Curious Pictures (stylized as curious?ictures) was an American animation studio and multi-media company that was primarily based in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

that produced

television program A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via Terrestrial television, over-the-air, Satellite television, satellite, and cable te ...

commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

animation Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

and

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

s. The company is known for its flagship work such as the preschool television series ''

A Little Curious ''A Little Curious'' is an American children's animated television series that ran on HBO and HBO Family for two seasons. The series premiered on February 1, 1999 until its final episode aired on May 1, 2000. The series, produced by cel and compu ...

'' for

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

, ''

Little Einsteins ''Little Einsteins'' is an American Animated series, animated children's television series developed by Douglas Wood (writer), Douglas Wood and based on the Baby Einstein line of videos. Produced by The Baby Einstein Company (at the time owned ...

'' for Disney Jr. and ''

Team Umizoomi ''Team Umizoomi'' is an American live-action animated musical preschool children's television series created by Soo Kim, Michael T. Smith, and Jennifer Twomey, and developed by Teri Weiss for Nickelodeon and the Nick Jr. Channel. Twomey and ...

'' for

Nick Jr Nick Jr. (sometimes disambiguated as Nick Jr. on Nickelodeon or Nick Jr. on Nick, and sometimes referred to as Nick, Jr.) is an American morning programming block that airs on Nickelodeon every weekday. It was launched on January 4, 1988. Nic ...

. Other well-known works include ''

Sheep in the Big City ''Sheep in the Big City'' is an American animated television series created by Mo Willems for Cartoon Network. The 9th of the network's Cartoon Cartoons, the series' pilot first premiered as part of Cartoon Network's "Cartoon Cartoon Summer" o ...

'' and '' Codename: Kids Next Door'' for

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

History

After working at Stowmar Enterprises, Steve Oakes and Peter Rosentheal co-founded Broadcast Arts in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

in 1981. One of the company's first assignment was a series of network IDs for

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

, which had set the standard for the network's irreverent humour. This success established the fledgling studio and brought them projects for

WPLJ WPLJ (95.5 FM) is a non-commercial, listener-supported radio station, licensed to New York, New York. Owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), based in Franklin, Tennessee, it broadcasts EMF's Christian adult contemporary formatted p ...

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

Cinemax Cinemax is an American pay television network owned by Home Box Office, Inc., a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched on August 1, 1980, as a "maxi-pay" service to complement the offerings of its sister premium network, HBO (Home Box ...

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

, and more. Broadcast Arts moved to

in 1985. Broadcast Arts produced hundreds of commercials, constantly weaving together multiple animation and special effects techniques for various projects, as well as the animation for the first season of ''

Pee-wee's Playhouse ''Pee-wee's Playhouse'' is an American comedy children's television series starring Paul Reubens as the childlike Pee-wee Herman that ran from 1986 to 1990 on Saturday mornings on CBS, and airing in reruns until July 1991. The show was develop ...

''. Broadcast Arts changed its name to Curious Pictures in 1993. Having worked together for several years, the team of five partners, Susan Holden, Steve Oakes, David Starr, Peter Rosentheal, and Richard Winkler, continued producing television commercials, with the intention of expanding to television programming, toy production, and other ventures. In 1994, the company expanded into a 25,000 square-foot studio in

Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan, also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York City, is the southernmost part of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The neighborhood is History of New York City, the historical birthplace o ...

, fully equipping it with a

cel A cel, short for '' celluloid'', is a transparent sheet on which objects are drawn or painted for traditional, hand-drawn animation. Actual celluloid (consisting of cellulose nitrate and camphor) was used during the first half of the 20th cent ...

and

computer animation Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating Film, moving images. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both still images and moving images, while computer animation refers to moving images. Virtu ...

department, a shooting stage with two motion control camera systems, a prop and model shop, and digital editing rooms. From 1995 to 1999, an office was maintained in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

to support the company's expansion into animated television series. In 1998, ''

'' for

became the company's first half-hour series, followed soon after by another project, ''

'', for

. Other television animated prod included '' Codename: Kids Next Door'', created by

Mr. Warburton Thomas Edward Warburton (born July 23, 1968), better known as Mr. Warburton, is an American animator, producer, screenwriter, and character designer. He is best known for creating the animated television series '' Codename: Kids Next Door''. He a ...

