FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman
Encyclopedia
FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman, sometimes shortened as FETCH!, is a children's television series for children ages 6–12 on PBS
during the PBS Kids GO!
block of educational programming. It is a game show
/reality show that is hosted by an animated anthropomorphic dog
who dispenses challenges to the show's real-life contestants. The series ran for five seasons and 100 episodes from May 29, 2006 to November 4, 2010 on PBS. It was announced in June 2010 by WGBH
that due to lack of funding that the series would end. In June 2008, the series received its first Emmy for Best Original Song for its theme.
The challenges are filmed mostly in Boston and various other parts of the USA, depending on the challenges. The challenges are filmed in the summer time when the children are out of school. The challenges which are shot out on the field are cut documentary-style, very similar to network reality TV shows.
After the FETCHers finish filming the challenges, contestants are acting with the voice of Ruff. Jim Conroy travels to Boston from New York for the two weeks they spend shooting in the studio. The fourth camera simply captures Conroy doing his lines as Ruff in the audio booth. The kids hear him in the studio and he hear their lines/reactions in his headphones. Ruff's lines are the only lines that are scripted out, though depending on the situation he will sometimes ad-lib an answer to a question or comment from a FETCHer. Once all that is done the show goes into editing. First the editors go in and pick out their challenge clips and put them in order of the show. Then they are sent to Jim Conroy in NY to voice the episodes where the animation needs to go. Once that is complete, it is sent back to WGBH where they take the audio clips of the animated characters and place them where they go. Once all of this is done, the episode is sent to global mechanic to animate the show. One out of the four editors have an off-set four-week system in place where one of them is ready to send a cut of a new episode to Vancouver every Friday. This processes takes about 6 months to complete one season of the show.
. The contestants are not professional actors, but are real children who actually do the activities.
* Ruff Ruffman (voiced by Jim Conroy
) is the host of the show. He dislikes cats, or at least thinks that dogs are superior to them in most ways. He has a crush
on Charlene. Ruff grouses about his contract
to produce a reality TV program, and the stresses of running one. He loves all food, American-Chinese
take-out in particular. His physical appearance features "eyebrows that hover
mysteriously above his head". Ruff has many relatives and ancestors, all with a similar physical appearance to him, and he has five other brothers and sisters besides Scruff and Roxy. According to the episode Ruff Bounces Back, Ruff is a mutt
and is proud of it. At the end of season 4, Ruff mentions about his mom and dad, stating that they had vanished when he was a pup, but Jerry the parrot explains that they're still alive, implying that that will be the storyline for season 5.
, Carpentry
, Food Science
, Biology
, etc.) in order to complete the task.
Not all contestants leave the studio each episode to complete tasks. As determined usually by the Fetch 3000, the contestants who remain behind in the studio participate in the "Half-Time Quiz Show", in which Ruff asks them questions based on the activities of the contestants out on challenges. Out on challenges, contestants have the potential to earn up to 100 points. The contestants in the studio have a chance to win a maximum of 50 points in the "Half-Time Quiz Show" in which they have to answer 10 questions about events during the challenges. Each question is worth 5 points. They have a total of 60 seconds (for Season 1 and 2 it was 90 seconds but it usually varies by wide amounts of time) to answer all the questions. They can pass on the question and return to it if extra time is left. Usually, there is also a Fetch Fairness Guarantee, which states that every contestant will have had an equal number of challenges (usually 13) and quiz shows (usually 6) before the final episode. Additionally, there are between 5 and 10 "Bone-us" points (sometimes 15 or 20 points) available for one or two (sometimes even three or four) stand-out contestants. On rare occasions, there is the possibility to earn more than 100 points (outside of any bonuses). The record for most points earned in one episode was 125, by Brian, Noah and Khalil in episode 5, season 1. In Season 4 contestants are able to have 1/2 points (i.e. 515½ points). A prize is awarded to the contestant with the most points at the end of the show. At the end of the season, a final point tally is conducted, with the winner of the tally being declared winner of that season and wins the "Grand Prize".
