Charlie and Lola facts for kids

Charlie and Lola are fun fictional characters created by the English writer and artist Lauren Child in 2000. They first appeared in a series of picture books. Later, they became popular animated TV characters. Lola is a lively and imaginative little girl. Charlie is her kind and patient older brother. He always helps Lola learn and grow.

The very first "Charlie and Lola" book was I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato. It was published in 2000. For this book, Lauren Child won a special award called the Kate Greenaway All-Medal Trophy in 2000. This award celebrates the best children's book illustrations by a British artist.

Charlie and Lola's parents, and their friends' parents, are often talked about but never actually seen.

The book series was also made into a popular animated TV show.

Meet the Characters of Charlie and Lola

Charlie Sonner

Charlie is Lola's imaginative and helpful older brother. He is 7 years old. Charlie has bright blonde hair, just like Lola. He often looks after Lola. He sometimes has to think of clever ways to keep her busy. In both the TV show and the books, he talks directly to the audience. He shares his thoughts about Lola with us.

Lola Sonner

Lola is a very imaginative and unique 5-year-old girl. She is Charlie's younger sister. Lola is best friends with Lotta. Charlie describes her as "small and very funny." She loves to play and has a big personality. Lola usually wears blue butterfly hairclips. She has short blonde hair. She can sometimes be a bit dramatic. Lola also has an imaginary friend named Soren Lorenson.

Marv Lowe

Marv is Charlie's best friend. He has a younger brother named Morten. He also has an older brother named Marty. Marv has a wiener dog named Sizzles. He also has a pet mouse named Squeak. Marv is the same age as Charlie.

Lotta

Lotta is Lola's best friend. They became friends quickly after meeting at school. They spend a lot of time playing together. Lotta often follows Lola's lead. She really looks up to Lola's brother Charlie. She also admires Charlie's friend Marv and his dog Sizzles. Lotta has black curly hair.

Soren Lorenson

Soren Lorenson is Lola's imaginary friend. He looks grey and see-through. When Lola and Soren Lorenson play, he looks quite real, just in shades of grey. If someone like Charlie interrupts them, he still has details but becomes less clear.

Other Friends and Family

Minnie Reader Minnie Reader is a classmate and friend of Lola and Lotta. She is very smart. Minnie enjoys tap dancing, beads, ponies, and patterns. She knows a lot about guinea pigs and has one named Fluffy. She has short brown hair with two green circle hairclips.

Morten Lowe Morten is Marv's younger brother. He is also a friend of Lola's. Morten is quite shy at first. But once he starts to play, he becomes a lot of fun.

Arnold Wolf Arnold is Lola's neighbor. He appears in some episodes. In one episode, Arnold accidentally drops Lola's ice cream. But he makes it up to her by letting her use his paddling pool.

Granny and Grandpa Granny and Grandpa are Charlie and Lola's grandparents. Granny enjoys painting as a hobby. Grandpa seems to be good with horses. Like other grown-ups in the show, they are mentioned but never seen.

Mum and Dad Charlie and Lola's parents are talked about but never seen. They also never speak in the show.

Evie Evie is a girl in Lola and Lotta's class. She has red hair that she wears in pigtails.

Jack Jack is Marv's cousin. Lola and Lotta once thought he was Marv's new best friend.

Macy Macy is Lotta's older cousin.

Katsuki Katsuki is a Japanese girl. She has hair clips just like Lola's.

Pets

Sizzles is Marv's dog. Sizzles is a dachshund.

Squeak is Marv's white mouse. He can jump from one leg to another.

Bert is Lola's class guinea pig. Bert is actually a girl, even though her name sounds like a boy's. Charlie and Lola found this out when she had baby guinea pigs!

Casper is Charlie and Lola's grandparents' cat. Casper sometimes stays with Charlie and Lola.

Favorite Characters and Toys

Bat Cat is a character from one of Charlie and Lola's favorite comics. He is a grey and black cat who does heroic deeds.

Pirate Squidbones is Charlie and Marv's favorite cartoon. It tells the adventures of a one-eyed pirate and his crew. The villain in this show is the kraken.

The Tooth Fairy is a fairy who takes teeth and leaves money.

Foxie is Lola's stuffed fox. It is her favorite toy.

Ellie is Lola's toy elephant. Ellie is a china elephant with pink flowery designs.

Frog is Lola's springy frog. She keeps it on her bedside table. It's also Soren Lorenson's favorite toy.

The Rocket was a school project made by Charlie. It was a model space rocket that won him first prize. Lola accidentally broke it, but Charlie fixed it like new.

Daisy is Lola's rag doll. She is a blonde doll wearing a pink dress and a matching bow.

Molly the Rabbit is a pink stuffed rabbit with a red bow on her head. She is one of Lola's stuffed animals.

Mr. Teddy was Charlie's teddy bear when he was Lola's age. He is yellow with green button eyes and a blue bow tie. Now, he belongs to Lola.

Charlie and Lola in Other Forms

Television Series

The "Charlie and Lola" books were turned into a cartoon series. It was made by Tiger Aspect. The animation style looks just like the original books. It uses a mix of 2D animation, paper cutouts, and real textures. The cartoons are special because they use children's voices for the characters, not adult voice actors.

The first series of 26 episodes started on November 7, 2005. A second series began on October 2, 2006. A third series followed after that. In the TV show, Charlie is seven and Lola is four. Lola goes to school, and her teacher is Mrs. Hansen. In total, 80 episodes were made.

Theatre Play

Charlie and Lola's Best Bestest Play was first shown at the Polka Theatre in 2008. It has been performed there again in later years. This play is based on the characters created by Lauren Child.

The Charlie and Lola Album

Charlie and Lola's Favourite and Best Music Record was released on March 19, 2007. It was made for both kids and parents. The music mostly comes from the TV show's songs and background music. It includes different styles like jazz, reggae, and classical music.

The album has 17 songs plus one secret song. The show's theme tune starts and ends the album. Each song includes spoken parts from the TV series. These are often changed to fit the music.

"The Bestest in the Barn" was released as a single song. It features Lola and Lotta teaching farm animals to sing, dance, and play music. This song is the only one on the album that doesn't appear in any episode of the show.

Song List

• "Charlie and Lola Theme Tune"
• "I Really Want To Play Music"
• "The Bestest in the Barn"
• "Boo!"
• "Sizzles"
• "I Will Not Ever Never Eat A Tomato"
• "Milk Monkeys"
• "Germs"
• "Magic"
• "Bat Cat"
• "Lolaland"
• "Greendrops"
• "I Am Not Sleepy"
• "Martian Attack"
• "All Sleepy"
• "Can You Maybe Turn The Light on?"
• "Charlie and Lola Theme Tune" (Extended Version)
• ".... It's Snowing" (secret song)

Voices of the Characters

• Charlie – Jethro Lundie-Brown, Daniel Mayers (series 2), Oriel Agranoff (series 3)
• Lola – Maisie Cowell, Clementine Cowell (series 2), Holly Callaway (series 3)
• Marv – Ryan Harris
• Lotta – Morgan Gayle
• Soren Lorenson – Stanley Street

See also

In Spanish: Charlie y Lola para niños