Little Robots is a stop-motion animated children's TV programme. It is produced by Cosgrove Hall Films for Create TV and Film Limited , and was based on the eponymous book by Mike Brownlow , published by Ragged Bears Publishing .

Background

The show is centered on eleven Little Robots, each with his own distinct looks and personality. They were abandoned on a scrap heap in a junkyard until Tiny, the central figure of the story, fixed them. The robots set to build a world of their own, using junk to build their houses, gadgets, plants and flowers, and even their own sun and moon.

The centre of their world is the Nut And Bolt Tree, a big, metallic structure that serves as a home to Tiny. Other important features of their world is the Day-Night lever, which causes the sky to rotate 180 degress, switching from night to day; and the junkyard, that's constantly receiving junk from the surface through a chute.

The stories are presented in 10 minute scripts, and each episode of the series contains two stories, as well as a 1 1/2 minute educational interlude called Little Robots Learn. These short inteludes are much different from the actual stories, with the characters "interacting" with the viewers, introducing simple topics like gravity, contraptions, sounds, counting and even confidence and self-esteem, sometimes featuring a song. The stories themselves are more focused on resolution of conflicts, collaboration, friendship and other aspects of living in a community.

The programme is also notorious for using the talents of several British comedians, including Lenny Henry (Sporty), Martin Clunes (Stripy), Emma Chambers (Spotty), Su Pollard (Noisy) and Hayley Carmichael (Tiny).

Characters

• Tiny - The central character of the show. He is blue, has a red antenna on top of his head, and a red button on his belly which opens the lid of his head, uncovering a couple of tools which he uses for fixing machines and robots. He is also responsible for pulling the Day-Night lever at the right times. Tiny lives on the Nut And Bolt Tree, right next to the Day-Night lever.
• Messy - The robot dog of the Little Robots' world, he loves things dirty and messy. Scary teaches him tricks and makes shows with him, where he's known as "Messy, the Wonder Hound".
• Sporty - The strongest and fittest of all the robots, he's constantly running, playing games and sports, and never gets tired of making himself stronger and fitter. Sporty has his own, private gym with a trampoline and a conveyor belt.
• Stretchy - Very organised and efficient, he's in charge of sorting the junk that comes from the chute on the junkyard. He's blue and tall, and has a long, flexible neck. He's very worried about making the junkyard organised, so that it can be used by his friends. He lives in the junkyard, inside an abandoned radiator.
• Rusty - A feminine and sensitive Little Robot, she has a red dress made with rusty metal, and wears a funnel on top of her head. When she gets tense, she overheats, and releases puffs of steam. She has a crush on Sporty, and lives in an old, rusty bucket, which she's constantly decorating and improving.
• Stripy - Made with coloured stripes of metal, he's not very fast moving, but he's a great storyteller and a specialist on flowers. His best friend is Teddy, his own teddy bear, and he has a garden outside of his house. He's great at games that don't require agility, but involve a lot of skill.
• Noisy - Speaks loudly, has a trumpet for a noise, plays instruments, writes and sings songs, and loves whatever kind of noise she can produce. Her house is an old drum, with a xylophone-themed entryway.
• Spotty - She's round, yellow, covered in coloured spots, wears specs, and can retract all her limbs and roll around like a ball for fast locomotion. She has a strong personality, likes rules and orders, and tends to give orders to her friends.
• Scary - He's purple, and wears a black cape. Scary is a great actor, likes to scare his friends (though he's often not successful) and stage shows to entertain his friends. He has his own stage, which is also his house.
• The Sparky Twins - Sparky One and Sparky Two are almost identical twins who are full of energy, love dancing and doing practical jokes on other robots. They are able to communicate exchanging electrical rays through the antennae on their heads, and their catch phrase is Gimme Three, Sparkee! when they high-five. They live in a pair of speakers by an old record turntable.

Other characters are Flappy, the Bat, and the Robo-birds, who often play important roles on the show.

External links

• Official Website