Prizes are not always desirable, and sometimes the prize holder winds up with a "booby prize
"; for example, in Good Dancing and Bad Teeth, Anna and Brian had to dance a waltz in the studio. During the first season the contestant had the choice of keeping the prize, or giving it to a fellow contestant. From (Season 2-5) there are two unknown prizes from which the winner chooses one; season 4 usually puts the unknown prizes in a vault. Usually, the chosen prize is "mailed" to the mailbox in Studio G, although occasionally large prizes are hidden elsewhere on the set. In one season two episode Rosario gave his prize to Nina, and in another Rosario gave his to Madi. In a season 4 episode, Sterling returned his prize to the mailbox.
In Episode 18, Ruff questions his parents and Go Get It!, which leads to a climax in the season. The challenge of the episode consisted of FETCHers meeting a private investigation team to find out more about his parents. The FETCHers find out the date of the parents' disappearance and find out that PURRS (Pussycat Underground Rather Rotten Society) is behind this. They also realize they produce the show, Go Get It! The FETCHers built a robot and used sleuthing skills to attract a new FETCHer that would be most likely a contestant from Go Get It! as a prime suspect. Proving to be successful, they follow the suspect to a mysterious office of the company, and the robot grabbed a package surrounded by hidden lasers. A revelation is that PURRS is planning for a world domination.
Ruff realizes it is the season five finale. One way only, he was forced to do the finale on Episode 20 by his boss Henry even though he still wanted to find his parents. He sends the FETCHers to the waterpark to locate the headquarters of PURRS to stop them from world domination. Two elimination challenges took place in the waterpark and they used two of the "Fabulous Four" game show relics from Episode 2 for the challenges. Jay and Marc were eliminated in their respective order. The FETCHers find the headquarters at the waterpark saying "No Trespassing". They use the buzzer to unlock the door. The door leads them to Studio P (Go Get It!'s Studio which is really Studio G renovated). By surprise, the hosts of Go Get It!, Tom and Trixie, show up at Ruff's doghouse and want to inform that they want to help stop the world domination. At the third elimination challenge, the FETCHers built a way to deactivate the button on the ceiling before Go Get It!'s finale started. They were successful, but Ruff is still mad at Tom and Trixie. The biggest revelation is revealed. Tom and Trixie were really Ruff's parents. They became spies for PURRS, but they came back for Ruff at the end. Emmie and Marco competed at the Go Get It's Grand Grilling (in other terms FETCH's Final Face-Off). At the end, Marco, who at first was from sixth place won triumphantly with first place and got the Golden Fetchie as the grand prize and a hot air balloon ride for all the FETCHers.
show. In the season 2 premiere, when Nina does a rather sloppy job at making chocolate candy, Ruff remarks that it is the "Jackson Pollock
candy." In the following episode, Ruff mentions that he likes REO Speedwagon
. In Season 3, Episode 13, when Sam and Harsha throw sacks in a pail, Ruff makes a comment saying, "I feel like Shaq in the free throw line", making a reference to Shaquille O' Neal. In season 4, Episode 14, when Talia found a horseshoe crab
while working on a shrimp boat, a horrified Ruff exclaimed, "That looks like Darth Vader
's head with a million legs coming out of it!" In Episode 17 of the same season, Talia was starstruck when she discovered that she was holding Roger Federer
's tennis racket. In Episode 15 of Season 2, when the scuba instructors arrived at the beach, Ruff claimed that they were "faster than Batman
" and that he "hoped he was watching the show".
The show also had some guest stars. In season 1, Aaron Carter
, and the contestants all appeared in his new music video. In season 2, episode 2, Ruff sends Madi and Willie to meet the Blue Man Group
, and although he intended for them to meet a "blues
" band, Ruff was genuinely impressed. In season 3, episode 4, Sam meets Senator Edward Kennedy
. In season 5, episode 4, Crush the sea turtle
from the movie Finding Nemo
makes an appearance via Ruff's FETCH 3000. In episode 2 of season 4 the host of Design Squad Nation appeared in pole vault challenge. When Rubye and Marc in Season 5, learned skydiving signs, Ruff remarked that one of the signs looked like "one of Beyonce's dance moves"
, Cyberchase
, and The Electric Company
. So you have to consider the nomination as a win. Can't complain. PBS gave us 100 episodes and 5 seasons. Many good shows never saw that kind of time." FETCH! aired its fifth and final season from October 4, 2010 to November 4, 2010.
In seasons 1–3, Ruff would announce the funding through the FETCH 3000. In season 4 and 5 he would do it on a projector.
