''Curious George'' is an American children's animated television series based on the children's book series of the same name for PBS Kids and a sequel series to the 2006 animated film ''

Curious George Curious George is a fictional monkey who is the title character of a series of popular children's picture books written and illustrated by Margret and H. A. Rey. Various media, including films and TV shows, have been based upon the original ...

''. Frank Welker, who voiced George in the 2006 film, reprises the role in the series while Jeff Bennett co-stars as the voice of "The Man with the Yellow Hat" (whose name is revealed in the film to be Ted Shackelfield), replacing Will Ferrell. The show premiered on PBS Kids on September 4, 2006, not long after the film's release, and originally ended after nine seasons on April 1, 2015 before returning in 2018. Later seasons were released on

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...

, and the series concluded on March 17, 2022 after a total of 15 seasons. This is the second animated series from Imagine Entertainment, following 1999’s '' The PJs''. Season 10 premiered on September 3, 2018 on Family Jr. in Canada. Seasons 10–13 debuted on

NBCUniversal NBCUniversal Media, LLC (abbreviated as NBCU and Trade name, doing business as NBCUniversal or Comcast NBCUniversal since 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational mass media and Show business, entertainment conglomerate (comp ...

's streaming service Peacock in the United States when it launched in July 2020. Seasons 1–9 are available to stream for Peacock Premium subscribers since September 20, 2020, which is also available to stream on

Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...

. Season 10 premiered on PBS on October 5 the same year. ''Curious George'' is a production of Universal 1440 Entertainment ( Universal Studios Family Productions before 2013), Imagine Entertainment, and

WGBH-TV WGBH-TV (channel 2), branded GBH or GBH 2 since 2020, is the primary PBS List of PBS member stations, member television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Affiliated stations and facilities WGBH-TV is the Flagship (broadcasting), ...

( WGBH Kids) (before season 13), and animation production by

Toon City Toon City is a Filipino animation studio located in Manila. They have produced animation for The Walt Disney Company, Nickelodeon, Universal, Warner Bros., HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flag ...

in some seasons. From seasons 1–9, each episode has two animated segments per half hour episode, and a short live-action segment after each. The live-action shorts illustrate and explain various STEM concepts, and shows a class with kids engaging in experiments that demonstrate a concept within the previous episode's script. After the ninth season, the STEM featurettes were phased out.

Premise

Setting

* City: George and the Man with the Yellow Hat live in an apartment in the Big City. The actual name of the city is unknown but it has some similarities to New York City. However in the episode "Curious George Takes a Vacation", an airport worker mentions they are in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, suggesting that the city is

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. The Doorman of the building they live in keeps a pigeon coop on the roof and is the guardian of a dachshund dog named Hundley. The apartment is near Endless Park, the museum where Professor Wiseman works, the zoo, an Italian restaurant owned by Chef Pisghetti, a doughnut shop, Dulson's Toy Store, Mabel's Department Store (a parody of Macy's and its erstwhile competitor Gimbels), the supermarket, and the pet shop, which are recurring locations. * Country: George and the Man frequently vacation in a small house in the country. The house is near Lake Wanasinklake, a stream, and a river that eventually flows past the city and to the ocean. George is friends there with farming neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Renkins, their five-year-old granddaughter Allie, the Quint Family, and the teenage paperboy, Bill.

Characters

Main

(vocal effects by Frank Welker) is a tailless monkey who is the protagonist of the series. As his name implies, he is excessively curious and often causes lots of unintentional problems. He is used as the "teachable" character in the show, and he is the one to whom lessons are explained to by the other characters. He is a character that children enjoy watching and can learn from. * The Man with the Yellow Hat (voiced by Jeff Bennett) is a man who first befriended George. He is almost always wearing some form of yellow clothing, and acts as George's fatherly figure, primary teacher and mentor. In the animated film, his name was given as Ted Shackelford. * Narrator (voiced by

William H. Macy William Hall Macy Jr. (born March 13, 1950) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and producer. He is a two-time Emmy Award and four-time Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award winner, and has been nominated for an Acade ...

in season 1 and Rino Romano in seasons 2–15) is an unseen storyteller who narrates the events of each episode of the show. His narrations largely describe about the feelings of George and the Man with the Yellow Hat along with their actions, often serving as an internal monologue for speechless characters such as animals.

Supporting

* Chef Pisghetti (voiced by

Jim Cummings James Jonah Cummings (born November 3, 1952) is an American voice actor. Beginning his career in the 1980s, he has appeared in over 400 titles. Cummings has frequently worked with the Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros., serving as the offic ...

