She is small and very funny.

This week Charlie and Lola

This week the wonderful world of Charlie and Lola. Subscribe to receive animated in your inbox every Sunday.

The History

Charlie and Lola are two fictional characters who live in an animated world with little adult intervention (adults are never visible), making the show, unusually, almost all child-centred.

Created by the brilliant writer and illustrator Lauren Child in 2000, Charlie and Lola initially appeared in picture books until they were adapted for television. It wasn’t until November 2005 that we saw the animation on BBC television in the show developed by Tiger Aspect. 

Each show lasted 11  minutes and used the collage style that had been so popular in the books. The animation used 2D cel animation that used paper cut-outs, natural textures, photomontages, fabric design and archives, all using the CelAction software application.

The cartoon is one of the few that uses children’s voices, not adult voice actors. This is rare in animation and was initially used in the Peanuts television specials.

From 2005-2008, eighty episodes were created, which were, and still are, popular in the UK and US.

The Characters

The two main characters are, of course. Charlie and his younger sister, Lola, but there are several other child characters and here are a few of them.

Charlie

The kind, older brother of Lola. He is gifted with vast amounts of patience and is always willing to spend time helping his younger sister, Lola. Charlie is imaginative with his games and has to be creative to keep his agile yonder sister entertained. 

Charlie is a seven-year-old boy with platinum blond hair, similar to his sister Lola. Charlie breaks the fourth wall in the books and animation by talking to readers and viewers.

Lola

Lola is an imaginative 4 (or 5 when she has her birthday) year-old younger sister to Charlie. She is described as “small and very funny” by her big brother.

She is full of character and has quirky ways of doing things which Charlie often warms to.  She is usually seen in her blue butterfly hair slides that struggle to hold her short blond hair.

Often the drama queen Lola even has an imaginary friend called Soren Lorenson.

Marv

Marv is Charlie’s best friend, and he has a younger brother (Morten) who is friends with Lola. He also has an older brother, Marty.

Marv has a dachshund named Sizzles that Lola adores, along with a pet mouse named Squeak.

Lotta

Lotta is the best friend of Lola. They met at school and quickly became friends because of their similar personalities, and they spent a lot of time together in the books and animation.

Spin-Offs

A play was produced called The Best, Bestest Play that was performed in London in 2008,2010 and 2012 and has been on tour too.

A music album was released in 2007, essentially music taken from the show mixed with spoken scenes taken from the cartoon.

The books preceded the animation and have been popular sellers since 2000. Several spin-offs, mostly sticker books, have been popular amongst children.

There is lots of other merchandise associated with any successful animation ranging from mugs, hair slides and keyrings, all still available some 23 years after the original books were first seen.

Culture Corner

Writer and illustrator Lauren Child has created several characters, such as Clarice Bean and Ruby Redfort, that complement Charlie and Lola. A gifted and creative writer and artist, she was Children’s Laureate in 2017 and has won numerous writing awards and has been awarded both an MBE and OBE.

Fun Facts

• The last name of Charlie and Lola is Sonner.

• The animation has won multiple BAFTA awards.

• Charlie and Lola are based on Danish children.

• Lola’s favourite drink is pink milk.