''George and Martha'' is a series of children's books written and illustrated by James Marshall between 1972 and 1988. Each book in the series contains five short stories describing interactions between two

hippos A hippo or hippopotamus is either of two species of large African mammal which live mainly in and near water: * Hippopotamus * Pygmy hippopotamus Hippo or Hippos may also refer to: Toponymy * The ancient city of Hippo Regius (modern Annaba, Al ...

, George and Martha. The books inspired an

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 ani ...

children's television 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 ...

show which comprised 26 episodes made in 1999, and a musical made in 2011. The television series features celebrity voice talents

Nathan Lane Nathan Lane (born Joseph Lane; February 3, 1956) is an American actor. In a career spanning over 40 years he has been seen on stage and screen in roles both comedic and dramatic. Lane has received numerous awards including three Tony Awards, ...

as George and

Andrea Martin Andrea Louise Martin (born January 15, 1947) is an American-Canadian actress, singer, and comedian, best known for her work in the television series '' SCTV'' and ''Great News''. She has appeared in films such as '' Black Christmas'' (1974), ''W ...

as Martha.

Plot

The books describe the activities and adventures of best friends George and Martha. These activities include taking dance classes, going to the beach and the amusement park, and playing practical jokes on each other. In a humorous way, the series teaches about friendship. George and Martha sometimes argue, but always make up.

Books

The George and Martha books comprise the following titles: * ''George and Martha'' (1972) * ''George and Martha Encore'' (1973) * ''George and Martha Rise and Shine'' (1976) * ''George and Martha One Fine Day'' (1978) * ''George and Martha Tons of Fun'' (1980) * ''George and Martha Back in Town'' (1984) * ''George and Martha Round and Round'' (1988) * ''George and Martha: The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends'', with a foreword by Maurice Sendak (1997)

Television

Cast

as George Hippo *

as Martha Hippo * Kathryn Greenwood as Frieda * Colin Mochrie as Oscar, Bud Chuckles *

Debra McGrath Debra McGrath (born July 5, 1954) is a Canadian actress and comedian. Education Debra McGrath was born in Toronto in 1954. She studied theatre at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute (now Toronto Metropolitan University). Career McGrath first sta ...

as Valerie Chuckles *

Sean Cullen Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as '' Shaun/Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; anglic ...

as Wilde, Eton *

Robin Duke Robin Duke (born March 13, 1954) is a Canadian actress, comedian, and voice actress. Duke may be best known for her work on the television comedy series '' SCTV'' and, later, ''Saturday Night Live''. She co-founded ''Women Fully Clothed'', a ske ...

as Penny *

Tony Rosato Antonio Rosato (26 December 1954 – 10 January 2017) was an Italian-Canadian actor and comedian, who appeared in television and films. He was best known as a cast member on both '' SCTV'' and ''Saturday Night Live'', and for voicing Luigi in '' ...

as Duke * Greg Kramer as Anton

Production

The series was animated by Canada-based Nelvana. The series has 26 episodes (with 52 segments) in order. The series' theme song is "Perfidia", by Mambo All-Stars.

Episodes

Season 1 (1999)

Season 2 (2000)

Telecast and home media

The series initially seen on YTV in Canada. In the U.S, the series aired on

HBO Family Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, 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 bas ...

, premiering on April 1, 1999. Repeats until 2009. The series returned to

Qubo Qubo ( ; stylized as qubo) was an American television network for children between the ages of 5 and 14. Owned by Ion Media, it consisted of a 24-hour free-to-air television network often mentioned as the "Qubo channel" (available as a digital ...

on March 28, 2016. Select episodes of the series were released on VHS by

Sony Wonder Sony Wonder (founded as Sony Kids’ Music) is the kids and family entertainment label of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and the former record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Despite the similarity in name, Sony Wonder is not directl ...

, under their "Doors of Wonder" banner. As of 2017, YouTube's channel Treehouse Direct uploaded all the episodes of the series.

Musical

George and Martha was turned into an original musical, ''George and Martha: Tons of Fun'', b
Imagination Stage
in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

in 2011. It featured music, books, and lyrics by Joan Cushing and was directed by Kathryn Chase Bryer.

References

External links

* {{Former YTV original series 1990s American animated television series 2000s American animated television series 1999 American television series debuts 2000 American television series endings 1990s Canadian animated television series 2000s Canadian animated television series 1999 Canadian television series debuts 2000 Canadian television series endings 1990s preschool education television series 2000s preschool education television series American children's animated comedy television series American children's animated fantasy television series American preschool education television series Animated preschool education television series Canadian children's animated comedy television series Canadian children's animated fantasy television series Canadian preschool education television series Fictional duos Fictional hippopotamuses YTV (Canadian TV channel) original programming HBO original programming English-language television shows American television shows based on children's books Canadian television shows based on children's books Television series by Nelvana Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming Animated television series about mammals Television shows set in the United States