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Robobuddy

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Stimulating

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Robobuddy

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This program is stimulating. It actively demands attention and can feel intense. For the recommended age, this may be on the more intense side. The pacing is fast. Images follow each other quickly, leaving little time to pause and take in what is happening. The sound is clearly present and regularly draws attention. The visuals are calm and well-organized.

One thread runs from beginning to end: Fuse is worn out by hauling his loaded trike around, orders a Robobuddy after seeing an advert, and then has to deal with the machine once it turns on the neighbourhood. Cause and effect are easy to follow, and the kite that pulls lightning out of the sky early on returns as the way the robot is finally stopped, which rewards a child who was paying attention. The caveat is how much is packed in along the way. New objects, new mishaps and new places arrive in close succession, from a badminton match to a night-time garden party to an ice cream van, and a younger child can lose the thread between them.

The robot's eyes flash red over and over, and each time the mood flips from friendly helper to threat without warning. By the last stretch it is chasing everyone through a wrecked street while they scream and scatter, and the other Oddbods also turn on Fuse for bringing it home in the first place. Comfort only arrives at the very end, when the machine is destroyed and Newt pulls Fuse into a hug, so the tension is carried for long stretches with nothing to settle it. The repeated swings between play and panic are the hardest part for a young child.

Fuse's first answer to being tired is to order a machine that does the work for him, which hands his problem to a product instead of his own effort. Once the robot goes wrong he does think for himself: he hides behind a no-robots sign, slips away on his trike, drives off in a truck and films the machine on his phone, and only after all of that fails does he set up the kite and lightning trap. That final stretch shows a real chain of attempt, failure and adjustment, and Zee and Newt step in to finish the job. The answer is still to destroy the thing rather than fix or return it, so the reasoning stops at getting rid of the problem.

There is no spoken dialogue in this episode. The characters communicate through grunts, gasps and shouts such as 'whoa' and 'huh', and all meaning comes from faces, gestures and what happens on screen. That makes the story readable in any language, but it gives a child nothing in the way of words, sentences or naming of what is going on. Nothing is explained, described or talked through, and the only readable words are the Robobuddy advert and its phone number.

Most of what happens cannot be carried into a child's own day: a robot with laser eyes, a machine that flattens houses, and a kite flown in a thunderstorm to attract lightning, which is genuinely unsafe to copy. The recognisable parts sit at the edges, such as riding a bike up a hill, queuing at an ice cream van, a garden party with friends, and a neighbour getting cross when her flower beds are ruined. Those social beats follow patterns a child knows from real life, and objects like the trike, the television and the delivery box have clear purposes. The activities themselves mostly exist to set up the next gag rather than to show how something is actually done.

More information

The cast is a group of small, colourful creatures rather than people, so there are no human ethnicities, ages, body types or family set-ups to see. They live in bright suburban houses with no parents, grandparents or other caregivers anywhere in sight, and this episode follows the orange one and a delivery robot through a chase across the neighbourhood. Everyone in the group gets to be silly, scared, clever and clumsy, and the story is told almost entirely through sounds and physical comedy rather than words. The pink character with her pink house and cake is the clearest nod to a familiar cliche, though it stays in the background of the story.

Most of what happens sits in a normal neighborhood of houses, driveways, bikes, a barbecue in the yard and an ice cream truck, but the story itself runs on a mail order robot that arrives in a box and quickly takes over. The robot starts out as a playmate and then turns into a threat, with glowing red eyes, laser beams and a chase through a darkened, stormy street, which puts a clear good-against-bad framing at the center of the episode. Its abilities keep growing as the story needs them, so the rules of what this machine can and cannot do never settle. For four to six year olds, the everyday setting is easy to recognize, but the menacing turn and the heavy slapstick around it land harder than the friendly opening suggests.

This one is easier to sit through than most, because it works like silent-film slapstick with a story an adult can genuinely follow: Fuse orders a mechanical helper, the helper turns possessive, and the chase escalates until the whole street pays for it. The craft carries it. Character animation, lighting and comic timing do everything that dialogue would do elsewhere. The catch is the racket, since the effects track runs almost wall to wall and the cutting stays brisk, so the room never really quiets down while this is playing.

Themes

Problem solving

Fuse works through hiding, fleeing and filming before finally trapping the robot with a kite and lightning.

Machines and vehicles

Central

A delivered robot helper drives the whole plot, alongside Fuse's loaded trike, a monster truck and an ice cream van.

Consequences

Recurring

Fuse orders a machine to avoid his own hard work and then has to deal with it wrecking the neighbourhood.

Good vs evil

Recurring

The robot's eyes switch from blue to red and it turns from helper into a hostile force the group must defeat.

Friendship

Newt pulls Fuse into a hug once the robot is stopped and the whole group gathers around him.