) is an Italian accented chef in the City who owns a restaurant with his wife. * The Doorman (voiced by Bill Chott in season 1 and

Lex Lang Lex Lang is an American voice actor and voice director, who has provided voices and served as a director for a number of animations and video games. He is best known for voicing Doctor Neo Cortex in the '' Crash Bandicoot'' franchise, Suguru ...

in season 2) is the doorman for the apartment building in which George and the Man with the Yellow Hat live. He is Hundley's owner. * Professor Wiseman (voiced by Rolonda Watts) is a scientist who is a good friend of George and the Man with the Yellow Hat. In different episodes she is seen to be a

rocket scientist A rocket (from , and so named for its shape) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using any surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely ...

, and is seen to work at a local museum. She has two colleagues named Professor Einstein and Professor Pizza. Her name is a play on the words wise man. * Steve (voiced by

Elizabeth Daily Elizabeth Ann Guttman (born September 11, 1961), known professionally as E. G. Daily or Elizabeth Daily, is an American actress and singer. Daily is best known for her animation voice roles as Tommy Pickles on '' Rugrats'' and its spin-off ...

) and Betsy (voiced by Grey DeLisle) are siblings from George's neighborhood in the city. They live with their Aunt Margaret and their dog, Charkie. * Mr. Glass (voiced by Rob Paulsen, with the vocal impression similar to that of

Gilbert Gottfried Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried (February 28, 1955 – April 12, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian and actor, best-known for his exaggerated shrill voice, strong New York dialect, his squint, and his edgy, often-controversial, sense of humor. Hi ...

) is a good friend of Chef Pisghetti who owns a building known as "The Glass Palace" and hires window washers in the city. He is known to like things that are unique to him. * Hundley (vocal effects by Bill Chott in season 1 and

in season 2) is an orange male

dachshund The dachshund ( or ; German: 'badger dog'), also known as the wiener dog or sausage dog, badger dog, doxen and doxie, is a short-legged, long-bodied, hound-type dog breed. The dog may be smooth-haired, wire-haired, or long-haired, with varie ...

dog. Hundley is very proper and gentlemanly. He keeps vigil on the lobby of George's apartment building when his owner, the Doorman, is absent. * Compass (vocal effects by Rob Paulsen) is a blue male homing pigeon, also cared for by the Doorman. His sense of direction is quite substandard, he is therefore often referred to as an "Almost-Homing Pigeon". A

running gag A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling. Though they are similar, catchphrases are no ...

throughout the series shows him constantly trying to guess what kind of animal George is, but has trouble. * Jumpy Squirrel (vocal effects by

) is a male squirrel who lives in the country. * Gnocchi (vocal effects by

Debi Derryberry Debi Derryberry (''née'' Greenberg; born September 27, 1960) is an American voice actress who has provided voices for a number of animations and video games. She is best known for voicing Jimmy Neutron, the titular protagonist of the Jimmy Neutr ...

in seasons 1–3 and "Gnocchi The Critic" and

Dee Bradley Baker Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of his work has consisted of vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as '' Adventure Time'', ''American Dad!'', '' Avatar: The Las ...

in seasons 4–15) is Chef Pisghetti's beige female cat. * Charkie (vocal effects by Kel Mitchell and Rob Paulsen) is a female black cocker spaniel dog owned by Steve and Betsy. She is very energetic and chaotic. She often runs after whatever catches her attention, causing Steve and Betsy to chase after her. * Bill's Bunnies (vocal effects by Frank Welker) are seven baby bunnies owned by 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 highlighted in several episodes. * Mr. Renkins (voiced by Jeff Bennett) & Mrs. Renkins (voiced by Kath Soucie) are a couple who own a farm near the country house. * Allie (voiced by Lara Jill Miller) is the 5-year-old granddaughter of the Renkins, who is first introduced in ''George Meets Allie-Whoops!'' where she and George become fast friends. * Mr. Zoobel (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui) is George's upstairs neighbor in the city, and a painter of modern art. When doing art, he mostly uses rubber stamps that look a lot like elephant feet, which made George think he was an elephant upstairs. He also has several pet animals; a snake, an elephant, and mice. * Marco (voiced by Grey DeLisle) is a Mexican boy who lives in The Puerto Del Sol district, a Mexican neighborhood in the city, he and his family play Spanish music everywhere. * Bill (voiced by Annie Mumolo) is George's neighbor from across the street in the country.

Minor

* Netti (voiced by Susan Silo) is Chef Pisghetti's wife. * Dinwoodie (voiced by

Jess Harnell Jess Harnell (born December 23, 1963) is an American voice actor. His roles include Wakko Warner in ''Animaniacs'', Captain Hero in '' Drawn Together'', Jerry in the first two seasons of '' Totally Spies!'', Ironhide in the first three ''Tr ...

