Postcards from Buster
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| Postcards from Buster | |
|---|---|
 Buster Baxter |
|
| Genre | Children's television series |
| Running time | 30 minutes per episode |
| Creator(s) | Marc Brown |
| Starring | Cameron Ansell Bruce Dinsmore Sonja Ball Daniel Brochu Ellen David Marcel Jeannin Holy G. Frankel Elizabeth Diaga Norman Groulx Melissa Altro A.J. Henderson Arthur Holden Jessica Kardos Jodie Resther Jason Szimmer Alex Hood |
| Country of origin | U.S. & Canada |
| Original channel | PBS |
| Original run | October 11, 2004–Present |
| No. of episodes | So far 42 |
Postcards from Buster, also called Buster's Postcards, is a 2004 Canadian-produced 42-episode children's television series, containing both animation and live-action that airs on PBS, and is a spin-off of the Arthur cartoon series. The show stars Arthur's best friend, 8-year-old rabbit Buster Baxter. Inspired by a 2003 episode of Arthur entitled Postcards from Buster, the television series was produced by CINAR Animation (now known as Cookie Jar Entertainment), and first aired on October 11, 2004 on PBS Kids GO!.
Buster's interests include eating anything, reading comic books, and playing video games. Buster's personality is that of a fairly intelligent and curious child. He also believes that extraterrestrials are real. Buster's parents are divorced; in this series, Buster is seen with his father, Bo Baxter.
Arthur Read and many other characters from the PBS Kids and PBS Kids GO! animated television series Arthur make cameo appearances in this series.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
Postcards from Buster centers on Buster traveling to various places around the United States (and beyond) with his father, (a pilot) for a pair of musicians. In each episode, Buster meets several children in the location being visited, who show him aspects of their family lives and local culture. The sequences with Buster are animated, while the portions featuring the children are live action (viewed from the viewpoint of Buster's video camcorder).
After each trip, Buster sends to Arthur a "video postcard" videotape summarizing what he's done and who he's met in each location.
The children and their families that are presented on the series are meant to be multicultural and diverse, and range from a Mormon family in Utah to a mestizo family in Texas.
[edit] Controversial episodes
Controversy erupted for the show in January 2005 when new United States Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings criticized Postcards from Buster's producers for episode #133, titled "Sugartime!" that features Buster visiting Hinesburg, Vermont to learn about the production of maple sugar. While there, Buster meets several children who have lesbian parents (Vermont was one of the first states to legalize civil unions for homosexuals). Spellings demanded that PBS return all federal funding that had been used in the production of the episode, claiming that "many parents would not want their young children exposed to the life-styles portrayed in this episode" [1]. PBS decided to not distribute this episode, but some member stations across the country have chosen to air the episode, including WNET in New York and the show's co-producer, WGBH in Boston (which distributed the episode directly to public television stations after PBS's decision not to). Some of these stations opted to air this episode in prime-time, with some following the episode with a local discussion on the controversy.
Shortly after the controversy PBS's CEO announced she would step down when her contract expires in 2006. Spellings was criticized by many liberals for what they portrayed as pandering to conservative Christians, a key constituency of Spellings' Republican party, and called the comments homophobic. In the episode, the word lesbian or homosexual is never uttered, and the episode has no more sexual content than any other Postcards From Buster episode. Instead, there is a quick, "I have two mothers," from one of the children, and the subject is never brought up again.
Another controversial episode was #125, "The Lowriders", in which Buster visits East Los Angeles, California. This episode is said to show the stereotypical gang lifestyle, with Buster and friends riding lowrider bicycles in neigborhoods with visible graffiti.[2]
[edit] Criticism
The show has received criticism from some Arthur fans. Some fans are upset that of all characters, Buster would receive a spin-off, as opposed to other more "interesting" characters. Other fans complain that the series is slower-paced and less comedic than Arthur, and that the combination of live action and cartoon elements makes little sense.
[edit] Voice actors and their characters
- Cameron Ansell - Arthur Read
- Bruce Dinsmore - Mr. David Read (Arthur's Father), Binky Barnes
- Sonja Ball - Mrs. Jane Read (Arthur's Mother)
- Daniel Brochu - Buster Baxter
- Ellen David - Bitzi Baxter
- Marcel Jeannin - Bo Baxter
- Holy G. Frankel - Fern Walters
- Elizabeth Diaga - Mora of Los Viajeros
- Norman Groulx - Carlos of Los Viajeros
- Melissa Altro - Muffy Crosswire
- A.J. Henderson - Ed Crosswire
- Arthur Holden - Mr. Ratburn
- Jessica Kardos - Sue Ellen Armstrong
- Jodie Resther - Francine Frensky
- Jason Szimmer - Dora Winfred "D.W." Read
- Alex Wood - Alan "The Brain" Powers
A Spanish dub has aired in the US, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
[edit] Episode list
- Postcards from Buster (pilot episode in the Arthur TV series)
- Meet Me at the Fair (Knox, Indiana)
- A Sense of Direction (Chicago, Illinois)
- Buster and Beatrice (San Antonio, Texas)
- The Giant Pumpkins (Mt. Hood & Canby, Oregon)
- Among the Hmong (Madison, Wisconsin)
- Sleepy in Seattle (Seattle, Washington)
- Up the River (Mandan & Bismarck, North Dakota)
- Rodeo Cowgirl (Houston, Texas)
- Buster's Buffalo Round-Up (Rapid City, South Dakota)
- Moose on the Loose (Jackson Hole, Wyoming)
- Rock 'n' Roll (Boulder, Colorado)
- Hoops and Drums (Lander, Wyoming)
- Swimming in the Desert (Phoenix, Arizona)
- Good Ol' Tyme (Whitesburg, Kentucky)
- Buster's Road Rules (Tucson, Arizona)
- Bayou, By Me (Slidell & Larose, Louisiana)
- Best Friends (Winchester, Kentucky)
- Winter Gold (Park City, Utah)
- Star Search (Charleston, South Carolina)
- We Are Family (Salt Lake City, Utah)
- Buster's League of Champions (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
- A Bridge Back Home (Brooklyn, New York)
- Lost and Found (Guanajuato, Mexico)
- The Music Mystery (New Orleans, Louisiana)
- The Low Riders (East Los Angeles, California)
- Beats by the Bay (San Francisco, California)
- A City View (Manhattan, New York)
- Home Sweet Home (Miami, Florida)
- Riding the Wave (Cocoa Beach, Florida)
- Buster's Lucky Year (San Francisco, California)
- Spring Break (Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada)
- Buster Gets on Board (Los Angeles, California)
- Sugartime! (Hinesburg, Vermont) – controversial episode, never distributed nationally by PBS
- Buster's Sweet Song (Leiper's Fork, Tennessee) (guest starring Billy Dean)
- Family Reunion (Nashville, Tennessee)
- Alien Adventure (Roswell, New Mexico)
- Coming Together (Seattle, Washington)
- Treasure Island (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
- Step By Step (Hartford, Connecticut)
- Buster's Big Goal (East Boston, Massachusetts)
[edit] External links
| Arthur | |
|---|---|
| Production: | Episodes |
| Characters: | Arthur Timothy Read | Binky Barnes | Buster Baxter | Other characters |
| Miscellaneous: | Soundtracks | Bionic Bunny | Postcards from Buster | Marc Brown |
List does not include shows from networks airing PBS Kids shows but not funded directly from PBS such as KLCS shows.
