The Happy Family Show
The Happy Family Show
The Happy Family Show is an American kids' comedy web series created by siblings Christine Jones and Kevin Jones, assisted by their younger brother Joshua Jones. It has been running since 2011, and is hosted both on their YouTube channel, HappyFamilyShow, which currently has over 340,000 subscribers and more than 160 million views worldwide. Some of the older episodes have also been released for syndication on Amazon Video. The show utilizes the 2003 Mattel"Happy Family" line of dolls for all of its main characters. The first of its kind on YouTube, the show features a unique style of production, a single-camera shooting style with the dolls being manipulated live on camera to act out the story. No stop-action animation is used, and the creators hands are seen manipulating the dolls. The creators say they purposely allow the camera to capture the manipulation in order to make it feel more like children playing.
History
The series began when Kevin (10 at the time) teamed up with Josh (5 at the time) to create a short, mostly unscripted video with Christine’s dolls.
Kevin then asked Christine (16 at the time) to edit the footage for him.
In the end, the childlike charm and cute, ad-libbed jokes were surprisingly entertaining for everyone, even their parents, which prompted the Jones siblings to make more episodes.
After the second episode had been made, Christine and Kevin asked their parents' permission to post the videos on their mom’s YouTube channel, IndyJonesChannel, mostly to share with family and friends. They were both posted on March 13, 2011. Soon people they didn’t know started to post comments, asking for more episodes. They went on to produce 6 more episodes that year, season 1 of the show.
By the end of 2011, The Happy Family Show had garnered just over 50,000 views, prompting the creators to start their own YouTube channel, HappyFamilyShow, and repost the first season there. The new channel was created on January 12, 2012.
The creators went on to make 2 more seasons of the show, garnering the channel over 40 million views by the end of 2013.
After 3 years of filming the show in the corner of Kevin and Josh’s shared bedroom, Christine moved out of her parent’s house in April 2014 so they could move production into her old bedroom.
At the beginning of 2015, Christine moved into her own house where the show and all other YouTube projects are currently being produced.
They are based in Indianapolis, IN.
The show is currently in its 6th season, with plans already in the works for a 7th to be created during 2017.
The HappyFamilyShow channel has been represented by the YouTube multi-channel network AwesomenessTV since late 2013.
Characters
Main
Alan Sherwood is the husband and father on the show. He is married to Midge Hadley Sherwood, and they have 5 children. Alan is a 2003 Mattel Happy Family Alan doll. (voiced by Kevin Jones)
Midge Hadley Sherwood is the wife and mother on the show. She is married to Alan Sherwood, and they have 5 children. She is a 2003 Mattel Midge (Barbie) doll. (Voiced by Kevin Jones from 2011–2014, and Christine Jones from 2014 on.)
Ryan Sherwood is the oldest of Alan and Midge’s five children. He is 12 years old. Ryan is a 2003 Mattel Ryan doll. (voiced by Kevin Jones)
Jenny Sherwood is Midge and Alan's second child, and is 10 years old. Jenny is a 2003 Mattel Happy Family neighbor doll. (voiced by Kevin Jones)
Nikki Sherwood is Midge and Alan's third child. In season 1 of the show she was a baby, but now she is cited as being 6 years old. She is a 2003 Mattel Nikki doll, originally packed in a set with Midge. (voiced by Kevin Jones)
Nathan & Hannah Sherwood are twins, the youngest of Midge and Alan's children, cited as being about 1 year old. It was announced in S1 E8 that Midge was pregnant, and the twins were then born in S2 E1. Nathan and Hannah are 2003 Mattel baby dolls, who appeared as twins in a set alongside Midge. (voiced by Kevin and Josh Jones)
Recurring characters
Grandpa Ed & Grandma Rima Sherwood are Alan's parents, and first appeared in S1 E8. They have been married for over 30 years, and Alan is their only child. They are 2003 Mattel Grandparent dolls from the Happy Family line of dolls. (both are voiced by Kevin Jones)
Kaylie is a 12-year-old neighbor of the Sherwood family. She first appeared in S2 E1, when she developed a major crush on Ryan, who she has been pursuing ever since. She has a 20-year-old sister named Kelsey, who frequently babysat the Sherwood kids before she left for college. Kaylie is a 2009 Mattel Kelly doll. (voiced by Kevin Jones)
Lucy the Dog is the Sherwood family dog, and first appeared in S3 E2. She is a 2003 Mattel dog that comes in a set alongside Midge and Nikki.
