# George and Martha

George and Martha is a series of children's books written and illustrated by James Marshall between 1972 and 1988. Each book in the series contains five short stories describing interactions between two hippos, George and Martha (named after the first U.S. president and his wife). The books inspired an animated children's television show which comprised 26 episodes made in 1999, and a musical made in 2011.

## Plot

The books have a slice of life depiction of the everyday life of best friends George and Martha. Their regular activities include taking dance classes, going to the beach and the amusement park, and playing practical jokes on each other. In a humorous way, the series teaches about friendship. George and Martha sometimes argue, but always make up.

## Books

The George and Martha books comprise the following titles:
* George and Martha (1972)
* George and Martha Encore (1973)
* George and Martha Rise and Shine (1976)
* George and Martha One Fine Day (1978)
* George and Martha Tons of Fun (1980)
* George and Martha Back in Town (1984)
* George and Martha Round and Round (1988)
* George and Martha: The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends, with a foreword by Maurice Sendak (1997)

## Television
### Cast

* Nathan Lane as George Hippo
* Andrea Martin as Martha Hippo
* Kathryn Greenwood as Frieda
* Colin Mochrie as Oscar, Bud Chuckles
* Debra McGrath as Valerie Chuckles
* Sean Cullen as Wilde, Eton
* Robin Duke as Penny
* Tony Rosato as Duke
* Greg Kramer as Anton

### Production

The series was animated and co-produced by Canadian animation studio Nelvana Limited and Wild Things Enterprises Inc. The series has 26 episodes (with 52 segments) in order.
The series' theme song is "Perfidia", by Mambo All-Stars.

### Episodes
#### Season 1 (1999)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date |
| 1 | 1 | "The Dance Recital" / "The Tooth" | April 1, 1999 (1999-04-01) |
| 2 | 2 | "The Snoop" / "A Day at the Beach" | April 2, 1999 (1999-04-02) |
| 3 | 3 | "The Scary Movie" / "The Book" | April 3, 1999 (1999-04-03) |
| 4 | 4 | "The French Lesson" / "The Big Scare" | April 4, 1999 (1999-04-04) |
| 5 | 5 | "The Mirror" / "The Special Gifts" | April 25, 1999 (1999-04-25) |
| 6 | 6 | "The Picnic" / "The Trickster" | May 2, 1999 (1999-05-02) |
| 7 | 7 | "The Trip" / "The Experiment" | May 9, 1999 (1999-05-09) |
| 8 | 8 | "The Triple Dare" / "The Icky Story" | May 16, 1999 (1999-05-16) |
| 9 | 9 | "The Garden" / "Split Pea Soup" | May 23, 1999 (1999-05-23) |
| 10 | 10 | "Baby Doll" / "The Acting Class" | May 30, 1999 (1999-05-30) |
| 11 | 11 | "The Comedian" / "The Prize" | June 6, 1999 (1999-06-06) |
| 12 | 12 | "The Misunderstanding" / "The Secret Club" | June 13, 1999 (1999-06-13) |
| 13 | 13 | "The Hypnotist" / "The Sweet Tooth" | June 20, 1999 (1999-06-20) |

#### Season 2 (2000)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date |
| 14 | 1 | "The Cold" / "The Campout" | February 19, 2000 (2000-02-19) |
| 15 | 2 | "The Reader" / "The Decorator" | February 20, 2000 (2000-02-20) |
| 16 | 3 | "The Badminton Tournament" / "The Caddy" | February 26, 2000 (2000-02-26) |
| 17 | 4 | "The Roller Derby" / "The Spa" | February 27, 2000 (2000-02-27) |
| 18 | 5 | "The Argument" / "Happy Palms' Finest" | March 5, 2000 (2000-03-05) |
| 19 | 6 | "The Flying Donut" / "Martha's Cousin" | March 12, 2000 (2000-03-12) |
| 20 | 7 | "The Big Splash" / "My Stars!" | March 19, 2000 (2000-03-19) |
| 21 | 8 | "The Blabbermouth" / "Life and Breath" | April 1, 2000 (2000-04-01) |
| 22 | 9 | "The Best Friends Show" / "The Sleepwalker" | April 8, 2000 (2000-04-08) |
| 23 | 10 | "Funny Business" / "The Tease" | April 15, 2000 (2000-04-15) |
| 24 | 11 | "The Play's The Thing" / "The Sore Loser" | April 22, 2000 (2000-04-22) |
| 25 | 12 | "The Costumed Duo" / "Temper Temper" | April 29, 2000 (2000-04-29) |
| 26 | 13 | "The Fibber" / "The Mascot" | May 1, 2000 (2000-05-01) |

### Telecast and home media

The series initially seen on YTV in Canada. In the U.S., the series aired on HBO Family, premiering on April 1, 1999. Repeats of the series started airing on the channel until 2009. The series returned to Qubo on March 28, 2016. Select episodes of the series were released on VHS by Sony Wonder, under their "Doors of Wonder" banner. As of 2017, YouTube's channel Treehouse Direct uploaded all the episodes of the series.

## Musical

George and Martha was turned into an original musical, George and Martha: Tons of Fun, by Imagination Stage in Bethesda, Maryland in 2011. It featured music, books, and lyrics by Joan Cushing and was directed by Kathryn Chase Bryer.