Dr. Xargle
An alien professor teaches Queegle children about Earth.
Dr. Xargle is a British television series from 1997 based on a series of children's picture books by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross. The books, published from 1988 to 1993, present an alien's perspective on human civilization, particularly British family life. The third book, Dr. Xargle's Book of Earth Tiggers, earned Tony Ross a highly commended runner-up citation for the Kate Greenaway Medal.
Quick Facts
- Author
- Jeanne Willis
- Illustrator
- Tony Ross
- Language
- English
- Publisher
- E. P. Dutton
- Published
- 1988-2004
Facts from the source article.
Books
All seven books were first released in hardcover by Andersen Press. The original six titles include Dr. Xargle's Book of Earthlets (1988), Earth Hounds (1989), Earth Tiggers (1990, also known as Earth Tigerlets), Earth Mobiles (1991), Earth Weather (1992), and Earth Relations (1993). British paperback editions were issued by Red Fox (Random House). In the United States, the first book appeared as Earthlets, as explained by Professor Xargle from E. P. Dutton in 1989. A 1999 audiobook collection, Dr. Xargle Stories, includes all books except Sleepovers. A limited edition picture book, Dr. Xargle's Book of Earthlet Sleepovers (2004), was written to support children who wet the bed.
Television series
The 13-episode series was produced by CINAR Films and King Rollo Films and broadcast in 1997. Dr. Xargle and his students appear as animatronic puppets, while lessons about Earth are animated. The alien planet, unnamed in the books, is called Planet Queeg, and the children are Queegles; it is unclear whether Queegle refers to the species or only to infants. Characters include Dr. Xargle (voiced by Willie Rushton, who died shortly after recording), Xamster, Matron, Monitor, Cute, Rebel, Tardy Queegle, Famished Queegle, and human reporter Nigel Spume. Several episode broadcast dates and the episode order are unknown, and a break in broadcasting occurred.
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