Little Robots is a British stop-motion animated children's television series that was produced by Cosgrove Hall Films for Create TV & Film. The series originally aired on CBeebies, a British children's television channel known for its educational and entertaining programming aimed at preschoolers.

Premise

The show features a group of small, friendly robots living in a colorful and imaginative world. Each episode follows the adventures of these robots as they navigate their daily lives, solve problems, and explore themes of friendship, cooperation, and creativity. The characters are designed to appeal to young children, with vibrant colors and engaging personalities that resonate with preschool audiences.

Creation and Development

Little Robots was based on the eponymous book by Mike Brownlow, published in 1999 by Ragged Bears Publishing. The book laid the foundation for the series, inspiring its unique characters and stories. Vanessa Chapman and Michael Carrington for Create TV & Film, developed the series into a fully realized television format. Cosgrove Hall Films, known for its expertise in animation produced the series for Create TV & Film, bringing the charming world of the Little Robots to life through intricate stop-motion animation techniques.

Note

The series was developed by the motion-picture division of LEGO Media, a subsidiary of The LEGO Group that produced video games and TV shows based on LEGO products and properties. which rebranded to Create TV and Film in 2003.

Broadcast and Reception

The series premiered on the BBC's preschool channel, CBeebies, where it quickly gained popularity among young viewers and their families. Its blend of engaging storytelling, relatable characters, and educational content made it a favourite choice for preschool programming. Critics praised the show's ability to entertain while also teaching valuable lessons about teamwork and problem-solving.

TV Sales

LEGO Media International announced the show's production in April 2001 for a 2002 delivery. On 7 October 2001, it was confirmed that the BBC had acquired the UK broadcast rights to the show and that production would start on the series, which would begin to air from January 2003. In December of that year, it was confirmed that BBC Worldwide had acquired worldwide distribution rights to the series, and that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation had purchased the Australian broadcast rights to the series. In March 2003, BBC Worldwide pre-sold the series to many different broadcasters, including ZDF and KiKA in Germany, TVOntario, SCN and Knowledge Network in Canada, and the NRK in Norway. The series was redubbed in the United States with voice actors using American accents despite the show already being in English.

Legacy

Little Robots has remained a beloved part of British children's television (and other territories), known for its distinctive animation style and heartwarming narratives. The series has inspired merchandise, including toys and books, allowing fans to continue enjoying the adventures of the Little Robots beyond the screen. Its impact on early childhood education and entertainment continues to be recognized in discussions about quality programming for young audiences. Tiny, Stretchy, Sporty, Scary, and Noisy would later appear in The Official BBC Children in Need Medley in 2009.

Characters

Episodes

Series 1 (2003)

Series 2 (2003)

Series 3 (2004)

Series 4 (2004)

Series 5 (2005)

Release

BBC Worldwide distributes the series, and licensed it in over 60 countries. In the U.S., Little Robots was part of Cartoon Network's Tickle-U programming block and premiered 2 years after it aired in the UK, in 2005, the Cartoon Network version used American voice actors and was also released on DVD by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. It also aired on TVOKids in Ontario, Canada from 2003 to 2005 with the original UK dub, on Disney Channel and Playhouse Disney (now Disney Junior) in Asia from 2006 to 2007 with the US dub, on Okto in Singapore, and on Nick Jr. in Australia (formerly for a short time on Nickelodeon). The BBC website lists further customers: Germany (ZDF and KiKa), Canada (TVOntario, SCN and The Knowledge Network), Norway (NRK), Finland (YLE), Denmark (TV2), Iceland (RUV), Italy (RAI 2), Portugal (RTP and Canal Panda), Malta (MEBC), Russia (RTR Kultura and Carousel) and South Africa (SABC), Mexico (Discovery Kids), Slovenia (TV Slovenia), Japan (NHK and Disney Junior). The series has also aired in several other countries such as Australia (ABC, ABC Kids, ABC1 and ABC2), New Zealand (TV2), Ireland (RTÉ2, where it aired as part of its children's television strand The Den), The Bahamas (ZNS-TV), Hong Kong (ATV World), Poland (CBeebies), Greece (NERIT), Middle East and North Africa (Spacetoon and Basmah).

LEGO Duplo

In 2003−2004 a number of construction toy sets based on the TV series were released by LEGO Explore. In this theme were introduced new elements, including pieces for character minifigures. Each of the sets consist only one minifigure, except sets 7439 "Stretchy's Junk Yard" (Stretchy, Sporty) and 7441 "Tiny & Friends" (Tiny, Stretchy, and exclusive minifigures of Noisy and Messy). Also made were character plush toys. Most of the sets had limited release and were available only for online shopping in countries where the TV series was screened. • 7435 – Tiny's Day and Night Lever • 7436 – Sporty's Jumping Gym • 7437 – Gardening with Stripy • 7439 – Stretchy's Junk Yard • 7441 – Tiny & Friends • 7442 – Tiny's Lift Cart • 7443 – Stretchy's Junk Cart • 7444 – Sporty's Gym Cart • 7445 – Stripy's Flower Cart • 7446 – Tiny • 7449 – Sporty • 7450 – Stretchy • 7455 – Little Robots Tiny Plush • 7456 – Little Robots Messy Plush • 7457 – Little Robots Scary Plush • 7458 – Little Robots Stripy Plush • 7459 – Little Robots Tiny Plush Mini • 7460 – Little Robots Messy Plush Mini • 7461 – Little Robots Scary Plush Mini • 7462 – Little Robots Stripy Plush Mini • 7495 – Sporty's Skate Park • 7496 – Stretchy at Work