Seven Little Monsters (TV series) facts for kids

Seven Little Monsters, or 7 Little Monsters, is a Canadian-Chinese-Filipino animated television series about a family of seven monsters and their mother. The series, based on the book of the same name, was created by Maurice Sendak and directed by Neil Affleck, Lynn Reist, and Glenn Sylvestor. Each monster is named after a different number from one to seven, and each has unique physical characteristics.

The series aired on PBS Kids stations, most notably WNET, as part of the PBS Kids Bookworm Bunch from 2000–2002, and made an individual PBS debut in the same year along with George Shrinks and The Berenstain Bears, and was shown from 2003–2007 on YTV. The series was produced by Wild Things Productions (uncredited), Nelvana, Suzhou Hong Ying Animation Corporation Limited for the first two seasons and Philippine Animation Studio Inc. (PASI Animation) for the third season from 2000–2002, in association with Treehouse TV and PBS.

The 40-episode series debuted in 2000, aired its final episode in 2003 and reruns continued until September 15 of that same year. However, some select member PBS stations, including the PBS Kids Channel, continued to air the series with The Berenstain Bears until August 2004.

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

Characters

• One (Joanne Vannicola): The oldest, One has wings and is a natural athlete. She is a tomboy, and somewhat of a tattletale, often getting her siblings into trouble but still cares very much for them. She is the only monster who flies.
• Two (Colin Mochrie): The most helpful of the monsters, Two has a prominent nose which he often "sticks in where it doesn't belong". In the second episode, "Good Night!", before Two and his family move to Centerville, he is very troublesome when he leads everyone into a forest full of fairy tales that almost causes them to lose their way home thanks to getting into "Snow White" and "Goldilocks & The Three Bears".
• Three (Dwayne Hill): The most dramatic monster, Three takes on a new voice and personality in every episode which can often lead to trouble with his brothers and sisters. The only times his normal voice and personality is used are in the episodes "Good Night!", in a storybook, "Are You My Family?", the beginning of "All's Quiet on the Monster Front", and for a few portions of "And Baby Makes Eight". His normal voice is also heard very briefly in "Ahoy, Me Monsters!" when he opens up a letter. His normal personality can also be seen at the end of "Please Mr. Postman", although his normal voice is not heard. His normal personality also is seen in the opening sequence as well as at the end of "Good Morning!".
• Four (Seán Cullen): The middle child who is the epitome of rambunctious angst in his family, he is often seen with his brother Five. Despite his grumpy personality, he deeply loves Five. He often would ask what is Three's new personality for the day and sometimes groans when peeved.
• Five (Seán Cullen): The most childlike of the monsters, he speaks very few words and has a thick speech impediment when he does. Five has a voracious appetite and loves his brothers and sisters very much. Sometimes his silly antics annoy Four. He has an enormous tongue which he can control in various ways. He would usually say sorry for every mistake he makes.
• Six (Michele Scarabelli): The resident ballerina of the group, Six thinks she is the most beautiful of the monsters. Unlike her sister One, she has more feminine interests. She wears a purple tutu and holds a star wand. She speaks with a Queens accent.
• Seven (Seán Cullen): The youngest and tallest member of the family. Seven has the ability to unscrew his head. Despite his frightening appearance, he is the most gentle and timid monster and is afraid of bugs. He also loves cheese, he always asks for the definition of any vocabulary he has never heard before and speaks in a Boris Karloff-esque voice. Seven’s voice is very identical to Eton from George and Martha.
• Mom (Debra McGrath): The mother of the seven monsters, she is a kindly, babushka-wearing witch. She is about half the size of her children and speaks with a Polish accent, often with poor sentence structure.
• Mary: The monsters' hippie neighbor 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: Five's pet turtle.
• Belinda: The monster family's pet cow.
• Freddie: Mary's pet dog.

Episodes

Season 1 (2000)

All episodes in this season are directed by Glenn Sylvestor.

Season 2 (2001–02)

All episodes in this season are directed by Neil Affleck.

Season 3 (2003)

Note: In the United States, All the episodes in Season 3 (except for episodes 37 & 40) aired with The Berenstain Bears on PBS Kids.

• Seven Little Monsters at Nelvana.com