Handy Manny

Handy Manny is a CGI series started in 2006. It originally aired on the Disney Channel's Playhouse Disney block and was carried over when the block was rebranded as Disney Junior. It is also now being aired on the 24/7 Disney Junior network. It is described by many to be Bob the Builder meets Dora the Explorer.

The show stars Manuel "Manny" Garcia, a Hispanic handyman living in the fictional town of Sheet Rock Hills. He's aided in his repairs by his team of talking tools: Dusty the saw, Pat the hammer, Felipe the Phillips head screwdriver, Turner the slotted screwdriver, Rusty the pipe monkey wrench, Stretch the tape measure, Squeeze the pliers, and recent addition Flicker the flashlight. The rest of Sheet Rock Hills is filled out by an ever-growing list of inhabitants, both friends and return customers of Manny's, and several one-off customers appearing in a single given episode.

While it's a show written for preschoolers, if you start asking around you begin to see it has a growing Periphery Demographic, even if some people will only claim to watch it because their child/niece/dog watch it.

The show also has a Spin-Off, Handy Manny's School for Tools.

"Turner: "Kelly has everything.""
 * An Aesop: A given, since it's a kids show. It usually manages not to be as heavy-handed as other like shows, though.
 * Art Evolution: As is typical with animation and budget, the earliest episodes are rather rough in appearance compared to later fare.
 * Bilingual Bonus: Spanish. Although Manny usually explain what's the meaning afterwards, except if it's something like hello or thank you.
 * Breaking the Fourth Wall: Most often done by Felipe, but the tools and Manny will do it every now and again, especially during any episode's token songs.
 * Butt Monkey: Mr. Lopart, generally because of his own refusal to be helped for his own good. Of the tools, Turner seems to have a target on his head for anything dropped or flying through the air.
 * Catch Phrase: Several, including:
 * "You break it, we fix it" - the motto of the repair shop, said solely by Manny during calls made to him in the first season, then split between him and the tools in all later episodes.
 * "I'm a hammer" - Pat's explanation for absolutely everything.
 * "We Loparts..." - The way Mr. Lopart begins nearly any explanation of why he doesn't need Manny's help. ("We Loparts are experts at electronics, you know") It's almost always false.
 * Christmas Episode: "A Very Handy Holiday"
 * Cloudcuckoolander: Pat.
 * Continuity Nod: You can spot jobs from past episodes in the background of later ones (like a skateboard ramp built in the park once).
 * Cool Big Sis: Kelly serves as one for las herramientas (the tools).
 * Cool Bike: Manny gets a motorcycle in the episode "Flicker", which has popped up several times since then.
 * Crazy Prepared: Kelly. She seems to know what Manny needs for his work.
 * Cowardly Lion: Although mostly "cowardly" and less "lion" Rusty has had his moments.
 * Creator Cameo: Rick Gitelson played the role of a police officer in a recent episode.
 * Crossover: Manny and his tools showed up on an episode of Special Agent Oso to help Oso help a kid who has a broken bike. Pretty easy to do, since not only are they both aired on Disney Channel, but both are also produced by Disney Television Animation.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Turner, full force.
 * Deus Ex Machina: Kelly. Just... Kelly. Lampshaded regularly.

