''Tiny Planets'' is an animated children's television series produced by

Sesame Workshop Sesame Workshop (SW), originally known as the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), is an American nonprofit organization and Television station, television company that has been responsible for the production of several educational children's ...

, and Pepper's Ghost Productions. The concept was designed and developed by Ed Taylor. The series consists of 65 five-minute, dialogue-free episodes featuring two white-furred extraterrestrials travelling their universe and solving a specific problem each episode.

Plot

Deep in the heart of the Tiny Universe lies the North Planet, where the main characters, two aliens named Bing and Bong, make their home. These two explorers are catapulted to the surrounding worlds in their

planetary system A planetary system is a set of gravity, gravitationally bound non-stellar Astronomical object, bodies in or out of orbit around a star or star system. Generally speaking, systems with one or more planets constitute a planetary system, although ...

on a flying white couch where they explore, learn about the inhabitants, develop friendships and have fun.

Characters

* Bing (voiced by Dashiell Tate) – The older and larger alien, his enormous appetite for exploring is dwarfed only by the endless supply of useful gadgets in an ever-present pouch. Wise and determined, he often takes the lead in adventures. Patient and thoughtful, he loves nothing more than a problem to be solved or a job to be done. He likes to help others and has an optimistic approach to life and its problems. He does not speak, but communicates with body language, expressive eyebrows, and humming sounds. * Bong (voiced by Kim Goody, the singer of the theme song) – The younger and smaller alien who is Bing's appealing, coy and impulsive best friend. Impish, playful, gregarious and incredibly compassionate, she is especially miserable when on bad terms with Bing. She loves to join in games and be the centre of attention. She does not speak but has an expressive face and a body, a high-pitched sound (which is cross between a grunt and a squeak), and a multi-decibel cry of joy. * Halley (also voiced by Kim Goody, the singer of the theme song) – A small wide-eyed insect who is named after the

comet A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that warms and begins to release gases when passing close to the Sun, a process called outgassing. This produces an extended, gravitationally unbound atmosphere or Coma (cometary), coma surrounding ...

who provides a running commentary from her flying saucer and "films" the action with a remote camera to provide a summary at the end of the episode. * Flockers – Creatures that live on each of the Tiny Planets, each with its own distinctive population. More often than not, it is these social creatures that Bing & Bong are helping out of a jam. Whether it is cleaning out-of-reach windows or fortifying a house to withstand wind, Flockers are a perpetual source of problems begging to be solved. They do not speak, but communicate with body language and call sounds. Their design varies depending on the planet; they have either one or two heads and either one or two legs. Only a few have arms. * Locals – Smaller inhabitants of the planets that can appear in greater numbers than the Flockers but are just as dim. They are mostly globular in shape with blinking eyes and little antennae on top of their heads. They do not speak, but they communicate by bouncing, blinking and squeaking. On certain planets, the Locals are geometric shapes – squares, circles and triangles. Locals are always colourful, appealing and friendly. * Robots – Segmented spherical creatures with mechanical arms and either wheels or helicopter rotors. Found mostly on the Tiny Planet of Technology, like all robots, they are linear thinkers attempting to multitask. They are there to help but do not always take instructions well. Thus, they are a challenge and Bing and Bong learn to work with them to get the best out of them.

Settings

There are six Tiny Planets that Bing and Bong travel to, in addition to their Home Planet. * Home Planet – Bing and Bong live on the Home Planet. From here, they set out every morning on a new adventure. It is an icy world, covered in snow-capped ice floes. Inside a giant crystal is Bing and Bong's home, decorated in a

steampunk Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and Applied arts, aesthetics inspired by, but not limited to, 19th-century Industrial Revolution, industrial steam engine, steam-powered machinery. Steampun ...

fashion, with much

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

work. The main and most notable feature is the fuzzy white couch that doubles as both their bed and their means of intergalactic travel. Tethered to the Home Planet by a

bungee cord file:Bungee Cord PICT6882a.jpg, Bungee cords equipped with metal hooks A bungee cord (sometimes spelled bungie; also known as a shock cord or an ocky strap) is an elastomer, elastic cord composed of one or more elastic strands forming a core, usua ...

it is launched into space by a monstrous

catapult A catapult is a ballistics, ballistic device used to launch a projectile at a great distance without the aid of gunpowder or other propellants – particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. A catapult uses the sudden rel ...