"FETCH!" was known for being one of the only PBS Kids shows that showed the sponsors after the intro instead of before the show even starts, like other shows on the network.
Grand Award for The Ruff Guide to Science
"Certificate for Creative Excellence" in the Children's Programming category
Outstanding Children's Series
Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series
Outstanding Achievement in Main Title and Graphic Design
Winner – Television "2009 Best Products"
Silver Honor Winner: TV show
Gold Remi Award "TV Series – Family/Children"
Platinum Remi Award "TV Series – Family/Children"
Winner – Best Kids, 'Tweens and Teens site
Outstanding Original Song – Children's And Animation – FETCH! Theme Song
Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series
Outstanding Original Song – Children's And Animation – FETCH Theme Song
Outstanding Achievement in Single Camera Editing
First Place "Gold Camera Award" in the Children's Programming category
Winner – Television Special Audience Program
Silver Honor Winner: Web site
Recommended Award Winner: TV show
Gold Remi Award for "TV Series – Family/Children"
Winner – Television "2008 Best Products"
Runner-Up Fourth Place – Ages 7–11 Non-Fiction
Bronze World Medal in Youth programs
Performer in an Animated Series
Original Song – FETCH Theme Song
Second Place "Silver Screen Award" in the Children's Programming category
Winner – Television Special Audience Program
2007 Gold Award Winner
Bronze Remi Award for "TV Series – Family/Children"
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
during the PBS Kids GO!
PBS Kids GO!
PBS Kids GO! is an educational television brand used by PBS for programs intended for older children, rather than the original PBS Kids. It is primarily broadcast on PBS stations during the afternoons...
block of educational programming. It is a game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
/reality show that is hosted by an animated anthropomorphic dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
who dispenses challenges to the show's real-life contestants. The series ran for five seasons and 100 episodes from May 29, 2006 to November 4, 2010 on PBS. It was announced in June 2010 by WGBH
WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV, channel 2, is a non-commercial educational public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service , and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time television programming...
that due to lack of funding that the series would end. In June 2008, the series received its first Emmy for Best Original Song for its theme.
Production
Fetch was produced at WGBH Studios in Boston. Seasons are filmed about a year before they air. Season four was the first season to be filmed in High Definition (HD) in 2009. However, WGBH announced that while casting has already been completed, due to a lack of funding, Fetch! will be canceled at the end of its fifth season.The challenges are filmed mostly in Boston and various other parts of the USA, depending on the challenges. The challenges are filmed in the summer time when the children are out of school. The challenges which are shot out on the field are cut documentary-style, very similar to network reality TV shows.
After the FETCHers finish filming the challenges, contestants are acting with the voice of Ruff. Jim Conroy travels to Boston from New York for the two weeks they spend shooting in the studio. The fourth camera simply captures Conroy doing his lines as Ruff in the audio booth. The kids hear him in the studio and he hear their lines/reactions in his headphones. Ruff's lines are the only lines that are scripted out, though depending on the situation he will sometimes ad-lib an answer to a question or comment from a FETCHer. Once all that is done the show goes into editing. First the editors go in and pick out their challenge clips and put them in order of the show. Then they are sent to Jim Conroy in NY to voice the episodes where the animation needs to go. Once that is complete, it is sent back to WGBH where they take the audio clips of the animated characters and place them where they go. Once all of this is done, the episode is sent to global mechanic to animate the show. One out of the four editors have an off-set four-week system in place where one of them is ready to send a cut of a new episode to Vancouver every Friday. This processes takes about 6 months to complete one season of the show.
Studio G set
Studio G is the studio for FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman. There are 3 parts to the show that take place in the studio. The parts are the intro to the show, halftime quiz show and the Triumph Tally take place in the studio. Over the years the set has changed a few times. For season 1 and 2 the studio stayed the same, but in season 3 is when the set started to change big time. In season 3 the TV on which the contestants view Ruff was changed to a more current blue flat screen TV. Also Ruff's owner parked her car in the studio. A flamingo and trees were added around the logo of the studio in season 2. A Studio G sign was also added in Season 2. In Season 4 a brand new remote control Mailbox in place on the blue flat TV Screen which pops out when a challenge is in the mailbox. The wall of fame in the studio was introduced in Season 2 and in Season 3 the Anna and Mike pictures in the wall of fame are smaller, but the question mark picture stayed the same size. Season 5's major renovation is during the season finale. It is taken literally after entering the no trespassing door at the waterpark, but the Go Get It! studio (Studio P) is a remodeled version of the Studio G with new carpeting and various furniture painted pink.Characters
With the exception of Blossom and Chet, who don't speak, all character voices are provided by Jim ConroyJim Conroy
Jim Conroy is a voice actor and television writer. He is known for appearing on television shows, such as Celebrity Deathmatch, Kenny the Shark and FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman, radio commercials and video games...
