I am a computer expert who loves a challenge. When I am not managing servers and fixing flaws, I write about it and other interesting things on various blogs.
Timothy Goes to School is an American/Canadian children's animated television series based on the series of Yoko and other individual books by Rosemary Wells such as "Shy Charles", "Fritz and the Mess Fairy", and "Noisy Nora", but is titled after the book of the same name. It primarily features a young enthusiastic raccoon named Timothy (voiced by Austin Di Iulio), who attends a fictional primary school called "Hilltop School" along with ten other students (each of which are of different animals), who are mainly friends of him and each other. The kindergarten class is taught by Mrs. Jenkins, a comforting teacher who enjoys educating and helping her students.
The series aired on PBS Kids as part of the PBS Kids Bookworm Bunch (the sixth and last show after Corduroy, Elliot Moose, George Shrinks, Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse, and Seven Little Monsters. Timothy Goes to School was the fourth and last show after George Shrinks, Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse, and Seven Little Monsters when Corduroy and Elliot Moose were cancelled from 2000 until 2004. Reruns were later broadcast on Discovery Kids (until 2006) and Qubo in the US. This show airs on YTV, Treehouse TV, and TVO Kids in Canada, and also on the UK digital TV channel Tiny Pop. In Brazil, it was aired on TV Cultura (2003–2007). In Mexico and Latin America, it was broadcast on ZAZ (in Latin America, episode #22 wasn't aired, but it did air in Brazil). The series premiered on September 30, 2000, and aired its last episode on December 28, 2001.
Timothy goes to school measuring up
Characters
Below are the characters split up into three groups, children, adults, and others.
Children
Timothy (voiced by Austin Di Iulio) – A friendly raccoon. Although he is the main character of the show, not all episodes are centered on him. He is a well-meaning young boy and the most warm-hearted child in the school, generally trying to be a friend to everyone. Occasionally, he can be impulsive. He wears a blue and white striped shirt, although he wore blue overalls on his first day at school and a red suit on his second day.
Yoko (voiced by Lisa Yamanaka) – A cat originally from Japan who is typically sweet. She plays the violin well and sees the best in people. Yoko enjoys many aspects of Japanese culture, including sushi and origami, which has occasionally caused problems for her and her classmates. She is Timothy's best friend and they are often seen together. She wears a yellow dress with a red shirt over it.
Nora (voiced by Alyson Court) – A Bole-brown mouse who is sometimes bossy and sulky. She is known for making a lot of noise which has earned her the nickname Noisy Nora. She owns a lizard called Norman who lives in the school. She has an eight-year-old sister, who is in the third grade, named Kate who has not appeared in the show other than as a picture Nora drew of her in "My Family", and an extremely messy baby brother named Jack who occasionally appears. She wears a purple dress.
Charles (voiced by Max Morrow) – A gray mouse who likes to play by himself at recess but is often seen around Timothy, Lilly or Yoko, being the quieter members of the class. He engages in very creative and imaginative play, as he built a make-believe rocket to the stars. He has expressed shyness strongly in "Shy Charles", both at school and at home. As he is the smallest member of the class, he tends to not be good at sports, but he is not bothered by this. He wears a red shirt and blue overalls.
Lilly (voiced by Mag Ruffman) – A fox who is forgetful and sometimes scatterbrained, and she often ties a string around a finger in order to remedy this. Lilly has a pet goldfish named Treasure. She is generally extremely absent-minded, but she remembers the most vital things. Her forgetfulness can often be a source of annoyance to the other characters, but they quickly forgive her. She wears a sea green dress with an orange shirt over it and a pair of red tennis shoes.
Frank #1 & Frank #2 (voiced by Darren Frost and Rob Stefaniuk respectively) are French bulldog twin brothers who love sports and often speak in unison. The brothers speak in stilted, dull voices which suggest they are not particularly intelligent. They are known for fighting, telling jokes, and trying to do their things simultaneously with their signature jolly laughter. They are unable to stand being separated and can sometimes be slightly reckless. Their favorite food is franks and beans. Frank #1 is black and wears a blue jersey, whereas Frank #2 is orange and wears a green jersey.
