CURIOUS GEORGE (TV SERIES)

'''Curious George''' is a 2006 animated television series based on the popular Curious George children's book series and motion picture, which features Jeff Bennett as the voice of The Man with the Yellow Hat. Frank Welker, who voiced George in the movie, returns here as the voice of Curious George. The stories of Season one were narrated by William H. Macy, and Season two is narrated by Rino Romano. The show is currently screened on PBS Kids. George is known as a monkey but is missing a tail, which would make him some kind ape. Though some species of macaque are tailless, George resembles a chimpanzee rather than a macaque.
The series is produced by Universal Animation Studios (Universal Pictures released the Curious George film), NBC Universal Television, in association with WGBH Boston. Each episode has two short cartoons per half-hour episode and a live-action segment after each story.
The series specifically attempts to illustrate and explain various concepts in math and science and each live-action segment shows schoolchildren engaging in experiments that teach the math or science concept featured in the previous cartoon.

Contents

Episodes

Season 1

Season 2

Characters

Locations

Funding

DVDS

Press Commentary

External links

Episodes

The setting for most episodes is either the city, where George lives in an apartment building with The Man in the Yellow Hat, or the country, where they share a small house near a lake called Lake Wanasink. This allows George to mirror the experiences of kids who live in an urban environment and those who live on farms and in suburbs. A few episodes take place in alternate but familiar settings, like an airport or a train station.

Season 1

A total of 30 Curious George episodes aired as part of the first season.

