Salty's Lighthouse

Salty's Lighthouse is an animated television series for preschoolers. The series was produced by Sunbow Entertainment and aired from October 3, 1997, to June 26, 1998, on TLC. in association with the Bank Street College of Education in New York. The show centers on a young boy named Salty, as he plays and learns with his friends in a magical lighthouse. As well as the animated adventures of Salty and his friends, the series uses live action footage from the British children's television series Tugs for various segments. 40 episodes were produced in the series.

Salty is a young redheaded boy who loves using his imagination. Each day, he goes to the lighthouse near his home to play with his seaside friends: Ocho, the octopus; Claude, the hermit crab; Sophie and Sadie, the twin birds; a group of small clams; Aurora, the light that shines over the ocean; and lighthouse owner Aunt Chovie. Through their adventures in each episode, they learn good lessons that help them overcome their problems. Tied into each story are other segments, told through live action footage:

Through the eyes of Seymour (a walking pair of binoculars), the characters look out beyond the lighthouse to see what the tugboats in the harbour are doing. Their stories relate to the situations of the main characters. The tugboat footage consists of live model animation, taken from the British television series Tugs (see below for more information). Some episodes include a segment called 'Salty's Song Time' introduced by the lighthouse clock. These consist of original songs, which relate the lesson of the episode. The songs are set to an arrangement of footage, mainly from archival libraries and silent films including Charlie Chaplin, Commando Cody & specially added animation for some scenes in the songs.

In 1999, Interactive Learning Group (under license from Sunbow and Sony Wonder) released three VHS tapes containing two episodes each (1 full episode) for their Video Buddy Interactive System. In 2012, episodes are available online on Kidobi, a video streaming site for preschool content.

In November 2000, Maverick released a VHS tape of the series containing six episodes (3 full episodes). In 2005, Metrodome Distribution (a distributor owned by Sunbow's then parent TV Loonland AG) released a compilation VHS/DVD called "Toddler Time! ", which included the two episodes 'Taking Off' and 'Let's Party' (making one full episode).