Maisy

This article is about the British television series. For the book series, see Lucy Cousins. For the female given name, see Maisie (given name).

Maisy
Title card
Genre	Children, animated
Created by	Lucy Cousins
Based on	Maisy book series by Lucy Cousins
Written by	Andrew Brenner Jeanne Willis
Directed by	Leo Nielsen
Narrated by	Neil Morrissey (UK version) Brian Greene (US version)
Theme music composer	KICK Productions
Opening theme	"Maisy"
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 producer	Lucinda Whiteley
Producer	Clive Juster
Editor	Christopher Gunningham
Running time	24 minutes
Production companies	King Rollo Films PolyGram Visual Programming (1999) Universal Pictures Visual Programming (1999-2000)
Original release
Network	ITV (CITV)
Release	11 February 1999 (1999-02-11) – 2 November 2000 (2000-11-02)

Maisy is a British preschool animated children's television series based on the book series of the same name by Lucy Cousins. The series aired for one season of 26 episodes, with each episode being made up of four segments. It won the British Academy Children's Award for Pre-School Animation in 2000.

Plot

The show 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 communicating through unusual noises rather than traditional language. The characters are meant to be between four and 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 is a mouse who lives in an orange house with a red roof. She wears different clothes. She loves to paint and play with her friends.
• Cyril is a squirrel who wears a yellow or green shirt.
• Tallulah is a bird chick who is almost always seen wearing a dress and a bow.
• Charley is a crocodile who loves to eat.
• Eddie is an 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.

Production

Maisy was produced by King Rollo Films, PolyGram Visual Programming, and Universal Pictures Visual Programming.^{[ citation needed ]}

Release and subsequent telecasts

Maisy first aired on CITV in the United Kingdom on 11 February 1999 with the series' final episode aired on 2 November 2000, ^[1] with repeats aired until the mid-2000s. In the US, the series aired for a few years on the now-defunct Qubo Channel, ^[2] following a 2008 licensing deal that the network reached with the show's distributor, NBCUniversal. Before Qubo, the show had been seen on the Nick Jr. block on Nickelodeon, as well as Nickelodeon's sister network Noggin.^{[ citation needed ]}

Accolades

Maisy won the British Academy Children's Award for Pre-School Animation in 2000. ^[3]

Home media and streaming

Maisy was released on VHS in the US from 1999 until 2001, 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.^{[ citation needed ]}

As of 2020, the show was streaming on Peacock.^{[ citation needed ]}

VHS releases (US)

• 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)
• Maisy Makes Music (12 September 2000)
• Maisy's Winter Fun (12 September 2000)
• Maisy's ABC (6 February 2001)
• Maisy's Springtime (28 February 2001)

VHS releases (UK)

The series is also available on VHS and DVD in its native United Kingdom:

• Introducing Maisy (1999)
• Maisy Colours 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 (2001)
• 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/Splash (2002)
• Good Morning Maisy (2003)
• Maisy Fun and Games (2003)

DVD releases (US)

• Good Morning Maisy (2004)
• Playtime Maisy (2004)
• Good Night Maisy (2004)

DVD releases (UK)

• Maisy's Farm (2001)
• Maisy Christmas and other stories (2004)
• Maisy's ABC (2005)
• Maisy Colours and Counting (2000)
• Maisy Animal Stories (2000)
• Maisy Birthday and other stories (2000) (AUS)
• Maisy Bedtime and other stories (2000)
• Maisy Fun in the Sun (2006)
• Maisy Playtime (2006)
• Maisy Splash (2006)
• Maisy and Panda (2006)
• Maisy Discovers (2010)
• Maisy Animals (2010)
• Maisy Helps (2010)
• Maisy On the Go (2011)
• Maisy Garden (2010)
• Maisy Adventures (2010)
• Maisy Playtime (2010) (AUS)
• Maisy Birthday (2010) (AUS)
• Maisy Bedtime (2010) (AUS)
• Maisy Christmas (2010) (AUS)

