The Hoobs

The series stars five extraterrestrial creatures called Hoobs (Hubba Hubba, Iver, Groove, Tula, and Roma) from the fictional planet called Hoobland, and their interactions with Earth and the human race. In each episode, they try to find the answer to a question to be put in the great Hoobopaedia created by Hubba Hubba, back in Hoobland, in hopes of learning all there is to know. Hubba Hubba remains in Hoobland to await the report from the other Hoobs, Iver, Groove, and Tula live in a music-powered vehicle called the Hoobmobile, and Roma travels to all parts of the world by foot, by public transport and even her music powered motorcycle called the Hooby Picki Picki. The five creatures are muppets, but the show also includes animated sequences as well as live action footage of human children who explain concepts to the Hoobs. Series A typical episode format involves: • Hubba Hubba introduces the viewers to the Hoobs stating that he has been tasked to send four of the Hoobs to Earth to gather information for Hoobland. The opening titles roll (a few of the fourth series episodes as well as some of the fifth series episodes have trimmed the introduction before the theme song). • A preamble during which a question to be answered is stumbled upon. • Hubba Hubba formalises the task. • Roma is e-mailed the question in order for her to provide a report. • Hubba Hubba downloads some pictures or shows videos from HoobNet, relating to the question. • A line of dialogue with a question or statement ending "who", "what", "when", "where", "why" or "how" causes a cutaway to a Motorettes' performance of that word. • There is usually a number of songs from the Hoobs or Motorettes, in some cases with familiar lyrics, or a familiar tune. • The Hoobs visit the Tiddlypeeps (human children) twice (three times in "Magic Words"), as "they're smart, they're fun, they know". • One Hoob drives left hand drive or right hand drive, one visits and turns the key and the third may participate in the B-story. • An animated drawing story from a Tiddlypeep who narrates it is aired, relating to the question. But in the episode "Stories", Tula makes a story herself which Hubba Hubba then puts on HoobNet and gets a Tiddlypeep to tell it. • Roma reports back to the other Hoobs about the related subject on the Hoobycomputer. But in "Roma's Visit" and "Riddle Me Ree", Groove reports back to Iver and Tula about Roma's Visit and about the riddle for Roma on the Hoobycomputer. • Various inappropriate solutions are rejected for an answer, just in time. • Hoob News summarises the adventure then the end credits roll. Other series • Hello Hoobs – The five-minute "Hello Hoobs" segment includes excerpts from the English-language version, edited to function as a teaching tool. Targeted at viewers between the ages of four and eleven, the segment uses the Hoobs to expand English-language vocabulary and explain rudiments of grammar. The stated goal was to teach 400 words and 150 different expressions. The segment airs immediately prior to the half-hour The Hoobs broadcast on a weekly basis, and is compiled into a half-hour weekend broadcast for Southern Europe, to serve as a review of knowledge. ==Characters==

• Iver (performed by Don Austen) – The purple leading male Hoob figure of the trio who has orange ears. He is very punctual and business-like, but likes to have fun, too. Iver is a great doer, but sometimes he tends to be a bit of a worrier. He is also quite bossy, which often irritates Tula and Groove. • Groove (performed by John Eccleston in Series 1-3, Mark Jefferis in Series 4 and 5) – The green male Hoob with his green Twizzletuft covering his eyes who is always cool and relaxed, and a little slower than the others. This can result in him making mistakes which frustrate his friends, but he always makes up for this in the end. He is also a little greedy and shy and a bit more hesitant to leave the Hoobmobile. He has a talent for making music, and he enjoys collecting things. • Tula (performed by Julie Westwood) – The pink female Hoob on board. She is sympathetic, caring and enthusiastic, though she's sometimes a little tiring to have around. Tula is very creative and loves arts and crafts. • Roma (performed by Gillie Robic) – The orange female explorer Hoob who travels around the world, gathering information for the Hoobopaedia by talking to the Tiddlypeeps. Roma does neither live in nor drive the Hoobmobile, but she frequently reports all her discoveries to Iver, Groove and Tula through video messages. Sometimes Roma visits the Hoobmobile to help them with their questions. Roma drives and rides a motorcycle called a Hooby Picki Picki which is powered by one unnamed Motorette. In some episodes, Roma talks to the Tiddlypeeps. • Hubba Hubba (performed by Mark Jefferis in Series 1-3 and some episodes of Series 4, Brian Herring in Series 4 and 5) – The blue male leader of the Hoobs. From his home base in Hoobland, he updates the Hoobopaedia with all the info that Iver, Groove and Tula collect during their stay in our world. In the Series 5 episode "The Big Bonk", Hubba Hubba comes to visit the Hoobmobile and talks to the Tiddlypeeps on the Peep Planet and does Hoob News all by himself. Though he did get lost causing the other three Hoobs to enlist Roma to find him. Given his rather eccentric twizzletuft and endless quest for knowledge, it is highly likely that he is some sort of scientist in Hoobland. • The Motorettes – A race of robotic creatures. Three Motorettes operate the engine of the Hoobmobile by singing and playing musical instruments while one Motorette operates Roma's Hooby Picki Picki by dancing along to the music track. • Tootle (performed by Rebecca Nagan) - A female Motorette who is blue cyan/lime green. • Timp (performed by Wim Booth) - A female Motorette who is yellow/orange red. • Twang (performed by Mark Jefferis) - A male Motorette who is magenta/purple. • Unnamed Motorette - This is the other Motorette that is yellow (resembling Tootle, Timp and Twang) and powers the Hooby Picki Picki. • The Hoobydudu – A robotic primate that hatches from an egg who lives in Hoobland with Hubba Hubba and Auntie Hattie. He changes from being a screamer to being a giggler when he's cuddled and cheered up by either Auntie Hattie or Hubba Hubba. ==Episodes==

