His television stories and books always begin, "(Franklin) could count by twos and tie his shoes".

He goes to school, lives in a small village called Woodland with his friends, and has many adventures playing and learning in the world around him, sometimes with the helping hand of an adult such as his parents, Mr. and Mrs.

Franklin likes swimming, arts and crafts (especially drawing), and loves shoofly pie.

When Franklin is scared by thunderstorms, Sam and his blue blanket help keep him calm because he might otherwise panic or have a meltdown.

Turtle are presented as gentle, loving parents who provide direction and guidance for Franklin and reasonable discipline when needed.

His sister, Harriet, was born in the film Franklin and the Green Knight and was featured in stories in the fifth and sixth seasons of the program.

In the film Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure, his paternal aunt Lucy and her goddaughter Sam chose to settle in Woodland, as well.

Franklin's other friends who appear most often in the series are Goose, Rabbit, Fox, Badger, Raccoon, and Skunk.

Goose's family includes a mother and father who are revealed to be divorced in Franklin and Friends.

Franklin and his friends live in Woodland, a small animal-resident village in eastern North America.

It is implied that Woodland is located in the Canadian province of Manitoba; however, this has never been officially confirmed by the show's creators.

Owing to the show's Canadian roots, ice hockey has an important place in the Franklin universe.

These new stories saw Franklin facing a flood, worrying about the old treehouse, and earning a badge in a group called the Woodland Trailblazers.

The 76-minute film premiered in theaters in 2006 and had its debut on Noggin on New Year's Eve 2007, as part of a celebration of the network's conversion to a 24/7 format.

The Franklin DVD and video releases include individual stories grouped together as part of a theme, rather than complete episodes.

Unlike many animated children's programs, Franklin has no interstitial segments or end-tags featuring the characters.

The more recent feature films, most noticeably Back to School with Franklin have a somewhat different look from the television series.

In the United Kingdom, Franklin aired on Sky One from March 21, 1998, until May 27, 2000, Channel 4 from November 1, 1998, until August 31, 2004, Tiny Living from April 2001 to May 2002, Nick Jr. from 1999 to 2008, Five in 2004, and Tiny Pop in 2012 (in which it was dubbed with British voice actors on those channels, replacing the original Canadian soundtrack) in 2007.

Joly Herman of Common Sense Media stated in a review, "Franklin is a show that takes for granted respect for elders and vice versa.

Franklin ultimately sets a good example of responsible TV programming, and it is a rare show that celebrates the innocence of childhood.

In 2004, Nelvana also developed an educational PC game called Franklin the Turtle After School.

The series "features special themes including fun mysteries, Woodland events and outdoor activities."