''Little Einsteins'' is an American
animated
Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...
children's television series
Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during the early evenin ...
based on the
Baby Einstein
Baby Einstein (stylized as baby einstein) is an American franchise and line of multimedia products, including home video programs, CDs, books, flashcards, toys, and baby gear that specialize in interactive activities for infants and toddle ...
line of videos. It was produced by
The Baby Einstein Company
Baby Einstein (stylized as baby einstein) is an American franchise and line of multimedia products, including home video programs, CDs, books, flashcards, toys, and baby gear that specialize in interactive activities for infants and toddlers u ...
(which, at the time, was owned by Disney) and animated by
Curious Pictures
Curious Pictures (stylized as curious?ictures) was an American animation studio and multi-media company that was primarily based in New York City that produced television programs, commercials, animation, and video games. The company is known for ...
. The series marked the Baby Einstein Company's first project for preschoolers. The show started out with a
direct-to-video
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...
movie, ''
Our Huge Adventure
''Our Huge Adventure'' is a 2005 American interactive animated musical adventure film produced by The Baby Einstein Company and Curious Pictures. It was first released direct-to-video on August 23, 2005. The film was followed by and serves as ...
'', that was released on August 23, 2005. The full series premiered on
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 Televis ...
on October 9, 2005.
The series was first announced in November 2001, when Disney purchased The Baby Einstein Company. Press releases said "there are already plans to extend the Baby Einstein brand into a Little Einstein product line aimed at preschoolers." The show's concept and characters were developed by
Douglas Wood. Further development was led by Emmy Award-winning director Olexa Hewryk and ''
Dora the Explorer
''Dora the Explorer'' is an American children's animated television series and multimedia franchise created by Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh Valdes and Eric Weiner that premiered on Nickelodeon on August 14, 2000, went on hiatus on June 5, 20 ...
'' co-creator Eric Weiner.
Like the original Baby Einstein series, ''Little Einsteins'' makes heavy use of
classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
. According to ''Common Sense Media'', both series share the same "philosophy of artistic visuals and stimulating classical music to enhance brain development and learning."
Overture
''Little Einsteins'' was designed to teach the target demographic art and music appreciation by integrating famous or culturally significant art works (usually, but not exclusively, paintings) and classical music (most typically from the
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
,
Classical, and
Romantic eras) into the scenery, plot and soundtrack of each episode.
The show is also designed to encourage viewer interaction (such as encouraging the audience to pat their knees, gesture or sing along to help the characters succeed on their "mission").
Episodes
Characters
Main
* Leo (voiced by Jesse Schwartz in the US, singing voice provided by
Harrison Chad
Harrison Chad is an American actor known for his roles in Broadway musicals, television, and film.
Early life and education
Chad was born in New York City and started performing when he was six years old. He has performed in four Broadway show ...
and Piers Stubbs in the UK) is a 6-year-old boy who is Annie's older brother and the largest member of the group. He is the leader of the Little Einsteins and pilots Rocket. His main talent is conducting, and his most prized possession is his conductor's
baton. He has
tan skin,
red hair
Red hair (also known as orange hair and ginger hair) is a hair color found in one to two percent of the human population, appearing with greater frequency (two to six percent) among people of Northern or Northwestern European ancestry and ...
and
green eyes, and wears green glasses, a black shirt with an orange stripe, orange cargo shorts, white socks, and orange, black and white sneakers.
* June (voiced by Erica Huang in the US and
Poppy Frair in the UK) is a 6-year-old
Chinese-American
Chinese Americans are Americans of Han Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans along with their ancestors trace lineage from m ...
ballerina
A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on yea ...
who loves to dance. She has
pale skin
Pallor is a pale color of the skin that can be caused by illness, emotional shock or stress, stimulant use, or anemia, and is the result of a reduced amount of oxyhaemoglobin and may also be visible as pallor of the conjunctivae of the eyes o ...
, short
dark brown hair and
brown eyes. She wears a pink headband, a purple dress with a pink belt, light blue pearl earrings and crimson ballet slippers but within white socks in the Season 2 episode "Show and Tell".
