Maisy
Maisy is a British children's animated television series based on the book series by Lucy Cousins. It is narrated by Neil Morrissey in the original UK version and Brian Greene in the US version. The voices and sound effects are done by the Umbilical Brothers. The series was produced by King Rollo Films, PolyGram Visual Programming and Universal Television.
Maisy | |
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Title card | |
Genre | Children, Animated |
Created by | Lucy Cousins |
Written by | Andrew Brenner Jeanne Willis |
Directed by | Lucy Cousins |
Narrated by | Neil Morrissey (UK version) Brian Greene (US version) |
Theme music composer | KICK Productions |
Opening theme | Maisy, sung by Dave Hewitt |
Ending theme | Maisy |
Composer | KICK Productions |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 26 (104 segments) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Lucy Cousins Leo Nielsen |
Producers | Lucy Cousins Clive Juster |
Cinematography | Lucy Cousins Clive Juster |
Editors | Lucy Cousins Leo Nielsen |
Camera setup | Both |
Running time | 24 minutes |
Production companies | King Rollo Films PolyGram Visual Programming Universal Pictures Visual Programming |
Distributor | NBCUniversal Television Distribution |
Release | |
Original network | CITV |
Original release | 11 February 1999 – 2 November 2000 |
In the United Kingdom, it was broadcast on CITV.[1] In the United States, it aired for several years on Qubo,[2] following a 2008 licensing deal that Qubo reached with the series' distributor, NBCUniversal. Before Qubo, the series had been seen on Nick Jr. In Australia, it aired on Network Ten.
Plot
The series focuses on the lives of Maisy Mouse and her friends. A mellow-voiced narrator narrates the action and communicates with the characters while the animals go through their paces without speaking, they instead make unusual weird sounds and noises which sound like speaking since they're meant to be four to nine years old. The narrator, however, can understand them easily because he is the only one who actually speaks. The animated series keeps the two-dimensional visual style of the books.
Characters
- Maisy – A four-year-old mouse who lives in an orange house with a red roof. She wears different clothes and wears a white nappy. She loves to paint and play with her friends.
- Panda - Maisy's stuffed toy panda.
- Tallulah – A four-year-old chick who almost always seen wearing a dress and a hairbow.
- Cyril – A six-year-old squirrel who wears a green shirt.
- Charley – An eight-year-old crocodile who loves to eat.
- Eddie – A nine-year-old elephant who is often in settings where he is too big to participate as he is often depicted as being almost animalistic rather than anthropomorphic in appearance.
Home media
Maisy was released on VHS in the US from 1999 until 2007, at which point it was replaced with DVD releases. Universal Studios Home Entertainment released several Maisy videotapes in the US, most of them with the Macrovision copying protection system.
VHS releases (USA)
- Count with Maisy (3 August 1999)
- Maisy's Bedtime (3 August 1999)
- Maisy's Colors and Shapes (21 September 1999)
- Maisy's Friends (21 September 1999)
- Maisy's Birthday (15 February 2000)
- Play with Maisy (23 May 2000)
VHS and DVD releases (UK)
The series is also available on Video & DVD in its native United Kingdom.
- Maisy – Colors and Counting (2000)
- Maisy – Animal Stories (2000)
- Maisy – Birthday and other stories (2000)
- Maisy – Christmas and other stories (2000)
- Maisy – Bedtime and other stories (2000)
- Introducing Maisy (2000)
- Maisy's Fun in the Sun (2001)
- Maisy's Farm (2001)
- Maisy – Playtime (2001)
- Maisy's ABC (2001)
- Maisy – Circus (2002)
- Maisy and Panda (2002)
- Maisy – Activity Time (2002)
- Good Morning Maisy (2003)
- Maisy – Fun and Games (2003)
DVD releases
- Good Morning Maisy (2004)
- Playtime Maisy (2004)
- Good Night Maisy (2004)
- Maisy – Splash (2007)
- Maisy – Animals (2007)
- Maisy On the Go (2011)
- Maisy Discovers (2011)
- Maisy – Garden (2011)
- Maisy – Adventures (2011)
- Maisy Helps (2011)
List of Maisy episodes
The series lasted for one season that consisted of 26 episodes. Each episode was made up of four segments, so there were 104 segments in total.
