Learning To Be Human

Well, it's just my opinion about a TV series, an animated one. At first, it was my cousin, a second grade of elementary school student, who often watched it. Then I began to love it too. Alright, I'm talking about Curious George.

George is a monkey but his “friend”, The Man With The Yellow Hat, or simply called The Man^*), really treats him like a human child. The Man teaches George anything human do. The Man also buys George anything George wants, even if it is a hat or a children toy.

George even behaves like a human. Eating anything human eat (cakes, donuts, candies, ice creams), plays game with other children (a really human game), riding a rollercoaster, discovering something new, and even solving problems. See an episode when he created a hat. A really wonderful hat. Cause that hat could also become toys. The upper side of the hat could spin and so on. Or in an episode when Chef Pisghetti thought his cat, Gnocchi, had caused scratches on all the restaurant's chair. It was George who found Gnochhi didn't do that, but a new employer who carelessly pulled the table.

But funny things often happen. Not just because he is unable to speak in human language (but people always seem to understand what he talks about), but George often misinterprets what The Man has taught him and misinterprets what other animals do. Like in an episode where The Man taught him about planting seeds under soil, then the seeds would grow bigger and become a tree. But, George thought the other way. He thought about anything that was buried under soil would grow bigger. So he then buried papers, canned food, and some other things.

Or in an episode when The Man taught him to write number 1 and 0. He then asked him to order 1 dozen of donuts. But George then wrote it by adding so many zeros behind the number 1, that the donuts maker thought he wanted to order 100 dozens of donuts.

In other episode, when George knew about a bear in hibernation during the winter, he also tried to do the same thing. Eat as many food as he could, covered his the window in his room and turned the lamp off (so it became dark and looked like a cave). But when he finally woke up, the winter wasn't over yet.

There are other interesting episodes to watch from this series. Watch the adventure of George and The Man, and also sometimes with other animals like Hundley (a very neat dog), Charkie (also a dog, but Charkie is a very bouncy and playful dog), Gnocchi (a cat), and Jumpy Squirrel (who is often being disturbed by George's “adventure”).

I think this series can teach children to be creative like George do. George is a really creative monkey I can't even do what George does. The series also teach children try to solve any problems happened. I guess George is learning to be human (by doing anything human do).

But there is one thing I also learn from the series. Don't choose a monkey as your pet. Cause, in spite of his creativity, George also often causes a trouble and causes a room so messy.

*) The Man With The Yellow Hat is the man who brought George from Africa. His name is never mentioned both in the book and in the TV series. In spite of being called The Man With The Yellow Hat, it's not only his hat colored in yellow, but also all the things he wears.