Gabby's Dollhouse (stylized in start case) is an American interactive television series created by Blue's Clues veterans Traci Paige Johnson and Jennifer Twomey for Netflix which first premiered on January 5, 2021. Combining live-action and animation, Gabby (voiced and portrayed by Laila Lockhart Kraner) and her cat friends (called the Gabby Cats) go on adventures inside the dollhouse.[1][2]
Premise
Each episode begins with the live-action Gabby playing in her bedroom. She then unboxes a miniature package received in the Dollhouse Delivery brought to her Meow-Meow Mailbox that is the catalyst for an adventure inside the animated world of her dollhouse.[3] Gabby puts on her cat ears headband and shrinks down with her stuffed toy Pandy Paws who comes alive to surprise Gabby with a "hug attack". Common rituals may involve an encounter with CatRat, who often randomly appears in one of the rooms in the dollhouse.
At the end of each episode is a "Gabby Cat of the Day" segment where one of the Gabby Cats is selected to guide the viewer one-on-one in crafting, cooking, singing, or other activities with a few episodes having Gabby in the selection. Then it goes back to live-action Gabby who closes out the episode.[3]
Characters
Main
Gabby (portrayed in live-action and voiced by Laila Lockhart Kraner) is the show's host. She is a cat enthusiast and has a magical cat headband which is able to shrink her down to animated toy-size (by singing the incantation "A pinch on my left / Pinch pinch on my right / Grab Pandy's hand and hold on tight"). Gabby's cat headband can also do other tricks like change the color of her wavy hair and activating the "Gabby Cat of the Day" segment.
Pandy Paws (voiced by Tucker Chandler from S1- CatRat's Birthday Surprise, Logan Bailey starting with "Mermaid Christmas Cruise"- present) is a kitty/panda Gabby Cat who is Gabby's sidekick and best friend. He starts off as a stuffed toy that Gabby would throw her voice off of during interactions, but comes to life when he and Gabby shrink into the dollhouse as he explains in the first episode. Pandy Paws likes ambushing Gabby with "hug attacks" upon them entering the dollhouse and carries a magenta-colored Pandy Pack that he uses to hold different items.
Gabby Cats
Carlita (voiced by Carla Tassara) is a purple and teal kitty/car Gabby Cat. She drives around the dollhouse and likes playing games in the playroom while serving as a mode of transportation for the other characters. In episodes where the Dollhouse is in its Dollhouse Hotel form, Carlita operates as a bellhop.
Cakey (voiced by Juliet Donenfeld) is a small white kitty/cupcake Gabby Cat and makes sweet treats and snacks in the kitchen. He is able to create sprinkles (by doing either of the following: when he is sad and cries or when he is excited, he spins around and yells, "Sprinkle party!"). Cakey has four younger cousins named Bakey, Flakey, Marshapan, and Paddycake.
Daniel James "DJ" Catnip (voiced by Eduardo Franco) is a lavender kitty/disc jockey Gabby Cat who wears a reddish-pink glittery hoodie which is able to stretch his tail and legs in addition to mainly using them to play instruments. He operates in the music room and sometimes wears a visor over his eyes. In episodes where the Dollhouse is in its Dollhouse Hotel form, DJ Catnip operates as the hotel manager.
CatRat (voiced by Donovan Patton) is a blue sneaky kitty/rat Gabby Cat with dark blue and light blue markings who pops up in every room. He likes everything shiny and sometimes plays the role of a villain in certain episodes.
Pillow Cat (voiced by Sainty Nelsen) is a multicolored kitty/pillow Gabby Cat. She likes making stories, and she's usually seen sleeping in the bedroom. Her catchphrases are "That's how I roll!" and "Let's roll with it."
Kitty Fairy (voiced by Tara Strong) is a pink kitty/fairy Gabby Cat with clear, pink and green wings, a pair of wishberry blossom-like antennae, a green flower-like dress and a flower crown. She makes garden magic with her tail or her watering can as she manages the Fairytail Garden.
MerCat (voiced by Secunda Wood) is a turquoise kitty/mermaid Gabby Cat. She makes science "spa-themed" in the bathroom and can also swim in the air to get around. In episodes where the Dollhouse is in its Dollhouse Hotel form, MerCat runs the bathroom as a hotel spa.
The Box Cat Family is a family of Gabby Cats who are made of cardboard that reside in the craft room.
Baby Box (voiced by Maggie Lowe) is a young pink/peach Gabby Cat. She likes making crafts and is the daughter of Mama Box Cat. She does sometimes say, "Whoopsies!" (which would later become a song featured in the soundtrack for the series).
Mama Box (voiced by Tara Strong) is a fuchsia/peach Gabby Cat who is the mother of Baby Box.
The Box Brothers (all voiced by Jude Schwartz) are the brothers of Baby Box and sons of Mama Box.
Benny Box is Baby Box's baby brother who first appeared in season 8. He made a return in season 9. Benny Box's voice actor/actress wasn't listed in the end credits for some reason.
