Wayside (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Wayside is a Canadian animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...

 television series created by Louis Sachar
Louis Sachar
Louis Sachar is an American author of children's books who is best known for the Sideways Stories From Wayside School book series and the 1998 novel Holes, for which Sachar won a National Book Award and the Newbery Medal...

, developed and written by John Derevlany
John Derevlany
John Derevlany is a writer, director, and performer best known for playing "Crackers the Corporate Crime Fighting Chicken" in Michael Moore's TV Nation. He also created the preschool dance and movement show Animal Jam for Jim Henson Productions and the Discovery Channel, wrote many episodes of...

 for Canadian television channel Teletoon. The series centers on Todd, a transfer student who attends Wayside, an offbeat educational institution based on Sachar's upbringing. The series' premise is based on Sachar's Sideways Stories From Wayside School
Sideways Stories From Wayside School
The Sideways Stories From Wayside School series is a popular series of 3 books by Louis Sachar. Sideways Stories From Wayside School, Wayside School is Falling Down and Wayside School Gets A Little Stranger are the three novel-length books...

book series, although several elements in the series differ greatly.

The series was conceived in 2005 by Derevlany, who later developed and wrote an hour-long pitch for Teletoon. Pleased, the company green-lighted Wayside for 25 episodes in 2007. The series was later commissioned to air in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 on Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...

 during the summer of 2007 before being pulled from the network's lineup and returning late in the year. The show premiered in reruns on Nicktoons on September 1, 2007 and was actually left the channel on September 1, 2008, then returned on July 13, 2009. Production ceased in 2008 for both countries, and any official word on continuation has yet to be announced.

Wayside has also been nominated for a "Best TV Series for Children" at the 2008 Cartoons on the Bay award ceremony. Despite favorable critical reception, the series has also received negative criticism, including unfavorable comparisons for its differences from the Sideways Stories book series. Many tie-in
Tie-in
A tie-in is an authorized product based on a media property a company is releasing, such as a movie or video/DVD, computer game, video game, television program/television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property...

 media have been released, including a DVD release of the pilot episode under the title Wayside: The Movie, released in 2007, and a DVD of the first season, released on August 17, 2008.

Synopsis

The Wayside series takes place at the fictional Wayside School, an unusual Escher
M. C. Escher
Maurits Cornelis Escher , usually referred to as M. C. Escher , was a Dutch graphic artist. He is known for his often mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints...

-esque 30-story grammar school. The school had been accidentally built "sideways," with one classroom in each of the 30 stories instead of 30 classrooms on each floor. Like in the books, there are actually 29 floors in the school, one inhabited by the imaginary Miss Zarves on the imaginary 19th floor. The series revolves around a new student at the school, named Todd, and his adventures adapting to life as a student at the top floor of Wayside School.

At Wayside, every floor appears to have lockers, stairs, classrooms, doors, and light fixtures. The first floor contains the principal's office; the second floor contains a bathroom and several rows of lockers, while fifth, sixth, and seventh consist of the classroom for pottery, the school campgrounds, and the school library, respectively.
The twelfth school contains the faculty lounge and pool, while the following three floors contain the gym, the social studies classroom and gondola canal, and the cafeteria and kitchen.

On the (technically nonexistent) nineteenth floor, there are no doors, but a chute blocked by wooden boards. In the episode, "Dana Checks Out," in the hall and stairwell of what is considered the nineteenth floor, there are lockers in the background. On the two tallest floors, Ms. Mush teaches honor's class in an auditorium on the twenty-ninetieth floor, while Mrs. Jewels teaches her students on the thirtieth. Every floor also appears to be a different color. To add to the school's Escher-esque style, all of the features of the floors—doors, lockers, stairs, etc.—are placed in very unusual ways, as seen in the Escher artwork, Relativity. All of the floors' features are either right-side up, upside-down, sideways, or suspended high above the floor, as seen with several lockers.

Characters

Wayside primarily centers Todd (voiced by Mark Rendall
Mark Rendall
Mark Rendall is a Canadian actor, perhaps best known for starring in the title role of the 2004 film, Childstar, as well as Mick in Season 1 of the Canadian television drama series ReGenesis. He played Bastian Bux in the TV series, Tales from the Neverending Story, and the title character in The...

