Rainbow Fish
Encyclopedia
The Rainbow Fish is an award-winning children's book drawn and written by Marcus Pfister
, and translated into English
by J. Alison James. The book is best known for its morals about the value of being an individual and for the distinctive shiny foil scale
s of the Rainbow Fish. DHX Media
turned the story into a 26-episode animated television series of the same name, which has aired on the HBO Family television channel
in the United States
since 1999.
Rainbow Fish to the Rescue: About the acceptance and integration of foreigners.
Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale: About arguments and how to settle them.
Rainbow Fish and the Sea Monster's Cave: About irrational and rational fears.
Rainbow Fish Finds his Way: With the help of his new friends, Rainbow Fish finds his way back home.
Rainbow Fish Discovers the Deep Sea: About modesty and happiness.
, god of sea). The fish all attend school, which is aptly named "The School of Fish". There is a shipwreck
called "Shipwreck Park" in the series that resembles the RMS Titanic.
Principal Gefilte: The proud Principal of The School of Fish, he is strict about behavior. Sometimes, he can get vain. Rainbow gets annoyed when he insists that they all have to write book reports.
Sea Filly: In one of the episodes, she is a new girl in school. She is a beautiful seahorse, though she is half mermaid, half seahorse. She eventually becomes friends with Rainbow and Blue. She is often seen reading books
Blue: Rainbow's best friend, who is more down-to-earth and thoughtful than Rainbow. He also enjoys playing Clam ball, and also loves Claminator 12. He is a blue fish and has a baby sister called Turquoise. She is a turquoise fish.
Ruby: She is Rainbow's older sister who is a teenager. She is arrogant, bossy, self-centered and ruby-colored. Constantly, she gets Rainbow into trouble, because she gets jealous, although she actually loves him. She has her own personal nickname for Rainbow; she calls him "Barnacle Boy". This is an allusion to SpongeBob SquarePants
.
Mrs. Chips: The teacher of the school. She teaches history, mathematics, science, and literature.
Wanda: She is the owner of the Neptune Bay fast food restaurant. She very wise and when Rainbow is down she will always gives him advice. Wanda is an octopus.
Chomper and Stingo: The two bullies of the school. They do not really commit acts of physical violence but they can bully and tease Rainbow and his friends. Chomper is a shark while Stingo is a stingray. Chomper bullies more often than Stingo. They often call Rainbow Fish "Rainbow Creep", but sometimes call him other names, like on one episode, "Rainbow Girl".
Sherman: The smallest of the school. He is a salt-water shrimp. To him everything looks big. In the episode where he arrives to Neptune Bay, Rainbow treats Sherman as a shrimp. In the end when Rainbow gets stuck deep in the bowels of a shipwreck, Sherman hears from the TV and goes and rescues Rainbow. Rainbow apologizes for his behavior.
Sol and Aqua: Aqua is an aqua-colored fish and is Rainbow's Mom. Sol is purple and is Rainbow's dad. They help their daughter and son whatever way they can and will always provide them with great courage.
Sir Sword: Local swordfish, upper-class and a bit of a busybody. He is sometimes grumpy, sometimes civil, but always seems to think he is better than everyone else. Plays Santa Sword to the kids at the local Guppies hospital.
Ret and Snapper: The two builders. They appear in only one episode, Moving Away. Rainbow thinks they are going to be moving and Ret and Snapper will buy the house. He and his friends plan to make the house as much of a wreck as possible in order to put off any potential buyers. His parents reveal they were going to build a new recreation room.
Goldie: She appears in only one episode, Shy Blue. She has a crush on Blue, and Rainbow attempts to bring them together.
However, Chomper and Stingo soon ruin the plan.
Rainbow's other classmates: They do not speak in any episode, but, however, they are different shapes, sizes and color. The first one is: a brown fish, the second one: has long body and colored violet, the third one: colored gold and has a redish-like lips, the last one: has a sleek body and has the same color as the second one. Their names are not revealed in any episode since.
Marcus Pfister
Marcus Pfister is a Swiss author and illustrator of children's picture books.A worldwide success are his since 1992 published children's picture books about the Rainbow Fish. These books were translated in over 80 languages and have been sold with over 15 million copies...
, and translated into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
by J. Alison James. The book is best known for its morals about the value of being an individual and for the distinctive shiny foil scale
Scale (zoology)
In most biological nomenclature, a scale is a small rigid plate that grows out of an animal's skin to provide protection. In lepidopteran species, scales are plates on the surface of the insect wing, and provide coloration...
s of the Rainbow Fish. DHX Media
DHX Media
DHX Media Ltd. is a Canadian media production company formed in 2006 by the merger of Halifax Film Company and Decode Entertainment. The DHX name derives from the combination of Decode and Halifax. Studio B Productions was acquired by DHX Media in December 2007...
turned the story into a 26-episode animated television series of the same name, which has aired on the HBO Family television channel
Television channel
A television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
since 1999.
