The Wild Thornberrys

The Wild Thornberrys is an American animated television series that aired on Nickelodeon, and the third Nicktoon produced by Klasky Csupo. It was rerun in the USA on Nickelodeon and occasionally Nicktoons Network until 2007. The show was aired on Nicktoonsters in the UK.

Premise
The series follows the Thornberrys, as they travel the world in their Communications Vehicle, referred to throughout the show as their "Commvee," looking for rare animals to film. Their youngest child, Eliza, is the main character and has the power to speak to animals because of an encounter with an African shaman, Shaman Mynyambo. She can speak to the family's pet chimpanzee, who is also her best friend. She travels the world with her family and usually helps animals solve their problems. At the beginning of every episode, Eliza recites a monologue, which is then followed by the theme music. It states the basic premise of the show, and provides a brief back story.

Production
The Wild Thornberrys was produced by Klasky Csupo for Nickelodeon. It premiered in September 1998, and was the first Nicktoon to exclusively use 22-minute stories (episodes of other Nicktoons usually featured two 10 - 11-minute stories, using 22-minute stories only on occasion).

Equipment
The Commvee (an abbreviation of "communications vehicle") is a two-story mobile home; the main door leads up a flight of stairs to a main floor with the driver (on the right side, due to the family being American except Nigel) and passenger seat in the front, followed by a twin sized bed, table for eating at on the west side of the car, a kitchen on the eastern side, and a bathroom in the back which also serves as a dark-room for editing film. There is a "basement/1st floor" that contains one room with a big bed for Nigel and Marianne, a room with a two twin sized beds (for Debbie and Eliza) and two hammocks for Donnie and Darwin. There is also a small box near the floor of the "main story" that contains various switches which can inflate a raft for crossing rivers and the ocean to a "lock-down" mode in which iron plates cover the windows (as seen in Thornberry Island) for typhoons; there are other switches that can put the car into a submarine mode, or inflate a bag on top of the car for falling objects or rising to the surface of the ocean. Near the 'switch box' there is a hatch (as seen in Rugrats Go Wild) that gives access to a mini-sub.The Commvee also features the usual conveniences found in a motorhome, including air-conditioning and a stereo system with a cassette tape player. On the roof there is  a satellite that barely ever gets reception, but is used to upload footage to the foundation. On the outside there are many compartments, supposedly for carrying equipment and other smaller vehicles such as the 'mini-comm' for short-range transport or picking up passengers and returning them to camp,the submarine for deep sea expedition (the bath-o-sphere), and the 'Congo-com.' They also have a variety of cameras with which they film. The one mostly used is a shoulder mount or tripod mount camera. Marianne has been known to make special cameras for particularly difficult shoots.