3rd & Bird is a children's animated television series created by Josh Selig and directed by Jennifer Oxley. The series was animated by Little Airplane Productions, which opened a second studio in London to produce it.[4] The show revolves around a community of birds and their adventures. It was broadcast on the BBC's CBeebies channel from 1 July 2008 to 31 July 2010. Described in its initial press release as "a charming new animated series all about community",[5] the show's 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.
The show uses "photo-puppetry",[6] an animation style created by Jennifer Oxley that uses photos of real animals and moves them using Adobe After Effects.[7] This same animation style was used for Little Airplane's previous show Wonder Pets! and the scene transitions on Oobi.
Characters
Main
Samuel (voiced by Sam Lewis) is the eldest of the Lovebird children, Samuel is a green lovebird. He acts as a role model to his younger sister, Muffin, and often tries to teach her how to be responsible.
Muffin (voiced by Eden Jarrett) is a pink lovebird and Samuel's younger sister. Not yet old enough to fly, she usually rides on Samuel's back. Muffin calls Samuel "Sam'el," Rudy "Udy," and Mr. Beakman "Beaky."
Rudy (voiced by Morgan Gayle) is a cockatoo (despite resembling a cockatiel more closely) and Samuel's best friend. She wears a bracelet of colored beads on her ankle.
Mr. Beakman (voiced by Michael Fenton Stevens) is the children's teacher, a wise but somewhat pompous toucan who frequently acts as the voice of parental authority. He shows an interest in mariachi bands.
Supporting
Mrs. Billingsley (voiced by Anna Nygh) is a New Zealand gardening kiwi and the oldest bird in the treetop community. She wears a sunhat and is incapable of flying, which occasionally causes problems.
Missy (voiced by Charlotte Leslie-Cameron) is a fashionable great blue turaco who speaks with a thick French accent. She refers to Samuel and his friends as "little birds."
Quinn (voiced by Preston Nyman) is a teenage puffin inventor and technical whizz whose creations often feature in the younger birds' activities. The younger birds look up to him.
Mr. and Mrs. Lovebird (voiced by David Beckford and Candida Gubbins, respectively) are Samuel and Muffin's parents, with Northern English accents. Despite being rarely seen, they care deeply for their children. Mr Lovebird is the tree's caretaker.
Baby Jordan (voiced by Reiss Lewin) is Mr. Beakman's nephew, who often uses big words like his father. He calls Muffin "Uffin."
Elliot (voiced by George Phillips) is a worm who is friends with Samuel, Muffin, and Rudy.
The ant is one of the few minor characters in 3rd & Bird, an unnamed insect.
Ben is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, a sophisticated pig. He travels from tree to tree, helping birds in need.
The birds are minor characters in 3rd & Bird. They are unnamed tropical birds that appear along with the major and recurring bird characters.
The butterfly is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, an unnamed insect.
The cow is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, an unnamed farm animal seen at the end of Muffin's Friend! as a joke. Muffin introduces the character as one of her friends.
The crab is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, an unnamed crustacean.
The cricket is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, an unnamed insect.
The fireflies are minor characters in 3rd & Bird. They provide Muffin and Baby Jordan a way home after getting lost.
The fly is one of the few minor characters in 3rd & Bird, an unnamed insect.
The frogs are minor characters in 3rd & Bird, unnamed amphibians.
The Grand Budgie is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, the leader of the Budgie troop. He is a blue-footed booby bird.
The hawk is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, as well as one of the only antagonists in the series.
The hummingbirds are minor characters in 3rd & Bird, two unnamed birds.
The Jamaican party guests are minor characters in 3rd & Bird. They only appear in the series finale.
The kitten is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, a young cat.
The ladybird is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, an unnamed insect.
The mice are minor characters in 3rd & Bird. They are a family of rodents.
The owl is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, an unnamed bird.
The Peacock Prince is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, a royal peacock. He wants to be treated like a normal bird, despite his status.
The rabbit is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, seen at the beginning of the theme song in every episode. It also makes an appearance in Down to Earth!, an episode from season two.
The Snail is a minor character that appears in the show 3rd & Bird.
The spider is one of the few minor characters in 3rd & Bird, an unnamed arachnid.
The Squirrel is a minor character in 3rd & Bird. It is spotted by Mr. Lovebird and Muffin, when it is stuck in a tree hole.
The worms are minor characters in 3rd & Bird, various similar-looking earthworms.
Ziggy the Parrot is a minor character in 3rd & Bird, a singing parrot from Jamaica. He is voiced by guest star Ziggy Marley.
The cast also includes world champion musical whistler, Michael Barimo, whose whistling accompanies the music of the show.
Episodes
The series ran for a total of 52 episodes,[1][2] including a two-part Christmas special ("A Very Squooky Christmas").
BBC Worldwide acquired global distribution rights to the series in March 2008.[12]
In 2009, Treehouse TV acquired Canadian broadcast rights.[13] In 2010, Disney Channel bought US broadcast rights to the show and aired it on Disney Junior beginning in September 2011. The program continued to air and was rolled out to foreign countries including the United States, where it aired dubbed into American English, as well.[14]
Merchandising
In January 2009, BBC Worldwide 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.[15] The product line was released in spring 2010[16]
Two compact discs featuring the 3rd & Bird theme song (along with many other CBeebies show tracks) were released by CBeebies titled CBeebies: Song Time (2010) and CBeebies: The Album (2012).[citation needed]
DVDs/Books
A DVD titled Bird's The Word! and containing 8 episodes of the series was released in March 2009,[17] accompanied by a series of books tying into the show. A second DVD, Muffin Land!, was released in June 2009.
