Little Bill

Little Bill
File:Littlebilllogo.gif
Created by	Bill Cosby
Directed by	Robert Scull Jennifer Oxley Olexa Hewryk Mark Salisbury
Starring	Ruby Dee Gregory Hines Phylicia Rashad Rosie Perez Xavier Pritchett
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	52
Production
Running time	30 minutes
Production company	Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Original release
Network	Nick Jr. BET Centric
Release	November 28, 1999 (1999-11-28) – February 23, 2004 (2004-02-23)

Little Bill is an American animated children's television series produced for Nick Jr. The stories are based on Bill Cosby's Little Bill book series, set in Philadelphia, and feature Bill Jr. learning a lesson or moral. It was developed through research and in consultation with a panel of educational consultants.

The show also aired on CBS as part of Nick Jr. on CBS, from September 16, 2000 – September 7, 2002, then as part of Nick on CBS from August 2, 2003 – September 10, 2005. The show returned with the return of Nick Jr. on CBS on September 17, 2005, and seen through September 9, 2006, when the block was replaced with KOL Secret Slumber Party (which became: Cookie Jar TV).

Sonia Manzano, best known for playing Maria Rodriguez on Sesame Street, was a frequent writer for the show.

Characters

William "Bill/Little Bill" Glover Jr.

An inquisitive and imaginative boy who loves his hamster and is a fan of the fictional Blue Sox Baseball Team. He also likes Captain Brainstorm because he comes up with great ideas. He enjoys going to kindergarten, although he misses Elephant, but he is still happy. He is known as Little Bill because his actual name is Bill Jr; his father's name is also Bill. Little Bill is based on Bill Cosby's son, Ennis William Cosby, and was voiced by Xavier Prichett.

Elephant

Elephant is a small light yellow hamster who loves Little Bill. The only noises that are heard from him is his blinking eyes after Little Bill has spoken and he sneezes in one episode. When the rest of the family goes on vacations, he is left alone with Alice the Great, Little Bill's great–grandmother. He gets sick in "Get Well Elephant", but gets better at the end.

April Glover

The oldest of the Glover children, She is a highly talented basketball player on the school team, and also at basketball camp, where she won a trophy and is also in a choir. She is often seen getting bossy. (She sometimes argues with Bobby.) She is the only sister. She was voiced by Monique Beasley.

Robert "Bobby" Glover

Bobby is the most studious of the kids. He is always reading and investigating things. He is the middle child, and oldest son of the Glover children. He can also play the violin, and sometimes he can say upsetting things, usually resulting in his family saying, "Bobby!". He was voiced by Devon Malik Beckford (Season 1–2), and then Tyler James Williams (Season 3–4).

William "Bill/Big Bill" Glover Sr.

Father of Bobby, April, and Little Bill. They have a very close relationship with their father. He works for the Department of Housing, as a housing inspector. His hobby is collecting and listening to jazz records. He is also known as Big Bill because his actual name is Bill Sr. He was voiced by Gregory Hines.

Brenda Glover

Little Bill, Bobby, and April's mother. Wife of Big Bill, she works for a bank (seen in "Mom's Trip"), but her hobby is photography. She was voiced by Phylicia Rashad.

Alice the Great

Great-Grandmother of Little Bill, Bobby, April, and Jamal; Alice is also Brenda and Deborah's grandmother (see "The Magic Quilt"). Alice the Great has an older brother and older sister (see "The Surprise") and a cousin who lives in Cincinnati. Usually teaches Little Bill lessons and tells stories to him. She also lives with the family. She was voiced by Ruby Dee.

Captain Brainstorm

Captain Brainstorm is an astronaut, who has an orange rocket and an orange space suit. Little Bill is a fan of his TV show, Space Explorers. Captain Brainstorm has a dog called Spark–E, whose tagline, "Ruff–Roo!", is in a dog accent. He was voiced by Bill Cosby.

Andrew Mulligan

Andrew is a red haired, freckled boy who is Little Bill's best friend. Andrew and Little Bill have many things in common - they both like Captain Brainstorm or play with construction sets, etc. In one episode "Copy Cat" Little Bill and Andrew have a quarrel and Andrew calls Little Bill a copy cat, but soon learns his lesson and apologizes to him. Andrew has a pet dog named Farfy. Andrew is sometimes seen with his cousins: Kevin and Rachel. He lives two houses away from Little Bill. He was voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen.