, for Cartoon Network, ''

'' for the

Playhouse Disney Playhouse Disney was a brand of programming blocks and international cable and satellite television channels that were owned by the Disney Channels Worldwide unit (now Disney Branded Television) of The Walt Disney Company's Disney–ABC Tele ...

, and the last show is ''

'' for Nickelodeon.

Filmography

Television series

*''MaxTrax'' (bumpers; 1984) *'' The George Michael Sports Machine'' (main titles; 1984) *''

'' (season 1 only; 1986) *''

The Off-Beats ''The Off-Beats'' is an American slapstick comedy animated television series that was created by Mo Willems. The first episodes were produced as standalone short animated films for Nickelodeon; but after the series was nominated for a CableACE Awa ...

'' (1996–1999) *''

Elmo's World ''Elmo's World'' is a segment that is shown in the American children's television program ''Sesame Street''. It always comes last and premiered on November 16, 1998, as part of a broader structural change to the show. It originally lasted fiftee ...

'' (season 1 only; 1999) *''

'' (1999–2000) *''

The Cartoon Cartoon Show ''What a Cartoon!'' (later known as ''The What a Cartoon! Show'' and ''The Cartoon Cartoon Show'') is an American animated anthology series created by Fred Seibert for Cartoon Network. The shorts were produced by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons; by the ...

'' ("Prickles the Cactus" and "

") (2000) *''Sheep in the Big City'' (2000–2002) *'' Saturday TV Funhouse'' ("The Narrator That Ruined Christmas") (2001) *''

Cyberchase ''Cyberchase'' is an animated series, animated science fantasy children's television series that airs on PBS Kids. The series centers around three children from Earth: Jackie, Matt and Inez, who are brought into Cyberspace, a digital universe, i ...

'' (original main character designs; 2002–present) *'' Hey Joel'' (2003) *'' Codename: Kids Next Door'' (2002–2008) *'' The Wrong Coast'' (2004) *''Sunday Pants'' ("Freshman Clowns") (2005) *''

'' (2005–2009) *''

Bored to Death ''Bored to Death'' is an American comedy series that ran on HBO from September 20, 2009, to November 28, 2011. The show was created by author Jonathan Ames, and stars Jason Schwartzman as a fictional Jonathan Ames—a writer based in Brooklyn, ...

'' (main titles; 2009–2011) *''

'' (2010–2015) *''

Eureka Eureka often refers to: * Eureka (word), a famous exclamation attributed to Archimedes * Eureka effect, the sudden, unexpected realization of the solution to a problem Eureka or Ureka may also refer to: History * Eureka Rebellion, an 1854 g ...

'' ("Do You See What I See") (2011) *''

A Day in the Life "A Day in the Life" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as the final track of their 1967 album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. Credited to Lennon–McCartney, the opening and closing sections of the s ...

'' (opening animation; 2011)

Films and specials

*'' Star Trek: The Motion Picture'' (graphic display animation; 1979) *''I Go Pogo'' (1980) *''

Who's That Girl Who's That Girl? may refer to: Film and television * Who's That Girl (1987 film), ''Who's That Girl'' (1987 film), an American film starring Madonna * ''Who's That Girl'', a List of Philippine films of 2011#Films, Philippine film of 2011 * "Who's T ...

'' (title sequence; 1987) *'' Vandemonium Plus'' (1987) *'' Norman's Corner'' (1988) *''The Jackie Bison Show'' (1990) *''Smoke Alarm'' (1996) *'' An Off-Beats Valentine's'' (1999) *'' Cyberchase: The Poddleville Case'' (1999) *'' My Scene: Jammin' in Jamaica'' (2004) *'' My Scene: Masquerade Madness'' (2004) *'' My Scene Goes Hollywood: The Movie'' (2005) *''

PollyWorld ''PollyWorld'' is a 2006 animated comedy film from Universal Studios, based on the Polly Pocket toy franchise. It is the third Polly Pocket movie (preceded by ''Lunar Eclipse'' and '' 2 Cool at the Pocket Plaza'') and the only feature-length fil ...