Adventure

The last act is a running chase through a smoke-filled street with the robot firing beams.

Celebration

Incidental

All seven Oddbods gather for a night-time garden party with food and music before it is wrecked.

Activities

Chasing

The robot pursues Fuse and the others through the streets in the final stretch.

Riding

Fuse pedals his loaded purple trike up and down hills throughout the opening.

Playing

A badminton rally between Fuse and the robot takes place on the street outside the houses.

Running

The whole group sprints across the street away from the advancing robot.

Watching tv

Fuse sits in front of a television and sees the Robobuddy advert with the number 1234-5678 on screen.

Singing and dancing

The robot plays music at the garden party while the Oddbods dance in front of the speakers.

Snacking

Fuse and Bubbles collect ice cream cones at the van parked on the corner.

Emotions

Fear

Newt and Slick press themselves against a wall with wide eyes as the robot advances with red eyes.

Joy

Fuse grins and throws his arms up when the robot first starts doing his work for him.

Frustration

Fuse scowls and gestures at the machine when it keeps following him no matter where he hides.

Excitement

The Oddbods cheer and dance around the robot when it plays music at the night-time party.

Surprise

Fuse's eyes bulge and he freezes each time the robot's eyes suddenly glow red.

Tiredness

Fuse collapses face down on the grass beside his trike after struggling up the hill.

Anger

Newt storms out of her front door with a red face when the robot ruins her flower beds.

Behaviour

Problem solving

Fuse works out that the kite which drew lightning earlier can be used to bring a strike down on the robot.

Trial and error

Hiding behind a no-robots sign, slipping away on the trike and driving off in a truck all fail before the kite plan works.

Running away

The Oddbods scatter down the street when the robot's eyes turn red and it starts firing.

Helping

The robot pushes Fuse's heavy trike uphill and carries his cake for him early on.

Planning

Fuse fetches a kite and rides out into the storm on purpose to set up the lightning strike.

Playing

Fuse and the robot play a badminton rally on the street and fly a kite together.

Teamwork

Zee and Newt haul a large pipe into place to finish off the robot after the lightning hits it.

Social lessons

Consequences

The other Oddbods crowd around Fuse angrily once the machine he ordered starts wrecking the neighbourhood.

Friendship

Newt hugs Fuse and the group closes around him after the robot is finally stopped.

Teamwork

Zee and Newt bring a large pipe to help finish the robot off after Fuse's lightning trap works.

Conflict

The neighbours confront Fuse in the street over the damage the robot has caused.

Responsibility

Fuse is the one who rides out into the storm to deal with the machine he brought home.

Helping others

The robot carries loads and pushes Fuse's trike for him before it malfunctions.

Danger

The robot fires beams from its eyes at the Oddbods while they run for cover.

Chase scene

An extended sequence has the robot pursuing Fuse and the group through the streets.

Scary scenes

The robot's eyes glow red and it marches through a grey, smoke-filled street past damaged houses.

Antagonist

The Robobuddy turns from helper into the hostile force that the characters must defeat.

Property destruction

The garden party is smashed apart with furniture and speakers thrown across the lawn.

Fantasy violence

Lightning is used to strike the robot down and a large pipe is used to finish it off.

Loud sounds

Crashes, clangs and blasts run almost continuously through the second half.

Mild violence

Fuse is repeatedly flattened, tangled in a hammock and knocked off his trike for comic effect.

Risky action modelling

Fuse deliberately flies a kite during a thunderstorm to draw a lightning strike.

Consumerism

Fuse phones in an order for a Robobuddy straight after watching an advert promising it will do his work.

Screen use

Fuse watches television and later uses a handheld phone to film the robot.

Stereotypes

Villain appearance coding

The robot's friendly blue eyes switch to glowing red every time it turns hostile, signalling menace through appearance alone.

Fuse is worn out from hauling his loaded trike around the neighbourhood, so when he sees a television advert for a Robobuddy he phones in an order. The robot arrives in a box, takes over his work, plays badminton with him and provides the music at a garden party, but its eyes keep flashing red and it starts wrecking gardens and turning on the other Oddbods. It ends up chasing everyone through a smoke-filled street, firing beams from its eyes. Fuse flies a kite in a thunderstorm so the lightning strikes the machine, Zee and Newt finish it off, and the group gathers around him afterwards.

Season 1

21 episodes

Oddbods

Oddbods

It's My Party

recommended age

Jeff, the purple Oddbod, counts the days down to his party on a calendar hanging by the door. He prepares everything himself, a cupcake with one candle from the fridge, a tray of sandwiches cut into squares, a table laid with plates and cups, and he waits with a wrapped gift while his housemates throw a loud party of their own around him. Each time he tries to join in he is bumped aside, left out of a photo or simply not seen, and at one point he sits down to a tea party with a suit of armour and a doll for guests. The episode ends with the disco at full tilt and Jeff flattened on the floor, his own party never happening, followed by a short gag after the closing logo.

