50 Fun Facts About Curious George

Curious George was created by a married couple with which surname?

Hans mostly drew and Margret mostly wrote, though early covers left her name off entirely.

How is George described in the books' famous opening line?

He is drawn without a tail, which is why the film's press notes admitted he is technically more of a chimpanzee.

What was George called in H. A. Rey's 1939 book about a giraffe and nine monkeys?

The book was Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys, published in Paris. A London publisher asked for the name to change to George.

When the original books were published in the United Kingdom, George was renamed what?

The name George was thought disrespectful to the reigning king, George VI.

How did the Reys flee Paris in June 1940, carrying the Curious George manuscript?

They left just hours before the city fell, got visas in Bayonne and reached New York via Lisbon and Brazil.

Which publisher released the first Curious George book in New York in 1941?

The first print run was 7,500 copies at $2 each, and the book has never been out of print since.

Why was Margret Rey's name left off the early covers?

Later editions corrected it, and she now gets full credit as co-author.

How many original Curious George books did the Reys write themselves?

They ran from Curious George in 1941 to Curious George Goes to the Hospital in 1966. Later books were done 'in the style of H. A. Rey' by other artists.

In the first book, how does the Man with the Yellow Hat capture George?

The Man tells him they are going to a zoo in a big city, and George promises to stay out of trouble. He does not.

In the first book, who arrives at the house after George plays with the telephone?

He is jailed for the false alarm, escapes across the power lines, and floats off holding a whole bunch of balloons.

How does George end up flying over the city in the first book?

He tries to grab one red balloon and takes the whole bunch. The Man later buys them all and gives them to the zoo animals.

In Curious George Takes a Job (1947), what job does George get after escaping the zoo?

He first gets caught eating a pot of spaghetti in a restaurant kitchen, then paints a jungle scene all over someone's apartment.

How does George end up in hospital in Curious George Takes a Job?

While recovering he knocks himself out with a bottle of ether and finishes the book signing a movie deal about his life.

What colour is the bicycle the Man gives George in Curious George Rides a Bike?

It marks three years since George came home from the jungle. He ends up playing bugle in an animal show and rescuing a bear cub from a tree.

Which animal is George warned not to feed at the animal show in Curious George Rides a Bike?

The bird will eat anything held near it. George gets curious anyway, which is how the bear cub ends up loose.

What does George do to earn his award in Curious George Gets a Medal (1957)?

The book came out only weeks before the Soviets launched Sputnik II. Real chimpanzee Ham made a similar flight in 1961.

Curious George Flies a Kite (1958) was written with a vocabulary limited to about how many words?

It was the Reys' answer to the Dr. Seuss phonics books. Margret Rey later said the simplification had been a mistake.

In Curious George Flies a Kite, who gives George a baby bunny at the end?

George had flown off holding the kite and had to be rescued by the Man in a helicopter.

What does George swallow at the start of Curious George Goes to the Hospital (1966)?

He thinks it is candy. The book was written at the request of Boston Children's Hospital staff to prepare kids for hospital stays.

Which hospital's staff asked the Reys to write Curious George Goes to the Hospital?

The Reys had moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1963, so the hospital was practically down the road.

Which of the original books won a place on the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award list in 1960?

The award honoured books judged worthy to sit on a shelf beside Alice in Wonderland.

Besides Curious George, H. A. Rey is known for redrawing what to make them easier to remember?

His 1952 book The Stars: A New Way to See Them is still in print and his stick-figure constellations appear in many astronomy guides.

In which German city were both Hans and Margret Rey born?

They first met at Margret's sister's sixteenth birthday party there, and met again years later in Brazil.

In which US city did the Reys settle in 1963, near Harvard Square?

Friends later opened a Curious George bookstore in Harvard Square, and a themed shop stood at the same address until 2021.

What is the Man with the Yellow Hat called in the 2006 animated film?

He had gone unnamed for over sixty years of books. A deleted scene gives his surname as Shackleford.

Who voiced the Man with the Yellow Hat in the 2006 film?

Jeff Bennett took over the role for the TV series and the direct-to-video sequels.

