Los cuentos de Tinga Tinga

You see there was a time when Elephant had no nose. He couldn't swat away the flies, or scrub his belly - he couldn't even blow his nose. Then one day snappy Crocodile snapped! Crocodile pulled and he pulled and he pulled - until ker-doing…

You see there was a time when Snake did have legs - hundreds and hundreds of them. But poor old Snake had no eyes, not a single one. Then on the day of the great Tinga Tinga Festival of Colours, Snake quite literally bumped into Millipede,…

You see there was a time when Hippo did have hair - lots of hair! She was always harrumphingly hot. Then one hot night while Hippo was sleeping, a spark from the fire caught the end of her hairy tail. Hippo was on fire! She ran through the…

You see there was a time when Tortoise's shell was all shiny and smooth. One day Tortoise discovered the birds were having a Feast in the Heavens and he tricked the Birds into making him a pair of wings. Greedy Tortoise raced the birds bey…

You see, there was a time when Hen didn't peck the ground. She was a proud mother who spent all her time looking after and cleaning her chicks. Fancy pancy Peacock upset Mama Hen and made her feel plain.

You see there was a time when Bat didn't hang upside down. He used to fly all over Tinga Tinga, saying 'Boo!' to all the animals and giving them a fright. Nothing could be more fun for Bat. But one day Bat went too far and the animals deci…

You see, there was a time when Warthog was really rather handsome. And did he know it! He strutted around Tinga Tinga as if he owned the place. All the animals were fed up with Warthog's boasting, and then one day Lion decided to give chas…

You see there was a time when Owl's head didn't turn all the way round. She had tiny little eyes and tiny little ears, and she found it very hard to stay awake. Then one day all the mangoes started disappearing in Tinga Tinga. Against all …

You see there was a time when Monkey used to play on the ground and he loved to wind up Crocodile. One day the big rains came and Monkey became stranded up a mango tree. Nasty Crocodile promised to take him to dry land but only in exchange…

You see there was a time when Tickbird didn't sit on Hippo's back, in fact they weren't friends at all! Tickbird was sick of Hippo splashing all the time. One day tiny Tickbird challenged big Hippo to a contest - who can drink the most wat…

You see there was a time when Frog didn't croak. Frog sang like a bird and the birds didn't like it. Birds were the masters of song and that's the way it should be! So the birds tricked poor old Frog into a singing duel and sang and sang a…

One day greedy Spider heard of Four Feasts in Tinga Tinga and she wanted to go to them all! So she spun four threads and attached them to various animals going to the feasts. But Monkey, Frog, Hippo and the Bees all set off in different di…

You see there was time when Vulture was not bald. Oh no, Vulture's head was covered in a beautiful crown of golden plumage! Vain Vulture never shut up about her golden feathers and was obsessed about making them as golden as the sun! One …

You see there was a time when Giraffe didn't have a long neck. Her neck was all short and stumpy, and she was a very delicate eater. All the food in Tinga Tinga seemed to make her tummy go funny. Then one day Lion suggested she try some ho…

You see there was a time when Porcupine didn't have quills, she had the softest coat in all of Tinga Tinga and Jackal wanted it. Despite warnings from all the animals, Porcupine allowed Jackal to invite her to his cave to keep out of the r…

You see there was a time when Lizard didn't hide under rocks. He would scamper around Tinga Tinga pinching other animals' food and keeping it all for himself. Then one day the animals decided to give greedy Lizard a dose of his own medicin…

There was a time when Crocodile didn't have a bumpy back. His skin was smooth and he had to be careful of the hot Tinga Tinga sun. One day while napping, Crocodile got sunburnt and fell into a deep sleep. Lion warned the animals to be on t…

You see, there was a time when Jackal didn't howl at the moon. He was a trickster and he always wanted what was not rightfully his. Jackal took over Hen's nest and Aardvark's burrow. He even took the cub's supper from Mama Cheetah! Enough …

You see there was a time when Hare did not hop. He was one of the speediest animals in Tinga Tinga but none of the other animals wanted to race with him because Hare always won and it was boring. Then one day, slow-but-clever Tortoise deci…

Mosquito's tales send the whole of Tinga Tinga into a complete panic, so the animals decide to tie a grass around Mosquito's tail. From that day on Mosquito buzzes and everyone can swot her away rather than listen to her gossipy tales.

You see there was a time when Rhino didn't charge and he couldn't see very well at all. Poor old Rhino really wanted to be invited to the Dance of the Horns up on the plains with Buffalo and all the other horned animals. But Rhino didn't h…

You see Caterpillar was never in a hurry. When all the animals were racing around Tinga Tinga getting ready for the best-dressed parade, Caterpillar was happy to sit in a tree and munch on leaves saying 'Po-le, po-le, slowly, slowly, good …

You see there was a time when Lion had lost his roar. Crocodile was snapping at all the animals in Tinga Tinga and ruling over the Waterhole. Lion could do nothing about it as he had lost his roar. Then one day Flea told Lion that if Lion …

There was a time when Zebra was skinny and white all over. Eagle discovered the Great Cave. All were interested except for Zebra, who was happy munching and munching on his grass, getting fatter and fatter. Tortoise thought that a new blac…

You see there was a time when Flamingo stood on both legs. One morning, Flamingo and her flock landed at the Water Hole when all the crabs were busy performing their underwater dance. Needless to say, all these legs where in their way! Tor…

There was a time when Woodpecker didn't peck. All the birds had their very own sound, but Woodpecker didn't make a sound at all. Then one very dark night in Tinga Tinga, the Moon and the Stars disappear! The animals summon the birds to tel…