A Little Curious

A Little Curious is a children's television show which has aired on HBO Family since 1998, lasting for just two seasons (1998–1999), and (1999-2000). The 23-minute episodes are essentially anthologies of shorts centered on a common, easily digested theme such as "Up and Down" or "Slippery." While each short draws from the same pool of characters, one unique element of the show is that each short may be produced using one of a number of animation techniques, such as stop-motion, Flash animation, traditional 2-D cel animation, and 3-D CGI, along with live-action segments narrated by Bob the Ball. Some of the shorts are designed to fit more than one theme, and are re-used in a number of different episodes.

The show, produced by Curious Pictures and HBO Family (HBO for the first 6 episodes), is aimed at preschoolers. The "pool" of characters, generally based on everyday objects, include:

• Bob the Ball, a boisterous, exuberant bouncing red rubber ball.
• Doris the Door, a door, who, while playful, is easily tired. Doris often talks about her distant childhood.
• Little Cup, a cute, woefully 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, fussy bit of string who can twist and tie himself into a multitude of shapes. He also bears a striking resemblance to Earthworm Jim.
• Mop, a teenaged, rock music-loving mop who often changes her "hairstyle."
• Pad and Pencil, a presumably married drawing pad and pencil couple who constantly fawn over each other through French accents à la Lumiére and Fifi/Babette in Beauty and the Beast.
• Plush, a stuffed dog who is one of Bob's best friends.
• The Shoe Family, a family of pairs of shoes with footwear-themed names such as "Mary Jane." The parents are Mrs. Shoe and Mr. Shoe and the children are Lacey and Mary Jane. In "A Little Curious About Life", they had a baby brother named Booties.

The characters appear to be designed to evoke a sense of familiarity in preschoolers. For instance, young children can see aspects of their own personalities in Bob and Little Cup, observe the family dynamic among the Shoe Family, and perhaps most obviously, see a bit of their grandparents in Doris the door.

Episode list

References

External links

• A Little Curious at HBO Family
• A Little Curious at the Internet Movie Database