Which musician wrote and performed the songs for the 2006 Curious George film?

He wrote thirteen songs, and the soundtrack became the first to top the Billboard 200 since Bad Boys II in 2003.

In the 2006 film, Ted names the monkey after a nearby statue of whom?

It happens at the zoo, right before George floats off holding too many balloons, a nod to the first book.

In the 2006 film, what is Ted trying to find in Africa to save the Bloomsberry Museum?

He expects a forty-foot statue and finds one three inches tall, though the tiny idol turns out to be a map to the real thing.

Which veteran actor voiced museum owner Mr. Bloomsberry in the 2006 film?

David Cross voiced his jealous son Junior, and Drew Barrymore played the teacher Maggie.

What is the name of the cargo ship in the 2006 film, a tribute to the books' illustrator?

Ted sails on it to Africa, and George stows away on it to follow him back.

Who provides the vocal effects for George in the film and TV series?

He is the same voice actor behind Scooby-Doo and Fred Jones, and Megatron in the original Transformers.

On which network did the Curious George TV series premiere in September 2006?

It ran nine seasons there, then returned for six more on Peacock, ending in 2022 after 15 seasons.

In the TV series, what kind of dog is Hundley, the Doorman's very proper pet?

He keeps watch over the lobby of George's building when the Doorman is away, and disapproves of mess.

What does Chef Pisghetti's restaurant serve in the TV series?

His cat is called Gnocchi and his wife is Netti. His name is a play on how a kid might say spaghetti.

Compass, the Doorman's 'Almost-Homing Pigeon', lacks what?

A running gag has him trying and failing to guess what kind of animal George is.

George's country house in the TV series sits near which body of water?

Neighbours there include the Renkins farm, their granddaughter Allie and the paperboy Bill.

Which Oscar-nominated actor narrated the first season of the TV series before Rino Romano took over?

The narrator does a lot of work in the show, since George never speaks a word.

What kind of animal does George help in Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey!?

They ride a train the wrong way across the country to get her back to her family in California, chased by a security man voiced by Jamie Kennedy.

Where does a mishap on a space mission land George in Curious George 3 (2015)?

It was the last of the films to use traditional animation; the later ones switched to Flash.

In which 1994 Oscar-winning film is Curious George the main character's favourite book, read by his mother?

The famous floating feather comes to rest at Forrest's feet and he tucks it inside the book.

A Curious George water play area opened in 1998 at which theme park?

Curious George Goes to Town lasted until 2023. Universal owns the film and merchandising rights to the character.

In which country did Hans and Margret Rey meet again and later marry, before moving to Paris in 1935?

Hans was there selling bathtubs; Margret had gone to escape the rise of Nazism in Germany.

Which Portuguese diplomat's instructions secured the Reys their life-saving visas at Bayonne in June 1940?

Vice-Consul Manuel Vieira Braga signed the visas on June 20, 1940; the Reys then reached Lisbon by train and sailed for the Americas.

Why did H. A. Rey abandon his planned watercolour illustrations for the first Curious George book?

The resulting cartoon-like images became the series' signature; a collector's edition with the original watercolours was released later.

What was the title of H. A. Rey's 1952 astronomy book with his redrawn constellations?

His diagrams were adopted in many guides, and a children's version, Find the Constellations, was updated in 2008 to reflect Pluto's new status.

On which cable channel did the 1979-82 Curious George animated telefilms first air in the US, in 1984?

Produced and co-written by Alan Shalleck, the shorts later ran on The Disney Channel's Lunch Box from 1989.

In the 2006 film, the Man with the Yellow Hat's surname is revealed in a deleted scene as what?

He is never named in the original books; the name Ted first surfaced in H. A. Rey's 1946 book See the Circus.

In the touring stage show Curious George Live!, George travels to Rome to help Chef Pisghetti win what?

Produced by the company behind Sesame Street Live!, the show has since been retitled Curious George: The Golden Meatball.

What was the 2017 documentary about the lives of Curious George's creators called?

It covers the Reys' 1940 flight from France, their life in the United States and the making of the books.