No. | Title | Object | Original air date | |
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1 | "Farm / Picnic / Pool / Camping" | Red Tractor Picnic Bag Wading Pool Yellow Tent | 11 February 1999 | |
Maisy enjoys a fun packed day on the farm, helped by her friend the little black cat. She collects eggs from the chickens, rides a horse and feeds the geese and then she takes her tractor to muck out the pigs and the lambs before tucking up everyone in bed for the night; Maisy finds that she makes some new friends when she goes for a picnic in the woods; It's a very hot day and Maisy and Tallulah decide to get out the wading pool. Once it's finally full of water, Eddie arrives and joins in the fun; Maisy and Tallulah pitch their tent in the garden - Charley decides to take a nap and Cyril brings the refreshments. They settle down for a peaceful night's sleep, but a nearby owl decides that it's time to wake up now. | ||||
2 | "Rabbit / Boat / Hide and Seek / Playground" | Rabbit Sailing Boat Charley behind a bush Yellow Slide | 12 February 1999 | |
Maisy is picking flowers in her garden when she meets Rabbit who seems to enjoy eating the flowers too! Maisy takes him home for lunch; Maisy sails her boat on a breezy day, and meets an octopus and a shoal of fish and plays ball with a dolphin. When the wind drops a seagull and a whale come to her rescue; Maisy, Charley and Tallulah are playing hide and seek. Charley is a little slow to catch on but soon realizes that he has the best disguise of all; Maisy's at the playground and discovers that her friends Tallulah, Charley and Cyril are there too. Together they play on the slide, the swings and the seesaw and after an ice-cream, they feed the ducks and head for home. | ||||
3 | "Spots / Bird / Washing / Sandcastle" | Coloured Spots European Robin Washing Machine Sandcastle | 18 February 1999 | |
Maisy is spotting spotty things - a leopard, a snake, a ladybird, a frog and a giraffe. When she meets a zebra, she decides she wants to be spotty and stripy at the same time; It's a freezing cold winters day and Maisy sees that the birds are pecking the frozen ground in search of food. Maisy knows just what they need - a bird table; It's wash day and Maisy is putting her washing out to dry, but her dress blows away just as she is hanging it out on the line. With Charley's help, she eventually manages to retrieve the dress from the top of a tree; Maisy goes to the beach and with the help of a friendly crab builds a fabulous sandcastle and is crowned Queen of the Castle! | ||||
4 | "Bat / Ball / Gingerbread / Meow" | Bat hanging upside down Beach Ball Gingerbread Cookie Cat in a basket | 19 February 1999 | |
Maisy can't sleep, and when she looks out of the window she sees a dark shape flitting around the garden. She goes out to investigate and meets a very friendly bat - together they explore the garden in the moonlight, until Maisy starts to feel sleepy and goes back to bed; Maisy and Tallulah want to play ball but it's hard to find somewhere completely ball proof; Maisy is baking today - she decides to make some gingerbread shapes and when Charley and Tallulah arrive, Maisy greets them with a surprise; The little ginger cat comes to spend the night, and when Maisy wakes up in the morning, she finds that she has some unexpected visitors. | ||||
5 | "Train / Bike / Party / Bed" | Green Steam Train Tricycle Dress-up Box Bed | 25 February 1999 | |
Maisy is driving the train, picking up animals on the way - two giraffes, three peacocks, four snakes, five ducks, six rabbits, seven birds, eight frogs and nine penguins. At the last stop she finds ten piglets, but how will they all fit in to the carriage?; Charley borrows Maisy's bike, but when it goes missing, Charley is distraught. Maisy solves the mystery of the disappearing bike with the help of her ball; Maisy is going to Tallulah's fancy dress party but she just can't find a thing to wear! Every time she settles on something, she finds that someone else has got there first. Finally she decides to create something herself; It's time for bed. Maisy draws the curtains and says goodnight to the owl. She washes her face and hands, changes into her pajamas, goes to the toilet and finally gets to sleep ... once she's found Panda. | ||||
6 | "Bus / Swing / Dog / Birthday" | Green Bus Tree Swing Dog Birthday Cake | 26 February 1999 | |
