Esme & Roy is an American animated children's television series created by Dustin Ferrer and Amy Steinberg. The series is produced by Canada-based animation studio Nelvana and Sesame Workshop, in association with Corus Entertainment. It first aired on August 18, 2018, on HBO Kids alongside Treehouse TV in Canada. The series was HBO Family's first original series since Classical Baby in 2005.
Synopsis
Esme & Roy follows a young girl named Esme and her best monster friend, Roy, the most in-demand "monster sitters" in Monsterdale, a town populated mostly by monsters. Each day, the two are assigned to watch a monster child when their parents leave them for a while. Often there is a problem with the monster they watch when they are unable to do something they're supposed to or something they want to do, which results in them having a "Monster Meltdown". Esme is able to calm them down with one of her techniques which includes belly breathing, shaking her pink glitter jar, or by having them repeat a phrase to raise their self-confidence, then they compromise to solve the problem.
Characters
Main
- Esme (voiced by Millie Davis) - A 9-year-old black girl and a monster sitter. She has a skill for inventing activities to fix the monsters' problems, with the help of the MonsterCase, a suitcase full of fun and games that encourages the monsters to play their problems away and turns into a motorized scooter when taking Esme and Roy to where their monster-sitting service is needed. Her catchphrases include "Don't you just love monsters?", "It's playtime!", and "Uh-oh! Monster Meltdown!"
- Roy (voiced by Patrick McKenna) - Esme's best friend and a yellow monster. He is a lovable silly monster who knows everything about monsters with his Monster Fact book, and seems to have a love for meatballs. Whenever he gets too excited, he often asks "Too much?" to Esme.
- Dumpling (voiced by Frank Welker) - Esme and Roy's pet monster resembling a hamster. She can roll herself up into a ball and loves to dance.
- Hugo Ooga (voiced by Shayle Simons/David Kohlsmith) - A theatrical 4-year-old winged monster. He loves to be the star of the show and creates his own spotlight by clapping his hands.
- Fig Ooga (voiced by Elle Simons/Markeda McKay) - Hugo's 1-year-old baby sister. Unlike her brother, she has no wings. While small, she has super strength and loves to pick up Roy to demonstrate it. She shrinks if she smells a Sludgeflower.
- Tillie Plink (voiced by Abigail Oliver/Summer Rose Castillo) - An active 3-year-old monster with pink fur, blue eyes, and red hair tied into pigtails with a pair of blue hairbows. She has a need for speed and loves cars and playing rough-and-tumble games and can spin around like a tornado. She also speaks in third person.
- Snugs Muzzywump (voiced by Benjamin Hum/Charlie Zeltzer) - An adorable 3-year-old monster who loves to hug and snuggle with people and monsters alike. He puffs up when he gets scared, but can be easy to calm down. He is later a big brother following the episode "Big Brother Snugs" when his mother gives birth to Fuzzy Muzzywump.
- Simon Swoozle (voiced by Jacob Soley/Rain Janjua) - A 4-year-old six-tentacled green monster with yellow hair, brown eyes, and blue glasses. He loves enforcing routine and order and loves living with his grandmother, who is an actress herself. He has a big heart and is very artistic, and seems to enjoy learning about space with his favorite comic book character, Mighty Monster.
- Sid and Lucy Hoozlewoo (voiced by Christian Corrao/David Kohlsmith and Hattie Kragten/Ellora Lopez respectively) - Two respectively green and pink sibling monsters who can change colors, copy what each other do, and bounce around on their springy tails. Often when they have their meltdowns, they bounce all over the place. Most of the time, they get along well with each other. Sid appeared alongside Frank in "A Mighty Shy Guy".
- Frank and Franny Bleederblop (voiced by Justin Paul Kelly and Lilly Bartlam respectively) - Much like Sid and Lucy, both are siblings & are green and pink respectively and love playing. They are the only monsters Esme and Roy watched that never had Monster Meltdowns. Frank appeared alongside Sid appear in "A Mighty Shy Guy".
