Tabaluga (TV series)

Tabaluga

Company type	Co-production
Industry	Animation, Television
Headquarters	Germany, Australia , Germany, Australia
Area served	Germany, Australia, United States
Products	Animated television series
Parent	Yoram Gross Film Studios and Yoram Gross-EM.TV

Tabaluga is an animated television series co-produced by the German-Australian studios Yoram Gross Film Studios and Yoram Gross-EM.TV. It is inspired by the character devised by Peter Maffay. The storyline follows Tabaluga, the last remaining dragon, who inhabits Greenland, a mystical realm filled with talking creatures. He protects his homeland from Arktos, a malevolent snowman who rules over the icy tundra. In the second season, Tabaluga confronts Humsin, a sinister sand spirit governing the desert.

Broadcast on Australia's Seven Network and Germany's ZDF, the series also aired in the United States on the Fox Family Channel between 1998 and 2001. The first season draws from the original albums, introducing characters such as Bilingua, a snake, and Tarantula, a spider. A notable episode is Episode 23, Tabaluga and Lilli, which explores Tabaluga's romantic relationship with Lilli, a central character from the third album titled Tabaluga und Lilli.

Plot

The narrative revolves around Tabaluga, the final dragon residing in Greenland—a land populated by intelligent talking animals. His role is to safeguard Greenland against Arktos, an evil snowman antagonist. The second season expands this conflict to include Humsin, a desert spirit with malevolent intentions.

Inhabitants of Greenland

• Tabaluga: A small green dragon who serves as the main protagonist. He is the son of Tyrion and was initially thought to be the last dragon until Season 3 reveals a hidden dragon realm. In Season 2, Tabaluga is identified as Greenland’s prince. His voice actors include Jamie Oxenbould (English), Björn Schalla (German Season 1), and Dietmar Wunder (German Seasons 2 and 3).
• Happy: An Icelandic snow hare who becomes one of Tabaluga’s closest allies after being rescued by him. Voiced by Robyn Moore (English) and Sabine Manke (German).
• Digby: A mole characterized by his glasses and unwavering loyalty to Tabaluga. Voiced by Robyn Moore (English), Edeltraud Esner (German Seasons 1 and 2), and Santiago Ziesmer (German Season 3).
• Nessaja: A giant turtle who acts as both mentor and counselor to Tabaluga. Voiced by Robyn Moore (English) and Inken Sommer (German).
• Buzz: A bee residing in Greenland’s hive and one of Tabaluga's companions. Voiced by Robyn Moore (English) and Maja Dürr (German).
• Bilingua: A snake possessing hypnotic abilities who appears as a minor antagonist.
• Tyrion: The former ruler of Greenland and Tabaluga’s father; he appears in spirit form to guide his son. Voiced by Keith Scott (English).
• Ruby: A hummingbird who is a close friend of both Buzz and Digby. Voiced by Keith Scott (English) and Helmut Gauß (German).

Iceworld

• Arktos: The principal antagonist and arch-rival of Tabaluga, depicted as an evil snowman intent on covering the world in ice. He reigns over Iceworld, which features a hall of fame filled with frozen animals. Occasionally, he collaborates with Tabaluga when circumstances require it. Voiced by Keith Scott (English) and Frank Ciazynski (German).
• James: A courteous penguin serving as Arktos’ pilot for the Arktoplane. He remains loyal even when others abandon Arktos. Voiced by Keith Scott (English) and Eberhard Prüter (German).
• Attila the walrus: Acts as Arktos’ cook.
• Shouhu: An owl who monitors Greenland through a crystal ball; initially imprisoned by Arktos but later serves as an advisor under Tyrion’s orders to assess Arktos' threat level. Shouhu eventually becomes one of Tabaluga’s mentors alongside Nessaja. Voiced by Keith Scott (English), Peter Schiff (German Season 1), Andreas Mannkopff (German Seasons 2 and 3).
• Vultur: Functions as a spy and messenger for Arktos; temporarily defects to Humsin before returning to Arktos in Season 3. Voiced by Keith Scott (English) and Bodo Wolf (German).
• Rex: Arktos’ pet shark who attempts to consume his carrot nose despite disliking carrots; after being sent to obedience school by James, Rex escapes at the end of Season 1.
• Lilly (also spelled Lilli): A statue crafted by Arktos that stirs mysterious emotions in Tabaluga upon their initial encounter.

