Best Ed is a Canadian animated television series created by Rick Marshall and developed by J.D. Smith. The show chronicles the adventures of an excessively helpful and enthusiastic dog named Ed who everyone adores, and his best friend, Doug the squirrel, whom everyone calls "Buddy" but nobody likes. They live in their fictional hometown of Swellville. Best Ed was produced by 9 Story Entertainment and was animated in flash.Kuzmyk, Jenn: 9 Story Entertainment, C21 Media, February 9, 2006.
The fifth episode ("Nightmare on Sweet Street/Cat Fright!") premiered on October 3, 2008, on Teletoon as a sneak preview. Subsequent episodes were shown beginning October 5, 2009. Alt URL The series ended on October 22, 2009. 26 episodes were produced.
Plot The show follows two anthropomorphic animals, Ed, a cheerful, extroverted and idealistic but none-too-bright yellow dog, and his polar opposite Buddy, a somewhat pessimistic but intelligent, introverted and realistic orange squirrel. Their adventures and sometimes misadventures usually cause them to interact with other characters. Whereas Ed is well-liked by all, and extremely lucky, Buddy is furiously despised, and extremely unfortunate, gratuitously so. Despite their differences in both personality and lot in life, Ed and Buddy consider themselves best friends and have many adventures, and misadventures, in their town of Swellville (a play on Snellville), Canada, frequently confined (but not exclusively) to their suburban 333 Sweet Street.
Characters
Main Ed (voiced by Seán Cullen) is an eternally optimistic, overenthusiastic and hyperactive yellow dog who has a permanent zest for life, though is rather dimwitted. He is obsessed with helping others with whatever problems may plague them, but ends up being more of a burden than anything, often bringing total destruction or disaster to his environment in his misguided attempts to right what he sees as wrong or help others with their problems. He has many catchphrases, such as his trademark "Yee!" and "I'm here to help!", as well as "Sacagawea!", "Krakatoa!" and "Well isn't that curious?". He has a speech impediment (specifically a lisp) which makes him often say "sh" rather than "s". He is the proud owner of a pair of pink footwear he dubs "happy sandals", plus a collection of coveted plush toys (Teddy, Eddy, Marshmallow, Fluffyhead, Froffers, Quincy, Minnie, Winnie, Mellow, Mike, Butterbeak, Bubba, Curly, Shirley, Rear Admiral Horatio Hugginfellow, and Bub), and is a devoted fan of the TV show Mighty Measle Moles, a Star Trek parody, both of which Buddy hates. He is well-liked by everyone in the neighbourhood, although he considers Buddy his best friend. His eccentric behavior is typically accompanied by bagpipe music. Buddy/Doug (voiced by Patrick McKenna) is a neurotic orange squirrel who is more level-headed, intelligent, organized, and rational than Ed, but more unfortunate and emotionally unstable: he suffers incredibly from the antics of Ed, and everyone else, and few episodes end pleasantly for him. Almost everyone besides Ed vehemently dislikes him for unstated reasons (even though he never really says or does anything too unlikable, which he sometimes acknowledges), and he is often blamed for the shenanigans of his absent-minded friend. Due to this, he is prone to dramatic and emotional reactions whenever things go horribly wrong for him. While Buddy is often embarrassed, irritated, or grievously harmed by Ed's well-intentioned antics, he does his best to tolerate them lest he go mad (as exemplified in "Squirrel's Gone Wild"), and does cherish his friendship with him for the most part. He enjoys nuts (to the point of having a collection of them), and has a car with a giant acorn for a roof. He was part of a club devoted to the nerdy role playing game Battle Buddies a while ago, and still keeps in touch with the friends he made at that club (Whitey, Blacky and Red) in present day. He is very jealous of Mr. Thursty. His catchphrases are "Oh no, please no!", "It's Doug, actually", and "Okay? Okay...".
