Mio Mao
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Mio Mao | |
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Genre | Claymation, family, preschool, children's series |
Written by | Francesco Misseri |
Directed by | Francesco Misseri |
Voices of | Derek Griffiths (Channel 5) |
Theme music composer | Piero Barbetti |
Opening theme | Mio Mao |
Ending theme | Mio Mao |
Country of origin | Italy United Kingdom (series 2 and 3) |
Original language | onomatopoeia/gibberish (no language spoken) |
No. of series | 3 |
No. of episodes | 78 |
Production | |
Running time | 5 minutes |
Production companies | 1974 series:
2005 series:
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Release | |
Original network | Programma Nazionale (series 1) Channel 5 (Milkshake!) (series 2 and 3) |
Picture format | 480i |
Original release | 1974 2007 | –
External links | |
Official Channel 5 Website |
Mio Mao (pronounced me-o mow), also known as Mio and Mao, is an Italian stop motion children's TV show created by Francesco Misseri in the 1970s, produced using Claymation animation.[1]
The original series was produced by PMBB, CineMac2TV and HDHFilmTV and aired on Programma Nazionale in 1974. After Francesco Misseri's production company Misseri Studio acquired Mio Mao in 2000 and remastered series 1 in 2003, Misseri Studio and Associati Audiovisivi created two more series for Channel 5's Milkshake! block in 2005 and 2007. In the United Kingdom, the episodes are narrated and the characters are voiced by Derek Griffiths. Nowadays Mio Mao airs on BabyFirst in the United States.
Plot[]
Each episode is approximately five minutes long and focuses on two playful kittens, Mio and Mao. As they roll, run, squish, bounce and tumble across a clay garden, they discover a variety of mysterious animals and objects on the other side. The garden changes appearance depending on the theme of the episode, or the animal or object featured.
The kittens go to investigate alone, they sometimes forget about the animal or object and wander off to look at the scenery. After a while, they get there but return scared, before watching from a distance and discovering that the scary item was either a friendly animal or a fun object.
Often, near the end of the episode, the animal or object will need help, and Mio and Mao come to their rescue, then invite the animal or object to come play with them. Gracious, the animal or object follows them as they tumble and run back to the other side of the garden, posing together and looking at the viewers as the episode draws to a close, with the words "THE END".
List of episodes[]
Series 1 (1974)[]
- The Peacock
- The Little Lamb
- The Ants
- The Chameleon
- The Beehive
- The Spider
- The Tortoise
- The Caterpillar
- The Cicada
- The Egg
- The Snake
- The Dog
- The Dormouse
- The Polyp
- The Hippopotamus
- The Squirrel
- The Monkey
- The Hedgehog
- The Shell
- The Tadpole
- The Snail
- The Owl
- The Mole
- The Beaver
- The Piglet
- The Hare
Series 2 (2005-06)[]
- The Fox
- The Worm
- The Anteater
- The Seed
- The Cricket
- The Swan
- The Turkey
- The Crocodile
- The Racoon
- The Crab
- The Penguin
- The Little Bear
- The Christmas Tree
- The Snowman
- The Seal
- The Parrot
- The Mushroom
- The Dragonfly
- The Bat
- The Chestnut
- The Hornet
- The Kangaroo
- The Cow
- The Ladybird
- The Donkey
- The Koala
Series 3 (2006-07)[]
- The Deer
- The Elephant
- The Mouse
- The Ostrich
- The Pelican
- The Dove
- The Kingfisher
- The Television
- The Clew
- The Dolphin
- The Ghost
- The Goldfish
- The Zebra
- The Vacuum Cleaner
- The Sky Terrier
- The Sloth
- The Gorilla
- The Jinn
- The Bull
- The Train
- The Little Theater
- The Tap
- The UFO
- The Vulture
- The Piano
- The Dinosaur
Broadcast history[]
Australia
- ABC Kids (2009-2016)
Brazil
- Rede Globo (season 1, 1993-2002)
Italy
UK
- Channel 4 (season 1, 1993)
- Milkshake! (2004-2013)
France
Finland
- Yle TV2 (1978-1993)
United States
- The Family Channel (season 1, 1988-1998)[citation needed]
- Pinwheel/Nickelodeon/Nick Jr. (season 1, 1977-1984; 1988-1990)[citation needed]
- BabyFirstTV (season 1 & 2, 2006-present)
Asia
- JimJam (season 2, 2007-2014)
Poland
- JimJam (2020-present)
Turkey
- Yumurcak TV (2009-2016)
Germany
- ZDF (season 1, 2003-2010)
Japan
- NHK (Okaasan to Issho) (1978)
- Cartoon Network (2000's)
Czech republic
- JimJam (season 1, 2020-present)
China
- CCTV 4 (season 1 & 2, 1993-1998)
Israel
- (season 1, 2018-2019)
References[]
- ^ Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 68. ISBN 9781476672939.
External links[]
- 1974 Italian television series debuts
- 1974 Italian television series endings
- 1970s animated television series
- 1970s Italian television series
- 2005 British television series debuts
- 2007 British television series endings
- 2000s British animated television series
- Animated television series about cats
- British preschool education television series
- Channel 5 (British TV channel) original programming
- Clay animation television series
- Italian children's animated television series
- Stop-motion animated television series
- Television series about shapeshifting
- Animated television series without speech
- Animated preschool education television series
- 1970s preschool education television series
- 2000s preschool education television series