Aunt Martha Hadley is Midge’s sister and first appeared in S1 E6. Aunt Martha is a 1996 Mattel olympic gymnast doll.
Reggie & Lora McGuire, and son Avery are neighbors of the Sherwood family and have been friends for many years. Avery is good friends with Ryan, and they hang out frequently. They are the Afican-American versions of the 2003 Mattel Midge, Alan, and Ryan dolls. (all voiced by Kevin Jones)
Dr. Vichyssoises first appeared in season 1, episode 1, when he robbed the Sherwood home. He was injured in the struggle, and taken to the hospital, where he ended up sharing a room with Alan in S1 E3. Years later, he reunited with the Sherwoods by chance in S4 E4. He apologized for robbing their house years ago, saying that he had changed his ways. He is an unidentified G.I. Joe doll.
List of episodes
Season 1 (2011)
| Episode no. | Title | Original Airdate | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Happy Robbery" | March 13, 2011 | A burglar breaks in and catches the Sherwoods by surprise. |
| 2 | "Babysitter Mayhem" | March 13, 2011 | Alan and Midge decide to have a date night, so they leave the kids with Kelsey the babysitter. |
| 3 | "The Not-So-Happy Accident" | March 26, 2011 | Alan gets into a car accident, which causes his arm to come off. |
| 4 | "Staring Contest" | April 30, 2011 | Alan and Midge recall having a staring contest as young kids, and decide to revive the contest to see who will win.The children are ignored during the contest and left to their own devices. |
| 5 | "Back in Time" | August 4, 2011 | Alan decides to travel back in time to prevent the robbery that happened in episode 1. |
| 6 | "Alan's Happy Birthday" | September 30, 2011 | Alan receives an iPad for his birthday, but then locks it in a safe to keep the kids from playing with it. |
| 7 | "Halloween Pranks" | October 29, 2011 | Ryan and Jenny go on a Halloween pranking rampage. |
| 8 | "A Very Merry Christmas" | December 23, 2011 | Midge and Alan throw a Christmas party for their family and friends. |
Season 2 (2012)
| Episode no. | Title | Original Airdate | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Baby Baby" | March 17, 2012 | Alan nervously awaits the birth of their fourth child.This is the most popular episode of the show, with over 24 views as of November 2015. |
| 2 | "Justin Bieber" | June 2, 2012 | Ryan has to decide between Jenny and Kaylie when he wins a ticket to a Justin Bieber concert that he doesn’t want. |
| 3 | "Frankie from Monster High" | September 7, 2012 | Kelsey bails on her babysitting job and leaves the Sherwood kids with Frankie Stein, a friend from school. |
| 4 | "Halloween Pranks #2" | October 31, 2012 | Ryan and Jenny attempt to get their parents back for pranking them in the first Halloween special. |
| 5 | "Christmas Special #2" | December 23, 2012 | After overhearing a conversation between Midge and Aunt Martha, Jenny thinks she was adopted and runs away from home. |
Season 3 (2013)
| Episode no. | Title | Original Airdate | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Midge and Alan's Wedding Day" | February 11, 2013 | In celebration of Valentine’s Day, this episode tells Midge and Alan’s love story, from the time they first met, to the day they got married. |
| 2 | "Nikki's New Dog" | September 15, 2013 | Nikki gets a puppy for her birthday which she names Lucy.The next day Lucy turns up missing, and the kids fear that she has run away. |
| 3 | "Haunted Cabin" | October 28, 2013 | In the third Halloween special, the unsuspecting Sherwoods spend the night in Grandma and Grandpa’s “haunted” cabin. |
| 4 | "One Direction Comes Over" | December 4, 2013 | One Direction is in town for a concert, and decide to stay with the Happy Family to avoid fans finding out their location. |
Season 4 (2014)
