Daria facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Daria |
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| Genre |
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| Created by |
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| Voices of |
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| Theme music composer | Splendora |
| Opening theme | "You're Standing on My Neck" by Splendora |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 65 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Editor(s) | Neil Lawrence |
| Running time | 21–22 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
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| Release | |
| Original network | MTV |
| Original release | March 3, 1997 – January 21, 2002 |
Daria is an American animated sitcom TV show. It was created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis Lynn. The show was first shown on MTV on March 3, 1997. It ended on January 21, 2002.
The story is about a smart but cynical high school student named Daria Morgendorffer. She is voiced by Tracy Grandstaff. Daria first appeared in another cartoon called Beavis and Butt-Head. Daria is a spin-off from that show. The creator of Beavis and Butt-Head, Mike Judge, allowed the spin-off. However, he was busy with King of the Hill and did not work on Daria.
Contents
About the Show: Daria's World
The series follows Daria Morgendorffer, a smart and sarcastic teenager. She observes the world around her with her best friend, Jane Lane. Jane is an aspiring artist. The show takes place in a made-up town called Lawndale. It makes fun of high school life. It also points out funny things about popular culture and social groups.
Daria is the main character and is in most scenes. She is often with her family: her mother Helen, father Jake, and younger sister Quinn. She is also often with Jane. The show covers Daria's time in high school. It ends when she graduates and goes to college. Lawndale High School is a main place in the show. It is full of funny and unusual characters.
In season four, things changed between Daria and Jane. Jane started dating Tom Sloane. Daria was worried about losing her best friend. But Daria and Tom started to get closer. They even kissed at the end of the season. This created some funny and emotional moments. These moments were a big part of the TV movie Is It Fall Yet?. Daria and Tom's relationship was also important in season five.
The show often compares Daria's sarcastic views with the ideas of her hometown. Lawndale is a typical American suburb. The show makes fun of suburban life by making it seem very exaggerated. A newspaper once described Daria as a smart 16-year-old. She sees her school, family, and life clearly. And she is not afraid to comment on them.
Meet the Characters
Main Characters
- Daria Morgendorffer (voiced by Tracy Grandstaff) is the main character. She is a smart, gloomy, and sarcastic teenage girl.
- Jane Lane (voiced by Wendy Hoopes) is Daria's artistic best friend. She is also an outsider, like Daria.
- Quinn Morgendorffer (voiced by Wendy Hoopes) is Daria's younger sister. She is popular at school and part of the Fashion Club.
- Helen Morgendorffer (voiced by Wendy Hoopes) is Daria and Quinn's mother. She works a lot as a lawyer. She earns most of the family's money.
- Jake Morgendorffer (voiced by Julián Rebolledo) is Daria and Quinn's father. He works as a sales and marketing consultant.
Other Important Characters
- Brittany Taylor (voiced by Lisa Kathleen Collins) is a cheerful but not-so-smart cheerleader. She is Kevin's girlfriend.
- Kevin Thompson (voiced by Marc Thompson) is the school's quarterback. He is also not very smart and is Brittany's boyfriend.
- Trent Lane (voiced by Alvaro J. Gonzalez) is Jane's brother. Daria liked him at the beginning of the show.
- Jodie Landon (voiced by Jessica Cydnee Jackson) is the school president. She is one of the few smart students at Lawndale High.
- Michael “Mack” Jordan MacKenzie (voiced by different actors) is Jodie's boyfriend. He is the captain of the football team.
- Sandi Griffin (voiced by Lisa Kathleen Collins) is the bossy president of The Fashion Club.
- Tiffany Blum-Deckler (voiced by Ashley Albert) is a member of The Fashion Club. She has a boring voice and is not very smart.
- Stacy Rowe (voiced by Jessica Zaino and Sarah Drew) is the nervous secretary of The Fashion Club.
- Charles “Upchuck” Ruttheimer III (voiced by Marc Thompson and Geoffrey Arend) is an annoying and flirty student.