) * The Quints (male Quints voiced by

and female Quints voiced by Candi Milo): Clint Quint is one of George's country friends, an avid fisherman and one of a set of

quintuplets ''Quintuplets'' is an American television sitcom that aired 22 episodes on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox from June 16, 2004, to January 12, 2005. The program starred Andy Richter and Rebecca Creskoff and shared some of their experiences parent ...

. His siblings include a sister who is a track runner (Sprint), a brother who is a train-station master (Flint), a brother who is a

police officer A police officer (also called policeman or policewoman, cop, officer or constable) is a Warrant (law), warranted law employee of a police, police force. In most countries, ''police officer'' is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. ...

(Wint), and a sister who prints

money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are: m ...

(Mint). * Jagger (vocal effects by Rob Paulsen) is a rooster who's very protective of those hens in the hen yard. * Hamilton (vocal effects by Rob Paulsen) is a male pig. * Dumpling (vocal effects by Frank Welker) is a male duck. * Dottie (vocal effects by Jeff Bennett) is a female deer.

Voice cast

* Frank Welker —

, 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 *

(Season 1 only)
Rino Romano — The Narrator * Rob Paulsen — Compass, Charkie, Mr. Glass, Hamilton the Pig, Jagger the Rooster, Blanche the Goat, Mr. Dulson, Mr. Ruffweek, Various characters *

— Chef Pisghetti, Jumpy Squirrel, Mr. Quint, Rodney, Various characters *

— Gnocchi (Season 1–3 and "Gnocchi The Critic" only), Lucky the Kitten, Mrs. Dulson * Bill Chott (Season 1 only)

— The Doorman, Hundley *

— Gnocchi (Season 4–15) * 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 Tara Lyn Strong (; born February 12, 1973) is a Canadian and American actress. She is known for her voice work in animation, websites, and video games. Strong's voice roles include animated series such as '' The Powerpuff Girls'', '' The Fair ...

— Claire Zucchini, Various Characters *

Cree Summer Cree Summer Francks (born July 7, 1969) is an American-Canadian actress and singer. She is best known for her extensive work in animation, voicing characters such as Elmyra Duff in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' and related media, Susie Carmichael ...

— Ada, Sisley, Ms. Fisher and the Announcer. *

— Dinwoodle * Carlos Alazraqui — Mr. Zoobel * Amber Hood — Carla * Annie Mumolo — Bill * Rolonda Watts — Professor Wiseman * Kath Soucie — Mrs. Renkins * Carol Burnett – Great Aunt Sylvia

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 (on rare occasions, both settings are featured). This allows George to mirror the experiences of kids who live in an urban 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.

Broadcast and release

The show premiered on PBS through PBS Kids in the United States. The series is broadcast by CBC Kids, TVOKids,

Knowledge Network Knowledge Network, also branded as British Columbia's Knowledge Network and K:, is a Canadian publicly funded educational cable television network serving the province of British Columbia. It is owned by the Knowledge Network Corporation, a Crow ...

, and Family Jr. in Canada. Season 10 premiered on PBS and the series made its debut on the PBS Kids 24/7 channel the same day. All seasons are available on

and PBS Kids with the first 9 seasons exclusive to Peacock Premium and

. ''Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas'', an animated television film, was released on November 25, 2009. It was distributed by PBS and produced by Imagine Entertainment and Universal Animation Studios. The film is a holiday television special featuring George, as featured in the TV series, wondering what to give The Man in The Yellow Hat who is also wondering what to give George. It is shown every Christmas season on PBS Kids. On September 30, 2024, the series stopped airing on

PBS Member Stations This is a list of member stations of the PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, a television network, network of non-commercial educational television stations in the United States. The list is arranged alphabetically by state and based on the station' ...

possibly due to licensing rights expiring. Despite this, the series still airs on the 24/7 PBS Kids network.

Awards

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

– Outstanding Children's Animated Program *

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

– Outstanding Children's Animated Program

Notes

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, Television, Cartoon, United States 2000s American animated comedy television series 2010s American animated comedy television series 2020s American animated comedy television series 2000s American children's comedy television series 2010s American children's comedy television series 2020s American children's comedy television series 2006 American animated television series debuts 2022 American television series endings 2000s preschool education television series 2010s preschool education television series 2020s preschool education television series American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated comedy television series American preschool education television series American television shows based on children's books American television series with live action and animation American television series revived after cancellation Animated preschool education television series Mathematics education television series Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program winners Curious George American English-language television shows PBS animated television series PBS Kids shows Peacock (streaming service) original programming Peacock (streaming service) children's programming Family Jr. original programming Animated television shows based on films Animated television series about children Animated television series about monkeys Animated television series about dogs Animated television series about cats Animated television series about squirrels Animated television series set in Chicago Television series by Universal Animation Studios Television series by Imagine Entertainment Television series by WGBH