#	Airdate	Title	Overview	Math/Science Concept
1	September 4, 2006	Curious George Flies a Kite	In the country, George wakes up on a windy day and decides to go outside and fly. Bill introduces him to a kite, which George wants to fly. However, Bill must go home and George cannot play with the kite until he returns. His curiosity gets the best of him and he soon finds himself flying around the countryside, even taking the squirrel with him. When Bill discovers this, he tells Ted who rescues him in a glider.	Aeronautics
		From Scratch	In the city, while on their way to the museum, Ted and George discover that Gnocchi was accused of making scratches on restaurant booths. George felt bad and wanted to investigate. He learns about scientists who solve problems. So, he sets out to solve the mystery. In the end, George concludes that Gnocchi is innocent; a clean-up cart actually scratched the benches. Everyone celebrated in the end.	Deductive Reasoning
2	September 5, 2006	Curious George's Home for Pigeons	In the city, George makes a home for his new friend, Compass.	Animal Habits
		Out of Order	In the city, George collects packages left by a postal working, thinking that she had forgotten them.	Thinking Ahead, Organization, Numbers
3	September 6, 2006	Zeros to Donuts	In the city, George learns about zeroes and gets more donuts than he wants when he adds a couple extra zeroes.	How much is 100?
		Curious George, Stain Remover	In the country, George must remove a grape juice stain from the new rug before the Man with the Yellow Hat returns.	Simple machines, Levers
4	September 7, 2006	Buoy Wonder	In the country, George learns about buoyancy and tries to build a new boat when Bill's boat sinks.	Buoyancy
		Roller Monkey	In the city, Two salespeople hire George to roller skate in front of a store to attract customers, but he still needs practice.	Practice
5	September 13, 2006	Curious George On Time	In the city, George accidentally breaks Professor Wiseman's clock and then the big clock when he tries to figure out how clocks work.	Time
		Curious George's Bunny Hunt	In the country, George accidentally releases a family of rabbits from their cage. So, George attempts to put them back in, however, the bunnies run away from him.	Animal habits
6	September 14, 2006	Curious George Takes a Job	In the city, George investigates the "magic" of kitchens and incidentally creates his first recipe in what he thinks is a "floppification" pot.	What dissolves in water?
		Curious George Takes Another Job	In the city, when Chef Pisghetti has all the help he needs, George gets a job as a window washer, but his curiosity leads him in another direction. He sees shadows on the windows while cleaning.	Playing with shadows
7	September 15, 2006	Curious George, Door Monkey	In the city, while the Doorman is away and Hundley is in charge, George opens up packages of balls that he thought were for him. He soon realizes his mistake and tries to repackage the balls before the intended receiver inspects his packages.	Volume
		Curious George Goes Up the River	In the country, George gets lost down a river with Jumpy Squirrel, and the two use landmarks to help them find their way back.	Orienteering
8	September 18, 2006	Curious George and the Invisible Sound	In the country, George finds a cricket in his house and attempts to keep it from disturbing the peace.	Insect Habits
		Curious George, A Peeling Monkey	In the city, George tries to control his curiosity about the Man with the Yellow Hat's present for Professor Wiseman by peelings things.	Properties
9	September 26, 2006	Curious George, Dog Counter	In the city, George leads dogs from the Dog Show to show the Man with the Yellow Hat and tries to count them.	Animal Habits, organizing
		Squirrel For a Day	In the country, George buries things like Jumpy Squirrel does to free up space inside the house.	Animal habits, Growing things
10	September 27, 2006	Curious George Discovers the 'Poles	In the country, Bill asks George to look after tadpoles, but George unwittingly frees them when he lets them out to swim in the lagoon.	Animal habits, Life Cycles
		Curious George Finds His Way	In the city, George and Hundley get lost after being locked outside in the back alley, and they use their memory to find their way back.	Memory
11	September 28, 2006	Water to Ducks	In the country, some ducks take refuge in a puddle. When it shrinks George gets his pool ready and (with Bill's help) forms a bucket brigade.	Animal Habits, Liquids
		Animal Magnetism	In the city, George gains interest in magnetism.	Magnetism
12	September 29, 2006	Doctor Monkey	In the city, George is doctor for a day.	Medicine
		Curious George the Architect	In the city, George plays around at a construction site.	Construction
13	October 6, 2006	Zoo Night	In the city, George stays after closing time at the zoo and accidentally lets some of the animals out.	Maps
		Charkie Escapes	In the city, George tries to play with a soccer ball and is asked to watch Charkie, but Charkie keeps escaping.	Animal habits
14	October 9, 2006	Curious George's Rocket Ride	In the city, George is asked to fly a rocket to deliver some supplies to the International Space Station.	Planets, Orbits, Space
		Curious George, Train Master	In the country, George is curious how a train station works and tries to be a station master.	Organization, Scheduling
15	October 10, 2006	Curious George and the Dam Builders	In the country, George sees beavers building a dam and decides to build a dam of his own.	Dam Building
		Curious George's Low High Score	In the city, George, Steve, and Betsy play games and George finds out that the player with the lowest score in mini-golf wins.	Money, Budgeting