. The contestants are not professional actors, but are real children who actually do the activities.
* Ruff Ruffman (voiced by Jim Conroy
Jim Conroy
Jim Conroy is a voice actor and television writer. He is known for appearing on television shows, such as Celebrity Deathmatch, Kenny the Shark and FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman, radio commercials and video games...
) is the host of the show. He dislikes cats, or at least thinks that dogs are superior to them in most ways. He has a crush
Unrequited love
Unrequited love is love that is not openly reciprocated or understood as such, even though reciprocation is usually deeply desired. The beloved may or may not be aware of the admirer's deep affections...
on Charlene. Ruff grouses about his contract
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
to produce a reality TV program, and the stresses of running one. He loves all food, American-Chinese
American Chinese cuisine
American Chinese cuisine refers to the style of food served by many Chinese restaurants in the United States. This type of cooking typically caters to Western tastes, and differs significantly from the original Chinese cuisine.-History:...
take-out in particular. His physical appearance features "eyebrows that hover
Hover
Hover may refer to:*Hovering , the process by which an object is suspended by a physical force against gravity, in a stable position without solid physical contactIn transport* Hover , nearly stationary flight in a helicopter...
mysteriously above his head". Ruff has many relatives and ancestors, all with a similar physical appearance to him, and he has five other brothers and sisters besides Scruff and Roxy. According to the episode Ruff Bounces Back, Ruff is a mutt
Mutt
A mutt is a mixed-breed dog.Mutt may also refer to: -Nickname or codename:* Mutt Carey , New Orleans jazz trumpeter...
and is proud of it. At the end of season 4, Ruff mentions about his mom and dad, stating that they had vanished when he was a pup, but Jerry the parrot explains that they're still alive, implying that that will be the storyline for season 5.
- Blossom, whose full name is Princess Blossom Pepperdoodle Von Yum Yum is a catCatThe cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
and was Ruff's intern for Season 2. She is usually simply called "BlossomBlossomIn botany, blossom is a term given to the flowers of stone fruit trees and of some other plants with a similar appearance that flower profusely for a period of time in spring...
". Quite serious, she is usually seen taking notes on her laptopLaptopA laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
. She has never spoken, but only makes strange squeaking sounds to get Ruff's attention. She was promoted to supervisorSupervisorA supervisor, foreperson, team leader, overseer, cell coach, facilitator, or area coordinator is a manager in a position of trust in business...
in Season 3. Ruff didn't enjoy Blossom's company at first, but eventually forms a close bond with her. Despite all of the hijinks that Ruff puts her through, she continues to be loyal to Ruff and the show, particularly when she decided to "work" for Harriet Hackensack so she could find out the reason for her misocyny (hatred for dogs). In Don't like FencingFencingFencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
? Try Fencing!, Blossom is shown watching Design SquadDesign SquadDesign Squad is a PBS reality television series geared towards middle and high-school children, where they design whimsical machines in order to win an Intel college scholarship worth $10,000. The show is produced by WGBH.- Hosts :...
(and also shows that she is a fan of NateNathan BallNathan "Nate" Barker Ball works as a host on the PBS Kids show Design Squad. Ball has appeared in an episode of Myth Busters, a History Channel special on Batman technology, in an insurance advertisement, and in a FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman season 4 episode.He holds two degrees in mechanical...
from the show). - Grandma Ruffman, also voiced by Conroy, is Ruff Ruffman's stubborn grandmother who appeared in eleven episodes so far: Grandma Ruffman's Recipe for Success, The Small Fork Is For Dessert (Unless You're a Dolphin), Tape Loops and Loop-the-Loops, There's Food Safety and Then There's Food Safety, Socket to Me, The People vs. Grandma Ruffman, the FETCH! with Scruff Ruffman Finale, Season Four is Cancelled, Is It a Bird? Is It a Plane? It's... Ruffmanman!, Ruff Needs His Herring Checked, Gearing Up for Getting Ruff's Goat, and How to Really Train Your Dog. She is animated in Macromedia Flash. She attempted to market her products on her grandson's show and constantly fusses about little things, such as Ruff's manners and other FETCHers staying behind in the studio. However, she cares for Ruff, going as far as to retrieve the stolen Fetch 3000 Scruff stole in the premiere of Season 4.
