I Piccoli

I remember watching this show when it was new--I was 8 years old at the time, about the same age as Lucy Little, and I totally identified with her. At the time I thought it was just a fun show about little (REALLY little!) kids that were just like me, in a way. Recently I found it again in syndication and I'm relieved to find out that one of my childhood favourites _has_ aged well.

"The Littles" is a very creative cartoon, and gives great attention to details. For one thing, every time they do a scene from the Littles' point of view (which is often), the animators had to draw ordinary objects blown up to many times their size, which requires a lot of detail work (i.e, every single individual strand on a piece of string, the holes on a piece of printer paper, etc.) Another detail that I like is that the Littles are mostly drawn as having a sort of late 1800's/early 1900's style to their clothes, technology, etc. For example, Tom dresses kind of like a "Newsie", Dinky's outfit is that of a WWI flying ace rather than a _modern_ pilot, and the kids' home-made bicycles (which use _bottle caps_ for wheels) have the front wheel much bigger than the back, like a 19th-century style bike. This lends a colorful little touch of...quaintness to the look of the show and adds to the Littles' "otherworldly" feel.

And then there's the characters, none of whom are one-dimensional clichés. The main one I remembered from back then (besides Lucy) has gotta be the dippy, accident-prone aviator Cousin Dinky--and watching it again, I can see why. He is just plain _hilarious_--constantly bragging about being an expert at things he's never done, insanely daring one second but cowardly the next, seemingly unfazed by crashing his plane (which happens _often_. Well, you know what they say...any crash you can walk away from...) And while he normally seems stupid or at least "out of it", he can sometimes be the only one who picks up on an important clue. Personality-wise, he _strongly_ reminds me of Launchpad McQuack, from "DuckTales"/"Darkwing Duck"...but since "The Littles" was first, I guess we gotta call Dinky the "prototype" of LP, huh? (Heck, the way Grandpa always insults Dinky even sounds like the way Scrooge McDuck always yells at LP...)

The other characters shine no less brightly. Grandpa is not a feeble old coot, but instead a tough, experienced older gentleman with a sharp sense of adventure and an even sharper tongue! Tom is a bit hot-tempered and impulsive but has a heart underneath that, and Lucy is a tomboy who manages to be _sensible_ without coming across as cowardly. She's the kind of role-model more little girls these days could stand to grow up with. Even Henry, who's fairly bland, comes across as sympathetic because the other kids at his school consider him something of a loser.

All things considered, "The Littles" may not be one of the greatest cartoons of all time, no, but it is detailed, creative, and _does_ hold up well over time. If you haven't caught this one on syndication yet, give it a look--because, like the tiny people themselves, you never know when it might disappear.

This is DIC's first animated show (with the second being Inspector Gadget) and it first premiered in September of 1983 on ABC. This series focuses on one particular family of Littles - Grandpa, Mom and Dad, Dinky, and the two youngest: Tom and Lucy. In their quest to become productive adults, the Littles and their 12-year old huge friend Henry face the same kinds of problems that young children face every day - issues of friendship, jealousy, honesty, prejudice, consideration for others, kindness, responsibility, risk-taking ... and more. Each episode of the Littles focuses on one such issue, presenting it in explicit, concrete terms. And young, attractive characters with whom children can identify carry out these actions, they serve as excellent role models for young viewers. Younger and older children, boys and girls, loners and social butterflies...all can find a character with whom to identify and from whom to learn. And last but far from least, the character of Grandpa, a wise, experienced, older Little who clearly loves and cares for the Little kids, functions as the kind of non-threatening, non-didactic teacher to whom children respond. He frequently articulates the lesson inherent in the action as he interacts with and advises the Little children. He is the best kind of teacher. The exciting adventures of the Littles and the suspense generated by their frequent narrow escapes from Dr Hunter are designed to capture and hold young viewers' attention. The explicitness with which each lesson is articulated and role models with whom children can identify are designed to ensure that children note and understand the embedded pro-social content as they derive delight from the action. I definely remember watching this when it was on The Family Channel (I was 4 at the time)and later on Toon Disney. it was very funny and cute especially when Dinky was doing his own stunt show until it when out of control and went up to flames. Now that this show is currenly in syndication and on DVD, you'll be able to catch all the fun. Whenever you are big or little, it always a treat! From DIC Animation City, in association with ABC Productions (American Broadcasting Company). Joe's Rating: 4 stars.

It seems to me that recently, cartoons as a whole are not very good. But then I stumbled across this show. It's 20+ years old and it's gag-worthy. It's pretty stupid and the Littles are ugly with annoying voices. I don't know what compelled the WB to replay this show on Saturday mornings.I guess I can just sleep in.

When this show was on I watched it every time I could! I thought that the characters were really funny and all had great personalities. The animation in My opinion was crisp, clean, and really clear. Not to mention beautiful! Most of the characters in this show are hilarious Looney Tunes characters that we all love. in My opinion these characters are the funnies and talented ever seen. In fact, The things that goes on in this series' cartoons are in My opinion nuts which that is what makes them hilarious! There are so many to like and laugh at and the silly things they do! If you like the original Looney Tunes then I strongly recommend that you watch this show!

I remember I use to watch this cartoon as a kid. Some time ago I remember thinking about this cartoon and wishing they would show it on t.v again. One day recently I was flipping channels and saw the cartoon. I was surprised! Then I thought "I want to buy the DVD collection." I saw somewhere that they plan on releasing it in October 16th of 2007. A 5-disk set for $39.99. Hope to get a copy! I don't know where to get it. I'm hoping to be able to find it in Amazon.com. It has adventure, suspense, and it's funny. You get hooked. I think the cartoons they use to make are a lot better than today's cartoons. The Littles are great!