Curious George (PBS Kids TV Series)

Curious George is an American animated television series based on the children's book series of the same name which casts Jeff Bennett as the voice of The Man with the Yellow Hat. Frank Welker, who voiced George in the 2006 feature film returns here as the voice of Curious George. As of April 2016, the show premiered in September 4, 2006 on PBS Kids' preschool-aimed block, and it began airing on its 24-hour channel in October 2020 while Season 10 was premiered on NBCU's streaming service Peacock in a few months later. As of 2022, the show continues to air daily.

Revival title

Curious George is a production of Universal 1440 Entertainment (Universal Studios Family Productions before 2012), Imagine Entertainment, and WGBH Boston, and animated by Toon City. Each episode has two shorts per half-hour episode and a live-action segment (similar to Arthur and Cyberchase) after each story.

Synopsis

The show illustrates and explains various concepts in math and science and each live-action segment centers schoolchildren engaging in experiments that teach the math or science concept featured in the previous episode.

Settings

• The City: George and the Man with the Yellow Hat live in an apartment in "The City". The Doorman keeps a pigeon coop on the roof and is the guardian of Hundley, his dachshund dog. The apartment is near Endless Park, the museum where Professor Wiseman works, and a zoo. Chef Pisghetti's restaurant is nearby, as are a donut shop, Dulson's Toy Store, Mabel's Department Store, a supermarket and a pet shop. These are recurring locations.
• The Country: George and the Man with the Yellow Hat vacation in a small house in the country. The house is near Lake Wanasink Lake, a stream, and a river that finallt flows past the city and to the ocean.

Characters

Animals

• Curious George: George, a tailless monkey, is the show's titular character. As his name implies, he is very curious, a trait which helps him to learn, but which also often gets him into trouble. He is used as the "teachable" character in the show, and he's the one to whom new concepts are explained in detail by the other characters; the viewers learn the new concept along with George. He is voiced by Frank Welker.
• Hundley: The Doorman's dachshund. He's a very neat dog who wants his lobby clean, tidy, and dignified. He doesn't care for George, as the lobby frequently becomes messy as a result of George's activities. Hundley's allergic to some cats, including Professor Wiseman's kitten Lucky, but not to Chef Pisghetti's cat Gnocchi. He is voiced by Jim Cummings.
• Compass: The Doorman's homing pigeon, who has a terrible sense of direction. Because of this, he's referred to as an "Almost-Homing Pigeon". Rob Paulsen provides Compass' cooing.
• Jumpy Squirrel: George's squirrel friend who likes to stay in trees, but often gets caught up in George's adventures in the country. He doesn't like surprises. A recurring joke in the series when Jumpy gets caught in a situation with George and the narrator says "At that moment Jumpy remembered why he always stayed in trees." He is voiced by Jim Cummings.
• Gnocchi: Chef Pisghetti's pet cat, who's 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.
• Charkie: A black cocker spaniel. She is very bouncy and playful, but she often escapes from home. She is voiced by Rob Paulsen.
• Bill's Bunnies: There are seven baby bunnies that belong to Bill. Their names are Fuzzy, Whitey, Brownie, Spotty, Black Ears, Cotton Tail, and Herbert Nenninger. He also owns their mother (Ma Rabbit), whose burrowing abilities are important in several episodes. They are all voiced by Frank Welker. (In Curious George's Bunny Hunt, Herbert Nenninger's a brownish-tan color. In Bee is for Bear, he is white. However in Curious George's Bunny Hunt, the only white bunny is Whitey.)

