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Characters / Little Einsteins

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Main Characters

    General 

  • Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Annie is the blonde, Quincy and June are the brunettes, and Leo is the redhead.
  • Child Prodigy: They're not called the Little Einsteins for nothing.
  • The Cutie: They're all amiable, innocent, and good inside out, if their charming and/or adorable physical dispositions aren't evidence enough.
  • Fake Interactivity: Inevitable, as this was a staple of preschool shows from that era.
  • Four-Fingered Hands: All of them have four fingers on each hand.
  • Four-Temperament Ensemble:
    • Leo (choleric) is the confident, charge-taking leader of the Little Einsteins.
    • June (phlegmatic) is the calmest and most patient member of the group.
    • Quincy (melancholic) is sometimes prone to getting anxious or worked up in tense situations, but is nonetheless dedicated to completing missions, and very loyal to his friends.
    • Annie (sanguine) is cheerful, optimistic, and The Heart of the team.
    • Rocket (eclectic) has a balanced temperament and bounces off the personalities of the others.
    • It can depend on the situation, but on other occasions, June leans more into melancholic territory (knowledgeable and sometimes has to convince her friends to think before acting) while Quincy takes up the phlegmatic mantle (can be quite easygoing when not on missions and is fond of making his friends laugh). Leo and Annie are quite firmly the choleric and sanguine members in all cases, though.
  • Gender-Equal Ensemble: The four Little Einsteins are two boys named Leo and Quincy and two girls named June and Annie.
  • Invisible Parents: Probably the most extreme example in almost all of children's programming. The Little Einsteins seem to live by themselves, with no mention whatsoever of parents (or maybe their parents could've been just minding their own business though). Or any other humans, for that matter.
  • Leitmotif: "We've got a mission" fanfare.
  • Musical Theme Naming: Each of the team is named after someone famous in music business:
    • Leo: Conductor Leopold Stokowski
    • June: Choreographer June Taylor
    • Quincy: Musician Quincy Jones
    • Annie: Jazz singer Annie Ross
  • Nice Guy: They are all shown to be very kind and helpful.
  • Odd Name Out:
    • June is the only one in the group to have a one-syllable name.
    • Leo is the only kid in the group that is Only Known by Their Nickname (according to the old website, his full name is Leonardo).
    • Annie is the only one whose name begins with a vowel.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni:
    • Leo and Annie are the Red Onis; Leo is headstrong, determined and full of charisma, while Annie is exuberant, outgoing and the most consistently cheery of the group.
    • June and Quincy are the Blue Onis; June is reserved, graceful and generally cool-headed under pressure, while Quincy is easygoing, affable and good-humoured, if a bit worry-prone when things get dire.
  • So Proud of You: They often compliment one another if at least one member does something worthy of great praise. Of all the heroic exploits each member had done, two stand out:
    • In "Annie's Solo Mission", Annie pilots Rocket all by herself to save Quincy, June, and her big brother Leo from the Super Bubble carrying them away. Once the deed is done and the trapped kids are reclaimed and saved, everyone praises her, with Leo sharing a hug with her.
      Quincy: I can-not believe... you flew Rocket all by yourself!
      June: That was some of the best flying I've ever seen!
      Leo: I knew you were ready to pilot Rocket by yourself. [he and Annie hug] I'm so proud of you.
    • In "Quincy and the Magic Instruments", Quincy manages to travel to his friends who are stuck floating on the Arabian Sea and free Rocket's anchor with aid from the titular magic instruments he found in his room earlier. A grateful Leo lets him have his baton and declare "Mission Completion!" for his heroism.
  • Technicolor Eyes: It's hard to see, but their scleras are somewhat of a silvery color.
  • Token Human: As mentioned above, they are the only humans ever seen in the series.
  • Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: None of them seem fond of spiders or bats.

    Leo 

Voiced By: Jesse Schwartz (US, speaking), Harrison Chad (singing), Piers Stubbs (UK, speaking)

A six-year-old boy, and the leader and conductor of the team.

    June 

Voiced By: Erica Huang (US), Poppy Lee Friar (UK)

A six-year-old girl and natural-born dancer; she often dances ballet, and can teach new words.