), a transfer student who attends Mrs. Jewels' class on the 30th floor and struggles to adapt and conform to Wayside's offbeat academic structure. Supporting characters include his friends Maurecia (Denise Oliver
Denise Oliver
Denise Oliver is a Canadian voice actress. She is currently the voice of Kitty Ko on the YTV series Sidekick and Yu Tendou of Beyblade: Metal Fusion in the English dub of the anime. She was the voice of Maurecia on Wayside, Hazel on My Friend Rabbit and Irma on Cyberchase....

), a tomboy
Tomboy
A tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...

 who has an enormous crush on Todd, Myron (Martin Villafana)(Myron Pinto), a vain and self-centered student who wishes to become class president
Class President
A class president is usually the leader of a student body class, and presides over its class cabinet or organization within a student council, in a grade school class presidents are generally elected by the class, a constituency composed of all students in a grade level.The practice of electing a...

, and Dana (Lisa Ng), a Type A
Type A personality
Originally published in the 1950s, the Type A and Type B personality theory is a theory which describes two common, contrasting personality types—the high-strung Type A and the easy-going Type B—as patterns of behavior that could either raise or lower, respectively, one's chances of developing...

 overachiever who obsessively maintains Wayside's rules and acts as Myron's campaign manager
Campaign manager
A campaign manager is a paid or volunteer individual, whose role is to coordinate the campaign's operations such as fundraising, advertising, polling, getting out the vote , and other activities supporting the effort, directly.Apart from the candidate, they are often a campaign's most visible leader...

. Recurring members of the school faculty include Mrs. Jewels (Kathleen Laskey
Kathleen Laskey
Kathleen Laskey, sometimes credited as Kathy Laskey, is a Canadian actress, primarily associated with television roles. Her credits include roles in Check it Out!, Being Erica, Street Legal, George Shrinks, Blue Murder, Yin Yang Yo!, Wayside, Weird Years, At the Hotel and The Eleventh...

), Todd's offbeat yet endearing teacher, Principal Kidswatter (Kedar Brown), the self-centered and eccentric school principal
Head teacher
A head teacher or school principal is the most senior teacher, leader and manager of a school....

, Louis (Sergio Di Zio
Sergio Di Zio
Sergio Di Zio is a Canadian actor. He is currently starring in the television series Flashpoint as Michaelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti...

), the relaxed and friendly caretaker and supervisor at Wayside, and Ms. Mush (Jayne Eastwood
Jayne Eastwood
Jayne Eastwood , also credited as Jane Easton or Jane Eastwood, is a Canadian actress most famous for appearing in the 2002 film Chicago. She was one of the original cast members of the Toronto branch of The Second City, and was a semi-regular on SCTV...

), the Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...

an head chef of the school cafeteria and nurse
School nurse
A school nurse is a nurse assigned to work in a school.Schools have nurses to promote good health in students, and in preparation for illnesses and emergencies in students.Some places have laws requiring schools to have nurses.-Duties:...

 who is best known for her poor cooking and friendly personality.

Minor students in Mrs. Jewels' class include Rondi (Denise Oliver
Denise Oliver
Denise Oliver is a Canadian voice actress. She is currently the voice of Kitty Ko on the YTV series Sidekick and Yu Tendou of Beyblade: Metal Fusion in the English dub of the anime. She was the voice of Maurecia on Wayside, Hazel on My Friend Rabbit and Irma on Cyberchase....

), an obese girl who is missing her two front teeth, Shari (Lisa Ng), a female student who wears a smoky purple overcoat and frequently sleeps in class, Stephen (Terry McGurrin
Terry McGurrin
Terry McGurrin is a Canadian actor and writer from Ottawa, Ontario.Terry is perhaps best known for doing the voice of Jonesy Garcia in the TV show 6teen. He has also done voices in TV shows such as Medabots and Stoked...

), a student who attires a Halloween elf costume, the Three Erics (Peter Oldring
Peter Oldring
Peter Oldring is a Canadian TV actor and comedian.- Biography :In addition to performing with The Second City improv group in Toronto and Los Angeles, Oldring has appeared on Canadian television. He was also a regular cast member of the redneck-themed sketch comedy series Blue Collar TV...