Oddbods

Oddbods

A Good Heart

recommended age

After finding Zee collapsed in the street from chasing an ice cream truck, Newt straps a heart monitor on his wrist and puts him through a home fitness routine of vegetable smoothies, a punching bag, dumbbells and an exercise bike. Zee resists, and one night he climbs out of his bedroom window to follow the ice cream truck down the road. Newt catches up and both end up racing after the vehicle, which hits a ramp and overturns. The episode closes with the two of them standing amid ice cream scattered across the road.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Marooned

recommended age

Pogo and Zee take a hot air balloon ride that goes wrong when the balloon is punctured over the sea, and they crash onto a small, empty tropical island. They spend what looks like a long stretch there, working out how to get coconuts down and open, building a bamboo shelter, fishing, and marking the passing days on a rock wall. A pufferfish they encounter puffs up large enough to lift their basket, and they finally float away from the island. From the air they spot the other Oddbods lounging on a nearby beach.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Parental Instinct

recommended age

Fuse is chopping firewood outside his cabin when he knocks a nest out of a tree and an egg drops to the ground. The chick that hatches decides Fuse is its parent and follows him everywhere, taking over his couch, his food and his bed. After a long stretch of feeding, cleaning and sleepless nights, Fuse rescues it from a larger bird and helps it learn to fly. The bird joins a flock on a wire, and in a closing gag Fuse's living room fills up with birds.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Sheriff of Oddsville

recommended age

Jeff finds a sheriff helmet and star badge and appoints himself the law of Oddsville. He patrols the town on a small scooter and plants prohibition signs on everything his neighbours enjoy: the ice cream van, Slick's boombox, Newt's painting, watering the garden and Zee's monster truck, until red circles line every street and a metal cage is towed in for offenders. After dark he sneaks into a shed and does all the banned things himself, blowing bubbles, wearing a sombrero, skateboarding and setting off fireworks. The others catch him in the act, and the episode ends with Jeff behind the bars of his own cage while the neighbourhood goes back to normal.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Alien Abduction

recommended age

Oddbods

Oddbods

Slick Moves

recommended age

Slick spends his days dancing to a boombox in the neighbourhood, wearing headphones and sunglasses wherever he goes. His music keeps landing on top of whatever Jeff is trying to do, from reading in the library to raking the lawn, and the two end up chasing each other through the street. When Slick performs alone on a talent stage, the audience boos and throws fruit at him. Jeff steps on stage, the two dance as a pair, and the crowd cheers.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Perfect Night's Squeak

recommended age

Fuse, the red Oddbod, is kept awake in his own house by a mouse squeaking behind the skirting board. He tries a baited trap, chases it through the kitchen with a pot, swings a wrecking ball through his living room and builds a wheeled launcher, and every attempt fails while the damage grows. In a final attempt he wires explosive charges to the outside of his house and detonates them from the street, destroying the building while the mouse walks away unharmed. The episode ends at night with Fuse asleep in bed and the mouse curled up against him.

Oddbods

Oddbods

A Newt to Remember

recommended age

Fuse smartens up in his car and drives to collect Newt for an evening out, leaving Slick standing in the road with his keys. Slick chases them through the neighbourhood, to a drive-in cinema showing a black-and-white wolf film, and on to a roadside burger stand. Out in the forest under the full moon, Newt grows fangs, pointed ears and claws, and Slick, after fleeing and then photographing her, comes back and stays. The night ends with the characters heading home in the car, yawning.

Oddbods

Oddbods

One Two Many

recommended age

Bubbles builds a machine in her attic workshop that copies whatever it points at, testing it first on a green apple and then on a small figure. Pogo climbs in through her window to see what she is doing and ends up duplicated, and soon a crowd of identical Pogos spreads across the neighbourhood playing tricks on Fuse, Zee and Jeff. Bubbles and the original Pogo spend the night tracking the copies down and firing the machine in reverse to remove them. The episode ends back at the workshop window with the neighbourhood quiet again.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Pogo the Poltergeist

recommended age

Pogo sees an advert for a ghost gadget on television, orders it by phone and starts haunting the neighbourhood in disguise. Newt is his main target: her teddy bear and household objects move on their own until she flees her house. Bubbles builds goggles and a detector, and the two search the pink house together, wrecking the kitchen and leaving Newt needing a first aid kit. The episode ends at night with Newt and Pogo standing on the street as a real ghost floats up beside them.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Robobuddy

