Seven Little Monsters (TV series)
Maurice Sendak's Seven Little Monsters, or 7 Little Monsters, is a 2000-2003 Canadian-Chinese-Filipino children's television program about a family of seven monsters and their mother.[1] The series, based on the book of the same name, was created by Maurice Sendak and directed by Neil Affleck, Lynn Reist, and Glenn Sylvestor. Each monster is named after a different number from one to seven, and each has unique physical characteristics.
| Maurice Sendak's Seven Little Monsters | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Children's show Fantasy Comedy |
| Created by | Maurice Sendak |
| Directed by | Neil Affleck Lynn Reist Glenn Sylvestor |
| Voices of | Joanne Vannicola Colin Mochrie Dwayne Hill Seán Cullen Michele Scarabelli Debra McGrath John Ritter |
| Opening theme | "Seven Little Monsters" by Barenaked Ladies |
| Country of origin | Canada China (Seasons 1 & 2) Philippines (Season 3) |
| Original language(s) | English Spanish Chinese |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 40 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 26 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Wild Things Productions Nelvana Limited Hong Ying Animation (Seasons 1 & 2) Philippine Animation Studio Inc. (Season 3) |
| Release | |
| Original network | PBS Kids (U.S.) YTV (Canada) |
| Picture format | 480i (4:3 SDTV) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | September 30, 2000 – October 6, 2003 |
The series was aired on PBS Kids stations, most notably WNET, as part of the PBS Kids Bookworm Bunch from 2000–2002, and made an individual PBS debut in the same year along with George Shrinks and The Berenstain Bears, and was shown from 2003–2007 on YTV. The series was produced by Wild Things Productions (uncredited), Nelvana, Suzhou Hong Ying Animation Corporation Limited for the first two seasons and Philippine Animation Studio Inc. (PASI Animation) for the third season from 2000–2002, in association with Treehouse TV and PBS.
The 40-episode series debuted in 2000, aired its final episode in 2003 and reruns continued until September 15 of that same year. However some Select member PBS stations including the PBS Kids Channel, continued to air the series with The Berenstain Bears until August 2004.
The theme song was performed by the Canadian band, Barenaked Ladies.
Characters
- One (Joanne Vannicola): The oldest, One has wings and is a natural athlete. She is a tomboy, and somewhat of a tattletale, often getting her siblings into trouble but still cares very much for them. She is the only monster who flies.
- Two (Colin Mochrie): The most helpful of the monsters, Two has a prominent nose which he often "sticks in where it doesn't belong". In the second episode, "Good Night!", before Two and his family move to Centerville, he is very troublesome when he leads everyone into a forest full of fairy tales that almost causes them to lose their way home thanks to getting into "Snow White" and "Goldilocks & The Three Bears".
- Three (Dwayne Hill): The most dramatic monster, Three takes on a new voice and personality in every episode which can often lead to trouble with his brothers and sisters. The only times his normal voice and personality is used are in the episodes "Good Night!", in a storybook, "Are You My Family?", the beginning of "All's Quiet on the Monster Front", and for a few portions of "And Baby Makes Eight". His normal voice is also heard very briefly in "Ahoy, Me Monsters!" when he opens up a letter. His normal personality can also be seen at the end of "Please Mr. Postman", although his normal voice is not heard. His normal personality also is seen in the opening sequence as well as at the end of "Good Morning!".
- Four (Seán Cullen): The middle child who is the epitome of rambunctious angst in his family, he is often seen with his brother Five. Despite his grumpy personality, he deeply loves Five. He often would ask what is Three's new personality for the day and sometimes groans when peeved.
- Five (Seán Cullen): The most childlike of the monsters, he speaks very few words and has a thick speech impediment when he does. Five has a voracious appetite and loves his brothers and sisters very much. Sometimes his silly antics annoy Four. He has an enormous tongue which he can control in various ways. He would usually say sorry for every mistake he makes.
- Six (Michele Scarabelli): The resident ballerina of the group, Six thinks she is the most beautiful of the monsters. Unlike her sister One, she has more feminine interests. She wears a purple tutu and holds a star wand. She speaks with a Queens accent.
