A Bunch of Munsch

{{Infobox television

| image = ABunchofMunsch.jpg

| creator =

| based_on = {{Based on|Various books|Robert Munsch}}

| developer =

| writer =

| director =

| voices =

| narrator = Robert Munsch

| theme_music_composer = Jeff Zahn

| composer = {{Plainlist|

Jeff Fisher
Jeffrey Zahn

}}

| country = {{Plainlist|

Canada
United States

}}

| num_episodes = 7 (13 segments)

| executive_producer = Micheline Charest

| producer = Ronald A. Weinberg

| editor =

| runtime = 23 minutes

| company = {{Plainlist|

CINAR Films
Telefilm Canada
Maclean-Hunter Television Fund

}}

| network = CTV {{small|(Canada)}}
Showtime {{small|(U.S.)}}

| first_aired = {{Start date|1991|12|7}}

| last_aired = {{End date|1992|12|2}}

}}

A Bunch of Munsch is an American-Canadian animated anthology television series produced by Cinar. Each episode is based on a book by American-Canadian children's author Robert Munsch.{{Cite book |last=Erickson |first=Hal |title=Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 |date=2005 |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=978-1476665993 |edition=2nd |pages=165–166}} The show aired from December 7, 1991 to December 2, 1992 on CTV in Canada and Showtime in the United States.{{Cite book |last=Perlmutter |first=David |title=The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows |date=2018 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1538103739 |page=100}}

Production

= Development =

The series was announced by CINAR animation studio on January 12, 1991.{{Cite web |date=12 January 1991 |title=The Ottawa Citizen from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/464005913/}}

= Music =

Every story featured a unique original song, usually sung by the lead character.

Broadcast

In Canada, the series aired on CTV on December 7, 1991 with the first special, "Thomas' Snowsuit" and "50 Below Zero". It debuted in the United States on Showtime on December 17, 1991.

On January 17, 1992, It was announced that it plans to bolster its “FamilyHour” anthology series for the Showtime's Fall 1992 lineup opposite of the series debut of American Heroes & Legends, and following reruns of Shelley Duvall’s Bedtime Stories, as part of the network's hour long block of kiddie-oriented programming.{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Jane |date=1992-01-17 |title=MTV to Add New Shows, Boost Live Programming : Television: The network aims to broaden coverage in pop culture and increase viewer interaction. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-01-17-ca-216-story.html |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}} The series aired regularly with the next episode of the first regular 22-minute episode, "The Paper Bag Princess" premieres on October 14, 1992.

Episode list

Seven episodes, each being two 11-minute segments in a 30-minute slot (the lone exception being "The Paper Bag Princess", which was one 22-minute episode divided into two segments), were created:{{Cite web |title=A Bunch of Munsch Episode Guide |url=https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/30091/a-bunch-of-munsch/episodes |website=TVmaze}}

{{Episode table|background=#79E|overall=|title=|director=|writer=|airdate=|prodcode=|episodes=

{{Episode list

| NumParts = 2

| EpisodeNumber = 1

| Title_1 = Thomas' Snowsuit

| Title_2 = 50 Below Zero

| DirectedBy = Bill Speers

| WrittenBy = Cassandra Schafhausen

| Aux2 = Chris Schouten, Bill Speers, Stephan Martiniere and Craig Wilson

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1991|12|7}} (CTV){{Cite news |date=December 7, 1991 |title=A Fine Sense Of The Absurd |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/463966722/ |work=The Ottawa Citizen |via=Newspapers.com}}
{{Start date|1991|12|17}} (Showtime){{Cite web |date=15 December 1991 |title=The Times Herald from Port Huron, Michigan |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/211652047/}}

| ProdCode = 101

| ShortSummary = Thomas tries to run away from the grown-ups such as the teacher and principal who want him to put an ugly brown snowsuit on him.

Jason realizes his house is going crazy, especially when Papa sleepwalks everywhere in the house and into dangerous situations.

| LineColor = 79E

}}

{{Episode list

| NumParts = 2

| EpisodeNumber = 2

| Title_1 = David's Father

| Title_2 = Pigs

| DirectedBy = Bill Speers

| WrittenBy_1 = Michel Choquette and Alan Annand

| WrittenBy_2 = Cassandra Schafhausen

| Aux2_1 = Bob Browning

| Aux2_2 = Luc Savoie

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1992|10|21}} (Showtime)
{{Start date|1992|12|5}} (CTV){{Cite news |date=December 3, 1992 |title=TV for the holiday season; Viewing fare for young and old |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/731192239/ |work=The Kingston Wig-Standard |via=Newspapers.com}}

| ProdCode = 102

| ShortSummary = A schoolgirl named Julie befriends her new neighbor, David, and his enormous father.

Megan one day feeds the pigs on her family's farm, and opens the gate to the pig pen, thinking that they are dumb. This results in chaos in the farm and in her school, until she befriends a younger pig who she names Einstein.

| LineColor = 79E

}}

{{Episode list

| NumParts = 2

| EpisodeNumber = 3

| Title_1 = Mortimer

| Title_2 = Something Good

| DirectedBy = Bill Speers and Steven Majaury

| WrittenBy_1 = Don Arioli

| WrittenBy_2 = Don Druick

| Aux2_1 = Steven Majaury and Meinert Hansen

| Aux2_2 = Bill Speers

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1992|10|28}} (Showtime)
{{Start date|1995|12|14}} (CTV)

| ProdCode = 103

| ShortSummary = A toddler named Mortimer cause a huge amount of noise in his house, which turns into a worldwide sensation at one point.