  • Boyish Short Hair: Inverted. She has short, somewhat spiky dark brown hair as her hairstyle but she isn't exactly tomboyish. She's an elegant and graceful ballet dancer.
  • Brainy Brunette: She has dark brown hair, and is shown to be the most "book smart" member of the group; she's very prone to Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness and is often the one to answer questions or bring up obscure facts.
  • Character Catchphrase: "Dancey dancey dance!"
  • Character Tic: She always prances across the ground when running, alluding to her ballet nature.
  • Curtains Match the Window: Downplayed. She has dark brown hair and slightly lighter brown eyes.
  • Every Proper Lady Should Curtsy: In every curtain call in Season 2, she curtsies after Quincy bows.
  • Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak: June is definitely not a tomboy, but despite her girly appearance and her love of dancing, she can be very energetic in comparison to Annie.
  • Graceful Ladies Like Purple: Her signature outfit is a purple dress reminiscent of a tutu.
  • In a Single Bound: Her Super Ballet Leap sees her leap to a high height and land on her feet unharmed.
  • Leitmotif: A flute plays when she sings her catchphrase above.
  • Meaningful Name: Named after the late choreographer June Taylor.
  • Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Quite often, she puts long, complicated words in her dialogue which her friends may not understand easily, but thankfully, it's not to the extent that we can't.
  • Token Minority: She's Asian-American (believed to be of Chinese descent by fans).
  • Wise Beyond Her Years: Is by far the most mature of the gang for her age, often being the one to answer the questions.

    Annie 

Voiced By: Natalia Wojcik (US), Kirsty Hickey (UK)

Leo's four-year-old sister and a wonderful singer.

  • The Baby of the Bunch: The youngest of the clique at four years old.
  • Character Catchphrase:
    • Says "Look, look, look!" when she wants to point out a notable observation.
    • Says "Hold on tight, 'cause here we gooooooooooo!" as Rocket blasts off.
    • Sings "Hi, hi, hi!" in season 2 as a greeting.
  • Character Development: At some points in Season 1, Annie's singing was not the best, mostly singing using "la la la". But by Season 2, she's matured to the point where she doesn't use la's anymore and all her songs have full lyrics.
  • Cheerful Child: She's an adorable four-year-old girl with a sweet, happy, and bubbly disposition and an optimistic view on everything.
  • Costume Evolution: She changes her outfit to a pastel blue and pink version in season 2.
  • A Day in the Limelight: She gets the spotlight in "Annie's Solo Mission" when the other kids get trapped in a super bubble and Annie must fly Rocket all by herself in order to save them.
  • Friend to All Living Things: She's friends even with animals; take the baby chimp from "He Speaks Music" for example.
  • Girlish Pigtails: She sports a pair of short ones.
  • Girliness Upgrade: Switches from a green shirt, blue dress and pink shoes to a pastel-blue shirt, pink dress and cyan shoes in season 2, to appear more feminine toward the target audience (and likely to avoid dressing similar to Quincy's clothes).
  • Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Has blonde hair, and is arguably the nicest of the team.
  • The Heart: Annie is the most sweet-natured of the Little Einsteins, generally being quick to befriend anyone she meets and acting as a source of optimism for the team when the chips are down. This is particularly evident in the pilot film, Our Huge Adventure, where she's the first one to directly interact with and befriend Little Caterpillar, and is consistently shown to be the most openly supportive of him throughout the journey to get him to the Musical Tree of Many Colors, remaining so well after he becomes Butterfly. At the end, Butterfly even kisses her on the nose as a way of thanking her for sticking by his side the whole way.
  • Iconic Item: Season 2 gives us her microphone.
  • Innocent Blue Eyes: She has blue eyes, is the sweetest of the group, and also The Baby of the Bunch to boot.
  • Meaningful Name: Named after famous jazz singer Annie Ross.
  • Pink Means Feminine: Her pink bows. She also trades her blue dress for a pink one in Season 2.
  • Selfless Wish: In "The Christmas Wish", her wish was to spend Christmas with all her friends, when she already was with them.
  • With Lyrics: She usually adds lyrics to the classical music piece of the day.
  • You Are Not Alone: In "Brothers and Sisters to the Rescue", Annie volunteers to come with Leo when he goes out to rescue Hansel and Gretel, her reasoning being "brothers and sisters take care of each other".

    Quincy 

Voiced By: Aiden Pompey (US), Mitchell Zhangazgha (UK)

A five-year-old master of musical instruments.

