Gripping a bowl of grub and watching some television Leonard, Spot, Mr. Jolly and Pretty Boy actually have a lot in common. © Disney. All rights reserved.

His unique visual style and attitude is not lost in the cartoon. Timothy Bjorklund who directs the series vividly translates Baseman’s artistic vision. "Tim has really sought to ensure every frame of the show -- and that’s 12 drawings per second -- looks like a Baseman painting," says Baseman.

In addition to show’s unique visual style, the Steinkellners’ writing expertise marries together a particular blend of craziness and credibility. In the first episode, "Muttamorphosis," as the title suggests, we encounter Spot deliberating over whether to continue eating doggy treats or to grab a backpack and go to school. Decidedly, Spot undergoes an inspiring transformation when he jumps into Leonard’s trousers, dons a cap and in Clark Kent fashion puts on a pair of glasses. The pearls to his outfit? The bunny backpack selected by Mrs. Helperman, predictably rejected by Leonard, of course. As writers, the Steinkellners find a perfect vehicle for exciting learning in the natural characteristics associated with the lovable canine. Cheri Steinkellner states, "We love a character who’ll drive a story and really push it forward with energy and enthusiasm. These are very dog-like qualities. All the tail-wagging and jumping up and down and slobbering. What fun to take all that puppy hyper-joy and make it about something not traditionally viewed as a joyful experience -- like the fourth grade."

Spot showing us that we can be who we want to be. © Disney. All rights reserved.

Truth is Stranger Than Fiction
In their role as co-creators and co-executive producers, the Emmy Award-winning writing team, Bill and Cheri Steinkellner (Cheers) revel in the ability to place into the mouths of the characters words that are derived directly from their own experience as parents. Cheri comments, "Things will come out of their mouth and go right into our scripts. We get story ideas just from hearing about their day. Something dumb happens at school, we talk it through, try to work it out, then say, ‘Hey, what if that happened to Leonard or Scott?’ It helps put the dumb stuff in perspective, and dumb stuff usually makes for great stories."

Working together with Baseman, their combined skills produce a show that avoids being flat or heavy educational fare with burdensome lessons presented in textbook manner. Rather, the Steinkellners produce characters that build stories which are engaging for adults and children alike. In the episode "Being Mrs. Leadready," Spot finds himself playing the role of dog, mother and son. The over-achieving dog isn’t able to keep up the farce, but from the beginning we get a clear sense that his time is not wasted. It’s a pleasure to see Spot’s attempts to pull off his deception and the simple lessons that come forth when he realizes and considers the impact of his actions. Spot’s determination and intensity is always counterbalanced and tempered by a genuine caring for his master, Leonard, and his ability to recognize his own dynamics within a group. Spot’s horrible tummy ache resulting from eating too many liver wraps and the sincere regret he exhibits for overextending his ruse is sufficient enough to teach us all a good lesson.