Voices of Animation

Jim Conroy voice of Ruff Ruffman interview:

https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/231536/episode-1-jim-conroy.m4a

PBS Kids is mainly known for animation, from Dragon Tales to Arthur, Cyberchase to Sesame Street. These lighthearted, whimsical, and educational shows that also managed to be humorous and engaging enough for parents to enjoy alongside their children. Zoom changed the game, both with its original 1972–1978 run and its revival from 1999–2005. Zoom showcased kids engaging in science-based experiments and projects with memorable songs and segments that both kids and adults still remember today.

A year after Zoom aired its final episode, a new concept developed by WGBH, the PBS affiliate in Boston responsible for shows like Arthur and the aforementioned Zoom, began to take shape. The idea was a reality TV-style concept that combined the animation PBS Kids was known for with real children like the ones who made Zoom a staple.

May 29, 2006, marked the debut of Fetch With Ruff Ruffman, complete with its unique big-band-style theme song, which later received a 2008 Emmy for Best Original Song. Jim Conroy voiced the titular character, Ruff Ruffman, an animated anthropomorphic dog who appeared on a TV screen inside Studio G, where six “Fetchers” competed throughout the course of each season in different science and educational-based challenges across Greater Boston and around the United States.

In each episode, some Fetchers embarked on challenges while the others stayed behind to answer trivia questions about their fellow contestants’ experiences. Points were earned through both the challenges themselves and the trivia segments, with each Fetcher getting equal opportunities to participate in both. Every episode ended with a contestant taking home some kind of prize, while each season concluded with one Fetcher earning the title of Fetch Grand Champion and a place on the Studio G Wall of Fame.

Episodes usually centered around a challenge or situation involving Ruff or someone close to him, such as Grandma Ruffman or his evil twin Scruff Ruffman, both also voiced by Conroy. The challenges ranged from filming a music video with the contestants’ grandparents to training dolphins, serving as defense attorneys in a mock trial, creating a completely energy self-sufficient green doghouse, and studying the science of optical illusions. The show created a fun, engaging, and educational experience that felt high-stakes while really serving as an opportunity for the six Boston-area Fetchers, ages 10–14, and the viewers at home to learn while being entertained. Whether working individually or collaboratively, the contestants constantly pushed themselves to accomplish each episode’s tasks.

The show aired from 2006 to 2010, and despite six new Fetchers reportedly being selected for a sixth season, the series was abruptly canceled due to budget cuts at WGBH. Still, the show left behind a lasting legacy for those who watched it, as it was unlike anything that had come before it. By combining live action and animation, along with Ruff Ruffman’s snappy banter with the contestants, the show made it feel as though the kids themselves were part of an actual game show.

While the show appeared competitive on the surface with its weekly leaderboards, Fetch was ultimately collaborative and supportive. The Fetchers and Ruff regularly celebrated accomplishments and encouraged one another through overcoming obstacles and challenges. The halftime quiz show countdown, where contestants worked together to recall details from the challenges they had watched, became one of the show’s most memorable recurring segments.

The prizes awarded at the end of each episode ranged from white-water rafting trips and admission to Space Camp to a single can of tuna or even a used vacuum bag. While Anna, Mike, Jay, Liza, and Marco each won their respective seasons as Grand Champions, all thirty Fetchers had memorable moments throughout the show’s five-season run. Every episode began with Ruff introducing the contestants alongside quirky facts about each of them, helping every Fetcher stand out in their own way.

Even twenty years later, many people who grew up watching the show can still hum that iconic Emmy-winning theme song, which helped make Fetch With Ruff Ruffman not just one of the most popular shows to air on PBS Kids, but one of the most unique and memorable children’s television shows of all time.