Humans

• The Man with the Yellow Hat: The man who first befriended George and also acts as his primary teacher. He doesn't wear his hat while at home but always puts it on while going out. It's unclear what he does for a living, but in "Curious George and the Invisible Sound" he has been asked to survey animals around the country house, and in "The Fully Automatic Monkey Fun Hat", Dr. Wiseman has asked him to give a speech about the scientific method. He owns 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 Mountain and placed 17th in a marathon. His real name is Ted Shackleford, and his name will first-time shown in upcoming 2018 revival. He is voiced by Jeff Bennett.
• The Doorman: The doorman for the apartment building that George & the Man with the Yellow Hat live in. When on duty, he wears red clothes like a British Sentry Guard but with a red cap. When he went camping with George & Hundley, he wore an outfit somewhat similar to that of a Canadian Mountie. He is very friendly and always liked to see George. He keeps a coop of homing pigeons on the roof of the building. Like the Man with the Yellow Hat, the Doorman's name is never mentioned. He is voiced by Rob Paulsen in the first season and now Carlos Alazraqui in the season 2.
• Professor Wiseman: A scientist friend of George and the Man. In different episodes she's seen to be a rocket scientist and to work at a local museum. She is voiced by Rolonda Watts.
• Chef Pisghetti & 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 strange new recipes. His name is a reference to the way some toddlers pronounce the word "spaghetti." The chef's voice is provided by Jim Cummings and Netti is by [4]Susan Silo.
• 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 Elizabeth Daily.
• 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 an acrophobic. His catchphrase is, "There's a proper way to ...." Bill apparently doesn't realize that George's a monkey & often refers to him as a "city kid." Bill's voiced by Annie Mumolo.
• Steve & Betsy: Two siblings from George's neighborhood in the city. They live with their aunt Margaret and their dog, Charkie. Steve likes video games and is always "going for a record" of some kind. He is the oldest child of the sibling duo, and is always getting ideas about how to solve a problem. He often tells George, "I'm in 5th grade. This has to work." In the episode Piñata Vision, their aunt called him by his full name, Steven. Betsy's often pulling a red wagon. Steve is voiced by E.G. Daily and Betsy is voiced by Grey DeLisle-Griffin.
• Mr. Glass: Owns a building known as "The Glass Palace" and hires window washers in the city. George uncovers a catastrophic flaw in a building which Mr. Glass was constructing. He likes things to be unique ever since George painted a jungle-themed room in The Glass Palace. Voiced by Rob Paulsen.
• Mr. Zoobel: George's upstairs neighbor in the city. Mr. Zoobel's a painter in a modern (non-representational) style who sometimes uses stamps shaped like animal feet. He has a de-scented pet skunk named Geoffrey, a gopher snake named Bruno and two mice named Benjy and Willy. He sometimes gets carried away making his art. When he first moved in, he used the stamps so much it made a loud stomping noise in George's apartment downstairs making George think he lived with an elephant. He is voiced by Jim Cummings.

Minor

Animals

• Benji & Willie: Mr. Zoobel's pet mice who are respectively black and white. They feel cooped up in their small terrarium and long for freedom. They are afraid of Zoobel's gopher snake Bruno because of the fact that snakes eat mice. Their squeaks are provided by Frank Welker.
• Bruno: Mr. Zoobel's pet gopher snake who only eats once a day. He sheds his skin three times a year. Like many snakes, he likes sunshine. He has no voice.
• Doxie: Doxie is another dachshund who was introduced in Season 2. She is almost identical to Hundley in appearance, except that she wears a red collar; however, unlike Hundley, Doxie is bouncy and playful and is voiced by Frank Welker, instead of Jim Cummings.
• Fluffy: In the episode Monkey Fever, Fluffy was a cat who belonged to Betsy's friend and had six kittens. Betsy brought one of the kittens over to George's apartment to show him. Voiced by Frank Welker.
• Geoffrey:Mr. Zoobel's pet skunk. He is unscented and domesticated.
• Leslie: Leslie is a cow, owned by the Renkins. She's a great friend of George. Voiced by Rob Paulsen.
• Little Mike: Mike is a pig owned by the Renkins. He first appears in Ski Monkey, when he is stranded in the snow. He also appears in Old McGeorgie had a Farm.
• Lucky: Lucky is Professor Wiseman's kitten, introduced in season 2. She likes Hundley, although Hundley is allergic to her. Lucky is voiced by Debi Derryberry. Voiced by Frank Welker.
• Oscar: A white pig owned by the Renkins who won the "prettiest pig" contest in (Old McGeorgie had a Farm).
• Soo Berm: An elephant who works at the zoo as a painter. Every one of her paintings is unique. She signs a painting by marking it with her trunk with green paint when she is done.
• Tracy: Tracy is a hen, owned by the Renkins. She has five (Up the River) or six (Old McGeorgie had a Farm and A Bridge to Farm) chicks who follow her around everywhere. The chicks also like George and often follow him around too. The chicks are curious just like George and are often wandering away from Tracy. The youngest of her chicks is named Al. Voiced by Rob Paulsen in the first season and Frank Welker in the second.

