Quigley's Village

"Quigley's Village" was a long-running (1987 to 1999) collection of Christian children's videos designed to teach children "sound Biblical values" in a fun and exciting way. A combination of live action and puppets, it was very similar in style to Sesame Street but with a biblically-based rather than humanistic approach to communicating values.

Executive Producer Ed Carlstone first conceived of the idea of Quigley's Village when his three-year-old child told a lie. With many episodes translated into Spanish, and a spin-off series ("The Simply Grand Quigley Band"), "Quigley's Village" has been seen by millions of children worldwide.

Characters

MAIN

* Mr. Quigley (played by Minnesota's Roseville Covenant Church pastor Richard Carlson, also a writer, composer, producer) is the host of "Quigley's Village" and the person all the puppets look up to and try to emulate. He appears to represent what God wants humans to be. Although no human is realistically perfect, Quigley seems to be. When the other villagers make mistakes, he leads them to a solution, quoting scripture and using common sense to deal with the puppets' problems. He is a gentle man, with a smile on his face at all times.

* Dexter (Robert Auger) The village's resident handy-man. He is one of the few humans to be featured on the program. Dexter is very helpful, but a little more naive than Mr. Quigley. He is also younger.

* Bubba (voiced by Paul Lessard) is an ape and the main puppet character. He has a very nasal, high-pitched voice. Although Bubba struggles with fear and lying, he tries to come to terms with his sins in a Christlike way. Bubba is arguably the most popular character during the series nearly 13 year run, probably because he comes across as the most human. His struggles with realistic problems that children and even adults can identify with, push him front and centre as the star. His fun loving personality and constant good cheer, earn him a place in the village as a constant good friend.

* Danny (voiced by Jim Black) is a lion who is, of all the villagers, the biggest joker. He is also Lemon's older brother. Danny's playful personality is balanced with his love of doing what's right. His and Lemon's differing personalities offered several advantages in plot formation throughout the series long run.

* Lemon (voiced by Debra Auger) is a bright, yellow lion. She is the youngest member of the village (besides possibly Trundle). Danny is her older brother. Lemon embodies the innocence of Quigley's Village. Her constant companion is Mrs. Toddy, a doll.

* Spike (voiced by Robert Auger) is a porcupine with purple hair and a grey body. She is kind of rough on the outside with a tough New York accent, and spikes, but in the end the other villagers love her dearly. It is argued in some circles that Spike embodies the tough outcast, who has been judged by others as being tough or mean. The villagers on the other hand accept Spike despite her different background. In one episode, she enters the town talent show, claiming she is going to be a star. She is entering to do tap dancing and is basing her act on seeing it on television before. When she finally gets on stage, never having practiced, she bombs.

* Trundle (Made alive by Jim Black) is a toucan, who loves to eat and sleep, sometimes to his own disadvantage. He lives on Mr. Quigley's porch in a cage covered by a blanket, but despite this, Quigley treats him very well. Quigley generally snatches the blanket off in the morning, to which Trundle gives a friendly, albeit tired, "Oh, hello Mr. Quigley."

*Molly (Debra Auger) is the village mailman. She has a nonthreatening personality and delivers the mail every morning. Generally, in the first scene, Molly delivers the mail to Mr. Quigley who comments on what the audience will be learning that day. Interestingly, Molly always wears a safari hat, which to some implies that, due to the many different animals in the village, every episode is like a safari.

MINOR
*Alex is a brown fox. Very few episodes feature him.

*Milty (Played by Richard Carlson) is a moose who has a very small role through out the series run. Although he appears in the opening credits, he appears in a limited number of episodes. Although, like Shemp on the three stooges, he has gained somewhat of a cult following. Some have speculated behind the scenes disputes are the cause of his limited role, though few real facts are known at this time. It has been rumored that Milty was asked to leave the set. One plausable explanation for his limited role, was that he was voiced by Rick Carlson, who also plays Mr. Quigley. Logically, any scene Mr. Quigley is in, would make it nearly impossibly for him to voice Milty at the same time. Although, it would take the ventriloquist skills of a puppeteering giant and years of hard work and dedication and some spectacular feats of vocal acrobats, It would be possible for Rick Carlson to do both at once.

*Doctor Caremore A young, black woman, who takes care of the villigers when they are hurt. She is very gentle and always knows how to help the villagers when they are hurt. However, she is seen in few episodes. She introduces Spike at the village talent show.

*Doc 2 A old man who is sometimes seen outside of his office helping solve problems for the villagers.

