Puppy in My Pocket: Adventures in Pocketville (Italian: Cuccioli Cerca Amici - Nel regno di Pocketville, loosely, Puppies Searching for Friends: In the kingdom of Pocketville) is an Italian animated TV series based on the toyline of the same name, which is a part of the larger "In My Pocket" franchise. The series features whimsical adventures as Flo (Kate in the English dub) and her puppy Magic must help the other animals of Pocketville find their way to children in the real world (usually Big City). They also do their best to bring Princess Ava (Ami), who was teleported to the real world by her twin sister, Eva (Ima), back to Pocketville. The series is produced by Giochi Preziosi, Morrison Entertainment Group, and Mondo TV, and is distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Television Distribution. The series aired on Italia 1 in Italy from 2010 to 2011, and then aired on Boomerang in the United States from January 2, 2012 to January 3, 2013 during The Sprout Sharing Show.
Characters[]
Protagonists[]
- Kate (Flo in the original version): Kate is a ten-year-old girl, the owner of Magic, and the main heroine of the series. She appears to be fair-skinned with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and noticeable freckles. Her clothes change whenever she and Magic travel from Pocketville to the Big City or vice versa. She is described to be very pure of heart, kind, polite, brave, and generous. With the magical power of the Friendship Heart (a heart-shaped gemstone that resembles a ruby), she is granted the ability to understand animals. In the finale, Princess Ava gives her the Friendship Heart so that she and Magic can visit the Pocket Kingdom anytime they want. Voiced by Stephanie Sheh in the US English version, Julie-Ann Dean in the UK English version, and by Debora Magnaghi in the Italian version.
- Magic: He is Kate's German Shepherd dog, with his original name being Oristolfo. During the events of the show, he sometimes wore the royal collar that had one half of the Friendship Heart. He always refers to his owner as “Katie”. He is voiced by Johnny Yong Boschin the English version and by Renato Novara in the Italian version.
- Princess Ava (Ami): A cinnamon-point Siamese cat who is the monarch of the Pocket Kingdom. In the first episode, Her twin sister Eva caused an incident during Magic's Friendship Ceremony, which caused not only the Friendship Heart to split in half, but also teleport Ava to the Big City. Ava was taken care of by a stray dog named Wallace, until she got captured by the Pet Buster. By the end of the finale, Princess Ava returns to the kingdom and gives Kate and Magic the Friendship Heart while causing the Magic Fountain to transform and the creation of her new jewel, the Ocean of Friendship (a heart-shaped gemstone that looks almost identical to the Friendship Heart albeit its resemblance to an aquamarine) to occur. According to the Pet Buster, Princess Ava is a Felis aulicus (meaning "cat of the royal court" in Latin). She is voiced by Prudence Alcott in the US English version, Julie-Ann Dean in the UK English version, and by Giulia Franzoso in the Italian version.
Royal Guards[]
A team of two dogs and two cats who serve Princess Ava, protect Pocketville, and help Kate and Magic against Eva and her lackeys. Each are trained by a lamb who goes by the name of Steel Wool.
- William: A blonde Golden Retriever dog who is the de facto leader of the Royal Guards. He is responsible, loyal, practical, intelligent, courageous, elegant, and well-mannered. He gets along well with the other Royal Guards and would do anything for them and the citizens of Pocket Kingdom. He is voiced by Sam Gold in the English version and by Maurizio Merluzzo in the Italian version.
- Danny (Ciro): A brown and white Neapolitan Mastiff dog who is a member of the Royal Guards. He's cheerful, lively, and a little slow in the head, but always ready and willing to protect Princess Ava and the Pocket Kingdom at the drop of a hat. Danny is very talkative and will always have something to say, even if it is brutally honest. He is loyal and caring toward his friends, though he can be stubborn in certain situations. Occasionally he is disobedient and lazy, and even greedy, but William is always there to bring him to order. He is voiced by Richard Epcar in the English version and by Alessandro Zurla in the Italian version.
- Balloon: A grey and white tabby crossbreed cat who is a member of the Royal Guards. She is cunning, agile, and intelligent, and she especially uses her intelligence to find Magic Drops quite often. At first, she was hesitant to trust Kate when she first arrived in Pocketville, but they became good friends later on. She's the most mysterious and solitary of the group, but she has been known to be very friendly, helpful, and full of life. She loves to go out on her own and have adventures exploring the Pocket Kingdom. She is good friends with Mela and the other Royal Guards, although she can't stand Eva. She is voiced by Haviland Stillwell in the English version and by Tania de Domenico in the Italian version.
