Frankie

Frankie is a male dog character who first appeared in JumpStart 1st Grade (1995). He originally appeared mainly in products for first graders. Nowadays, he is the mascot of JumpStart and stars in games for a wide variety of ages.

Appearance
In JumpStart 1st Grade (1995), Frankie originally had brown fur and wore only a green collar. He also had long, thin arms and a long body.

In many late 90s games, such as JumpStart Math for First Graders, JumpStart Reading for First Graders, and JumpStart 1st Grade (1999), he wears a red vest. During this era, he was also sometimes depicted with either a blue or brown collar. There are several minor changes made to his body, such as his legs being shorter and wider, his ears being floppier, his eyes and nose being slightly smaller, and his snout being thinner.

In JumpStart Around the World, Frankie began wearing an outfit consisting of a blue collar red sweater with yellow trim, a V-neck, and the yellow letters "JS" on it. He continued to wear a similar outfit in other games released prior to and during the JumpStart Advanced series debut, though oftentimes the 'JS' on his sweater was dropped. In the JumpStart Advanced series JumpStart All Stars feature and title screens, Frankie wears a red shirt with blue stripes and yellow stars on it.

In media released between the Advanced series and JumpStart 3D Virtual World series, such as JumpStart Phonics: Read & Rhyme and JumpStart PreK-1st Grade: Frankie's Field Trip, Frankie was depicted with lighter brown fur, and an outfit very similar to his previous depiction, but with long blue jeans as well.

In the JumpStart 3D Virtual World series and World of JumpStart, he has light brown fur, and he wears a blue collar, a maroon shirt with two thin yellow stripes and a darker maroon stripe on the front, a black belt with a yellow buckle, and blue jeans. Unlike the other characters, his appearance doesn't change between grade levels.

In the JumpStart Academy series, Frankie has light brown fur and brown irises, and he wears a red hoodie jacket over an off-white shirt, blue jeans, and a blue collar.

Personality and Characteristics
In his pre-Advanced series appearances, Frankie usually tended to be fun-loving, silly, a joker, and a bit of a goofball. A fan-submitted worksheet on the JumpStart website alludes to this, saying, "Frankie is full of energy, loves jokes, and is always trying new things- sometimes silly things!".

Frankie has often been depicted as having an interest in bones and dog biscuits. In JumpStart Numbers, he has a secret hideout containing a safe which is full of dog biscuits, and eats a massive amount in one sitting. Pizza is also one of Frankie's favorite foods. A Knowledge Adventure biography for Frankie's earliest appearances says that he loves all food but is especially fond of pizza, and a JumpStart Blog entry from 2009 stated that Frankie's favorite food is pizza (specifically cheese pizza). This is also referenced in JumpStart Advanced 1st Grade, in which Frankie's activity centers around him making pizzas.

According to JumpStart Math for First Graders, Frankie loves digging holes and messing up his backyard. He also indicates he enjoys chasing his tail. On the Sign-in Screen, the Bookworm claims he doesn't like cats, though later entries depicting him interacting with Casey do not provide support for this claim. Shortly after being shrunk by the Queen Bee, he describes himself as a scaredy-cat.

According to JumpStart Reading for First Graders, Frankie is a former circus dog, and he is especially skilled at juggling.

Earlier entries in the series also tended to portray Frankie with more canine characteristics than later ones. He was even sometimes depicted as living in a doghouse. Later entries in the series tend to portray Frankie as more human, though with occasional nods to his doghood, such as continuing to depict him as enjoying dog biscuits or bones.

In JumpStart Preschool: Who Left The Juice on the Caboose? and JumpStart ABC's, Frankie is a train conductor.

Frankie is a camp leader in JumpStart Learning System: Phonics and the JumpStart 3D Virtual World series.

In the JumpStart Advanced series, Frankie became the main character of the JumpStart series, and his dominant traits became his friendliness, sociability, and leadership skills. He likes to interact with others, and is a dependable friend. His unique JumpStart All-Stars learning style is 'The People Person'. The JumpStart Advanced series manuals say, "Frankie teaches children using his interpersonal learning style. He can relate every problem to a social situation and usually finds an answer."

On a now-defunct site for the JumpStart All Stars, Frankie's profile said, "Frankie tries to be everyone's pal, and is ready to rally the JumpStart team around the latest dilemma. He sticks his nose into a few too many situations, but he always strives to bring about a peaceful resolution. He'd like to run for office when grows up, as long as there's an adequate supply of bones and chew toys."

