Bartholemew is a very timely international show with a strong environmental theme (kind of like an “Inconvenient Truth” for children) about an adventurous and friendly, yet naïve caterpillar of the same name. Surrounded by a cast of colorful friends and foes including two young children named Hillary and Ray, this show delves into such entertaining devices as character conflict and resolution, humor and touching stories that may at times have a real-world significance (i.e., environmental (global warming), cross-cultural and societal).”
Bartholemew
The central character of this show, Bartholemew is a young, adventurous and yet naïve Monarch Caterpillar. Appearing worn and haggard from his journeys, he touts a tattered fedora and a hobo stick on his shoulder. This colorful creature has been ejected from the comfort and safety of his childhood home and forced to wander the world in search of an answer. The answer, unbeknownst to him, is twofold: his ultimate transformation into the king of the insect world, the Monarch butterfly. As well as realizing his destiny to succeed grandpa monarch as the defender and ruler of the Opal forest.
Bartholemew is gentle and far too trusting, which gets him into trouble on a regular basis. In the pilot episode, he befriends the Evil Zeppa, only to find out that Zeppa has stolen his ability to morph. Fortunately, his trustworthy nature helps him to make true friends, such as the gentle and unassuming Ray.
Through his trials and tribulations in the show, Bartholemew grows as a person and without realizing it, learns to break Zeppa’s spell until he is ready to become the thing he always wanted – a butterfly
Ray
Ray is the shy, kindly boy who befriends Bartholemew in the Pilot Episode. An introverted child who is the youngest of two children, he constantly feels out of place within his family circle, and his unassuming nature is a constant source of bullying and non-acceptance within his peer group.
Unlike his flamboyant and spoiled sister Hillary, Ray is very understated in his dress, his mannerisms and his personality. He is most at peace escaping from the oft-cruel world, lost in the pages of a book, and his primary goal in life is to author books. He carries a journal with him wherever he goes and when not interacting with Bartholemew, he is often found capturing his innermost thoughts and dreams there.
The synergistic and often symbiotic relationship between Bartholemew and Ray are a prominent theme in the show. The two can not only relate on levels heretofore unknown to each of them; they are unwittingly in search of the same undiscovered jewel: acceptance. Ray also filters environmental information from his father, Dr. Fairweather to Bartholomew. It is through this medium primarily that Bartholomew realizes that signs of pollution existed in his own home in the Opal forest, something he was not privy to when he lived there.
Zeppa
Zeppa is the evil Sorceror of the Onyx Forest. This hideous black slug is the antagonist of the show, and from the pilot on, is Bartholemew’s arch foe. having stolen Bartholemew’s ability to transform into a Butterfly, Zeppa frequently pops up in subsequent episodes to continue to extract his will and hamper our protagonist’s ability to become what he desires most. Zeppa is ill-tempered, impatient, power-hungry and egomaniacal. His ultimate goal is to absorb as much energy from the benevolent creatures which occupy the forest as well as purposefully pollute the Opal forest, in order to exact his plan to become omnipotent – the ruler of all that he surveys.
Eagle Eye
This majestic, keen-eyed Red -Tailed hawk is Bartholemew’s best friend and savior. This unlikely duo forms a special friendship in spite of their natural urges to do otherwise. The fact that Bartholemew eats milkweed plants (which are poisonous to hawks) makes him undesirable prey for Eagle Eye. This intelligent bird of prey is often seen hunting or perching, waiting for Bartholemew’s calls for help. It is with Eagle Eye’s help that Bartholemew is rescued from the Onyx forest and brought to safety at the “Border of Safe passage” where his adventure into the human world begins.
Dr. Fairweather
Dr. Fairweather is a world renowned environmental scientist and father of both Hillary and Ray. It is through his expeditions around the globe that Bartholemew learns that not only is the planet in peril, so is his benevolent Opal Forest.
Senator SlickShady
Senator SlickShady is a devious, crooked US Senator who continuously underminds Dr. Fairweather’s attempts at exposing companies who are knowingly polluting the environment. This antagonist is more concerned with making a buck and protecting his political interests, rather than the implications of what these multinational companies are having on the environment.
Sub-Characters...
Grandpa Monarch
Grandpa Monarch is the sagely old patriarch of Bartholemew’s family. A nurturer who is wise to the ways of the world, he encourages Bartholemew to leave the safety of his childhood home in search of his identity.
Grandpa Monarch is a stately yet frail Monarch Butterfly and essentially takes on the role as King of Insects. He is not a central character, but does appear at times when Bartholemew is most in need of his guidance and tutelage.
