Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse

2000 - 2002

Eddy's Job; Elephants Almost Never Forget

30th September 2000

Episode 1

EDDY'S JOB Marvin and his carnival coworkers ask Jack to hire some much-needed help. When an eager, young boy named Eddy, comes along, Jack hires him on the spot. Marvin takes Eddy on a tour and introduces him to everyone, including Elizabeth the Emotional Pig, who accidentally breaks Edna's crystal ball. Luckily, Edna has a whole box of them and certainly doesn't need a crystal ball to predict that Eddy and everyone at the carnival are going to become great friends. ELEPHANTS ALMOST NEVER FORGET Diamonds gets amnesia after bumping her head and wanders into town. Unfortunately, she meets the unscrupulous Lyman Slime who convinces her that she works at his carnival. When Marvin and friends discover she's missing, they organize a search party. With the help of her friends, Diamonds' regains her memory; if only now she could forget her stint as a Slime clown!

Marvin's High Dive; Eddy's Wrong Order

Episode 2

MARVIN'S HIGH DIVE Jack comes up with the perfect new act to try to increase attendance at the carnival. He's going to have Marvin jump off a high diving board into a tub of water! Unfortunately, not only is Marvin scared of heights, but he's terrified of water too! Not wanting to disappoint his boss, Marvin keeps his fears a secret. In the end, he lands Jack in ""cold"" water, but learns that telling your friends you're afraid, is nothing to be afraid of. EDDY'S WRONG ORDER Jack's away for the day and Eddy has signed for a shipment of corn brooms. The only problem is that Jack ordered corn dogs, not brooms. Now Eddy's stuck with hundreds of brooms they don't need, and must use all his ingenuity to get rid of them all and get Jack's money back.

Stripes' Sticky Situation; Stripes Takes Off

Episode 3

STRIPES' STICKY SITUATION Stripes becomes obsessed with collecting bubble gum wrappers for a contest which boasts a ""fabulous prize"". The others eventually figure out what he's up to and offer to help. By the time Stripes has collected all the wrappers he needs, everyone has chewed so much gum they're sick of it! And after all their hard work, the fabulous prize turns out to be ... more gum. STRIPES TAKES OFF Stripes runs away after Jack makes an offhand remark about a certain replaceable tiger. Concerned about Stripes and about the radio announcement that warns of a Bengal tiger on the loose, Marvin and Eddy set out to find Stripes and bring him back. Everyone is relieved when Stripes returns home and a lesson is learned about saying things that you don't mean.

The New Band; Eddy's Video

Episode 4

THE NEW BAND When Marvin's old tape machine breaks, he promises his friends that he'll find them a live band for their show. After a few phone calls, he locates a band - The Penguins Five! Unfortunately the birds turn out to be noisy and bothersome, and refuse to practice! Just when everyone has lost faith and expects them to fail, the band comes through, giving a brilliant performance. EDDY'S VIDEO Jack wants to make a television commercial for the carnival and asks Eddy to shoot it. It's a simple enough task, until the carnival animals start getting too ""hammy"" and stop listening to Eddy's direction. When he gives up in frustration his friends realize what they've done and rush to apologize for being so self-centered. Jack is left to make his own commercial his own way.

Elizabeth's Biggest Fan; The Visit

Episode 5

ELIZABETH'S BIGGEST FAN When everyone at the carnival share stories of fan mail they've received, Elizabeth bursts into tears. She has never received a fan letter in her whole life! In an effort to boost her spirits, Marvin and Eddy forge a fan letter. The well-meaning deception goes awry when Elizabeth is determined to meet the author of her touching letter. In discovering its origin, Elizabeth learns that caring friends are worth more than fans any day. THE VISIT A famous astronaut is scheduled to visit the carnival, and everyone attempts to create their most impressive act. Eddy suggests they just be themselves, but his message is lost in the excitement of space inspired props and costumes. In the end, there isn't anytime to perform for the astronaut, but they do have a brand new set of acts!

