Promotional material for 3,000 Whys of Blue Cat Photo: Courtesy of Douban

Chinese Animated Educational TV Series: '3,000 Whys of Blue Cat'

Premiering on October 9, 1999, 3000 Whys of Blue Cat was the first large-scale Chinese animated series in China with an emphasis on science. With a total of 4,982 episodes, the series produced by the Hunan Sunchime Happy Culture Company was once the longest-running children's cartoon series in the world.

The protagonist of the show is Blue Cat, a curious and optimistic cat who is always eager to explore different parts of the world. 

His friends include a smart and cunning fox named Feifei, a naughty and adventurous mouse named Taoqi and many other animals. 

As Blue Cat and his friends go on an adventure and encounter problems, the series provides answers to science-related questions posed by Blue Cat.

The entire run of the show was separated into many series including the Humorous Stage series, Star Wars series, Dinosaur Times series and Sports Competition series. In each series, Blue Cat and his friends go to different times and places so young viewers can learn about the world in which they live.

Inspired by the science book One Hundred Thousand Whys, the director of the series Wang Hong conceived the idea of Blue Cat in 1992 and started producing the series a few years later. According to Luo Mu, who also worked on the series, the production was very tough at the beginning as one computer was shared by three people since they lacked the financial support for more.

Luo admitted that the production of 3,000 Whys of Blue Cat was not perfect, but it gained success on other levels. 

Grasping people's demand for popular science and domestic animation, 3,000 Whys of Blue Cat is a successful example of industrialization in Chinese animation. 

In the beginning of the 21st century, the series grew in popularity, making Blue Cat one of the most well-known cartoon characters in China. 

At its peak, there were more than 2,300 authorized stores throughout China selling Blue Cat clothes and school supplies. 

Winner of several prizes, the cartoon was later broadcast in other countries in Asia. 

Global Times