Maisy is driving the bus today and she finds that she has all sorts of passengers to pick up on the way; Maisy decides to make a swing for her garden, and whilst Charley and Cyril play games with the rope, she disappears into her garden shed. Charley is the first to have a go on the new swing and Maisy and Cyril try out the new swing together; Maisy is sailing her toy boat and meets a friendly dog on the way. When her boat gets stuck in the reeds Maisy's new friend comes to the rescue, with rather damp results; Today is Maisy's birthday. Charley, Cyril and Tallulah come to help her celebrate ... Happy Birthday Maisy! Song for "Bus" - "The Wheels on the Boat" (from Little People ) | ||||
7 | "Rain / Nest / Plane / Parade" | Rain Cloud Bird in a nest Airplane Trumpet | 4 March 1999 | |
It's raining and Charley has forgotten his umbrella, something which Maisy finds is easily done; Maisy helps a little bird to build her nest in a tree in Maisy's garden. She lays three eggs which hatch into three little chicks. When the mother bird flies off to find some food for her babies, Maisy tries to keep them amused, but Maisy is very relieved when the mother bird returns!; Maisy and Cyril are making paper airplanes. Maisy's airplane can't fly very well, and lands in the kitchen sink. Cyril's airplane is magnificent - it flies beautifully through the house, out of the window and all round the garden; Maisy decides to make some music and on the way all her friends join in the parade. | ||||
8 | "Fair / Treasure / Sheep / Clouds" | Helter Skelter Pirate Hat Sheep Two Clouds | 5 March 1999 | |
Maisy and Tallulah go to the fair, but Tallulah is impatient and wants to go on every ride immediately. Tallulah has to learn to be patient and not to run ahead; Maisy and Charley are pretending to be pirates, digging for buried treasure. They find all sorts of things, including a very special hidden treasure, Tallulah; Maisy and Tallulah are going for a walk and when Tallulah loses her ribbon she forgets to close the gate to the field and the sheep escape. How can Maisy and Tallulah get the sheep back into the field?; Come for a ride high up in the sky, in Maisy's hot air balloon. | ||||
9 | "Fleas / Boo / Stick / Mess" | Flea Lion's Head Stick Building Blocks | 25 March 1999 | |
Eddie the elephant decides he needs a bath so Maisy helps him with a ladder, a brush and bar of soap. One by one ten fleas hop off Eddie, protesting all the way; Maisy and Cyril are playing peepo, but Cyril manages to give himself a fright too!; Maisy's got a special stick, and she finds all sorts of uses for it; It's such fun making a mess, but as Maisy and her friends find out, mess has to be tidied up too! | ||||
10 | "Harvest / Shed / Playhouse / Circus" | Vegetables Garden Shed Playhouse Circus Tent | 26 March 1999 | |
Maisy's in her vegetable garden, counting out her vegetables - Rabbit decides to come along, just in case there's something there for him too!; Maisy decides that her shed needs a new coat of paint, and Eddie decides to help, with very colourful results; Maisy is entertaining her toys to tea when Charley drops in to the Playhouse. Even though it's only make believe Charley finds out that there's nothing like the real thing; It's circus time and Maisy is the ringmaster - everyone has something to do, and the grand finale is colorful and fun. Song for "Circus" - "Circus Theme Music" (2009) | ||||
11 | "Dancing / Ouch / Eggs / Bath" | Yellow Stereo Bandage Easter Eggs Rubber Ducky | 6 May 1999 | |
Maisy and Tallulah are having great fun showing each other how to dance to different styles of music. Charley arrives at Maisy's house, and shows them that he is rather a good dancer too; Eddie, Cyril and Maisy are playing in the garden, when Eddie takes a tumble. Maisy and Cyril try to make him feel better; Maisy is getting ready for an Easter egg hunt in her garden. Charley arrives early and decides to help; Maisy's having a bath, or at least she's trying to! But Tallulah won't take no for an answer, she's determined that Maisy is going to play with her. | ||||
12 | "Balloons / Lemonade / Tummyache / Guitar" | Red Balloon Lemon Plate of Cupcakes Acoustic Guitar | 20 May 1999 | |
Cyril and Maisy buy some balloons, but they find that it's not so easy to stop them flying away!; It's a hot day - what better reason for making home made lemonade?; Oh dear! Charley's eyes are bigger than his tummy, and Maisy has to find a way to make him feel better; Maisy's making music, with a little help from her friends. | ||||
13 | "Knock Knock / Panda / Follow the Leader / Beach" | Maisy's Front Door Panda in a Buggy Trail of Arrows Bucket and Shovel on Sand | 6 December 1999 | |
