September 3, 2001 – October 5, 2002
Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat, or simply Sagwa, is a children's animated television series based on the children's book of the same name by Amy Tan which aired on PBS Kids, co-produced by Canada-based animation studio CinéGroupe and Sesame Street creator Sesame Workshop.
In the series, which is set c. 1895–1912, after the cinematograph was patented and during the late Qing dynasty, Sagwa has fun in her day-to-day life while learning and teaching valuable life lessons. The show is notable for its setting and messages about family obligations and loyalty. The show is also intentionally cross-cultural, with the theme song in both English and Chinese.
The series was developed and produced for television by executive producers George Daugherty and Michel Lemire, and producers David Ka Lik Wong and Leon G. Arcand.
The series aired from September 3, 2001, to October 5, 2002, running for one season and 40 episodes. The series was cancelled in 2002, ending on October 5 of that year, and as of 2019 is still aired on several networks worldwide.
The series won the Silver Plaque at the Chicago International Film Festival for Children's Film in 2001, as well as winning an Outstanding Individual in Animation award for background artist Valery Mihalkov at the 29th Daytime Emmy Awards and a "TV Series - Family/Children" award at WorldFest Houston in 2002.
Storyline[]
Sagwa resides in a palace of a magistrate in China in what is assumed to be modern-day Fujian province (possibly during the late Qing dynasty, as shown by the characters' clothes), as part of a royal family of cats who have the ability to write with their tails. She and her siblings, along with various other cats and Fu-Fu the bat, have adventures that are usually accompanied by moral lessons, as is typical with most children's shows. However, one aspect of the show which sets it apart is its display of various elements of Chinese culture.
TV Show Intro[]
Sound Effects Used[]
- Hollywoodedge, Ascending Whistles CRT057901 (Heard in a "What About You" segment where Sagwa jumps over a ball, unless I [BigIdeas70258] am confused with a similar whistle.)
- Hollywoodedge, Children Sml Grp Laug PE954803/Hollywoodedge, Small Group Kids Laug PE143601 (Heard once in the Sesame Workshop logo.)
- Hollywoodedge, Dog Whining Happy Bar PE918708/Sound Ideas, DOG, MIXED BREED - LARGE DOG, WHINING, ANIMAL 02 (Heard once in "Magistrate Loses His Post".)
- Sound Ideas, BIRD, CROW - COMMON CROW: CALLS, ANIMAL (Heard once in "Sick Day".)
- Sound Ideas, BIRD, ROOSTER - MORNING CALL, ANIMAL 01
- Sound Ideas, BOING, CARTOON - HOYT'S BOING (Heard once in "Sick Day".)
- Sound Ideas, CARTOON, SWISH - LONG SWISH BY (Heard once in the intro.)
- Sound Ideas, CHILDREN - CHEERING, CROWD 02
- Sound Ideas, FIREWORKS - SEQUENCE OF FIREWORKS, EXPLOSION (Heard once in a "What About You" segment about holidays.)
- Sound Ideas, WEATHER, LIGHTNING - BOLT OF LIGHTNING STRIKES CLOSE BY, THUNDER 04 (Heard once in "Too Close for Comfort".)