- Seven (Seán Cullen): The youngest and tallest member of the family. Seven has the ability to unscrew his head. Despite his frightening appearance, he is the most gentle and timid monster and is afraid of bugs. He also loves cheese, he always asks for the definition of any vocabulary he has never heard before and speaks in a voice similar to English actor Boris Karloff.
- Mom (Debra McGrath): The mother of the seven monsters, she is a kindly, babushka-wearing witch. She is about half the size of her children and speaks with a Polish accent, often with poor sentence structure.
- Mary (Tara Strong (uncredited)): The monsters' hippie neighbor and good friend. She is the leader of a club called the Purple Pixies, which consists of other club members: Wendy (the only one who talks beside Mary), Angela, and Kate, who dislikes Six, and, always has a gloomy angry look.
- Sam: Five's pet turtle.
- Belinda: The monster family's pet cow.
- Freddie: Mary's pet dog.
Episodes
Season 1 (2000)
All episodes in this season are directed by Glenn Sylvestor.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Written by | Original air date (PBS) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Good Morning!" | Jeph Loeb | September 30, 2000 | |
| The seven monsters are sent by Mom to buy some milk. However, this results in chaos when Six falls asleep on the bus and when Seven loses his head. | |||||
| 2 | 2 | "Good Night!" | Jeph Loeb | October 7, 2000 | |
| The seven monsters have a hard time getting some sleep, so Mom tells them a bedtime story. | |||||
| 3 | 3 | "The Mystery of the Missing Five" | Seán Cullen | October 14, 2000 | |
| Five goes around town to prove he's a good boy after Four hurt his feelings. Three goes detective to help the others find him. | |||||
| 4 | 4 | "Seven Monsters and a Baby" | Matthew Daniel Weisman | October 21, 2000 | |
| The seven monsters take charge of chores in the house so Mama can have a restful nap. This gets complicated when they have to babysit Mrs. Mulligan's baby. | |||||
| 5 | 5 | "Are You My Family?" | Ian Weir | October 28, 2000 | |
| Upset by One's hurtful remarks, Six goes away to find a new family. Meanwhile, the other monsters are in disarray without Six to help them prepare for Mother's Day. | |||||
| 6 | 6 | "Please Mr. Postman" | Matthew Daniel Weisman | November 4, 2000 | |
| Two misses a trip to the park to wait for an important package. The monsters also need their picture taken, except that Seven's head is missing. | |||||
| 7 | 7 | "Doctor, Doctor!" | John Pellatt and Kenn Scott | November 11, 2000 | |
| Two catches a cold, so the other monsters try to help him get better so he can come with them to the movies. | |||||
| 8 | 8 | "Along Came Mary" | Seán Cullen | November 18, 2000 | |
| Mary has moved in next door. The monsters compete to be her best friend, until she tells them they are equally groovy. | |||||
| 9 | 9 | "A Monster's Best Friend" | Michael Thoma | November 25, 2000 | |
| The monsters bring home a puppy as a pet. They learn to train and love the puppy and win back Belinda's affections. | |||||
| 10 | 10 | "Spooky" | Matthew Daniel Weisman | December 2, 2000 | |
| The power goes out during a thunderstorm and the monsters are scared. | |||||
| 11 | 11 | "Plooky" | Seán Cullen | December 9, 2000 | |
| When Mom wins a video camera, Four becomes a movie director and he orders the rest of the monsters to make a video with him. | |||||
| 12 | 12 | "Fair Play" | John Pellatt and Kenn Scott | December 16, 2000 | |
| Seven teaches all the monsters to work as a team to win the big soccer game. | |||||
| 13 | 13 | "Lost and Found" | Seán Cullen | December 23, 2000 | |
| When Five finds a wallet with money at the park, the monsters find out that it's not their money. They learn that honesty is the best policy. | |||||