- Chet is Ruff's overly ambitious assistant. In the third season, Blossom, is promoted to the post of "Show SupervisorSupervisorA supervisor, foreperson, team leader, overseer, cell coach, facilitator, or area coordinator is a manager in a position of trust in business...
". This inspires Ruff to show his displeasure to their boss Henry by advertising for a new assistant (episode 2 – When Home Is a House of Cards). Chet is first to answer Ruff's ad and moves himself into a mouse hole under the FETCH 3000 computerComputerA computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
before the interviewInterviewAn interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
is even concluded. Chet got on Ruff's nerves from their first meeting, but finally won his job in a contest with a Blossom-droid, only because it exploded. Despite their obvious mouse/cat differences, Chet and Blossom have learned to work together, often to Ruff's great annoyanceAnnoyanceAnnoyance is an unpleasant mental state that is characterized by such effects as irritation and distraction from one's conscious thinking. It can lead to emotions such as frustration and anger...
. The FETCH! Web site's "Smoothie Operator" game reveals that Chet refers to Ruff as "Mr. Ruffman." - Glen Is Ruff's nephew. He is a computer genius, and game "nerd". He has hacked into the Fetch 3000 more than once, such as (episode 1 of season 5) when he replaced Shreya as an applicant with himself.
Synopsis
FETCH! is a reality-based game show where young contestants take on various challenges to gain points. During these challenges, the contestants must complete a variety of tasks assigned to them ahead of time (and on the fly) by Ruff and surrogates, depending on the situation. There is also an educational component, as contestants often must learn something (i.e. AstronomyAstronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, Carpentry
Carpentry
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
, Food Science
Food science
Food science is a study concerned with all technical aspects of foods, beginning with harvesting or slaughtering, and ending with its cooking and consumption, an ideology commonly referred to as "from field to fork"...
, Biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, etc.) in order to complete the task.
Not all contestants leave the studio each episode to complete tasks. As determined usually by the Fetch 3000, the contestants who remain behind in the studio participate in the "Half-Time Quiz Show", in which Ruff asks them questions based on the activities of the contestants out on challenges. Out on challenges, contestants have the potential to earn up to 100 points. The contestants in the studio have a chance to win a maximum of 50 points in the "Half-Time Quiz Show" in which they have to answer 10 questions about events during the challenges. Each question is worth 5 points. They have a total of 60 seconds (for Season 1 and 2 it was 90 seconds but it usually varies by wide amounts of time) to answer all the questions. They can pass on the question and return to it if extra time is left. Usually, there is also a Fetch Fairness Guarantee, which states that every contestant will have had an equal number of challenges (usually 13) and quiz shows (usually 6) before the final episode. Additionally, there are between 5 and 10 "Bone-us" points (sometimes 15 or 20 points) available for one or two (sometimes even three or four) stand-out contestants. On rare occasions, there is the possibility to earn more than 100 points (outside of any bonuses). The record for most points earned in one episode was 125, by Brian, Noah and Khalil in episode 5, season 1. In Season 4 contestants are able to have 1/2 points (i.e. 515½ points). A prize is awarded to the contestant with the most points at the end of the show. At the end of the season, a final point tally is conducted, with the winner of the tally being declared winner of that season and wins the "Grand Prize".
Prizes are not always desirable, and sometimes the prize holder winds up with a "booby prize
Booby prize
A booby prize is a joke prize usually given in recognition of a terrible performance or last-place finish. A person who finishes last, for example, may get a booby prize such as a worthless coin. Booby prizes are sometimes humorously and jokingly coveted as an object of pride.Booby prizes, however,...
