Maya l'abeille

Maya the bee must be one of those shows which everyone here in Slovenia know. It is cult cartoon here specially for the generation who have watched cartoons 10-25 years ago. There are even some theme song covers by many bands. It was shown very often from 80s to early 90s. I've seen it also 2 years ago on national TV so i believe even many children today knows that show. I never know this show was made in Japan. Hard to believe the cartoon from Japan was so popular in a country with totally different culture. I have no idea how it was accepted in Japan or any other countries, but I guess its not that popular if the review i am just writing is the 3rd one. I've seen the show also many times on German TVs so I guess it was quite popular there too but definitely not as popular as here. People here made it look like some national show.

In German, this series was called "Biene Maya", in English "Maya the Bee". It features two young bees having adventures out and about, discovering new things and helping other insects. Among their friends are a wise grasshopper, they also encounter ants, beetles, earthworms, and some not so nice wasps and the spider Thekla.

I would say the target audience is 2 - 8 year old children. The animation is good for its age, but you do notice that the series is over 25 years old, however, it holds up very well compared to modern children's TV series, especially as the characters and story lines are well thought through.

Most 20 minute long episodes will convey values such as friendship, helping others, etc., but the messages are never too blatant.

The Maia bee is undoubtedly the best children's series of the 70's. Very engaging and educational. Highly recommend.

I have been looking for this cartoon for so long. I used to watch all the time when it used to be aired on Nickelodeon (when it was still cool). I don't remember much, but I remember Maya, another bee and a grasshopper and their many misadventures. I do remember that they were mortal enemies with hornets. It was a very humble cartoon. It wasn't exciting, i wasn't overly done. A great piece of animation for the kiddies and family to enjoy!

I am almost 40 and I'm not ashamed to confess I have the complete DVD collection at home. Extremely popular in Europe this TV show is just as charming and lovely as it was back in 1975. Maybe the animation isn't as great for today standards but it doesn't matter, it works perfectly. I don't know in other countries but here in Spain the show got even better thanks to a wonderful dubbing cast who just captured the real magic of each character. And of course we cannot forget that wonderful intro song that it's known for everybody in Spain...You only have to start singing the first lines and probably somebody will join you. Wanna try? :-)