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 […]
The Pro-Social Dragon
Dudley’s second season began the weekend of October 1-2, 1994 in Canada. The show had lost most of its environmental sponsors but gained financial support from other sources. (See previous posts.) With a change in sponsors came a change in themes. And so it would be for the remainder of the series. Season One taught […]
Licensing the Dragon
June 4-5, 1994. Dudley the Dragon appeared at the PBS National Convention in Florida, his debut in America. By then, 150 PBS stations had committed for 25 episodes. The list continued to grow, and why not? For them, the show was free. Executive producer Peter Williamson explained: “Dudley is underwritten by Vail Associates [a ski […]
The Second Dudley
Alex Galatis wore the costume for Dudley the Dragon‘s first two seasons. After that, Kirk Dunn performed the character while Galatis continued providing his voice. The blend was seamless. In May 1999, Dunn recalled winning the role: “I showed up for this audition. They put me into a body puppet. My right arm went up […]
A Dragon’s Crusade
In 1992, Levy and Williamson purchased the rights for Dudley the Dragon from the Ontario Ministry of Energy. Together with Dudley’s performer, Alex Galatis, they created a series, The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon. Funding came from a slew of sources: the Canadian Parks Service, Environment Canada; Energy, Mines and Resources Canada; Environment Canada—Environmental Citizenship […]
A Star is Hatched
Once upon a time—the year 1983, in fact—the Ontario Ministry of Energy wanted to educate youngsters on energy conservation. Karen Waterman wrote a play called The Conserving Kingdom. In it, King Kilojoule of Saver City doesn’t want his daughter, Princess Penny Wise, to marry Prince Wantnot of Wasterville. Why? Wasterville is polluted and cluttered with […]