Marty the Party Cat (voiced by Darren Criss) is an orange and pink Gabby Cat who resides in the Party Room somewhere in the attic. He debuted in season ten where he describes himself as being "part-cat and all-party".
Supporting
Floyd (portrayed by a female cat named Amelia) is Gabby's live-action tabby cat who makes his only appearance in the live-action sequences and rarely interacts with the Gabby Cats. In the show, Floyd is always referred to as a male.
The Cat-A-Vator (vocal effects provided by Traci Paige Johnson in season 10) is a sentient and silent cat-themed elevator in the dollhouse that takes Gabby and the Gabby Cats to any of the floors in the dollhouse. By season 10, it starts making audible sounds.
Cupcake Cousins (voiced by Henry Witcher, Archibald Englehardt, Mia Lynn Bangunan, and Amari McCoy) are Cakey's four younger cousins who appeared in the episode "Cakey's Cupcake Cousins". Their names are Bakey, Flakey, Marshapan, and Paddycake. As such, the colors are by the following order: Bakey is pink, Flakey is blue, Marshapan is green, and Paddycake is yellow. Flakey and Marshapan are male, and Bakey and Paddycake are female. The Cupcake Cousins return to appear starting with "Baby Box's Meow-Seum Day."
Pete (voiced by Eric Lopez) is a polar bear who appears in the episode of the same name where he came to Gabby in the Dollhouse Delivery encased in ice until MerCat used spa salts to free him. He is a friend of Gabby and the Gabby Cats, where they gave him his first beach experience. In the episode "Snow Cruise," Gabby and Pandy visit him in the Arctic. He returns occasionally, starting with the episode "Carlita's Ameowzing Race."
Fluffy Flufferton (voiced by Elena Murray) is a feline pop music star who appears in the episode of the same name in season 4. She returns in "CatRat's Birthday Surprise" for season 10.
Luli-Loo (voiced by Halle Hrzich) is a young blue fairy Gabby Cat who appears in the episode "The Fairy Festival." She returns, starting with "True Fairy Friends."
Bitty Fairy (voiced by Thomas Bushell) is a small male black Fairy Fly with multicolored spots, who first appeared in "True Fairy Friends."
DJ Comet (voiced by Reggie Watkins) is a light green Gabby Cat who is DJ Catnip's alien cousin who appeared in "Mission to CATurn". He, like DJ Catnip, is able to stretch his tail and legs but also spin them around like a helicopter. He returns in the episode "Dollhouse Dress-Up Chest" and "Baby Box's Crafty-riffic Adventure."
Figgy (voiced by Rachel Ling Gordon) is a pink Christmas elf like Gabby Cat, who appears in the episode "A CAT-Tabulous Christmas. She looks a lot like what Fluffy Flufferton used to, but pink.
Kico (vocal effects provided by Juliet Donenfeld) is a young female kitty/unicorn hybrid who appears in the episode of the same name.
Santa Kitty (voiced by Darrell Brown) is an orange Gabby Cat who is the cat version of Santa Claus.
Candy Cane (vocal effects provided by Aria Surrec) is a red reindeer/kitty who leads Santa Kitty's sleigh.
The Hamster Kitties (vocal effects provided by Maggie Lowe and Juliet Donenfeld) are tiny cat/hamster hybrids who occasionally appear in the series.
The Dust Bunnies are cute small bunnies made of dust.
The Doodads are three Gabby Cats made of cardboard and other crafty things who are the rivals of Gabby, Pandy, and Carlita during the Meow-Mazing Games.
Spongey-Saurus (voiced by Kailen Jude) is a green dinosaur who appears in the episode of the same name.
Sunny Cat (voiced by Brittney Johnson) is MerCat's sister who first appeared in season 8.
Kitty Narwhal (voiced by Traci Paige Johnson) is a minor character who is one of MerCat's sea creature friends. She appears in the episode "The Mermaid Cruise Ship."
Kitty Squiddy (voiced by PT Walkley) is a blue and purple cat/squid hybrid who appears in the episode "The Magical Mermaid-Lantis as the main antagonist. He stole the three gems that activate the rainbow, and he believed that he didn't have a sparkle like anyone else, but he eventually found his special sparkle by dancing.
Kittyfish - The half-kitty/half-fish creature who are pets of CatRat. They have meaningful names.
Zeke (vocal effects provided by Maggie Lowe) is one of CatRat's Kittyfish who is a fan of hide-and-seek.
Munchy (vocal effects provided by Maggie Lowe) is one of CatRat's Kittyfish who eats crunchy foods.
Dot (vocal effects provided by Juliet Donenfeld) is one of CatRat's Kittyfish who likes putting dots all over paintings. She is the only Kittyfish who is a female.
Disco (vocal effects provided by Juliet Donenfeld) is one of CatRat's Kittyfish who is a fan of dance moves.
