Dudley’s Quest
Sally notes the dragon’s sad mood and asks what’s wrong. Dudley is lonely. He wants to find another dragon for companionship. He asks Sally if she knows of any real dragons, like him. “No,” she says, “You’re the only one.” “That’s the prob-a-lem. I don’t want to BE the only one.” Sally asks him if […]
A Reunion with Sally
“Once upon a time there was a dragon. He had many friends and many more adventures.” Thus began the final adventure of Dudley the Dragon. The words came from Dudley’s young friend Sally, the first human he met when he woke up in the 20th century. The series began with Sally narrating from a book, […]
The Last Dudley
For Dudley‘s cast and crew, filming the final episode must have been a sad occasion. For five years they had worked together on a show that brought joy, and education, to millions of youngsters. The actors had honed their roles to a “T,” knowing their characters thoroughly, and how they related to each other. The […]
Laura! What th- ?
“Dudley’s Big Decision” began Season 5. It’s a significant episode, for a couple of reasons. First, it reaffirmed that Laura (Andréanne Benidir) and Dudley were best friends with each other. Second, it dealt with the topics of free will, personal choice and true friendship. Laura was supposed to leave the forest with her family, but […]
The Magic Number
In 1995, Breakthrough Entertainment and its licensees were busy grooming Dudley the Dragon to be a long-term franchise. The character would generate sales in merchandise, which in turn would cross-promote the show. Hypothetically, the revenue would then recycle back into making new episodes. This was the philosophy of George Lucas. He invested his profits from […]
Dudley and the Changing Cast
In the mid-1990s the supernatural came into vogue on kids TV. Shows like Goosebumps (1995-1998) and Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1991-1996, 1999-2000) involved schoolkids getting involved in paranormal adventures. Even The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon participated in the trend. “It’s fun to be scared!” was the message in “The Spooky Castle”, “Dudley […]
All Hail the Prince
Come one, come all. Come see the Prince. See him wear the finest clothes. Behold his golden crown. Bask in the light of his rugged handsomeness. Observe that he never sweats. His teeth are like pearls; no cavities can touch them. When he speaks, even William Shatner can envy … the dramatic pauses … he […]
Dudley’s Kids
For the first two seasons, brother-and-sister Matt and Sally served as Dudley’s human contacts in the modern world. To the viewers at home, they had at least three functions on the show. (1. They provided a reality-based anchor in a fantasy world. (2. Young viewers had young heroes to relate to. Viewers could learn from […]
Dudley on Parade
In 1995, Dudley had another opportunity to be in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. This time, he would appear as a $350,000 balloon: 65-feet tall, 28-feet wide, 45-feet long wearing 20-foot sneakers. And he would lead the parade! Behind him would trail 22 floats, 14 marching bands, 1,000 cheerleaders and marchers, and 17 other large […]
There’s Gold in Them Thar Dragons
Dudley the Dragon’s merchandising potential was enticing. Already, Breakthrough had seen its gross revenue rise from $100,000 in the mid-1980s to $5 million as of May 1994. By June 1995, Breakthrough had signed 72 licensees—52 American, 20 Canadian—to market Dudley products. The Canadian licensing agent, Art Kraus of Castle Licensing Inc., estimated that Dudley’s worth […]