Desert Realm

• Humsin: Serving as the secondary villain and Tabaluga's adversary in Season 2, Humsin governs the desert domain with the ambition of transforming Greenland into arid land. He often confronts Arktos. Notably fond of salty potato chips, he possesses the ability to morph into a sandstorm. Humsin meets his demise at Season 2’s conclusion after tumbling down a waterfall. Voiced by Jörg Hengstler (German).
• Kayo: A clumsy chameleon who initially acts under Humsin’s command. In Season 3, he tries to join forces with Arktos but faces repeated rejection, eventually siding with Tabaluga and settling in Greenland. Voiced by Stefan Krause (German).
• Ostrich: A female ostrich who functions as Humsin’s accountant.

Season 1 (1997–1998)

#	Title	Synopsis	Original Air Date
1	The Last One of His Kind	Arktos disturbs the tranquility of Greenland; Digby, Ruby, and Buzz find the final dragon egg, which hatches Tabaluga who escapes Arktos and embraces his fate.	4 October 1997 (Germany)
2	Happy Without Ending	Tabaluga liberates his friend Happy from Iceworld and rescues Fox Dandy, who guides them back to Greenland.	11 October 1997 (Germany)
3	A Very Hot Thing	Arktos sets fire to Greenland’s beach to force an evacuation; residents retreat to Nessaja’s island until Arktos is forced to extinguish the flames.	18 October 1997 (Germany)
4	Servant of Two Masters	Vultur captures Digby; Tabaluga and companions mount a rescue mission while uncovering Shouhu’s role.	25 October 1997 (Germany)
5	Dubious Dealings	Arktos uses an extended night to instill fear; Tabaluga exposes it as an eclipse, foiling Arktos’ scheme.	1 November 1997 (Germany)
6	One Dragon Too Many	Arktos dispatches a flying dragon lizard impersonating Tabaluga, but the genuine Tabaluga outperforms the imposter by rescuing Happy.	8 November 1997 (Germany)
7	The Wiser Head Does Not Give Up	Confronted with a new ice weapon from Arktos, Tabaluga sacrifices himself to infiltrate Glasstown and disable it.	15 November 1997 (Germany)
8	Two Birds With One Stone	With unexpected aid from Happy, Tabaluga rescues Queen Elisabeth XXI’s ant army from Arktos’ control.	22 November 1997 (Germany)
9	Moonstruck	Arktos exploits Tabaluga’s yearning for the Moon; in a dreamlike state, Tabaluga gains understanding about it.	29 November 1997
10	Dragons Do not Cry	After Happy and Arktos are poisoned by new fruit, Tabaluga invents a remedy that revives them.	6 December 1997 (Germany)
11	The Big Cloud	Arktos unleashes ice clouds to block sunlight; with Prince Ighor’s assistance, Tabaluga triggers a volcanic eruption to counteract the threat.	13 December 1997 (Germany)
12	The Visitors Who Came in From The Cold	Chaos ensues in Iceland due to an attack by Arktos’ penguins; negotiations restore order and bring them back.	20 December 1997 (Germany)
13	A Fatal Present	Facing a locust invasion sent by Arktos, Tabaluga enlists the Black Widow spider Tarantula for protection of Greenlanders.	27 December 1997 (Germany)
14	A Ruined Premiere	Arktos attempts to capture dolphins for a circus; with help from Sawbones the swordfish, Tabaluga and allies rescue them.	3 January 1998 (Germany)
15	A Matter Full of Seeds	After James harvests sunflower seeds causing shortages, Tabaluga infiltrates Glasstown to recover supplies.	10 January 1998 (Germany)
16	Someone Is Cheating	During Greenland’s sports contest, outcast Maurice aids in thwarting Arktos’ plans to seize the land.	17 January 1998 (Germany)
17	Mister Nice Guy	Disguised as a clown, James is sent by Arktos to steal fruit; although unsuccessful, Greenlanders support him while Tabaluga spreads cheer in Iceworld.	24 January 1998 (Germany)
18	Too Much Salt Is Detrimental to the Health	James constructs a dam for ice cream water supply causing flooding and contamination; beavers dismantle it restoring normal flow.	31 January 1998 (Germany)
19	The Tree of Life	Targeting the Tree of Life threatens ecological balance; Tabaluga thaws it saving both Greenland and Iceworld ecosystems.	7 February 1998 (Germany)
20	Queen For One Day	Hypnotic snake Belingua tricks inhabitants into believing she is queen; Tabaluga uses a mirror to break her spell.	14 February 1998 (Germany)
21	A Splendid Couple	On Happy’s birthday, snow hare Leon is sent by Arktos to befriend him, provoking jealousy in Tabaluga; all are captured but escape together.	21 February 1998 (Germany)
22	A Fiery Encounter	After an attack on honey bees by Arktos, Tabaluga learns about their life and helps repel James’ raid successfully.	28 February 1998 (Germany)
23	Tabaluga and Lilli	Enchanted by a statue named Lilli, Tabaluga brings her to life with fire leading to mutual affection supported by Happy.	7 March 1998 (Germany)
24	The Abducted Scamp	James takes Happy’s mischievous cousin Bobby to Glasstown; Vultur persuades Greenlanders to retrieve him due to his disruptive behavior.	14 March 1998 (Germany)
25	The Flow of Time	Witnessing past visions in the River of Time, Tabaluga clears a blockage threatening eternal freeze and finally frees Shouhu.	21 March 1998 (Germany)
26	Chocolate Ice for Everybody	Early winter triggered by Arktos is countered when Tabaluga, aided by giant octopus Tentaculus, defeats him and unites Iceworld with Greenland.	28 March 1998 (Germany)

