PAW Patrol

PAW Patrol is a Canadian animated television series created by Keith Chapman. It is produced by Spin Master Entertainment. Nickelodeon holds airing rights to the series in various countries outside of Canada. It premiered on August 12, 2013.

As of 2019, the series has been renewed for a seventh season.

In May 2019, a feature-length film based on the series was announced.

History/Development
Since Spin Master is a toy company, PAW Patrol was designed with merchandise in mind from the beginning. Spin Master revealed in a 2015 presentation that the concept for PAW Patrol originated in a prototype for a transforming truck toy.[1] (This truck idea would eventually become an integral part of the show; in the series, the PAW Patrol pups' doghouses transform into their rescue vehicles.) British TV producer Keith Chapman was approached by Spin Master to develop a franchise around the truck concept. Once one of Chapman's ideas was chosen, Spin Master began designing toys. Animation for the show, provided by Guru Studio, was being finalized by late 2012. Frank Falcone (the president of Guru Studio) revealed to Maclean's magazine in 2016 that his animators were skeptical of the "toyetic" concept of the show at first, but nonetheless signed on to produce it.[2]

In its country of origin, Canada, TVOntario partnered with Spin Master to air PAW Patrol. It was announced that Nickelodeon was selected as the United States broadcaster for PAW Patrol in April 2013. As a result of Nickelodeon and Spin Master's relationship, some international branches of Nick also show episodes of the series, but Spin Master remains the sole owner of the PAW Patrol property (and its merchandise licenser).

One of Spin Master's strategies for maintaining the series' longevity and introducing new merchandise is to introduce additional characters, locations and vehicles over PAW Patrol 's run. For example, half-hour specials in seasons two and three introduced supporting characters Everest and Tracker. These recurring characters serve as occasional members of the PAW Patrol team in later episodes. Merchandise of Everest (the Husky), Tracker (the Potcake or Chihuahua) and their vehicles were made available following the premieres of each special.

Plot
The series focuses on Ryder, a ten-year-old boy who leads a team of rescue dogs consisting of six original members: Marshall, Rubble, Chase, Rocky, Zuma, and Skye. The dogs have specific jobs to help them on rescue missions. The six usually report to their base, known as the Lookout, so that Ryder can explain the episode's problem to them. The team's most frequent caller is a marine biologist named Cap'n Turbot, who serves as an occasional member in episodes focusing on the aquatic Merpups of Adventure Bay. Other occasional members are the snow rescue pup Everest, the jungle rescue pup Tracker, and Ryder's robotic helper Robo-Dog.

Trivia

 * PAW Patrol is the second Nick Jr. show to reach its seventh season after Dora the Explorer.
 * For a short time in 2019, reruns of this show were aired on Nickelodeon's Nick at Nite block, making this show the first Nick Jr. show to air on the block.