Episodes
Season 1 (2018-19)
| No. | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (1a) | "Monster Trucks!" | August 18, 2018 |
| 2 (1b) | "Lunch Crunch" | August 18, 2018 |
| 3 (2a) | "Dark and Stormy Knight" | August 25, 2018 |
| 4 (2b) | "Two Can Play at That Game" | August 25, 2018 |
| 5 (3a) | "Noisy Naptime" | September 1, 2018 |
| 6 (3b) | "The Hugo Express" | September 1, 2018 |
| 7 (4a) | "Gentle, Gentle" | September 8, 2018 |
| 8 (4b) | "The Case of the Missing Cuddles" | September 8, 2018 |
| 9 (5a) | "Supermarket Match" | September 15, 2018 |
| 10 (5b) | "Imitation Frustration" | September 15, 2018 |
| 11 (6a) | "Hugo, We Have a Problem" | September 22, 2018 |
| 12 (6b) | "A New Chapter" | September 22, 2018 |
| 13 (7a) | "Game Plan" | September 29, 2018 |
| 14 (7b) | "A Way to Play" | September 29, 2018 |
| 15 (8a) | "Sing Out, Roy!" | October 6, 2018 |
| 16 (8b) | "Monster's Little Helper" | October 6, 2018 |
| 17 (9a) | "Simon's Sleepover" | October 13, 2018 |
| 18 (9b) | "Take a Hike" | October 13, 2018 |
| 19 (10a) | "Birds of a Feather" | October 20, 2018 |
| 20 (10b) | "Cowgirl Fig" | October 20, 2018 |
| 21 (11a) | "When Figs Fly" | October 27, 2018 |
| 22 (11b) | "Tillie's Tough Break" | October 27, 2018 |
| 23 (12a) | "Cloudy Comet Calamity" | November 3, 2018 |
| 24 (12b) | "Training Day" | November 3, 2018 |
| 25 (13a) | "Monster Mash" | November 10, 2018 |
| 26 (13b) | "Block Party" | November 10, 2018 |
| 27 (14a) | "Achoo, Matey" | February 2, 2019 |
| 28 (14b) | "Beach Bummer" | February 2, 2019 |
| 29 (15a) | "The Greatest Show in Monsterdale" | February 9, 2019 |
| 30 (15b) | "The Amazing Outdoors" | February 9, 2019 |
| 31 (16a) | "Icky Pop" | February 16, 2019 |
| 32 (16b) | "Dream Submarine" | February 16, 2019 |
| 33 (17a) | "Special Delivery" | February 23, 2019 |
| 34 (17b) | "Fig Do It!" | February 23, 2019 |
| 35 (18a) | "Top Dog" | March 2, 2019 |
| 36 (18b) | "Picture Day Predicament" | March 2, 2019 |
| 37 (19a) | "Grandmonster's Day" | March 9, 2019 |
| 38 (19b) | "Monster Bash Surprise" | March 9, 2019 |
| 39 (20a) | "Air Snugs" | March 16, 2019 |
| 40 (20b) | "A Mighty Shy Guy" | March 16, 2019 |
| 41 (21a) | "Ooga, Party of Six" | March 23, 2019 |
| 42 (21b) | "How Hugo Got His Toots Back" | March 23, 2019 |
| 43 (22a) | "Tilliesaurus" | March 30, 2019 |
| 44 (22b) | "Toy Share or Not Toy Share" | March 30, 2019 |
| 45 (23a) | "Officer Tillie" | April 6, 2019 |
| 46 (23b) | "Fuzzy Ball" | April 6, 2019 |
| 47 (24a) | "A Rocky Business" | April 13, 2019 |
| 48 (24b) | "Bedtime for Hugo" | April 13, 2019 |
| 49 (25a) | "Stroller Derby" | April 20, 2019 |
| 50 (25b) | "The Inside Job" | April 20, 2019 |
| 51 (26a) | "Party Time" | April 27, 2019 |
| 52 (26b) | "The Really Really Big Race" | April 27, 2019 |
Season 2 (2020-21)
| No. | Title | HBO Max release date |
|---|---|---|
| 53 (27a) | "A Dino-Mite Lunch" | June 25, 2020 |
| 54 (27b) | "Baby Hugo" | June 25, 2020 |
| 55 (28a) | "To Cupcake with Love" | June 25, 2020 |
