Franklin (TV series)

Franklin
Company type	Television series
Industry	Animation, Children's television
Founded	1997
Founder	Nelvana Limited
Products	Animated educational TV series, Television movies, Feature film
Parent	Nelvana Limited

Franklin is an animated educational series for preschoolers, adapted from the Franklin the Turtle book series by Brenda Clark and Paulette Bourgeois, and co-produced by Nelvana Limited. This original show was later followed by a CGI reboot titled Franklin and Friends.

In addition to the series, several television movies were produced—Franklin and the Green Knight (2000), Franklin's Magic Christmas (2001), and Back to School with Franklin (2003)—all co-produced by Nelvana Limited. A feature film, Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure (2006), was also released.

Premise

The storyline of Franklin revolves around a young anthropomorphic turtle named Franklin, who resides in the village of Woodland alongside his companions. The show opens with the line, "[Franklin] could count by twos and tie his shoes." Each episode chronicles Franklin’s experiences at school, his playtime, learning moments, and personal growth, often receiving guidance from adult figures such as his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Turtle.

Characters

The central figure is Franklin himself, with most narratives presented through his viewpoint. While other characters occasionally take center stage, Franklin remains present throughout the series.

Franklin’s interests include swimming, creating arts and crafts—particularly drawing—and enjoying shoofly pie. He finds comfort during storms with his cherished blue blanket and a stuffed dog named Sam. His immediate family consists of his nurturing parents, Mr. and Mrs. Turtle, and his younger sister Harriet, who was introduced in Franklin and the Green Knight and subsequently appeared in later seasons. His extended family includes a paternal grandmother living nearby as well as maternal grandparents residing on a distant farm, depicted in Franklin's Magic Christmas.

In the film Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure, Franklin’s paternal aunt Lucy and her goddaughter Sam move to Woodland. The CGI series introduces Aunt Teeny ("Aunt T"), with additional relatives such as Franklin’s maternal aunt, uncle, and cousin appearing in later episodes.

Franklin’s closest friend is Bear, known for his love of food; Bear eventually gains a sister named Beatrice. Other significant friends are Snail, Beaver, Goose, Rabbit, Fox, Badger, Raccoon, and Skunk. Mr. Owl serves as Franklin’s primary educator but is temporarily replaced by Miss Koala in Back to School with Franklin.

Goose’s family background includes divorced parents (revealed in Franklin and Friends), as well as a paternal grandmother ("Granny"), maternal grandfather ("Grandpa"), maternal aunt and uncle, plus a cousin named Giselle.

Less prominent characters encompass:

The Turtle Household – Franklin along with Mr. and Mrs. Turtle and Harriet
Granny Turtle – Franklin’s talkative grandmother on his father’s side
Grandma Jenny Turtle – Maternal grandmother residing at Faraway Farm
Grandpa Turtle – Maternal grandfather figure
Great-Grandparents Turtle – Ancestors mentioned within various stories
James Turtle – Deceased legal stepfamily member
Ivana Turtle – Maternal great-grandmother
Bricklin Turtle – Biological paternal great-grandfather

These individuals contribute depth to the depiction of family relationships and community life within Woodland.

Setting

Woodland serves as the backdrop for the series: a small village located in eastern North America inhabited by anthropomorphized animals including Franklin’s family. This close-knit community features a modest commercial district, roadways, and a communal schoolhouse. Although not explicitly confirmed, Woodland is suggested to be situated within the Canadian province of Manitoba.

