Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater
Title card
Genre	Animation Children’s animation Comedy Family Adventure Fantasy Animated series
Created by	Sanrio
Developed by	Phil Harnage
Directed by	Michael Maliani
Voices of	Carl Banas Tara Strong Cree Summer Sean Roberge Mairon Bennett Noam Zylberman Len Carlson Elizabeth Hanna Greg Morton Denise Pidgeon Fred Savage
Theme music composer	David Pomeranz
Opening theme	Title Song Written & Performed By David Pomeranz
Composer(s)	Haim Saban Shuki Levy
Country of origin	United States Japan
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	13
Production
Executive producer(s)	Andy Heyward
Producer(s)	Michael Maliani
Running time	approx. 22–23 min.
Production company(s)	DIC Enterprises Toei Animation MGM Television
Release
Original network	CBS
Original release	September 19 (1987-09-19) – December 12, 1987 (1987-12-12)

Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater is a fun animated TV show based on the famous Japanese character Hello Kitty. It was made by DIC Enterprises and MGM Television, with animation by Toei Animation.

In this series, Hello Kitty and her friends (and sometimes her family) put on their own funny versions of popular fairy tales and other well-known stories. Each of the 13 episodes has two short cartoons, each about 11 minutes long. This means there are 26 different mini-shows in total! Every mini-show is a playful take on a famous fairy tale or movie.

Meet the Characters

• Hello Kitty (voiced by Tara Strong) - She's the happy and kind kitten who directs the theater. In many of the stories, she plays the main hero or a helpful fairy.
• Mama Kitty (voiced by Elizabeth Hanna) – Hello Kitty's mom. She often plays motherly roles in the stories.
• Papa Kitty (voiced by Len Carlson) - Hello Kitty's dad. He usually plays fatherly roles in the stories.
• Grandma Kitty (voiced by Elizabeth Hanna) - Hello Kitty's grandmother. She takes on supporting roles in the tales.
• Grandpa Kitty (voiced by Carl Banas) - Hello Kitty's grandfather. He also plays supporting roles in the stories.
• Tuxedo Sam (voiced by Sean Roberge) - A cheerful penguin who helps backstage at the theater. In many stories, he's the main hero, Kitty's helper, or even her love interest.
• My Melody (voiced by Mairon Bennett) - A very shy bunny actress who is Hello Kitty’s best friend. Her roles are often small, and she sometimes needs help to perform perfectly.
• Chip (voiced by Noam Zylberman) - A happy white seal pup actor. He usually has supporting roles alongside the main characters.
• Catnip (voiced by Cree Summer) - A green Siamese Cat who acts like a diva. She's Hello Kitty's rival but can also be friendly. Catnip often plays the bad guy in the stories, like a pirate, a vampire, or even a space villain!
• Fangora (voiced by Denise Pidgeon) - A purple Siamese Cat and Catnip's mother. She sometimes plays a second bad guy in the tales.
• Grinder (voiced by Greg Morton) - A bulldog who isn't very smart but is often helpful. He usually plays a second bad guy, a clumsy helper for Catnip, or sometimes a supporting character.
• Mouser (voiced by Fred Savage) - A tricky mouse who plays pranks on Hello Kitty and her friends in the last episode. He's the original owner of the theater and makes a deal with Kitty to share ownership at the end. He's also very good at playing the pipe organ.

How the Show Works

Each episode starts with the theater filling up with people and usually shows some funny things happening backstage. Then, the play begins (often with Hello Kitty or Tuxedo Sam saying "Once upon a meow"). The stage then changes to fit the story, whether it's outer space, the American Old West, or the Middle Ages.

Every show is a light-hearted and funny version of a children's story or a popular movie. Catnip and Grinder were usually chosen to play the villains.

At the end of each story, the stage goes back to normal, and the actors take a bow.

There's one special episode called "The Phantom of the Theater." This story starts after the actors have finished a show, and all the action happens backstage.

Episodes and Stories

Each episode of Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater features two short, funny stories that spoof famous tales and movies. Here's a list of all the episodes:

Where it Aired

In the USA, Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater first aired on September 19, 1987, on the CBS television network.

The show was also broadcast in other countries. In the UK, it was shown on the MTV channel starting September 27, 1987. It also aired in the Philippines on ABS-CBN in 1990.

Home Video Releases

You could watch Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater at home on VHS tapes and later on DVDs.

VHS Releases

On March 24, 1998, MGM Home Entertainment released two VHS videocassettes. Each tape had three cartoon shorts, plus the show's opening and closing songs.

• Hello Kitty: Kitty and the Beast (This tape also included "Grinder Genie and the Magic Lamp", "Hello Mother Goose", and "Little Red Bunny Hood".)
• Hello Kitty: Wizard of Paws (This tape also included "Snow White Kitty", "Sleeping Kitty", and "Peter Penguin".)

DVD Releases

From 2003 to 2004, MGM Home Entertainment released five DVDs. Each DVD had five cartoon shorts. Only one of the 26 mini-shows, "The Year Scroogenip Swiped Christmas," was not included on these DVDs. The opening and closing songs were also not on these DVD versions.

• Hello Kitty Becomes a Princess (Released February 4, 2003: Included "Cinderkitty", "Kittylocks and the Three Bears", "Sleeping Kitty", "Kitty and the Beast", and "Snow White Kitty and the One Dwarf".)
• Hello Kitty Goes to the Movies (Released February 4, 2003: Included "K.T. The Kitty Terrestrial", "The Wizard of Paws", "Kitty and the Kong", "Cat Wars", and "Paws: The Great White Dog Shark".)
• Hello Kitty Saves the Day (Released February 4, 2003: Included "Peter Penguin", "Tar-Sam of the Jungle", "Paws of the Round Table", "Crocodile Penguin", and "Grinder Genie and the Magic Lamp".)
• Hello Kitty Plays Pretend (Released February 17, 2004: Included "The Phantom of the Theater", "Frankencat", "Catula", "The Pawed Piper", and "Rumpeldogskin".)
• Hello Kitty Tells Fairy Tales (Released February 17, 2004: Included "Robin Penguin", "Hello Mother Goose", "The Ugly Quackling", "Pinocchio Penguin", and "Little Red Bunny Hood".)

The same DVDs were also released in other parts of the world, like the UK. Some later UK DVD releases, from October 2012, did include the opening and closing songs. A special box set with all five original DVDs was also released.

See also

In Spanish: Hello Kitty's furry tale theater para niños