| Episode no. | Title | Original Airdate | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Midge and Alan's Fight" | April 16, 2014 | When the kids overhear Midge and Alan having a fight, they worry that they will get a divorce. |
| 2 | "Stuck with Kaylie" | August 16, 2014 | Kaylie hatches a scheme to lock Ryan and herself in the attic so they can have time alone together. |
| 3 | "The Blackout" | September 27, 2014 | A tremendous storm causes a blackout at the Sherwood house, preventing Ryan from submitting his essay for the “Why I Love Pac-Man” essay contest. |
| 4 | "Thanksgiving Nightmare!" | November 22, 2014 | When the Sherwood’s car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, they have a very surprising encounter at a run-down restaurant where they stop to eat. |
| 5 | "Christmas Variety Show" | December 19, 2014 | The only episode using a variety show format, this Christmas special features various shorts starring main characters from the show. |
Season 5 (2015)
| Episode no. | Title | Original Airdate | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Ryan's Destiny" | April 3, 2015 | When Kaylie overhears Ryan talking romantically about someone named Destiny, she makes it her goal to take Destiny down. |
| 2 | "Is Midge Pregnant?" | May 23, 2015 | Midge recalls the time she told Alan she was pregnant with Ryan, and how it took a carefully orchestrated plan to create the perfect moment. |
| 3 | "Twin Babysitter Mayhem!" | September 20, 2015 | Disaster strikes when Midge leaves an overly confident Alan alone with the twins for the first time. |
| 4 | "Halloween Spider Dog Prank!" | October 24, 2015 | In the fourth Halloween special, the Sherwood kids decide to make a prank video featuring their dog Lucy dressed as a spider.They prank various members of the family. |
| 5 | "Frozen Pregnant Anna Elsa Rescue!" | December 5, 2015 | After Olaf accidentally reveals their location, Anna goes into labor as the paparazzi descends on the Sherwood home. |
Season 6 (2016)
| Episode no. | Title | Original Airdate | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Alan Gets Fired!" | February 27, 2016 | After Alan gets laid off from his job, he falls into a mid-life crisis.The kids are worried he won't get another job, so they decide to start their own business. |
| 2 | "Dreamhouse Pt. 1" | March 19. 2016 | Now that Alan has gotten a promotion at work, the Sherwood family can finally move to a bigger house!Alan is now on the hunt for Midge's perfect "dreamhouse". |
| 3 | "Dreamhouse Pt. 2" | April 9, 2016 | Moving day has arrived for the Sherwood family!Everyone pitches in as they make the transition to their new Dreamhouse. |
| 4 | "Pregnant Lucy Puppies Go Missing!" | April 30, 2016 | Lucy the dog has a litter of puppies, but one by one they begin to mysteriously go missing! |
| 5 | "Send in the Clones!" | May 21, 2016 | Alan's new job begins to cut into his family time, and so he decides to clone himself to solve the problem. |
| 6 | "Midge & Alan's First Date" | June 11, 2016 | Midge and Alan recall their days growing up together as friends on the playground, and then later dating in high school. |
Other videos
In mid-2012 the creators began making various unscripted series' of shorts featuring themselves and characters from the show.
They have made over 50 of these shorts to date.
These series’ include:
Outtakes – Bloopers from each of the episodes.
Ask the Happy Family – Q&A series featuring viewer-submitted questions for the characters and creators.
Happy Family Show Vlogs – Sit-down vlog style videos featuring various characters from the show.
Grandma's Kitchen – Cooking show where Grandma bakes various dishes for the audience, sometimes in competition with other characters from the show.
Mail Time – Christine, Kevin, and Josh open mail sent in by viewers.
Kaylie's Wonderful World – Un-scripted shorts featuring the everyday ramblings of Kaylie.
Gaming with Grandma – Grandma competes against the Sherwood kids at various popular video games.