Recurring/Minor
Mr. Thursty (voiced by Kedar Brown) is a large, brown dog of unspecified species. Thursty is inexplicably harsh and confrontational with most characters (particularly Buddy), possesses a short temperament, and is generally unpleasant. He also has a paranoid side to him, which lends hand-in-hand with his aggressiveness and arrogance. His real name is Thurston Plumtickler III (which implies there exists two previous Thurston Plumticklers that came before him), and his sidekick is Eugene. He speaks with a distinct African-American accent. Miss Fluffé (voiced by Carolyn Scott) is a large yellow hamster. She resembles a stereotypical fortune-teller, but this is not an often-employed trait. She has a one-sided crush on Ed that never goes beyond that due to Ed's utter obliviousness to her infatuations and only seeing her as a close friend. The Kitten Twins (Betsy voiced by Sarah Commisso and Buster voiced by Tessa Marshall) are a pair of young pink cats. Betsy and Buster appear cute and innocent, but are in reality the worst of the lot. They mainly show their true nature around Buddy, whom they greatly despise and enjoy tormenting in sociopathic and/or psychotic ways. They tend to speak in unison and giggle a lot. They are very wealthy, due to their high-paying jobs as top mitten testers. They also ride unicycles, as shown in the episode "Peddle Me Nuts". Dr. Quacken (voiced by Jamie Watson) is a tall, green duck who wears glasses and a white jacket, and Ed and Buddy's doctor. Whenever he gives Buddy the bill for his services, he uses "duck bill humor". He loves playing golf, yet humorously doesn't know what club to get on the ninth hole. He has the same voice (only a bit higher-pitched) and vocal tic (specifically, he quacks at the end of his sentences) as Quack from Peep and the Big Wide World, whom Watson also voiced. Eugene Tuttle (voiced by Paul O'Sullivan) is a short, green turtle who lives in a house shaped liked a shell, surrounded by a moat. He is the only reptile in the neighbourhood. Despite being present in the theme song, he appears infrequently compared to everybody else in the neighbourhood, and when he does, is generally depicted as shy and nervous. Mr. Thursty frequently picks on him and sometimes uses him as his lackey for his own self-serving schemes. Besides Ed, he is the only resident of 333 Sweet Street to not be intentionally mean to Buddy in any way. Heiny (voiced by Damon Papadopoulos) is a Scottish Terrier who wears a kilt, works as a crossing guard and has a Scottish accent. Heiny appears to have a temper and is easy to aggravate, often spotted yelling at others. Whitey, Blacky and Red are a trio of nerdy squirrel brothers who attended the same college as Buddy. The group hosts annual Battle Buddy Weekends with Buddy. They are loosely named after Wynken, Blynken, and Nod. Mad Dog Marshall is a short, psychotic, mentally-unstable dog with a pathologically intense hatred of squirrels and a tendency to go feral at even the slightest provocation. The Swellville police force considers him a dangerous criminal (either for his bigotry or other unspecified misdeeds); thus, whenever he appears, it's in a state of custody by the authorities. Ed and Buddy run afoul of him in "Driver's Ed" and "My Fair Laddies". The Royal Nut Club is a high-class committee headed by only the most important jet set members of Swellville society. Their most prominent member is Lady Beavertooth, who speaks with a posh, distinct British accent and adorns a fur collar that appears to still be alive. The club appears to be rather snobbish and condescending towards those they deem of lesser class than them, best showcased in their dismissal of Buddy once they arrive at his house in "Best Ediquette". Dr. Binky (voiced by Damon Papadopoulos) is a kooky pink monkey with a stereotypical German accent. Despite his zany disposition, he is a brilliantly skilled scientist with an extensive career in the field. He is visually based on Albert Einstein and appears in "Smarti Pants" and "Help Want-Ed".
Episodes Note: Every episode from "Rub My Ed for Luck" to "A Pox on Thee Now" was produced in 2008, yet aired in 2009 (with the exceptions of "Nightmare on Sweet Street" and "Cat Fright!").
In early 2005, development of Best Ed began. A pilot episode under the title "Fat Chance" began production in late 2006 and finished in early 2007, but was not released.
"Rub My Ed for Luck"/"Best Ediquette" (October 5, 2009): While doing some light yard work, Ed discovers a golden acorn, then leads Buddy, Thursty, Miss Fluffé, and the Kitten Twins on a search for the Lost Treasure of Swellville./After Ed volunteers Buddy to host a very important gathering of the Knights of the Royal Nut Club, he dedicates his best efforts to helping Buddy make a great impression and become a member of the club. "Crossing Dogs"/"Squeals on the Bus" (October 5, 2009): After Ed volunteers to replace Heiny as the neighborhood crossing guard, he freezes under the pressure while guiding a group of 2nd-graders, endangering them./When Ed is temporarily blinded in a toast-related injury, Buddy has no choice but to include him in his plans to attend the annual nut convention, turning a simple bus trip into an unforgettable (and painful) ride. "Smarti Pants"/"Sock It to Him" (October 6, 2009): After taking an IQ test and sneezing all the right answers, Ed is labeled a genius, then recruited by the Swellville military to save the world from an impending asteroid, using nothing but his knowledge of episode 37 of Mighty Measle Moles to guide him./When Buddy is too sick to prepare to host his Battle Buddy Weekend, Ed enlists the aide of a Buddy-shaped sock puppet to help him do things right, and, to Buddy's chagrin, "Sock Buddy" becomes the life of the party. "Driver's Ed"/"Go Cart Go" (October 6, 2009): After discovering that his driver's license has expired, Buddy only has one day to study to take a driver's test, and has to rely on Ed's unique brand of driver's ed (and adrenaline from several close calls with a driver who's presumed to be the criminal Mad Dog) to help him pass./Buddy wants to win the Swellville Go-Cart Classic, but when Ed's help lowers Buddy's chances and improves Mr. Thursty's, a head-to-head showdown between Team Thursty, Team Buddy and Team Kitten ensues. "Nightmare on Sweet Street"/"Cat Fright!" (October 3, 2008): In this Halloween episode, after Ed's spooky telling of the Legend of the Breadless Norseman puts a scare into his friends, he volunteers himself and Buddy to stand outside and guard their street, not knowing that the Breadless Norseman is about./On the eve of Ed and Buddy's birthday, a rash of burglaries in Swellville has Buddy suspecting the Kitten Twins of foul play, and though Ed believes that the Kittens are innocent, Buddy decides to investigate. "Ed & Breakfast"/"Tooth or Consequences" (October 7, 2009): By placing a newspaper ad that promotes their house as a hotel, Ed & Buddy become hosts to two French-Canadian beavers. While Ed is happy to help plan meals, activities, and a tour of Swellville, Buddy can't wait to be rid of their guests./While showing off his nut-cracking abilities, Buddy cracks one of his teeth. At the dentist's office, Ed volunteers to help out as dental assistant, but when the dentist leaves, it's up to Ed to treat Buddy's bad tooth all by himself.