Marvin's Roommate; Stripes' Dental Fuss

Episode 6

MARVIN'S ROOMMATE While Stripes is having his cage repaired after an unfortunate accident, Marvin invites him to be his roommate. However, when the two friends don't discuss their frustrations about one another's living habits, sleep is lost and nerves become frayed. Luckily, all it takes is a little help from Eddy for the two to realize how strong their friendship is and how important it is to communicate. STRIPES' DENTAL FUSS Stripes has a toothache but is too afraid to go to the dentist, so his friends devise a way to get the dentist to come to him. Doctor and patient are equally terrified of each other, until Eddy convinces them they have nothing to fear. In the end, both of them learn the importance of not making judgments based on stereotypes.

Marvin's Suprise; Eddy Learns to Dance

Episode 7

MARVIN'S SUPRISE Overhearing innocent talk of cake and gifts and surprises, Marvin mistakenly assumes his friends are throwing him a surprise party for the anniversary of his joining the carnival. When the day comes and no party happens, a disappointed Marvin realizes he shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. Fortunately, Eddy is aware of his friend's disappointment and throws him a wonderful last minute party. EDDY LEARNS TO DANCE When Marvin offers to teach Eddy how to dance, he quickly learns his friend has two left feet. Eddy becomes discouraged and wants to quit but Marvin keeps his spirits up and teaches him that you've just got to keep trying. Eddy finally masters the steps and performs with Marvin to the acclaim of his friends.

Visit to Grandma's; Gone Fishing

Episode 8

VISIT TO GRANDMA'S Eddy tells a story that leaves his friends with the wrong idea that his Grandmother is a stern and imposing figure. So when Eddy invites his carnival friends home to meet her, they try their best to make a good impression. Unfortunately, they try too hard and cause pandemonium at tea time. Eddy's friends are afraid of Grandma's reaction, until they realize that she's actually very understanding and a lot of fun too. GONE FISHING Everyone's been working very hard so Jack gives them a day off. The friends set off for a nice afternoon of fishing and picnicking. Instead of enjoying a relaxing holiday however, the friends can't seem to stop bickering and complaining. Finally, when a bear eats their lunch and they get rained out, they realize that the most important thing of all was just being together.

Marvin's Breakfast Jam; The Iron Claw

Episode 9

MARVIN'S BREAKFAST JAM Marvin is asked to do a television commercial for a breakfast cereal and the whole carnival gets swept up in the excitement. Jack is thrilled about the publicity and the other animals are keen to do TV spots too. When Marvin realizes that the cereal tastes terrible, he doesn't want to disappoint his friends, but can't lie to thousands of viewers. He decides not to do the commercial and the job goes to someone less scrupulous - Lyman Slime! THE IRON CLAW Stripes makes disparaging remarks about the junky prizes contained in Jack's latest carnival game, the Iron Claw Machine. That is until he sees a trinket inside that he desperately wants. Unfortunately, Stripes is unable to get it and is too proud to tell anyone. When he finally tells Eddy his dilemma, his openness is rewarded with the prize.

Elizabeth and the Haunted House; Marvin Horses Around

Episode 10

ELIZABETH AND THE HAUNTED HOUSE Elizabeth is so terrified of the haunted house that she refuses to go anywhere near it. But when she begins to have terrible nightmares, everyone knows that something must be done. They convince Elizabeth that the only way for her to conquer her fears is to face them, rubber spiders and all! After making it through the haunted house with Eddy, Elizabeth realizes that it is nothing but a just-for-fun haunted house and goes back in for more! MARVIN HORSES AROUND While running an errand in town, Eddy accidentally breaks a coin operated ride. Since Eddy and Marvin are too afraid to ask Jack for help, Marvin finds himself giving horseback rides to raise money to pay for the damage. Upon returning late to the carnival, Marvin and Eddy find that they have some explaining to do, and in the end learn that you shouldn't be afraid to ask for help when you need it.

