Curious George started as a children's book series published by Houghton Mifflin from the 1940s, written and illustrated by Hans Augusto Ray and Margret Ray. In recent years, the popularity of Curious George has reached an all time high, due to modern forms of media. The story of Curious George begins when he, a little adorable monkey, is persuaded to leave his native country of Africa to go to "big city", ultimately the zoo, by Man with the Yellow Hat. Eventually The Man with the Yellow Hat takes Curious George into his home after he gets into many curious adventures, including escaping the zoo on a regular basis. The series continued as books, telling the tales of Curious George and The Man with the Yellow Hat's adventures. There is a total of seven books in the original series. Curious George quickly became a recognizable figure throughout the world and the books were translated in many different languages. The popularity of the Curious George series sparked the interest of Alan Shalleck who, in the 1980s, made a t.v. series based on the books. New Curious George books were also written and illustrated in the late 1980s along with stop motion shorts. Recently (2006), Curious George has made it to the big screen in an animated film voiced by popular actors like Will Ferrell . Universal Studios in Florida has also caught onto the Curious George bandwagon, opening a Curious George themed play park. The most notable recent Curious george venture is the new PBS Kid's animated series. Along with an interactive webpage, the new series is very kid friendly and has a modern spin on the original books. The series recently received an Emmy in outstanding children's animated program. PBS is also hosting Curious George Live, a live stage performance that is currently touring around the US and perhaps elsewhere soon. Additionally, Curious George merchandise is available in many stores. It is possible to find bedsheets, t-shirts and more. It is also possible to purchase Curious George DVDs of the PBS series and has become a favorite in many collections.