Season 2 (2001–02)
All episodes in this season are directed by Neil Affleck.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Written by | Original air date (PBS) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "Losing Sam" | Seán Cullen | November 3, 2001 | |
| Five wins a pet turtle called Sam. But when Sam goes missing, Five and the other monsters must cooperate with Sam's track. | |||||
| 15 | 2 | "Out of Sight" | Michael Thoma | November 10, 2001 | |
| One can't see properly so the monsters go to the optometrist to help her educate and see properly. | |||||
| 16 | 3 | "All the Marbles" | Jeph Loeb, John Pellatt and Kenn Scott | November 17, 2001 | |
| When Seven sees a Monster Marbles toy on TV, he is fascinated with them and when the Monsters buy a birthday present for Mary, Seven buys the marbles. | |||||
| 17 | 4 | "The Whole Tooth" | Seán Cullen | November 24, 2001 | |
| Six is losing a baby tooth and she has to learn what loose teeth are. | |||||
| 18 | 5 | "My Fair One" | Seán Cullen and Sheila Dinsmore | December 1, 2001 | |
| One plays baseball with Billy and Six must help One become a baseball player. | |||||
| 19 | 6 | "Splitting Hairs" | Michael Thoma | December 8, 2001 | |
| Two is lacking in confidence prior to appearing as a contestant on his favorite game show. | |||||
| 20 | 7 | "Elephant!" | David Boswell | December 15, 2001 | |
| Four meets an elephant named Wendy. When Four and Wendy come home from the zoo, Four learns that animals need friends. | |||||
| 21 | 8 | "A Day at the Firehouse" | Seán Cullen | December 22, 2001 | |
| The monsters visit Chief Lubomir to learn about fire safety. | |||||
| 22 | 9 | "Runaway Mom" | Michael Thoma | December 29, 2001 | |
| After Mom was angry at her monsters for building a hot air balloon made out of pieces of the house and sent them to their room, the monsters think that Mom ran away. | |||||
| 23 | 10 | "You are What You Eat" | Seán Cullen | January 5, 2002 | |
| The County Fair is approaching and everyone is excited about the contest. | |||||
| 24 | 11 | "April Fools" | Seán Cullen | January 12, 2002 | |
| The monsters write a play despite everyone's input, but Five and Four want comedy. They annoy the other monsters with practical jokes until they teach them a lesson. | |||||
| 25 | 12 | "It's a Wonder-Four Life" | Seán Cullen | January 19, 2002 | |
| Four wishes he was an only child but he is surprised that he learns that his wish comes true. | |||||
| 26 | 13 | "The Adventures of Super Three" | David Boswell and Matthew Daniel Weisman | January 26, 2002 | |
| The monsters pretend that they are the superheroes and villains in this world and make a mess in the basement rather than cleaning. | |||||
Season 3 (2003)
Note: In the United States, All the episodes in Season 3 (except for episodes 37 & 40) aired with The Berenstain Bears on PBS Kids.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Written by | Directed by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27a | 1a | "All's Quiet on the Monster Front" | Kim Thompson | Neil Affleck | January 8, 2003 (on PBS Kids) | |
| 27b | 1b | "Nightmare on Chestnut Street" | Seán Cullen | Neil Affleck | January 17, 2003 (on PBS Kids) | |
| 28a | 2a | "Ear Spy" | Johanna Stein | Lynn Reist | January 14, 2003 (on PBS Kids) | |
| 28b | 2b | "Bang! Zoom! To The Moon" | Seán Cullen | Lynn Reist | January 7, 2003 (on PBS Kids) | |
| 29a | 3a | "My Favorite Crustacean" | Kim Thompson | Neil Affleck | January 23, 2003 (on PBS Kids) | |
| One's insistence to keep a growing Hermit Crab from their beach trip slowly inconveniences her siblings. | ||||||
| 29b | 3b | "Pennies for Seven" | Michael Thoma | Neil Affleck | January 24, 2003 (on PBS Kids) | |
