1001 Nights (TV series)

1001 Nights is a Canadian animated television series developed and produced at Big Bad Boo Studios in Vancouver, based on stories from One Thousand and One Nights.^[1] The show is created and co-directed by Shabnam Rezaei and Aly Jetha.^[2]

Borrowing from the original premise of the classical tales of One Thousand and One Nights, the TV series features Scheherazade, the storyteller, in a Persian court with her sister Donyazad, King Shahryar, Prince Shahzaman and a playful monkey named Maymoon. The show premiered on Teletoon in Canada on December 25, 2011, and on Radio Canada in French-speaking Canada. In the United States, the show premiered on local PBS stations in 2012. This is the first time a media company has serialized the books of One Thousand and One Nights into an animated TV series for children.

Another day at King Shahryar's court and another problem presents itself. Does Shahryar have a toothache? Is Maymoon "borrowing" Shahzaman's pistachios? Scheherazade always has a delightful story that will entertain and teach everyone a great lesson. She will often use the court characters in her stories. There are also a number of recurring characters such as Sinbad and Dina, Mujab and Samir and Harun al-Rashid. A red herring is presented in each episode such as a flying carpet which leaves room for the stories to continue.

Voiced by Nicole Oliver

Confident and older than her years, Scheherazade is savvy, quick-witted, and no nonsense in her dealings with Donyazad and Shahzaman. She is married to King Shahryar. She serves the role of queen, mother, educator and peace-keeper and it is through her that we are told many captivating stories. Scheherazade lives in the palace and is the daughter of Majid, Shahryar's vizier.

Voiced by Colin Murdock

Shahryar is slightly older than his wife Scheherazade, and has little experience or knowledge of what it takes to make a good king. He is unintentionally selfish, arrogant, pompous, and spoiled. He is also innocent and childlike because he is a prince who has been catered to his entire life. He says whatever is on his mind, no matter how bumbling or stupid it might sound. Often when Scheherazade is telling a story to the kids, Shahryar is listening in and will draw the wrong message.

Voiced by Tabitha St. Germain

Donyazad is Scheherazade's younger sister. She is ten years old, bright, independent, and feisty. She loves and respects her older sister who has essentially become her mother figure. Donyazad often tussles with Shahazman. Although they are not related, they have a typical brother-sister relationship. They are close to one another but are often at odds. Of the two, Donyazad is the smarter. She's also more sensitive and aware.

Voiced by Cathy Weseluck

Shahzaman is Shahryar's eleven-year-old brother and therefore, he is a prince. He is a younger version of Shahryar, i.e. spoiled with a sense of entitlement. Even though he's a prince, he is like any other boy who loves sports, games, sweets, and play time. He gets into mischief and he endlessly teases Donyazad. He's a practical joker and often insensitive to other people's feelings. Still, he's loveable and when faced with issues, he and Donyazad make a good team.

Voiced by Peter Kelamis

Majid is Shahryar's vizier, i.e. high counselor. He is also Scheherazade's father. He is about fifty years old and supposedly the wise and learned man of the court. Majid frequently finds himself trying to calm Shahryar down when the king is throwing a temper tantrum. He is sycophantic towards Shahryar whereas Scheherazade is smarter and subtler in her approach. She's often able to change Shahryar's behaviour just by telling him a story. Whereas Majid is often afraid of his son-in-law, Scheherazade has no trouble standing up to him.

Voiced by Scott McNeil

Maymoon is a mischievous pet monkey who belongs to Shahzaman. He is playful and loving and is a regular member of the court. He often outwits Shahryar and like all the other characters is used often as a character in Scheherazade's stories.

The idea for the show came to co-creator Shabnam Rezaei in a dream. Her father read stories from One Thousand and One Nights in her native country Iran. Together with partner Aly Jetha, Series and Creative Director Chad Van De Keere, story editor Randy Rogel as well as the Big Bad Boo team, they formulated the 1001 Nights TV series, which would be appropriate for a modern audience.^[3]

1001 Nights came in the # 1 show at the 2011 at the Mip Junior awards among 1027 other children's properties. It was a finalist in the 2010 Mip Junior Licensing Challenge and # 6 in the Top 30 that year.^[4]

1001 Nights was nominated for eleven (and won four) Leo Awards from 2010 to 2013.^[5][6][7][8]

• 1001 Nights TV series website
• Big Bad Boo 1001 Nights Property Page
• 1001 Nights at IMDb