The Big Show; Eddy's Fortune

Episode 11

THE BIG SHOW The gang decides to do an extra show on their day off to raise money for a snow cone machine. Lyman Slime sends over a sniffling, sneezing Itchy McTweed to make everyone sick so the show will be canceled. Sure enough, Marvin, Stripes, Diamonds and Elizabeth all come down with bad colds, but Lyman didn't count on Eddy taking over and doing the show on his own! EDDY'S FORTUNE As his friend's puppysit a lost puppy, Eddy fills in as a fortune-teller and promises a little girl that her biggest wish will come true. Marvin and Eddy must then run about trying to give the girl everything she could possibly wish for. It finally turns out that all she wanted was her lost puppy - the very puppy they found! Eddy manages to keep his promise about the wish, but everyone is sad to see the puppy go.

Eddy's Charm; Eddy and the Cowboy

Episode 12

EDDY'S CHARM When Jack's young niece Lucy, comes to visit the carnival, Eddy wants to get to know her but can't seem to overcome his shyness. Eddy's self-confidence gets a boost when Edna gives him a special charm designed to help him impress Lucy. After losing the charm Eddy learns it wasn't through magic that he gained Lucy's attention, but by something he had all along: his own inner charm. EDDY AND THE COWBOY There's a new cowboy - a singin' cowboy - in town, and Jack has hired him for the carnival. Eddy is so impressed by Frisco Frank and his horse Ricochet that Marvin starts to get jealous. Marvin becomes convinced that Eddy wants to leave the carnival to become a cowboy too. In the end however, Frisco Frank rides off alone into the sunset and Eddy assures Marvin that he'd never leave the carnival ... and his best friend.

When Pigs Fly; Mr.P.Nutty

Episode 13

WHEN PIGS FLY Elizabeth doesn't like to try anything new, but her friends talk her into trying out Jack's new hot air balloon. Unfortunately the balloon gets loose - with Elizabeth inside. Eddy and Marvin set out at full gallop to rescue her, assuming she'll be terrified. When the balloon finally descends however, everyone is surprised to find that Elizabeth is deliriously happy and loved her adventure in the air. MR.P.NUTTY The carnival has a mysterious new food vendor, Mr. P. Nutty. He never says a word and never takes off his peanut costume. When things start to go missing, the gossip begins and Stripes, Diamonds and Elizabeth soon believe all sorts of crazy theories about Mr. Nutty. In the end the thieves turn out to be some pesky squirrels, and the gang must apologize to Mr. Nutty for their suspicions.

Top Cast

Ron Pardo•Marlowe Gardiner-Heslin•Fiona Reid

Animation Kids Family

Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse is a Canadian animated television show produced by Nelvana. It tells the stories of a young horse named Marvin who is part of a carnival. Among the Executive Producers are Michael Paraskevas and Betty Paraskevas, creators of Maggie and the Ferocious Beast who also created the book that the show is based on. The show first aired on the Treehouse block before moving to just before Tiny Pop. The series also aired on PBS Kids as part of the PBS Kids Bookworm Bunch from 2000 to 2002. It can now be seen in the US on Qubo. It also aired on Teletoon for a brief time. Some episodes include original songs to help illustrate the theme or accompany montages that carry the story forward.

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Full Cast

Ron Pardo Image

Ron Pardo

Marvin / Stripes the Tiger (voice)

Marlowe Gardiner-Heslin

Eddy Largo (voice)

Fiona Reid Image

Fiona Reid

Diamonds (voice)

Sheila McCarthy Image

Sheila McCarthy

Elizabeth the Emotional Pig (voice)

Dwayne Hill Image

Dwayne Hill

Fast-Talking Jack (voice)

Robin Duke Image

Robin Duke

Edna (voice)

Rummy Bishop Image

Rummy Bishop

Lyman Slime (voice)

Full Crew

Michael Paraskevas

Executive Producer

Betty Paraskevas

Executive Producer

Michael Hirsh Image

Michael Hirsh

Executive Producer

Patrick Loubert

Executive Producer

Clive Smith

Executive Producer

James Wang

Executive Producer

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