Shopping District – The village shopping area comprises an ice cream parlor, Mr. Mole’s hardware store, pharmacy, grocery market, coffeehouse, bookstore, among others. Franklin often visits this area either accompanied by family or with friends.
Oakwood School – The local educational institution where Franklin attends classes taught by Mr. Owl.
Tree Fort – A treehouse constructed by Franklin’s friends featured in "Franklin's Fort." Initially fearful of heights, Franklin overcomes this after assisting a bird. The fort serves as a gathering place but is destroyed in "Franklin Plays It Safe" before being rebuilt.
Pond – A favored spot near a stream where Franklin and his friends swim and unwind.
Woods – Surrounding forested areas home to characters such as Gopher from Franklin and the Green Knight. In the film adaptation, Franklin and Snail explore these woods discovering magical cherry blossoms.
- Oakwood Ravine – A ravine within the woods adjacent to the playground; notable for being the only location in Woodland shown containing poison ivy.
Nature Trail – Includes picnic areas, Monarch Meadow, and Blueberry Hill Lookout. In one episode, Franklin and Bear hike here expecting butterflies but instead find caterpillars; they also try skipping stones on a pond.
Village Park – A skateboarding venue popular among older children.
Playground – Designed for younger kids like Harriet, Kit, and Beatrice; equipped with slides, swings, and monkey bars.
Tamarack Play Park – An amusement park mentioned but never visually depicted; when unable to visit it with friends, Franklin creates "Turtle Play Park."
Faraway Farm – Located beyond Woodland; home to Franklin’s maternal grandparents featured during Christmas celebrations in Franklin's Magic Christmas.
Turtle Lake – Appears only in Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure, where Granny once lived before losing her home to fire.
Woodland Town Hall – Venue for performances such as "Sleeping Beauty," staged by Franklin’s class in "Franklin's Starring Role."
Thrill Hill – A steep slope favored for skateboarding by older kids; Franklin attempts once but declines further attempts after being dared.
Blueberry Hill – Offers panoramic views of the village from within a nature park; its name likely alludes to the song.

Sports and games

Throughout the series, a variety of sports are depicted, with baseball making occasional appearances, while ice hockey and soccer gain increased focus in later episodes. Reflecting its Canadian heritage, ice hockey holds a prominent place, featuring storylines where Franklin introduces Skunk to the game and encounters professional hockey players during seasons five and six. Additional sports such as football and basketball are also included, exemplified when Franklin and Bear switch to basketball after football spots become unavailable.

Besides athletic activities, the characters participate in games like chess—where Franklin earns the title of his school's champion—as well as tag, hide-and-seek, and creative role-playing scenarios involving knights.

Development

In 1997, Canadian animator Kurt Lehner crafted Franklin’s character design at Nelvana, closely following the original book illustrations. Lehner also created designs for Beaver, Rabbit, and Skunk but did not remain part of the series’ ongoing design team.

New episodes debuted on Canadian network Treehouse TV in May 2004, featuring fresh voice talent such as Grant Eubanks while retaining core writers and production staff. Story arcs included Franklin dealing with a flood, worries about an aging treehouse, and earning badges as part of the Woodland Trailblazers. For the sixth season, production expanded to include studios like Funbag. The most recent film, Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure, penned by John van Bruggen and directed by Dominique Monféry, premiered in cinemas in 2006 and was broadcast on Noggin on New Year's Eve 2007 during the channel’s 24/7 launch.

Format

Franklin utilizes traditional animation techniques supplemented by computer-generated elements in later seasons. The series includes closed captions.

Episodes generally consist of two 11-minute segments; however, on Canadian CBC, these segments are aired individually. DVD editions organize stories by themes rather than by episode number. Unlike many children’s shows, Franklin does not feature interstitial content or end tags. The opening sequence was revised after season one to remove Otter, a character who exited early in the series.

The visual presentation varies between seasons; feature-length productions like Back to School with Franklin display unique color palettes. Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure demonstrates enhanced production quality with more distinct colors, smoother animation, brighter imagery, and hand-painted backgrounds.

Broadcast

In Canada, the show was broadcast on CBC Television, Family Channel, and Treehouse TV.

