Talk:Franklin (TV series)

Erm...

I think that this article is too short, considering its about double the old file size limit. I suggest that wet up into smaller articles...

Since the character section is the largest part of the article, perhaps that could be split off? HalfShadow 04:56, 6 January 2007 (UTC)

---

Hi! I'm Agent0042 and I edit the guide for Franklin at TV Tome. I've just added some very important new info to Wikipeida's page for the show that I think will help out a lot of people. If anyone has any questions, my e-mail's Agent0042@mail2fanatic.om, or you can catch me at the forums at my guide.

Edit --- TV Tome is now TV.com. I and RAMChYLD have been continuing work on the guide and have added a lot of good information. The edits under the IP addresses 172.170.35.157 and 172.156.116.13 are mine --- I was accidentally logged off.

---

Communism and capitalism?

Greetings, I have edited the guide for an interpretation of Franklin's universe, as well as a sketchy character guide. I welcome dissenting and differing viewpoints, as well as requesting a link to a site that may hold such discussions? If the truth shall come out of the mouth of babes, what of the truth that we create for them? Let us consider this before we dismiss quickly the underlying themes within these programmes! -Citizen0000

• I've kept the previous poster's character guide in place, which looks like a great addition (pending some edits), but I am pasting the above (anonymous's) 'universe' contribution here for (careful) review. It is a lengthy discussion attempting to determine whether Franklin's universe is capitalist or communist using minutiae in the show. Given there is no way to contact this poster (no wikipedia account) and therefore no meaningful way to discuss with them in any case, I am pasting the contents below, as I don't believe it has a place on the article page, and I am "being bold" in removing it. I'm doing so on the grounds that that section reads like a personal essay and/or 'original research', neither of which is generally accepted on Wikipedia. (See Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not). If a wikipedia user believes this should be in there, it's can be discussed here. Skybunny 23:31, 14 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Begin quoted text

Parallels with communism and capitalism

Please not that this article does not condone Communism in any form and is only one interpretation of the complex and highly enigmatic fictional universe of Franklin

Franklin's world, while not consistent with any singular model, shows itself to be similar with American History in the episode where Franklin and his family take a vacation to a historical pioneer village, complete with horse drawn carriages and lack of electricity. The peaceful existence of differing species and the high sense of community, along with the lack of social divisions and religion, nevertheless establishes the village as possible idealistic vision of communism, thus being a possible stage setting for the natural aftermath and decay of capitalistic excess as envisioned by Karl Marx[1]. Franklin himself is interesting in this regard as he seems to reveal the Capitalistic spirit in spite of his environment.

Franklin is the only character possessing a human name, all of the others being referred to by species. His act of naming his stuffed dog and pet goldfish can represent a slowly realized notion of individuality in a society where individuals are known collectively by their species. In this way, Franklin is the model of Descartes'[2] famous line, "I think, therefore I am", along with the symbol of individual capitalism in the face of collective communism. Unlike in American History, Franklin the "individualist" is no McCarthy[3], and coexists happily with his "collective" counterparts, and thus is a signal towards greater tolerance and cultural relativism[4]. Franklin's shell, however, distinguishes an armor which may be a hidden symbol of the state of the world, in its quest towards greater understanding but inhibited by its need for defense and security, as Franklin often retreats to it in times of difficulty, or ridicule from his peers. This pure state of the world, it seems, is still far from complete unity. It is notable that Franklin and Snail are the only two characters with shells, and Snail must constantly rely on others for transportation. Thus the evolution of society can be seen in the slow moving Snail hitching a ride[5] on the back of the impressionistically slow, but faster in comparison, Franklin. The old regimes must adapt to a changing world, or be left behind. For a modern analogy, the United States could be compared to Franklin, while his peers could be seen as China; unpolished and somewhat scattered, but with greater collective force than can be overcome by one turtle alone. Hence, the need for diplomacy and acceptance. Other characters also reflect this instance.

Mr. Mole, for example, does not live underground (A highly private and secretive notion), and goes so far as to tend his own garden rather than steal vegetables from others. This reinforces the communist interpretation through its collective resourcing, as in one episode he cheerfully explains to an agitated Franklin that he doesn't mind if the birds eat his cherries, for he enjoys sharing and receiving visitors. Franklin has yet to overcome his Capitalistic selfishness of product for the greater good of his community. Far from being a model of oppression, Mr. Mole shows solidarity to his community and others, as seen in the episode where he is gathering litter in the forest, for no economic gain. Contrast this with Franklin's desire to do good deeds for fame, and the possible lesson here is that the ideals of communism may still have much to teach the capitalistic system, with its emphasis on materialism, which in Franklin's world takes on strange and bizarre connotations.

The schoolbus is the only vehicle consistently seen in the show. The lesser recurring vehicle is the automobile belonging to Franklin's Parents. Aside from the obvious metaphor of a bus ferrying the people towards a common goal vs. private ownership in its own direction, this can be interpreted as an analogy of equalizing handicaps by means of technology and science, with turtles being disproportionately slow to their mammalian counterparts. In one episode, Snail reveals his dream to fly a plane, which reinforces this interpretation, allowing the slowets character or all to take to the skies, equal with those gifted with flight, needing not such mechanical aids. Social darwninism having thus been eliminated with the cohabituation of differing species, technology can be viewed as the key to a new age of equality. In Franklin's universe, technology and nature are not at bounds with each other, excepting the one episode where a fire destroyed Mr. Mole's hardware shop. The analogy of this particular scene is rich indeed. However, it must be remembered that being a children's show, neither is likely to dominate, which demonstrates the ideal condition set forth in many people's mind: the balance between the natural and synthetic, a highly divisive issue to this day.

