Mio Mao

Mio Mao (pronounced me-o mow [ˈmiː.o mɑu̯]), also known as Mio and Mao, is an Italian-British stop-motion animated preschool children's television series created by Francesco Misseri in the 1970s, produced using Claymation animation.

The original series was produced by PMBB and aired on Programma Nazionale in 1974. After Francesco Misseri's production company Misseri Studio acquired Mio Mao in 2000 and remastered series 1 in 2003, Misseri Studio and Associati Audiovisivi created two more series for Five's Milkshake! block in 2005 and 2007. In the United Kingdom, the episodes are narrated and the characters are voiced by Derek Griffiths. Mio Mao has aired on BabyFirst in the United States.

Plot
Each episode is approximately five minutes long and focuses on the kittens Mio and Mao. As the episode progresses, they discover a variety of mysterious animals and objects on the other side. The garden changes appearance depending on the theme of the episode, or the animal or object featured.

The kittens go to investigate alone, they sometimes forget about the animal or object and wander off to look at the scenery. After a while, they get there but return scared, before watching from a distance and discovering that the scary item was either a friendly animal or a fun object.

Often, near the end of the episode, the animal or object will need help, and Mio and Mao come to their rescue, then invite the animal or object to come play with them. Gracious, the animal or object follows them as they squish and bounce back to the other side, posing together and looking at the viewers as the episode draws to a close, with the words “THE END”.

Series 1 (1974)

 * 1) The Peacock
 * 2) The Little Lamb
 * 3) The Ants
 * 4) The Chameleon
 * 5) The Beehive
 * 6) The Spider
 * 7) The Tortoise
 * 8) The Caterpillar
 * 9) The Cicada
 * 10) The Egg
 * 11) The Snake
 * 12) The Dog
 * 13) The Dormouse
 * 14) The Polyp
 * 15) The Hippopotamus
 * 16) The Squirrel
 * 17) The Monkey
 * 18) The Hedgehog
 * 19) The Shell
 * 20) The Tadpole
 * 21) The Snail
 * 22) The Owl
 * 23) The Mole
 * 24) The Beaver
 * 25) The Piglet
 * 26) The Hare

Series 2 (2005-06)

 * 1) The Fox
 * 2) The Worm
 * 3) The Anteater
 * 4) The Seed
 * 5) The Cricket
 * 6) The Swan
 * 7) The Turkey
 * 8) The Crocodile
 * 9) The Racoon
 * 10) The Crab
 * 11) The Penguin
 * 12) The Little Bear
 * 13) The Christmas Tree
 * 14) The Snowman
 * 15) The Seal
 * 16) The Parrot
 * 17) The Mushroom
 * 18) The Dragonfly
 * 19) The Bat
 * 20) The Chestnut
 * 21) The Hornet
 * 22) The Kangaroo
 * 23) The Cow
 * 24) The Ladybird
 * 25) The Donkey
 * 26) The Koala

Series 3 (2006-07)

 * 1) The Deer
 * 2) The Elephant
 * 3) The Mouse
 * 4) The Ostrich
 * 5) The Pelican
 * 6) The Dove
 * 7) The Kingfisher
 * 8) The Television
 * 9) The Claw
 * 10) The Dolphin
 * 11) The Ghost
 * 12) The Goldfish
 * 13) The Zebra
 * 14) The Vacuum Cleaner
 * 15) The Sky Terrier
 * 16) The Sloth
 * 17) The Gorilla
 * 18) The Jinn
 * 19) The Bull
 * 20) The Train
 * 21) The Little Theater
 * 22) The Tap
 * 23) The UFO
 * 24) The Vulture
 * 25) The Piano
 * 26) The Dinosaur