* Quincy (voiced by Aiden Pompey in the US and Mitchell Zhangazgha in the UK) is a 5-year-old
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
musician
A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...
who plays a variety of instruments, including the violin, flute, and trumpet. At some point in most episodes, Quincy exclaims, "I cannot believe it!" when surprised or amazed. He has
brown skin
"Brown Skin" is the second single released by American soul and R&B singer-songwriter India.Arie from her debut studio album '' Acoustic Soul'' in 2001. The single failed to chart on the '' Billboard'' Hot 100, but it became her highest charting ...
, dark brown curly hair and brown eyes. He wears a red and blue baseball cap, a yellow shirt with green long sleeves, blue jeans, and red and white shoes.
* Annie (voiced by Natalia Wojcik in the US and
Kirsty Hickey
Kirsty Nicole Hickey (born 17 January 1996) is an English actress.
Personal life
Kirsty was born in London. In 2006 she attended Sylvia Young Theatre School.
Television career
In 2004, Hickey appeared on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in ...
in the UK) is a 4-year-old girl who is Leo's younger sister and the smallest member of the team group. She is a young singer who loves to sing and the only character who has piloted Rocket alone. She likes singing and animals, including dolphins and horses, but has
arachnophobia
Arachnophobia is a specific phobia brought about by the irrational fear of spiders and other arachnids such as scorpions.
Signs and symptoms
People with arachnophobia tend to feel uneasy in any area they believe could harbour spiders or that h ...
. In Season 1, Annie's singing posture is with one hand up in the air and the other hand on her chest, then she comes to own a silver microphone white a purple speaker and orange musical notes after winning it in a singing contest in the Season 2 episode "Annie, Get Your Microphone!" When she wishes to urgently point something out to the team or when she is surprised or amazed, her usual phrase is "Look, look, look!" She has
fair skin
Light skin is a human skin color that has a base level of eumelanin pigmentation that has adapted to environments of low UV radiation. Light skin is most commonly found amongst the native populations of Europe and East Asia as measured through ...
,
blonde hair
Blond (male) or blonde (female), also referred to as fair hair, is a hair color characterized by low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin. The resultant visible hue depends on various factors, but always has some yellowish color. The color can ...
tied into two pigtails with held by her pink hair bows and
blue eyes
Eye color is a polygenic phenotypic character determined by two distinct factors: the pigmentation of the eye's iris and the frequency-dependence of the scattering of light by the turbid medium in the stroma of the iris.
In humans, the p ...
. In Season 1, she wears a green t-shirt, a blue overall dress, and magenta and white shoes. In Season 2, her outfit is changed to a pale blue blouse, a pink overall dress, white socks, and blue and white shoes.
* Rocket is the Little Einsteins' main mode of transportation, as well as their friend. He has an array of tools and accessories that help the team complete their missions. He also has the ability to transform into any other form of transportation, like a submarine or a train. He communicates by making
marimba
The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...
noises. He is capable of going to outer space.
Recurring
* Big Jet is a blue
fighter plane
Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield p ...
which appears to resemble a Soviet
MiG-29
The Mikoyan MiG-29 (russian: Микоян МиГ-29; NATO reporting name: Fulcrum) is a twin-engine fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. Developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as an air superiority fighter during the 1970s, the Mi ...
. Big Jet has been known to ruin parties and steal things to keep for himself. Big Jet hates springtime, owing to his being allergic to flowers, as seen in the episode "Oh Yes, Oh Yes, It's Springtime". He also hates losing, as seen in "The Great Sky Race Rematch". In the episode, "Show and Tell", Big Jet gets revenge on Rocket and the Little Einsteins for defeating him in all of his appearances by stealing their favorite things. He befriends them later, however.
* Little Mouse, The Good Knight, and Joey the Kangaroo appeared individually in their own episodes, "The Mouse and The Moon", "The Good Knight and The Bad Knight", and "Jump For Joey", respectively, and collectively in the three episodes' crossover-sequel, "Rocket Soup".
* The Three Little Pigs appeared in three episodes: "
Farmer Annie
This list of ''Little Einsteins'' episodes gives the date and plot for each broadcast of the children's television series ''Little Einsteins
''Little Einsteins'' is an American animated children's television series based on the Baby Einstein ...
", "Super Fast", and "Build It Rocket".