. * Tiny Planet of Nature – Bing and Bong discover weather, plants and animals, the power of wind and the way rain turns to snow. This is a verdant and lush world, with trees, lakes, mountains, forests and flowers. The seasons there are much like a temperate part of the world, with snow in winter, hot sun in summer and falling leaves in autumn. * Tiny Planet of Technology – Bing and Bong design gadgets to discover the properties of springs, wheels,

lever A lever is a simple machine consisting of a beam (structure), beam or rigid rod pivoted at a fixed hinge, or '':wikt:fulcrum, fulcrum''. A lever is a rigid body capable of rotating on a point on itself. On the basis of the locations of fulcrum, l ...

pulley Sheave without a rope A pulley is a wheel on an axle or shaft enabling a taut cable or belt passing over the wheel to move and change direction, or transfer power between itself and a shaft. A pulley may have a groove or grooves between flan ...

s, balance, forces, gears and structures. The planet consists of a massive detailed brass sphere, with four tethered

satellites A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scientif ...

: two cubes and two spheres. The action takes place inside this planet, with an emphasis on structures and principles of

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

. * Tiny Planet of Self – Bing and Bong encounter fitness, cleanliness and healthy eating and learn more about themselves and others. This is a loose cluster of outcrops floating in a sunny atmosphere, linked by rows of stepping-stones. There are

pagoda A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist, but some ...

-like

pavilions In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings; * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...

and a sports arena here, and local transport is by sky-boat. Lessons of health, feelings, and good manners are learned here. * Tiny Planet of Sound – Bing and Bong join musical bands, play

tuba The tuba (; ) is the largest and lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece (brass), mouthpiece. It first appeared in th ...

s, beat on drums and experiment with rhythm,

harmony In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...

, pitch and

acoustics Acoustics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician ...

. This is a rocky desert planet, with odd flora such as Pitch-Plants (extendible

flutes The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

that can be blown),

maraca A maraca ( , , ), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair. Maracas, also known as tamaracas, were rattles of d ...

leaves and self-playing

tom-tom A tom drum (also known as a tom-tom) is a cylindrical drum with no snares, named from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala language. It was added to the drum kit in the early part of the 20th century. Most toms range in size between in diameter, thoug ...

trees. Flockers and Locals often hold concerts here. The planet is blue from orbit, and is surrounded by a swarm of small

asteroids An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...

which spiral from pole to pole. * Tiny Planet of Light and Colour – Bing and Bong discover rainbows, shadows, animation and colour mixing. This is an environment where Bing and Bong discover

optical phenomena Optical phenomena are any observable events that result from the interaction of light and matter. All optics, optical phenomena coincide with Quantum mechanics, quantum phenomena. Common optical phenomena are often due to the interaction of ligh ...

. Around the planet, there is a wide, circular, semi-transparent band inlaid with parallel strips of ever-changing colours. The landscape is similar to a desert, and the most notable features are the bullet-shaped rock pillars with paint coloured spots on them. * Tiny Planet of Stuff – Bing and Bong explore groups of things and what they're made of. They play with patterns and numbers and sort things by colour, shape and sound. The planet is shaped like a gigantic

Möbius strip In mathematics, a Möbius strip, Möbius band, or Möbius loop is a Surface (topology), surface that can be formed by attaching the ends of a strip of paper together with a half-twist. As a mathematical object, it was discovered by Johann Bened ...

and patterned like pink-and-blue graph paper; hence, this is where Bing and Bong solve problems involving

arithmetic Arithmetic is an elementary branch of mathematics that deals with numerical operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. In a wider sense, it also includes exponentiation, extraction of roots, and taking logarithms. ...

