Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater is an animated series based on the Japanese character Hello Kitty, produced by DIC Enterprises and animated by Toei Animation.
The series involved Hello Kitty and her friends doing their own version of popular fairy tales and stories.
Each of the 18 episodes consisted of two 11-minute cartoons, for a total of 36 "shows"; each show was a spoof of a well-known fairy tale or movie.
Characters
Hello Kitty (voiced by Tara Charendoff) - The cheerful and kind kitten director of the theater.
In many tales she is the protagonist or a supportive fairy.
Mama Kitty (voiced by Elizabeth Hanna) – Kitty's mother, who plays motherly roles in the tales.
Papa Kitty (voiced by Len Carlson) - Kitty's father, who plays fatherly roles in the tales.
Grandma Kitty (voiced by Elizabeth Hanna) - Kitty's grandmother.
She casts as supporting roles in the tales.
Grandpa Kitty (voiced by Carl Banas) - Kitty's grandfather.
He casts as supporting roles in the tales.
Tuxedo Sam (voiced by Sean Roberge) - The happy penguin stage helper of the theater.
In many tales he is the protagonist or Kitty's sidekick or love interest.
My Melody (voiced by Mairon Bennett) - A very timid supporting bunny actress who is Kitty’s best friend.
Her roles are often smaller and she needs assistance to perform perfectly.
Chip (voiced by Noam Zylberman) - A cheery supporting white seal pup actor.
He has supporting roles with the protagonists.
Catnip (voiced by Cree Summer) - A green Siamese Cat, who sometimes plays tricks on her friends but remains sociable.
She often takes the role of the antagonist in the tales (such as a mobster, Captain Hook, Count Dracula, Ebenezer Scrooge, etc.).
Fangora (voiced by Denise Pidgeon) - A purple Siamese Cat and Catnip's mother.
She sometimes fills in for the role of a secondary antagonist in the tales.
Grinder (voiced by Greg Morton) - A dim-witted, naive and competent bulldog who often takes the role of a secondary antagonist or a bumbling accomplice to Catnip.
Mouser (voiced by Fred Savage) - A trickster mouse who plays scary tricks on Hello Kitty and her friends in the last episode.
Format
Each cartoon opens with a big huge modern theater located in the big city of London, England filling up with patrons, and usually a look at some comical goings-on backstage.
The play then begins (with Hello Kitty or Tuxedo Sam saying "Once upon a meow") and the stage transforms into whatever setting the story calls for, like outer space, the American Old West, the Great Depression or the Middle Ages.
Each show is a light-hearted takeoff of a children’s story or a popular movie.
Catnip and Grinder were usually typecast as the villains.
At the end, the stage returns to normal, and the actors take their bow.
One exception to this format is the cartoon "The Phantom of the Theater," which begins after the actors have finished a show (specifically "Robin Penguin"); all the action in this story takes place backstage.
Episodes
Release
Region 1
On March 24, 1998, MGM Home Entertainment released Two VHS videocassettes each containing four cartoon shorts, as well as the opening and closing sequences.
Hello Kitty: Kitty and the Beast (also includes "Grinder Genie and the Magic Lamp," "Hello Mother Goose," and "Little Red Bunny Hood")
Hello Kitty: Wizard of Paws (also includes "Snow White Kitty," "Sleeping Kitty," and "Peter Penguin")
In 2003-2004, MGM Home Entertainment under their MGM Kids label released 7 DVD's each containing five cartoon shorts; the only one of the 36 not to be included was "The Year Scroogenip Swiped Christmas."
The opening and closing sequences are not included.
Hello Kitty Becomes a Princess (February 4, 2003), (Cinderkitty, Kittylocks and the Three Bears, Sleeping Kitty, Kitty and the Beast, Snow White Kitty and the One Dwarf)
Hello Kitty Goes to the Movies (February 4, 2003), (K.T.
The Kitty Terrestrial, The Wizard of Paws, Kitty and the Kong, Cat Wars, Paws: The Great White Dog Shark)
Hello Kitty Saves the Day (February 4, 2003), (Peter Penguin, Tar-Sam of the Jungle, Paws of the Round Table, Crocodile Penguin, Grinder Genie and the Magic Lamp)
Hello Kitty Plays Pretend (February 17, 2004), (The Phantom of the Theater, Frankencat, Catula, The Pawed Piper, Rumpeldogskin)
Hello Kitty Tells Fairy Tales (February 17, 2004), (Robin Penguin, Hello Mother Goose, The Ugly Quackling, Pinocchio Penguin, Little Red Bunny Hood)
Hello Kitty Becomes a Magician (February 17, 2004), (Kittyhontas, Catasia, Kitty and the Beanstalk, Harry Potter Kitty, Princess Kitty and the Frog)
Hello Kitty Becomes an Explorer (February 17, 2004), (Kitty in Wonderland, Kitty and the Tramp, The Shepherd Penguin and the Wolf, The Little Match Kitty, Prince Purrfect and the Pauper)
Region 2
The same DVDs that were released in the United States were released in Region 2 by MGM Home Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
Becomes a Princess, Goes to the Movies and Saves the Day were all released in September 2004, using the same prints as the US versions without the opening and closing sequences.
Plays Pretend and Tells Fairy Tales were not released in the United Kingdom until October 2012.
These prints are not the same as the US versions, and do include the opening and closing sequences.
Another DVD titled Hello Kitty Has Fun at Halloween was also released in the same year, featuring 3 episodes from Plays Pretend and an episode from Goes to the Movies.
A boxset was also released, featuring all 5 of the original DVDs.
References
External links
Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater episode guide at the Big Cartoon DataBase
Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater at Toonarific.com
Category:Hello Kitty Category:1987 American television series debuts Category:1987 American television series endings Category:1980s American animated television series Category:1987 Canadian television series debuts Category:1987 Canadian television series endings Category:1980s Canadian animated television series Category:1987 anime television series Category:American children's animated adventure television series Category:American children's animated comedy television series Category:American children's animated fantasy television series Category:Canadian children's animated adventure television series Category:Canadian children's animated comedy television series Category:Canadian children's animated fantasy television series Category:Japanese children's animated adventure television series Category:Japanese children's animated comedy television series Category:
Japanese children's animated fantasy television series Category:Animated television series about cats Category:Television series by DIC Entertainment Category:Television series by MGM Television Category:CBS original programming
