Mio Mao facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mio Mao
Polish DVD cover
Genre	Claymation, family, preschool, children's series
Written by	Francesco Misseri
Directed by	Francesco Misseri
Voices of	Derek Griffiths (Channel 5)
Theme music composer	Piero Barbetti
Opening theme	Mio Mao
Ending theme	Mio Mao
Country of origin	Italy United Kingdom (series 2 and 3)
Original language(s)	onomatopoeia/gibberish (no dialogue)
No. of series	3
No. of episodes	78
Production
Running time	5 minutes
Production company(s)	1974 series: PMBB CineMac2TV (original print) HDHfilmTV (original print) L+H Films (80s TV print) 2003 series: Misseri Studio Associati Audiovisivi
Release
Original network	Programma Nazionale (series 1) Channel 5 (Milkshake!) (series 2 and 3)
Picture format	480i
Original release	1974 (1974) – 2007 (2007)

Mio Mao (pronounced me-o mow), also known as Mio and Mao, is an Italian stop motion children's TV show created by Francesco Misseri in the 1970s, produced using Claymation animation.

The original series was produced by PMBB, CineMac2TV and HDHFilmTV and aired on Programma Nazionale in 1974. After Francesco Misseri's production company Misseri Studio acquired Mio Mao in 2000 and remastered series 1 in 2003, Misseri Studio and Associati Audiovisivi created two more series for Channel 5's Milkshake! block in 2006 and 2007. In the United Kingdom, the episodes are narrated and the characters are voiced by Derek Griffiths. Nowadays Mio Mao airs on BabyFirst in the USA.

Plot

Each episode is approximately five minutes long and focuses on two playful kittens, the brother and sister Mio and Mao. As they roll, run, squish, bounce and tumble across a clay garden, they discover a variety of mysterious animals and objects on the other side. The garden changes appearance depending on the theme of the episode, or the animal or object featured.

The kittens go to investigate alone, they sometimes forget about the animal or object and wander off to look at the scenery. After a while, they get there but return scared, before watching from a distance and discovering that the scary item was either a friendly animal or a fun object.

Often, near the end of the episode, the animal or object will need help, and Mio and Mao come to their rescue, then invite the animal or object to come play with them. Gracious, the animal or object follows them as they tumble and run back to the other side of the garden, posing together and looking at the viewers as the episode draws to a close, with the words "THE END".

List of episodes

Series 1 (1974)

1. The Peacock
2. The Little Lamb
3. The Ants
4. The Chameleon
5. The Beehive
6. The Spider
7. The Tortoise
8. The Caterpillar
9. The Cicada
10. The Egg
11. The Snake
12. The Dog
13. The Dormouse
14. The Polyp
15. The Hippopotamus
16. The Squirrel
17. The Monkey
18. The Hedgehog
19. The Shell
20. The Tadpole
21. The Snail
22. The Owl
23. The Mole
24. The Beaver
25. The Piglet
26. The Hare

Series 2 (2006)

1. The Fox
2. The Worm
3. The Anteater
4. The Seed
5. The Cricket
6. The Swan
7. The Turkey
8. The Crocodile
9. The Racoon
10. The Crab
11. The Penguin
12. The Little Bear
13. The Christmas Tree
14. The Snowman
15. The Seal
16. The Parrot
17. The Mushroom
18. The Dragonfly
19. The Bat
20. The Chestnut
21. The Hornet
22. The Kangaroo
23. The Cow
24. The Ladybird
25. The Donkey
26. The Koala

Series 3 (2007)

1. The Deer
2. The Elephant
3. The Mouse
4. The Ostrich
5. The Pelican
6. The Dove
7. The Kingfisher
8. The Television
9. The Clew
10. The Dolphin
11. The Ghost
12. The Goldfish
13. The Zebra
14. The Vacuum Cleaner
15. The Sky Terrier
16. The Sloth
17. The Gorilla
18. The Genie
19. The Bull
20. The Train
21. The Little Theater
22. The Tap
23. The UFO
24. The Vulture
25. The Piano
26. The Dinosaur