recommended age

Fuse is worn out from hauling his loaded trike around the neighbourhood, so when he sees a television advert for a Robobuddy he phones in an order. The robot arrives in a box, takes over his work, plays badminton with him and provides the music at a garden party, but its eyes keep flashing red and it starts wrecking gardens and turning on the other Oddbods. It ends up chasing everyone through a smoke-filled street, firing beams from its eyes. Fuse flies a kite in a thunderstorm so the lightning strikes the machine, Zee and Newt finish it off, and the group gathers around him afterwards.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Pain in the Arts

recommended age

In an art class, Jeff knocks over a pot of blue paint and the splattered canvas is hailed as a masterpiece, launching him into billboards, trophies and a television interview. Zee, watching from the sidelines, buys fresh paints and a beret and works late to produce a carefully painted apple, but at the outdoor exhibition nobody stops to look and Pogo eats it. Furious, Zee drives his car straight through the display, flattening every easel and canvas into a smoking heap. The crowd declares the wreckage brilliant, and the other Oddbods immediately grab blank canvases to copy the new style.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Zeellionär

recommended age

Zee is sitting in his junk filled yard when black oil suddenly bursts out of the ground and makes him instantly rich. He buys out a hot dog truck, a mansion, a sports car and a couch that flies, wears a crown and gold sunglasses, and throws a party while Pogo, Slick and the other Oddbods try to get close to the money. The oil well blows up in a huge black cloud and everything he bought is hauled away again. Zee ends up back on his old brown couch with a few loose banknotes around him and his friends gathered beside him.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Bad Medicine

recommended age

Zee sees Newt cooking and fakes a collapse in the road outside her house so she will take him in and look after him. Newt carries him to her bed and waits on him with soup, sweets and cake, but Zee keeps ringing for more, orders pizza and turns her bedroom into a party. Newt works out what he is up to and sets up a mock examination room with a spotlight, an X-ray and a tray of instruments. Zee panics, bolts out into the night and runs home, and a closing gag leaves him bandaged after another accident.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Fuse Ruse

recommended age

Fuse notices his friends slipping away without him and sets out to find out why. He trails them through an art gallery, a field, an outdoor cinema and a diner, at one point putting on glasses and a moustache so they will not recognise him, growing angrier each time they give him the slip. His search leads him to a house at night, where the group is revealed to have been preparing a party for him all along. He is handed a framed photograph of everyone together and the episode ends with the whole group celebrating.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Narco Klepto

recommended age

Belongings start vanishing from homes across the Oddbods neighbourhood, and Bubbles decides to find out who is responsible. She installs cameras, studies the recordings, pins up photographs of every neighbour and crosses them off one by one until only Zee is left. Following him at night, she discovers he is taking everything while fast asleep, and she trails him into a large building to get proof. The security system catches Bubbles instead, and the episode closes on Zee dozing on his sofa with the missing remote in his hand.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Bubble Trouble

recommended age

Pogo sneaks into Bubbles' attic laboratory and starts fiddling with her age-changing machine, and a stray beam turns Bubbles into a baby. She crawls off, gets behind the wheel of a buggy and tears through the neighbourhood while Pogo chases her, eventually catching her and keeping her in a pet carrier with a lollipop. Pogo then rewinds the lab footage and works through the machine's manual until he can reverse the setting and restore her. Once Bubbles is back to normal, she turns the same ray on Pogo, leaving him first old and then a baby.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Double Date Trouble

recommended age

Fuse invites both Newt and Bubbles to dinner on the same evening and seats them at separate tables in the same restaurant. He spends the night sprinting between the two, hiding behind doors and improvising distractions, while an escaped lobster adds chaos in the kitchen. The two eventually find each other and corner him outside. The episode closes on Fuse screaming as they advance on him, with no apology or resolution shown.

Oddbods

Oddbods

My Hero

recommended age

Slick wants Newt to see him as her hero, so he quietly creates the emergencies he then solves: he lets her pet mouse out of its dome, unscrews a wheel from her scooter and carries her cat up a tree. Each time he appears at the right moment and is thanked for saving the day. A photograph that would reveal what he has been doing turns up, and he tears it into pieces before Newt can look at it properly. The episode ends with the two of them standing outside her house together, followed by a daydream in which a caped Slick flies to her rescue.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Florence Newtingale

recommended age

Newt calls Fuse over to her pink house to deal with a cockroach in her kitchen sink, and the visit ends with Fuse gulping chilli sauce and storming home. After Newt turns up with apology flowers, Fuse has an accident at his own door and she wraps him in bandages. She then nurses him around the clock, feeding him, plumping his pillows and vacuuming up after him, while he quietly enjoys every minute and never admits he has recovered. Newt finally drops asleep from exhaustion, and Fuse rolls off to be looked after somewhere else.

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