Season 2 (2001–2002)

#	Title	Synopsis	Broadcast Date
1	Prince Tabaluga	Following Tabaluga's coronation, Arktos establishes an ice-cream factory that devastates the forests, leading Tabaluga to intervene and prevent a landslide.	27 October 2001 (Germany)
2	Humsin	Humsin exploits Greenland’s homeless population and accelerates desertification; Vultur defects to his side. Arktos attacks Humsin, but with help from the Iceworlders, Greenland disables Humsin’s sand pipeline.	3 November 2001 (Germany)
3	Dangerous Confidence	Humsin launches an assault using a sand blaster. Arktos seizes Vultur in a bid for the throne, but Vultur reveals Arktos' intentions, prompting Tabaluga to rescue him.	10 November 2001 (Germany)
4	Big Freeze	Arktos initiates an early winter and allies with Humsin to invade Greenland; however, Vultur alerts Tabaluga, enabling them to defend against the attack.	17 November 2001 (Germany)
5	Prophecy	Kayo steals Shouhu’s crystal ball on behalf of Humsin. Arktos grows uncertain about his destiny, but James restores his optimism. Tabaluga rallies spirits to repel Humsin’s offensive.	24 November 2001 (Germany)
6	Digby, The Hero	Utilizing mirages, Humsin triggers a sandstorm over Greenland. The discontented Digby rescues Tabaluga and aids in creating rain to dispel the sand.	1 December 2001 (Germany)
7	Potato Festival	While Greenlanders gather potatoes amid Humsin’s resource exploitation, Tabaluga deceives Arktos into causing an early winter to expel Humsin.	8 December 2001 (Germany)
8	A Spiny Danger	Digby becomes Shouhou’s apprentice but transforms into a weremole creature. He obtains a vital cure ingredient while Arktos and Humsin clash over a power potion.	15 December 2001 (Germany)
9	Flood	During the Spring Festival, Arktos induces flooding; Tabaluga stops it and tricks Humsin into draining the floodwaters.	22 December 2001 (Germany)
10	The Day of the Cactus	Humsin applies Happy’s growth formula to cacti to damage Greenland. Although Arktos attempts to exploit this, Tabaluga convinces him to freeze the plants and halts further weed expansion.	29 December 2001 (Germany)
11	The Big Change	Humsin captures Nassaja and Shohou; with assistance from the Outcast colony, Tabaluga overcomes an itching malady and rescues Greenland from their menace.	5 January 2002 (Germany)
12	Sand Fleas	To disrupt Greenlanders, Humsin releases sand fleas. Tabaluga finds that volcanic water eradicates them; Buzz proposes an alternative remedy.	12 January 2002 (Germany)
13	The Lost Dragon	Humsin intends to capture lizards for a secret weapon. With help from Salamander tribe leader Sally, Tabaluga frees them and prevents Arktos from seizing Greenland’s throne.	19 January 2002 (Germany)
14–26, Titles pending or brief descriptions available; episodes were broadcast in Germany between 26 January and 20 April 2002.

