Not many kids can say their teacher’s won an Emmy award or was a star on a children’s television series.
But the second-graders in Lee Phillips? class at Daniel Axford Elementary have bragging rights on both counts.
Once upon a time, Phillips was the voice of ‘Gooby? on the short-lived public television show ‘My Bedbugs,? a 30-minute program that featured three costumed-characters, the other two being ‘Toofy? and ‘Woozy.?
Her character was a 6-year-old male bedbug, who was the oldest of three siblings and ‘a genius.?
‘I invented weather machines and things like that on the show,? Phillips said.
She tried out for the show back in 2002 after a friend told her about a new program looking for people with ‘weird voices.?
Phillips? voice sounds like that of a small child. When she answers the phone, she’s often met with the question, ‘Is your mom home??
Given her natural ability, he audition for the ‘Gooby? role didn’t take very long.
‘I walked in and said, ‘Hi, my name is Lee and this is my real voice? and they said, ‘You’re hired.??
Phillips said she ‘tweaked? her voice ‘a little bit? for the role, ‘but not that much.?
‘My Bedbugs? first aired on WTVS, Detroit’s public TV station, in 2004. It ran for two seasons (2004 and 2005) and was seen throughout the United States and Canada along with several countries all over the world.
‘I loved the show,? she said. ‘I absolutely thought it was wonderful.?
The show, which featured original songs, started out as a way to help parents get their kids to bed and ended up as a vehicle to teach children things like morals, according to Phillips.
‘I worked two days a week,? she said. ‘We voiced one day and sang the next day.?
Unfortunately, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) did not share Phillips? enthusiasm for the program and nixed it.
‘PBS just didn’t like us,? Phillips said. ‘They didn’t like people in costumes. They said if we were animated, it would have been great.?
Despite the show’s cancellation, Phillips gained some personal notoriety in 2006 when her voice work as ‘Gooby? earned her a Michigan Emmy award in the ‘on-air talent? category. She won for an episode called ‘Free Ruffy? that originally aired in 2005.
‘That was exciting,? Phillips said. ‘There were seven other people in my category. It was the biggest category of the night.?
Phillips came to work for Oxford Community Schools in October 2008 after finishing her teaching degree earlier that year.
Her students don’t seem to mind her TV background one bit. ‘They think it’s cool,? she said. ‘They say I’m a star.?
Although teaching is her career, Phillips would love the opportunity to do voice work again, especially in the summer.
She’s represented by The I Group, a model and talent management agency based in Southfield, and has tried out for a few movies, but so far no offers have been forthcoming.
Phillips made it clear she’s only interested in putting her voice to work, not her face. She’s a bit camera shy.
‘I don’t want to be seen,? she said.