Line #33 WesternAnimation/GeorgeAndMartha


1	[[quoteright:334:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/969d4c39_627a_42fd_91fa_300c7686f654.jpeg]]
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3	''George and Martha'' is an animated SliceOfLife PreschoolShow from the world-famous Canadian animation studio Creator/{{Nelvana}} based on the book series by popular children's author and self-taught illustrator James Marshall originally written between 1972 and 1988.
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5	The show describes the activities and adventures of best friends George and Martha, two hippos voiced by Creator/NathanLane and Creator/AndreaMartin respectively. These activities include taking dance classes, going to the beach and the amusement park, and playing pranks on each other. The series teaches us about friendship in a humorous way; George and Martha sometimes fight but always make up.
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7	The show ran for 26 episodes over 2 seasons on Creator/{{HBO}} Family and Creator/{{YTV}} between 1999 and 2000. While Marshall had no involvement in the show due to his passing in 1992, Creator/MauriceSendak (who also did ''Literature/LittleBear'', and later ''WesternAnimation/SevenLittleMonsters'', with Nelvana) worked on the series as an executive producer.
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9	Nelvana has made every episode available on Youtube through [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUIixndCOJ8ySLmd6xirl4_eN427EKU11 Treehouse Direct]].
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12	!!This show provides examples of:
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14	* AdaptationExpansion: Naturally, as the stories the episodes are based off of had a maximum of five pages and four lines of dialogue per page. Sometimes it was even necessary to merge two or three stories together to fill the time up.
15	* AmbiguouslyGay: Oscar and Wilde. Apparently in the short lived cartoon series, there is a pair of alligator characters who give off so many clear signs that there is definitely something more to their relationship. They live together, they go on vacation together, one is never seen without the other, and there's even a scene in one episode where the two are dressed up in outfits straight out of the Village People. The kicker? Their names are [[Creator/OscarWilde Oscar and Wilde]]. It's like they were trying to see how far they could go in a children's cartoon without outright stating the fact.
16	* AnimalGenderBender: Averted with the ostrich bride in "The Picnic", who has brown feathers like a real-life female ostrich.
17	* ButtMonkey: A lot of bad stuff happens to George. If not, then it's usually Ivan.
18	* ClothingSwitch: In "The Costumed Duo" George and Martha spend the entire episode trying to pick a pair of matching costumes. In the end [[spoiler: they decide to dress as each other]].
19	* FeudEpisode: One episode has Oscar and Wilde vowing to not speak to each other after having a falling out during their barbecue party over a plate of swordfish that Wilde cooked. George and Martha try to get them back together but their plans backfire and result in George and Martha having a feud of their own, resulting in Oscar and Wilde blaming themselves for the feud and they end up being friends again when they try to get George and Martha back together, which they succeed in.
20	* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Happens OnceAnEpisode involving background characters.
21	* FurryConfusion:
22	** George has a [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes fear of]] [[ThreateningShark sharks]]. And yet, the series features anthropomorphic sharks which he tolerates.
23	** Oscar and Wilde have a pet dog, in a world where anthropomorphic dogs also exist.
24	* GreenGators: Oscar and Wilde are green alligators.
25	* HeterosexualLifePartners: Oscar and Wilde can qualify for this even though they are named after a British author who had a questionable orientation, have never flirted with anyone, and there was some Ho Yay going on towards them. However, the show never goes into detail on the nature of their relationship.
26	* HideYourLesbians: Oscar and Wilde are never seen without the other, act like a couple, have spats similar to a couple, live together, and go on vacations together. One of them also has a lisp. They're never confirmed as a couple though.
27	* HighDiveHijinks: Applied in the episode "The Triple Dare".
28	* TheHyena: Bud and Valerie Chuckles, which isn't surprising since they're literally hyenas.
29	* InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt: The Season 1 opening sequence bears the credit "Maurice Sendak Presents".
30	* InterspeciesRomance: "The Picnic" has a penguin and an ostrich about to get married.
31	* NeverSmileAtACrocodile: Oscar and Wilde are aversions, being friends of the titular characters.
32	* NewJobAsThePlotDemands: One running gag was Eton always showing up as an employee of whatever franchise the titular hippos were frequenting. Usually right behind George.
33	* PlatonicLifePartners: The show is about two hippos who are extremely close best friends. They seem like a married couple, but it's never implied they're anything but best friends.
34	* SickEpisode: The episode "The Cold", in which George catches a cold, and Martha volunteers to help take care of him until he's better, but soon starts to severely take advanage of her hospitality and continues to feign illness after the symptoms are gone.
35	* ShoutOut: Eton's voice is an impression of Creator/BorisKarloff (which his voice actor Creator/SeanCullen would later use in WesternAnimation/SevenLittleMonsters).
36	* TheShowOfTheBooks: This series is based off the books by James Marshall.
37	* SssssnakeTalk: Eton, the creepy monitor lizard guy, speaks like this.
38	* StatusQuoIsGod: Mostly played straight with one mild but notable aversion — the gold front tooth that George gets is a permanent change, even carrying over into the show’s opening thereafter.
39	* VitriolicBestBuds: Despite being best friends, the two hippos have some sort of quarrel almost OncePerEpisode. Fortunately, they always manage to work it out.
40	* WholesomeCrossdresser: George does this a couple times, a notable example being to get into a female-only Spa that Martha is visiting for the day.

Context WesternAnimation / GeorgeAndMartha