16	October 11, 2006	Curious George Sees Stars	In the country, George tries to count all of the stars in the sky, but he can't see any stars when in the city.	Astronomy
		Curious George Gets a Trophy	In the city, George wants to get a trophy, and Chef Pisghetti rewards George with a plate of ice cream in the shape of Gnocchi for helping him wash dishes, but the ice cream keeps melting.	Temperature/Solids, Liquids
17	October 18, 2006	George Makes a Stand	In the city, George creates a lemonade stand with Betsy in order to buy a new soccer ball.	Economics
		Curious George Sees the Light	In the country, a new traffic light is installed, which catches George's curiosity.	Data
18	October 19, 2006	Candy Counter	In the city, George quickly learns this when he agrees to watch Cayley's candy counter for an afternoon. While trying to stack the chocolates into different shapes, they all fall over, and George can't remember which candy is what!	Numbers
		Curious George, Rescue Monkey	In the city, George helps out Rescue Squad 86 for a day and learns about the firefighting tools.	Firefighting
19	October 20, 2006	The Truth About George Burgers	In the city, George accidentally loses Chef Pisghetti's Jardino burgers and makes some of his own.	Following Directions
		Curious George in the Dark	In the country, George loses his ball and searches a deep , dark cave for it. Later a thunderstorm knocks the power out, and the country house is in the dark but with the help of his trusty flashlight, George conquers his fears and even shows Jumpy how to have some fun with shadows.	Playing with Shadows
20	October 23, 2006	The Clean, Perfect Yellow Hat	In the city, George accidentally ruins the Man with the Yellow Hat's hat so tests on new hats that he made.	Testing
		Bee is for Bear	In the country, George meets up with a baby bear and a stinging bee. No one believes that George has seen a bear, but they do try to help George learn more about bees. George sees a bear, but no one believes him.	Patterns in Nature
21	January 15, 2007	Surprise Quints	In the country, George tries to surprise Mr. Quint on his birthday. However, George soon discovers that there are actually five Quints - quintuplets.	Grouping, Sets, Division
		Muddy Monkey	In the city, Ted and George go to the park where George loses his favorite bath toy, Sproingy. While searching for it, he comes across Steve and Betsey, who are blowing bubbles.	Bubbles
22	January 16, 2007	Curious George Takes a Vacation	At the airport, George and the Man with the Yellow Hat start off on a vacation to Hawaii, but their flight gets delayed.	Moving machines, Conveyor Belts
		Curious George and the One That Got Away	In the country, George finds an American eel and competes against Bill for it.	Building things
23	January 17, 2007	Ski Monkey	In the country, George wants to play in the deep snow. He comes across a lost pig and returns it to the farmer.	Snowshoes, Sleds, Distributing weight
		George the Grocer	In the city, George wants an oven, (much like an Easy Bake Oven) but the Man with the Yellow Hat says it is too expensive. So, he goes to the grocery store and, without the owner's knowledge, helps shoppers and improves the business. When the owner notices he awards George Employee of the Month and pays him, which makes the Man proud.	Following directions
24	January 18, 2007	Keep Out Cows	In the country, George finds a beautiful meadow of flowers, but has to think of ways to get Leslie and the other cows from eating it.	Trial and Error
		Curious George and the Missing Piece	In the city, George thinks that Charkie has stolen a bone from Professor Wiseman's dinosaur skeleton.	Bones
25	January 19, 2007	Camping With Hundley	The Man with the Yellow Hat takes George camping and he can't wait to go again. The Man has a busy schedule, so the Doorman takes him with Hundley, but the roof on their trailer caves in during a thunderstorm.	Memory/Experience
		Curious George vs. the Turbo Python 3000	At the amusement park, George wants to ride the Turbo Python 3000, but he is too short.	Measuring/Metrics
26	February 19, 2007	Housebound!	In the city, George has a broken bone, and Hundley becomes his monkey-sitter.	Bones
		Curious George Rides A Bike	In the country, George learns to ride a bike and does Bill's paper route.	Wheels
27	February 20, 2007	The All-Animal Recycled Band	In the city, the Fire Department and Ted practice playing instruments, but won't let George play. So he makes his own band with Hundley, Charkie, Gnocchi and Compass. A local spectator hears the noise and calls the fire Department.	Music
		The Times of Sand	At the beach, George attempts to build a sandcastle, but has difficulty. Eventually George, Bill, and the man with the yellow hat build a successful sand castle together.	Sand/Construction
28	February 21, 2007	The Elephant Upstairs	In the city, a new neighbor moves in upstairs and makes strange noises, which causes George to imagine that an elephant is now in the building.	Evidence
		Being Hundley	In the city, frustration at being told what to do leads George to try out life as various other animals, including a "lobby dog" like Hundley.	Experimentation
29	February 22, 2007	George fixes Betsy's Wagon	In the city, Betsy's wagon breaks after a wheel falls off, so George and Steve try to find another wheel.	Wheels
		Curious George Takes a Dive	In the country, George finds worms in his backyard and wants to keep them, but remembers an experience with a turtle.	Animal Habitats
30	February 23, 2007	Unbalanced	In the city, George tries to become a balancing actor. George saves an allergic tightrope walker from a very determined cat.	Balance
		Curious George vs. Winter	In the country, George is to put out nuts every day for Jumpy while Bill and the bunnies go to their grandma's house during a freezing winter.	Ice, Freezing & Melting