The JumpStart Blog says, "As Camp JumpStart’s head counselor, Frankie wants to make sure you have a good time at camp. If you ever need advice, directions or just a little encouragement, you can count on Frankie."

Frankie's profile in JumpStart World says, "Frankie is the Camp leader. Frankie can always find an answer to any problem. He loves to help the new scouts. Frankie says, 'Everyone is a winner.' "

JumpStart 1st Grade (1995)
Frankie is the mascot of a first grade school. He has a doghouse out by the playground. In the Measure for Measure activity, he has one recipe attributed to him: Frankie's Fantastic Fudge.

JumpStart 2nd Grade (1996)
Frankie makes a cameo in the map with Hopsalot in The Great Stone Face on the map of United States.

JumpStart Reading for First Graders (1997)
Frankie is a former circus dog who must save circus performers from Mel the Magician.

JumpStart Math for First Graders (1997)
Frankie's love of digging holes and generally messing up the backyard has disturbed the bugs that call it home. As punishment, the Queen Bee shrinks him down to the size of an ant. The player helps Frankie navigate the now enormous backyard and play activities to get him back to his normal size.

JumpStart Numbers (1998)
Frankie consumes all the dog biscuits in his secret vault and then falls asleep. The player explores three of Frankie's dreams in order to help him find the biscuits and replenish his supply.

JumpStart Learning System: Phonics (1999)
Frankie is the camp director of Camp Readalot.

JumpStart 1st Grade (1999)
Frankie is the mascot of a first grade school. The player plays activities with him to help him find treasures.

JumpStart ABC's (1999)
Frankie is a train engineer. He appears in a few cutscenes and drives the train.

JumpStart Around the World (2000)
Frankie is the player's travel buddy in the first grade version.

JumpStart Artist (2000)
Frankie appears in the activity "Frankie's Paint-Along Songs". In this activity, the player helps Frankie make a movie. First, the player chooses one of four movies to work on. Then, the player illustrates three frames that will appear in the movie.

JumpStart 3 Ring Circus (2001)
Frankie goes to a circus called The Greatest Show on Earth after seeing a wanted ad in a newspaper that says the circus is looking for a new ringmaster. The player helps Frankie become the new ringmaster by collecting pieces of a ringmaster's outfit by helping out around the circus.

JumpStart Languages (2001)
Frankie appears at the (American) English pavilion, and is associated with Roxy. For the Outdoor Adventure Game, he is player 2 for that pavilion if the player picks the "One Player" option.

JumpStart Dino Adventure: Field Trip (2001)
Frankie is the main character. He must help a mother pterosaur find her eggs.

JumpStart Explorers (2001)
Unlike the other cameo characters, Frankie doesn't appear on any of the rainy day crafts. He only appears as an optional head in the Sphinx High Jinks game.

JumpStart Wildlife Safari: Field Trip (2001)
Frankie is a playable character alongside Kisha. The two are trying to save Casey who is lost in a wild animal park.

JumpStart Animal Adventures (2002)
Frankie is the host of the Animal Habitat Contest.

JumpStart Advanced Preschool: Fundamentals
Frankie serves as the player's main guide throughout the game. He has started an adopt-a-pet program to find homes for homeless pets that the player can help out with. Frankie mainly appears in the Picture Perfect and Cloud Maze activities. In Picture Perfect, the player helps arrange pets so Frankie can photograph them. In Cloud Maze, the player maneuvers Frankie's hot air balloon to find new homes for the pets.

Frankie is also one of the JumpStart All-Stars. The player can select him as their partner and call him for help.

JumpStart Advanced Kindergarten: Fundamentals
Frankie is one of the main characters and host of the Sound Out Words with Frankie activity.

He is also one of the JumpStart All-Stars. The player can select him as their partner and call him for help.

JumpStart Advanced 1st Grade: Fundamentals
Frankie is one of the main characters. He comes up with the idea of trying to win the Super Scooter for his little cousin Squirt after his old scooter is destroyed by Jimmy Bumples. The player can visit Frankie's house and play an activity, Frankie's Pizza Stand.

Frankie is one of seven characters who can be selected to be the player's racer, and he has his own power-up, gadget, trick, and track. His power-up is the Smoky Bone, his gadget is the Turbo Bones, and his trick is the Dish of Old Dog Food. His track is lined by bone-shaped dog biscuits, and the surrounding areas have doghouses.

