The Zula Patrol Is Designed to Appeal To

THE ZULA PATROL

Move over George Jetson! The 21st Century’s newest space team, The Zula Patrol, has arrived. Stalwart Captain Bula, brainiac Professor Multo, feisty hot-doggin’ space pilot Zeeter, the amazing space pet Gorga, and twin flying companions Wizzy & Wigg are the lovably wacky characters who will take our pre-Kindergarten through 2nd graders on a roller coaster fun ride across the Universe– and teach them critical facts about science and astronomy in the process.

The only 3D/CG animated children’s show that focuses on the important curriculum of science and astronomy, The Zula Patrol is an entertaining and educational TV series that combines zesty family entertainment with proven educational elements. With a secondary goal of encouraging core values of non-violence and tolerance, the show encourages whole-family participation and interest in learning about science and astronomy, in a fun, comic style. American Public Television will begin distribution of the TV series to its Public Broadcasting Station affiliates starting in fall 2005.

The Zula Patrol is designed to appeal to:

Children (Pre-Kindergarten-2nd Grade), the target audience for the comical denizens of Zula who, during the course of a typical show, will learn interesting and critical facts about the universe, galaxy, and solar system in which they live;

Teachers, who will be provided with an interactive educational tool to help introduce science and astronomy concepts to young children; and,

Beleaguered parents, who are desperate for nonviolent family entertainment and a way to explore the world of science and astronomy with their children.

A SCIENTIFIC APPROACH

What goes into the making of a new animated television series and is there a method behind all the madness? In the case of The Zula Patrol, there is not only a method at work, but also serious scientific thought. In this case, creator Deborah Manchester and her team have worked closely with an educational and scientific group of advisors to achieve maximum impact with the characters of the show.

The Zula Patrol is designed to promote an understanding of science and astronomy through engaging character-driven stories, which focus on specific educational science learning objectives. Each character in The Zula Patrol exhibits unique behaviors and characteristics that promote positive behaviors. Television animation has indeed come a long way from Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote.

Even before the series reaches the public, The Zula Patrol is already working its magical mixture of science and entertainment with:

Community-based Outreach Program – is titled “A Launch Pad for Learning” to symbolize its overarching goal of “launching” or beginning young children’s excitement about science and astronomy. It is comprised of activity guidebooks, handouts, games, and other components for use in schools and homes (some components also available in Spanish).

The Zula Planetarium Show– A full-dome digital theater production that is in development and will be installed in various planetariums and museums throughout the world.

The ZulaAcademy: A Futuristic, 21st Century, Science and Math Adventure Exhibit for Museums – An interactive exhibit developed especially for children three to eight years old and their caregivers. It’s a dynamic, hands-on training ground in which young visitors, Zula Cadets, are put through their paces discovering the wonders of science and astronomy while honing their 21st Century learning skills. Zula is currently in discussion with museums across the country regarding the leasing/purchasing of this traveling/permanent museum exhibit.

The Zula Website (zula.com) – is built to facilitate further exploration of science and astronomy through family-oriented activities. It provides children and families numerous opportunities to further explore the science and astronomy topics presented in the television program.

The Zula Patrol Reading Incentive Program –promotes reading literacy and has been used by over 60,000 children in schools and other educational organizations across the country.

The Zula Advisory Panel includes: Astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan, Ph.D. (Center of Science and Industry, Columbus, Ohio); rocket scientist Kevin Grazier, Ph.D. (at Jet Propulsion Laboratory); Kim Whaley, Ph.D. (VP Education, Center of Science and Industry, Columbus, Ohio); Jose Francisco Salgado, Ph.D. (Astronomer, Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum, Chicago, IL); and Michelle Nichols (Lead Educator for Informal Programs, Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum Chicago, IL).

THE BIRTH OF ZULA

Could The Zula Patrol be the “Sesame Street of the New Millennium?” The creator certainly hopes so. That kind of profile would be a fitting conclusion to an unusual development saga that began with a cast of a different kind.

For 18 years, Deborah Manchester, Ph.D., the creator of Zula, was an audiologist specializing in newborn hearing assessment. Then, one very cold winter in Ohio, she had foot surgery. In a cast, her toes were left exposed and there was nothing to cover them. So, she started making and selling cast covers.

She was particularly concerned with children and their recovery from broken limbs. To render their casts more appealing and child-like, she created an imaginary planet called Zula and a group of characters from Zula, which were ironed onto the cast covers.