- Andrea (voiced by Susie Lewis Lynn and Lisa Kathleen Collins) is a goth student at Lawndale High.
- Joey, Jeffy, and Jamie (voiced by different actors) are three football players. They often try to get Quinn's attention.
- Tom Sloane (voiced by Russell Hankin) is a character who dates Jane and later Daria.
- Mr. Timothy O'Neill (voiced by Marc Thompson) is an English teacher who is very emotional.
- Ms. Angela Li (voiced by Nora Laudani) is the strict and sometimes unfair school principal.
- Mr. Anthony DeMartino (voiced by Marc Thompson) is an angry history teacher. He dislikes most of his students.
- Ms. Janet Barch (voiced by Ashley Albert) is a science teacher who dislikes men.
- Mrs. Diane Bennett (voiced by Amy Bennett) is a very excited economics teacher.
- Ms. Claire Defoe (voiced by Nicole Carin and Danielle Carin) is an art teacher.
How Daria Was Created
Daria Morgendorffer first appeared in the MTV show Beavis and Butt-Head. MTV wanted a smart female character. So, they created Daria to be a contrast to Beavis and Butt-Head. Daria's first look was designed by Bill Peckmann.
Later, MTV wanted to attract more female viewers. They asked story editor Glenn Eichler to create a spin-off show for Daria. In 1995, a short five-minute pilot episode was made. It was called "Sealed with a Kick." This pilot was very popular with middle schoolers. Even though MTV usually aimed for older viewers, they decided to make a full series. They ordered 13 episodes. Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis became the show's executive producers.
The first episode of Daria aired on March 3, 1997. This was about nine months before Beavis and Butt-Head ended. The first episode was called "Esteemsters." It showed Daria and her family moving from Highland (where Beavis and Butt-Head was set) to Lawndale. This episode also introduced Daria's best friend, Jane Lane. Daria did not mention Beavis and Butt-Head again after this.
The show ran for five seasons. Each season had 13 episodes. There were also two TV movies and two TV specials. The first movie, Is It Fall Yet?, aired on August 27, 2000. It happened between seasons four and five. MTV planned a shorter sixth season. But Glenn Eichler asked for it to be a second movie instead. This movie, Is It College Yet?, was the series finale. It aired on January 21, 2002.
Making the Show
No other characters from Beavis and Butt-Head appeared on Daria. The creators wanted to focus on the new characters and humor. They felt that mentioning Beavis and Butt-Head might confuse viewers. It could also set wrong expectations for the new show.
In the TV movie Is It Fall Yet?, some famous people lent their voices. MTV host Carson Daly voiced Quinn's summer tutor. Singer Bif Naked voiced Jane's art camp friend. Rock musician Dave Grohl voiced Jane's art camp host. Songs by Dave Grohl's band, Foo Fighters, were also used in the series.
The creators wanted to make a show where women seemed smarter. They also wanted to give a voice to people who felt like they didn't fit in. They aimed to show what high school was like at the time. They also wanted to show the different groups of friends you often see in high school shows.
The animation style was simple. This made it easier to film and create natural movements. The storyboards helped decide how the show would look. Each episode took about nine months to create. This included writing scripts, recording voices, and making storyboards.
It took a long time for Daria to be released on DVD. This was because of the cost of getting rights for all the music used in the show. The show became popular again in 2020. This happened when it became available on streaming services like Hulu and Paramount+. However, the two movies, Is It Fall Yet? and Is It College Yet?, were not available on these platforms.
Episodes of Daria
List of Daria episodes There are 65 episodes of Daria. They are spread across five seasons, with 13 episodes in each. The first season aired from March to July 1997. The last season aired from February to June 2001.
The series also has two full-length TV movies. The first, Is It Fall Yet?, aired between seasons four and five. It showed what the characters did during summer break. The second movie, Is It College Yet?, came after season five. It was the final episode of the series.
