Curious George facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Curious George |
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| First appearance | Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys (1939) |
| Created by | Hans Augusto Rey and Margret Rey Alan J. Shalleck |
| Information | |
| Species | Monkey |
| Gender | Male |
Curious George is a famous brown monkey from a series of popular children's books. These books are named after him. H. A. Rey and Margret Rey wrote and drew them.
In the stories, George is brought from his home in Africa. "The Man with The Yellow Hat" takes him to live in a big city.
When the first story, Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys, came out in France in 1939, George was called Fifi. In the United Kingdom, he was first called "Zozo" in 1941. This was to avoid using the name of the then King George VI for a monkey. Curious George books have been translated into many languages. They have also been made into TV shows and movies.
Contents
How Curious George Was Created
The stories of Curious George were written and drawn by a husband and wife team. They were Hans Augusto Rey and Margret Rey.
The couple had to leave Paris in June 1940. They rode bicycles they made themselves. They carried the Curious George story with them. The Reys made many other children's books. But the Curious George series became the most popular. Every book has been printed continuously since it first came out.
Curious George Books
Margret and H.A. Rey released seven "Curious George" books. These were published during H.A. Rey's lifetime. More Curious George books have been released recently. These are by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. They include board books with scenes from the original stories. There are also books based on the 1980s TV films. Plus, new adventure stories have been created.
Original Adventures
The first book, Curious George, came out in 1941. This book starts with George living in Africa. It tells how the Man with the Yellow Hat captures him. George then travels on a ship to "the big city." He goes to live in the zoo there.
The second book is Curious George Takes a Job (1947). It begins with George living in the zoo. He escapes and has many adventures. The Man with the Yellow Hat finds him. He then takes George to live at his house. The other stories are about George's adventures while living with the Man with the Yellow Hat.
These first seven books are sometimes called the "Original Adventures." They were all created by Margret and H.A. Rey.
- Curious George (1941)
- Curious George Takes a Job (1947)
- Curious George Rides a Bike (1952)
- Curious George Gets a Medal (1957)
- Curious George Flies a Kite (1958)
- Curious George Learns the Alphabet (1963)
- Curious George Goes to the Hospital (1966)
Before his own series, Curious George appeared in another book. It was called Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys (1939). H.A. Rey wrote and drew this book too.
New Adventures
A third series of books started in 1998. These are the Curious George "New Adventures." They are still being published today. Different artists draw these books. They try to draw them "in the style of H. A. Rey."
The Man with the Yellow Hat
Besides George, the only other main character is the Man with the Yellow Hat. He is never named in the original books. He was the one who caught George in Africa. He brought George to live in his house.
The Man often helps George start his adventures. He takes George to new places. He also often saves George from tricky situations. He always wears a bright yellow suit and a wide yellow hat.
People often call him "The Man" or "The Man with the Yellow Hat." When they talk to George about him, they say "Your friend." The Man acts a lot like a father to George. In the 2006 Curious George movie, he is called "Ted." Will Ferrell was his voice in that film.
Other Curious George Media
Television Shows
Animated TV films about Curious George started in 1980. These films were later turned into books. They became part of the "New Adventures" series. Alan Shalleck produced and helped write this series.
Short animated Curious George cartoons also aired on The Disney Channel. They were part of a show called Lunch Box in the late 1980s and 1990s. Later, on Playhouse Disney, Jack Duffy narrated 2D animated stories. These were based on the original books.
A new Curious George TV show started on September 4, 2006. It airs on PBS Kids. This show is still on PBS Kids today. It is made by WGBH in Boston and Universal Pictures.
Movies
Two stop-motion animated shorts were made in 1982. They were based on the stories Curious George and Curious George Goes to the Hospital.
An animated movie, Curious George, came out on February 10, 2006. Will Ferrell was the voice of the Man with the Yellow Hat. In this movie, the Man is called "Ted." Curious George secretly follows Ted onto the ship to the city. Frank Welker made the sounds for Curious George.
A sequel to the movie was released on March 2, 2010. It was called Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey!. Jeff Bennett voiced the Man in this film. He also voices the Man in the TV series. A second sequel, Curious George 3: Back to the Jungle, came out on June 23, 2015.
A Christmas movie, Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas, was released in 2009 on PBS. Other films include "Curious George Swings Into Spring" and "Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest." These came out in 2013.
Video Games
A Curious George video game was released on February 2, 2006. Namco published it. Monkey Bar Games developed it for many systems. These included Microsoft Windows, Xbox, GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Game Boy Advance. A Nintendo DS version was planned but cancelled.
Other Fun Things
There was a children's bookstore in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was called Curious George and Friends. It sold many Curious George items. This store closed in 2011. A new store opened in 2012 at the same address. It is called The World's Only Curious George Store, Harvard Square.
VEE Corporation also created a live show called Curious George Live. It is a national tour with songs and dances. Curious George himself is in the show. It is based on the PBS animated series.
Curious George is also used for children's play areas. You can find him on some Stena Line ferries. Sometimes, a Curious George costumed character is there. You can also get Curious George toys with kids' meals. Merchandise is sold in the on-board shop.
A water play area called Curious George Goes to Town opened in 1998. It is an attraction at Universal Studios Florida. It was also at Universal Studios Hollywood until 2013.
In February 2006, the Curious George brand teamed up with Welch's jelly. They made a set of six collectible jars. Later, more products for kids were made. For a short time in 2001, Vivendi Universal (now NBCUniversal) used Curious George in their advertisements.
In the 1994 movie Forrest Gump, a Curious George book is Forrest's favorite. His mother reads it to him. In the first scene, a feather floats down to Forrest's feet. He puts it in this book. At the end of the movie, it falls out and floats away again.
Images for kids
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The Man in the Yellow Hat.
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See also
In Spanish: Jorge el curioso para niños
