Wishbone™
Wishbone is a live-action television series that brings books to life for kids and their families. In each episode, the star - a friendly Jack Russell Terrier with an overactive imagination - leaps into a new and exciting adventure with his human owner, Joe Talbot and his friends in their hometown of Oakdale. Almost anything sparks Wishbone's imagination - from Joe's school beach party to the family's end of the summer adventure in Jackson Park, and he's reminded of a favorite classic story in which he is the hero!
Wishbone: Episode Descriptions
"Bark That Bark" (African-American folktalkes)
David overloads on responsibilities and doesn't understand the wisdom of asking for help. WishboneSM explores the power of wisdom as it lies within two African-American folktales.
"Bark to the Future" (The Time Machine)
Joe learns that his own intellect can never be replaced by modern technology. Meanwhile, Wishbone as The Time Traveller finds that in the year 802,701, the lazy Eloi have allowed their intellect to be replaced by technology in H.G. Wells' The Time Machine.
"Bone of Arc" (Joan of Arc)
Samantha becomes the heroine of the boys' soccer team while Wishbone becomes her ally. Meanwhile, Joan of Arc leads the men of the French Army against the English in Mark Twain's Joan of Arc. Wishbone is her friend, Louis de Conte.
"Canine Cure" (The Imaginary Invalid)
Wishbone teaches Nathaniel to overcome his imaginary allergy. Meanwhile, Wishbone as Argan learns the truth about his family from his maid Toinette in Moliere's The Imaginary Invalid.
"The Count's Account" (The Count of Monte Cristo)
Damont gets David into trouble after he uses one of David's inventions. Meanwhile, Wishbone as Edmond Dantes seeks revenge against his enemies in Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo.
"Cyranose" (Cyrano de Bergerac)
Poetry becomes drama when the kids confront a challenging English assignment. Meanwhile, Wishbone as Cyrano de Bergerac impresses Roxanne with his poetic words in Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac.
"Dances with Dogs" (Native-American stories)
Lee Natonabah, an Oakdale storyteller, teaches Joe the value of growing up with stories that connect with the past. Meanwhile, in a Native-American tale, Wishbone is a young warrior who finds courage in a song from the past.
"Digging Up the Past" (Rip Van Winkle)
Dr. Thelma Brown comes back to visit her childhood home and takes the kids on a dig for a long-lost time capsule. Meanwhile, Wishbone as the living time capsule, Rip Van Winkle, teaches the value of the past in Washington Irving's tale.
"A Dogged Expose" (A Scandal in Bohemia)
An Oakdale "mastermind" puts Samantha in the middle of a tabloid scandal. At the same time, Wishbone, as Arthur Conan Doyle's top detective, Sherlock Holmes, races to foil a mastermind who threatens to cause "A Scandal in Bohemia".
"The Entrepawneur" (Metamorphoses)
Joe's absorption with a new business venture puts Samantha and David in a "touchy" situation. Wishbone as King Midas has "The Golden Touch" and big problems in this tale from Ovid's Metamorphoses.
"Fleabitten Bargain" (Faust)
Joe learns the price of instant gratification when a sneaky salesman tries to make a deal with him. Meanwhile, Wishbone as Goethe's Faust makes a deal with the devil that he'll never forget.
"Frankenbone" (Frankenstein)
David's got trouble on his hands when he adds a little spark to his science fair project. Meanwhile, Wishbone as Dr. Frankenstein unleashes a monster in Mary Shelly's Frankenstein.
"Furst Impressions" (Pride and Prejudice)
Attending the Oakdale school social has the kids in an uproar. Meanwhile, Wishbone as Mr. Darcy learns a few things about social graces in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
"Golden Retrieved" (Silas Mariner)
Joe forgets Wishbone, when nothing seems more important than a new mountain bike. Meanwhile, Wishbone as Silas Mariner learns that some things are more important than gold in George Eliot's Silas Mariner.
"Hercules Unleashed" (Hercules and the Golden Apples)
As her dad reaches they big 40, Samantha searches everywhere for the perfect birthday present. Meanwhile, Wishbone as Hercules searches the earth, finding big trouble, as he labors to retrieve the golden apples of the Hesperides in the story "Hercules and the Golden Apples".
"Homer Sweet Homer" (The Odyssey)
The kids refuse to give up when developers come to destroy Jackson Park and their favorite tree. Meanwhile, Wishbone as Odysseus never gives up the heroic quest to save his home in The Odyssey of Homer.
"Hot Diggety Dawg" (A Journey to the Center of the Earth)
While helping Wanda dig, Wishbone finds a mysterious treasure. Meanwhile, Wishbone as Professor Liendenbrock digs his way to the mystery that lies at the center of the earth in Jules Verne's A Journey to the Center of the Earth.