, Terry McGurrin
Terry McGurrin
Terry McGurrin is a Canadian actor and writer from Ottawa, Ontario.Terry is perhaps best known for doing the voice of Jonesy Garcia in the TV show 6teen. He has also done voices in TV shows such as Medabots and Stoked...

, and Dwayne Hill), three similarly-attired students in Mrs. Jewels' class who perform many casual tasks collectively, Jenny (Denise Oliver
Denise Oliver
Denise Oliver is a Canadian voice actress. She is currently the voice of Kitty Ko on the YTV series Sidekick and Yu Tendou of Beyblade: Metal Fusion in the English dub of the anime. She was the voice of Maurecia on Wayside, Hazel on My Friend Rabbit and Irma on Cyberchase....

), an Evel Knievel
Evel Knievel
Evel Knievel , born Robert Craig Knievel, was an American daredevil and entertainer. In his career he attempted over 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps between 1965 and 1980, and in 1974, a failed jump across Snake River Canyon in the Skycycle X-2, a steam-powered rocket...

-esque stunt performer
Stunt performer
A stuntman, or daredevil is someone who performs dangerous stunts, often as a career.These stunts are sometimes rigged so that they look dangerous while still having safety mechanisms, but often they are as dangerous as they appear to be...

 who often rides a motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...

 throughout the school, John (Jacqueline Pillon
Jacqueline Pillon
Jacqueline Patricia Pillon is a Canadian actress. She is best known as the voice of Matt from Cyberchase.- Early life :...

 in season 1; Dwayne Hill in season 2), a student in Mrs. Jewels' class who frequently walks on his hands upside-down, Joe (Peter Oldring
Peter Oldring
Peter Oldring is a Canadian TV actor and comedian.- Biography :In addition to performing with The Second City improv group in Toronto and Los Angeles, Oldring has appeared on Canadian television. He was also a regular cast member of the redneck-themed sketch comedy series Blue Collar TV...

), a student who is known for his large orange-colored afro
Afro
Afro, sometimes shortened to fro and also known as a "natural", is a hairstyle worn naturally by people with lengthy kinky hair texture or specifically styled in such a fashion by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair...

, Leslie (Lisa Ng), a female student who uses two pigtails to perform everyday tasks, Bebe Gunn (Denise Oliver
Denise Oliver
Denise Oliver is a Canadian voice actress. She is currently the voice of Kitty Ko on the YTV series Sidekick and Yu Tendou of Beyblade: Metal Fusion in the English dub of the anime. She was the voice of Maurecia on Wayside, Hazel on My Friend Rabbit and Irma on Cyberchase....

), a student best known for her advanced art skills, and Deedee (Lisa Ng), a student who wears a pink and purple shirt and has lemon-lime hair.

Several members of the school faculty also play minor roles, including Mrs. Gorf (Julie Lemieux
Julie Lemieux
-Character voices:Julie Lemieux has provided the voice for characters such as Sammy Tsukino and Young Sapphire in Sailor Moon, Darien Shields in Sailor Moon R the Movie: Promise of the Rose, and Peruru in Sailor Moon Supers the Movie: Black Dream Hole. She has also played Funshine Bear Care Bears:...

), a substitute
Substitute teacher
A substitute teacher is a person who teaches a school class when the regular teacher is unavailable; e.g., because of illness, personal leave, or other reasons. "Substitute teacher" is the most commonly used phrase in the United States, Canada and Ireland, while supply teacher is the most commonly...

 replacement for Mrs. Jewels who had the ability to transform her students into apples before being transformed into one herself by Maurecia, Le Chef (Peter Oldring
Peter Oldring
Peter Oldring is a Canadian TV actor and comedian.- Biography :In addition to performing with The Second City improv group in Toronto and Los Angeles, Oldring has appeared on Canadian television. He was also a regular cast member of the redneck-themed sketch comedy series Blue Collar TV...

