Charley and Mimmo
Charley and Mimmo (French: T'Choupi et Doudou) is a Canadian-Belgian-French animated children's series that aired on YTV, which aired between 1999 and 2002.
| Charley and Mimmo | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Canada, Belgium, France |
| Original languages | French, English |
| No. of episodes | 65 episodes |
| Production | |
| Running time | 5 minutes per episode |
| Release | |
| Original network | YTV |
| Original release | 1999 – 2002 |
Plot
Charley and Mimmo (/ˈmiːmoʊ/) consists of a typical family (father, mother, son, and baby sister) in a suburban town. The son, Charley (and his subanthromorphic teddy bear Mimmo), are the main characters. Charley and his family and friends are anthropomorphic penguins (with round orange clown-like noses instead of beaks, and they live in a warm area rather than Antarctica. They have penguin-like feet and coloring, but their wings have thumbs, making them have mitten-like "hands". In a way, Charley resembles Raymond Briggs's The Snowman more in appearance). Mimmo cannot talk, but can walk on two legs, sit and show facial expressions. To communicate, Mimmo squeaks and squeals like a squeaky toy. Charley (Samuel Holden), the star of the show, is a typical, average child. His voice and appearance suggest that he is somewhere between four and seven years old, although he is smart for his age.
Charley is occasionally bossy and frequently starts arguments among his friends. He also tends to get upset, angry and jealous quickly, and then regrets it later. Sometimes, Charley lies and has a slightly disapproving character.
Charley and most of the penguins are a standard black and white, typical of most penguins, although some of the other penguins are brown.
A 2004 movie entitled "T'choupi" was released by Gebeka Films, but only in France and South Korea. The plot follows Charley and his friends flocking together to find out who has stolen all the toys. "T'choupi" is Charley's name in French and "Doudou" is Mimmo's name in French.
Series
Charley and Mimmo aired in 10–15 minute segments on YTV. Its production seems to have ceased. The show seems somewhat related to another Canadian children's production Caillou, as it has a similar plot (but with longer stories and live puppet segments in the PBS Kids airings). It was first seen in the United States on It's Itsy Bitsy Time, among many foreign short segments when it was broadcast on Fox Family in the late-1990s. It was also shown on Treehouse TV.
The original music score for the series is the work of composer Peter Measroch.
Other Characters
-Charley's Parents (Lola & Ted): The mother and father of Charley and Franny.
-Grandma: Charley's grandmother who loves dancing. She wears her feathers in a bun on top of her head.
-Grandpa: Charley's grandfather who is quite the handyman.
-Zuzu: Charley's dog, possibly a golden retriever. Franny named him, much to Charley's annoyance.
-Franny: Charley's baby sister. She mostly speaks gibberish.
-Lily: A brown female penguin and Charley's crush. She has curly black pigtails. At the beach, she wears a yellow swimsuit. She has a female teddy bear who Charley won for her at a carnival, and with which Mimmo is falling in love.
-Paula: Another female penguin. She has brown feathers and blond hair with bangs.
-Paulie: A male penguin. He has reddish-brown and white feathers, curly hair, and freckles.