Kiku Wong

Kiku is a friend of Little Bill's. Little Bill would say that she is the nicest of his friends. She loves nature (particularly flowers) and origami (her grandmother, Ms. Natsuko, showed Little Bill how to make origami in the episode "Shipwreck Saturday"). She was voiced by Eunice Cho.

Fuchsia Glover

Fuchsia is the paternal cousin of Little Bill, Bobby, and April. Her father Al (Big Bill's brother) runs a shop close to Little Bill's house. Fuchsia's mother is named Vanessa. She was voiced by Kianna Underwood. She goes to school with Little Bill.

Dorado

Classroom friend of Little Bill (see "New Foods" and "Natural Root Pals"). Teaches Little Bill about experiencing the Latino culture, by inviting him to dinner. Dorado introduces Bill to "arroz con guandules y platanos" (chicken with rice and bananas). Dorado is a bit of a comedian.

Monty

Grandson of Alice the Great's best friend Emmaline, uses a wheelchair to get around because he was born with cerebral palsy. He and Little Bill are good friends and pretend to be dinosaurs together; Monty's favourite is the tyrannosaurus rex. He was voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen.

Michael Rhiley

A classmate of Little Bill's who moves to the neighborhood from Miami, Florida. He is mean to Little Bill and his friends at first, but he soon learns his lesson. He is then a very good friend to Little Bill. He sleeps over at Little Bill's house in one episode and in the next episode, he plays in the snow with Little Bill for the first time. He was voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen.

Miss Aisha Murray–Clinkscales

Little Bill's teacher, who later marries Dr. Winthrop Clinkscales (But the students are still allowed to call her Miss Murray, since they have trouble pronouncing her husband's surname). Their engagement was mentioned in "The Ring Bear" and they were married in "Miss Murray's Wedding." She was voiced by Ayo Haynes.

Dr. Winthrop Clinkscales

Mrs. Murray's new husband. He is a doctor, and treats Little Bill when he breaks his arm in "A Trip to the Hospital."

Mrs. Shapiro

A Hawaiian lady, with a cat named Sophie. She was Little Bill's neighbor but then moved back to Hawaii, in the episode "Same Moon, Same Sun, Same Star," to live with her sister Mimi. She was voiced by Madeline Kahn in her first appearance, and later by Kathy Najimy.

Mr. Miguel Rojas

Mr. Rojas is an old man who speaks English and Spanish. He moved into Mrs. Shapiro's house and met Little Bill in the episode "The New Neighbours." He has a dog called Lito who's good at doing tricks. He only appears in "The New Neighbours," "Doggie Magic," "The Early Bill," and "The Halloween Party." He has children, but they're all grown up and have families of their own. He was voiced by Victor Argo.

Mr. Clark Terry

Alice the Great and Little Bill's new friend. He teaches Little Bill how to skip rocks and make music with a reed. He plays the flugelhorn. He was voiced by Clark Terry, whom he is named and modelled after.

Baby Jamal

Little Bill's maternal baby cousin, son of Deborah (Brenda's sister) and Gary.

Percy Mulch

The owner of a pet shop. He knows all about animals, but is a bit clumsy, and has a hard time remembering the first names of Little Bill's parents. He was voiced by Doug E. Doug.

Mr. Williams

A music store owner from "The Musical Instrument." He is a talented musician, and shows Little Bill the piano, accordion, saxophone, and drums (which happens to be his grandson's favourite instrument).

Aunt Deborah

Aunt Deborah is the wife of Uncle Gary and the mother of Baby Jamal. She is Little Bill, Bobby, and April's maternal aunt. She appears in "Just a Baby" when she and Gary came over to her sister's house, to show them baby Jamal.

