The NFB is committed to respecting your privacy

We use cookies to ensure that our site works efficiently, as well as for advertising purposes.

If you do not wish to have your information used in this way, you can modify your browser settings before continuing your visit.

Learn more
Skip to content Accessibility
My List
Your request could not be processed.
This film is already in your list

The Glasses

New release
Coming 
None

The Great List of Everything

2019 2 min
Leaving soon

Cathon proudly shows off her new glasses. Iris is at a loss for words—she’s speechless with admiration. Where do eyeglasses even come from, and how did people first get them to stay on their noses?

We're sorry, this content is not available in your location.
Your rental expires on
Buy
You've already purchased this film.
Download it from My purchases.
Not available
Share
The Glasses
  • The Phone
    The Phone
    Iris Boudreau  &  Francis Papillon 2019 2 min
    Iris has finally acquired a cell phone—her first. Cathon would love to help her learn how to use it, but Iris insists on figuring it out all by herself. How did people communicate before the telephone was invented, anyway?
  • The Microwave
    The Microwave
    Cathon Iris Boudreau , … 2019 2 min
    Iris and Cathon are shocked to discover how big and heavy the first microwave oven was. Turns out that inventing it involved melting a bar of chocolate.
  • The Bread
    The Bread
    Cathon Iris Boudreau , … 2019 2 min
    Cathon bakes Iris a very special kind of bread for her birthday, and pretty soon the two friends have gone down the rabbit hole, in search of the origins of bread. They even tell the tale of a whole army sculpted from bread.
  • The Fishing Rod
    The Fishing Rod
    Iris Boudreau  &  Francis Papillon 2019 2 min
    Cathon has a new best friend—Ruben the goldfish. Iris’s latest hobby is fishing. A fine kettle of fish to be sure. The fishing rod is an amazing piece of gear, but where did it come from?
  • The Camera
    The Camera
    Iris Boudreau  &  Francis Papillon 2019 2 min
    Cathon has borrowed her aunt’s camera and wants to take some nice pictures of Iris. But she discovers that her best friend isn’t particularly photogenic. The two pals explore how people preserved memories in the past.
  • The Stamp
    The Stamp
    Iris Boudreau  &  Francis Papillon 2019 2 min
    Iris wants to send her grandfather a birthday card. Touching, right? But Cathon doesn't want her friend to raid her collection looking for a stamp. Did someone really once pay $9.5 million for a single stamp?
  • The Clock
    The Clock
    Iris Boudreau  &  Francis Papillon 2019 2 min
    Cathon has found something wonderful in the recycling bin—a birdsong clock. But Iris isn’t totally on board with her friend’s taste, so she seeks a compromise. She wonders how people told time before clocks.
  • The Glasses
    The Glasses
    Cathon Iris Boudreau , … 2019 2 min
    Cathon proudly shows off her new glasses. Iris is at a loss for words—she’s speechless with admiration. Where do eyeglasses even come from, and how did people first get them to stay on their noses?
  • The French Fries
    The French Fries
    Iris Boudreau  &  Francis Papillon 2019 2 min
    Iris is about to greedily devour her lunch—a mountain of fries—and her friend gives her a lecture. In Cathon’s opinion, fries are not a balanced meal. And yet they’re in Canada’s Food Guide. Or are they? Maybe not.
  • The Swimsuit
    The Swimsuit
    Iris Boudreau  &  Francis Papillon 2019 2 min
    Iris and Cathon are at the beach, and they both have new swimsuits. Cathon makes fun of her friend’s choice of beachwear. You’ll learn a lot about the origins of the bathing suit.
  • The Noodles
    The Noodles
    Iris Boudreau  &  Francis Papillon 2019 2 min
    Iris loves noodles so much she could eat them morning, noon, and night. Cathon prefers using them to make little gifts for her friend. Any idea where noodles actually come from?
  • The Lightbulb
    The Lightbulb
    Iris Boudreau  &  Francis Papillon 2019 2 min
    Iris believes that every time you turn the lights on or off in a room, it costs 25 cents. Cathon sets her straight, and then explains where the light in lightbulbs comes from.
  • The Pants
    The Pants
    Iris Boudreau  &  Francis Papillon 2019 2 min
    Iris wants to help out by doing Cathon’s laundry, but accidentally shrinks her friend’s favourite pair of pants. When were trousers first worn? And is it true that women were not always allowed to wear them?
  • The Hot Dog
    The Hot Dog
    Francis Papillon 2022 3 min