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...

and

geometry Geometry (; ) is a branch of mathematics concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. Geometry is, along with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. A mathematician w ...

Episodes

Nature: * Seasons Machine * Snow Problem * Gone With the Wind * It's Raining Bongs * Winter Warm-Ups * On the Right Track * Blown Away * Egg-stra Large * Body Talk * Big and Small Technology: * Tip the Scales * Spring Cleaning * Tools, Glorious Tools * Free Wheeling * Slippery Slope * Pedal Meddle * Pivotal Points * The Right Angle * The Fisher Bing * Strength in Girders Self: * Tuba Trouble * Night Light, Sleep Tight * Shower Power * That's What Friends are For * Flockercise * Sweet Temptations * Odd Bing Out * Box of Tricks * Keep Your Head * Easy Rider * Moving and Grooving * Birthday Build-Up * Be a Sport * Love is All You Need * Pooling Resources * Everyone's a Winner Sound: * Highs and Lows * Flower Power * Jammin' Session * A Chorus Line * Desperately Seeking Silence * Hear My Song * Bing Bong Bell * Found Sounds Orchestra * Rhythm and Moods Light and Colour: * Shadow Showdown * True Colours * Making Rainbows * Flocker Flicker * Contrasting Views * The Light Fantastic * 3D or Not 3D? Stuff: * Patterns on Parade * Picnic Poser * Suits You * Give Me Five * Shapes Alive * Magnificent Seven * Shapes and Ladders * Mirror Magic * A Place for Everything * Road Block * What's Cooking? * Colour Clues * Ramping Up

Broadcast

''Tiny Planets'' was screened on ITV in the United Kingdom from 10 June 2001 to 20 July 2005. In the United States, it was broadcast from April 1, 2002 to April 9, 2006 on Noggin, originally in 5-minute segments and later in half hour compilations. It also aired in several other countries around the world, including ABC in Australia, K-T.V. World in South Africa, BFBS in Germany as well as Belize, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar and Bosnia and Herzegovina, TV3 in New Zealand, Kids Central in Singapore,

JimJam JimJam is an international children's preschool television channel operated by AMC Networks International Central and Northern Europe, which originally launched in Italy on Sky in 2006. JimJam is available across Europe and Africa. History J ...

in Malta and Poland, e-Junior in the Emirates,

TVB Pearl TVB Pearl () is an English-language television channel in Hong Kong owned by Television Broadcasts Limited. Established on 19 November 1967, it shares headquarters with TVB's other properties at TVB City at 77 Chun Choi Street in Tseung Kwan ...

in Hong Kong and Macau, and Family Channel and

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

in Canada. Localised versions were aired on Super RTL in Germany,

NRK The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (), commonly known by its initialism NRK, is a Norwegian state-run, government-influenced radio and television public broadcasting company. The NRK broadcasts three national TV channels and thirteen nat ...

in Norway, HRT in Croatia,

NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...

in Japan, UBC Kids in Thailand, SBS in South Korea,

Astro Ria Astro Ria is a 24-hour Southeast Asian Malay language television channel exclusive to the Astro satellite television provider. It was one of the first 22 channels to be launched on Astro in 1996. Astro Ria offered mainly dramas & reality show ...

in Malaysia, Spacetoon in Indonesia,

Italia 1 Italia 1 (Italian pronunciation ) is an Italian free-to-air television channel on the Mediaset network, owned by MFE - MediaForEurope. It is aimed at both a young adult and adult audience. Italia 1 was launched on 3 January 1982 and, was or ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, Discovery Kids in Latin America,

Televisa Grupo Televisa, S.A.B., simply known as Televisa, is a Mexican telecommunications and broadcasting company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April ...

in Mexico and Minika Çocuk in Turkey.

Awards and nominations

The programme was nominated for several

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

awards. It won the 2002 BAFTA Interactive Children's Entertainment Award and was nominated for the 2001 BAFTA Interactive Award for Online Learning and the 2003 BAFTA Pre-school Animation Award. Additionally, a website based on the series was awarded the 2001 BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Website Award.

References

External links