- Mela: A grey, ginger, and white calico cat who is a member of the Royal Guards. She is softspoken, shy, sweet, kind, and loving to all of her friends. She is also very insightful and has a great sense of observation that allows her to understand others to the finest detail. Despite her gentle demeanor, she will not hesitate to face Eva and her gang when they come looking for trouble. She is voiced by Sandy Fox in the English version and by Elisabetta Spinelli in the Italian version.
Recurring characters[]
- Evershell: A very old and wise turtle. He helps Kate, Magic and the Royal Guards through various riddles he tells them. A distant relative of his, Slowpoke, was one of the many animals Kate and Magic help a girl receive a new pet. His two bodyguards are a cheetah and a black panther. He is voiced by Guido Rutta in the Italian version.
- Wallace (Spot): A stray Schnoodle (Schnauzer/Poodle mix) with a Scottish accent who helps Princess Ava in the Big City streets. By the finale, Princess Ava offers Wallace a place in the Pocketville Royal Guards, but he declined. He is voiced by Phil Lollar in the English version and by Paolo de Santis in the Italian version.
- Winged Guards: A team of bald eagles who serve as aerial recons for the Pocket Kingdom.
- Koty: A koala who speaks with an Australian accent and serves as secretary responsible for the kingdom's hall of records. He is known to be quite a chatterbox, as he tends to ramble on and on when talking to people.
- Holiday: A rooster who is the owner of the Pocketville Gift Shop and gives Princess Ava a new collar in the finale.
- Steel Wool: A sheep who is a trainer that trained the Royal Guards. Some of his students include red kangaroos, hippos, three-toed sloths and Asian elephants
- Unnamed snow leopard: A snow leopard that guard the Never Alone flower and lives in solitude in the Land of Eternal Snow.
- Peter: Kate’s father.
- Pocketville citizens: beavers, golden eagles, jellyfish, squirrels, camels, penguins, sea lions, pandas, otters, scallops, snails (both sea and land snails), slugs (both sea and land slugs), crabs, brown bears, sparrows, bats, snakes, frogs, salamanders, lizards, spiders, ducks, peafowls, songbirds (including American robins), lemurs, tropical marine fish, foxes, butterflies, moths, stick insects, river dolphins, tree kangaroos, antelopes, deers, caterpillars, cats, dogs, rabbits and other animals that have been appearing in various episodes.
- Stray dogs and cats: stray dogs and cats in the Big City that have been appearing in various episodes.
- Maria: Kate’s mother. For most of the season, she is working elsewhere. Voiced by Reba West.
"Chosen Pet" characters[]
- Dot: A cheerful and energetic Dalmatian dog who is the first ever "Chosen Pet" featured in the series. She is chosen for a girl named Caroline, who is said to long for a friend to play with.
- Toby (Tobias): A Maremma Sheepdog who was the first pet to be sent via a Friendship Ceremony that Kate performed. He is chosen for a girl named Martina, a homesick girl who moved from Tuscany, Italy, to the Big City.
- Swimmy: A loyal bottlenose dolphin who is chosen for a girl named Annabelle, who is afraid of water.
- Otto: A St. Bernard dog who is chosen for a boy named Liam, who wanted someone to play with him due to his busy father.
- Camo (Camillo): A tabby cat who is chosen for Emily, a girl whose mother has a fear of cats.
- Goldie (Gnam): A crafty hamster who is chosen for a girl named Molly, who has trouble with eating healthier and would rather eat sweets.
- Robbie (Cippy): A swift robin who is chosen for a boy named Mark, one of Kate's classmates who would rather stay inside and play video games rather than playing outside.
- Kiki: A smart Shih Tzu dog who is chosen for a girl named Alexia, one of Kate's classmates who would frequently have trouble concentrating on schoolwork.
- Frankie: An athletic Dachshund dog who is chosen for a girl named Valerie, a volleyball player who has issues with confidence.
- Pia: A clever Beagle dog who is chosen for a girl named Makayla, who has trouble with looking around for any trap she might get herself into.
- Oriliam: A tidy domestic pig who is chosen for a boy named Steven, who has some issues with keeping as clean as possible in the house due to his germaphobic parents.
- Phoebe: A Yorkshire terrier dog who is chosen for a boy named Daniel, an actor who has stage fright.
- Jenny: A pony who is chosen for a girl named Vanessa, who refuses to go horseback riding again after a riding accident.