Season 2

#	Airdate	Title	Overview	Math/Science Concept
1	September 3, 2007	Up, Up and Away	George discovers that it takes all three for a balloon to score a successful lift-off. As Mrs. Renkins demonstrates how a hot-air balloon works, George and Bill bound into the basket and they soon find themselves accidentally airborne alone! George and Bill's windy flight path carries them on quite an adventure - and toward an array of feathered friends who land on their basket. And when one of the birds gets trapped in the balloon, it gives them the idea they need to help get them down to earth.	Speed
		Skunked	There's a strange-looking cat eating George's peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But wait, it's not a cat, it's a skunk! And George is fascinated. After trying and failing to make friends with the creature several times and being subjected to multiple baths of tomato juice after repeatedly getting "skunked" George is relieved to get back to the city and away from all of those smelly encounters. What he doesn't realize is that he and The Man inadvertently brought along their new "friend" in a picnic basket and that one little skunk is about to wreak a whole lot of havoc in a certain apartment building.	Animal Habitats
2	September 4, 2007	Monkey Underground	When George stumbles across a gopher hole in the field near the country house, he suddenly finds himself inside a secret world of underground tunnels. Just below the mounds, Mama, Papa, and Junior Gopher have found a hiding place away from Mr. Gopher Getter - the man who plans to de-gopher the entire field. George warns his new pals about the looming trap. But only if George can dig super monkey-fast, and in the correct direction, will he be able to save his gopher friends from being removed from their home.	Systems
		Cat Mother	Professor Wiseman entrusts George with Lucky, a tiny kitten too young to take care of herself. It's love at first sight for Lucky when she meets her first dog - Hundley, the proud lobby dachshund. But it's not such a fast friendship for Hundley, who sneezes when Lucky affectionately rubs against him. Hundley's allergic to cats! Lucky is inconsolable, having to stay away from her new friend, so George decides to build a substitute dog for Lucky.	Needs and Wants
3	September 5, 2007	Up a Tree	When George tires of table manners and house rules, he decides to build a tree house in the country yard - a nest of his own where using his feet to eat corn on the cob and to paint on the walls would be perfectly acceptable. Armed with his Handy Monkey Tool Set, George gathers as many building materials as possible. But he quickly learns that creating a house from scratch just might take more than a pile of plywood and a handful of nails. What he needs is a design plan to make this work and forgiveness for accidentally stealing supplies from Quint's dock and Mrs. Renkin's chicken coop!	Following Plans
		Curious George and the Trash	Just as he is preparing to have his new driver's license photo taken, The Man with the Yellow Hat suddenly finds himself hatless - thanks to George, who accidentally crushes it. After dropping the hat off at the dry-cleaner to have it fixed, The Man asks George to wait at home for it to be delivered while he goes on a neighborhood jog. But when the hat arrives, George mistakes it for a look-a-like garbage box and tosses it down the trash chute. George's desperate attempt to recover his friend's most prized possession leads the monkey on a race through the labyrinth of the city's garbage system.	Garbage
4	September 6, 2007	Curious George Gets All Keyed Up	Betsy prepares to play the xylophone at a school concert one evening, and George, who has always been mesmerized by Betsy's music, volunteers to deliver the xylophone to Betsy's school while she goes to the beautician that afternoon. Betsy's brother Steve also promises to help, but when he becomes distracted by his videogame, they lose track of time and have to get the xylophone out the door very quickly. So George and Steve take all the keys out in a hurry and when George gets to the school he realizes that he's forgotten what order they go in!	Size and Pitch
		Gutter Monkey	It's bowling night! George cheers on The Man with the Yellow Hat and then tries to get the ball rolling himself. But when George rolls, it's always a gutter ball. Back at home, George polishes the Man's bowling ball before the big tournament and it looks so good he decides to test it out on the curvy front lawn - but all of those ruts and hills can sure ruin a monkey's game! And things don't exactly look up, er, straight, when George takes it inside and discovers that a smooth surface in the dining room can spell trouble for the plates in the china cabinet.	Physics
5	September 7, 2007	Grease Monkeys In Space	The Man with the Yellow Hat's dream of space travel is finally coming true! He's been assigned to repair a large telescope, but on the day of the big launch Professors Wiseman, Pizza and Einstein realize that it's actually a two-man - or rather, a one-man and one-monkey - job. Soon it's up to George to complete the mission and replace the telescope's batteries. George has only a few minutes before his air runs out to accomplish his task and remember his right, his left and his shapes.	Tools
		Piñata Vision	When George attends Betsy's birthday party he is ready for a day of fun with friends. Steve and Betsy blindfold George and give him the first shot at breaking open the birthday piñata - but when George swings the bat without any sense of where he's aiming, he makes a grand mess instead. To help George improve his game, Steve blindfolds George and sets him off to try and find Charkie - and George navigates his way around the city by using only his hands, ears and sense of touch.	Senses