In Franklin's world, the peaceful coexistence between predator and prey also begs the question of what the characters eat, and how food could be obtained. Franklin has a preference for food with flies, which could be viewed as an introduction for children towards the acceptance of microlivestock as a feasible solution to feeding a growing world population, with the alleged health benefits such staples would provide. That his mammalian counterparts naturally detest such unusual delectables that sour their omniverous/carnivorous tastebuds shows the popular taboo against such notions, at least within the West. Here again, Franklin the individual/capitalist is attempting to introduce his new tastes and ideas to a community comfortable with itself, with the predictable contempt. Ideas are slow to change, especially between systems. But as with Mr. Mole, Franklin this time may have something to teach the communists.

End Quoted text

Somebody tried to restore this to the page. I removed it. I agree that it is a personal essay and doesn't belong in the article. Agent0042 (talk) 05:27, 2 January 2011 (UTC)

The issue of merging Franklin the Turtle

I don't mind the idea...as long as the characters in the book series are not substantially changed in the television show - which would mean that the character data is for the most part duplicated. I don't believe the 'fan ships' section is particularly encyclopaedic. It's simply saying what 'some fans like', and there's nothing specific or quantitative justifying the selections. I'd say merge in 'real' verifiable information about the individual characters that isn't simply conjecture, redirect the old article to this one, and call it a day. Skybunny 03:18, 14 December 2005 (UTC)

The 'in-universe' issue

Several sections in this article can use cleanup according to the Wikipedia manual of style, specifically, the section dealing with writing about fiction.

A highlight of that article which could be considered here:

Wikipedia policy on verifiability requires that articles "rely on credible, third-party sources with a reputation for fact-checking and accuracy." However, articles written from an in-universe perspective are overly reliant on the fiction itself as a primary source. Lacking as they are in any critical analysis of the subject, these articles may invite original research. In other words, lacking critical analysis from secondary sources, Wikipedia editors and fans of the subject often feel compelled to provide such analysis themselves.

While using some information from the show itself (using the show as its own source) is okay, drawing conclusions that the show never makes obvious is not. Examples:

1. Squirrel - Another mysterious character who only appears twice in the series and with a weird disconnect between his two appearances. Squirrel is a bit younger than Franklin and his friends. In the first season, Squirrel appears in a play being put on by Franklin's class, but does not speak. In the third season, Squirrel shows up while Franklin, Raccoon and Fox are playing and wants to know if they'll play with him. Franklin becomes a sort of surrogate big-brother to him. In this story, Squirrel was voiced by Cole Caplan, who would later assume the role of Franklin beginning with the special "Back to School with Franklin." Squirrel reappears in the sixth season, sitting next to Badger at the very back of the school bus. What he's doing there is completely unknown --- he is not a part of Franklin's class and no further mention is made of his presence.

Nearly this entire paragraph is pure speculation: the assumption the squirrel in the play is the same as the squirrel Franklin is a big brother to (and even the one on the bus); and, discussion of "why he's on the school bus" in the sixth season. If the work of fiction is used as a primary source, only information made obvious can be used, and it should still not be "trivial" information. (Franklin's favorite color or hockey player - even the fact that that changes with the whim of a writer - does not say anything substantiative about his character). These sorts of conclusions need to be backed up with secondary sources, like interviews with writers of the program, or outside reviews of the series. Skybunny 18:00, 26 February 2007 (UTC)

All right, I'm adopting this guide and I'll see what I can do about it... Agent0042 (talk) 18:39, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Weird...should it be mentioned?

It's a fact I noticed the most of the characters have younger siblings with human names, yet the older siblings are named according to their species. That'd be like if I had 2 kids and named one Human and the other Brittany...--I'm Kinda Awesome... 18:26, 25 June 2007 (UTC)

Well, "Kit" is a play on the name of what beaver youngsters are called -- beaver kits. All the others, yeah. I'll look into it. Agent0042 (talk) 18:44, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Updates

I have made some updates and corrections. I have also removed the "in-universe" tag from the "Sports and Games" section. If somebody still believes this item to be "in-universe," please explain why you are adding the tag, and what specifically can be done to correct this issue.

More updates coming. Agent0042 (talk) 22:48, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Allusions in Franklin's Name

Both the international name of the turtle, Franklin, and his Canadian French name, Benjamin, are an allusion to the American inventor and scientist Benjamin Franklin.--Luke Elms 22:07, 20 June 2008 (UTC)

Certainly, although I do not really see how the character and inventor are related. trainfan01 20:40, August 14, 2010 (UTC)

New Episodes

I wish there was a seventh season of Franklin with the 2 characters of Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure his Aunt Lucy and his Godcousin Sam moving in to Woodland. --MikeySalinas17 (talk) 17:25, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

I do too, I also wish that they kept the original Franklin on air. It is such a great show. Monkeys 9711 (talk) 23:07, 16 August 2014 (UTC)

Section Removed

I have removed an unsessasary section in this article, and moved sections into proper places in this article, which needs a good clean up. NOTE: The "pets" section might have to be removed as it is written like a personal reflection or essay. Monkeys 9711 (talk) 14:03, 17 July 2011 (UTC)

Organization

This page seems to have sections that could be merged together into one heading, to minimize confusion and unessesary sections. I took the "Woodland" and "Sports" headings and merged them with "Characters". The heading is now called "Characters and Neighbourhood". Just to organzize the page more. Monkeys 9711 (talk) 22:59, 16 August 2014 (UTC)

Airdate corrections

Can someone find a source for airdates? Franklin is said to have started in 1997, not 1998. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 167.135.65.251 (talk) 18:14, 11 February 2019 (UTC)