A Pumpkin Full of Nonsense
Encyclopedia
The Adventures of the Scrabble People in A Pumpkin Full of Nonsense is an animated television special from 1985, made at Jaime Diaz Studios in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was produced and directed by Alvaro Arce, and co-directed by Jaime Diaz. In the special, a character called Sir Scrabble and two children travel to a land called Nonsense, where education has been forbidden. Sir Scrabble teams up with the residents to defeat an evil ruler, the Muddler, through the power of learning and spelling.
Selchow and Righter
, a U.S. board game manufacturer, financed and developed A Pumpkin Full of Nonsense; it was based on, and also featured, that same company's Scrabble People characters. The special first aired in syndication on October 31, 1985, and was re-run in August 1986. It was released on VHS by Vestron Video
through its Children's Video Library label.
Sir Scrabble insists on teaching the alphabet to Nonsense's residents, but the Muddler imprisons him for that; this satisfies Rotunda, the evil ruler's daughter. The towndwellers' learning and spelling skills, along with a teacher named Lexathe area's only literate residentcome to Sir Scrabble's rescue and set him free. They and the human visitors eventually defeat the Muddler, and Nonsense is eventually renamed Makesense. Afterward, Tad, Terry and Mr. Scrabble head over to their party.
, the owners of the Scrabble
board game at that time. It also showcased, and was based on, the company's Scrabble People property, which was introduced in 1984 and created by the designers of Coleco
's Cabbage Patch Kids
.
The special originally aired in syndication on October 31, 1985, and was re-run in eleven markets in late August 1986 through Orbis Communications. During that period, it aired on WCBS
in New York City. It was released on VHS and Beta
on July 16, 1986 by Children's Video Library, a Vestron Video
label. C.J. Kettler, a Vestron spokesperson, said that its acquisition of the special "enhances our catalog significantly because all Scrabble People products, including the video, educate children while entertaining them
". Eden Ross Lipson of The New York Times
called the special an "elaborately produced effort" and added, "It's cartooning for a causeliteracyand if it falls short as both art and entertainment, it's not for want of trying." A Pumpkin Full of Nonsense was certified with the Seal of Approval from Good Housekeeping
magazine.
Selchow and Righter
Selchow and Righter
Selchow and Righter was a 19th century Bay Shore, New York game manufacturer best known for the games Parcheesi and Scrabble.It dates back to 1867when it was founded as E.G. Selchow & Co...
, a U.S. board game manufacturer, financed and developed A Pumpkin Full of Nonsense; it was based on, and also featured, that same company's Scrabble People characters. The special first aired in syndication on October 31, 1985, and was re-run in August 1986. It was released on VHS by Vestron Video
Vestron Video
Vestron Video was the main subsidiary of Vestron, Inc., a home video company based in Stamford, Connecticut that was active from 1982 to 1992. It is considered to have been a pioneer in the home video market....
through its Children's Video Library label.
Plot
Sir Scrabble, a resident of a magical town known as Nonsense, follows a boy named Tad and a girl named Terry on the way to a Halloween party. Coming across a pumpkin patch, they stumble upon an enormous pumpkin and land right into the town. There, they discover that the signs nearby have missing or scrambled letters. As it turns out, a nemesis called the Muddler"Baron of Bad Guys, Count of Confusion, Earl of Errors and King of Chaos" as he is dubbedhas rid the land of all education and vowels. This has greatly oppressed the Scrabble People, a group of youngsters who live there.Sir Scrabble insists on teaching the alphabet to Nonsense's residents, but the Muddler imprisons him for that; this satisfies Rotunda, the evil ruler's daughter. The towndwellers' learning and spelling skills, along with a teacher named Lexathe area's only literate residentcome to Sir Scrabble's rescue and set him free. They and the human visitors eventually defeat the Muddler, and Nonsense is eventually renamed Makesense. Afterward, Tad, Terry and Mr. Scrabble head over to their party.
Cast
| Name | Character | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Brianne Sidall | Tad / Terry | |
| Kevin Slattery | Sir Scrabble | |
| Bob Singer Bob Singer Bob Singer is an American animation artist, character designer, layout and background artist and storyboard director of animated television programs, most memorably of several Hanna Barbara productions such as The Flintstones, Jonny Quest, Scooby-Doo, Yogi Bear, Droopy, Tom and Jerry, The Jetsons,... |
Rot | |
| George Atkins | Muller | |
| Melissa Freeman | Lexa | |
| Kathy Hart Freeman | Rotunda |
Release and reception
A Pumpkin Full of Nonsense was produced by Jaime Diaz Studios of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Arce Productions. The special was financed and developed by Selchow and RighterSelchow and Righter
Selchow and Righter was a 19th century Bay Shore, New York game manufacturer best known for the games Parcheesi and Scrabble.It dates back to 1867when it was founded as E.G. Selchow & Co...
, the owners of the Scrabble
Scrabble
Scrabble is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a game board marked with a 15-by-15 grid. The words are formed across and down in crossword fashion and must appear in a standard dictionary. Official reference works provide a list...
board game at that time. It also showcased, and was based on, the company's Scrabble People property, which was introduced in 1984 and created by the designers of Coleco
Coleco
Coleco is an American company founded in 1932 by Maurice Greenberg as "Connecticut Leather Company". It became a highly successful toy company in the 1980s, known for its mass-produced version of Cabbage Patch Kids dolls and its video game consoles, the Coleco Telstar and...
's Cabbage Patch Kids
Cabbage Patch Kids
Cabbage Patch Kids is a line of dolls created by American art student Xavier Roberts in 1978. It was originally called "Little People". The original dolls were all cloth and sold at local craft shows, then later at Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, Georgia...
.
The special originally aired in syndication on October 31, 1985, and was re-run in eleven markets in late August 1986 through Orbis Communications. During that period, it aired on WCBS
WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV, channel 2, is the flagship station of the CBS television network, located in New York City. The station's studios are located within the CBS Broadcast Center and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building, both in Midtown Manhattan....
in New York City. It was released on VHS and Beta
Betamax
Betamax was a consumer-level analog videocassette magnetic tape recording format developed by Sony, released on May 10, 1975. The cassettes contain -wide videotape in a design similar to the earlier, professional wide, U-matic format...
on July 16, 1986 by Children's Video Library, a Vestron Video
Vestron Video
Vestron Video was the main subsidiary of Vestron, Inc., a home video company based in Stamford, Connecticut that was active from 1982 to 1992. It is considered to have been a pioneer in the home video market....
label. C.J. Kettler, a Vestron spokesperson, said that its acquisition of the special "enhances our catalog significantly because all Scrabble People products, including the video, educate children while entertaining them
Edutainment
Edutainment is a form of entertainment designed to educate as well as to amuse.-Overview:...
". Eden Ross Lipson of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called the special an "elaborately produced effort" and added, "It's cartooning for a causeliteracyand if it falls short as both art and entertainment, it's not for want of trying." A Pumpkin Full of Nonsense was certified with the Seal of Approval from Good Housekeeping
Good Housekeeping
Good Housekeeping is a women's magazine owned by the Hearst Corporation, featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, health as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good Housekeeping Seal," popularly known as the...
magazine.