Maisy wants to play today, and so she goes to all her friends' houses to see if they want to play but no-one is in - what Maisy doesn't know is that everyone is waiting for her at her house!; Maisy and Panda are off to the park, but Panda decides that he wants to do a little exploring of his own!; Maisy and Tallulah are playing follow the leader - when Eddie joins in they find out that there are some things which everyone can do, and some things which only an elephant can do; Maisy and Cyril go to the beach, but Cyril is bit wary of going into the sea. He soon forgets his worries though, and finds that splashing about in the water can be as much fun as anything else. | ||||
14 | "Umbrella / Rollerskates / Feather / Cleaning" | Red Umbrella Blue Rollerskate White Feather Spray Cleaner and Cloth | 7 December 1999 | |
It's Charley's birthday, and he receives many interesting presents, but the one he's most interested in is the umbrella which Maisy gives him. The only problem is that it doesn't look as though it's going rain! Eddie saves the day though, and makes Charley's birthday complete; Maisy's going out on her roller skates today, and she finds that with a little practise she is really good at roller skating. Tallulah thinks so too!; There are so many things you can do with a feather, as Maisy and her friends find out today; Maisy's spring cleaning her house, and by giving her a helping hand Charley finds a good way to earn some of Maisy's delicious cakes. | ||||
15 | "Library / Squeak / Puppets / Hose" | Bookshelf Oil Can Bear Hand-puppet Spraying Hose | 9 December 1999 | |
It's time for Maisy and Charley to take those books back to the library, and to choose some new ones; Cyril comes to the playground to show everyone his new car, but it's so new it still squeaks when he's pedalling! Maisy knows what to do though; Maisy and her friends decide to put on a show for Panda - a very special show, with puppets; Maisy and Cyril are fire chiefs today, but little black cat doesn't seem too keen to join in - maybe it's their hose which is worrying him. | ||||
16 | "Fish / Hiccups / Ice / Puzzle" | Goldfish Glass of Lemonade Icy Window Jigsaw Puzzle Piece | 10 December 1999 | |
It's time for spring cleaning for Maisy's fish, and Tallulah comes along to give her a helping hand; What do you do when you've got hiccups? Maisy and Cyril find out when Cyril drinks his lemonade just a bit too quickly!; It's a very cold day and Maisy finds a beautiful sparkling icicle on her walk. As the icicle begins to melt, she decides to find a way of keeping it; Charley goes to see Maisy, and they decide to do a jigsaw puzzle together, but one of the pieces is missing. Eventually they find it, in a most unexpected hiding place. | ||||
17 | "Snow / Cards / Christmas Tree / Christmas" | Snow-capped Pine Tree Christmas Card Christmas Tree Present in a Red Stocking | 24 December 1999 | |
It's snowing! Maisy makes a snowmouse and runs off to play in the snow with her friends Tallulah, Charley and Cyril. When Maisy gets covered in snow her friends don't know which is the real Maisy!; Maisy decides to make some cards, and Cyril joins in too - but who are they all for?; Maisy and Tallulah set off to choose a Christmas tree, but they find that decorating it is not as easy as they think!; It's Christmas Eve and all round Maisy's house, nothing is stirring, except a very excited little mouse! | ||||
18 | "Breakfast / Doctor / Duckling / Swimming" | Bowl of Cereal First-aid Box Yellow Duckling Striped Swimsuit | 13 March 2000 | |
It's breakfast time at the farm and Maisy is here to give all the animals their breakfast; Maisy's the doctor today, and Tallulah decides that she wants to be the nurse; Maisy and Charley meet the duck family on their way to the playground, but the littlest duckling decides that he'd much rather play with Charley than go home to the pond; It's swimming time today, and Maisy, Charley and Tallulah are off to the swimming pool. Tallulah wants to be the first in, but she doesn't like cold water! | ||||
19 | "Oops / Igloo / Sardines / Dolphin" | Blue Potty Igloo Eddie behind a sofa Dolphin | 20 March 2000 | |
It's a hot day and Maisy and Cyril are playing in the sandpit. Cyril gets caught short, but Maisy saves the day; On a snowy day, Charley comes over to play at Maisy's. Together, the two construct an igloo. They are soon joined by a little bird; Everyone's round at Maisy's house, playing a game of sardines. The only problem is that Eddie's much too big to squeeze in with everyone else, so he finds his own way of playing; Maisy's going deep sea diving today, and Dolphin is there to guide her through the underwater world. | ||||