Two special episodes also aired. Daria: Behind the Scenes aired in February 2000. It showed how the show was made and who voiced the characters. The second special, Look Back in Annoyance, aired in January 2002. Daria and Jane looked back at the main events of the series. This was before the final TV movie.
Music in the Show
The theme song for Daria is "You're Standing on My Neck." It was written and performed by the band Splendora. This band also made songs for the two Daria TV movies.
The show did not have its own special music created just for it. Instead, it used popular pop music songs. These songs were often played during outdoor scenes. They usually had nothing to do with the story. For example, characters might dance to a new song just weeks after it was released.
Sometimes, specific songs were important to the story. In one episode, Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" was a big part of a dream scene. The songs played during the closing credits often related to the episode's story.
When Daria episodes were released on VHS, some of the original music was changed. For the DVD release of Daria: The Complete Series, almost all the music was changed. The creator, Glenn Eichler, explained why. He said that getting permission for all the original songs would have made the DVD too expensive.
Daria's Impact and Legacy
Daria has been recognized as an important animated show. In 2002, TV Guide listed Daria as number 41 on its "50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time" list. In 2013, The Daily Telegraph newspaper included Daria in its list of "best female cartoon characters." In 2018, IndieWire called Daria the fourth-best animated series ever. In 2023, Variety ranked Daria #91 on its list of the 100 greatest TV shows of all time.
In 2017, for the show's 20th anniversary, the co-creator Susie Lewis and character designer Karen Disher imagined what the characters would be doing 20 years later. Susie Lewis said she would "love to bring Daria back to TV."
A music style called Dariacore was named after the series. The artist Jane Remover was a fan of the show. Screenshots from Daria were used as album covers for this music.
Future Plans: The Jodie Movie
In 2018, there were talks about a new series called Daria & Jodie. This was one of many projects at MTV Studios. The title later changed to Jodie. In 2022, it was announced that Jodie would be an animated movie. It was planned to air on Comedy Central. However, in 2024, MTV Entertainment Studios decided not to make the movie. The producers might try to find another studio to release it.
Where to Watch Daria
Daria was shown on MTV from March 3, 1997, to January 21, 2002. Later, in 2016, MTV's sister channel (VH1 Classic, now MTV Classic) aired reruns.
In 2002, Noggin (now Nick Jr.) started showing Daria as part of its teen block, The N (now TeenNick). It aired there until 2006.
On May 11, 2010, Daria: The Complete Animated Series was released on DVD in North America. This set included all 65 episodes and both TV movies. It also had extra features like the pilot episode and interviews.
In 2018, Hulu got the rights to stream Daria. But it was removed from Hulu in 2020. Then, it became available on CBS All Access (now Paramount+) in November 2020.
Daria Merchandise
Books
- Nicoll, Peggy. The Daria Database, MTV, 1998. ISBN: 0-671-02596-1
- Bernstein, Anne D.. The Daria Diaries, MTV, 1998. ISBN: 0-671-01709-8
Video Games
- Daria's Sick, Sad Life Planner (1999)
- Daria's Inferno (2000)
GPS Voices
In 2010, Daria's voice was used for Garmin and TomTom GPS systems. She recorded new sarcastic lines and jokes for them.
Other Daria Appearances
- Daria appeared in a short animation for the MTV Video Music Awards in 1997.
- "Daria Day" marathons of episodes were hosted by Daria and Jane in 1998 and 1999.
- Daria and Jane hosted another marathon called "Sarcastathon 3000" for the season five premiere.
- Daria and Jane also hosted an episode of 'MTV's Top 10' about animated music videos.
- Behind the Scenes at Daria was a special hosted by Janeane Garofalo.
- MTV's Toonumentary talked about the history of MTV's animated shows.
- Daria made a short appearance at the MTV New Year's Eve 2002 event.
- Look Back in Annoyance was a half-hour special. Daria and Jane looked back at the series before the final TV movie.
- Daria was interviewed on CBS' The Early Show in 2002.
- In 2013, CollegeHumor made a funny fake trailer for a live-action Daria movie.
See also
In Spanish: Daria para niños