Humans

• Ada & Luke: A couple who own a general store in the country. The store gives a free pickle to anyone who comes and visits. Eva is voiced by Kath Soucie and Luke by Rob Paulsen.
• Andie, Stig, & Stew: Firefighter members of Rescue Squad 86 who play in a band with the Man with the Yellow Hat. They are confused as to why they never get "normal" calls. Andie is voiced by E.G. Daily, Stig by Rob Paulsen in season 1 and Jim Cummings in season 2 and Stew is voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.
• Calhoun The Gopher Getter: A gopher exterminator in the country who is nerdy and has buck teeth. He was hired by Mr. Renkins to eliminate a gopher family that was taking his grapes. After Calhoun resorted to bulldoze the Renkins' garden at a last attempt to catch the gophers, he was fired by Mr. Renkin. Oddly enough he looks similar to a gopher himself. He is voiced by Rob Paulsen.
• Cayley: Cayley owns a candy counter in Mabel's department store (a parody of Macy's, and likely a portmanteau name referencing both Macy's and its erstwhile competitor Gimbel's) in New York. She is voiced by Kari Wahlgren.
• Dorothy: Dorothy is the Doorman's sister. Voiced by Grey DeLisle-Griffin.
• Dr. Alvin Einstein: A rocket scientist who works with Dr. Wiseman and Dr. Pizza. He is not related to the famous scientist Albert Einstein. He often argues, fights and bickers with Professor Anthony Pizza over less-than-functional elements of a spaceship's design. He is voiced by Jim Cummings.
• Dr. Baker: Dr. Baker is The Man with the Yellow Hat's doctor. He is voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.
• Dr. Ghesund: Another doctor who works in the same office as Dr. Baker. His name is similar to the German word for "bless you", "Gesundheit." Voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.
• Dr. Raj Desai: A scientist that dug up all of the city Museum's dinosaur skeletons. He is very caring of his discoveries and only lets other scientists handle them. He is very forgetful though and his wife often tells him he'd forget his head if it weren't attached. His newest donated project to the museum had the incorrect skull; the skull to the older skeleton next to it.
• Grocer: He owns the grocery store near George's apartment building in the city, and has an adult son who helps him run the store. Voiced by Jim Cummings.
• Gwen & Sisly: The respectively women (the one is African-American and the other is white) who work at the city's dog pound. They appear as the duo-antagonists of the episode "Free Hundley."
• Mr. (Ken) Auger: A plumber always hired by The Man In The Yellow Hat to fix household plumbing problems. He always lets George watch him do his job. He is distressed at the fact that people never just call him over for a friendly visit.
• Mrs. Dulson: The eccentric owner of Dulson's Toy Store in the city. Her husband appears in Roller Monkey.
• Mr. and Mrs. Quint: Mr. Quint is one of George's country friends, Clint Quint is an avid fisherman and one of a set of quintuplets. His siblings include: sister who is a track runner (Sprint), a brother who is a train-station master (Flint), a brother who is a police officer (Wint), and a sister who prints money (Mint). All male Quints are voiced by Jim Cummings. All female Quints are voiced by Candi Milo.
• Mr. Reloj: Mr. Reloj owns a clock store and knows everything all about them. He walks very fast, but is forever late. His name is the Spanish word for clock. He is voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.
• Mrs. D.: Mrs. D. is an owner of a donut store in the city. Voiced by Kath Soucie.
• Mr. Ruffweek: A blimp pilot who flies the Ruffweek Blimp. The blimp flies over 7 N. Avenue once in the morning, and again at sunset. His name is a play on the words "Rough Week", perhaps referring to his tight schedule or a play on the "Good Year" Blimp. Voiced by Rob Paulsen.
• Professor Anthony Pizza: Another scientist who sent George on a mission. He is often arguing, fighting and bickering with Dr. Alvin Einstein over who came up with the idea for a non-functioning element of the spaceship's design. Voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.
• Rodney: An employee of a market in the city. (This market is not the grocery store which George normally visits; it is nearby street, and serves as that store's main competitor.) Rodney lost the annual Bag-A-Lympics competition due to his overconfidence. It's unknown that he would get his revenge on George. Voiced by Jim Cummings. He appears as the antagonist of the episode "Bag monkey"
• Uncle Tam: The Man With The Yellow Hat's cousin, who is dressed in green with a white shirt and lives in a castle in Scotland with a golf course. In the episode Castle Keep, he was going to be evicted from his castle because he could no longer find the castle's deed, which meant he would have to pay 400 years of back taxes. Voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.
• Zucchinis: A family of three acrobats renowned for their balance. They are friends of Chef Pisghetti. Voiced by Dee Bradley Baker, Candi Milo, Kath Soucie and Jim Cummings.
• Allie Renkins: The 5-year old redheaded granddaughter of Mrs. Renkins. Voiced by Lara Jill Miller.
• Dog Trainer Man: A man that is involved with dog shows and competitions. Mainly seen in "Curious George Dog Counter" and "Charkie Goes To School". (Curious George (TV series).