"Kelly: Oh! It's a flashlight! A talking flashlight! Turner: Of course, Kelly! There's nothing unusual about that."
 * Turner does sometimes mention that he'd like to see it subverted.
 * Disembodied Eyebrows: A number of Manny's tools sport them.
 * Everyone Can See It: Ask anyone who watches the show about Manny and Kelly, owner of the local hardware store. We dare you. And yes, that includes the actual demographic of the show.
 * Fat Cats: None of the cats are slim, lean, or thin.
 * Four-Fingered Hands: All of the human characters have them. Manny is usually seen wearing bright yellow gloves.
 * Fridge Logic: The episode "Felipe's Hiccups" has a screwdriver contract a case of the hiccups. He's shown drinking water at one point. While the other tools have mentioned eating things, breathing, and the like, this is one of the most blatant examples. But then, they are talking tools...
 * Friendship Moment: Several.
 * Good Samaritan: A "hero" example, in Manny, to the point where in the episode "A Very Handy Holiday" he and the tools missed a Christmas party because he kept stopping to help friends on the way.
 * Good with Numbers: Stretch.
 * Grumpy Bear: Turner.
 * Halloween Episode: "Halloween", obviously.
 * Hard Work Montage: The repair of the day is often shown like this, set against the once-an-episode song "We Work Together".
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: EVERYWHERE. From Wilmer Valderrama voicing the lead character to Tom Kenny having TWO main roles, you're bound to hear one or two, or several, voices that you recognize.
 * Penn Jillette of Penn & Teller appears at one point.
 * Hiccup Hijinks: "Felipe's Hiccups"
 * The Klutz: Mr. Lopart and his cat practically break everything they touch. Pat is also a very straight example of this.
 * Momma's Boy: Mr. Lopart.
 * Lampshade Hanging: The episode "Light Work" has a fair amount, particularly on Kelly's chief role in the series.
 * Also this line from "Flicker":

"Turner: I-It's a talking flashlight! Manny, flashlights don't talk! Dusty: We talk. Turner: O-oh. Oh yeah."
 * Earlier in the same episode, Turner had a lampshade hung on him, which the line above later calls back to.


 * Limited Wardrobe: With perhaps a handful of exceptions, all the characters outfits remain the same. Manny has never been seen without his hat on. Even in situations in which he changes his hat for a helmet, it happens off screen.
 * Kelly always has her work apron on, even when she's away from the store.
 * Loads and Loads of Characters
 * Non-Interactivity: Surprisingly averted, except in some of the newer credits where Kelly's voice-over asks a fairly obvious question to the viewer.
 * Offscreen Crash: Usually involving Mr. Lopart, but occasionally with Pat or another tool.
 * Only Sane Man: Turner considers himself to be this.
 * Parental Abandonment: There's almost no complete family shown. In particular, despite having recently gone to a family reunion the most we've ever seen of Manny's parents is an old photograph of his mother.
 * Parental Bonus: Tom Kenny is one of the voice actors. This is a given.
 * Punny Name: Felipe's name. Felipe is a Philips-head screwdriver. Felipe is Spanish for Philip. Put two and two together.
 * Most of the tools names, actually. Turner the screwdriver, Pat the hammer, Stretch the tape measure...
 * Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Averted with Mrs. Portillo's pet chameleon, Maurice.
 * Scenery Porn: Some of the backgrounds are ridiculously pretty for the animation style, particularly snow scenes and sunsets.
 * Small Name, Big Ego: Mr. Lopart
 * Special Guest: Guest stars, some with recurring characters, include Marion Ross, Jim Belushi, Lauren Tom, Giada DeLaurentis, and Lance Bass. Yes, that Lance Bass.
 * Squeaky Eyes: Played straight, used exclusively with the tools when they're all confused about something.
 * Stock Sound Effects: Played with once by Dusty the saw, who used herself to imitate the sound of thunder by sharply warping her body.
 * Strictly Formula: The earlier episodes, particularly in the first season, had Manny being called over by a resident to fix something while the tools learn a lesson. Recent episodes still have shades of the same formula, but they're beginning to break out of it.
 * The Chessmaster: Mrs. Portillo manipulates Manny into taking a needed day off in one episode.
 * Theme Tune Cameo: An early episode ends with Manny playing the theme song's melody on a guitar.
 * Written By Cast Member: Fred Stoller, Rusty's VA, has written several episodes.
 * Unnamed Grandparent: Manny's grandfather is universally referred to as "Abuelito" (the familiar term for "grandfather" in Spanish), even by characters not related to him.
 * You Are the Translated Foreign Word: This happens a lot with Spanish words.