Episodes

Season		Episodes	Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
	1	9	November 28, 1999	June 19, 2000
	2	12	September 4, 2000	December 4, 2000
	3	12	May 7, 2001	November 25, 2002
	4	19	February 18, 2003	February 6, 2004

Season 1 (1999–2000)

No. in season	Title	Original air date
1	"Just A Baby / The Campout"	November 28, 1999
Just a Baby: Little Bill's baby cousin Jamal visits and Little Bill learns about babies from Brenda, Big Bill, and Bobby. The Campout: Little Bill and Andrew pretend to camp out in the backyard
2	"The Treasure Hunt / The Best Way to Play"	November 28, 1999
The Treasure Hunt: Little Bill goes on a treasure hunt in order to keep himself occupied on a rainy day. Best Way to Play: Little Bill learns that things that you want can be expensive, such as a video game. Andrew gets a Captain Brainstorm video game, but Little Bill and his friends learn that pretending to be characters and going outside to play is better.
3	"Monty's Roar / Natural Root Pals"	December 12, 1999
Monty's Roar: Little Bill meets Monty, a handicapped boy who likes dinosaurs. Natural Root Pals: Little Bill's friend Dorado helps him past the time while their mothers get their hair done at a beauty parlor.
4	"The Dollar / The Choice"	December 19, 1999
The Dollar: Little Bill finds a dollar bill and is curious on what to spend it on. The Choice: Little Bill wants to choose a breakfast cereal during a trip to the supermarket.
5	"Guppies / The Magic Quilt"	January 9, 2000
Guppies: Little Bill takes swimming lessons with his cousin Fuchsia. The Magic Quilt: Little Bill is afraid of the dark.
6	"The Meanest Thing to Say / Lavatory Story"	February 6, 2000
The Meanest Thing to Say: A new boy at school named Michael bullies Little Bill and his friends. Lavatory Story: Little Bill tries to show Michael to the bathroom, or the "lavatory".
7	"The Zoo / My Pet Elephant"	February 20, 2000
The Zoo: Little Bill's class goes on a field trip to the zoo. My Pet Elephant: Little Bill gets a pet hamster and decides to name it "Elephant".
8	"Little Bill's Adventure with Captain Brainstorm"	June 4, 2000
Little Bill and his friends go to the mall to see Captain Brainstorm.
9	"Chicken Pox / Shipwreck Saturday"	June 19, 2000
Chicken Pox: Little Bill has had the chicken pox for days. Shipwreck Saturday: Little Bill builds a toy boat, but it gets destroyed by a careless man in a canoe.

Season 2 (2000)

No. in season	Title	Original air date
1	"Zoopity Zoo / Neighborhood Park"	September 4, 2000
Zoopity Zoo: Little Bill learns how to make cleaning his room fun. Neighborhood Park: Little Bill and his friends and family turn a vacant lot into a park.
2	"Elephant on the Loose / If a Bird Rings, Answer it"	September 5, 2000
Elephant on the Loose: Elephant gets lost in the house, so the family tries to find him. If a Bird Rings, Answer it: Little Bill finds a lost parrot with an abnormal talent.
3	"Big Kid / The Bills Go To Work"	September 6, 2000
Big Kid: Little Bill acts like a big kid. The Bills Go to Work: Big Bill takes Little Bill to his work to show him what he does.
4	"The Promise / The Practice"	September 7, 2000
The Promise: Little Bill borrows his sister April's basketball trophy for show-and-tell, but when at school, his friends break it. The Practice: April takes Little Bill to basketball practice.
5	"Are We There Yet? / Super Family Fun Land!"	September 8, 2000
Are We There Yet?: Little Bill and his family take a road trip to an amusement park. Super Family Fun Land: The family spends time at Super Family Fun Land. in this episode Branda drives the car
6	"The Ring Bear / Miss Murray's Wedding"	September 12, 2000
The Ring Bear: Little Bill is going to be the ring bearer for his teacher's wedding. Miss Murray's Wedding: Miss Murray gets married to a doctor named Winthrop Clinkscales.
7	"The Birthday Present / The Birthday Party"	September 13, 2000
The Birthday Present: Little Bill unintentionally ruins Fuchsia's birthday present. The Birthday Party: Little Bill attends Fuchsia's birthday party.
8	"A Trip to the Hospital / The Wrong Thing to Do"	September 14, 2000
A Trip to the Hospital: Little Bill breaks his arm and goes to the hospital. The Wrong Thing to Do: Little Bill is upset that he has to stay inside due to his broken arm and he draws on April's door!
9	"Making Mother's Day / Picture Perfect"	September 15, 2000
Making Mother's Day: Little Bill forgets to bring his mother's day gift to her mother from school. It's up to him to find something else as a gift for her mother for Mother's Day. Picture Perfect: Little Bill learns how to use a camera.
10	"Rolling Along / The Stage Trick"	October 9, 2000
Rolling Along: Little Bill tries to learn to roll. The Stage Trick: Little Bill gets stage fright while practicing for a school play.
11	"The Snack Helper / Buds"	November 13, 2000
The Snack Helper: Little Bill faces a tough decision on whom to send to the snack table first as the snack helper. Buds: Little Bill and Andrew learn about nature.
12	"Copy Cat / Picture Day"	December 4, 2000
Copy Cat: Little Bill is upset when Andrew calls him a copy cat. Picture Day: Little Bill wants to pick out his own clothes for Picture Day.