Wilhelmina Webwalker
Wilhelmina is a kindly old Black Widow spider who represents Bartholemew’s conscience and lack of worldly wisdom. A matronly old creature who was once the most feared predator in the insect kingdom, she now has more experience than knowledge, her constant lecturing of Bartholemew is the guiding compass which helps to redirect his often brash and unconsidered decisions. She is Bartholemew’s sage.
Wilhelmina is very attuned to Bartholemew’s plight, as she has suffered from poor choices and continued obstacles in her own life. She understands the foolishness of youth and yet tempers her advice with a sadness that has been gained by her own lack of meaningful friendships. For, after all, she is a spider and therefore, a most feared creature in the insect world. And of course, as a Black Widow, she’s often asked about what happened to her ex-husbands, to which she is always cryptic and evasive.
You Should Also Know...
Pancho Jose Juan-Carlos Hector Ramirez, a sleepy Mexican Praying Mantis, is a slow-moving yet flamboyant creature who often gets himself and his friends into trouble despite his best intentions. Since Praying Mantis’ only have one ear, he carries an old fashioned horn-like hearing aid for additional comic relief.
Oftentimes oblivious to his troublemaking skills, he is nonetheless aware of this character flaw, and this creates a sense of pathos, for Pancho propounds a great deal of wisdom, while not always aware of his own foibles. Always looking for a way to sneak off and grab a siesta, Pancho is laid-back but sometimes unrestrained. He gets himself into a series of situations with his friend Bartholemew – always creating new and comical struggles.
Gabby is the other comic relief as well as a tension exacerbator of this cast of characters. A brightly-colored and highly-strung hummingbird, she moves, as hummingbirds do, in frantic and continually stressful ways. More than a little ditzy and lacking common sense, her rapid flittings to-and-fro are a constant source of frustration to her group of friends. Initially, she intimidates Bartholemew because of her ‘in-your-face’ attitude, but he eventually learns to deal with her as his character matures.
People are often trying to have serious conversations with her, but they can’t finish their sentences because she disappears and reappears in an irritating way. Her physical movements and constant ability to overreact to even the most minor situations are a source of interesting and comical visual devices.
Zee is a misunderstood creature who is misguided by false hope. She is the first caterpillar who Bartholemew meets in the outside world, but while she dreams in the belief that she is one day going to become a butterfly, unbeknownst to her, she’s actually destined to become a moth. After her transition, she becomes sullen and sad, and it is only with Bartholemew’s help that she learns to believe that she is beautiful just the way she is.
Ginger is the diva of the group. A swallow with dreams of making it large in Hollywood, this drama-queen is constantly name-dropping, and more interested in being discovered than developing personal relationships. She is always ‘dressed’ to the nines and capitalizing on every chance to coif herself when she sees her reflection in a window or a pool of water.
Rocco is a scavenger. A raccoon with an Italian accent who’s obsessed with scrounging through garbage, this pack-rat often appears to be the bandit as he absconds with his treasure (we can even see some comical scenes with him scrounging through a dumpster and having ‘search lights’ shone on him, prison-break style). And even better, he may actually find some useful purpose for the things he collects as the show progresses. His messy domain is a testament to his raccoon character; and while his neighbors might not be pleased with the stench, Rocco is always in heaven when surrounded by his number one love: garbage.
Hue is the guiding light for our cast of characters. A Firefly who likes to carry a Hurricane Lamp wherever he goes, Hue is constantly getting Bartholemew, Ray and Hillary out of trouble as quickly as the rest of the cast is getting them into trouble. Diminutive in stature only, this Lightning Bug has attitude to compensate. Often taking on way more than he can handle, he nonetheless prevails – for the most part.
Slim is an overcurious Australian Walking Stick. His ability to camouflage himself is his oft-protested excuse for excessive eavesdropping. His slight build is often the source of jeers and jokes, and his wild mannerisms and Down-Under personality make him a colorful character. We can easily see him flexing his ‘muscles’ – tiny and bulbous – which pop up for a moment and then sag toward the ground as gravity takes hold.
Other Possible (Ancillary) Characters
Since Bartholemew and the central characters are often traveling around the globe, there are exhaustive possibilities for diverse and interesting animals and insects of different cultures. Some of the possibilites are:
Beatrice Wellingsworth the 3rd – A British homing pigeon
Itze (“Itchy”) Takemura – A Japanese flea
Greta Von Strassenberger- An efficient German Soldier Ant
Sven – Possibly a Swedish Elk Hound who loves to Slalom
ARABIC VERSION OF CARTOON
Tarek
Yasmeen
