Genius Genie

Genius Genie is a Canadian children's animated television series that was created by Dominique Jolin and Raymond Lebrun, who both previously worked on Yaya and Zouk in 2015. The show was created in 2017, but didn't begin airing until April 2018, where it was aired on Knowledge Kids, TFO, Radio-Canada and Télé-Québec in Canada. The show is produced by Montreal-based animation studio Toondraw Animation, and is animated by Toonboom Harmony, just like Yaya and Zouk.

Plot

Some problems seem insurmountable, when all that’s required to find a solution is to look at the problem from a different angle. Use our reason. Think creatively.

Children are the adults of tomorrow. We believe a comedy that provides simple examples of what attitudes to adopt when faced with current problems would be very pertinent.

In fact, the adult characters will lower their arms and give up, while the young become heroes for finding the appropriate solutions. With this approach, we hope the audience will develop, through imitation, their logic skills and a positive attitude when faced with a problem.

Genius Genie’s universe is a calm, cozy world full of greenery, where everyone takes the time to live, listen, and understand. It is a world where the big need the small. It is a world where people put things in perspective, and where each problem has a solution. At the centre of this paradise is a pond on which a genie’s lamp has been floating forever. A genie lives in this lamp. A real genie, capable of appearing and disappearing at will in a PUFF of smoke.

Characters

Main

• Genie – The Genie dresses in classic genie attire and floats over the ground. When he’s around, magic and humour abound. Voiced by Brian Froud.
• Lili and Leo – Lili and Leo are 6-year-old ducklings. They lives with their father, Daddy Deary, on the bottom floor of the huge willow tree that’s like a triplex. Voiced by Holly Gauthier-Frankel.
• Penelope - Penelope Bunny is 6 years old. She lives with her mother, Mrs. Cottontail in the trunk of a fallen tree near the willow. Voiced by Holly Gauthier-Frankel.

Recurring

• Daddy Deary – Daddy Deary the raccoon is Lili and Leo’s adoptive father. He lives on the main floor of the large willow along with his two children. Voiced by Brian Froud.
• Mrs. Cottontail - Mrs Cottontail is a mother rabbit. She lives with Penelope in the trunk of a toppled tree near the big willow. Voiced by Jennifer Seguin.
• Mrs. Hoo - Mrs. Hoo is an owl. She lives in a small apartment on the third and last floor of the willow tree. Voiced by Jennifer Seguin.
• Mr. Jack - Mr. Jack is an elderly squirrel. He lives with Mr. John on the second floor of the great willow. Voiced by Brian Froud.
• Mr. John - Mr. John is an elderly squirrel. He lives with Mr. Jack on the second floor of the great willow.

Episodes

The series consists of many episodes. Fifty-two of which were included in the first two seasons of Toopy and Binoo World.

1. The Present / The Blackout / The Picnic / The Handle / Letter to Grandma
2. The Telephone / The Nap / Frog Hunt / Just Too Busy / Atchoo
3. Back to Bed / Whistling a Tune / Going Batty / Buggy Bugs / Card Castle
4. Hats Off / Floating Boats / Boo / Toasted Toast / The Crooked House
5. Tug of War / Lost / Stuck / Flying High / Splash
6. Secret Spies / Sandstorm / By the Book / Treasure to Be Found / Bread Time
7. In the Clouds / Dinner Time / The Perfect Shirt / The Missing Letter / Don't Move
8. Cool It / Way Too Much / Funny Shoes / Soup's On / Time to Go
9. Easy as Pie / Tied Up in Knots / Message in a Bottle / Good Memories / Bath Time
10. Flies on the Fruit / Back in the Game / Mysterious Tracks / Crash Landing / Carrying
11. In the Soup / Blinded / The Splinter / The Crummy Book / Unplugged
12. An Unwanted Visitor / Zipped / Milk It / The Final Straw / Slam
13. In or Out / The Invasion / Quick Fix / Now You're Cooking / Bread and Butter
14. Music to My Ears / Go Fly a Kite / Waiting Game / The Super Moon / Limber
15. Take a Hike / Taking on Water / Gone Fishing / Hold Phone / Back to Bed
16. TBA
17. TBA
18. Tug of War / Secret Spies / The Crooked House / By the Book / Funny Shoes

Game

An educational game was released. They are meant to be entertaining while focusing on thinking and problem solving. A dashboard allows you to consult each of the sections to see how your child's learning progress is related to the development of the indicated skill.

Games and skills developed

• Plants for the Garden: Spatial relationships: recognizing shapes and exploring spatial relationships.
• The Egg Hunt: Evaluation and comparison: learning to measure quantities and compare weights.
• Hungry Insects at the Pond: Visuomotor coordination: practicing visuomotor coordination.
• Mrs. Cottontail Takes a Walk: Cognitive strategies: learning to place the right object in the right place at the right time.
• Time to Eat, Kids!: Cognitive flexibility: using the right ingredients in the right sequence.

Interactive webisodes

In addition to the problem-solving games, three interactive webisodes (all written by Thomas LaPierre), allow children to exercise their fine psychomotor skills, build their self-confidence and develop their reasoning.

• "Lights, Please!": Psychomotricity: mastering a gesture, practicing placing an element in a small space.
• "A Big Mess": Development of reason: looking carefully, searching for the right element and completing the correct action.
• "Baby": Self-confidence building: recognizing the need of another, showing perserverence and initiative in making choices to complete a task.

Broadcast

Genius Genie first began airing in Canada on April 2018 on Knowledge Kids in English, and Radio-Canada, TFO, and Télé-Québec in French, under the title "Idées de Genie". Episodes can be watched on the Knowledge Kids, Télé-Québec and Radio-Canada websites, as well as Radio-Canada's Zone Jeunesse YouTube channel.

Episodes of the series were included before the end credits of every episode of the first two seasons of Toopy and Binoo World.