Burnnie the Bunnie: Tails from the Light Side

Burnnie the Bunnie: Tails From the Light Side is a Christian non-profit television ministry operating out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It features a rabbit named Burnnie T. Bunnie, who means well, but is very mischievous and naive, and constantly gets into trouble unwittingly. However, he has lots of loyal friends to keep him in line. He learns about God and Christian morals at the end of every episode. The series currently consists of forty-eight episodes. Recently, action figures depicting Burnnie have been produced.
History
Steve Treague and his wife, Faith created Burnnie on a radio show in Sioux Falls in 1990. They couldn't afford to be on television, as television production was a very expensive and complex process at the time. Burnnie was on the show with his friends, Top Hat the Dog, Gonzo the Gorilla, and Riddles the Clown, a mime. Burnnie first went on television in 1997, in an episode produced for children who are afraid of the hospital. The Burnnie puppet was made in Florida by a business named Puppet Planet.
Setting
The show is set in the fictional town of Celebration, South Dakota, which is located in the eastern part of the state. Celebration (which is named after celebrating God's glory) is shown to be rather large, but very tightly knit. The town is categorized by a large amount of small businesses, most of which are located in Sioux Falls, but said to be located in Celebration. It is likely that Celebration is merely a fictional version of Sioux Falls, much like the town of Derry, Maine in Stephen King's works. However, some businesses are said to be in Sioux Falls, so it is heavily implied that Celebration is near Sioux Falls and its suburbs. Everyone in town knows each other and is very friendly. Burnnie works at the local shopping mall in a store called Tregglusions that sells illusions and magic tricks. The store is owned by Steve and Faith Treague, his friends who put on a magic show in the Tregglusions auditorium every week. He often visits Christy Creams, an ice cream parlor and restaurant run by another one of his friends, Christy Langman. Burnnie has lots of loyal friends in town, despite the fact that he is very mischievous.
Episodes
Season 1 (2008-09)
# Laughs and Giggles: After playing "jokes" on almost everyone in town, Burnnie finds out a prank is only funny if EVERYONE laughs.
# Lookin' Good: Burnnie thinks everyone should treat him differently because he wears "cool" clothes.
# Burnnie's Babysitting: Burnnie has no babysitting experience, yet he takes on a babysitting job of five rowdy children.
# The Camping Adventure: Burnnie wreaks havoc while camping.
# Burnnie's Band: Burnnie takes on a one-man band, but is not interested in practicing.
# The Lemonade Stand: Burnnie gets angry when nobody cares for his overpriced and sour lemonade.
# Don't Just Do Something, Stand There: Burnnie learns to be still and pray if things aren't going his way.
# Burnnie's Book: Burnnie tries to write a book.
# Burnnie's Christmas: Burnnie can't seem to realize that Christmas isn't JUST about presents.
# Burnnie's Radio Catastrophe: Burnnie tries to juggle his job at Tregglusions and filling in for a sick radio broadcaster.
# Burnnie's Pet: Burnnie tries to find the right pet, but doesn't realize pets are a BIG responsibility.
# Burnnie's Newspaper: Burnnie makes his own newspaper, but prints things that he doesn't know AREN'T true.
# Burnnie the Borrower: Burnnie hosts a music festival, and borrows tons of necessary stuff from his friends, but can't seem to remember borrowing DOESN'T mean keeping.
Season 2 (2010)
# That's Not Yours: Burnnie takes things from others that he doesn't think will matter if they're gone.
# Burnnie's Banquet: Burnnie tries to make a thanksgiving feast, but there's only one problem, he doesn't know how to make anything.
# The Winner: Burnnie can't seem to learn to not be angry if he doesn't win something.
# Junk Food Burnnie: Burnnie can't eat seem to eat healthy, or exercise.
# Burnnie's Way: Burnnie wants everything to go HIS way, resulting in many problems when he tries to "help" and finally realizes that compromise and working together make a big difference.
# Burnnie's Birthday: Burnnie wants special treatment because he is the birthday bunny, and wants everything a certain way.
