A Little Curious


A Little Curious is an American children's animated TV series that ran on HBO and its multiplex channel HBO Family for two seasons. The series premiered on February 1, 1999 until its last episode aired on May 1, 2000. The series, produced by cel-and-computer, Los Angeles-based animation studio Curious Pictures, was aimed mainly at preschoolers. It was one of the cornerstone programs for the relaunch of the HBO Family channel in February 1999, but removed in repeats currently.

Plot

The 24-minute episodes are essentially anthologies of shorts focused on a common, easily digested topic word such as "slippery" or "sticky". While each short draws from the same pool of characters, they are produced in a variety of animation techniques. Animation styles include stop-motion, collage animation, clay animation, traditional 3-D and 2-D hand-drawn animation, and 3-D CGI, along with live-action segments mostly narrated by Bob the Ball. Some of the shorts are designed to fit more than one topic, and are re-used in different episodes.

Characters

The pool of characters, which are inanimate everyday objects, include:

Main characters

  • Bob the Ball – a cute, friendly, boisterous, exuberant bouncing red rubber ball.
  • Little Cup – a sweetened, innocent glass cup of fruit punch who spends a lot of time learning about the world around him. He is Bob's best friend.
  • Mr. String – a nervous, intelligent, fussy piece of blue string who can twist and tie himself into a multitude of shapes. He frequently says "definitely" and "terrible".
  • Plush – a multicolored, air-headed stuffed dog who is another one of Bob's best friends. Unlike the others, he mostly speaks in a strange giggly language.
  • Mop – a rock music-loving yellow mop with a head of turquoise yarn who frequently changes her hairstyle. She is Mr. String's best friend.
  • Doris the Door – a pink and orange, Brooklyn-accented, two-faced automatic door, who, while being playful, is easily tired. Doris usually talks about her distant childhood.
  • Pad and Pencil – a presumably romantic, Disneyesque drawing notebook and pencil couple who constantly flatter each other through stereotypical French accents.
  • The Shoe Family – a family of pairs of shoes with footwear-themed names. The parents are Mr. Shoe and Mrs. Shoe, and the children are Lacey and Mary Jane. In "A Little Curious About Life", they had a baby brother named Booties. Mary Jane and Lacey are two of Bob's best friends.

    Minor Characters

  • Pairs of Shoes

    Episodes

Season 1 (1999)

  1. Loud, Soft, Shake
  2. Light, Dark, Bubble
  3. Near, Far, Swing
  4. Slippery, Sticky, Mirror
  5. Above, Below, Cover
  6. Front, Back, Side
  7. Swing, Cover, Shake
  8. Rough, Smooth, Picture
  9. Open, Close, Ring
  10. Bubble, Picture, Mirror
  11. Thick, Thin, Twist
  12. First, Last, Step
  13. Step, Twist, Ring
  14. Empty, Full, Pop
  15. Same, Different, Beat
  16. Fast, Slow, Spin
  17. Long, Short, Roll
  18. Character Show – Bob the Ball
  19. Roll, Spin, Pop
  20. Warm, Cool, Heart
  21. Character Show – Plush
  22. Still, Move, Train
  23. Spring, Fall, Turn
  24. High, Low, Stretch
  25. Side, Stretch, Turn

    Season 2 (2000)

  26. Top, Bottom, Jump
  27. Over, Under, Balance
  28. Drop, Lift, Flat
  29. Tight, Loose, Squeeze
  30. Hit, Miss, Bump
  31. Work, Play, Skip
  32. Hard, Easy, Change
  33. New, Old, Dance
  34. Lead, Follow, Act
  35. Win, Lose, Tie
  36. Push, Pull, Rock
  37. Jump, Flat, Squeeze
  38. Hard, Work, Bump
  39. Character Show - Mop
  40. Balance, Skip, Rock
  41. Push, Over, Top
  42. Drop, Loose, Change

    Special (2000)

  43. A Little Curious About Life