Outer space was not only a good motif because it appealed to kids, but it was also part of Manchester’s plan to inspire interest in science for pre-school and early elementary-aged children. Like educational programmers who once capitalized on the Space Race of the 1950s to motivate students to think beyond the three “R’s,” Manchester saw an opportunity to both entertain and teach fundamental science to a critical demographic.

Zula was born and the characters became so popular that she decided to move beyond cast covers to create plush toys. And, she wrote a storybook to introduce them. She took her book to the International Book Fair in Los Angeles, where several Hollywood producers saw the books and suggested she consider an animated television series. She then spent four years building her team and searching for funding for the series.

Finally, a private investor with a desire to increase science scores came along – an investor who was willing to fund 26 half-hour episodes. So Deborah moved from Ohio to Los Angeles, where she is in the middle of production on the series.

THE ZULA PATROL CHARACTERS

BULA is Captain of The Zula Patrol. As their fearless green leader, he affects an air of easy confidence. Inside he’s a tightly-wound ball of high energy and insatiable curiosity – with the heart of an intrepid explorer. He’s the driving force behind The Patrol’s embrace of their mission, whether they are responding to an emergency, or exploring the unknown. He is the consummate patient leader who encourages children to persevere and to believe in themselves in order to reach their goals.

Bula is an optimist. Because he always sees the best in others, he teaches children to do the same– and to find joy in even the darkest of situations. When faced with problems, he shows children how to work through them by negotiating and building consensus, rather than resorting to violence.

On duty, ZEETER is the pilot– a top-notch pilot. She’s the best and she knows it. Off duty she’s the wildest, hot dogging space jockey in the Zulaverse! Zeeter’s a no-nonsense kind of girl– a doer. Because she believes that doing something is the best way to learn, she encourages children to learn through doing and trying out the solutions. With her boundless self-confidence, Zeeter tends to rush into things, trusting her knowledge and understanding of science and astronomy. In so doing, she models the need to explore one’s practical knowledge and abilities about science. She encourages children to try new and different things through instinctive understanding of the issues. And because Zeeter’s instincts are not always right, she demonstrates the importance of learning through trial and error.

MULTO is an intergalactic scientist whose head is spinning with data, facts, and figures from years of reading and trying to make sense out of the whole Universe. Unlike Zeeter, who believes you must do in order to learn; Multo is analytical and thoughtful and encourages learning through reading, because he believes that answers to questions and challenges lie in the information contained in books. And when trouble strikes, you can bet Multo will know about it– partly because he is obsessed with staying well-informed– and partly because he may have inadvertently caused it!

GORGA is a happy, hyper, perpetual puppy with a definite soft spot for Bula. Despite his rambunctious behavior, Gorga is a full member of The Zula Patrol team. He’s observant and bright and, unbeknownst to his fellow space travelers, when danger strikes, Gorga can transform (like the Incredible Hulk) into Gor-Gantua– ten times his puppy size, demonstrating that one’s abilities are not always immediately apparent. Gorga doesn’t mind not always getting credit for his good deeds. He does good things just for the sake of doing good things! He’s also a perfect example, albeit four-legged, of the qualities of loyalty and caring!

Nothing slows down the cosmic pair, WIZZY and WIGG. And don’t let their size and cute looks fool you– they’re quite resourceful. Their special talents are all about communication. They speak many different languages, and their vocabularies are boundless. Although their delivery is sometimes wildly funny, their talents prove to be quite useful for helping the other Patrollers in difficult situations. Even though these impish creatures are always on each other’s case with constant good-natured bantering, they always seem to find common ground– demonstrating to children that although friends do not always agree, disagreements can be resolved through communication. They encourage children to give everyone a chance, and they demonstrate that exploration can lead to new discoveries.

DARKTRUDER is a villain’s villain. If there were a school for villains, Truder would be principal. He is incessantly masterminding plots to foil The Zula Patrol and frustrate their efforts to make the Galaxy a better place in which to live. He’s a little guy with a big appetite for power. His main problem, albeit good for The Zula Patrol, is that he doesn’t take time to get all of the information he needs to succeed in his evil plans. And sometimes the information he does have is incorrect. He is a constant reminder to children that you should really take the time to gather the information you need– and to make sure your information is correct– before you implement your plan.

Perched on top of Dark Truder’s shiny, baldhead is TRAXIE. As Truder’s conscience, she is always a bit leery of his nefarious plots. Truder often asks for Traxie’s advice, but he hardly ever listens– with disastrous effects! Truder and Traxie’s relationship shows children that sometimes you should listen to the advice of others.