# Burnnie's New Neighbor: Burnnie gets a new neighbor named Skylar. But then Skylar steals several things from him and his friends. Burnnie then makes it HIS duty to apprehend Skylar, but he ends up on a moving freight train with one of his friends while looking for him before he realizes Skylar has already been arrested.
# Boastful Burnnie: Burnnie begins to boast about his skills after he buys a trophy. Burnnie then receives criticism from those around him for bragging any chance he can and he learns not to boast.
# Any Color Will Do: Burnnie learns that all of the races on the planet are unique and special in God's eyes, and not to judge.
# Say a Good Thing: After getting a book of insults from the local library, he goes around insulting people, and he learns that being mean isn't fun for anybody. (Similar to Laughs and Giggles)
# I Want That Too: Burnnie wants things other people have. (Similar to That's Not Yours)
# Turn the Light On: Burnnie's pranks result in power outages across town. Note: Only episode so far to have a "director's cut".
# Get the Job Done: Burnnie is on his way to get Johnny the dog to a grooming appointment at Mini Critters. However, he gets sidetracked and loses his focus on getting the job done.
Season 3 (2011-12)
# Look What I Can Do!: Burnnie becomes a show off and learns that it is not right to try to be extravagant and learns to just be himself.
# Worrywart: Burnnie suffers a mishap during a stunt and becomes worried to try new things.
# Moving in God's Direction: While sleeping on the job, Faith's grandmother's prized antique bowl carrying free candies is stolen. Burnnie makes it his duty to apprehend the "thief" and soon learns that the "thief" was merely a confused child who thought the bowl itself was free.
# Bitter or Better: Burnnie faces a serious problem and becomes very bitter. He learns that, with a positive attitude, one can overcome any obstacle.
# Burnnie for Mayor: Burnnie attempts to run for mayor of Celebration, but makes promises he can't keep and badmouths his opponent.
# That's Good Enough: Burnnie tries to make a production company, but only does the bare minimum for his clients.
# That's a Stretch: How do you add sparkle and bling to the truth to make it more exciting and interesting? Add one BURNNIE and stretch slightly with exaggeration.
# Over and Over: Recycling is simple to do with huge impact when done. BURNNIE learns to reduce, reuse, and recycle when creating a music video with 60 young friends.
# Dollars Make Sense: Get a "bang for your buck" as you shop wisely, save smart, intelligently invest, and don't hesitate to donate. Burnnie learns great advice on acting responsibly with the provisions God has given.
# Coins and Tunnels: Burnnie gets an old coin at a garage sale and paranoidly installs a new security system in his house to ensure that the (worthless) coin isn't stolen. When he drops the coin down into his basement, he invites a friend over to help find it only to get locked in the dark, spooky basement.
# A Million Excuses: Burnnie gives many excuses to avoid the effort of filling the Operation Christmas Child box. He learns to put the excuses in a box with many locks and just get the job done of filling up the box.?
# Self Less: Burnnie regulates and restricts the fun of friends with many rules only created to give him control at the Sweet Escape House mansion.
# Wherever You Need Me: A volunteer strives to serve in a place, position, and project of need. Burnnie has his own agenda when his firefighter dreams wake up to the reality of preparation, practice and patience before fighting the big fires.
# The Perfect Plan: Burnnie decides to quit trying since it is no use trying to be perfect, but he does learn that trying your best is important and worth the effort, so he can achieve a sort of perfection in God's eyes.
# Manners Matter: Burnnie realizes that being demanding, though he thinks he is just being up front, is actually very disrespectful. He learns to ask for things nicer and more politely.
# Tech - No or Yes: Burnnie learns not to become too wrapped up in technology and to interact with others more, while learning how to use technology for its proper use, and not a mere distraction.
43 Bullies...BURNNIE is bothered by a bully, but friends help soften the put downs with words of encouragement. We can't always make the bully change to a butterfly, but we can learn to handle tough situations with patience and kindness.
44 Boundaries....It's okay to say "No thanks" when a friend wants you to hurt someone's feelings. It's important to respect the "No Thanks" of others. Respect and be respected. Even Jesus told his disciples "No Thanks" if they wanted his company, because he needed to leave to a quiet place by Himself.
