PlayWorld (2008 animated series)

PlayWorld is the Canadian-French-Welsh-Irish-Australian animated television series that combines sketch comedy, stop-motion, puppetry, animation and CGI, is produced by Nelvana, Telegael, Mike Young Productions Limited, Media World Features, Moonscoop and Shadowmachine and was created by Michael and Cary Huang. The program is known for its unique videos messages and includes animation and stop-motion films, with humor and references to 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s pop culture. The series premiered on May 12, 2008, to positive reviews, some controversy, and high viewership; it has aired on YTV in Canada since its debut. It also airs in the US on Discovery Kids on May 12, 2008 before its re-branding as The Hub. After Discovery Kids was re-branded to The Hub, PlayWorld moved to Prism on October 10, 2010 and aired until March 27, 2017 where it permanently moved to Cityvision Network 2.

Plot
The series revolves around seven animal friends that were represented by the seven continents: Francine the Polar Bear of Antarctica, Oliver the Grizzly Bear of North America, Gynui the Ocelot of South America, Jambii the Elephant of Africa, Roger the Polecat of Europe, Ying the Panda Bear of Asia and Kenny Kidna of Australia, and their Robo-Hybrid friends Ollie and Joey. Every episode had a different theme to it (e.g., "Disaster On Aisle 7" or "To The Moon") and saw the animal friends usually helping Ollie and Joey to solve common obstacles they faced. The main animation used in this format was Toon Boom Harmony, although other skits used different animations and films commissioned from outside studios, interspersed throughout each episode.

Recurring Skits and One-Shots

 * The Cat With No Meow - The animation features a cat who looks for his meow. At random times, the cat may found his meow, but ends up with a different animal sound (e.g., cow's moo or dog's bark), making the viewers believe that the cat makes the wrong animal sound.
 * One-Eyed BC Pirate, Private Eye - Combines stop-motion and animation focusing on an animated otter with an eyepatch becoming a detective and always solve mysteries thanks to a "one eye".
 * RoboKid - A parody of the Mega Man series, focusing on a robotic boy who tries to save his hometown and school from the threat of Dr. Mad (a parody of Dr. Wily).
 * Cartoon Flashdance - Features random a footage of 1920s or 1930s public domain cartoons set to an unfitting 1980's pop music depending on the episode.
 * Charizard VS Blastioise - A parody of the Pokémon series. Only appeared in the episode "The US State Fight Show". There are no Pokémon trainers in this skit.
 * Everybody do the Flop - combined CGI and animation. Only appeared in the episode "The Green Slime Show". Mr. Burns and Waylon Smithers Jr. from The Simpsons made a surprise appearance in this skit, with Harry Shearer reprising his role.
 * Money for Nothing - Only appeared in the episode "The Max Trax Show".
 * Pink Panther's How-To's - A Pink Panther parody of life hack videos. In this skit, Pink Panther who teaches children about making stuffs in a new way to save money, and often results in failure in a comedic fashion. Only appeared in the episode "SuperStation P-L-Y-W".
 * Street Kid Fighters - A lighter-and-softer parody of Street Fighter video games with characters portraying as kids. Only appeared in the episode "THE CJOH SHOESTRING SHOW"
 * Atomic SpongeBob - A space parody of SpongeBob SquarePants. Only appeared in the episode "The Fourth Wall". He later returned in his TV show; The Atomic Spongebob Show.
 * Watch Me How I Do! - Traditional animation features a 5-year old stick figure with big eyes who demonstrates anything he does, although results can backfire him. The way the stick figure does depends on an episode.