* Melody is a musical pet that Leo helped find her ticket for the pet train in "Melody the Music Pet". After boarding the train, Melody is brought to live with Leo. She reappeared in "Melody and Me", where Leo must save her after her hot air balloon flies away.
* The Bad Knight is the knight who imprisoned the Good Knight. In the episode "The Good Knight and The Bad Knight" he rides a cello that acts like a horse. At the end of the episode, it is revealed that he was under a magic spell that made him a bad knight. after rescuing the Good Knight, he himself transforms back into a good knight. In the episode "Rocket Soup," he helps the Little Einsteins get peas to make Rocket Soup for Rocket to eat.
* The Little Red Train is a good friend of Annie, and despite his small size, he is very determined and very strong. He appeared in the episodes "Go West, Young Train" and "Annie, Get Your Microphone!".
Others
* Ring only appeared in the episode "Ring Around the Planet" when it fell off Saturn and landed near June's garden. Ring is also a great dancer just like June which makes them and the rest of the Little Einsteins friends, with the team bringing it back home to Saturn.
* Grandma Rocket only appeared in the episode "Little Red Rockethood" and is the grandmother of Rocket. She shares a similar appearance to Rocket but is purple and has glasses and
gray hair
Human hair color is the pigmentation of human hair follicles due to two types of melanin: eumelanin and pheomelanin. Generally, if more melanin is present, the color of the hair is darker; if less melanin is present, the hair is lighter. The ...
. Just like Rocket, she communicates by marimba sounds.
Broadcast
The first regular episode of ''Little Einsteins'' premiered in the US on October 9, 2005. The final regular episode aired (in the US) on December 22, 2009, and a standalone special titled "Rocket's Firebird Rescue" was released on June 19, 2010, marking the series' official end. The series continued to air in reruns afterward, including after Playhouse Disney was rebranded as Disney Junior on February 14, 2011, through March 25, 2019. Later, this show was added to
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
.
Production
In the UK version, the Little Einsteins are voiced by
Poppy Lee Friar
Poppy Lee Friar (born 16 April 1995) is an English actress. She has portrayed television roles including Eve in the CBBC series '' Eve'', Missy Booth in the Channel 4 drama ''Ackley Bridge'' and Lydia in the BBC Three series '' In My Skin''. A ...
(June), Piers Stubbs (Leo),
Kirsty Hickey
Kirsty Nicole Hickey (born 17 January 1996) is an English actress.
Personal life
Kirsty was born in London. In 2006 she attended Sylvia Young Theatre School.
Television career
In 2004, Hickey appeared on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in ...
(Annie), and Mitchell Zhangazha (Quincy), and certain American terms are converted to the British
vernacular
A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...
: for example, changing mentions of "Candy Canes" to mentions of "Sweetie Sticks."
Additional home and streaming media
The series also had two VHS releases, one being a VHS version of ''
Our Huge Adventure
''Our Huge Adventure'' is a 2005 American interactive animated musical adventure film produced by The Baby Einstein Company and Curious Pictures. It was first released direct-to-video on August 23, 2005. The film was followed by and serves as ...
'' and the second being ''Climb Aboard and Get Ready to Explore'' which included the episodes "The Birthday Balloons", "Dragon Kite" and "Ring Around the Planet". The Halloween special is a bonus feature on the ''
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
''Mickey Mouse Clubhouse'' is an American interactive computer-animated children's television series which aired from May 5, 2006, to November 6, 2016 on the Disney Channel. Produced by Disney Television Animation, it is the first computer-a ...
'' DVD ''Mickey's Treat''.
Reception
The series was given a 5-star rating by Common Sense Media.
In other media
A video game based on the show was released for the
Game Boy Advance
The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...
in 2006.
Notes
References
External links
*
*
{{Cuppa Coffee Studios
2005 American television series debuts
2009 American television series endings
2000s American animated television series
American preschool education television series
American children's animated adventure television series
American children's animated musical television series
American children's animated science fantasy television series
American children's animated comic science fiction television series
American flash animated television series
American television series with live action and animation
Animated preschool education television series
2000s preschool education television series
Animated television series about children
Animated television series about siblings
Cultural depictions of Albert Einstein
Disney animated television series
Disney Channel original programming
English-language television shows
Television series by Curious Pictures
Television series by Disney
Disney Junior original programming