Ouraine (TV series)

Ouraine is a Kuboian animated television series based on the book series of the same name by Ruth Tucker. The show ran for two series from 1995 to 1998, with the first airing on Bumper's Block and the second airing on Tiny Vision.

Premise and format
The show centres around Ouraine, an upbeat and funky nine year-old girl who lives with her parents and twin sister in a vibrant urban village. With her friends and family, she has many adventures that typically involve her using her imagination to come up with solutions to problems.

Each twenty three-minute episode is often divided into three different segments; two stories that last approximately nine or ten minutes, and a musical number performed by Ouraine which the other characters are seen listening (and occasionally dancing) to. The show's music generally consists of funky hip-hop and R&B songs. Compared to other animated series airing on Bumper's Block in the 1990s, Ouraine is more down-to-earth and upbeat.

Production
Ouraine entered production around mid-1993. Creator Ruth Tucker was initially skeptical about making the series over fears it would be "commercialised" and ruin the charm of the original book series. She stated in an interview "Kuboian children's programmes were often very dark and dramatic. I didn't want the show to be incredibly depressing and serious, I wanted it to stand out." To help the show stand out from the other Bumper's Block original programmes, she decided to use a 'two shorts' format and incorporate music into the show's theme.

Chloe Wallace composed the show's hip-hop and dance-pop-orientated soundtrack, which included several rap songs performed by Emily Merletta.

Ouraine was one of the first Kuboian animated series to depict characters living in an urban setting in contrast to a rural or fantasty setting. It was also one of the first animated series to use digital ink.