Series 1 (2001) Series 2 (2001) Series 3 (2001) Series 4 (2001–2002) Series 5 (2002–2003) ==Puppeteers==

• Don Austen - Iver • John Eccleston - Groove (Series 1−3) • Julie Westwood - Tula • Gillie Robic - Roma • Mark Jefferis - Groove (Series 4 and 5), Hubba Hubba (Series 1−3, some episodes of Series 4), and Twang • Brian Herring - Hubba Hubba (Series 4 and 5) • Rebecca Nagan - Tootle • Wim Booth - Timp Steven Kynman, Victoria Willing, Ivestyn Evans, Robert Skidmore and Susan Beattie served as assistant puppeteers in the series. Mak Wilson, Katherine Smee, Dave Taylor, Jason Hopley and Jamie Shannon served as puppeteer accountants in the show's final series and on "Hooby Happy Holidays" on Sprout. Mark Jefferis was also the lead singer of the show's opening theme, and the voices of the Hoobmobile's Motorettes also sang the music track that powers Roma's Hooby Picki Picki. Brian Herring was also a writer who wrote some episodes of the show, such as "Crash, Bang, Wallop". ==Production==

Channel 4 announced in November 2000 that a new educational series, titled "The Hoobs", had been developed for a pre-school audience. In a £20 million joint venture between Channel 4 and The Jim Henson Company, the channel commissioned 250 half-hour episodes which were to be broadcast from early 2001 (to replace Sesame Street). The series was set to be the biggest pre-school series on British television as it was said that "Channel 4 hopes its Hoobs will be the new Teletubbies and the new Tweenies" and wished from it to match its success. The puppets for the characters were made by Jim Henson's Muppet Workshop. Executive vice-president Angus Fletcher of Jim Henson Television commented that "We are delighted to have the opportunity to pioneer a groundbreaking format which will address the needs of the first truly multi-media generation". ==Broadcast history==

United Kingdom The series premiered on Channel 4 on 15 January 2001 from 6:00am to 7:00am, with two episodes being broadcast each weekday morning. The episodes were repeated from 11:00 am during the Channel 4 schools strand 4Learning, After the cancellation of Freshly Squeezed, The Hoobs continued airing on weekday mornings up until 2 December 2013, and weekend mornings until 30 August 2014, when repeats were upended altogether and replaced with reruns of How I Met Your Mother. It also aired on Nick Jr. UK from 2002 to 2004. International The Hoobs has also been shown in several countries around the world, including the United States (the series formerly airing on PBS Kids Sprout), Australia (airing on both ABC and ABC2 from 4 February 2002 to 2 July 2011), Poland (Polsat JimJam and TV4), Hungary (JimJam), Spain (Telemadrid and on K3 in Catalonia) and Israel (Hop!). In Italy, "Hello Hoobs" aired on JimJam from Sky. In Germany, the show aired on KiKA. It aired on Semillitas in Latin America, and on Alter Channel in Greece. In Ireland, it was screened on TG4, where it was dubbed into Irish Gaelic, and in Hong Kong, it aired on TVB Pearl. As of July 2025, the series is featured on the Yippee TV streaming service. ==Home media releases==

From 2001 to 2003 in the United Kingdom, Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment released four VHS tapes in the United Kingdom each containing two episodes: "Finding Out", "Holidays", "Funny Faces" and "Groove's Wish". Three of the tapes were also released as a bi-pack, and a promotional tape named "Meet the Hoobs" was also released. "Groove's Wish" was also issued out on DVD by CTHE in April 2002, which included an extra episode. Another DVD - "Hooble Toodle Doo!", was released in September 2005 by HIT Entertainment. Video game A video game based on the show was released for the PlayStation on 7 June 2002, developed by Runecraft and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. ==See also==