Show History

History

Inspiration

Curious George: The Golden Meatball follows the adventures of Curious George, an inquisitive little monkey who first appeared in a series of children’s books created by the team of H.A. and Margaret Rey. Curious George made his first appearance in 1939 in Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys before graduating to the lead character of his own children’s books.  Over the decades, Curious George has spawned dozens of books, popular television programs and successful films.

Productions

Curious George: The Golden Meatball launched a National Tour in 2014 through Theatreworks USA. The tour continues to play various cities across the United States. 

Cultural Influence

• The “Original Adventures” of Curious George were published between 1941 and 1966. A second series of books that were adapted from the telefilm series were published between 1984 and 1993. Finally, a third series of books, the “New Adventures” debuted in 1998 and continue to this day. These latest adventures are “illustrated in the style of H.A. Rey."
• Curious George has been adapted for television three times. Most recently, on PBS Kids in 2006, with new episodes still airing.
• The 2006 animated feature, Curious George, starred Will Ferrell as the Man With the Yellow Hat. Two direct-to-video sequels, Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey! and Curious George 3: Back to the Jungle were released in 2010 and 2015, respectively, with Jeff Bennett replacing Ferrell as the Man With the Yellow Hat.

Trivia

• Throughout the children’s books, the Man With the Yellow Hat is never referred to by his actual name. He is referred to as Ted in the 2006 animated feature.