*Elephant although never directly spoken too, the elephant trunk is seen many times, and even during the theme song. In a phenomenon like Wilson (Home Improvement), he/she is never seen completely. The trunk, while very animated in it's limited in it's movement and possibilities, is the only part seen during the series run.

Videos

*"Responsibility"After Bubba accidentally breaks Mr. Quigley's pitcher, he learns a lesson about accepting responsibility for his actions...30 min.
*"Listening"The villagers learn about listening.
*"Cooperation"Mr. Quigley teaches the children that working together gets the job done every time...30 min.
*"Sing-Along"The villagers teach children the fun of singing in this now classic episode.
*"The Joy of Giving"In this program, Spike and the other kids learn it's better to give gifts than receive them...30 min.
*"Sharing" The kids enter a balloon contest and agree to "share" the prize. After Spike wins, she refuses to share the prize with the others...30 min.
*"Courage"Bubba and his friends learn a lesson about courage after they find a purse in the park...30 min.
*"Resisting Temptation"Children learn about temptation and how to handle it in this thought provoking program...30 min.
*"Truth and Trust"Danny decides to buy a toy with the money Mr. Quigley gives him to buy party decorations. To cover his actions he has to lie and finally decides to bury the toy. Everything is going great until it rains and Danny’s deception is found growing out of the ground. Children will see why we should always tell the truth.
*"Thankfulness"Mrs. Toddy the doll disappears. Lemon and pals, learn about being thankful...30 min.
*"Overcoming Fear"In this episode, Mr. Quigley takes the guys camping and they have a wonderful time eating and telling stories until bedtime when Bubba hears strange noises. The noises get louder and Bubba's imagination runs wild. Lemon helps comfort Bubba by giving him her prize possession, Mrs. Toddy, her doll. Bubba then feels more secure and is able to confront his fear and discover the culprit. Earlier in the day Lemon also was able to overcome her fear of going to see the doctor.
*"Working Things Out"Kids learn about getting along with each other and working together...30 min.
*"Fairness"Spike, Danny and Bubba let their imaginations run wild as they become space farmers. All summer long they’ve tended to their “space garden” eagerly anticipating the harvest of a very large watermelon. As Mr. Quigley begins to slice open the watermelon, they are shocked and disappointed to discover someone has made a home out of it. Important lessons on fairness and sharing are taught.
*"Forgiveness"After spending most of his life on Mr. Quigley’s porch, Trundle the Toucan tires of life in the village and unexpectedly flies off to discover "Life in the BIG City" - making sure that Mr. Quigley doesn’t know he is leaving. This hurts Mr. Quigley’s feelings. Trundle's dreams are shattered as he realizes the difficulty of caring for himself away from friends and family. He eventually returns to an unexpected homecoming welcome.
*"Practice Makes Perfect"This is the day for the Village talent show. Everyone is hard at work preparing their performances except Spike. She sees no point in practicing even though she has never tap danced before. She finds anything and everything else to do but practice for her tap dance routine. The show is a big success for everyone except Spike who learns that tap dancing isn't all it is "cracked up" to be - especially when you don't prepare.
*"Obedience"Berry picking goes sour, when Bubba eats green berries. See what happens!..30 min.
*"Patience"It is costume dress-up day. Mr. Quigley gives the kids a trunk of old clothes for them to play with. He promises to make popcorn for all of them later. The kids become impatient when Mr. Quigley forgets the top to the popper and when he goes to get it they decide they can’t wait for his return. Before they know it popcorn is flying everywhere.
*"Kind Words"After Spike says hurtful things to Lemon, she learns a lesson about kind words...30 min.
*"Thankfulness"Lemon learns the importance of thankfulness when her doll is swept away during a windy day of kite flying. The gang tries to find Mrs. Toddy without success until she is found on top of a flag pole and only Bubba can save the day! Lemon learns how to be thankful to others, and Bubba learns to be thankful to God for making him just the way he is.
*"Contentment"It’s a rainy day in the Village and everyone is staying inside. Mr. Quigley and Trundle visit the children with their Rainy Day box full of fun activities to chase away the boredom. Molly and Dexter also come up with a way of staying dry and having fun as they wait for the storm to pass.
*"Aerobics"Designed by nationally certified aerobics instructor, Cheryl Merrill, this video lets you and your child have fun together while shaping you up with a light aerobic workout. Your child will love exercising to the joyful music of the popular children's video series, Quigley's Village. And by using imaginative movements, like "building the treehouse" and "marching in the band," your child will get the exercise he needs, while having fun to wholesome music.

Creators

Executive Producer - Ed Carlstone

Director - Jim Maguire

Co-Writer - Rick Carlson

External links

* [http://www.values4kids.com Quigley's Village Online Store]