| Max & Ruby | |
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| Genre | Children's television series |
| Created by | Rosemary Wells |
| Based on | Max & Ruby by Rosemary Wells |
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| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 130 (334 segments) (list of episodes) |
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| Running time | 22–23 minutes |
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| Network | Treehouse TV |
| Release | May 3, 2002 – April 9, 2020 |
Max & Ruby is a Canadian children's preschool animated television series based on the book series by Rosemary Wells and produced by Nelvana Limited. The series follows the everyday lives of two young anthropomorphic rabbit siblings Max and Ruby.
Two Max & Ruby books had been previously adapted into short films by Weston Woods and Michael Sporn Animation in 1988 and 1991. These shorts were later remade into episodes for the television series.
Max & Ruby first aired in Canada on Treehouse TV on May 3, 2002. In the United States, the series first aired on Nickelodeon on the Nick Jr. block on August 26, 2002. 130 half-hour episodes were produced, with the final episode airing on April 9, 2020.
The first two seasons of the series were added to Paramount+ on December 8, 2020, but on March 25, 2026, the show was removed from the service.
Max & Ruby follows the everyday lives of two young anthropomorphic rabbit siblings: Max, a rambunctious and achievement-determined three-year-old and his older sister Ruby, a seldom-patient, goal-oriented, and sometimes bossy seven-year-old. The series takes place in a town called Eastbunny Hop, in a universe populated by bunnies and other creatures. According to Wells, the series shows the relationship between Ruby, Max and the universal nature of sibling relationships.
| Season | Segments | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | ||||
| Weston Woods shorts | 2 | 2 | October 7, 1988 | January 15, 1992 | |
| 1 | 39 | 13 | May 3, 2002 | March 14, 2003 | |
| 2 | 39 | 13 | July 8, 2003 | April 27, 2004 | |
| 3 | 42 | 14 | October 27, 2006 | May 2, 2007 | |
| 4 | 36 | 12 | June 15, 2009 | November 3, 2009 | |
| 5 | 78 | 26 | December 10, 2011 | February 11, 2013 | |
| 6 | 50 | 26 | September 18, 2016 | September 24, 2018 | |
| 7 | 50 | 26 | August 12, 2018 | April 9, 2020 | |
The series premiered in 2002, but was preceded by a 1988 short and a 1991 short adapting the characters for the first time. The shorts were individually produced and were later remade into broadcast series episodes.
Nelvana Limited and Silver Lining Entertainment Limited co-produced the show for its first five seasons (in 2005, Silver Lining was acquired by Chorion). 9 Story Media Group overtook producing the animation from Nelvana in season 3 (and continued animating the series for seasons 4 and 5 while Chorion co-produced at the same time); though Nelvana still handled production of the series.
The series was animated in Flash, the proof for this comes from the CN Gigaleak where Max & Ruby had a folder in there.
Shortly after Chorion and its division Silver Lining Entertainment Limited both closed their doors after season 5 finished production, Nelvana became the sole producer for the series and outsourced the animation to Atomic Cartoons.
Season 6 premiered on September 18, 2016, with a new main voice cast and an updated theme song, along with each episode now having 2 11-minute segments, rather than 3 7-minute segments like the previous five seasons.
In an interview with Nickelodeon, Wells has stated about Max and Ruby's unseen parents that "we don't see Max and Ruby's parents, because [she] believe[s] that kids resolve their issues and conflicts differently when they are on their own. The television series gives kids a sense about how these two siblings resolve their conflicts in a humorous and entertaining way." In the sixth season, the series finally introduced Max and Ruby's parents Mr. and Mrs. Bunny.
Max & Ruby first aired on Treehouse TV in Canada on May 3, 2002. In the United States, the series first aired on Nick Jr. on August 26, 2002, then on Noggin on August 16, 2004. The series also featured a British English dub that first aired on Nick Jr. in the UK and Ireland on March 31, 2003.[when?]
Paramount Home Entertainment is the DVD distributor for the series in the United States, on behalf of Nickelodeon. As of March 29, 2012, 2.9 million DVD units of the series from Paramount have been sold in the U.S. These DVDs (see below) only have episodes from the first five seasons.
| Name | Release date | Number of episodes | Episode titles |
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| Max & Ruby's Christmas | October 26, 2004 | 12 |
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| Springtime for Max & Ruby | March 1, 2005 | 12 |
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| Max & Ruby's Halloween | August 30, 2005 | 12 |
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| Party Time with Max & Ruby | February 14, 2006 | 12 |
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| Afternoons with Max & Ruby | August 1, 2006 | 12 |
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| Easter with Max & Ruby | March 13, 2007 | 12 |
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| Summertime with Max & Ruby | June 5, 2007 | 12 |
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| A Merry Bunny Christmas | October 2, 2007 | 12 |
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| Berry Bunny Adventures | February 26, 2008 | 12 |
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| Perfect Pumpkin | August 26, 2008 | 12 |
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| Playtime with Max & Ruby! | January 5, 2010 | 12 |
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| A Visit with Grandma | June 15, 2010 | 12 |
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| Everybunny Loves Winter | September 21, 2010 | 12 |
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| Bunny Tales | January 11, 2011 | 12 |
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| Rainy Day Play | April 12, 2011 | 12 |
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| Everybunny Loves Spring | February 11, 2014 | 12 |
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| Sweet Siblings | February 17, 2015 | 12 |
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| Sharing and Caring | June 2, 2015 | 12 |
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| Name | Release date | Number of episodes | Episode titles |
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| Nick Jr. Celebrates Spring | March 2, 2004 | 1 |
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| Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 1 | May 24, 2005 | 3 |
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| Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 2 | October 18, 2005 | 3 |
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| Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 3 | February 7, 2006 | 3 |
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| Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 4 | June 6, 2006 | 3 |
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| Nick Jr. Favorites Holiday | September 26, 2006 | 3 |
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| Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 5 | March 13, 2007 | 3 |
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{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Nick Jr. Channel.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Nick Jr. Channel.Louise is Ruby's best friend and classmate, and part of Bunny Scouts. She's 7 years old and sits right next to Ruby at school.
Ruby "He's nearly 7 1/2." Louise "A whole half year older than we are."
on Sunday, "Max and Ruby" returned with new episodes for the first time since 2013, and who should show up at last but Mr. and Mrs. Bunny? .. It was a big weekend for "Max and Ruby." Not only were Mr. and Mrs. Bunny introduce, but Max, who could previously only spit out 1 or 2 words at a time, is suddenly speaking full sentences and attending preschool.
Morris is Louise's 2-year-old little cousin.
Roger Piazza is in Ruby and Louise's class at school. He is 8 1/2 years old, which gives him an elevated status in Ruby and Louise's eyes.