Season 3 (2003–2004)

#	Title	Summary	Air Date
1	The Dragon Pendant	Tabaluga embarks on a mission to obtain the dragon pendant, while Arktos strives to claim it first. Tabaluga narrowly succeeds in completing the initial task.	27 December 2003 (Germany)
2	The Quest	Vultur reunites with Arktos. Arktos freezes Greenland, but Tabaluga, Happy, and Digby resist to keep their quest alive.	3 January 2004 (Germany)
3	Scary Story	Arktos trails the group during their journey. Unusual sounds lead them to discover Kayo accompanied by a woodmouse.	10 January 2004 (Germany)
4	Tabaluga's Challenge	In Ling-Yan's village, Tabaluga competes in a race against Ling-Yan, rescues panda twins, and proceeds with his quest.	17 January 2004 (Germany)
5	Fire Stone	The team ventures into an underground fiery realm where Tabaluga must restore the Fire Sign to avert disaster.	24 January 2004 (Germany)
6	Little Wonder	Happy accidentally causes Tabaluga to shrink with a potion; Kayo exploits this to diminish James and Arktos before the effect fades.	31 January 2004 (Germany)
7	Arktos The Good	At Nessaja's birthday celebration, Arktos tries to show kindness but faces interference from Kayo and a giant snake; nonetheless, the festivities continue.	7 February 2004 (Germany)
8	The Gloomy Forest	To reach the Valley of the Winds, Tabaluga, Happy, and Digby traverse the Gloomy Forest, assisting isolated trees and thwarting Arktos’s plans.	14 February 2004 (Germany)
9	Mother Arktos	After Digby discovers an egg that hatches a crocodile, Tabaluga reunites the hatchling with its mother despite James’s opposition.	21 February 2004 (Germany)
10	Eye in the Sky	Happy and James are captured by Tempest in Warren Vale; Tabaluga rescues them, acquires the wind sign, and uncovers Tempest’s true identity as Robert.	28 February 2004 (Germany)
11	Do not Forget to Remember	Tabaluga experiences memory loss and is misled by Arktos until Shouhou provides a remedy that restores his recollection.	6 March 2004 (Germany)
12	Fool's Gold	An earthquake exposes a fault line where Tabaluga befriends Roly the Troll, who loses treasure but becomes an ally against Arktos.	13 March 2004 (Germany)
13	Where is Winter?	With Arktos gravely ill, Tabaluga travels back in time to retrieve a Pjorus Flower, aided by a young Tyrion in opposition to young Arktos.	20 March 2004 (Germany)
14	Whale of a Tale	At sea, Tabaluga allies with orca Haratio to liberate his family from pirates allied with Arktos.	27 March 2004 (Germany)
15–26: Episode information forthcoming	Multiple episodes planned between April and June 2004.	%} Animated movie Following the conclusion of season three in 2004, the 2005 holiday film Tabaluga und Leo ("Tabaluga and Leo") premiered as a continuation of the series. The narrative focuses on Leo, an orphaned boy who ventures into Iceworld and joins Tabaluga in celebrating Greenland Day. Together, they foil Arktos's scheme to utilize Leo’s toy as part of a new automated weapon, culminating in a daring rescue and triumphant festival. This story highlights themes of friendship and belonging, broadening the franchise’s appeal beyond television alone. Television Program Tabaluga tivi Film Tabaluga (2018)