), the former French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...

 chef in the teacher's lounge who was to be appointed cafeteria chef in place of Ms. Mush but was later evicted from the school due to his obnoxious demeanor, Mr. Blunderbuss (Dwayne Hill), the adventurous fourteenth floor teacher who often goes on hunting safari
Safari
A safari is an overland journey, usually a trip by tourists to Africa. Traditionally, the term is used for a big-game hunt, but today the term often refers to a trip taken not for the purposes of hunting, but to observe and photograph animals and other wildlife.-Etymology:Entering the English...

s throughout worldwide jungles, and Ms. Zarves, the teacher for the nonexistent nineteenth floor who is a frequent topic of discussion among Wayside students. Other recurring characters include Sammy, Ms. Mush's dead and petrified
Petrifaction
In geology, petrifaction, petrification or silicification is the process by which organic material is converted into stone by impregnation with silica. It is a rare form of fossilization...

 companion
Pet
A pet is a household animal kept for companionship and a person's enjoyment, as opposed to wild animals or to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic or productive reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful...

 rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...

, Poobinsky, an octopus
Octopus
The octopus is a cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms, and like other cephalopods they are bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms...

 that Ms. Mush attempts to cook for lunch but often unsuccessful, and Fluffy, Maurecia's short-tempered pet porcupine
Porcupine
Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend or camouflage them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about long, with...

 who often envies Todd.

Differences from the books

There are a number of notable differences between Wayside and Sideways Stories from Wayside School. For example, in the series, a large number of changes were made to the character of Todd; in the book series, he is not a transfer student, although two transfer students appeared the book chronology, namely Sue and Benjamin Nushmutt. However, neither Sue nor Benjamin appear in the series, and Todd instead appears to take the latter's role as "new kid". Maurecia's personality also diverges from that of the series—in the books, she is normal girl with a love for ice cream who is never mentioned nor depicted to wear roller skates and is almost always featured with her best friend Joy, who never appears in the series.

Critical reception

DVD Talk
DVD Talk
DVD Talk is a website for DVD enthusiasts founded in January 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman when DVDs and DVD players were first beginning to hit the market.The site started as an online forum, an email newsletter, and a page of DVD news and reviews...

described Wayside as "a clever, often hilarious little show that demands a larger audience", praising the series' scripts and dialogue as "delight[ed] in mixing absurd humor with fond grade school memories."

DVD Verdict
DVD Verdict
DVD Verdict is a judicial themed website for DVD reviews. The site was founded in 1999. Current editor in chief is Michael Stailey, who also reviews for Rotten Tomatoes...

stated "The most satisfying part of Wayside is how the show feels perfectly balanced—it has enough wacky antics and bizarre events to satisfy young audiences, enough logical fallacies and defiant attitudes to amuse middle-aged kids, and enough clever and sardonic wit to please adults fortunate enough to find themselves in front of a television set while the show is playing," concluding that Wayside was "the perfect cartoon adventure for families of all ages."

Blogcritics
Blogcritics
Blogcritics is a blog network and online magazine of news and opinion. The site—a self-proclaimed "sinister cabal of superior writers"—was founded in 2002 by Eric Olsen and Phillip Winn...

reviewer negatively compared the animated series to the books which inspired it, stating that the series "doesn't have the magic that the books had," and noting that while the books provided "wacky, silly, with odd, funny, almost-realistic-but-not-quite characters", viewers get no such character development from the animation, and expanded that while the show is shared from an adult perspective, it is not meant to be enjoyed by parents and kids" watching it together, being "geared towards younger kids".

Boston Globe offered that while viewers familiar with the character development in the book series will see that the animated series "understandably, dispenses with the nuance in favor of kid-friendly slapstick and goofy conceptual jokes", the children and parents who have not previously encountered the books "won't know what they're missing."

Awards and nominations

In 2008, Wayside received a nomination for "Best TV Series for Children" at the 2008 Cartoons on the Bay award ceremony.

Merchandise

Season Region 1
DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...

 
Region 2
DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...

 
Region 4
DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...

1 September 25, 2007 (Wayside: The Movie)
August 19, 2008 (Season 1)
TBA TBA
2 TBA TBA TBA

In 2007, the pilot episode of Wayside was released and branded as Wayside: The Movie. The first season excluding the pilot was released on August 19, 2008 under the title Wayside School: Season 1.

External links

  • Official US Website
  • Official CA Website
  • Wayside Wiki on Wikia
    Wikia
    Wikia is a free web hosting service for wikis . It is normally free of charge for readers and editors, deriving most of its income from advertising, and publishes all user-provided text under copyleft licenses. Wikia hosts several hundred thousand wikis using the open-source wiki software MediaWiki...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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