- [Narrator] Curious George, the beloved children's book

character is a mischievous monkey

who's inquisitiveness gets him in all kinds of trouble.

But before he reached global fame,

George started as a drawing in the basket

of a jerry-rigged bicycle escaping the Nazi's.

(bicycle bell dings)

(Latin beat music)

It's 1935 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Jewish-German artists and newlyweds

Margret Waldstein and Hans Reyersbach

were living in an apartment with two pet monkeys

that were always causing trouble.

(French bistro music)

On their honeymoon in Paris, Hans and Margaret

fell in love with the city

and decided to move there.

They spent the next four years

writing and illustrating children's books.

One character was inspired by their pets

in Brazil, a monkey named Fifi.

(dramatic music)

But World War II was underway,

and in May 1940, Nazi Germany crossed into France

with their sights set on Paris.

Hans and Margret planned to escape to New York

on a ship leaving for Lisbon, Portugal,

but there were no more trains out of Paris.

After a desperate search for transportation,

they finally found a bicycle store

that was nearly empty.

Hans had to improvise.

So he bought spare parts

and cobbled together two makeshift bicycles.

The next morning Hans and Margret

loaded their bicycles with as much as they could carry,

including of course,

their manuscripts for the Adventures of Fifi.

They pedaled south for four full days

to the nearest working train station,

finally arriving in Lisbon

to board a ship to Rio de Janeiro.

(gentle music)

From Rio, Hans, Margaret and Fifi

were able to safely board a ship to New York.

It was here that they published Fifi's first book,

but decided to give him a new,

more American name, George,

Curious George.

After the war, Hans and Margret became US citizens,

happily living out their days in the States.

And George, his story isn't over.

The little monkey has sold 75 million books,

has been translated into over 15 languages,

and has his own TV show

and three full-length movies.

But most importantly, he continues to delight

curious children around the world.