    Hot dogs and the beach: a classic pairing! Between a sea voyage and hot-dog eating competitions, Iris once again amazes us with the quantity of condiments she’s able to ingest in one go! Come to think of it, why exactly is it called a hot dog?
  • The Skates
    The Skates
    Francis Papillon 2022 3 min
    At the local ice rink, Iris tries out her grandpa’s old skates while a quizzical Cathon looks on. Have you ever wondered what skates looked like before metalblades were developed?
  • The Bathtub
    The Bathtub
    Francis Papillon 2022 3 min
    In the spirit of sustainability, Iris offers to leave her bathwater for Cathon—but a minor detail gives her pause. Fun (or maybe not-so-fun) fact: during the Renaissance, people avoided bathing for fear that microbes would get into their bodies!
  • The Banana
    The Banana
    Francis Papillon 2022 3 min
    Iris whips up a batch of her famous banana smoothies, but Cathon isn’t the biggest fan of her friend’s recipe. Speaking of bananas, word has it that the banana split was invented by one David Stickler, who was an apprentice pharmacist!
  • The Fridge
    The Fridge
    Francis Papillon 2022 3 min
    A devastated Cathon must face a cruel fact: she must bid farewell to her old fridge, which has brought her so many good times. But before the refrigerator was invented, how did people keep their food from spoiling?
  • The Mirror
    The Mirror
    Francis Papillon 2022 3 min
    Cathon is excited to show Iris her latest flea-market find: a new mirror. But is it true that if you break one, you can expect seven years of bad luck?
  • The Pyjamas
    The Pyjamas
    Francis Papillon 2022 3 min
    When she finds out what kind of sleepwear her friend likes, Iris bursts out laughing! One thing’s for sure, Iris and Cathon don’t subscribe to the same definition of “pyjama party.” Apparently, way back when, wearing these clothes to the beach was the height of fashion!
  • The Toothbrush
    The Toothbrush
    Francis Papillon 2022 3 min
    While brushing her teeth with Iris, Cathon discovers another of her friend’s crazy ideas: instead of toothpaste, Iris uses hot sauce! They go on to explain that before the invention of the toothbrush, people kept their choppers clean using twigs!
  • The Garbage Can
    The Garbage Can
    Francis Papillon 2022 3 min
    Iris has picked an odd place to get rid of their household waste—to Cathon’s great dismay! By the way, did you know that rudology is the science of studying and analyzing garbage?
  • The Pencil
    The Pencil
    Francis Papillon 2022 3 min
    Rummaging around in Cathon’s massive collection, Iris finds the perfect pencil to write to her grandpa with. Which leads to the question: Was the lead pencil really invented in a bathtub?
  • Peanut Butter
    Peanut Butter
    Francis Papillon 2022 3 min
    Iris surprises Cathon by coming back from a grocery run with a bag full of an insane amount of a treat they both adore! As they enjoy a scrumptious sandwich, our friends wonder: Is it true that the Maya invented peanut butter?
  • The Teddy Bear
    The Teddy Bear
    Francis Papillon 2022 3 min
    It won’t come as a shock to you to learn that Iris’s and Cathon’s teddy bears are polar opposites! But who created this perennially popular stuffed toy? And did you know that a woman in the US has a collection of over 8,000 of them?
  • Stairways
    Stairways
    Francis Papillon 2022 0 s
    As they climb an impressively long staircase, Cathon notices that her friend Iris isn’t in the best of shape. On the subject of stairs, is it true that the ones in Chand Baori, in India, were originally built for rolling-somersault competitions?

Details

Based on a French-language comic book, The Great List of Everything features artists Cathon and Iris, two wildly imaginative young women who share their unbridled passion for everyday objects.

The two friends’ quirky humour, broad knowledge, and endless curiosity will make you want to learn more about these objects. Travel with them through history as they explain the origins of everything from the fishing rod to the refrigerator to the toothbrush. But don’t believe everything you hear!

Voiced by Angela Galuppo and Cat Lemieux, both seasons of The Great List of Everything were produced by La Pastèque and the National Film Board of Canada in collaboration with Télé-Québec, and with the financial participation of the Shaw Rocket Fund.

  • director
    Iris Boudreau
    Cathon
    Francis Papillon
  • writing
    Iris Boudreau
    Cathon
  • producer
    Marc Bertrand
    Anne-Marie Bousquet
    Solen Labrie Trépanier
  • executive producer
    Martin Brault
    Frédéric Gauthier
    Christine Noël
    Julie Roy

Enjoy the NFB experience on your favourite device