  • Character Catchphrase: "I CAN-NOT... BELIEVE IT!"
  • Curtains Match the Windows: He has brown hair and brown eyes.
  • A Day in the Limelight: In "Quincy and the Magic Instruments" when he has to rescue his friends when Rocket is marooned on the Arabian Sea.
  • Hammerspace: He practically makes it an art form, drawing instruments as big as a tuba from behind him.
  • Meaningful Name: Named after famous music producer Quincy Jones.
  • Never Bareheaded: Generally is never seen without his a red and blue baseball cap. In fact, the rest of the team are wearing the same outfit in all episodes.
  • Primal Fear: He's afraid of the dark. Our Huge Adventure shows him feeling unnerved when the team enters a dark cave. "The Northern Night Light" also sees him panicking when nighttime arrives in Lapland.
  • Token Black: The only guy with the darkest skin color among the team as an African-American.
  • Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: As stated in Primal Fear, he is scared of the dark. Best indicated in "The Northern Night Light", where he tries to stifle his fear to help the team escort a baby reindeer back to his mother despite nighttime rapidly approaching. However, nighttime finally arrives and he panics over the subsequent darkness.
    Quincy: Um, Leo? Remember how I said before that I was... afraid of the dark...?
    Leo: Yeah?
    Quincy: Well... [panics] I'M SCAAAARED!

    Rocket 

A sentient rocket ship and the Little Einsteins' good friend who originated as part of Leo's baby mobile. He is the one responsible for providing transportation for the team for their missions.

  • A Dog Named "Dog": A rocket named Rocket.
  • All There in the Manual: It is revealed that he used to be a toy Rocket on Leo's baby mobile. But, as time went on, he got bigger and flew off.
  • Big Eater: He swigs down an entire pot of Rocket Soup in the appropriately named episode, "Rocket Soup". Justified as he is a rocket ship who needs lots of energy to run after all.
  • Captain Crash: He is prone to crashing. Justified, as Leo is his driver and that Leo is six. Rocket also purposely crashes himself in one episode to help animals cross a river.
  • Defeating the Cheating Opponent: Right before the second Great Sky Race in "The Great Sky Race Rematch", Big Jet takes advantage of the Little Einsteins noticing the race is starting and smashes Rocket's flying button behind the kids' backs, and that's only the first of many attempts to sabotage their chances at winning. Regardless, the team was able to use the other buttons while Quincy repairs the one that enables Rocket's flight function and still win the race.
  • Do-Anything Robot: He can transform into various vehicles, has various gadgets, and can fly.
  • Hiccup Hijinks: He gets the rocket Hiccups in "Hungarian Hiccups". He gets cured of them when he encounters a mouse which had wandered near him and his team.
  • Red Is Heroic: Is a red rocket ship and is one of the heroes of the series.
  • Robot Buddy: He is a machine and a good friend to the team.
  • Sentient Vehicle: He is, of course, a sentient rocket ship, able to communicate and interact with the team. In "A Galactic Goodnight", the way his lights turn off resembles eyes closing.
  • The Speechless: He cannot talk, but can communicate using marimba sounds with his antenna. The team can understand him with no problem.
  • Undying Loyalty: He is always with the team and never leaves them. He is also the one responsible for the missions.
  • Vague Age: It is unknown how old he is, but it is implied he is six years old as he was a baby when Leo was and that Leo is six as well.
  • Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: He was initially afraid of mice. The fear went away as shown in later episodes as he can be around mice and not get scared.

Other Characters

    Big Jet 
A blue fighter plane resembling a Russian MiG-29 who participated in the Great Sky Race only to lose to Rocket. Ever since then, he constantly harasses and bullies Rocket and his friends.
  • Big Bad: The most recurring main antagonist of the series. Big Jet has made it his goal to antagonize Rocket and the Little Einsteins in any way he can, from heating a volcano with a laser cannon to snatching the Little Einsteins' belongings.
  • Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat: "The Great Sky Race Rematch" has him cheat many times to stop Rocket from defeating him again, beginning by smashing his flight button. Despite all those cheats, Rocket still manages to win, especially since Rocket had his other functions at the ready, making all of the fighter jet's attempts to sabotage him useless and meaningless.
  • Good Colors, Evil Colors: He is blue as opposed to Rocket's red.
  • Heel–Face Turn: He finally gets his in "Show and Tell", the last episode he makes an appearance in. He appears in the classroom with the team and Rocket, but to apologize to them after causing so much trouble to them. He then goes to slowly leave the classroom, sad because he has nothing to present for Show and Tell until Rocket gets two sombreros— one for himself and one for Big Jet— to show and play together in, which makes both of them happy.
  • It's Personal: Ever since he lost to Rocket in the Great Sky Race, he's always desired to get back at him and his friends in ways they will never expect.
  • Jerkass: And how. He's stealing their things such as the Little Red Train's party bag, he tries to cheat by breaking Rocket's fly button during the Great Sky Race rematch and he always causes trouble such as trying to get treasure his foes hear about first.
  • Kick the Dog: He ripped Annie's song sheet into three little pieces, laughs at her for her plight, and throws the pieces far away to stop her from winning a singing competition. The matter at hand was extremely concerning due to said competition having many contestants and it would only be a matter of time before it's Annie's turn. Big Jet's reason for that action, which was to stop Annie from winning, is also completely petty.
  • Sore Loser: The reason why this fighter jet targets Rocket and the Little Einsteins? He narrowly lost to them in the Great Sky Race.
  • Speak of the Devil: Whenever any of the human characters mention him, he appears out of the blue to put them through the wringer.
  • The Speechless: He doesn't talk, but he can make jet engine sounds to communicate his feelings.

