The Littles (TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Littles is an animated television series based on The Littles
characters in a series of children's novels by American
author John Peterson
, the first of which was published in 1967. This cartoon was produced by a French/American/Canadian animation studio, DiC Entertainment
, and as standard practice for TV cartoons of the period, the animation production was outsourced overseas to the Japanese studio TMS Entertainment. It was post-produced by a Canadian Animation studio, Animation City Editorial Services.
The first two seasons also featured simple arts and crafts at the end of each episode ("Little Ideas for Big People"), with the second season using suggestions sent in by viewers. During the third season, a segment called "A Little Known Fact" highlighted historical or geographic trivia that was related to the episode.
and Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats
, The Littles was one of the first cartoons produced by DIC Entertainment
for American television, and was the only one of the three to air on a network, rather than in syndication.
The first two seasons of shows feature The Littles around the Bigg household, but to improve the show's popularity the final season features the Littles traveling around the world.
During the production run of the show, the Littles were also popular enough to warrant two movie tie-ins:
and most likely others.
1st Season (1983–1984)
2nd Season (1984–1985)
3rd Season (1985–1986)
On July 19, 2011, Mill Creek Entertainment
re-released the entire series on DVD in a 3-disc set entitled The Littles: The Complete Series. It contains the two Animated movies Here Comes the Littles and Liberty and the Littles.
The Littles
The Littles is a series of children's novels by American author John Peterson, the first of which was published in 1967. Peterson's books were adapted into the The Littles animated series by DIC Entertainment 16 years later...
characters in a series of children's novels by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author John Peterson
John Peterson (author)
John Peterson was an American author of children's books during the 20th century. He is best known as the creator of The Littles, which began as a series of books in 1967, later adapted into a long-running animated cartoon series by DiC Entertainment...
, the first of which was published in 1967. This cartoon was produced by a French/American/Canadian animation studio, DiC Entertainment
DiC Entertainment
DIC Entertainment was an international film and television production company. In addition to animated television shows such as Ulysses 31 , Inspector Gadget , The Littles , The Real Ghostbusters , Captain Planet and the Planeteers , and the first two seasons of the English adaptation of...
, and as standard practice for TV cartoons of the period, the animation production was outsourced overseas to the Japanese studio TMS Entertainment. It was post-produced by a Canadian Animation studio, Animation City Editorial Services.
Family tree
In the TV series the family tree is mostly clear. Frank and Helen are the parents of Tom and Lucy, Grandpa is the father of Helen, and Dinky is a cousin (presumed first cousin) of Tom and Lucy. In the books the family tree is never explicitly identified. Occasional references to relationships indicate a family tree, but the references are conflicting.Differences from the books
Besides the family tree, other notable differences between the TV series and the books included:- Henry knowing about the Littles was unique to the TV series and the movie, Here Come the LittlesHere Come the LittlesHere Come the Littles is a 1985 children's animated film, produced in Luxembourg by DIC Entertainment and distributed by Atlantic Releasing...
. The first season never revealed how Henry met the Littles; during the opening credits Henry simply tells the audience that he has "a very special secret" -- that he's the only one who knows about the Littles. During the second season, the opening credits said that Henry first met the Littles when Tom and Lucy fell inside his suitcase as he was moving, and they jumped out when he opened the suitcase. In the movie, however, Tom and Lucy still get trapped inside Henry's suitcase, but Henry doesn't discover the Littles until much later; he first sees Grandpa and Dinky in his uncle's yard, while Tom and Lucy later befriend him when they need his help. Henry took great care to keep the Littles' existence a secret, even from his own parents. Although he betrayed them in one episode ("Dinky's Doomsday Pizza"), the entire incident and its resulting fallout turned out to be only a dream that Dinky was having.
- Characters unique to the TV series. Most notable are the two villains, Dr. Hunter and his assistant, Peterson. Hunter is a scientist who has been trying to capture a Little to prove his theories, but has been unsuccessful, although he came close at times. Peterson, Hunter's assistant, may be a nod to John Peterson, who wrote the books on which the series is based.
