Cousin Skeeter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cousin Skeeter |
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| Created by | Phil Beauman Alonzo Brown Brian Robbins |
| Starring | Robert Ri'chard Rondell Sheridan Meagan Good Angela Means Bill Bellamy as the voice of Skeeter |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 52 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Brian Robbins Mike Tollin Joe Davola Brad Kaaya Jerry Perzigian |
| Camera setup | Film; Single-camera |
| Running time | 24 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Tollin/Robbins Productions Nickelodeon Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | Nickelodeon |
| Picture format | NTSC (480i) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | September 1, 1998 – May 19, 2001 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Kenan & Kel |
Cousin Skeeter is an American children's sitcom, that originally aired on Nickelodeon from 1998 to 2001. It starred Robert Ri'chard as Bobby, a young boy whose life changed when his strange cousin Skeeter came to live with his family. With Skeeter's help, Bobby learns life lessons and tackles the ups and downs of growing up. The show also included Meagan Good as Bobby's friend Nina, Rondell Sheridan as Bobby's father Andre, and Angela Means as Bobby's mother Vanessa. Skeeter is portrayed by a hand puppet with Bill Bellamy providing his voice, and Drew Massey performing the puppetry, assisted by Alice Dinnean. Within the show, Skeeter is treated like a regular human and no mention of him being a puppet is made. Although the series was shot in a single-camera format, the show used a laugh track. A rumour was circulated online that the show's run ended after slime was dumped on the puppet during a taping of Figure It Out, permanently staining it. This is untrue, as the puppet's appearance on Figure It Out was in 1998, 3 years prior to cancellation.
The show's theme song is a parody of 702's 1996 hit "Steelo", written by Missy Elliott.
Contents
Overview
Cousin Skeeter first aired on September 1, 1998 on Nickelodeon, sharing the 8–9 pm programming block with The Wild Thornberrys. Cousin Skeeter was one of many shows at this time to touch on the idea of multicultural themes in television around this time, with notable shows such as The Brothers García originating around this time as well. The show focused primarily on issues that many African Americans were facing during this time period, by presenting them in a comical way via the use of Skeeter. Skeeter frequently causes mischief, which is often balanced out by Bobby having to correct the situation.
Episodes
List of Cousin Skeeter episodes
Characters
Main
- Skeeter (performed by Drew Massey, voiced by Bill Bellamy) - Skeeter is a puppet whose life changed when he moved from Georgia to New York City to live with his cousin Bobby. He is a loud-mouthed, impulsive, and reckless ladies' man, who spends each episode getting Bobby into trouble. Skeeter is also friends with several notable celebrities, including Michael Jordan, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte (whose life he apparently saved), and Dennis Rodman. He's not easily angry, unless someone remarks on his extreme shortness, which causes him to fly into a rage. The fact that he is a puppet is never acknowledged on the series.
- Bobby Walker (portrayed by Robert Ri'chard) - Originally from Inglewood, California. Bobby is smart and well-behaved. Often the victim of his cousin's mischief, Bobby often gets mad at Skeeter, but Bobby likes him nonetheless.
- André Walker (portrayed by Rondell Sheridan) - Bobby's father who is a music producer.
- Nina Jones (portrayed by Meagan Good) - Nina is Bobby's best friend. She and Bobby have a crush on each other at the start of the show and later start dating. She is a fast talker and Nicole's best friend.
- Vanessa Walker (portrayed by Angela Means) - Bobby's mother, a lawyer, is often annoyed by Skeeter just like Bobby is. She and Andre can't wait for the boys to go to college, and the couple will do anything to get Skeeter and Bobby out of their hair.
Supporting
- Nicole (voiced by Tisha Campbell-Martin) - A female puppet character, Nicole has more class and manners than Skeeter. She first appeared as a new student in the second season's TV movie, "New Kids on the Planet". Nicole quickly became friends with Nina and they are like sisters. She is depicted as tough, once wanting to join the high school football team, and threatening to hurt the school bully if he hurt Skeeter.
- Duke - Bobby's friend Duke appeared in the first and second seasons of the series.
- Geoff - One of Bobby's friends from school, Geoff always seems to be a bad role model for the boys.
- Brenda (voiced by Lisa Lopes)
