For the kids
Jimmie Johnson does ‘Bubble Guppies,’
There wasn’t so much as a class play on Jimmie Johnson’s theatrical credits.
Not a Christmas pageant. Not a part as a pine tree in the elementary school Arbor Day festival. There have been a few bit parts on television as himself. And there was some media training 20 years ago as he was preparing for the concurrent life of Sprint Cup driver and sponsor pitchman, learning “how to talk your way out of some hot political question if you needed to.”
But that’s easy. Kids’ television? Not easy.
But Johnson got through it just fine. Enjoyed, it, actually. The final verdict will be rendered at 11 a.m. ET Thursday, however, when 5-year-old daughter Genevieve tunes in for her favorite television show as Johnson makes his voice-over debut on Nick Jr.’s Bubble Guppies.
“What’s so funny is trying to explain to Genevieve that Daddy is going to be on Bubble Guppies,” Johnson told USA TODAY Sports. “She’s convinced that they’re real. So how is Daddy on the cartoon? And why is Daddy a lobster? Very interesting conversation.”
In episode 401, titled “The New Doghouse!” Johnson is slightly typecast as a home-improvement television show host enlisted to help rebuild the wrecked doghouse of character Bubble Puppy. Animated as a lobster and clad in work attire suggestive of his racing sponsor
Lowe’s, Johnson deploys Extreme Dog House: Neighborhood Edition to make everything right in Bubbletucky.
The idea for Johnson’s appearance began as he pondered aloud while flying to Los Angeles this year what special thing he could do for his oldest daughter. When
Bubble Guppies was mentioned, Johnson’s media relations assistant emailed a Nickelodeon representative and received a reply expressing interest within a halfhour.
Johnson was ensconced in a Charlotte sound studio this spring to perform, with a story board of the characters for inspiration and a two-way connection to the New York-based writers for feedback.
“We were bummed we wouldn’t get the instant gratification then, and now we’re eagerly awaiting the show,” Johnson said. “It is not my normal tone and pitch and the way I talk. They had a certain character they needed me to play. Fortunately, it wasn’t really a live audience. I couldn’t see anyone. I could only imagine trying to act this out on camera. Though this just being audio, it made it easier on me.”
Johnson recorded parts for about an hour. The show runs 20 minutes. He does not anticipate an Emmy nomination.
“I don’t think the lobster is going to pull that off. But it was a cool experience,” he said, laughing. “We all watch different cartoons and animation, and you hear the stories. I think I enjoyed it a lot more than I do shooting a quick commercial. We covered a lot of territory. To do a 30-second TV commercial can easily take two days if you let the group handle it how they want. We did all of that in an hour. From an efficiency standpoint, it was more my wheelhouse.”
Johnson completed his Nickelodeon and aquatic immersion in May by winning the SpongeBob SquarePants 400 at Kansas Speedway.
Though Johnson might inadvertently raise his daughter’s expectations for what Daddy can pull off — Frozen 2, anyone? — he eagerly anticipates this premiere screening.
“We record it because Genevieve loves it, so I know we will have it in our lineup. But it would be fun to sit down and have a proper viewing of it,” he said.
Sarah Landy, vice president of production and development for Nickelodeon Preschool, called Johnson a natural. “He was great,” she told USA TODAY Sports. “He was such a pro and such a good sport about it. We were so happy to have him on the show. He did a fantastic job.”
Race car drivers have been fairly frequent cameo artists in television and cinema, but generally as themselves, like Johnson’s 2006 appearance in an episode of
Las Vegas. Numerous drivers, in- cluding Dale Earnhardt Jr., Michael Schumacher and Richard Petty — who voiced the prominent Strip “The King ” Weathers, a character based on his career — appeared in the 2006 animation film Cars.
Actors Wanda Sykes and Jeffrey Tambor have voiced characters on Bubble Guppies.
As with most guest appearances, an already-planned character was tailored to fit the performer. In this case, it was blue and white work attire and a racing-style hat with suitable slits for Johnson’s lobster antennae.
“I had to just go somewhere I hadn’t before and come up with a voice and screaming,” Johnson said. “Granted, it’s a kid cartoon, but it was definitely out of my comfort zone and a fun experience.”