Left to right: Paws, Bookaboo, Growler.
"… A story a day, or I just can't play."
Produced and created by Lucy Goodman (ITV, 2009), Bookaboo is a British children’s series about the drummer for an Australian classic-rock-inspired act made up entirely of sentient orphaned dogs. One hang-up — he’s basically a Man Child who gets cold feet unless he reads at least one picture book per day.—Bookaboo's Catchphrase
A Canadian version was produced for the CBC and sister station SRC in 2013. Another version was launched initially exclusively for Amazon Prime in 2016, with these episodes airing on the CBC a few months later.
Tropes associated with this series:
- Aesop Amnesia: Lampshaded in the page quote.
- All Drummers Are Animals: The whole band is made up of canines!
- Artistic License – Music: How many Real Life promoters wouldn't have dropped the band in light of Bookaboo's conduct? And how long would his bandmates have put up with him? Basically a variant of Arson, Murder, and Lifesaving and Bunny-Ears Lawyer.
- Ultimate Job Security: The New Year's special with Paula Abdul indicates that the reason he keeps his job is because his fellow band-members, Paws and Growler, are in awe of him, considering him a far better drummer than anyone else in the world. Also, their previous drummers had even more serious problems, so basically they're happy to have him because despite his issues, they could be dealing with worse problems.
- Catchphrase:
- (I need) A story a day, or I just can't play.
- You've got the bookabag! He's/She's got the bookabag! Bookabag! Bookabag! Bookabag! Bookabag!
- Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: It might not be an animated cartoon, but Bookaboo definitely qualifies.
- The New '10s
- Manchild: Or Dog Pup. When he loses his "bojo" (rhythm) just before going into his drum solo.
- Oh Wait, This Is My Grocery List: "Baxter's Book" opens with Growler telling Bookaboo he's going to read him a story from a great book. He reads "Six sausages, one onion, basil, rosemary, browned all over. Put into an oven, a hot oven for one hour. Garnish with fresh parsley." Bookaboo is at first confused, then interprets Basil and "Rose Marie" as characters in the story, before realizing that Growler is reading him a recipe from a cookbook.
- Puppet Show
- The Smurfette Principle: Applies to any female human guest.
- Strictly Formula: Opening dialogue, Zany Scheme within the vehicle, a human rings the doorbell, shows up with a red bag containing a picture book, chews the fat with Books, reads to him, Books gets his rhythm back and rushes onstage, human is watching happily in the wings… the end.
- True Companions: Enforced, as the band's tour vehicle is their tour home, leaving very little room for personal gripes.
- Zany Scheme: Bookaboo is prone to use these to procrastinate. Until a human guest shows up with a picture book.
