It seems that at least once every generation, fascination with tiny
characters and their tiny worlds reaches a fever pitch. From The Brownies to
Kewpies to The Borrowers, children have always been filled with wonder at the
idea of barely visible beings living within our full-sized environment.

In the 1980s, the cartoon that did much to reinforce this imaginative
tangent was The Littles. If you’re in your twenties now, chances are
you’ve seen at least one episode of this small gem. The series centered on a
family of long-tailed, elfin-eared adventurers who made their home within the
walls of a reg-sized family’s house–The Biggs. Only Henry Biggs knew of The
Littles’ existence, and as a result, Henry became a defender of their secrets
and a protector of their lives.

Though The Littles are best documented in
the annals of ’80s history, their first appearance was much earlier–in print.
John Peterson created the teeny team of relatives in a series of children’s
novels. The first was published in 1967. But it wasn’t until 16 years later that
DiC Entertainment picked up the characters and placed them on the small screen,
making The Littles one of the very first two cartoons produced by DiC.
The other was the wildly popular Inspector Gadget.

The
Littles aired for three seasons (1983-1986) and yielded two animated films:
1985’s Here Come The Littles (a prequel to the series) and 1986’s
Liberty and The Littles. The series is still in syndication in select
markets and a few of the episodes are currently available on DVD.