The moral
Reviewers have called this a "cautionary tale about selfishness and vanity" and a reminder that "sharing brings happiness and acceptance," but the moral of the book has become a hotly debated topic. Interpretations include rejection of individuality and promotion of Socialism.The book series
There are five other Rainbow Fish stories.Rainbow Fish to the Rescue: About the acceptance and integration of foreigners.
Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale: About arguments and how to settle them.
Rainbow Fish and the Sea Monster's Cave: About irrational and rational fears.
Rainbow Fish Finds his Way: With the help of his new friends, Rainbow Fish finds his way back home.
Rainbow Fish Discovers the Deep Sea: About modesty and happiness.
Television series
Rainbow Fish was adapted into a children's animated television series. The television series does not, however, follow the plot of the book; rather it takes the character and the setting and creates a new story with them. There have been some characters added and others embellished upon for the purposes of the show. In the series, the place where the fish live is called Neptune Bay (It is named after Neptune (mythology)Neptune (mythology)
Neptune was the god of water and the sea in Roman mythology and religion. He is analogous with, but not identical to, the Greek god Poseidon. In the Greek-influenced tradition, Neptune was the brother of Jupiter and Pluto, each of them presiding over one of the three realms of the universe,...
, god of sea). The fish all attend school, which is aptly named "The School of Fish". There is a shipwreck
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
called "Shipwreck Park" in the series that resembles the RMS Titanic.
Characters
Rainbow Fish: The proud, vibrant fish that lives with his mother and father. His favorite movie is Claminator 12. He loves it so much that it can lead to problems. He likes to play Clam ball, a fictional game which is in a place mostly.Principal Gefilte: The proud Principal of The School of Fish, he is strict about behavior. Sometimes, he can get vain. Rainbow gets annoyed when he insists that they all have to write book reports.
Sea Filly: In one of the episodes, she is a new girl in school. She is a beautiful seahorse, though she is half mermaid, half seahorse. She eventually becomes friends with Rainbow and Blue. She is often seen reading books
Blue: Rainbow's best friend, who is more down-to-earth and thoughtful than Rainbow. He also enjoys playing Clam ball, and also loves Claminator 12. He is a blue fish and has a baby sister called Turquoise. She is a turquoise fish.
Ruby: She is Rainbow's older sister who is a teenager. She is arrogant, bossy, self-centered and ruby-colored. Constantly, she gets Rainbow into trouble, because she gets jealous, although she actually loves him. She has her own personal nickname for Rainbow; she calls him "Barnacle Boy". This is an allusion to SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
.
Mrs. Chips: The teacher of the school. She teaches history, mathematics, science, and literature.
Wanda: She is the owner of the Neptune Bay fast food restaurant. She very wise and when Rainbow is down she will always gives him advice. Wanda is an octopus.
Chomper and Stingo: The two bullies of the school. They do not really commit acts of physical violence but they can bully and tease Rainbow and his friends. Chomper is a shark while Stingo is a stingray. Chomper bullies more often than Stingo. They often call Rainbow Fish "Rainbow Creep", but sometimes call him other names, like on one episode, "Rainbow Girl".
Sherman: The smallest of the school. He is a salt-water shrimp. To him everything looks big. In the episode where he arrives to Neptune Bay, Rainbow treats Sherman as a shrimp. In the end when Rainbow gets stuck deep in the bowels of a shipwreck, Sherman hears from the TV and goes and rescues Rainbow. Rainbow apologizes for his behavior.
Sol and Aqua: Aqua is an aqua-colored fish and is Rainbow's Mom. Sol is purple and is Rainbow's dad. They help their daughter and son whatever way they can and will always provide them with great courage.
Sir Sword: Local swordfish, upper-class and a bit of a busybody. He is sometimes grumpy, sometimes civil, but always seems to think he is better than everyone else. Plays Santa Sword to the kids at the local Guppies hospital.
Ret and Snapper: The two builders. They appear in only one episode, Moving Away. Rainbow thinks they are going to be moving and Ret and Snapper will buy the house. He and his friends plan to make the house as much of a wreck as possible in order to put off any potential buyers. His parents reveal they were going to build a new recreation room.
Goldie: She appears in only one episode, Shy Blue. She has a crush on Blue, and Rainbow attempts to bring them together.
However, Chomper and Stingo soon ruin the plan.
Rainbow's other classmates: They do not speak in any episode, but, however, they are different shapes, sizes and color. The first one is: a brown fish, the second one: has long body and colored violet, the third one: colored gold and has a redish-like lips, the last one: has a sleek body and has the same color as the second one. Their names are not revealed in any episode since.
Episodes
- BookBookA book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
Report
- Director de. Rainbow
- Fish Alone
- The New Girl
- Romantic Dinner
- Moving Away
- Babysitting
- Shy Blue
- "Rainbow gets an A"
- Halloween under H2O
- Prehostoric Pal
- The Angel Fish
- Rainbow's Pen Pal
- Easter under the sea
- Ruby Slips In
- Cave Mates
- Sherman Shrimp
External links
- http://www.marcuspfister.ch
- A supplemental Rainbow Fish craft for young children