    Little Red Train 
A small red train and one of Annie's friends. It once tried to deliver decorations for a party and later was among the contestants in a song contest Annie was also participating in.
  • Cool Train: He's a small 4-4-0 red locomotive based on old steam locomotives in the 1830s with an "Allegro" whistle to give him speed.
  • Continuity Cameo: "Annie, Get Your Microphone" sees him in a minor appearance as one of the contestants in the same song competition Annie is also in.
  • Red Is Heroic: His main color is red and he's an ally of the Little Einsteins.
  • The Speechless: Like Rocket, he can't talk but can communicate with flute sounds.
    Melody 
A music pet who can respond to the person conducting her. Leo becomes her owner after she goes on the pet train (after searching for her ticket all over France) and is sent to his and Annie's house.
  • Damsel in Distress: Gets stuck in a hot air balloon when a very strong gust of wind blows it away while she's still on it. Leo and his team end up having to travel a long distance to track and rescue her.
  • Graceful Ladies Like Purple: She's purple and can hop gracefully. This needs Leo conducting her, though.
  • Shout-Out: Her physical appearance bears a resemblance to Totoro, albeit with the cat-like ears getting replaced by quaver-like ones.
  • The Speechless: She can't talk, but can communicate with oboe sounds.

    Ring 
A ring from the planet Saturn who is a very good dancer. It accidentally comes loose from its position and crashes into June's garden, prompting the team to get it back home.
  • Sizeshifter: It can adjust its size to its liking, from fitting itself back on Saturn to shrinking itself to fit on June's finger.
  • The Speechless: It can't talk, but can communicate with English horn sounds.
    Instrument Fairies 
A quintet of fairies responsible for making the Aurora Borealis in the Arctic. When they're all stuck in a cave, the violin fairy is the only one who manages to get out, her small size allowing her to slip through the cave's keyhole and fly all the way to Quincy, motivating the musician and his friends to rescue her fellow fairies.
  • Leitmotif: They all take bits of Felix Mendelsohn's Violin Concerto in E Minor. Specifically:
    • The violin fairy constantly plays the iconic beginning melody of "Allegretto non troppo – Allegro molto vivace".
    • The other fairies trapped in the cave are heard with "Allegro molto appassionato" sounding in the background.
  • Our Pixies Are Different: These fairies are small versions of their respective musical instruments with fairy wings attached to them.
  • The Smurfette Principle: The violin fairy is the only female of the group.
  • The Speechless: They only communicate with their respective instrument sounds.
    The Big Bad Wolf 
A wolf who antagonizes the Three Little Pigs, true to his namesake from The Three Little Pigs. His breath is strong enough to blow away anything.
  • The Big Bad Wolf: It's all there in the name, and true to it, his first appearance in "Build It, Rocket!" feature him blowing down two of the houses the Three Little Pigs built, forcing the Little Einsteins to scramble to gather the materials needed for the third pig to build his house of bricks for everyone to hurry in.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: He uses hi huff and puff song to blow down the pigs' houses of straw and sticks. The pigs, aided by the team, use that same song against him to blow him away after completing the house of bricks.
  • Leitmotif:
    • In "Build It, Rocket!", his appearances are heralded by the music playing a part of "Wedding Day at Troldhaugen", specifically its build up. His huff and puff song is also based on the arpeggiated chords leading to the piece's main motif.
    • In "Rocket the Bug", a minor version of Air's main motif from Handel's Water Music Suite in F Major plays with each appearance he makes.
  • The Speechless: He can't talk, but can communicate with Trombone sounds.
    Little Dragon Kite 
A small red dragon kite June met in her backyard. She intends to attend a Dragon Kite Parade at the Great Wall of China, but when all the other dragon kites go missing, she ends up having to find and rescue them. However, this means she will have to face her fear of heights.
  • Face Your Fears: All of "Dragon Kite" has her face her acrophobia by climbing a flight of stairs in the Forbidden City, and later ascending the K2 mountain to save the orange Emperor kite.
  • Ironic Fear: Despite being a kite, she starts off with a fear of heights. Over the course of the episode, she slowly learns to confront her fear, eventually gaining enough courage to fly up K2 all by herself to rescue the Emperor kite, who is stuck on a tree at the top of the mountain.
  • The Speechless: She has no way of speaking, but can communicate with bassoon sounds.