Episode themes and structure
During the first two seasons, many of the episodes contained moral lessons or addressed specific issues, such as running away from home ("The Little Fairy Tale"), drug abuse ("Prescription for Disaster") and jealousy ("Lights, Camera, Littles" and "Twins").The first two seasons also featured simple arts and crafts at the end of each episode ("Little Ideas for Big People"), with the second season using suggestions sent in by viewers. During the third season, a segment called "A Little Known Fact" highlighted historical or geographic trivia that was related to the episode.
Cartoon voices
- Jimmy KeeganJimmy KeeganJimmy Keegan is a drummer. He has played with artists such as Santana, as the drummer on the song "Primavera" on Santana's hit album Supernatural and with John Waite, and is the current drummer for the Progressive rock band Spock's Beard, having replaced original drummer Nick D'Virgilio in November...
as Henry Bigg - Alvy MooreAlvy MooreJack Alvin "Alvy" Moore was an American light comic actor best known for his role as scatterbrained county agricultural agent "Hank Kimball" on the television series Green Acres....
as Grandpa Little - Gregg BergerGregg BergerGreggory "Gregg" Berger is an American voice actor, who is known for his longtime role as Odie the dog from the Garfield franchise...
as Frank Little - Patricia ParrisPatricia ParrisPatricia Parris is an American voice actress, who provided the voice of Daisy Duck in Mickey's Christmas Carol and Shelly on Jabberjaw ....
as Helen Little - Donavan FrebergDonavan FrebergDonavan Freberg, sometimes credited as Donovan Freberg is an American advertising creative, voice actor, photographer, and writer....
as Tom Little (Seasons 1-2) - David Wagner as Tom Little (Season 3)
- Bettina BushBettina BushBettina Bush is an American voice actress and pop music singer. She was born the youngest daughter out of three children. Her father was of African American descent and her mother was of Irish, Cherokee, and Polynesian descent.- Voice acting :...
as Lucy Little - B.J. Ward as Ashley Little (Seasons 2-3)'
- Frank WelkerFrank WelkerFranklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
as Slick (Season 1) - Pat FraleyPat FraleyPatrick "Pat" Fraley is an American voice actor, who is best known as the voice of Krang, Casey Jones and numerous other characters from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...
as Slick (Seasons 2-3) - Robert David HallRobert David HallRobert David Hall is an American actor, best known for his role as coroner Dr. Albert Robbins M.D. on the television show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.-Biography:...
as Mr. Bigg and Dinky Little - Laurel PageLaurel PageLaurel Page is an American actress. She was born in Los Angeles, California. Page provided voice-overs in the following animated series:*Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels - Taffy...
as Mrs. Bigg - Ken SansomKen SansomKenneth Sansom is an American actor and voice actor who first began acting in the early seventies. His first role was in an episode of Mayberry R.F.D., a continuation of the The Andy Griffith Show. He is best known for his role as Rabbit in The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. He also voiced...
as Dr. Hunter and Peterson - Rachelle Cano Opening and Closing Theme Vocals
TV history
Along with Inspector GadgetInspector Gadget
Inspector Gadget is an animated television series that revolves around the adventures of a clumsy, simple-witted cyborg detective named Inspector Gadget – a human being with various bionic gadgets built into his body. Gadget's arch-nemesis is Dr...
and Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats
Heathcliff (1984 TV series)
Heathcliff is an animated television series that debuted on September 5, 1984. It was the second series based on the Heathcliff comic strip and was produced by DIC Entertainment. It ran in syndication until 1988 with a total of 86 episodes...
, The Littles was one of the first cartoons produced by DIC Entertainment
DiC Entertainment
DIC Entertainment was an international film and television production company. In addition to animated television shows such as Ulysses 31 , Inspector Gadget , The Littles , The Real Ghostbusters , Captain Planet and the Planeteers , and the first two seasons of the English adaptation of...
for American television, and was the only one of the three to air on a network, rather than in syndication.