Julie, Andrew, and Tyya (based on Robert Munsch's adopted children) are on a trip to the grocery store, and try to convince their strict father (based on Robert Munsch himself) into getting them various junk food that tastes good.

| LineColor = 79E

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 4

| Title = The Paper Bag Princess

| DirectedBy = Craig Wilson

| WrittenBy = Michel Choquette, Alan Annand and Cheryl Blakeney

| Aux2 = Craig Wilson and Robert Clark

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1992|10|14}} (Showtime){{Cite news |date=October 10, 1992 |title=Especially for kids |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/656556881/ |work=The News and Observer |via=Newspapers.com}}
{{Start date|1993|11|28}} (CTV){{Cite news |date=November 26, 1993 |title=Love's Lesson |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/656556881/ |work=Calgary Herald |via=Newspapers.com}}

| ProdCode = 104

| ShortSummary = Princess Elizabeth becomes friends with a dragon after she realizes the true colors of her fiancé Prince Ronald. Narrated by Robert Munsch.

| LineColor = 79E

}}

{{Episode list

| NumParts = 2

| EpisodeNumber = 5

| Title_1 = The Boy in the Drawer

| Title_2 = Murmel, Murmel, Murmel

| DirectedBy = Greg Bailey

| WrittenBy_1 = Irene Berkowitz, Peter Landecker and Lucie Lortie

| WrittenBy_2 = Cheryl Blakeney

| Aux2_1 = Greg Bailey and Chris Damboise

| Aux2_2 = Greg Bailey and François Brisson

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1992|11|4}} (Showtime)
{{Start date|1994|12|4}} (CTV)

| ProdCode = 105

| ShortSummary = Shelley must find a way to stop a Delinquent little boy-minded and shaped gnome from causing chaos in her house while her parents ignore it.

Robin finds an unusual baby named "Murmel, Murmel, Murmel" who can only say his name in a sandbox, who needs an owner.

| LineColor = 79E

}}

{{Episode list

| NumParts = 2

| EpisodeNumber = 6

| Title_1 = The Fire Station

| Title_2 = Angela's Airplane

| DirectedBy = Steven Majaury and Meinart Hansen

| WrittenBy_1 = Thomas LaPierre

| WrittenBy_2 = Cheryl Blakeney

| Aux2_1 = Steven Majaury

| Aux2_2 = Meinert Hansen

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1992|11|11}} (Showtime)
{{Start date|1998|1|3}} (CTV)

| ProdCode = 106

| ShortSummary = A boy and a girl named Michael and Sheila visit a fire station to wreak havoc and have fun, especially when they sneak onto a mission with the Dalmatian, Spot.

Angela, a little girl is obsessed with buttons and is very curious about the world sneaks onto an airplane and begins to have a fascination for it.

| LineColor = 79E

}}

{{Episode list

| NumParts = 2

| EpisodeNumber = 7

| Title_1 = Moira's Birthday

| Title_2 = Blackberry Subway Jam

| DirectedBy = Craig Wilson and Richard T. Morrison

| WrittenBy_1 = Stephen Ashton

| WrittenBy_2 = Diana West

| Aux2_1 = Craig Wilson

| Aux2_2 = Richard T. Morrison

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1992|12|2}} (Showtime){{Cite news |date=November 29, 1992 |title=TV Topics (page 17) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/875419266/ |work=The Buffalo News |via=Newspapers.com}}
{{Start date|1994|12|1}} (CTV){{Cite news |date=November 25, 1994 |title=Munschfest |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/475354016/ |work=The Edmonton Journal |via=Newspapers.com}}

| ProdCode = 107

| ShortSummary = A little girl named Moira has an enormous and loud destructive birthday and invites her entire school. All they do is eat the entire time.

A young boy named Jonathan starts to notice subway station keep wreaking havoc in his apartment, so he decides to convince the man in charge of it at the City Hall by giving him crates of his favorite food, blackberry jam.

| LineColor = 79E

}}

|aux2=|aux2T=Storyboard by}}

Voices

{{columns-list|colwidth=25em|

Julian Bailey
Sonja Ball
Matthew Barrot
Thor Bishopric
Eramelinda Boquer
Tia Caroleo
Richard M. Dumont
Kathleen Fee
Holly Gauthier-Frankel
Amy Fulco
Andrew Bauer-Gabor
Norman Groulx
Jesse Gryn
Shayne Olszynko-Gryn
Mark Hellman
A. J. Henderson
Arthur Holden
Lisa Hull
Gary Jewell
Rick Jones
Tamar Kozlov
Liz MacRae
Bronwen Mantel
Gordon Masten
Anik Matern
Carlyle Miller
George Morris
Michael O'Reilly
Lianne Picard-Poirier
Hayley Reynolds
Patricia Rodriguez
Michael Rudder
Terrence Scammell
Kaya Scott
Harry Standjofski
Jory Steinberg
Gab Taraboulsy
Christian Tessier
Jacob Tierney
Vlasta Vrána
June Wallack
Jane Woods

}}

Distribution

= VHS releases =

All episodes were released to VHS by Golden Book Video in the early 1990s. The releases were eventually packaged and updated in the late 1990s by Sony Wonder.

= DVD release =

All episodes were released to DVD by Cookie Jar Entertainment. Mill Creek Entertainment released the complete series on DVD in Region 1 on August 4, 2015 which includes a bonus episode of The Busy World of Richard Scarry.[http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Bunch-Munsch-The-Complete-Series/21359 Date, Cost, Details, Box Art for 'The Complete Series' from Mill Creek] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150728013227/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Bunch-Munsch-The-Complete-Series/21359 |date=2015-07-28 }}