| The monsters compete to raise the most money for Sing Song the Panda's new home at the zoo. | ||||||
| 30a | 4a | "The Nose Knows" | Seán Cullen | Lynn Reist | January 27, 2003 (on PBS Kids) | |
| 30b | 4b | "Gone But Not Four-Gotten" | Johanna Stein | Lynn Reist | January 28, 2003 (on PBS Kids) | |
| 31a | 5a | "High Noon" | Seán Cullen | Neil Affleck | January 15, 2003 (on PBS Kids) | |
| 31b | 5b | "The Winning Streak" | Seán Cullen | Neil Affleck | January 29, 2003 (on PBS Kids) | |
| Spurred on by hopes of winning a trophy and creamed corn, Six competes in a bowling tournament. | ||||||
| 32a | 6a | "A Clean Sweep" | Kim Thompson | Lynn Reist | January 30, 2003 (on PBS Kids) | |
| 32b | 6b | "The Two Who Cried Ouch!" | Seán Cullen | Lynn Reist | January 31, 2003 (on PBS Kids) | |
| 33a | 7a | "The Monster Trash" | Johanna Stein | Neil Affleck | February 3, 2003 (on PBS Kids) | |
| 33b | 7b | "The Bad Hop" | Seán Cullen | Neil Affleck | February 4, 2003 (on PBS Kids) | |
| 34a | 8a | "A Five-y Tale" | Kim Thompson | Lynn Reist | February 5, 2003 (on PBS Kids) | |
| 34b | 8b | "The Big Store" | Seán Cullen | Lynn Reist | February 6, 2003 (on PBS Kids) | |
| 35a | 9a | "Dinner for Breakfast" | Michael Thoma | Neil Affleck | January 21, 2003 (on PBS Kids) | |
| Via a wish to the Plooky, the monsters' desire for everything being opposite to what it's supposed to be turns the world backwards. | ||||||
| 35b | 9b | "Drip, Drip, Drip!" | Seán Cullen | Neil Affleck | January 10, 2003 (on PBS Kids) | |
| Four's negligence in turning off the water at home causes a drought during a heatwave. | ||||||
| 36a | 10a | "I'm Telling" | Johanna Stein | Lynn Reist | January 16, 2003 (on PBS Kids) | |
| One's constant tattling on her siblings ruins their plans of a backyard camp out. | ||||||
| 36b | 10b | "Voyage To the Bottom Of the Cereal Box" | Seán Cullen | Lynn Reist | January 6, 2003 (on PBS Kids) | |
| Three gets his hopes up waiting for a submarine from his favorite cereal. | ||||||
| 37a | 11a | "The Bad Word" | Seán Cullen | Neil Affleck | October 2, 2003 (on YTV) | |
| 37b | 11b | "Don't Pass Go" | Seán Cullen | Neil Affleck | October 3, 2003 (on YTV) | |
| 38a | 12a | "Ahoy, Me Monsters" | Kim Thompson | Lynn Reist | January 13, 2003 (on PBS Kids) | |
| 38b | 12b | "A Pony Tale" | Kim Thompson | Lynn Reist | January 22, 2003 (on PBS Kids) | |
| 39a | 13a | "No Place like Home" | Michael Thoma | Neil Affleck | January 20, 2003 (on PBS Kids) | |
| When Uncle Schmooty offers to swap his mansion for the family home, One and the others learn that bigger doesn't necessarily mean better. | ||||||
| 39b | 13b | "Guys and Dolls" | Seán Cullen | Neil Affleck | January 9, 2003 (on PBS Kids) | |
| Upon catching Five playing with dolls, Four disastrously attempts to get his brother to pursue masculine pursuits. | ||||||
| 40a | 14a | "And Baby Makes Eight" | Johanna Stein | Lynn Reist | October 6, 2003 (on YTV) | |
| Three masquerades as a baby to get the attention he wants, but then realizes this means missing out on the meteor shower tonight. | ||||||
| 40b | 14b | "These Are Our Lives!" | Seán Cullen | Lynn Reist | October 1, 2003 (on YTV) | |
| A quarrelsome Four and Five consider disowning each other, until their mom tells them to clean out the garage together. | ||||||
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gollark: It would be annoying to split out stuff between two chunks.
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gollark: Yes.
gollark: I also need to chunkload stuff like the MELON™ supply.
References
- Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 729–730. ISBN 978-1476665993.
External links
- Seven Little Monsters at Nelvana.com
- Seven Little Monsters on IMDb
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