The first two seasons of shows feature The Littles around the Bigg household, but to improve the show's popularity the final season features the Littles traveling around the world.
During the production run of the show, the Littles were also popular enough to warrant two movie tie-ins:
- On May 24, 1985, the Littles starred in their first animated feature, Here Come the Littles, which serves a prequel to the TV series. It was directed by Bernard Deyriès and written by Eleanor Burian-Mohr, Jack Olesker, and Jeffrey Scott. This is available on DVD.
- The following year (1986), a made-for-TV movie was created starring the Littles, Liberty and the Littles. This film was also directed by Bernard Deyriès and written by Heywood KlingWoody KlingWoody Kling was an American television writer, producer, playwright, and composer.- Early life :Born Heywood Fisher Kling in New York City, Kling was the son of Mayme and Ken Kling. Ken was a cartoonist for the New York Daily Mirror, predicting the horse races in his strip Joe and Asbestos...
. This second movie was subsequently edited into a three-part episode and included in the third season of the series. Liberty and the Littles, which also aired in three parts during the ninth season of the ABC Weekend SpecialABC Weekend SpecialThe ABC Weekend Special is a weekly 30-minute anthology TV series for children that aired Saturday mornings on ABC from 1977 to 1997. It featured a wide variety of stories that were both live-action and animated....
, was released on VHSVHSThe Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
but is now out of print. However, the episode is available on DVD.
Broadcast history in the USA
- ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
(September 10, 1983 to September 6, 1986) - The Family Channel (September 4, 1989 to December 31, 1993)
- Toon DisneyToon DisneyToon Disney was an American cable television channel owned by The Walt Disney Company. A spinoff of Disney Channel, it mostly aired children's animated series and some live action programming. Its format had similarities to those of Cartoon Network and Nicktoons...
(April 18, 1998 to September 2, 2002) - Syndication (September 2003 to present)
Broadcast history Internationally
The Littles also aired in a number of oversea countries including:- Australia
- Brazil (Os Pequeninos)
- France (Les Minipouss)
- Finland
- Germany (Die Littles)
- Greece
- Italy (I Piccoli)
- Poland (Malusińscy)
- Spain (Los diminutos)
- Sweden
and most likely others.
Episode list
(An asterisk (*) denotes an episode that was not rerun in syndication.)1st Season (1983–1984)
- Beware Of Hunter!
- The Lost City Of The Littles (*)
- The Big Scare
- Lights! Camera! Littles!
- The Spirits Of The Night
- The Little Winner
- A Big Cure For A Little Illness
- The Rats Are Coming! The Rats Are Coming!
- The Little Fairy Tale
- Prescription For Disaster (*)
- The Little Scouts
- A Little Gold...A Lot Of Trouble
- Dinky's Doomsday Pizza (*)
2nd Season (1984–1985)
- Looking for Grandma Little (*)
- Every Little Vote Counts
- A Little Rock and Roll
- The Forest Littles
- For The Birds
- Twins
- The Littles Halloween
- The Little Babysitters
3rd Season (1985–1986)
- The Little Amazon Queen (*)
- The Little Girl Who Could
- Deadly Jewels (*)
- The Wrong Stuff (*)
- When Irish Eyes Are Smiling
- Ben Dinky (*)
- Tut the Second (*)
- A Little Drunk
DVD releases
On November 13, 2007, S'more Entertainment released The Littles - The Complete Unedited Series on DVD in Region 1.| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Littles: The Complete Unedited series | 29 | November 13, 2007 |
|
On July 19, 2011, Mill Creek Entertainment
Mill Creek Entertainment
Mill Creek Entertainment is a home entertainment company that manufactures movie and television DVD compilation box sets at "value" prices. Nashville's Amity Entertainment is an affiliate to Mill Creek...
re-released the entire series on DVD in a 3-disc set entitled The Littles: The Complete Series. It contains the two Animated movies Here Comes the Littles and Liberty and the Littles.