Season 3 (2001–02)

No. in season	Title	Original air date
1	"Ready, Set, Read! / I Got a Letter"	May 7, 2001
Ready, Set, Read!: Little Bill wants to learn how to read. I Got a Letter: Little Bill learns how to write letters.
2	"The Violin Lessons / Squirmy"	May 9, 2001
The Violin Lessons: Little Bill accidentally upsets Bobby when he makes fun of the way he plays the violin. Squirmy: Little Bill finds an earthworm and wants to keep it as a pet.
3	"Monty's Visit / Mom's Trip"	May 10, 2001
Monty's Visit: Little Bill is jealous of Monty being with Alice the Great. Mom's Trip: Brenda goes on a business trip and Little Bill misses her terribly.
4	"The No-Talking Contest / The Search is for the Sock"	May 11, 2001
The No-Talking Contest: Little Bill and his siblings have a no-talking contest. The Search is for the Sock: Little Bill loses one of April's lucky socks.
5	"The Halloween Costume / The Haunted Halloween Party"	October 26, 2001
The Halloween Costume: Little Bill is upset that a Captain Brainstorm costume he wanted is sold out. The Haunted Halloween Party: A party occurs at town on Halloween.
6	"Merry Christmas Little Bill"	December 3, 2001
Little Bill is afraid that Alice the Great won't be home in time for Christmas, due to the fact that she is stuck at the Cincinnati Airport.
7	"A Day at the Beach / The Get Well Song"	February 12, 2002
A Day at the Beach: Little Bill and his family go to the beach. The Get Well Song: Little Bill helps his sick father feel better.
8	"Michael Sleeps Over / Michael's First Snow"	March 6, 2002
Michael Sleeps Over: Michael sleeps over at Little Bill's house. Michael's First Snow: Little Bill helps Michael get used to snow.
9	"Monty Joins the Class / Dad Goes to School"	March 13, 2002
Monty Joins the Class: Monty joins Little Bill's class. Dad Goes to School: Big Bill goes to Little Bill's school to tell his class how his jobs works.
10	"Number One on Honeywood Street / Baseball Glovers"	March 19, 2002
Number One on Honeywood Street: Little Bill and Andrew's families compete. Baseball Glovers: Little Bill's entire family plays baseball at a family reunion.
11	"Little Bill's Giant Space Adventure"	July 8, 2002
Max and Little Bill have to save Captain Brainstorm From the giant purbuls
12	"Wabbit Worries / Wabbit Babies"	November 25, 2002
Wabbit Worries: Little Bill is concerned about one of the class' pet rabbits. Wabbit Babies: Little Bill tries to find a place for the baby rabbits to live.