20 | "Footprints / Sky / Wheel / Go" | Trail of Footprints Sun behind the Clouds Wheel Traffic Lights | 27 March 2000 | |
It's a rainy day and Maisy decides to go for a walk in the garden. It's so muddy that she sees many different footprints and decides to follow them, meeting many friends on the way; Maisy sees a variety of animals and sights as she flies along in her airplane; It's Push Horse's turn to play with Maisy, Tallulah and Panda today, but when he loses a wheel, it takes a clever Maisy to figure out what to do about it!; Maisy's going for a ride on her bike, and as all her friends join in too before they know it they've got a great big convoy, riding along the road. | ||||
21 | "Mountain / Bubbles / Kangaroo / Sleepover" | Mountain Bubbles Kangaroo Night Sky | 10 October 2000 | |
Everyone's going mountain climbing today, and Maisy leads the way to the top; Charley's blowing many bubbles, until Eddie accidentally knocks over his bubble liquid - Maisy knows how to make some more though; Maisy meets a kangaroo and her baby, who decides that he wants to come out and play; Tallulah's come to stay the night with Maisy - will they ever get to sleep?! | ||||
22 | "Hello / Chocolate Cake / Toot Toot / Piggy Back" | Maisy Mouse Chocolate Cake Brass Whistle Tallulah on Charley's back | 12 October 2000 | |
There are so many different ways of saying hello, as Maisy finds out when she goes for a walk and meets some new friends, including a lion, and some old friends too, a very fierce sounding Tallulah!; It's someone's birthday today, because Maisy is making a very special chocolate birthday cake, but who is it for?; Maisy and her friends are going on a very special train journey, all around the world!; Maisy,Tallulah and Cyril are giving each other piggy back rides, and when Charley comes along he wants to join in too. But he's too big, and it's only Eddie who can save the day! | ||||
23 | "Penguins / Sneezes / Hop / Tennis" | Penguin Tissue Box Frog Tennis Racket | 17 October 2000 | |
Maisy's having a great time on her sledge when she is joined by some very special friends - nine penguins who show to her how it's really done!; Oh dear, Cyril has got a cold today, although he won't admit it, and it's only when Maisy takes him home and tucks him up in bed that he starts to feel a bit better; Hopping is fun, as Maisy finds out when she plays hopscotch with Charley and her friends in the playground; Maisy and Tallulah are playing tennis, but they need a bit of help with the really high shots, so Eddie and Charley join in too. | ||||
24 | "Ferry / Snail / Bounce / Batteries" | Ferry Snail Bouncing Ball Battery | 19 October 2000 | |
Maisy's operating the ferry today, and she finds that it's going to be a very busy day, with many demanding passengers!; Charley's helping Maisy in her garden and meets a little snail who he really wants to make friends with; Cyril's got a very bouncy new ball, which Maisy and Tallulah decide is great fun to play with; Cyril's got a brand new toy car, and Maisy and Tallulah are having great fun playing with it until the batteries run out. | ||||
25 | "Shopping / Bugs / Hats / Telescope" | Shopping Cart Bee, Dragonfly, Cricket and Spider Hats Telescope | 31 October 2000 | |
Oh dear, it's nearly lunchtime and Charley's got nothing to eat. Never mind, he's going to go shopping with Maisy!; Even on a quiet day you can hear all sorts of noises if you listen very carefully, as Maisy finds out; Get ahead, get a hat - that's Maisy and Cyril's motto today as they discover just how many different types of hat there are; Maisy and her friends learn all about how to make things look bigger, with the help of Eddie's magnifying glass and Charley's telescope. | ||||
26 | "Rowing / Wheelbarrow / Torch / Band" | Rowing Boat Red Wheelbarrow Torch Guitar, Trumpet and Drum | 2 November 2000 | |
Maisy, Charley and Tallulah decide to take their boats out on the lake, but Tallulah doesn't realise that it's very easy for a boat to drift away without you noticing it!; Maisy's planting a new tree in the garden and Rabbit comes along to give her a helping hand; Tallulah brings her new torch round to show Maisy which comes in very handy when Cyril manages to lose his bouncy ball somewhere in Maisy's bedroom; It's time to make music - Maisy and her friends set up all their instruments, and once Eddie has decided which instrument he wants, the band begins to play! |
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. 182. ISBN 9781476672939.
- Annemarie Moody (9 October 2008). "qubo Inks Deals With PorchLight, NBC Universal". Animation World Network.