45 Compassion....BURNNIE learns an important life lession: "It's not about me." He shows compassion by being aware of and caring about the needs of others. The qualities of benevolence, good will, unselfishness and empathy are a recipe which leads to finding Cooper the lost dog.
46 Phone a Friend.....~BURNNIE learns it's okay to call upon a friend for a helping hand. We don't have to do everything on our own. God has given different gifts to each of us. When we work together, all these gifts are utilized to complete His purpose.
47 Branches.....~BURNNIE learns to give his best effort in order to produce the best fruit. It is more important to produce actual results than just talk about it. Instead of thinking "I'll do that when I get around to it, BURNNIE borrows a few of Steve's crystal "Round To Its" to help spread the message to his friends.
48. The Red nose..... Everyone BURNNIE comes in contact with has seemed to have earned the "Red Nose." The "Red Nose" award is given when one has done their very best. Throughout the episode BURNNIE learns how various individuals and groups have earned their red nose as he strives to obtain the same accomplishment. BURNNIE learns that doing his best does not mean perfection but instead working toward the best of his ability. Special guests appear such as the Bodaktahn band from Canada and Nicholas Marks an amazing guitarist who was also featured on America's got talent.
Popularity
The Burnnie show is now on television around the world with a viewing audience of 5 million people each week and now is available in numerous countries such as Nigeria, Jamaica, the United Kingdom, Brazil, New Zealand and Australia. The show has also been featured in news publications, such as a full-page interview in The Hood Magazine. The program has earned countless award including the Telly, the Davey, and three EMMY Nominations.
Trivia
* Steve and Faith were teachers before they created Burnnie.
* The editing is done entirely by Steve Treague.
* The company that makes Burnnie is RTC inc. RTC is an abbreviation for Reaching The Children, and earlier, Riddles The Clown.
* They film most scenes on location at local businesses with volunteers as the cast. They film the Treggllusions shop at BURNNIE Studios in their home campus.
* Christy Creams used to be Kupe's Scoops. After episode four, the restaurant was changed to Christy Creams.
* Six episodes are produced every year.
* All of the profits from the show go to producing more episodes, which take around 250 hours each to produce.
* Christy, the owner of Christy Creams, is the daughter of Steve and Faith Treague.
* Tails From the Light Side was partially based on creating the opposite of Tales from the Darkside.
* There used to be a "Tregglusions factory", that supplied tricks for the Tregglusions Shop, but it was cut out after episode three, because Steve felt it did not match other location production standards.
* The show has a tight budget, so guerrilla filmmaking is heavily utilized. Dialogue is improvised, and so are props. Scripts are usually written mere days before filming the scenes.
* There were several titles for the episode Burnnie's New Neighbor, including Burnnie's Train Trip and Celebration Express. Steve decided against naming the title after the train, as the train was not the major part of the episode.
* Steve and Faith have purchased a new Burnnie puppet from Puppet Planet. The new puppet has eyes that can blink, and other moving parts, similar to a ventriloquist dummy. The puppet has been purchased because the old Burnnie was falling apart and the new one could be easier to operate. The most recent "BURNNIE" was created by puppeteers from five different states. All the parts were assembled in South Dakota by a master seamstress.
* Sunny Radio has appeared in many episodes. Most other locations receive an opportunity to be featured in a single episode.
* Although usually filming in South Dakota, they sometimes film in Iowa (Orange City) or Minnesota. (Minneapolis) An episode was also filmed in Florida at the Sweet Escape Mansion.
Recurring Cast
The cast is made up of volunteers, many of them children. Many of the children's roles are not included in the cast, because there are too many extras to name. This list consists of the main or recurring roles:
* Steve Treague as Burnnie the Bunnie
* Steve and Faith Treague
* Danny Bliss
* Christy and Aaron Langman
* Evan and Tyler Langman
* Nicholas Tifft
* John, Troy and Taylor Small
* Luann Berkhoff
* Jordan Hoffman
* Mr. Twister (Bob Anderson)
* Mr. Kupe (episodes one through four)
* Jack Hansen

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