- Slowpoke: A turtle who is chosen for a girl named Nicole, who is known to be hasty with things. She is a distant relative of Evershell.
- Juno: An adventurous Siberian husky dog who is chosen for a girl named Alice, who learns that adventures can also be found in books.
- Dr. Copper (Karota): A rabbit who was a doctor in Pocketville. She is chosen for a girl named Beatrix, whose mother is overprotective and worries too much about her health.
- Flipper (Pinna): A goldfish who was masseur in Pocketville. She is chosen for the girl named Francesca who Is prone to get very tired and is taught that relaxing is beneficial.
- Bella: A black-and-white Border Collie dog who was good manner teacher in Pocketville. She is chosen for the boy named Kevin to teach him good manners. Some of her students include a monkey, a giraffe, a lion, and a tiger
- Leo: A Basset Hound dog who worked for the Pocketville Lost-and-Found. He is chosen for the girl named Maggie to help her find everything in the mess.
- Sketch: A greyhound/husky mix breed dog who was an acrobat in Pocketville. He was chosen for a boy named Lucas who has stage fright in public.
- Ribbon: A chick that was chosen for a girl named Lillia to teach her about sharing with others.
Antagonists[]
- Eva (Ima): A seal-point Siamese cat who is Princess Ava's envious twin sister and has a desire to become queen of the Pocket Kingdom. She made numerous attempts to steal the Friendship Heart from Kate. Her and her lackeys' hideout is the Ever Grey Swamp. She is voiced by Katherine Wilson in the English dub and by Marcella Silvestri in the Italian dub.
- Zull and Gort: Rottweiler and pitbull, respectively. They are two dogs who serve as Eva's underlings. True to their role, they often mess up due to their unintelligence. Zull is voiced by Richard Epcar, and Gort is voiced by Aaron Albertus.
- Krakia: A crow who serves as Eva's aerial scout. Through the Unfriendliness Ritual, Krakia is able to be transported to the Big City so she can spy on Kate, Magic, and Ava. Voiced by Katherine Wilson.
- Durillia: A female crocodile. She is the one Eva and her gang look upon and she is known to be one of the most feared animals in the Ever Grey Swamp. Durillia is also the one who explains to Eva about the Unfriendliness Ritual, which is performed in the Valley of No One. Voiced by Katie Leigh.
- The Pet Buster: The main human antagonist, he is described by Wallace as the meanest human of all. He captures pets and illegally resells them in auctions. In the finale, he captures Eva in place of Ava, claiming that while not what he was looking for she will do.
DVD Releases[]
- The complete series was released over eight DVD volumes by Visual Entertainment Group in Australia.
- The first volume has been released by Entertainment One Music in the USA on 10 September 2013.
- The complete series was released over eight DVD volumes by Viva Entertainment In the Middle East (Arabic/English) Audio Tracks.
- The complete series was released over eight DVD volumes by TIGA Entertainment in Thailand.
- The complete series was released over eight DVD volumes by Medusa Video in Italy.
Translations in different languages[1][]
- Italian: Cuccioli cerca amici: Nel regno di Pocketville
- French: Aventures à Pocketville
- Spanish: Aventuras en Pocketville
- Polish: Przyjaciele z Kieszonkowa
- Hungarian: Zsebkutyusok
- Turkish: Cebimdeki Dostlar
- Romanian: Cățelul din Pocketville
- Albanian: Këlyshët në xhepin tim
- Arabic: بابي ان ماي بوكيت : أدفانترز إن بوكيتفيل
- Croatian: Moji džepni ljubimci
- Filipino: Puppy in My Pocket
- German: Puppy in My Pocket - Abenteuer in Pocketville
- Hebrew: כלבלבי פוקט
- Irish: Puppy in My Pocket
- Моите Џебни Миленичиња
- Portuguese (Portugal): Puppy in My Pocket
- Russian: Щенок в моём кармане
- Serbian: Moji Džepni Ljubimci
- Spanish (Latin America): Aventuras en Pocketville
- Spanish: Puppy in My Pocket
- Ukrainian: Цуценя в моїй кишені
Trivia[]
- This show was originally going to have a narrator, who was slated to be Guido Rutta, the voice actor for Evershell.[2]
- Animation services for this series were outsourced to North Korean animation studio SEK, whom Mondo TV frequently worked with, who is also known locally as Korean April 26 Animation Studio [3] [4]. They are uncredited in the US version of the show (where it is credited as Mondo TV instead), possibly due to the United States’ political tension with North Korea.