr. Pteranodon and Larry sing as they fly home to Pteranodon Terrace.
  • "What's at the Center of the Earth?" – The Pteranodon Family, Mr. Conductor, and Gilbert sing about the center of the Earth as they venture in it.{{Cite episode |title=What's at the Center of the Earth? Layers!/What's at The Center of The Earth? Fossils! |series=Dinosaur Train |network=PBS Kids |date=February 20, 2017 |season=4 |number=409 }}{{Cite episode |title=What's at the Center of the Earth? Troglobites!/What's at The Center of The Earth? Minerals! |series=Dinosaur Train |network=PBS Kids |date=February 20, 2017 |season=4 |number=410 }}
  • "The Dinosaur Train Zeppelin" – The Pteranodon Family and Mr. Conductor sing as they travel in the zeppelin.
  • "Laramidia (The Dinosaur Big City)" – All the dinosaurs get together and sing about Laramidia, also known as the Dinosaur Big City. The first version is sung by the Pteranodon Family and Mr. Conductor.{{citation needed|date=August 2019}} The second version is sung by King Cryolophosaurus and Mayor Kosmoceratops.{{Cite episode |title=Dinosaur Big City, Part 4 |series=Dinosaur Train |network=PBS Kids |date=August 22, 2011 |season=2 |number=202 }}

Reception

Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media gave this a show a rate four stars out of five, describing as a "Young dino's travels teach kids about science and diversity."{{Cite web |last=Ashby |first=Emily |date=August 21, 2023 |title=Dinosaur Train TV Review |url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/dinosaur-train |access-date=July 21, 2024 |website=Common Sense Media}}

Home media

DVDs of the series from PBS Distribution were produced from 2010 to 2019. It also became part of PBS Kids compilation DVDs until 2021, when Elinor Wonders Why took over.

StudioCanal UK and StudioCanal Germany released the series on DVD in their respective countries.{{cite web |title=Jim Henson Company sells series and movie to global broadcasters |url=https://kidscreen.com/2013/03/28/jim-henson-company-sells-series-and-movie-to-global-broadcasters/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914000601/https://kidscreen.com/2013/03/28/jim-henson-company-sells-series-and-movie-to-global-broadcasters/ |archive-date=September 14, 2022 |access-date=September 14, 2022}}

In other media

= Live show =

A live show, "Jim Henson's Dinosaur Train Live: Buddy's Big Adventure", toured the United States and Canada from September 2013 to June 2014.{{cite web|title=North American Tour Dates |url=http://www.dinosaurtrainlive.com/get_tickets.html |website=Jim Henson's Dinosaur Train LIVE: Buddy's Big Adventure |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226053413/http://www.dinosaurtrainlive.com/get_tickets.html }}

= Film =

In July 2020, Craig Bartlett announced an 85-minute musical film based on the series on Instagram.

The film, titled Dinosaur Train: Adventure Island, premiered on April 12, 2021, serving as the series finale.{{cite web |title=Dinosaur Train: Adventure Island: Episode 0 {{!}} Schedules {{!}} WGTE |url=https://www.wgte.org/schedules/program/hd/dinosaur-train-adventure-island/episode-0/04-12-2021/09-00-00 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413192431/https://www.wgte.org/schedules/program/hd/dinosaur-train-adventure-island/episode-0/04-12-2021/09-00-00 |archive-date=April 13, 2021 |access-date=28 March 2021 |website=www.wgte.org}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • {{Official website|http://pbskids.org/dinosaurtrain}}
  • {{cite web |title=Dinosaur Train |website=PBS KIDS for Parents |url=https://www.pbs.org/parents/shows/dinosaur-train}}
  • {{cite web |title=Dinosaur Train |website=PBS LearningMedia |url=https://unctv.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/dinosaur-train/ }}
  • {{cite web |title=Dinosaur Train |website=Jim Henson Company |url=https://www.henson.com/dinosaur-train.php |access-date=August 26, 2019 |archive-date=April 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210406091802/https://www.henson.com/dinosaur-train.php |url-status=dead }}
  • {{IMDb title|1460205|Dinosaur Train}}
  • {{TV Guide show|307245|Dinosaur Train}}

{{Craig Bartlett}}

{{The Jim Henson Company}}

{{Former PBS Kids shows}}

Category:2009 American animated television series debuts

Category:2020 American television series endings

Category:2000s American animated television series

Category:2010s American animated television series

Category:2020s American animated television series

Category:2000s American children's television series

Category:2010s American children's television series

Category:2020s American children's television series

Category:2000s Canadian animated television series

Category:2010s Canadian animated television series

Category:2020s Canadian animated television series

Category:2000s Canadian children's television series

Category:2010s Canadian children's television series

Category:2020s Canadian children's television series

Category:2000s preschool education television series

Category:2010s preschool education television series

Category:2020s preschool education television series

Category:American children's animated adventure television series

Category:American children's animated comedy television series

Category:American children's animated fantasy television series

Category:American children's animated musical television series

Category:American computer-animated television series

Category:American preschool education television series

Category:American television series with live action and animation

Category:Animated preschool education television series

Category:Animated television series about children

Category:Animated television series about dinosaurs

Category:Animated television series about siblings

Category:Canadian children's animated adventure television series

Category:Canadian children's animated comedy television series

Category:Canadian children's animated fantasy television series

Category:Canadian children's animated musical television series

Category:Canadian television series with live action and animation

Category:Children's television series about talking animals

Category:American English-language television shows

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Category:PBS Kids shows

Category:PBS animated television series

Category:Singaporean animated television series

Category:Television series about adoption

Category:Television series about rail transport

Category:Television series by The Jim Henson Company

Category:Television series created by Craig Bartlett

Category:Animated television series set in jungles

Category:Television shows set on trains

Category:Television series set in the Mesozoic