The show, which aired from 1993 to 2001, originated (and is set) in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada as a co-production between the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation),[1] and the now defunct Cochran Entertainment.

[7] The show premiered in Canada on CBC Television, then went to PBS (Public Broadcasting Service),[1][5][8] was on Qubo in the United States,[7] and has appeared in eighty different countries.

The designs and faces for most of the characters were created by art director and master model maker Fred Allen.

[13] CBC Art Director Tom Anthes designed the set, which featured buildings and structures of Halifax Harbour.

More than 60 of the 130 episodes were directed by Robert Cardona, the co-creator of the television show Tugs and producer of Thomas & Friends.

These series employed techniques later used in Theodore Tugboat such as humanized vehicles, life lessons and the use of a 1960s pop culture figure as narrator.

Other ships, of all sizes, provide a large number of regular and occasional characters along with a few talking structures.

They include Phillip and Philmore the Ferry Twins, Pearl and Petra, the Pilot Boats, as well as Northumberland Submarine, Rebecca the Research Vessel, and Bluenose the Sailing Ship.

[10] As each episode continues, the tugs resolve their problems, and life returns to normal in the Big Harbour.

The series was filmed in the former Alexander McKay School on Russell Street in Halifax's North End, which Doherty (the Harbourmaster) had attended as a child.

[1] The radio controlled models were driven by propellers and used underwater wheels to provide guidance and avoid drifting out of shots.

[11] Many of the original models used to film the series can now be seen at Halifax's Maritime Museum of the Atlantic,[6] while a few others were sold on eBay in 2010.

The characters are loaded with references to Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia, the Maritimes, and Atlantic Canada in general.

The following is a list of other references: The Canadian Theodore VHS tapes were made by Children's Group and PolyGram Video.

In mid-2020, the touring company, Ambassatours Gray Line, announced plans to sell the replica boat for CAD$496,000.

[60] Other than the tugboats, Brio released Benjamin Bridge, Clayton the Crane, Chester the Container Ship, Barrington, Bonnavista, and the Dispatcher.