"Hunchdog of Notre Dame" (Hunchback of Notre Dame)
Samantha stands up for Nathaniel when he has trouble making friends on the roller hockey team. Meanwhile, Wishbone as Quasimodo befriends Esmerelda as they search for safety in Victor Hugo's Hunchback of Notre Dame.
"The Impawssible Dream" (Don Quixote)
Wishbone coaches Joe in pursuit of his dream: being in the Encyclopedia of World Records. Meanwhile, Wishbone as Sancho Panza supports the Knight Don Quixote's dream-quest in Cervantes' Don Quixote.
"Little Big Dog" (David and Goliath)
David disobeys his parents and makes a giant mistake that he's afraid to face. Armed with faith, Wishbone as David is the only one in Israel brave enough to face off with the giant in the story of "David and Goliath".
"Mixed Breeds" (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)
Fate exposes the "secret" lives of Wanda and Mr. Pruitt. Meanwhile, Wishbone as John Utterson uncovers the secret life of his friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, in Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
"Muttketeer!" (The Three Musketeers)
Wishbone finds adventure when he tries to join the kids in school. Meanwhile, Wishbone as d'Artagnan needs all his skills to join Athos, Porthos, and Aramis in Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers.
"One Thousand and One Tails" (The Thousand and One Arabian Nights)
David has an adventure with bandits on the information super-highway while Wishbone tries to save Emily from the power of greed. Meanwhile, Wishbone as Ali Baba has an adventure with forty thieves, and Scheherazade saves her life through the power of stories in The Thousand and One Arabian Nights.
"Pantin' at the Opera" (The Phantom of the Opera)
The Henderson Library may be haunted by a former librarian. Meanwhile, Wishbone as Viscount Raoul de Chagny finds that the Grand Opera House in Paris is haunted by The Phantom of the Opera, written by Gaston Leroux.
"The Pawloined Paper" (The Purloined Letter)
Joe is in a race to recover a love note that could be embarrassing. Meanwhile, in Edgar Allen Poe's short story, Wishbone as the Detective Dupin races to save the Queen from an embarrassing discovery in "The Purloined Letter".
"Paw Prints of Thieves" (The Legends of Robin Hood)
Joe nearly gets suspended when he helps the school lunch lady donate leftover food to a local shelter. Meanwhile, Wishbone as Robin Hood risks arrest when he robs from the rich to give to the poor.
"Picks of the Litter"
Wishbone introduces a friend to some of his favorite stories and shows the most exciting moments from past episodes.
"The Prince and the Pooch" (The Prince and the Pauper)
After imagining what it would be like to be a coach, Joe gets his chance with Emily's tee-ball team. Meanwhile, Wishbone is both the Prince of Wales and the pauper Tom Canty in Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper.
"Rosie, Oh, Rosie, Oh!" (Romeo and Juliet)
Faulty communication separates Wishbone and Samantha from a beagle they both love. Meanwhile, the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets keeps Wishbone as Romeo from Juliet in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
"Rushin to the Bone" (The Inspector General)
When Wishbone gets the chance to be a star, the people around him become confused about his identity. Meanwhile, in The Inspector General, Hlestakov is mistaken for a high government official. Wishbone is his servant Ossip. Mistaken identity becomes a metaphor for distinguishing what is true and false.
"Salty Dog" (The Tempest)
David tries to remain calm at the center of the storm when problems plague his direction of The Tempest,, by William Shakespeare. Meanwhile, Prospero directs the events on an island assisted by Wishbone as Ariel in Shakespeare's The Tempest.
"The Slobbery Hound" (The Hound of the Baskervilles)
Wishbone is falsely accused; he and the kids team up as detectives to prove his innocence. Meanwhile, Wishbone as Sherlock Holmes investigates an alleged canine criminal in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles.
"Sniffing the Gauntlet" (Ivanhoe)
David comes through for the team by keeping his cool in the heat of competition. Meanwhile, Wishbone as Ivanhoe keeps the Knight's Code as he defends Rebecca's honor in Sir Walter Scott's dramatic novel.
"A Tail in Twain" (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer)
The kids have an end of summer adventure in Jackson Park and learn about the power of stories. Meanwhile, Wishbone as Tom Sawyer has an adventure with Huck Finn in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
"The Terrified Terrier" (The Red Badge of Courage)
Joe's loyalty to Sam and David is tested when Joe gets invited to hang out with older and more popular kids. Meanwhile, war tests the character of Wishbone as Henry Fleming in Steven Crane's The Red Badge of Courage.
"Twisted Tail" (Oliver Twist)
The kids are swept up in a crime wave that hits the Oakdale neighborhood and causes them to choose their friends more carefully. Meanwhile, Wishbone, as the orphan Oliver Twist in Charles Dickens' novel, is trapped by a web of crime of London.
"Viva Wishbone!" ("Our Lady of Guadalupe")
Joe's family friend Julia tells Joe stories from Mexico that help him understand the power of love for his mother. Meanwhile, Wishbone is Juan Diego in the story of "Our Lady of Guadalupe".
