Little Robots
Little Robots is a British stop-motion animated children's television series that was produced by Cosgrove Hall Films for Create TV & Film. The series originally aired on CBeebies, a British children's television channel known for its educational and entertaining programming aimed at preschoolers.
Premise
The show features a group of small, friendly robots living in a colourful world. Each episode follows the adventures of these robots as they navigate their daily lives, solve problems, and explore themes of friendship, cooperation, and creativity. The characters are designed to appeal to preschool audiences.Cast
The characters are all named after adjectives.- Tiny and Jules de Jongh ) is a small blue robot who is responsible for the maintenance of not only the other robots, but all of their world, including pulling the lever that changes the sky from day to night and back. Inquisitive, friendly, and creative, Tiny does his best to ensure everyone is not only in good health but also getting along. He is named for being the smallest of the cast, barring Messy and Flappy.
- Messy is a green and yellow robotic dog with a playful and helpful personality.
- Sporty and Paul Mitchell-Jones ) is a tall silver, red, and green robot, named after being the most physically active of the cast. While occasionally short-sighted and cocky, Sporty is well-loved by the others for being friendly and quick to step in when his help is needed.
- Stretchy and Adam Sims ) is a dark indigo robot named for his characteristic long, winding neck. Stretchy is a fastidious and fussy neat freak of a robot who is responsible for managing the scrapyard, doing his best to keep it clean and organised while helping the other robots find what they need, though he's actually a lot friendlier than his demeanour can make him seem. Unlike the other robots, Stretchy moves around on crawler tracks instead of legs.
- Rusty and Maria Darling ) is a faded red robot with a rusted orange circular head topped with a silver funnel as a hat. A shy sort who greatly enjoys being with others, Rusty is a loving robot who is very passionate about decorating her house and helping her friends, though her bashful nature can cause her to vent a great amount of steam. She is named for her more dilapidated appearance compared to the other robots.
- Stripy and Tom Clarke-Hill ) is a tall and broad rectangular robot named for the colourful stripes that adorn every surface on his body. The largest robot in the cast, Stripy is a slow and easygoing robot content to watch the world around him and tell stories to his friends, and he is never seen too far from his beloved silver teddy bear.
- Noisy and Maria Darling ) is a bright red robot with a brass horn atop her head and another as her nose. Named for her preference for loud sounds and music, Noisy, despite some insensitivities, always looks out for her friends and does not hesitate to make the others laugh when they're feeling down. Unlike the other characters, Noisy walks on three legs instead of two or four.
- Spotty and Laurel Lefkow ) is a yellow bespectacled spheroid robot with a haughty attitude, often disliked by the others for her tendency to prioritise herself over everyone else. Despite this, Spotty is well-meaning and quick to amend her mistakes once she knows she's in the wrong. She is named after her preference for circular spots in decorating her house.
- Scary - is a purple bat-like robot named for his tendency to try and scare the others, though he generally does this for everyone's amusement and isn't afraid to help others when needed. Scary speaks in a quiet tone and rarely changes his cadence, while he regularly behaves as if he's an actor on a stage. He is the only robot aside from Messy and Flappy to retain the same voice actor in both the American and British versions of the series.
- Flappy is a light blue robotic bat and Scary’s companion. She mostly communicates in ghoulish squeaks that the other robots can understand.
- Sparky 1 and Lizzie Waterworth ) and Sparky 2 and Joanna Ruiz ) are a pair of teal twin sisters with a penchant for mischievous pranks. Always out for a fun time, the Sparky twins can often go overboard with their antics, though they always mean well and never intentionally harm anyone. The twins are differentiated from each other by the colour or the spot on their stomachs, and both are named after their ability to generate electrical sparks from their fingertips.
Creation and Development
The series was developed by the motion-picture division of Lego Media, a subsidiary of The Lego Group that produced video games and TV shows based on Lego products and properties. Lego Media rebranded to Create TV & Film Ltd. in 2003.
Broadcast
Lego Media International announced the show's production in April 2001 for a 2002 delivery. On 7 October 2001, it was confirmed that the BBC had acquired the UK broadcast rights to the show and that production would start on the series, which would begin to air from January 2003. In December of that year, it was confirmed that BBC Worldwide had acquired worldwide distribution rights to the series, and that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation had purchased the Australian broadcast rights to the series.In March 2003, BBC Worldwide pre-sold the series to many different broadcasters, including ZDF and KiKA in Germany, TVOntario, SCN and Knowledge Network in Canada, and the NRK in Norway. It also aired on NHK and Disney Jr. in Japan.