Mio Mao

Mio Mao
Genre	Clay animation, Family, Preschool, Children's series
Written by	Francesco Misseri
Directed by	Francesco Misseri
Voices of	Derek Griffiths (Narrator - UK)
Theme music composer	Piero Barbetti
Country of origin	Italy
Language(s)	Italian English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	78
Production
Running time	5 minutes
Production company(s)	L+H Films (season 1) Misseri Studios & Channel 5 (season 2)
Broadcast
Original channel	Channel 5
Picture format	480i
Audio format	Dolby Digital 5.1
Original run	1974-1976 (original) 2005 (new) – present
External links
Official Channel 5 Website

Mio Mao (pronounced meew meow, according to the narrator), also known as Mio and Mao, is an Italian children's TV show produced by Misseri Studios (for seasons 2 and 3), L+H Films (for the 1974 series), and Channel 5 (for the 2005 and 2009 series). Mio Mao is filmed in Claymation animation.

The first series of Mio Mao was aired from 1974-1976 (and was also remade in 2005, with the theme song intact), and after more than 30 years a second series was produced in 2005 in association with Channel 5, and another one followed in 2005. The music to the lyrics ‘mio mao mio mao lalla lalla là,’ was composed by Piero Barbetti.

In the UK, the episodes are narrated by Derek Griffiths and shown on Channel 5, and its sister channel, 5*. Although occasional episodes are listed separately in TV guides, many are also shown as part of Channel 5's Milkshake programme. The show is now available through the Demand 5 online viewing service. In 1993, it was shown in the UK on Channel 4's early morning Take 5 line-up.

Episodes of Mio Mao are available in the UK as part of the Milkshake Treats DVD. A DVD of Mio Mao is also available in some European countries. In the US, several episodes of Mio and Mao can be found on the BabyFirst TV channel. In Singapore, Mio Mao is broadcast on the children's TV channel JimJam. In Portugal, "Mio Mao" was braodcast on RTP2, on the children's TV programme "zigZag". There are 78 episodes (according to searches of YouTube) of Mio Mao in existence.

Plot

Each episode is approximately 5 minutes long and focuses on two playful kittens Mio (white) and Mao (red), as they discover a variety of animals and objects hidden within their garden.

The kittens go to investigate alone, and return scared, before watching from a distance and finding that the scary item was either a friendly animal or fun object.

List of episodes

1974/1975 series episodes
The Ants (6 December 1974)
The Armadillo (lost)
The Bat (lost)
The Beaver (lost)
The Bull (lost)
The Camel (lost)
The Chameleon (lost)
The Chicken (lost)
The Cow (lost)
The Crab (lost)
The Crocodile (lost)
The Crow (lost)
The Deer (lost)
The Dinosaur (lost)
The Dog (22 November 1974)
The Dolphin (lost)
The Duck (lost)
The Egg (20 December 1974)
The Elephant (29 November 1974)
The Hare (lost)
The Hedgehog (27 December 1974)
The Hippopotamus (lost)
The Kangaroo (lost)
The Koala (lost)
The Lizard (lost)
The Ladybird (lost)
The Lion (lost)
The Mole (15 November 1974)
The Monkey (4 January 1975)
The Frog (lost)
The Ostrich (lost)
The Owl (lost)
The Peacock (8 November 1974)
The Spider (13 December 1974)

2005/2009 series episodes
The Anteater
The Bee Hive
The Chestnut
The Clew
The 'Coon
The Fox
The Flamingo
The Mushroom
The Genie
The Goat
The Ghost
The Glew
The Kingfisher
The Parrot
The Peacock
The Pelican
The Penguin
The Piglet
The Polar Bear
The Rabbit
The Reindeer
The Rhinoceros
The Rooster
The Seal
The Seed
The Shell
The Skye Terrier
The Sloth
The Snail
The Snake
The Snowman
The Spider
The Squirrel
The Swan
The Tadpole
The Tap
The Television
The Tortoise
The Train
The Turkey
The UFO
The Unicorn
The Vacuum
The Vulture
The Whale
The Wolf
The Worm
The Woodpecker
The Xmas Tree

Broadcast history

Australia

• ABC Kids

Italy

• Rai Uno (season 1)

UK

• Milkshake
• Channel 4 (season 1)

France

• Canal J (season 1)

USA

• BabyFirstTV (season 2)

Asia

• JimJam (season 2)

External links

Misseri Studio's YouTube Channel