Doris (voiced by Tracy Ryan) – A beaver who is a boisterous tomboy. She is a talented soccer player who seems to have a fear of insects and spiders. Doris has three older brothers: Horace, Morris, and Boris. Doris is clearly the tallest student in her class, though at home, she is teased by her brothers as she is much smaller than they are. Doris appears to be the most avant-garde artist in class, as she believes her abstract art should not look like anything else, as long as it makes her happy. Most of the other characters are impressed by her size and strength. She wears a pink dress with a darker pink bow in her hair.
Fritz (voiced by Laurie Elliott) – A skunk who is very fond of science and is another one of Timothy's best friends. He leaves for another school in "Fritz on the Move" and returns soon after in "Many Happy Returns" after his mother got a new job. Fritz is also the most clever in the class, and occasionally knows more than the teacher about a particular subject. Fritz reacts poorly to the failure in his experiments and also has a tendency towards messiness. He originally wore a yellow shirt with a green necktie, but, upon returning in "Many Happy Returns", his tie is replaced by a green multi-pocketed vest.
Claude (voiced by Joanne Vannicola) – A raccoon who tries to be the best in the school but comes off arrogantly in some cases. Because of this, there is some rivalry between him and Timothy. However, they appear to become good friends after Timothy secretly teaches Claude to swim, in which Claude credits Timothy. He wears a dark green polo shirt and is most often seen with Grace.
Grace (voiced by Linda Kash) – An upper-class cat who likes things her way. Her interests include dance, especially ballet, and figure skating. She has a quick temper and gets quickly annoyed when mistakes are made and silly questions are asked from the other people in the class. She is seen playing with Claude most of the time. She wears a bright blue dress.
Juanita (voiced by Susan Laney Dalton) – A cat originally from Mexico who only appears in the final two stories in the final show: "Mama Don't Go" and "Making New Friends". Upon joining the school, she is very nervous, anxious, and feels insecure without her mother, but she eventually overcomes her nerves. A new pupil to the school, she sees the best in people like Yoko. She has a doll named María and a gecko named Pablo.
Adults
Mrs. Jenkins (voiced by Fiona Reid) – A fox and the teacher of the class. Her name was "Miss Abercrombie" before she married Mr. Jenkins as she was mentioned in the episode "Just in Time". She can play the piano well, sing songs and enjoys birdwatching as a hobby. She wears a green coat over a purple dress and a pair of glasses with red rims.
Big Frank – A French bulldog and the single and widowed father of the Frank twins. He speaks in a gentle voice and is very kind, a great dad and encourages his sons. He is seen as good with the machinery and repairs, as he is easily able to fix Timothy's bicycle in "Red Thunder". He also helps the Franks fix Yoko's taketombo after they accidentally break it. He wears a blue business shirt.
Henry (voiced by Jamie Watson) – The cheerful janitor, bus driver, and beaver. He wears a blue uniform and was once the student of Mrs. Jenkins back when she was called Mrs. Abercrombie. Despite his appearance, he is not that old. In "Just in Time", he told the class he attended kindergarten 25 years ago, suggesting he is 30 years old.
Miss Appleberry – A skunk and the student teacher at Hilltop School who is very cheerful and is sometimes seen with Mrs. Jenkins, mostly on school trips. She usually wears a blue dress. When Mrs. Jenkins sprained her arm in "Get Well Soon", she was the substitute teacher.
Mrs. Lightfoot – A mouse and the librarian who gives the children their first library cards. She only appears in "Read Me a Story".
Others
There are several notable adults and relatives, though many only appear in a couple of episodes (Yoko's mother, Doris' brothers, Nora's baby brother Jack, Charles's Auntie Bea, and the other children's parents). Yoko, Fritz, and Lilly do not appear to have their fathers while the Franks and Claude do not appear to have a mother, however, these situations are never explained on the series.
Broadcast
Timothy Goes to School was broadcast in the United States on the channels PBS Kids, Discovery Kids, and Qubo until December 23, 2016 but on April 1, 2017 the show has been return. In Canada, the series aired on stations YTV, Treehouse TV, and TVO Kids. Outside of North America, the show aired in Israel on Hop! (טימותי הולך לבית הספר).
