That precocious little tyke named Madeline had long been adored by generations of young readers in the classic book series of the 30s by French author and impressionist artist, Ludwig Bemelmen. But it wasn’t until decades later, in 1993, when she finally transcended the written page and landed her own animated series.

With a style reminiscent of the original books and artwork, the cartoon chronicled the life of Madeline, the smallest of twelve girls who all lived at Miss Clavel’s boarding school and always walked in two straight lines. Speaking in French accents, the girls newest adventures sought to teach various life lessons in a humorous, lighthearted way, all under the narration of actor, Christopher Plummer.

First appearing on The Family Channel, the series soon moved to the ABC Saturday morning lineup as The New Adventures of Madeline. Unfortunately, the series wasn’t as successful as the original book series had been in generations past and enjoyed only a short run in its new time slot. The show did better in later years, re-emerging on The Disney Channel (where it can still be seen occasionally in syndication) where it managed to garner a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children’s Animated Program. She also got a chance to strut her stuff on the big screen in a feature film in 1998 and two tele-films, the first called Madeline: Lost in Paris, and the 2002 sequel, Madeline: My Fair Madeline.

As fans of the books can attest, each closed with the line “That’s all there is. There isn’t any more.” But, as time has shown, it seems that Madeline will continue to endure in the hearts and memories of her loyal fans.

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