Haier Brothers, also known as Haier Brothers: Global Adventures, is an animated series based on the cartoon mascots of the Haier brand. It first aired in July 1996, and the complete series was released by 2009. The creation of the series began in 1995 and includes a total of four parts with 212 episodes, making it a representative work of long-form "domestic animation" in China. Because it was repeatedly broadcast on children's programs on major television stations such as China Central Television (CCTV) in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Haier Brothers became a classic childhood memory for the post-90s and post-2000s generations in China.
History
Early development Before the production of Haier Brothers, Haier Group had experimented with animated advertising and cartoons starting in the early 1980s. They commissioned animation studios in Shanghai and Taiwan to create several animated commercials and two cartoon series, which already featured early prototypes of the “Haier Brothers” characters. These included a combination refrigerator commercial titled Qindao Haier, aired on CCTV in 1991; the animated series Music Island, co-produced with the Shanghai Animation Film Studio and broadcast on China Central Television during the summer of 1992; and Little Heroes of the Universe, produced around 1992 by Hong Long Animation in Taipei and Hong Ying Animation in Suzhou, which aired on CCTV’s Red, Yellow, Blue program during the summer of 1993. However, none of these branded animations met expectations in terms of storytelling or production quality. As a result, Haier Group president Zhang Ruimin once considered abandoning the idea of producing animated content altogether.
Decision to produce Around 1995, Beijing Orient Maple Advertising Company began producing advertisements for Haier, including a series of public service announcements that featured early prototypes of the characters “Haier Brothers” and “Crude.” Haier Group president Zhang Ruimin was pleased with the results and authorized Orient Maple to begin preparations for a new animated series titled Haier Brothers.
The creative team at Orient Maple initially produced pilot episodes for the first three installments. At that stage, they could only present their work to the head of Haier Group's advertising department. If these samples had failed to surpass previous works like Qindao and Haier (i.e., Music Island and Little Heroes of the Universe), Haier Brothers might never have come to fruition. At the time, most of the creators were not based in China and held jobs at other institutions, so their scripts and animation often had a somewhat foreign flair. Aside from the protagonist “Haier,” whose name was chosen by the Haier Group, all other character names were proposed by the writers. For example, the character “Crude” is a transliteration of the English word “crude,” reflecting traits such as rudeness and lack of manners, which matched the character’s personality. The character names were finalized within the first three episodes, and the completed samples were submitted to Haier’s advertising department. The only feedback given was a single word: “Approved.”
By the end of 1995, more than half of the production work for the first 52 episodes of Haier Brothers had been completed.
First broadcast In the summer of 1996, the first part of the Haier Brothers animated series (Episodes 1–53) premiered on CCTV’s Animation City. Due to its strong reception and positive viewer response during its 1997 rerun, Haier decided to expand the series from 53 to 106 episodes.
In February 1998, the second part of the Haier Brothers series (Episodes 54–79) premiered on Animation City.
By June 1998, the latter half of the second part (Episodes 78–106) was completed. After nearly three years of production, the full initial batch of 106 episodes was finalized. Following the completion, the creators finally met with Haier’s president Zhang Ruimin. He made only one suggestion regarding the series—changing the title from Haier Brothers to Haier Good Brothers. As Haier was the advertising agency’s major client, the team dared not refuse and changed the slogan used at the press conference to “Haier Good Brothers.” However, the official title of the series remained unchanged in the final release. Despite this, many of Haier’s promotional animated commercials released during the same period featured the characters “Haier Brothers” and “Crude,” using “Haier Good Brothers” as the advertising slogan and even incorporating it into the jingle at the end of the commercials.
From the second half of 1998 to 1999, all 106 episodes of Haier Brothers aired on Animation City.
At the in December 1998, Haier Brothers won the award for Outstanding Animated Series. In a 1999 survey conducted by CCTV, viewers gave the show widespread acclaim, praising it for combining entertainment and educational value, its vivid characters, and high rewatchability.
Sequel production In 2001, the third part of the Haier Brothers animated series (Episodes 107–159) was broadcast on CCTV’s Animation City. Due to the continued positive reception, the creative team decided to further extend the series to a total of 212 episodes. In February, Beijing Orient Maple Advertising Company officially announced the start of production for the fourth part of the Haier Brothers series (Episodes 160–212).
Shortly before June 2001, the fourth part was completed. That same month, a special event was held in Beijing titled “Forum on the Development Trends of Chinese Animation in the New Century and the Completion Ceremony of the 200-Episode Haier Brothers Series.” The series was officially filed and archived in March 2007.
Complete release Around 2003, Orient Maple Advertising Company transferred certain rights, including the broadcasting rights of Haier Brothers, to Mitie Xia Company under a formal contract. However, this led to a series of legal disputes, which prevented the fully completed Haier Brothers series from being aired as scheduled. The prolonged legal battle continued until 2008. As a result, the completed fourth part was never broadcast on television.
In 2009, an internal staff member released the fourth part for the first time on Baidu’s Haier Brothers forum. From that point on, the full Haier Brothers series was finally made available to the public.
Around 2012, a revised version of the complete series was released under a new title: Haier Brothers: Global Adventures.
Characters Haier Brother: Created by the Wise Old Man, he is knowledgeable, intelligent, and brave. He is skilled at thinking through problems and often leads the group to overcome dangers. Also known as Qindao, he was born in the depths of the ocean, possibly in the Pacific.
Haier Younger Brother: Also created by the Wise Old Man, he is intelligent, diligent, and always willing to help others. Like his older brother, he possesses a wealth of knowledge and serves as a reliable assistant. Also known as Haier, he was born in the depths of the ocean, possibly in the Pacific.
Crude: The youngest member of the group, Crude is naive and comical. Mischievous and careless, he often does things that make others laugh, but he also shows remarkable courage and cleverness in critical moments. His birthplace is possibly Norway.
Jenny: A beautiful and kind-hearted girl, Jenny is lively, sweet, and sincere—the only female member of the global adventure team. Her birthplace is possibly the United Kingdom.
Grandpa: Jenny’s grandfather, an old sea captain who fought in World War II. Wise and calm, he remains composed in tough situations and is an expert sailor with a wealth of experience. He teaches the group many valuable lessons.
Wise Old Man: A symbol of human knowledge and wisdom, he used advanced technology to create two robots, and sacrificed his own life to give them human souls and intelligence. He also instilled in them the scientific knowledge humanity had accumulated over time.
Episode guide and setting Many of the Haier Brothers episodes are based on real-world events, scientific facts, or popular legends, such as global warming, the Manhattan Project, or the “Strange Slope” phenomenon in Shenyang.