"; for example, in Good Dancing and Bad Teeth, Anna and Brian had to dance a waltz in the studio. During the first season the contestant had the choice of keeping the prize, or giving it to a fellow contestant. From (Season 2-5) there are two unknown prizes from which the winner chooses one; season 4 usually puts the unknown prizes in a vault. Usually, the chosen prize is "mailed" to the mailbox in Studio G, although occasionally large prizes are hidden elsewhere on the set. In one season two episode Rosario gave his prize to Nina, and in another Rosario gave his to Madi. In a season 4 episode, Sterling returned his prize to the mailbox.
Go Get It! with Tom and Trixie
Go Get It! with Tom and Trixie was a major part of the plot in Season 5. It was a copycat show that was Ruff's competition. Grandma Ruffman was the first to find out and watch the show. After Ruff finds out of this, he does his best to win more viewers as the rival show is top-rated. It airs on FELINE NETWORK in the show (FETCH! apparently is aired on CANINE NETWORK).In Episode 18, Ruff questions his parents and Go Get It!, which leads to a climax in the season. The challenge of the episode consisted of FETCHers meeting a private investigation team to find out more about his parents. The FETCHers find out the date of the parents' disappearance and find out that PURRS (Pussycat Underground Rather Rotten Society) is behind this. They also realize they produce the show, Go Get It! The FETCHers built a robot and used sleuthing skills to attract a new FETCHer that would be most likely a contestant from Go Get It! as a prime suspect. Proving to be successful, they follow the suspect to a mysterious office of the company, and the robot grabbed a package surrounded by hidden lasers. A revelation is that PURRS is planning for a world domination.
More About Ruff's Parents' Disappearance
Ruff is closer to the answer of his parents' disappearance, and in Episode 19, the FETCHers take more insight of this matter. After Ruff's nephew Glen accidentally gets in the server of PURRS via the website, they find a map leading to a mysterious Golden Fetchie. Ruff sends the FETCHers to this mysterious island located on the map so they can get the Golden Fetchie before PURRS does.Unknown until the FETCHers arrival,the FETCHers realized they are back to Game Show Island (the coordinates from Grandma's Parrot took them there in Episode 1). They located the Golden Fetchie by finding the right telephone and number to call and play a hot/cold game to find the Golden Fetchie. After finding the Golden Fetchie, they head back to the docks and take a picture with the triumphant achievement. However, a cat snuck in and got the Golden Fetchie back in PURRS' keeping. Sadly, the FETCHers go back to Studio G empty handed. At the end, Grandma Ruffman reveals that the Golden Fetchie was really not just a trophy, but a brainwashing device that will make the country think they're all cats. Ruff also comes to the conclusion that PURRS is responsible for his parents' disappearance.Ruff realizes it is the season five finale. One way only, he was forced to do the finale on Episode 20 by his boss Henry even though he still wanted to find his parents. He sends the FETCHers to the waterpark to locate the headquarters of PURRS to stop them from world domination. Two elimination challenges took place in the waterpark and they used two of the "Fabulous Four" game show relics from Episode 2 for the challenges. Jay and Marc were eliminated in their respective order. The FETCHers find the headquarters at the waterpark saying "No Trespassing". They use the buzzer to unlock the door. The door leads them to Studio P (Go Get It!'s Studio which is really Studio G renovated). By surprise, the hosts of Go Get It!, Tom and Trixie, show up at Ruff's doghouse and want to inform that they want to help stop the world domination. At the third elimination challenge, the FETCHers built a way to deactivate the button on the ceiling before Go Get It!'s finale started. They were successful, but Ruff is still mad at Tom and Trixie. The biggest revelation is revealed. Tom and Trixie were really Ruff's parents. They became spies for PURRS, but they came back for Ruff at the end. Emmie and Marco competed at the Go Get It's Grand Grilling (in other terms FETCH's Final Face-Off). At the end, Marco, who at first was from sixth place won triumphantly with first place and got the Golden Fetchie as the grand prize and a hot air balloon ride for all the FETCHers.