  • Took a Level in Badass: With the presence of her acrophobia at the beginning of the episode, she is reluctant to go on the mission with the Little Einsteins at first, though she still decides to connect herself to Rocket's antenna for the sake of making an attempt to be brave. For much of the journey, she cringes whenever she's a great distance above the ground, but by the time the team reaches K2, she's brave enough to not cover her eyes anymore and takes it upon herself to travel up the mountain alone to save the orange Emperor kite, who is grateful enough to let her lead the parade after the group successfully gets him to it.
    Firebird 
A mythical creature responsible for spreading happiness and music to Russia, her music power letting her make everything joyous. When she gets captured by Katschai the ogre, one of her magic music feathers falls loose and is carried by the winds to Rocket, who is motivated to rescue her immediately upon receiving her feather. Only shows up in Rocket's Firebird Rescue.
  • Badass in Distress: She's capable of spreading happiness to Russia, which is why Katschai captured her in a cage.
  • MacGuffin: One of her feathers which broke loose from her wings serve as a vital object for Rocket and the Little Einsteins to make their way to save her, what with its music power being given to each member of the team with a special incantation.
  • Red Is Heroic: Red is among her colors and she's the one who brings joyous song and music to Russia. This makes Katschai want her locked up.
  • The Speechless: She has no way of speaking, but can communicate with French horn sounds.
    Katschai 
A Matryoshka doll-like ogre who loathes music, especially if it came from the Firebird. Due to this hatred, he traps the Firebird in a cage, prompting Rocket to rescue her. Only shows up in Rocket's Firebird Rescue.
  • Big Bad: He's the one who trapped the Firebird, kicking off the conflict of Rocket's Firebird Rescue.
  • Enemy Summoner: Spawns in a bunch of animals towards the Little Einsteins during Quincy's segment to stop them from their mission.
  • Heel–Face Turn: Due to the Firebird using her magic on him, he turns from an ogre who abhors music into one that loves it.
  • Leitmotif: Always seen with "Danse Infernale De Roi Kachtchei" (Infernal Dance of Koschei's Subjects) sounding in the background.
  • Limit Break: His last spell which he uses on Rocket to ground him is stated to be his strongest one, done by Katschai mustering all of his strength and magic for it.
    Instrument Dinosaurs 
A group of dinosaurs with some body parts based on musical instruments.
  • Good All Along: The Bassasaurus Rex was initially deemed as a foul beast who plays loud music, with the Little Einsteins attempting to avoid him at all costs. When they find the baby Piccolo-dactyl and struggle to find a way to stop the volcano, he shows up and plays softly to quieten it, making everyone realize he's actually friendly.
  • Meaningful Name: They're a cross of what instrument and dinosaur they're based on, such as a Pterodactyl with a Piccolo's body being called a Piccolo-dactyl.
  • The Speechless: None of them can talk, but they can make instrument sounds based on what instrument they're based off.
    Magical Instruments 
A quartet of instruments Quincy found in a box in his room. They comprise of a harp, a triangle, a trumpet, and a flute, and possess the ability to transform into other things. All of them help Quincy save Leo, Annie, June, and Rocket when the latter four get stuck while sailing on the Arabian Sea.
  • Cool Train: The flute turns herself into a steam locomotive to help Quincy go farther to save his friends in less time.
  • Protagonist Title: They're the "magical instruments" featured in "Quincy and the Magic Instruments".
  • Running Gag: The triangle, due to his small size, ends up being the last in line to follow Quincy. Also, he has to be prompted onward by the others, or have Quincy pick him up to ride on some of the other instruments after their transformations.
  • The Runt at the End: The triangle is the smallest of the bunch and tends to need assistance in moving out or getting on board some things some of his fellow instruments transform themselves into. He is also the last instrument to be introduced and used by Quincy, but once he is used, he manages to solve the problem Leo, Annie, June, and Rocket are in.
  • The Speechless: All of them are instruments who cannot talk. They can play their respective instrument sounds as a way of communication, though.
  • Two Girls to a Team: The harp and the flute are the females to this quartet.
    Baby Cello 
A little cello who was caught by a freak wave from a nearby river in Cremona, Italy before he hatched. The Little Einsteins end up rescuing him, while trying to help him identify and find his mother.
  • Running Gag: Each time the team tells him the features of his mother, he finds something that matches what he last learnt from the team and think that is his mother.

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