Bob the Builder, also known simply as Bob, is the title character and protagonist of the television series of the same name. He is a general contractor with his own construction yard in Bobsville, Sunflower Valley, Fixham Harbour, or Spring City depending on the series.

Bob the Builder
Bob the Builder character
Bob as he appears in the original series and Project: Build It, animated in stop motion.
First appearance	Unaired Pilot Episode (1997; unofficial) Scoop Saves the Day (1999; official)
Created by	Keith Chapman
Designed by	Curtis Jobling
Voiced by	Neil Morrissey (1999) (1997-2011) (UK)[1] Rob Rackstraw (2007-2011) (only for live shows and the official website) (UK) William Dufris (2001-2005) (US) Greg Proops (2005-2007) (US) Marc Silk (2007-2011) (US) Lee Ingleby (2015) (2015-2018) (UK) Colin Murdock (2015-2018) (US) David Holt (Young, 2015 series)
In-universe information
Full name	Robert
Nicknames	Bob the Builder Bobby
Gender	Male
Occupation	Builder
Nationality	British

Catchprase

Bob's catchphrase, "yes we can", is a response to other characters saying "Can we fix it?". "Can we fix it?" is also the name of the theme song, which became a top seller in the UK.

Design

The character's appearance was created by Curtis Jobling. His character sketches initially showed him with a moustache but this made him seem too old for the target audience of children and so he was then restyled as clean-shaven. As stop motion animation requires frequent repositioning of the models, Bob was given large feet for stability.[2]

When the series was sold internationally, some changes had to be made to make him more acceptable to other cultures. For Japan, the character was shown with all five fingers on each hand, rather than his usual four. This was done because, in that society, a missing finger indicates membership of the criminal Yakuza clans.[3][4] However, none of the footage was altered.

In 2014, the toy company Mattel bought the rights to the character and gave him a Hollywood-style makeover, making him seem younger and slimmer and more realistically proportioned. This was not well-received on social media, where the new look was described as creepy and unconvincing.[5][6][7] Like in Japan, his 2015 redesign has five fingers on each hand, instead of four.

Appearances

Bob has appeared in every episode in the series and all related media, except for one episode, which was a spin-off teaser featuring Dingle the Shingler. He officially first appeared in the episode Scoop Saves the Day that premiered on 12 April 1999 and has been going ever since 1999.

Legacy

The character of Bob the Builder has helped to change negative stereotypes of construction workers among children.[8]

References

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