Cultural references and guest stars
Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman contains a sizable amount of direct cultural references for a PBS KidsPBS Kids
PBS Kids is the brand for children's programming aired by the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States founded in 1993. As with all PBS programming, PBS Kids programming is non-commercial. It is aimed at children ages 2 to 10...
show. In the season 2 premiere, when Nina does a rather sloppy job at making chocolate candy, Ruff remarks that it is the "Jackson Pollock
Jackson Pollock
Paul Jackson Pollock , known as Jackson Pollock, was an influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. During his lifetime, Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety. He was regarded as a mostly reclusive artist. He had a volatile personality, and...
candy." In the following episode, Ruff mentions that he likes REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon is an American rock band. Formed in 1967, the band grew in popularity during the 1970s and peaked in the early 1980s. Hi Infidelity is the group's most commercially successful album, selling over ten million copies and charting four Top 40 hits in the US...
. In Season 3, Episode 13, when Sam and Harsha throw sacks in a pail, Ruff makes a comment saying, "I feel like Shaq in the free throw line", making a reference to Shaquille O' Neal. In season 4, Episode 14, when Talia found a horseshoe crab
Horseshoe crab
The Atlantic horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, is a marine chelicerate arthropod. Despite its name, it is more closely related to spiders, ticks, and scorpions than to crabs. Horseshoe crabs are most commonly found in the Gulf of Mexico and along the northern Atlantic coast of North America...
while working on a shrimp boat, a horrified Ruff exclaimed, "That looks like Darth Vader
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
's head with a million legs coming out of it!" In Episode 17 of the same season, Talia was starstruck when she discovered that she was holding Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
's tennis racket. In Episode 15 of Season 2, when the scuba instructors arrived at the beach, Ruff claimed that they were "faster than Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
" and that he "hoped he was watching the show".
The show also had some guest stars. In season 1, Aaron Carter
Aaron Carter
Aaron Charles Carter is an American singer. He came to fame as a pop and hip hop singer in the late 1990s, establishing himself as a star among pre-teen and teenage audiences during the early-first decade of the 21st century....
, and the contestants all appeared in his new music video. In season 2, episode 2, Ruff sends Madi and Willie to meet the Blue Man Group
Blue Man Group
Blue Man Group is an organization founded by Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton. The organization produces theatrical shows and concerts featuring popular music, comedy and multimedia; recorded music and scores for film and television; television appearances for shows such as The Tonight...
, and although he intended for them to meet a "blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
" band, Ruff was genuinely impressed. In season 3, episode 4, Sam meets Senator Edward Kennedy
Edward Kennedy
Edward Kennedy may refer to:*Ted Kennedy, Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy , United States Senator from Massachusetts*Edward Kennedy , journalist who first reported the German surrender in World War II*Edward Kennedy, Jr., son of U.S...
. In season 5, episode 4, Crush the sea turtle
Sea turtle
Sea turtles are marine reptiles that inhabit all of the world's oceans except the Arctic.-Distribution:...
from the movie Finding Nemo
Finding Nemo
Finding Nemo is a 2003 American comi-drama animated film written by Andrew Stanton, directed by Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich and produced by Pixar. It tells the story of the overly protective clownfish Marlin who, along with a regal tang called Dory , searches for his abducted son Nemo...
makes an appearance via Ruff's FETCH 3000. In episode 2 of season 4 the host of Design Squad Nation appeared in pole vault challenge. When Rubye and Marc in Season 5, learned skydiving signs, Ruff remarked that one of the signs looked like "one of Beyonce's dance moves"
Episodes
, 100 episodes have aired over 5 seasons.Cast members
- Season 1 : Khalil, Anna, Brian, Julia, Noah & Taylor
- Season 2: Bridget, Mike, Madi, Rosario, Nina & Willie
- Season 3: DJ, Harsha, Jay, Sam, Noel & Sammy
- Season 4: Sterling, Liza, Bethany, Isaac, Talia & Brian
- Season 5 : Emmie, Jay, Marc, Marco, Rubye & Shreya
Cancellation
The show had auditions for their sixth season in January 2010, but on June 14, 2010, WGBH Boston announced that Season 5 will be the final season due to lack of funding. On June 27, 2010, Jim Conroy (the voice of Ruff) made the official announcement at the Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony. On his Facebook page he said, "It's such an impossible task going up against Sesame StreetSesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
, Cyberchase
Cyberchase
Cyberchase is an American educational television series for children age 6-12, that teaches children discrete mathematics. The show airs on Public Broadcasting Service and PBS Kids GO! in the United States. Seasons one through five were produced by Thirteen/WNET New York and Nelvana...