Voice cast

• Frank Welker — Curious George, Tony Pizza, Dumpling Duck, Stig, Flint Quint, Bill's Bunnies, Various characters
• Jeff Bennett — Ted Shackelford (credited as "The Man with the Yellow Hat"), Alvin Einstein, Mr. Renkins, Various characters
• William H. Macy (Season 1 only)
  Rino Romano — Narrator
• Rob Paulsen — Compass, Charkie, Mr. Glass, Hamilton the Pig, Jagger the Rooster, Blanche the Goat, Mr. Dulson, Mr. Ruffweek, Various characters
• Jim Cummings — Chef Pisghetti, Jumpy Squirrel, Mr. Quint, Rodney, Various characters
• Debi Derryberry — Gnocchi (Season 1 only), Lucky the Kitten, Mrs. Dulson
• Bill Chott (Season 1 only)
  Lex Lang — The Doorman, Hundley
• Dee Bradley Baker — Gnocchi
• B. J. Ward — Aunt Margaret
• E. G. Daily — Steve, Andie, Various characters
• Grey DeLisle — Betsy, Marco, Dorothy, Molly Zucchini, Various characters
• Susan Silo — Netti Pisghetti
• Lara Jill Miller — Allie
• Kevin Michael Richardson — Dr. Baker, Toots, Stew, Various characters
• James Arnold Taylor — Leo Zucchini
• Tara Strong — Claire Zucchini, Various characters
• Carlos Alazraqui — Mr. Zoobel
• Jess Harnell — Dinwoodie
• Amber Hood — Carla
• Annie Mumolo — Bill
• Rolonda Watts — Professor Wiseman
• Kath Soucie — Mrs. Renkins

Additional voices

• Christopher Ragland (season 9-11)
• John DiMaggio
• David Kaye
• Corey Burton
• Tom Kenny
• Keith Ferguson
• Fred Tatasciore
• Danny Mann
• Billy West
• Michael Donovan (season 4)
• Dave Fennoy
• John Cygan (season 1-7)
• Phil LaMarr
• Cathy Cavadini
• Cree Summer (season 4 only)
• Roger Craig Smith
• Jeff Bergman
• Bill Farmer
• Ian James Corlett (Season 7 only)
• Gregg Berger
• Dan Castellaneta (Season 1-5 only)
• Brian Cummings (Season 1-6)
• Will Ryan (season 1 and 2 only)
• Michael Bell (Season 2 only)
• Peter Cullen (season 1 only)
• Chuck McCann (Season 1, 2 and 3 only)
• Jack Angel (Season 1 and 2 only)
• Eric Bauza
• Rick Zieff
• Joe Alaskey (season 1-9)
• Cathy Cavadini
• Laraine Newman
• Russi Taylor (season 1 only)
• Brian George (Season 1-6)
• John O'Hurley (Season 1, 2 and 3 only)
• Rachael Lillis
• Charlie Adler (Season 7 only)
• Rodger Bumpass (season 8 only)
• Tress MacNeille
• James Adomian (Season 8-)
• Michael Bell (Season 1-4)
• Tim Curry (Season 1 only)
• Mona Marshall (season 2 only)
• Nolan North (season 4, 10-present)
• Khary Payton
• April Winchell
• Bob Bergen
• Scott Menville
• Janice Kawaye
• April Stewart
• Robin Atkin Downes
• Ben Diskin
• John Kassir
• Maurice LaMarhce
• Jason Marsden
• Trevor Devall
• Dana Snyder
• Troy Baker
• Clancy Brown

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 Wanasinklake. This allows George to mirror the experiences of kids who live in an metropolitan 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.

By 2015, a total of 9 seasons (108 episodes) had been aired, and then, the show went on a hiatus. The tenth season began airing on Family Jr. in Canada in 2018, and in the United States on Peacock in 2020. As of 2022, there is a total of 15 seasons, comprised of 198 episodes.[5]

List of Episodes

Awards

Emmy Award

• 2007 - Outstanding Children's Animated Program
• 2010 - Outstanding Children's Animated Program

External links

• Official website
• Curious George at the Internet Movie Database
• Curious George at TV.com

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