3rd & Bird is a television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 programme aimed at young children, commissioned by Michael Carrington and broadcast on the BBC, which revolves around a community of birds and their adventures. The series premiered on CBeebies

CBeebies

CBeebies is the brand used by the BBC for programming aimed at children 6 years and under. It is used as a themed strand in the UK on terrestrial television, as a separate free-to-air domestic British channel and used for international varients supported by advertising, subscription or both...

 in July 2008. Described in its initial press release as "a charming new animated series all about community", the programme format generally involves one or more of the characters encountering a problem which must be solved using the social skills which pre-school children must develop in order to make their way in the world. And it's airing on Disney Junior.

3rd & Bird was created by Josh Selig

Josh Selig

Josh Selig is the founder and president of Little Airplane Productions, and through that company, creator of Wonder Pets, Oobi, 3rd & Bird, and Small Potatoes.-Sources:* at ew.com* at gothamist.com-External links:*...

 for Little Airplane Productions. Like Selig's previous venture, Wonder Pets

Wonder Pets

Wonder Pets is an American animated children's television series. It debuted on March 3, 2006, on the Nick Jr. block of the Nickelodeon cable television network and Noggin on the same day...

, the show uses an animation style known as "photo-puppetry", in which the animation is created by the use of manipulation of photographs.

(Cast)

• (Muffin) a 3 year old pre-school lovebird
  Lovebird
  A Lovebird is one of nine species of the genus Agapornis . They are a social and affectionate small parrot. Eight species are native to the African continent, while the Grey-headed Lovebird is native to Madagascar...
  
  . Not yet old enough to fly, she usually rides on Samuel's back. She is sometimes a little spoilt however due to her being sad at everything she won't get; she would also beg for it, or try to show the community sympathy, but she isn't a very rude character; there is also some manners from her. Voiced By Eden Jarrett

• (Samuel) Muffin's 10 year old elder brother. Voiced By Sam Lewis

• (Rudy) Rudy is a 9 year old Called a cockatoo
  Cockatoo
  A cockatoo is any of the 21 species belonging to the bird family Cacatuidae. Along with the Psittacidae and the Strigopidae , they make up the parrot order Psittaciformes . Placement of the cockatoos as a separate family is fairly undisputed, although many aspects of the other living lineages of...
  
   in the program, but looks like a cockatiel
  Cockatiel
  The Cockatiel , also known as the Quarrion and the Weiro, is the smallest cockatoo endemic to Australia. They are prized as a household pet and companion parrot throughout the world and are relatively easy to breed...
  
  , Samuel's best friend. She wears a bracelet of colored stones on her ankle. Voiced By Morgan Gayle

• Quinn - Preston Nyman - a puffin
  Puffin
  Puffins are any of three small species of auk in the bird genus Fratercula with a brightly coloured beak during the breeding season. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crevices among...
  
  , works as an inventor; appears to be a teenager.

• Mr Beakman - Michael Fenton Stevens
  Michael Fenton Stevens
  Michael Fenton Stevens , sometimes credited as Michael Fenton-Stevens, is a UK actor and comedian, a founder member of The Hee Bee Gee Bees and the voice behind the Spitting Image 1986 number 1 hit "The Chicken Song"...
  
   - the children's teacher, a wise toucan
  Toucan
  Toucans are members of the family Ramphastidae of near passerine birds from the Neotropics. The family is most closely related to the American barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. The family includes five genera and about forty different species...
  
   who frequently acts as the voice of parental authority.

• Missy - Charlotte Leslie-Cameron - a French Great Blue Turaco
  Great Blue Turaco
  The Great Blue Turaco is a turaco, a group of African near-passerines. It is not only the largest turaco but the largest species in the diverse Cuculiformes order . Generally, the Great Blue Turaco is in length with a mass of...
  
  .

• Mrs Billingsley - Anna Nygh - a gardening kiwi
  Kiwi
  Kiwi are flightless birds endemic to New Zealand, in the genus Apteryx and family Apterygidae.At around the size of a domestic chicken, kiwi are by far the smallest living ratites and lay the largest egg in relation to their body size of any species of bird in the world...
  
   with a New Zealand accent.

• Mr and Mrs Lovebird - David Beckford and Candida Gubbins - Muffin and Samuel's rarely-glimpsed parents.

• Baby Jordan - Mr Beakman's nephew, who often uses big words like his uncle.

• Elliot - A worm who is friends with Samuel, Muffin, and Rudy.

The cast also includes world champion musical whistler, Michael Barimo

Michael Barimo

-Biographical and career information:Raised in Winter Park, Florida, Michael began his career as a singer and whistler as a child, performing with a boys' choir and touring as Amahl in Gian Carlo Menotti's one act opera Amahl and the Night Visitors....

, whose whistling accompanies the music of the show.

For more information visit the 3rd & Bird website

Episodes

The original press release stated that 52 episodes of 3rd & Bird would be made. To date, 25 episodes have been shown from season 1:

• Fly, Muffin
• Bird Theatre
• A Chorus for Us
• To Play or not to Play
• Muffin Express
• The Rudy Show
• Super Slide
• Costume Party
• Meet Elliott
• Pogo Nest
• Samuel's Dance
• Rolling Along
• Perfect Picnic
• Pie Fair
• Muffin's Shop
• Dinosaur
• Go Camping
• Starry Night
• Amazing Muffin
• Ice Skating
• Playhouse
• Cowgirl
• Muffin's Plant
• Baby Jordan
• A Very Squooky Christmas

Another 24 episodes have been shown for Season 2:

• Muffinland
• Meow Kitty
• Mariachi Muffin
• Beach Branch
• Elliot the Budgie
• Art Show
• Down to Earth
• Road Trip
• Paint Job
• Storm
• Scooter
• Race
• Train
• The Moon
• Balloon Ride
• Help Daddy
• Ahoy
• Robot
• Baby
• Muffin's Friend
• Aunt Esther

Merchandising

In January 2009, BBC Worldwide

BBC Worldwide

BBC Worldwide Limited is the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in 1995. In the year to 31 March 2010 it made a profit of £145m on a turnover of £1.074bn. The company had made a profit of £106m...

announced plans to release 3rd & Bird merchandise, including wooden stacking toys, pull along vehicles, play sets and musical instruments, as well as wheeled toys, including trikes, scooters, and ride-ons. The product line is due to be released in Spring / Summer 2010.

DVDs/Books

A DVD containing 8 episodes of the series was released in March 2009., and will be accompanied by a series of books tying in to the show.
The DVD release, entitled Bird's The Word!, contains the following episodes:
Fly Muffin;
Bird Theatre;
Muffin Express;
A Chorus for Us;
To Play or not to Play;
The Rudy Show;
Meet Elliott;
Costume Party.
A second DVD, Muffin Land!, is due to be released in June 2009, and will contain the following episodes:
Muffinland;
Muffin's Shop;
Dinosaur;
Go Camping;
Playhouse;
Cowgirl;
Muffin's Plant;
Baby Jordan.

External links

• 3rd & Bird website