Hsiu Hsiu (voiced by Aria Surrec) is MerCat and Sunny Cat's younger sister, who first appeared in the Gabby's Dollhouse Holiday Special of 2023. She will return starting with season 10.
The Silly Bad Guys (all voiced by PT Walkley) are the bad guys that CatRat invented in the episode "Baby Box's Crafty-riffic Adventure". They even had their own musical number called "Silly Bad Guys" in the series. Each of the bad guys has specialties:
Sneaky Spoon is one of the Silly Bad Guys who likes being sneaky and making messes.
Horrible Hose is one of the Silly Bad Guys who likes flooding areas. Horrible Hose flooded Kitty Fairy's Fairy Tail Garden in "Baby Box's Crafty-riffic Adventure."
Tricky Trumpet is one of the Silly Bad Guys who blows DJ Catnip's banjo all the way to space.
Hungry Dragon is one of the Silly Bad Guys made out of paper cups as seen in Paper Cup Poppers.
Dizzy the Doughnut is one of the Silly Bad Guys who is mentioned in the song, "Silly Bad Guys."
Grandma CatRat (voiced by Barbara Dirikson) is CatRat's grandmother, who appeared in the episode of the same name. She loves playing games, eating ice cream, and taking spa baths. She had known her grandson since he was a baby kitten. Grandma used to be orange in color until CatRat put polka dot potion in her spa bath, making her all polka-dotted.
The first episode was released as a sneak peek on YouTube on August 22, 2020, while the series itself was released on January 5, 2021.[4][5] The second season premiered on August 10, 2021,[6] while the third season premiered on October 19, 2021.[7] The fourth season premiered on February 1, 2022,[8] the fifth season premiered on July 25, 2022,[9] the sixth season premiered on November 1, 2022,[10] the seventh season premiered on March 20, 2023,[11] and the eighth season premiered on August 7, 2023.[12] "The Mermaid Christmas Cruise" aired on November 6, 2023, as part of Season 8.[13] The ninth season premiered on March 25, 2024.[14] The tenth season premiered on August 5, 2024.[15]
Production and development
The show was announced in 2019,[16][17] and released early in the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the first DreamWorks property where the creators were based in New York City instead of Los Angeles, and the whole production team, including the creators, were connected via videoconferencing, also a first for a DreamWorks production.[18]
The basic themes of the show — dollhouses, miniatures, and cats — were creators Traci Page Johnson and Jennifer Twomey's favorites, while the concept of the "dollhouse deliveries" was inspired by unboxing videos, although tweaked so that instead of "unboxing a product", they "unbox a story".[19] Initially, cats were not the main theme of the show — for example, the character of DJ Catnip was originally supposed to be a clock — but this was changed based on the trend of cat videos.[18]
Early in the show's production, the creators came across Carol Dweck's book The Growth Mindset, which led to the production team adopting the idea of celebrating mistakes and "failing fantastically", which is promoted on the show.[18][20]
The soundtrack of the show includes genres not often found in children's shows, such as disco/pop (the genre used for DJ Catnip's theme song "The Music In You"), which is due to the creators not liking "saccharine-y sweet music".[19]
Animation production for the show was provided by Technicolor Animation Productions (later Mikros Animation) (seasons 1-4 only), Dave Enterprises, CGCG, Doberman Pictures, Saffronic, Inc. (starting with "The Mermaid Christmas Cruise") and Gabby Gabby Hey Productions, Ltd. with live action provided by One-Take Floyd.[citation needed]
Broadcast
The show made its linear debut on Cartoonito in Latin America on April 18, 2022, on Treehouse TV in Canada on October 15, 2022, and on Tiny Pop in the United Kingdom on October 17, 2022.[21] The show made its American linear premiere on the Nick Jr. Channel on May 1, 2023,[22]Nickelodeon on June 5, 2023, and Mick Kids Latinoamerica, where it is dubbed in Spanish.[22]Gabby's Dollhouse was removed from Nickelodeon on June 8, 2023.[22] The show airs in the Philippines on TV5, where it is dubbed in Tagalog.[23] The Japanese-dubbed Gabby's Dollhouse airs on TV Tokyo in Japan.[24]
In Poland the series made its debut on linear TV on MiniMini+ on December 20, 2021.
Gabby's Dollhouse also aired on Pop Max in the UK in 2024.
Gabby's Dollhouse also aired on Nick Jr. in the UK on July 22, 2024.
On April 25, 2024, Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation announced a feature-length film based on Gabby's Dollhouse, titled Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie, set for release on September 26, 2025, with Ryan Crego attached to direct and Steven Schweickart producing, while Traci Paige Johnson and Jennifer Twomey would serve as executive producers and will serve as the studio's first live action hybrid.[28] In the film, Gabby goes on a road trip to Cat Francisco with her grandmother GiGi, but when the dollhouse ends up in the possession of a cat lady named Vera, Gabby must set off on an adventure through the real world to save the dollhouse and the Gabby Cats.
