Dr Wonder's Workshop

Infobox Television
show_name = Dr. Wonder's Workshop


caption =
format = Live-action
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audio_format =
runtime = 30 minutes
creator =
developer =
executive_producer =
starring = David O. Reynolds, Tiffany Hoglind, Justin Reynolds, Jonathan Reynolds, Janet Schwall
narrated =
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endtheme =
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language = American Sign Language (ASL), English voice narration/closed-captioning, Spanish closed-captioning available
network = syndicated TBN
first_aired = 2007
last_aired = present
num_episodes = 13 (As of March, 2008)
list_episodes =
website = http://www.drwonder.org
imdb_id =
tv_com_id =

"Dr. Wonder's Workshop" is an American Christian children's show targeted largely to a deaf/hard-of-hearing populace. The main characters are all deaf, and speak in American Sign Language (ASL). For non-deaf viewers, the show is done with voiceover narration, and a Spanish-language closed-captioning is also provided as well as English closed-captioning. [ [http://www.tbn.org/index.php/2/4/p/991.html Trinity Broadcasting Network] ,"Dr. Wonder's Workshop", 2008.] The show is produced by Silent Blessings/Deaf Ministries, based in Indianapolis, Indiana. [ [http://www.silentblessings.org/news.asp?ID=23 Silent Blessings] , "Production Begins on Dr Wonder's Workshop", September 29, 2005. ]

Characters

*Dr. Leward Wonder (David O. Reynolds): A Scottish-born deaf inventor, and founder of Dr. Wonder's Workshop.
*Paula Beaker (Tiffany Hoglind): The head chemist at Dr. Wonder's Workshop.
*Lisa Beancounter (Janet Schwall): Born in the U.K., Lisa is the Workshop's accountant.
*Billy Cameron (Justin and Jonathan Reynolds): A self-taught electronics expert, he is the electrician at the Workshop. Billy often gets into trouble by acting rashly or without thinking.
*Luigi "Pops" L'Inventore: Pops is a puppet character who works part-time at the Workshop and part-time at a nearby restaurant, the Finger Food Cafe.
*"Elevator Guy" (Doug Green): Elevator Guy is a computer-generated personality who runs the elevators in the Workshop. He can also appear on other computer screens, as well.

Episodes

The show begins with an introduction from "Elevator Guy", who sets the scene for what viewers are about to experience. He generally demonstrates two or three ASL signs which are part of the major theme of the episode, such as "trust", "respect", or "honesty". The narrative portion of the show begins with a greeting from Dr. Wonder, and the story begins to unfold.

Throughout the episode, the narrative story pauses for interstitial episodes. In some, a Bible story or an object lesson is narrated by one individual. In the "Real Kids" segments, deaf/hard-of-hearing children are asked questions relating to the theme of the story (such as "When people tell you a story that's not true, how does that make you feel?"). Hearing children do the voiceover as the deaf children sign their answers. Each episode also contains a sign-song, performed by a group called AMESLAN Kids, with the words of the song relating to the episode's theme. (However, the signs in the song do not always match the words sung in voiceover; this is because ASL and spoken English have different grammar and structure.)

The narrative ends with Dr. Wonder summing up the story, and tying it back into the theme.

eason 1

The following is a complete episode list for "Dr. Wonder's Workshop". [Full list is sourced from [http://www.drwonderinfo.com/episodeguideparents.html www.drwonderinfo.com's episode guide.] ]

:Episode 1: Be Fair With One Another: ::Billy is excited to enter the boat-building contest--and even more excited when he finds that Pops still has his prize-winning boat from last year. However, when he enters Pops' boat without asking, he learns an important lesson about being fair.:Episode 2: Respect Others:::When items start disappearing from around the Workshop, Dr. Wonder investigates, and finds that Billy has been borrowing tools and other equipment without asking the owner for permission first. Paula creates a potion which will show Billy what it's like to be ignored.:Episode 3: Trust God:::Billy doesn't want to read the directions as he puts together Lisa's new desk; however, the mess he ends up with convinces him that it's best to follow the designer's directions--in desk-building AND in life.:Episode 4: Sharing Can Be Fun:::When Dr. Wonder brings a new video camera to the lab, everyone wants a turn--and everyone wants to be first! Billy wants to hold onto the new camera, so Dr. Wonder and the rest of the crew must teach him how to share.:Episode 5: Don't Hold on to Anger:::Billy's new project isn't going well at all. Finally he can't take it anymore, and he loses his temper! After he's cooled down (and Lisa's tallied up the cost of the expensive equipment he's broken), Dr. Wonder sits down with him and helps him learn how to deal with his anger.:Episode 6: Care for Others:::Dr. Wonder's old friend, the magician, asks the staff at the Workshop to do him a favor while he goes on a trip--take care of his pet rabbit. Everyone's glad to help, til the rabbit does his own disappearing act! The staff looks frantically, and everyone learns how important it is to care for even the smallest creatures.:Episode 7: Obedience Is Important:::Dr. Wonder is working on a top-secret project--an amazing new soft drink for the Finger Food Cafe. He asks the staff to stay out of his office til it's done. Curiosity gets the better of Lisa, though, and one night she goes in to "straighten up". When she takes a little sip, though, she turns bright green--and before she can stop him, Billy's taken a sip and turned green too. Will their disobedience mean they'll be green forever?:Episode 8: Always Be Honest::When Paula's lab sink backs up, Billy claims he can fix anything--after all, he learned from "Uncle Ned", the super-plumber. But once he's "fixed" the sink, Paula turns it on and gets soaked--again! Apparently Uncle Ned's plumbing lessons didn't teach as much as Billy claims...but he does learn a lesson about honesty.:Episode 9: Let Your Light Shine::When all the lights in the lab go out during a storm, Billy claims he can see fine without a light--so Paula turns off her flashlight, and Billy stumbles and crashes through the dark. When the lights come up and Dr. Wonder sees the mess, both Paula and Billy learn that we all need a light in the darkness.:Episode 10: Keep Your Promises::Dr. Wonder has promised to take his daughter to a baseball game--til a medical emergency forces him to break that promise. When she stops by the Finger Food Cafe to talk to Carlo, the owner, she learns that sometimes things happen that are beyond anyone's control, and we must be flexible.:Episode 11: Never Give Up::While working on a robot in the lab, Dr. Wonder steps on a bad electrical cord, and starts acting like a robot himself. Only persistence by Lisa, Billy, and Paula will lead them to a "bright idea" that will bring Dr. Wonder back to normal.:Episode 12: You Are Precious::Showing her family some pictures from her childhood makes Paula feel sad--as the only deaf child in a hearing family, she remembers how she often felt left out. But, as she tells her family, once she discovered how precious she was to God, she was more able to accept herself as she was.:Episode 13: Be Responsible::Billy fixes himself some lunch in the breakroom, but leaves behind the mess. Dr. Wonder has to teach him that when you are given so many things, you must learn to be responsible and take care of them.

References

External link

* [http://www.drwonder.org Official Site]