The Littles (TV series)

Did You Know?

• Merchandise released during the series run included tie-in story books, a Milton Bradley board game, stickers and greeting cards.
• Foreign merchandise included Halloween masks, a set of figures, a card game, VHS videos, records, and more.
• The Littles were also popular enough to warrant two film tie-ins during the production run.

Television history

The Littles was one of the first three cartoons DIC Entertainment made for American TV, alongside Inspector Gadget and Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats. Unlike the other two, which aired in syndication, The Littles was the only one to run on a network. For its first two seasons, the tiny characters stayed in the Bigg household. To boost ratings, the final season sent them traveling the globe. The show’s popularity led to two film projects. The first, Here Come the Littles, came out on May 25, 1985, as a prequel to the series. Bernard Deyriès directed it, and Woody Kling wrote it; it is now on DVD. The next year, a made-for-TV movie called Liberty and the Littles aired in three parts during the tenth season of ABC Weekend Special. Directed again by Deyriès and written by Kling, it was later cut into a three-part episode for the show’s third season and is also on DVD. In 2003, the series started airing on the DIC Kids Network syndicated block to meet E/I requirements, though not every episode was included. The show also aired in the UK on TVAM and in Australia on Network 10, with many other countries picking it up as well.

Characters

Tom Little is the older of the two Little children, and Lucy Little is the younger. Grandpa Little is the oldest family member. Dinky Little is a cousin of the family, as in the books where he is always presented as 'cousin Dinky'. Frank Little is the father, Helen Little is the mother and the daughter of Grandpa Little, and Ashley Little is a second, younger cousin. In the television series, the family tree is mostly clear: Frank and Helen are the parents of Tom and Lucy, Grandpa is Helen's father, and Dinky is a cousin (on Helen's side, as said by Grandpa in the episode 'Ben Dinky') of Tom and Lucy. In the books, the family tree is never explicitly identified; the Littles that often appear are Tom, Lucy, Dinky and Grandpa. Henry Bigg is a 13-year-old boy and one of the few humans who knows about the Littles; they live in his house and are his best friends. Slick is a little turtle and Henry's pet. Dr. Erick Hunter is a scientist whose primary goal is to prove the existence of the Littles; he often builds machines to detect them, but his plans are always foiled by the Littles and Henry, and often get him in trouble with the police. James Peterson is Dr. Hunter's assistant, named for series creator John Peterson. Mr. and Mrs. Bigg are Henry's parents, both archaeologists who often go on journeys. Marie is Henry's classmate and close friend.