'' (2006) *''

The Barbie Diaries ''The Barbie Diaries'' is a 2006 animated motion capture teen drama film directed by Eric Fogel and written by Elise Allen and Laura McCreary which premiered on Nickelodeon and then on DVD. The eighth entry in the Barbie film series, it feat ...

'' (2006) *'' Codename: Kids Next Door: Operation Z.E.R.O.'' (2006) *'' Chicago 10'' (animation; 2007) *'' The Grim Adventures of the KND'' (co-produced with

Cartoon Network Studios Cartoon Network Studios Inc. (abbreviated as CNS or CN Studios) is an American animation studio owned by the Warner Bros. Television Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. The studio is the producti ...

; 2007) *'' Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?'' (graphic design; 2008) *''

August August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Southern Hemisphere, August is the seasonal equivalent of February in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, August ...

'' (additional visual effects; 2008) *'' Codename: Kids Next Door: Operation: I.N.T.E.R.V.I.E.W.S.'' (2008) *'' The Love Guru'' (graphics and visual effects; 2008) *''

Black Swan The black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') is a large Anatidae, waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent ...

'' (motion capture; 2010) *'' It's Kind of a Funny Story'' (visual effects; 2010)

Video games

* ''

Rock Band ''Rock Band'' is a series of rhythm games first released in 2007 and developed by Harmonix. Based on their previous development work from the Guitar Hero, ''Guitar Hero'' series, the main ''Rock Band'' games have players use game controllers mod ...

'' (motion capture and animation; 2007) * ''

Rock Band 2 ''Rock Band 2'' is a 2008 rhythm game developed by Harmonix, published by MTV Games, and distributed by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to ''Rock Band (video game), Rock Band'' (2007) and the second installment in the Rock Band, ''Rock Band ' ...

'' (motion capture and animation; 2008) * '' Grey's Anatomy: The Video Game'' (2009) * '' The Beatles: Rock Band'' (2009) * '' Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony'' (2009) * ''

Red Dead Redemption ''Red Dead Redemption'' is a 2010 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games. A successor to 2004's ''Red Dead Revolver'', it is the second game in the ''Red Dead'' series. ''Red Dead Redemption'' is se ...

'' (2010) * '' Green Day: Rock Band'' (2010) * ''

Dance Central ''Dance Central'' is a series of rhythm games developed by Harmonix, creators of the ''Guitar Hero'' and ''Rock Band'' video game series. Series ''Dance Central'' (2010) ''Dance Central'' was released exclusively for the Xbox 360 and was a l ...

'' (2010) * '' Homefront'' (2011) * ''

Dance Central 2 ''Dance Central 2'' is a 2011 rhythm game developed by Harmonix and published by Microsoft Studios for the Xbox 360 Kinect. It is the sequel to ''Dance Central (2010 video game), Dance Central'' (2010) and the second installment in the ''Dance Ce ...

'' (2011) * ''Leela'' (2011)

Short films

Don't Answer Me "Don't Answer Me" is a 1984 song by the Alan Parsons Project from the album '' Ammonia Avenue''. It reached number 15 on the ''Billboard'' charts in the United States and was the final ''Billboard'' Top 20 hit for the group. It also reached numb ...

" (music video; 1984) *''Bite & Smile'' (1989) *''The Louie and Louie Show: A Seedy Situation'' (1993) *''Foil Man'' (assisting only; 1995) *''Cartoon Network Shorties'' (1998) *''Life'' (special thanks; 1999)

References

{{Authority control American animation studios Companies based in New York (state) Crystal City, Virginia Defunct film and television production companies of the United States Television production companies of the United States Mass media companies established in 1978 Mass media companies disestablished in 2015