Shaun the Sheep

Story

Shaun the Sheep is an animated television series by Aardman Animations for children aged 4 and over. It has music and sound effects but no dialogue.

Shaun is a lively sheep who is full of adventurous ideas that invariably leading his flock into all kinds of entertaining mayhem. Whether they’re staging their own Olympics or turning the farm into a petting zoo they must just make sure that the farmer, and his long-suffering sheepdog, Bitzer, never find out.

Why we chose it

Young children enjoy Shaun’s ingenious and well- intentioned schemes that often involve gadgets and inventions. Adults can appreciate a wide range of cultural references from paintings and pop videos to silent movies and film classics like Star Wars, ET and The Lion King.

The series combines Aardman’s distinctive stop motion animation using hand-modelled clay figures, with their usual charm, eccentricity and wit.

Now in its 6th series, with 170 seven-minute episodes, Shaun the Sheep is broadcast in 180 countries and has won several top awards including for its sustainable working methods.

Where it came from

The series is a spin-off from the Oscar winning Wallace and Gromit film, A Close Shave, in which Shaun and his flock narrowly escape being turned into dog food.

Where it went next

Shaun the Sheep also stars in Christmas specials, two feature films, video games, commercials and charity campaigns. As well as a live musical show there are outdoor trails, virtual reality experiences and theme parks in Cornwall, Sweden and Japan. After five series with the BBC Shaun has migrated to Netflix as Shaun the Sheep: Adventures from Mossy Bottom promising even more dramatic storylines. A series of books and various sporting tie ins were planned for the 2020 Olympic Games.

Associated stories

Shaun the Sheep has inspired its own CBeebies spinoff for younger children. Timmy Time follows Shaun’s young cousin as he starts preschool and learns to play with his new animal friends.