Characters

★ 'Curious George': The show's title character. If he finds something new, he will always become curious about it and not want to stop learning until he finds out all about it. He usually does not quite get the new concept at first until one of the other characters fully explains it to him. He is voiced by Frank Welker.

★ 'The Man with the Yellow Hat': The man who first befriended George and also acts as his primary teacher. He does not wear his hat while at home but always puts it on while going out. It is unclear what he does for a living, but he appears to own a country house that has been in his family since his childhood. He also paints in the style of the H.A. Rey drawings. He won an award for being the first to climb and map what became known as Yellow Hat Mountaint and placed 17th in a marathon. His name in the movie was Ted, but he does not have a first name in the series. He is voiced by Jeff Bennett.

★ 'The Doorman': The doorman for the apartment building that George and the man with the yellow hat live in. He is always wearing red clothes like a British Sentry Guard but with a red cap. He is very friendly and always loves to see George. He keeps a coop of homing pigeons on the roof of the building. He is voiced by Rob Paulsen in the first season and Carlos Alazraqui or Lex Lang in the second.

★ 'Hundley': The Doorman's dachshund. He is a very neat dog who wants his lobby clean and tidy. He ostensibly does not like George, because he is known to be very messy and Hundley is afraid he might mess up the lobby. Hundley is allergic of some cats. He is voiced by Jim Cummings in season 1 and Lex Lang in season 2.

★ 'Chef Pisghetti' and 'Netti': An Italian chef and his wife who own a restaurant in the city. The Chef has always wanted to cook and is always trying weird new foods. His name is a reference to the way some toddlers pronounce the word "spaghetti." His voiced is provided by Jim Cummings.

★ 'Gnocchi': Chef Pisghetti's pet cat, who is often caught up in George's adventures. She frequently removes or loses her blue bow, which Chef Pisghetti replaces. She is voiced by Frank Welker.

★ 'Steve and Betsy': Two kids from George's neighborhood in the city who are brother and sister and (along with their mother) own Charkie as a pet. They also have an Aunt Margaret. Steve likes video games and is always "going for a record" of some kind. Betsey is often pulling a red wagon. Steve is voiced by Elizabeth Daily and Betsy by Grey DeLisle.

★ 'Charkie': A black cocker spaniel. She is voiced by Frank Welker.

★ 'Professor Wiseman': A scientist friend of George and the Man. In different episodes she is seen to be a rocket scientist and to work at a local museum. voiced by Laraine Newman in season 1 and Rolanda Watts in season 2.