Episodes

The show 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
1	"Farm / Picnic / Pool / Camping"	Red Tractor Picnic Bag Wading Pool Yellow Tent	11 February 1999 (1999-02-11)
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 (1999-02-12)
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 a popsicle, they feed the ducks and head for home.
3	"Spots / Bird / Washing / Sandcastle"	Coloured Spots European Robin Washing Machine Sandcastle	18 February 1999 (1999-02-18)
Maisy is spotting spotty things - a leopard, a snake, a ladybug, a frog and a giraffe. When she meets a zebra, she decides that 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 Ball Gingerbread Cookie Cat in the Basket	19 February 1999 (1999-02-19)
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 / Bedtime"	Green Steam Train Bike Party Chest Bed	25 February 1999 (1999-02-25)
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 sees that they don't fit in to the carriage and Maisy must find a way to put them; 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 potty 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 (1999-02-26)
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.
7	"Rain / Nest / Plane / Parade"	Rain Cloud Bird in a nest Airplane Trumpet	4 March 1999 (1999-03-04)
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 birds. When the mother bird flies off to find some food for her birds, 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 sink. Cyril's airplane 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 (1999-03-05)
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. Maisy and Tallulah must return sheep into the field; A ride is 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 (1999-03-25)
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; Maisy and her friends find the mess and they must tidy up.
10	"Harvest / Shed / Playhouse / Circus"	Vegetables Garden Shed Playhouse Circus Tent	26 March 1999 (1999-03-26)
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.
11	"Dancing / Ouch / Eggs / Bath"	Yellow Stereo Bandage Easter Eggs Rubber Ducky	6 May 1999 (1999-05-06)
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, and thinks that Maisy is going to play with her.
12	"Balloons / Lemonade / Tummyache / Guitar"	Red Balloon Lemon Plate of Cupcakes Acoustic Guitar	20 May 1999 (1999-05-20)
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 and Maisy makes a home made lemonade; Charley's eyes are bigger than his tummy, and Maisy has to find a way to make him feel better; Maisy is 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 (1999-12-06)
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 (1999-12-07)
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 (1999-12-09)
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 her.
16	"Fish / Hiccups / Ice / Puzzle"	Goldfish Glass of Lemonade Icy Window Jigsaw Puzzle Piece	10 December 1999 (1999-12-10)
It's time for spring cleaning for Maisy's fish, and Tallulah comes along to give her a helping hand; Maisy and Cyril find out when Cyril drinks his lemonade just a bit too quickly and gets hiccup; 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 (1999-12-24)
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; 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 (2000-03-13)
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, 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 (Hide and Squeeze - USA) / Dolphin"	Blue Potty Igloo Eddie behind a sofa Dolphin	20 March 2000 (2000-03-20)
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 (2000-03-27)
It's a rainy day and Maisy decides to go for a walk in the garden. It's so muddy that she sees many other 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 until they know it they've got a great big convoy, riding along the road.
21	"Mountain / Bubbles / Kangaroo / Goodnight (Sleepover - USA)"	Mountain Bubbles Kangaroo Night Sky	10 October 2000 (2000-10-10)
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 comes to stay the night with Mais.
22	"Hello / Chocolate Cake / Toot Toot / Piggy Back"	Maisy Mouse Chocolate Cake Brass Whistle Tallulah on Charley's back	12 October 2000 (2000-10-12)
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; 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 (2000-10-17)
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; Cyril gets a cold, but 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 (2000-10-19)
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 (2000-10-31)
It's nearly lunchtime and Charley's got nothing to eat, but he's going to go shopping with Maisy; Maisy can hear all sorts of noises very carefully, as Maisy finds out; Maisy and Cyril find out 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 (Flashlight - USA) / Band"	Rowing Boat Red Wheelbarrow Torch Guitar, Trumpet and Drum	2 November 2000 (2000-11-02)
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; Maisy is 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.

Song shorts

• Drip Drip Drop (The Rain Song) ^[4]
• Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush ^[5]
• I Look Out of My Window ^[4]
• I'm Gonna Write a Letter ^[4]
• The Wheels on the Bus ^[5]
• What Should We Do When We All Come In ^[5]

See also

• The Adventures of Spot
• The Paz Show
• Wide-Eye
• Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies
• Humf
• Poppy Cat

References

1. 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.
2. Annemarie Moody (9 October 2008). "qubo Inks Deals With PorchLight, NBC Universal". Animation World Network .
3. "Children's in 2000". British Academy of Film and Television Arts . Retrieved 19 February 2023.
4. Maisy's Bedtime (VHS).
5. Maisy Makes Music (VHS).

External links

• Maisy at IMDb