Season 4 (2003–04)

No. in season	Title	Original air date
1	"The Car Keys / Doggie Sitting"	February 18, 2003
The Car Keys: Little Bill accidentally loses his father's car keys. Doggie Sitting: Little Bill and his siblings try to take care of a neighbor's dog.
2	"New Foods / Elephant Tricks"	February 19, 2003
New Foods: Little Bill tries new foods when he visits Dorado. Elephant Tricks: Little Bill tries to get Elephant to do tricks.
3	"What About Me? / Happy Not Birthday To You"	February 20, 2003
What About Me?: Little Bill feels left out. Happy Not Birthday to You: Little Bill wants to cheer up April when she loses the basketball championship.
4	"Racing Time / All Tied Up"	February 21, 2003
Racing Time: Little Bill is late for school due to dawdling. All Tied Up: Little Bill wants to learn to tie his shoes.
5	"Echo Falls / Going Fishing"	July 28, 2003
Echo Falls: Little Bill, Fuchsia and their fathers hike to Echo Falls. Going Fishing: Little Bill wants to catch a fish.
6	"The Best Book Ever! / A Ramp for Monty"	July 29, 2003
The Best Book Ever!: Little Bill gets a library card and checks out books. A Ramp for Monty: Little Bill and Big Bill build a ramp for Monty to make it easier for him to get into the backyard.
7	"The New Babysitter* / My Friend Isabel"	July 30, 2003
The New Babysitter: Little Bill gets a new babysitter, Isabel. My Friend Isabel: Little Bill doesn't want Isabel to leave.
8	"The Early Bill / Going Camping"	July 31, 2003
The Early Bill: Little Bill gets up early. Going Camping: Little Bill and Big Bill camp out in the backyard.
9	"Same Moon, Same Sun, Same Star / All Together Now"	September 22, 2003
Same Moon, Same Sun, Same Star: Mrs. Shapiro is moving away to Hawaii*. All Together Now: Little Bill wants to run away to avoid taking a nap.
10	"The Surprise! / Good ol' Lightnin'"	September 23, 2003
The Surprise!: Little Bill makes a surprise present for Alice the Great. Good ol' Lightnin': Little Bill finds Alice the Great's old wagon. Ol' Lightnin'.
11	"The Musical Instrument / The Choir"	September 24, 2003
The Musical Instrument: Little Bill wants to play an instrument. The Choir: Little Bill assists April's choir when one of singers is sick.
12	"The Incredible Shrinking Little Bill / The Big Swings"	September 25, 2003
The Incredible Shrinking Little Bill: Little Bill thinks he's shrinking. The Big Swings: Bobby accidentally scares Little Bill by pushing him too high on the swings.
13	"New Neighbors / Doggie Magic"	September 26, 2003
New Neighbors: Little Bill has new neighbors. Doggie Magic: Little Bill spends time with Mr. Rojas' dog, Miguelito (or Lito for short).
14	"I Can Sign / The Sign for Friend"	September 26, 2003
I Can Sign: Little Bill learns sign language The Sign for Friend: Little Bill and Andrew make a new friend.
15	"Summertime in the Wintertime / Snow Racer"	February 2, 2004
Summertime in the Wintertime: Little Bill pretends that it's summertime in the wintertime Snow Racer: Little Bill and Michael build a snow racecar.
16	"Get Well, Elephant / Elephant's Best Friend"	February 3, 2004
Get Well, Elephant: Elephant is sick, so Little Bill takes care of him Elephant's Best Friend: Little Bill wants to get Elephant a best friend.
17	"The Skating Lesson / Mr. Moth"	February 4, 2004
The Skating Lesson: April teaches Little Bill how to skate Mr. Moth: Little Bill waits for his moth to hatch.
18	"Private Time / Never"	February 5, 2004
Private Time: Little Bill and Brenda have some private time Never: Little Bill and Alice the Great make a new friend, Clarke Terry.
19	"When Friends Get Mad / The Party Box"	February 23, 2004
When Friends Get Mad: Little Bill gets mad at Kiku after she accidentally ruins his picture and refuses to apologize after he ruins her picture in return. In this episode, Little Bill has a time-out. The Party Box: Little Bill is disappointed when he finds that his parents and Alice the Great are having an adult party and he can't come. Series Finale

Video games

Little Bill Thinks Big, released on 29 September 2003, is for the Windows XP & Macintosh.

Awards

Emmy Awards

• 2003 - Outstanding Performer In An Animated Program - Gregory Hines
• 2004 - Outstanding Children's Animated Program

Peabody Award

• 2001

See also

• Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids

External links

• Official Bill Cosby Site
• Nick Jr: Little Bill
• Little Bill at IMDb
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• Template:Tv.com show