Lunar Jim



Lunar Jim is an Animated Show aimed at young children, about the adventures of a spaceman named Jim. Produced in Canada, it is animated using Stop Motion animation. It can be seen on PBS channels.

The series takes place in the future, on an alien moon, where Jim and his friends explore the strange environment. Despite its trappings, Lunar Jim isn't true Science Fiction, as the show mixes both practical facts (such as everyone except the robots requiring spacesuits to breathe outside their base) with fanciful ideas like shooting stars being living star-shaped creatures ala Super Mario's Starmen rather than meteors.

The main characters are: Jim, an explorer; Rover, his robot dog; Ripple, a dark-skinned female engineer; TED, a "Technical Equipment Device"- an humanoid robot, possibly inspired by C3PO; and Eco, a farmer. Later on, Skye, a young female cadet, and Yik Yak, a turtlelike alien, join the cast. Most of these are FlatCharacters without much to distinguish them; they're all nice, competent and have no flaws. The only exceptions are Ted, who is boastful and cowardly, and Yik Yak, who is childlike. Pixel, a computer, may or may not count as a character, as she only gives orders and information.

Despite being an Edutainment Show, Lunar Jim focuses more on entertainment that on teaching lessons, although it encourages problem-solving. Every episode features two stories, each dealing with a problem that is invariably resolved thanks to something introduced earlier in that story. There is no violence or villains.

Tropes used in the series:

 * An Aesop- present, but not as blatantly as in other edutainment shows.
 * Butt Monkey: Ted, often.
 * Cool Car and Cool Airship: several vehicles that can be used depending on the mission.
 * Cool Garage: That allows you to choose your vehicle at the touch of a button!
 * Elaborate Underground Base: Moonaluna, where Jim and the others live. Though it's actually above ground. Note that "luna" is Spanish for "moon."
 * Family Unfriendly Aesop: Ted is boastful, cowardly, a bumbler and a liar. Yet not only is never reprimanded, but he gets overly congratulated every time he gets something done right- even if it was by pure accident! Yeah, that's a nice message for kids.
 * Lovable Coward- Ted. Or at least the other characters find him lovable.
 * Magical Computer: Pixel.
 * Merchandise Driven: Well, not exactly, but there's certainly lots of Lunar Jim merchandise already.
 * Once an Episode: Some problem or mystery to solve.
 * Pride- Ted even takes credit for other people's achievements- even when he's right in front of them! Yet all they do is smile or laugh. Maybe he's defective.
 * Rhymes On a Dime- Yik Yak.
 * The Smurfette Principle- Until Skye joins.
 * To the Batpole: when Jim exits Moonaluna.
 * Transformation Sequence: When Jim puts on his equipment before exiting the base.
 * Where the Hell Is Springfield- The Moon where the stories take place is "Blue Moon L22", not Earth's moon, though children might not realize that.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Skye.