ZULA USA, LLC SUMMARY

Zula USA, LLC produces a package of entertaining, educational products that are designed to provide early science education and reading literacy for children in pre-kindergarten through second grade.

The developers of Zula recognize that children learn in a multitude of ways, and that both the school and family environments play a critical role in children’s cognitive and social development.

Zula’s comprehensive program addresses the national call for science literacy education among the very audience for whom research demonstrates that early intervention is most effective. By reaching pre-kindergarten and early elementary students, Zula can provide a critical foundation in understanding science concepts and content. The television program and its supporting materials provide science education and character-building lessons in an entertaining format that encourages whole family participation. The Zula Patrol’s developers have designed an integrated approach, teaching science through engaging stories with humor, character-building social lessons, and supporting materials. The entire Zula package serves many aspects of learning, promotes literacy, and provides a diverse approach to learning styles.

The Zula Patrol’s expert team of educators, writers, scientists, and media specialists works to ensure that Zula delivers a dynamic, focused, fun learning experience for children whose natural interest is in learning about the world around them.

DEBORAH M. MANCHESTER, Ph.D.

Creator and driving force behind Zula

Bringing The Zula Patrol TV series, DVDs, videos, Educational Outreach Program, books, The Zula Academy museum show, planetarium show, and other ancillary products from imagination to fruition, has become Deborah’s passion these past few years.

Deborah received her Ph.D. in Communication from The Ohio State University in 1980. Her major fields of study were early childhood language and cognitive development, psychology, neurology, and audiology. She developed a thriving audiology practice in Columbus, Ohio with offices in several hospitals.

In 1990 she decided to try her hand at the creative side of business. She became one of twelve students accepted into the AppliedCenter for Computing Arts & Design at The Ohio State University, where she studied animation. After completing the ACCAD program, she created a medical and orthopedic products company, ZULA, which would market a cover for leg and arm casts. The alien characters that she created, and which are printed on the cast covers, immediately became popular. The concept of Zula became so popular that Deborah decided to create a TV series for young children utilizing them.

So she created TheZula Patrol, an educational series that teaches young children about science and astronomy, while promoting tolerance and non-violent conflict resolution. The Zula Patrol television program is being distributed by American Public Television to Public Broadcasting Stations nationwide and begins airing, fall 2005.

THE Zula Patrol

SEASON 1 Topics and Story Synopses

101 Comets – “COMETS TAIL”

When a comet passes near Zula, Zeeter decides she wants to race it. But when Zeeter, Wizzy and Wigg get too close, their Space Ship starts to freeze and they are forced to land on the comet. Bula, Multo, and Gorga’s mission is to assist their Team in returning safely home to Zula.

101 Meteors – “THIS LOOKS LIKE A JOB FOR THE ZULA DUDES”

In his latest attempt to take over the Universe, Dark Truder empties out the Asteroid Belt, sending all the asteroids in the direction of Planet Zula. The ZP uses Multo’s latest invention “The Multo-Grabber” to grab all the Asteroids and return them to their proper home.

102 Rotation – “BULAS SPIN PARTY”

The Zpers learn about rotation as they practice a dance routine to compete in Bula’s Zula Spin Party dance contest. Meanwhile Dark Truder, who wasn’t invited, crashes the party disguised as a mysterious dancing planet so he can ruin it for everyone else.

102 Day and Night – “DAY FOR NIGHT”

Dark Truder has somehow stolen daytime from the planet Zula, and won’t give it back till the Zuleans accept him as Master Of The Universe. The Zula Patrollers assume he has hijacked the Sun, and go looking for it. They discover that Truder hasn’t made off with the sun, but has invented a Ray that has stopped Zula from turning.

103 Shadow – “SHADOW PLAY”

Gorga sees a large shadow and runs back to the ZP team. Bula notifies them that a Space Monster has landed on Zula, sent from none other than the nefarious Dark Truder. His plot: to have the monster eat the Zula Patrol ship, thus incapacitating the ZP. But the Patrollers use a shadow of their space ship from a distance to distract the monster from its original intention, thus foiling Truder’s plan.

103 Eclipse – “JEALOUS MOON”

An unscheduled Total Solar Eclipse threatens to shroud Zula in darkness forever. It's all due to Dark Truder, who's kindled the Moon's jealousy over the Patrol's celebration of the annual Sun Festival.

104 Sun – “SUNDAY”

Truder tries to get rid of the Sun by hijacking all her birthday cards and gifts. The Sun, depressed that no one appreciates her, decides to quit her job. The Zula Patrollers must recover the cards and gifts and rescue the solar system.