★ 'Compass': The Doorman's homing pigeon, who has a terrible sense of direction. Rob Paulsen provides Compass' cooing.

★ 'Andie, Stig, & Stew': Firefighter members of Rescue Squad 86 who play in a band with the Man with the Yellow Hat.

★ 'Mr. Glass': Owns a building and hires window washers in the City. George uncovered a catastrophic flaw in a second building he was making. Voiced by Rob Paulsen.

★ 'Bill': George's neighbor from across the street in the country. He owns a hutch of bunnies and has a paper route. He also likes to fly kites, but seems to be acrophobic. His catchphrase is, "there's a proper way to...." Bill apparently does not realize that George is a monkey and often refers to him as a "city kid." Voiced by Annie Mumolo.

★ 'Jumpy Squirrel': George's friend who likes to stay in trees, but often gets caught up in George's adventures. He is voiced by Jim Cummings.

★ 'The Renkins': A couple who own a farm near the country house. They have horses, cows, pigs, chickens, and bees, all of which provide sources for adventures. George also sometimes borrows materials from them, including a water pump and scrap lumber. Mr. Renkins is voiced by Jeff Bennett. Mrs. Renkins is voiced by Kath Soucie.

★ 'Mr. and Mrs. Quint': Mr. Quint is one of George's country friends, 'Clint Quint' is an avid fisherman and a quintuplet. His siblings are sister who is a track runner ('Sprint'), a brother who is a train master ('Flint'), a brother who is a police officer ('Wint'), and a sister who prints money ('Mint'). Mr. Quint is voiced by Jim Cummings.

★ 'Lucky': Lucky is Professor Wiseman's kitten, introduced in season 2. Lucky is voiced by Debbie Derryberry.

Locations

★ 'The City': George and the Man with the Yellow Hat live in a spacious apartment with a balcony at 7 "N" Avenue. The apartment has a kitchen and large living/dining room with four other rooms. George and the Man with the Yellow Hat each have their own bedrooms on the right side of the hall. The bathroom is on the left. There is another door on the left which has not been shown open. The Doorman keeps a pigeon coop on the roof. The apartment is next to a grocery store (#9 N Avenue). It is near a park which has a small pond, the museum where 'Dr. Wiseman' works, and a zoo. 'Chef Pisghetti''s restaurant is nearby, as are a donut shop, toy store and a pet shop which are recurring locations.

★ 'The Country': George and the Man with the Yellow Hat vacation in a small house in the country. His neighbors include Bill, who lives next door with his pet bunnies (Bill's parents have not been seen, although his mother's voice is heard once); the Renkins, and Mr. and Mrs. Quint. The house is near Lake Wanasink Lake, a stream, and a river that eventually flows past the city and to the ocean. There is also a coast fairly close to the house, where George and Bill end up after being swept away in a hot air balloon.

Funding

★ Shea Homes

★ Chuck E. Cheese's

★ Amazon.com

★ Sun Maid

★ Viewers Like You

★ Thank You

DVDS

These are only in the television series.

★ Curious George's Zoo Night and Other Animal Stories – February 2007

★ Curious George's Rocket Ride – May 2007

★ Curious George Takes a Job and More Monkey Business – August 2007

Press Commentary

At the start of the second season, the Boston Globe noted that "Curious George" was at the top of the national ratings among preschoolers 2 to 5. The show is also at the top of the ratings among women with children under 3.
When the show was developed, educational advisors suggested using it to teach science, math, and engineering concepts. Episodes are often structured around a "try-fail" series of incidents, which proved to be a good way to show scientific inquiries. There was some controversy abou George's eyes, which in the series have whites and pupils; in the original books they are black dots. The studio felt the whites and pupils design was necessary to help George express emotions since neither he, nor any of the other animal characters, talk.
See Weiss, PBS's old-line 'Curious George' resonates with modern preschoolers, Boston Globe, 9/6/07

External links

★ PBS Kids: Official Site

★