Frankie is also one of the JumpStart All-Stars. The player can select him as their partner and call him for help.

JumpStart Advanced 2nd Grade: Fundamentals
In this game, Frankie works at JumpStart Headquarters as the commander-in-chief of the JumpStart Intelligence Agency, and gives assignments to CJ and Edison.

Frankie is also one of the JumpStart All-Stars. The player can select him as their partner and call him for help.

JumpStart Sing-Along Time
Frankie appears in several music videos, where he was portrayed by live actor Dan Froot in a costume. He is still voiced by Dee Bradley Baker, who voiced him in the other Advanced series games.

JumpStart Pet Rescue (2009)
Frankie is one of the main characters and local residents.

JumpStart Crazy Karts (2011)
Frankie is one of the playable characters that the player can choose to be their racer.

World of JumpStart (2009-2023)
Frankie appears in several areas, and acts as a guide to the player. He can always be found in MainStreet and AdventureLand, and is also one of the default residents of the player's Neighborhood.

JumpStart Academy Preschool (2019)
Frankie is a main cast character who helps guide the player through the game.

In Online Activities
Circa 2002, Frankie appeared in a "JumpStart Learning Styles Quiz", an online version of the JumpStart All-Stars quiz.

Frankie also appeared in Belly Bounce, which was hosted on the Knowledge Adventure website since around 2010.

JumpStart Preschool: Who Left the Juice in the Caboose?
Frankie is a train engineer.

JumpStart Jukebox
Frankie is a radio DJ at the WJSV radio station in JumpStartville.

JumpStart PreK-1st Grade: Frankie's Field Trip
Frankie drives in the school bus for field trip with his friends.

In Books
Frankie appears in the JumpStart Summer Vacation Activity Book for 1st Grade. He is featured in several short stories based on the setting from JumpStart 1st Grade (1995), and appears in the "Where's Frankie" activity pages, in which the reader is asked to locate Frankie in a scene.

Frankie appears in all of the Scholastic 1st Grade workbooks and 1st Grade Readers, as well as some other Readers.

Frankie also appears in several of the Reading Readiness Readers released in 2005. He is a main character in the books Frankie and CJ Take A Hike and Frankie's Garden.

Toys
Two handheld toys released by Toymax in 1999 primarily feature Frankie: JumpStart 1st Grade Math: Frankie's Math Marbles and JumpStart 1st Grade Spelling: Frankie's Word Jungle. In 2000, Briarpatch released a jigsaw puzzle featuring Frankie. In the same year, Briarpatch also released JumpStart Alphabet Card Game, which features Frankie on some of the cards.

Around 2003, a set of JumpStart toys were released with Dairy Queen kids meals, one of which was called "Frankie's Flash Car", and depicted Frankie driving in a car.

In 2008, KIDdesigns released a toy called JumpStart World "Growing Smart" Turn N’ Learn Frankie, which features a figure of Frankie that will ask questions.

Quotes

 * "I'm Frankie, and what I love most are my friends. I love to talk to them, listen to them, and play games with them. I am a really good friend because I really care about you." - Self-introduction from JumpStart Advanced 2nd Grade
 * "He's more than a mascot, he'll help you a whole lot, he is really super silly, he's Frankie." - Frankie's theme song from JumpStart 1st Grade (1995)

Trivia

 * Frankie's name is likely derived from "frankfurter", the kind of sausage that is used in hot dogs. This would coincide with Frankie being a dachshund, a kind of dog that is often thought to resemble a hot dog due to its long body.
 * Frankie being a dachshund is alluded to in some of the games, such as in JumpStart Math for First Graders, where calls himself a "wiener dog", and in JumpStart Reading for First Graders where he is once referred to as a "sausage dog".
 * A biography on the old Knowledge Adventure website mentioned Frankie having five siblings and a mother and father.
 * In a cutscene from JumpStart Academy Preschool, Frankie mentions having five sisters, three brothers, and one mother.
 * Frankie's likeness made a cameo in Neopets as the Friendly Brown Gelert Plushie item, which was given to all users to commemorate the IP changing ownership from Viacom to JumpStart in 2014.

Gallery
See the gallery subpage for a selection of Frankie images, or the category page for all media featuring Frankie.