Seven Little Monsters (TV series) explained

Runtime:	26 minutes
Genre:	Fantasy Comedy
Based On:	Seven Little Monsters by Maurice Sendak
Director:	Neil Affleck Lynn Reist Glenn Sylvester
Voices:	Joanne Vannicola Colin Mochrie Dwayne Hill Seán Cullen Michele Scarabelli Debra McGrath
Theme Music Composer:	Barenaked Ladies
Opentheme:	"Seven Little Monsters"
Composer:	Lesley Barber
Executive Producer:	Michael Hirsh John B. Carls Patrick Loubert (S1–2) Clive A. Smith (S1–2) Tom Pong (S1–2) Frank Sapertein (S1–2) Maurice Sendak Scott Dyer (S3) Mimbi L. Eloriaga (S3)
Company:	Nelvana Limited Suzhou Hong Ying Animation Company Limited (S1–2) Philippine Animation Studio Inc. (S3)
Country:	Canada China (S1–2) Philippines (S3)
Language:	English Chinese Filipino
Network:	Treehouse TV (S1–2) YTV (S3)
Num Episodes:	40
Num Seasons:	3

Seven Little Monsters, or 7 Little Monsters, is a Canadian animated children's television series about a family of seven monsters and their mother.^[1] It is based on the book of the same name by Maurice Sendak and directed by Neil Affleck, Lynn Reist, and Glenn Sylvester. It was co-produced by Nelvana Limited, Suzhou Hong Ying Animation Corporation Limited for the first two seasons and Philippine Animation Studio Inc. for the third season, produced in association with Treehouse TV and PBS.

Premise

The show that focuses on seven monsters (Brothers Two, Three, Four, Five, and Seven and Sisters One and Six), each named after a different number from one to seven, and each has unique physical characteristics.

Characters

One (voiced by Joanne Vannicola) is the oldest and the only monster who can fly. She is a tomboy, a natural athlete who loves sports, and somewhat of a tattletale. She often gets her siblings into trouble, but still cares deeply for them.
Two (voiced by Colin Mochrie) is the most helpful of the monsters and has a prominent nose which he often "sticks in where it doesn't belong".
Three (voiced by Dwayne Hill) is a dramatic monster who takes on a different personality and voice in every episode, often to the dismay of others.
Four (voiced by Seán Cullen) is always bad-tempered and grumpy. He is normally seen with his younger brother Five.
Five (voiced by Seán Cullen) is the biggest and most childlike of the monsters who speaks few words with a thick speech impediment. He has an enormous tongue and a voracious appetite.
Six (voiced by Michele Scarabelli) is the resident ballerina of the group who thinks she is the most beautiful of the monsters. Unlike her sister One, she has more feminine interests. She wears a purple leotard with a white tutu, has a star wand, and speaks with a US accent.
Seven (voiced by Seán Cullen) is the youngest who has the ability to unscrew his head. He is the most gentle and timid monster who is afraid of bugs and is fond of cheese, and speaks in a Boris Karloff-esque voice.
Mom (voiced by Debra McGrath) is the mother of the seven monsters. A kindly, babushka-wearing witch, she is much smaller than her children and speaks with a European accent.
Mary is the monsters' psychedelic neighbour 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 is Five's pet turtle.
Belinda is the monster family's pet cow.
Freddie is Mary's pet dog.

Music

The theme song was performed by the Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies, who also performed the theme to CBS’ The Big Bang Theory.

Production and Broadcast

The show initially started airing in the U.S. on PBS, as a segment on the weekend PBS Kids Bookworm Bunch block, on September 30, 2000.^[2] The first season ended on December 23, 2000, with repeats of the first season continuing through October 2001. The second season ran from November 3, 2001 to January 26, 2002, again during the Bookworm Bunch block. Repeats of the second season continued until September 2004, when the Bookworm Bunch was discontinued.

The third season premiered on January 6, 2003 on PBS, and was paired with The Berenstain Bears in the same half-hour timeslot on weekdays; thus, new episodes were only 15 minutes in duration, as opposed to 30 minutes for the first two seasons.^[3] The Berenstain Bears began filling the entire half-hour timeslot on most PBS member stations starting September 15, 2003,^[4] resulting in some episodes of the third season of Seven Little Monsters never being broadcast on PBS. Some PBS stations continued airing episodes of the third season until August 2004.^[5]

In Canada, it was aired on Treehouse TV from February 4, 2001 to February 3, 2002. The series was then moved to YTV from 2002 to 2005. In the United Kingdom, it was aired on Tiny Pop in 2004.

Episodes

Season 1 (2000)

All episodes in this season are directed by Glenn Sylvester. These episodes aired as segments on the PBS Kids Bookworm Bunch.

Season 2 (2001–02)

All episodes in this season are directed by Neil Affleck.

Season 3 (2003)

Note: In the U.S., All the episodes in season 3 (except for episodes 37 and 40) aired with The Berenstain Bears on PBS Kids.

Notes and References

Book: Erickson . Hal . Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 . 2005 . 2nd . McFarland & Co . 978-1476665993 . 729–730.
Web site: Bedford. Karen E.. PBS debuts 'Bookworm Bunch,' 2000 - Current.org. May 3, 2017. Current.org. en-US.
The Berenstain Bears(R) Bring 40 Years of Literary History to 'PBS KIDS' With Premiere of 15-Minute Animated TV Series. https://web.archive.org/web/20170822181921/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-berenstain-bearsr-bring-40-years-of-literary-history-to-pbs-kids-with-premiere-of-15-minute-animated-tv-series-76827102.html. January 22, 2021. 2017-08-22.
Award-Winning PBS KIDS® Launches New Programming This Fall 2003. May 3, 2017.
Web site: 2004-08-17 . WGTE - TV 30 Schedule . https://web.archive.org/web/20040817064450/http://wgte.org/tv30/tvschedule_month.asp?ch=WGTE . 2004-08-17 . 2022-07-10 .