A Little Curious
| A Little Curious | |
|---|---|
| Genre |
Comedy Educational |
| Created by | Steve Oakes |
| Written by |
Carin Greenberg Nicholas Hollander Alana Sanko Frederick J. Stroppel |
| Directed by | Steve Oakes |
| Voices of |
Cameron Bowen Amanda Kaplan Gary Yudman Marilyn Pasekoff Sandy Correia Bob Kaliban Gerrianne Raphael Rafael Ferrer |
| Composer(s) | Pat Irwin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 43 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Sheila Nevins |
| Producer(s) | John Hoffman |
| Running time | 23 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Curious Pictures HBO Original Programming |
| Release | |
| Original network | HBO |
| Original release | December 5, 1998 – May 5, 2000 |
A Little Curious is a children's television show produced in 1998-2000 and aired on HBO Family since 1999. The show, produced by Curious Pictures and HBO, was aimed at preschoolers. It was one of the cornerstone programs for the relaunch of the HBO Family channel in February 1999.[1][2]
The 23-minute episodes are essentially anthologies of shorts centered on a common, easily digested theme such as "Up and Down" or "Slippery." While each short draws from the same pool of characters, they are produced in a variety of animation techniques.[3] Animation styles include stop-motion, clay animation, traditional 2-D cel animation, and 3-D CGI, along with live-action segments narrated by Bob the Ball. Some of the shorts are designed to fit more than one theme, and are re-used in different episodes.
Characters
The "pool" of characters, generally based on everyday objects, include:
- Bob the Ball, a boisterous, exuberant bouncing red rubber ball.
- Doris the Door, a door, who, while playful, is easily tired. Doris often talks about her distant childhood.
- Little Cup, a cute, woefully innocent glass cup of fruit punch who spends a lot of time learning about the world around him. He is Bob's best friend.
- Mr. String, a nervous, intelligent, fussy bit of string who can twist and tie himself into a multitude of shapes. He also bears a striking resemblance to Earthworm Jim.
- Mop, a teenaged, rock music-loving mop who often changes her "hairstyle."
- Pad and Pencil, a presumably married drawing pad and pencil couple who constantly fawn over each other through French accents à la Lumiére and Fifi/Babette in Beauty and the Beast.
- Plush, a multi-colored stuffed dog who is Bob's best friend.
- The Shoe Family, a family of pairs of shoes with footwear-themed names such as "Mary Jane." The parents are Mrs. Shoe (red high heel shoes) and Mr. Shoe (brown dress shoes) and the children are Lacey (sneakers) and Mary Jane (a pair of Mary Janes). In "A Little Curious About Life", they had a baby brother named Booties.
The characters appear to be designed to evoke a sense of familiarity in preschoolers. For instance, young children can see aspects of their own personalities in Bob and Little Cup, observe the family dynamic among the Shoe Family, and perhaps most obviously, see a bit of their grandparents in Doris the door.
Episode guide
Season 1
- Loud, Soft, Shake
- Light, Dark, Bubble
- Near, Far, Swing
- Slippery, Sticky, Mirror
Season 2
- Top, Bottom, Jump
- Over, Under, Balance
- Drop, Loose, Change
References
- ↑ Richard Katz, "HBO in Family way with heavy push of new fare", Variety, September 9, 1998.
- ↑ Lynne Heffley, "HBO Launches Spinoff With Pair of Excellent Kids' Shows", Los Angeles Times, February 1, 1999.
- ↑ Scott Moore, "Multiplex Channel Has A Singular Focus: Kids", The Washington Post, June 13, 1999.
External links
- A Little Curious at HBO Family (Archive)
- A Little Curious at the Internet Movie Database
- A Little Curious at TV.com