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George Shrinks is a Canadian–Chinese children's animated television series. It is based on the children's book by William Joyce, produced in China by Jade Animation and in Canada by Nelvana, in association with Public Broadcasting Service. Because PBS co-owned Sprout when the channel was launched, it aired a variety of shows from its archive library on Sprout, including reruns of George Shrinks.
Plot
George may only be three inches tall, but he never sweats the small tasks or shies away from the challenges. George Shrinks helps children understand the importance of self-acceptance, problem-solving, and overcoming obstacles. The series encourages an interest in science and the fun of learning!
Characters
- George Bernard Shrinks: George, 10, is the titular protagonist of the series, who wakes up from a dream to discover he is small; his golden plated baby shoes were extremely tiny seen in "Round Up the Usual Insects". Because of his small stature, George has had to invent his own adaptive devices, most notably the Zooper car (a small vehicle which George built with his father, and which can be automatically transformed into an airplane, a helicopter, or a submarine). Another invention is a system of pneumatic tubes, which George also uses for transportation. He is voiced by Tracey Moore.
- Harold Shrinks Jr. (referred to as "Junior" in the series): George's little brother, who often accompanies George in his adventures around the house. Junior is George's "sidekick" and "gofer", doing the tasks that are too difficult for George because of the latter's stature. However, his playfulness and his size sometimes lead to accidents, though Junior's sincere "Sowwy, George", always gets his brother to forgive him. He is voiced by Robbi Jay Thuet.
- Becky Lopez: Becky Lopez is George's best friend who lives next door. She and George go on many exploits and adventures. Becky is the captain for a Little League ice hockey team called, "The Storks", whose terribly bad-scoring drought was the focus of one of the later episodes. She is voiced by Bryn McAuley.
- "Mom" Perdita Shrinks: Mom is a freelance artist by trade who builds, sculpts and welds with a very abstract style. She is a member of the town's art committee and is into organic foods. Mom is also very supportive of the projects that the family and kids work on, and she enjoys helping out in the community. She also used to be a Radio City Rockette which George reveals his dad told him in "If It Ain't Broke" episode. She is voiced by Kathleen Laskey.
- "Dad" Harold Shrinks Sr.: Dad is a musician in a jazz band, and is constantly building and trying out new instruments (most of which resemble oversized and distorted tubas and saxophones) in the search for the "perfect sound". Dad is a bit eccentric, but still loves his family and is a good father. He is voiced by Paul O'Sullivan.
- Aunt Eunice: Aunt Eunice is George and Junior's Great-Aunt (but whom the whole family calls 'aunt'), who sometimes serves them as their babysitter. The first time she watched the boys, she was very patronizing toward George, treating him as though his size were a handicap and "assisting" him. However Aunt Eunice's ways have changed when George fixes her prized plant, a Bonsai tree "Maurice", which seemingly been damaged beyond repair. In "Return to Sender", she expresses complete confidence in that George will handle himself just fine when he was mailed to various locations across the planet, and that he could mail himself back home safely. She has travelled around the world; as such, she knows a great deal about different places as well as people. The boy's mother, Perdita Shrinks, is Eunice's niece. She is voiced by Catherine Gallant.
- Sparkle Tangerine: A bright orange stray cat that roams George's neighbourhood, also the main antagonist. She often tries to eat George or anyone his size. A similar cat, though unnamed, appeared in the original book by William Joyce. Seen in Can We Keep Him?, Close Encounters of the Bird Kind, Zoopercar Caper, King Kongo, George vs. the Space Invaders, Journey to the Centre of the Garden, George-Lo-Phone, Small of the Wild, Hound of the Bath-ervilles, George Unshrinks, Becky in Wonderland, and The Lost World of George Shrinks.
- Russell Copeland: Russell is a kindhearted senior that used to live in George's house as a boy. He is also a retired veterinarian. He is voiced by Sean McCann.
- Ellen: Ellen is a kind-hearted girl next door with a Chinese nationality. Despite only appearing in three episodes, Ellen plays a major role in two of them. Ellen is a fan of old horror movies and enjoys playing harmless practical jokes. She has an older brother, Matt, who is an owner of an anole lizard named Ting-Ting (which, as Ellen describes, is literally Chinese for "Gracefully Graceful"). She is left-handed and a member of the Storks, Becky's hockey team, as a forward on the left wing. She is voiced by Lisa Yamanaka.
- Timmy and Jimmy Fortevoce: Timmy and Jimmy are identical twins, members of Becky's hockey team- Jimmy plays centre and Timmy plays defence. Despite appearing in just two episodes, they still play an important role as supporting members of the cast. In Italian, their last name literally means, "Loud Voice".
- Hilda and Henry: Hilda and Henry are two blond-haired, glasses wearing dizygotic fraternal twins/sororal twins. They say almost everything in unison and only appeared in two episodes. They enjoy playing tricks on one another, such as during a scary movies night at the Shrinks' residence. They are somewhat competitive but are good friends with George and Becky.
- Helga: Helga is the goaltender for the Storks, Becky's Little League hockey team. Coach Shrinks is the only episode she appears in, which she plays a major role. She usually wears glasses, except on the ice because the lenses fog up.
- Lizzy: Lizzy is right-wing forward for the Storks, Becky's Little League hockey team. She's skilled at turning on the spot because of her previous experience figure skating; she joined the hockey team because she thought it was kind of lonely and wanted to join the team. She only appears in the episode, Coach Shrinks.
- The Cadwells: The Cadwells appear only in the episode, Speed Shrinks. these kids are two twins similar to Hilda and Henry, but are somewhat villainous. They build a craft similar to the SR-71 Blackbird and use its special features to sabotage and unfairly halt the other racers in order to win. The boy is voiced by, Michael Cera and the girl is voiced by Annick Obonsawin.
- Skyler: Skyler is George and Junior's first cousin once removed. Seen only in Toy George. She is about the same age as Junior and has similar personalities to him. She attended the school play George was putting on, "Pinocchio".
History on Sprout
The show seldom aired on the linear channel, but was one out of many to be aired on Sprout On Demand, with selected episodes airing under the "Children's Favorites" label (and eventually in its own label). It shared a category with The Berenstain Bears, another Nelvana series, in later years.
Notes
- The author of George Shrinks, William Joyce, also created Rolie Polie Olie and the characters from the film "Meet the Robinsons."