The Littles (TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Littles |
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| Created by | John Peterson Jim Schumann |
| Developed by | Woody Kling |
| Directed by | Bernard Deyries |
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| Country of origin | United States France |
| Original language(s) | English French |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 29 |
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| Running time | 22 minutes approx. |
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| Original network | United States Nickelodeon 4Kids TV France Canal+ (Season 1) TF1 (Seasons 2-3) |
| Original release | September 10, 1983 – November 2, 1985 |
The Littles (also known as Les Minipouss in French) is an animated TV show. It was made between 1983 and 1985. The show is based on the popular children's books called The Littles. These books were written by an American author named John Peterson. The first book came out in 1967.
The TV series was first made for the American TV network ABC. It was produced by a French/American studio called DIC Audiovisuel. Later, it was also shown on Nickelodeon and 4Kids. A Canadian studio, Animation City Editorial Services, helped with the final production.
Contents
The Littles on TV
The Littles was one of the first cartoons made by DIC Entertainment for American TV. Other early shows included Inspector Gadget and Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats. The Littles was special because it aired on a main network (ABC). The other two shows were shown in different ways, not on a big network.
In the first two seasons, the Littles mostly stayed around the Bigg family's house. To make the show more exciting, the last season had the Littles traveling all over the world!
The show was so popular that two movies were made about the Littles:
- On May 25, 1985, the first movie, Here Come the Littles, came out. This movie tells the story of what happened before the TV series started. You can find it on DVD.
- The next year, in 1986, a TV movie called Liberty and the Littles was made. This movie was shown in three parts during the ABC Weekend Specials. Later, these three parts were added to the third season of the TV series as regular episodes. This movie is also available on DVD.
In 2003, the series started to air on the Nick Jr. Channel. This helped the channel meet rules for educational TV shows. However, not all episodes were shown during this time. The series was also broadcast in the United Kingdom on TVAM and in Australia on Network 10. Many other countries also showed the series.
Meet the Characters
The Little Family
The Littles are tiny people who live secretly in human homes.
- Tom Little – He is the older of the two Little children.
- Lucy Little – She is the younger of the two Little children.
- Grandpa Little – He is the oldest member of the Little family.
- Dinky Little – He is a cousin to Tom and Lucy.
- Frank Little – He is the father in the Little family.
- Helen Little – She is the mother in the Little family and Grandpa Little's daughter.
- Ashley Little – She is another, younger cousin in the family.
In the TV show, the family connections are pretty clear. Frank and Helen are Tom and Lucy's parents. Grandpa is Helen's father. Dinky is a cousin on Helen's side of the family. In the books, the family tree is not as clearly explained.
Friends and Foes
- Henry Bigg – He is a 13-year-old boy. Henry is one of the few humans who knows about the Littles. They live in his house and are his best friends.
- Slick – He is a small turtle and Henry's pet.
- Dr. Erick Hunter – He is a scientist who wants to prove that the Littles exist. He often builds machines to find these tiny humans. But the Littles and Henry always stop his plans!
- James Peterson – He is Dr. Hunter's assistant. He is named after John Peterson, who created the series.
- Mr. and Mrs. Bigg – They are Henry's parents. They are both archeologists, which means they often travel on exciting journeys.
- Marie – She is Henry's classmate and a good friend.
Who Voiced the Characters?
Many talented actors gave voices to the characters in The Littles:
- Jimmy E. Keegan as Henry Bigg
- Alvy Moore as Grandpa Little
- Gregg Berger as Frank Little
- Patricia Parris as Helen Little
- Donavan Freberg as Tom Little (seasons 1–2)
- David Wagner as Tom Little (season 3)
- Bettina Bush as Lucy Little
- B.J. Ward as Ashley Little (seasons 2–3)
- Frank Welker as Slick (season 1)
- Pat Fraley as Slick (seasons 2–3)
- Robert David Hall as Mr. Bigg and Dinky Little
- Laurel Page as Mrs. Bigg
- Ken Sansom as Dr. Hunter and Peterson (seasons 1–2)
Rachelle Cano sang the opening and closing songs for the show.
Where to Watch The Littles
You can find The Littles on home video! Here are some of the releases:
- Liberty and the Littles (VHS, 1991)
- The Littles Christmas Special (DVD, 2003 and 2007) – Even though it's called "Christmas Special," the episodes on this DVD are not about Christmas.
- The Littles: The Complete Unedited Series (DVD, 2007) – This set has all 29 episodes on 5 discs. It also includes fun bonus features like a trivia game and interviews.
- The Best of The Littles (DVD, 2011) – This DVD has the first 10 episodes of the series.
- The Littles: The Complete Series (DVD, 2011) – This set has all 29 episodes on 3 discs. It also includes the movies Here Come the Littles and Liberty and The Littles.
Cool Merchandise
When the show was popular, you could buy lots of The Littles merchandise! This included:
- Story books based on the TV show
- A board game from Milton Bradley
- Stickers and greeting cards
In other countries, even more items were released. These included Halloween masks, figures, a card game, VHS videos, and music records.
See also
In Spanish: The Littles (serie de televisión) para niños
- Here Come the Littles, the animated movie from 1985