Within the United States, it aired on CBS during the Saturday-morning CBS Kidshow lineup from October 3, 1998, to January 2, 1999. It returned later on Nick Jr. on CBS from September 16, 2000, through September 7, 2002. The series was also part of Nickelodeon’s Nick Jr. programming block from January 11, 1999, until July 30, 2004. Additionally, it ran on Noggin from October 4, 1999, to September 25, 2009; it reappeared on Noggin’s streaming service between August 26, 2015, and September 30, 2018. The show aired on the Nick Jr. Channel from September 28, 2009, to June 14, 2013. In early 2021, it briefly aired on Qubo from January 1 until the network's closure on February 28.

In the United Kingdom, Franklin was shown on several channels: Sky One (March 21, 1998 – May 27, 2000), Channel 4 (November 1, 1998 – August 31, 2004), Tiny Living (April 2001 – May 2002), Nick Jr. (1999–2008), Five in 2004, and later on Tiny Pop in 2012 with British voice actors replacing the original Canadian audio track. The series also aired in India via Pogo alongside Angelina Ballerina.

In Australia, it was broadcast on ABC, while in The Arab World it appeared on Spacetoon from 2004 until 2015.

Home media

Title	Release date	Format
Franklin Plays the Game	Template:Date table sorting
Franklin and the Secret Club	Template:Date table sorting
Franklin's Halloween	Template:Date table sorting

Reception

Critics and parents alike praised the series. Joly Herman from Common Sense Media highlighted that Franklin promotes mutual respect between children and adults without any whining, fighting, shouting, provocation, or irritation. The show ultimately serves as a positive example of responsible children's programming by celebrating childhood innocence.

Books and movies

The television episodes of Franklin were originally adapted from the Franklin Adventure book series, though this adaptation process ended after the first season. Subsequently, numerous TV episodes were transformed into books within the Franklin TV Storybook and Franklin First Readers collections, primarily written by Sharon Jennings.

On September 11, 2000, Franklin's sister Harriet made her first appearance in the direct-to-video/DVD film Franklin and the Green Knight. The siblings appeared together again in Franklin's Magic Christmas (2001). The 2003 release Back to School with Franklin introduced Mrs. Koala as a new character and depicted Harriet forming a friendship with Beaver's younger brother Kit.

Live tours

Franklin has been brought to life through various touring stage productions by Koba Entertainment and presented by Paquin Entertainment. These include titles such as "Franklin's Big Adventure," "Franklin's Class Concert," "Franklin's Family Christmas Concert," and "Franklin's Carnival Of Animals." These performances featured original musical numbers like "Come See the World" and "The Dinosaur Song."

In 2009, the production "Franklin and The Adventures of the Noble Knights" was created and toured across France before embarking on a Canadian tour in 2010. Directed and choreographed by Patti Caplette, this show also released an accompanying soundtrack CD.

Video games

Sanctuary Woods and Multimedia Corporation released three educational PC games in 1995 and 1996: Franklin's Activity Center, Franklin's Reading World, and Franklin Learns Math. In 2000, Nelvana partnered with Knowledge Adventure to develop two additional PC titles: Franklin the Turtle Goes to School and Franklin the Turtle's Clubhouse. Nelvana followed up with another educational PC game, Franklin the Turtle After School, in 2004. Between 2005 and 2006, The Game Factory published several games including Franklin the Turtle and Franklin's Great Adventures in 2005, as well as Franklin's Birthday Surprise in April 2006.

CGI series

On September 27, 2010, Nelvana revealed plans for a new CGI iteration of Franklin, titled Franklin and Friends. This 52-episode series reintroduces familiar characters such as Bear, Fox, Rabbit, Beaver, Goose, Snail, and Franklin himself, alongside a new addition—Franklin’s paternal aunt Aunt T., characterized as "quirky." The show centers on themes like entertaining mysteries, events in Woodland, and outdoor adventures. This project is a collaborative production between Canada’s Nelvana and Singapore’s Infinite Frameworks Pte. Ltd.

The series debuted on Treehouse TV on March 4, 2011. Its premiere in the United States was on the Nick Jr. Channel on February 13, 2012, followed shortly by a Singapore launch on Mediacorp on February 15, 2012.

External links