, and The Electric Company
The Electric Company (2009 TV series)
The Electric Company is an American children's educational series for young children aged 4–8 on PBS, derived from the 1971 series. The series premiered as a four-episode mini-marathon on PBS on January 19, 2009, then became a weekly series with an episode shown each Friday. On September 7, 2009,...
. So you have to consider the nomination as a win. Can't complain. PBS gave us 100 episodes and 5 seasons. Many good shows never saw that kind of time." FETCH! aired its fifth and final season from October 4, 2010 to November 4, 2010.
Auditions
To audition for the program, potential contestants were required to be between the ages of 10 and 14 and be able to live in the greater Boston area over the summer, during school vacations, and a few weekends during the school year. FETCHers needed to be able to be filmed without missing school. Auditions were handled by Maura Tighe Casting.Funding
- National Science FoundationNational Science FoundationThe National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
Where Discoveries Begin (2006–10) - The Arthur Vining Davis FoundationsThe Arthur Vining Davis FoundationsThe Arthur Vining Davis Foundations are a group of charitable foundations established by American industrialist Arthur Vining Davis, onetime Alcoa president and Florida land developer.-History:...
Dedicated to strengthening America's future through education (2006) - Corporation for Public BroadcastingCorporation for Public BroadcastingThe Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a non-profit corporation created by an act of the United States Congress, funded by the United States’ federal government to promote public broadcasting...
A private Corporation funded by the American people (2009–10) - Arby'sArby'sArby's is a fast food restaurant chain in the United States and Canada. Roark Capital Group owns 81.5% of the company, with Wendy's Company owning the other 18.5%. It is primarily known for selling roast beef sandwiches and curly fries. The Arby's menu also includes chicken sandwiches, appetizers,...
(2006–07) - Greendog Clothes for Kids @ Macy'sMacy'sMacy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
(2006–08) - Chuck E. Cheese'sChuck E. Cheese'sChuck E. Cheese's is a chain of family entertainment centers. Chuck E...
(2010) - Contributions to your PBS stations from "Viewers Like You" (2006–10)
In seasons 1–3, Ruff would announce the funding through the FETCH 3000. In season 4 and 5 he would do it on a projector.
"FETCH!" was known for being one of the only PBS Kids shows that showed the sponsors after the intro instead of before the show even starts, like other shows on the network.
Awards
- APEX 2009
Grand Award for The Ruff Guide to Science
- U.S. International Film and Video Festival 2009
"Certificate for Creative Excellence" in the Children's Programming category
- 2009 Daytime Emmy Nominations
Outstanding Children's Series
Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series
Outstanding Achievement in Main Title and Graphic Design
- iParenting Media Award 2009
Winner – Television "2009 Best Products"
- Parents' Choice Awards 2009
Silver Honor Winner: TV show
- WorldFest Houston 2009
Gold Remi Award "TV Series – Family/Children"
- WorldFest Houston 2009
Platinum Remi Award "TV Series – Family/Children"
- MITX Award 2008
Winner – Best Kids, 'Tweens and Teens site
- 2008 Daytime Emmy Award
Outstanding Original Song – Children's And Animation – FETCH! Theme Song
- 2008 Daytime Emmy Nominations
Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series
Outstanding Original Song – Children's And Animation – FETCH Theme Song
Outstanding Achievement in Single Camera Editing
- U.S. International Film and Video Festival 2008
First Place "Gold Camera Award" in the Children's Programming category
- Clarion Award 2008 Competition
Winner – Television Special Audience Program
- Parents' Choice Awards 2008
Silver Honor Winner: Web site
Recommended Award Winner: TV show
- WorldFest Houston
Gold Remi Award for "TV Series – Family/Children"
- iParenting Media Award 2008
Winner – Television "2008 Best Products"
- PRIX JEUNESSE 2008 Festival
Runner-Up Fourth Place – Ages 7–11 Non-Fiction
- New York Festival International 2008
Bronze World Medal in Youth programs
- 2007 Daytime Emmy Nominations
Performer in an Animated Series
Original Song – FETCH Theme Song
- U.S. International Film and Video Festival 2007
Second Place "Silver Screen Award" in the Children's Programming category
- Clarion Award 2007 Competition
Winner – Television Special Audience Program
- Parents' Choice Awards
2007 Gold Award Winner
- WorldFest Houston
Bronze Remi Award for "TV Series – Family/Children"