If you were a kid in the early 2000s, you knew that theme song before you could read. “Can we fix it? Yes, we can!” Bob the Builder was appointment television for the preschool set, and now, for the first time in 18 years, he’s back in his original stop-motion form.
The beloved builder returns in a new 90-second ad from E.ON Next, the UK energy supplier, and it’s pure nostalgia. The spot finds Bob learning the “green skills” needed to install solar panels and home batteries, part of a push to get more people excited about green jobs.
Even better, Neil Morrissey, Bob’s original voice, is back in the role, and the whole thing is animated in the classic stop-motion style of the original series.
The ad is running under the hashtag #BobTheBuilderGreenSkills and has fans who grew up with Bob sharing the news all over social media.
Bob the Builder, created by Keith Chapman, first aired in 1999 and ran in its original stop-motion form until 2008. The character has lived on through CG revivals, but this marks his first stop-motion appearance in 18 years.
Can we fix it? Turns out, yes, we still can.