| 56 (28b) | "A True Monsterpiece" | June 25, 2020 |
| 57 (29a) | "The Book Bind" | June 25, 2020 |
| 58 (29b) | "Don't Bug Me" | June 25, 2020 |
| 59 (30a) | "The Swoozle News" | June 25, 2020 |
| 60 (30b) | "Throw and Tell" | June 25, 2020 |
| 61 (31a) | "A Very Sleepy Tillie" | June 25, 2020 |
| 62 (31b) | "Personal Space" | June 25, 2020 |
| 63 (32a) | "Snugs to the Rescue" | June 25, 2020 |
| 64 (32b) | "Lickety Split" | June 25, 2020 |
| 65 (33a) | "Not Kitten Around" | June 25, 2020 |
| 66 (33b) | "The Show Must Go On" | June 25, 2020 |
| 67 (34a) | "It's in the Bag" | June 25, 2020 |
| 68 (34b) | "Are We There Yet?" | June 25, 2020 |
| 69/70 (35) | "The Princess of Play" | August 6, 2020 |
| 71 (36a) | "Big Brother Snugs" | August 6, 2020 |
| 72 (36b) | "Sound Reasoning" | August 6, 2020 |
| 73 (37a) | "Think Big" | August 6, 2020 |
| 74 (37b) | "Warm and Fuzzy Day" | August 6, 2020 |
| 75 (38a) | "Snuggle Bunny" | August 6, 2020 |
| 76 (38b) | "Blown Away" | August 6, 2020 |
| 77 (39a) | "An Open Book" | August 6, 2020 |
| 78 (39b) | "So Long Stuff" | August 6, 2020 |
| 79 (40a) | "Holiday Spirit" | December 10, 2020 |
| 80 (40b) | "Snow Worries" | December 10, 2020 |
| 81 (41a) | "The Tooting Twosome" | February 4, 2021 |
| 82 (41b) | "Cheer Up, Pup" | February 4, 2021 |
| 83 (42a) | "Can't Touch This" | February 4, 2021 |
| 84 (42b) | "Mission Bedtime" | February 4, 2021 |
| 85 (43a) | "Flying High" | February 4, 2021 |
| 86 (43b) | "Hugo the Entertainer" | February 4, 2021 |
| 87 (44a) | "Dream Team" | February 4, 2021 |
| 88 (44b) | "It's a Jungle Out There" | February 4, 2021 |
| 89 (45a) | "Swoozlepox" | February 4, 2021 |
| 90 (45b) | "Balloon Blues" | February 4, 2021 |
| 91 (46a) | "Tillie Unplugged" | February 4, 2021 |
| 92 (46b) | "Starring Simon" | February 4, 2021 |
| 93 (47a) | "Doctor Drama" | February 4, 2021 |
| 94 (47b) | "Dumpling's Birthday" | February 4, 2021 |
| 95 (48a) | "Sofishticated Taste" | February 4, 2021 |
| 96 (48b) | "Knight Rider" | February 4, 2021 |
| 97 (49a) | "Unicorn Tillie" | February 4, 2021 |
| 98 (49b) | "Boxed In" | February 4, 2021 |
| 99 (50a) | "Monsterpet Badge" | February 4, 2021 |
| 100 (50b) | "The Long Goodnight" | February 4, 2021 |
| 101 (51a) | "Best Day Ever" | February 4, 2021 |
| 102 (51b) | "The Waiting Game" | February 4, 2021 |
| 103 (52a) | "Fangsgiving" | February 4, 2021 |
| 104 (52b) | "The Tillie Show" | February 4, 2021 |
Trivia
- The series also aired on the 24/7 PBS Kids sub-channel beginning in August 2019. As opposed to on HBO, the second season aired on television starting March 6, 2021. The show stopped airing on June 27th of that same year.
- An early picture from around 2016 indicates that Roy was originally gonna be blue/purple. Esme's design hadn't changed much, beside her hairstyle which had two buns. The series was originally announced to premiere in the spring of 2018.
- The show also aired on Cartoon Network's Cartoonito block from September 18, 2021 to March 25, 2022.