Cro (TV series)
| Company type | Television series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Animation, Education |
| Founded | September 18, 1993 |
| Founder | Children's Television Workshop, Film Roman |
| Fate | Cancelled after two seasons |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Animated educational TV series |
Cro is an American animated series created through a collaboration between the Children's Television Workshop (currently known as Sesame Workshop) and Film Roman, with partial funding from the National Science Foundation. Each installment introduces fundamental ideas related to physics, mechanical engineering, and technology. The story is narrated by Phil, an orange woolly mammoth found frozen by Dr. C, a scientist, and her assistant Mike. Phil shares tales about Cro, a Cro-Magnon youth living during the Ice Age.
The show first aired on ABC on September 18, 1993, but was discontinued in 1994. This cancellation motivated the Children's Television Workshop to establish its own television network to reduce dependence on outside broadcasters. Consequently, Noggin was launched in 1999 and broadcast reruns of Cro until 2004. Additionally, from 2000 through 2002, Cro was featured on Nickelodeon during the "Noggin on Nick" programming segment.
Developed by story editors Sindy McKay and Mark Zaslove, the series drew inspiration from David Macaulay’s book The Way Things Work. The educational material in Cro was carefully designed with guidance from developmental psychologist Dr. Susan Mendelsohn. Testing involving more than 2,600 children aged 6 to 12 confirmed that viewers effectively grasped basic scientific principles through the program.
Premise
Dr. C and her assistant Mike embark on an Arctic expedition to examine ancient artifacts and uncover a frozen woolly mammoth named Phil, who astonishingly can communicate verbally. When contemporary scenarios involve physics concepts, Phil reminisces about similar events from his prehistoric home Woollyville, alongside his mammoth herd and his friend Cro—a Cro-Magnon boy raised by a family of Neanderthals. Each episode showcases Phil explaining how simple engineering solutions resolved various challenges.
The title Cro means "cave" in the Occitan language and alludes to Cro-Magnon—the French site where early anatomically modern humans were discovered.
Cavepeople
- Cro (voiced by Max Casella) is an intelligent 11-year-old Cro-Magnon boy who was adopted by Neanderthals. Unlike most tribe members, he speaks fluently.
- Nandy (voiced by Ruth Buzzi) serves as the protective matriarch renowned for her cleverness and stories; she often outwits Ogg.
- Ogg (voiced by Jim Cummings) is the domineering yet cowardly leader of the Neanderthal group.
- Gogg (voiced by Frank Welker) is a tall and gentle Neanderthal who supports Bobb and frequently translates for him.
- Bobb (vocal effects by Frank Welker) resembles a homo habilis and communicates using gorilla-like sounds; he is an adopted member of the tribe.
- Sooli (voiced by Cree Summer) is a Cro-Magnon girl separated from her tribe who appears in one episode.
Woolly mammoths
- Ivanna (voiced by Laurie O'Brien) is a southern belle mammoth who is Phil’s romantic interest and frequently involves him in her experiments.
- Pakka (voiced by Candi Milo) is a young mammoth and close companion of Cro who shares knowledge about mammoths.
- Steamer (voiced by Charlie Adler) is the youngest mammoth known for his energetic and mischievous nature.
- Esmeralda (voiced by Tress MacNeille) acts as the matriarch of Phil’s herd, maintaining order and cautious of Cro’s tribe.
- Earle (voiced by Frank Welker) is an elderly mammoth resistant to humans and change.
- Mojo (voiced by Charlie Adler) is Earle’s younger brother who holds similar traditional views.
Modern-day characters
- Phil (voiced by Jim Cummings) is an intelligent yet goofy woolly mammoth with orange-reddish fur who shows kindness toward both humans and mammoths. During the conclusion of the Ice Age, Phil fell into a glacier while rescuing Cro from Selene and was thawed out 45,000 years later by Mike and Dr. C. He narrates stories about life in Woollyville in each episode.
- Dr. Cecilia (voiced by April Ortiz) is an eccentric scientist with a distinct Hispanic accent who, alongside Mike, revived Phil from ice; she might be descended from Cro.
- Mike (voiced by Jussie Smollett) is a young associate of Dr. C who wears large glasses, enjoys basketball, lives with Dr. C, helped thaw Phil, and listens to his stories.
Villains
- Big Red (voiced by Charlie Adler) leads a pack of clumsy dire wolves using intimidation to maintain control. His pack frequently threatens Cro's tribe and young mammoths.
- Murray (voiced by Jim Cummings) serves as Big Red’s unintelligent subordinate who fears his harsh treatment.
- Selene (voiced by Jane Singer) is a villainous purple Smilodon with yellow eyes introduced in "Lever in a Million Years." She has a voracious appetite including cavepeople. According to the theme song, she fought Phil on a cliff; during their struggle she fell onto a lower ledge while Phil plunged into a glacier where he became frozen.
Episodes
Sesame Workshop produced a total of 21 episodes for this series.
Season 1 (1993)
{{Episode table
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Template:Episode list Template:Episode list Template:Episode list Template:Episode list Template:Episode list Template:Episode list Template:Episode list Template:Episode list Template:Episode list {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 10 |EpisodeNumber2 = 10 |Title = No Way Up |DirectedBy = Bob Nesler |WrittenBy = Template:StoryTeleplay |OriginalAirDate = November 20, 1993 |ShortSummary = Nandy makes her final wish—to fly. |LineColor = 00BFFF }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 11 |EpisodeNumber2 = 11 |Title = Adventures in Miscommunications |DirectedBy = Swinton O. Scott III |WrittenBy = Template:StoryTeleplay |OriginalAirDate = November 27, 1993 |ShortSummary = Earl and Mojo's insult exchange causes confusion over an urgent volcano warning. |LineColor = 00BFFF }} {{Episode list
{{Episode list
Season 2 (1994)
Broadcast
Cro premiered on ABC on September 18, 1993. Despite achieving strong ratings and leading its time slot, ABC canceled it after two seasons with its last episode airing on December 3, 1994. Afterward, Children's Television Workshop sought greater control over educational programming distribution by launching its own channel where Cro could air alongside other content. Gary Knell, CTW’s senior vice president at the time, emphasized this need for autonomy in broadcasting educational shows. This initiative culminated in Noggin’s launch in February 1999—a joint venture with MTV Networks (owners of Nickelodeon)—where reruns of Cro became part of regular programming.
Between Noggin's debut in 1999 until April 2002, Cro aired during daytime hours before shifting to early morning slots under Cable in the Classroom until January 2004. Additionally, Nickelodeon broadcast episodes during its "Noggin on Nick" block from 2000 through early-2002.
Home media
In the United States, Republic Pictures Home Video released three VHS collections:
- Have Mammoths, Will Travel – containing episodes "No Way Up" and "Escape from Mung Island"
- Adventures in Woollyville – featuring episodes "Pulley for You" and "A Bridge Too Short"
- It's a Woolly, Woolly World – including episodes "Lever in a Million Years" and "Play It Again, Cro...NOT!"