Under the Umbrella Tree

Under the Umbrella Tree featured a diverse set of characters, including the only human cast member Holly Higgins, and puppets Iggy the Iguana, Jacob the Bluejay, and Gloria Gopher who all live together in a home featuring a prominent indoor Umbrella Tree.

There are also various other puppet characters, such as Mrs. McMurtry, the Umbrella Tree gang’s neighbor, and Chuck Chickadee, who is Jacob’s friend. Special guests have also appeared on the program, such as Michelle St. John as the gang’s new neighbour in 1990’s Great Gardening episode.

The program consists of 280 episodes, 270 of which are 15 minutes in length, and there are ten 30-minute specials. There are episodes about baseball, holidays, singing, dancing, exercise, and various other activities.

The show’s characters were created by Ken Sobol, who also wrote the majority of the series episodes. Sobol had previously worked closely with Noreen Young on Readalong and Telefrancais, two other children’s television series.

Characters

* Holly Higgins (Holly Larocque) – The only human cast member. Holly was seen as a parental figure for the three puppet characters. She is known for being funny, artistic, and generous.

* Iggy Iguana (Bob Stutt) – Iggy sleeps on the shelf at the Umbrella Tree residence, and his characteristics include sometimes thinking too highly of himself, and unwillingly making mistakes. He enjoys playing the guitar. He, along with Jacob Bluejay, can be regarded as the klutzes of the gang.

* Gloria Gopher (Noreen Young) – Gloria is the only female puppet in the Umbrella Tree household, and lives and sleeps ‘under the umbrella tree’, which is located behind the couch. It is known as her burrow.

* Jacob Bluejay (Stephen Brathwaite) – Jacob is the only citizen of the Umbrella Tree household capable of flight. He usually sleeps somewhere outdoors, preferably on the patio. Jacob sometimes invents things that seldom work as he plans, which results in a humorous episode.

* Louis Bird (Bob Stutt) – Louis is a friend of the Umbrella Tree gang, usually involved in festivities outside the apartment, or in dialogue within several episodes. He is well known for overusing the term “indeed”, and usually adds the phrase “hmm, indeed!” at the end of his statements.

* Mitzi the Dog (Holly Larocque) Mitzi is Gloria’s best friend who is always seeming to get either herself or Gloria in trouble.