Earthworm Jim (TV series) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Earthworm Jim
Genre	Adventure Animation Comedy Science fiction action Slapstick
Created by	Doug TenNapel
Developed by	Doug Langdale
Voices of	Dan Castellaneta Jeff Bennett Charles Adler Jim Cummings Edward Hibbert John Kassir Andrea Martin Kath Soucie
Narrated by	Jeff Bennett
Theme music composer	William Kevin Anderson
Opening theme	"Earthworm Jim", performed by William Kevin Anderson
Ending theme	"Earthworm Jim" (instrumental)
Composer(s)	William Kevin Anderson / Patrick Griffin
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	23
Production
Executive producer(s)	David Perry Doug TenNapel
Producer(s)	Kathi Castillo Roy Allen Smith
Editor(s)	Jay Bixsen
Running time	25 minutes
Production company(s)	AKOM Flextech Shiny Entertainment Universal Cartoon Studios
Distributor	MCA TV
Release
Original network	Kids' WB
Original release	September 9, 1995 (1995-09-09) – December 13, 1996 (1996-12-13)

Earthworm Jim is a fun American cartoon show based on the popular video game. It aired on Kids' WB from September 9, 1995, to December 13, 1996, and had two seasons. The series tells the story of an ordinary earthworm named Jim who becomes a superhero. This happens when a special robotic super suit falls from space and lands on him! Both the video game and the TV show were created by Doug TenNapel.

What the Show is About

Most episodes of Earthworm Jim are about the many villains trying to get Jim's super suit. They also try to take over, destroy, or freeze the whole universe! Sometimes, Jim faces smaller problems, like needing to return his neighbor's eggbeater or finding a new power source for his suit. The show is very funny and often breaks the fourth wall. This means characters sometimes talk directly to you, the audience, and the narrator also joins in the fun.

Each episode starts with a quick, funny scene that has nothing to do with the main story. It just shows Jim and his friend Peter Puppy in some crazy danger. In between parts of the show, there are short side-stories. These usually show one of the villains doing something normal, like Psy-Crow trying a new job. These mini-stories always end with the line: "and now, back to Earthworm Jim." At the end of every episode, Jim or another character gets flattened by a cow. This is a funny nod to the first video game, where a cow falls on the Princess at the end.

Meet the Characters

Many of the characters you see in the show first appeared in the Earthworm Jim (1994) and Earthworm Jim 2 (1995) video games.

• Earthworm Jim: The main hero, an ordinary worm turned into a super-powered defender of justice.
• Peter Puppy: Jim's loyal sidekick and friend. He's cute, but he can turn into a scary monster when he gets scared or hurt!
• Princess What's-Her-Name: Jim's love interest, a brave princess who often needs rescuing.

The show also features many villains from the games:

• Evil the Cat: A super-villain cat who wants to destroy the universe. His assistant is Henchrat.
• Psy-Crow: A bounty hunter crow who is always after Jim.
• Bob the Killer Goldfish: A tiny goldfish with big evil plans, usually carried out by his bodyguard, 8-Ball.
• Queen Slug-for-a-Butt: The evil queen of the planet Psy-Crow, and Princess What's-Her-Name's tyrannical sister.
• Professor Monkey-For-A-Head: A mad scientist with a monkey for a head.

Some new characters were also made just for the TV show. Later, these characters even appeared in the video games! For example, Evil Jim, a bad copy of Earthworm Jim, was created for the show. He then became the main bad guy in the game Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy.

Who Are the Voices?

Many talented voice actors brought the characters of Earthworm Jim to life. The voice director for the series was Ginny McSwain.

Main Voice Actors

• Dan Castellaneta as Earthworm Jim, Evil Jim, and others.
• Jeff Bennett as Peter Puppy, The Narrator, and The President.
• Charlie Adler as Professor Monkey-For-A-Head.
• Jim Cummings as Psy-Crow, Bob The Killer Goldfish, and Santa Claus.
• Edward Hibbert as Evil The Cat.
• John Kassir as Snott and Henchrat.
• Andrea Martin as Queen Slug-For-A-Butt.
• Kath Soucie as Princess What's-Her-Name and Evil Princess.

Additional Voice Actors

• Gregg Berger
• S. Scott Bullock
• Miriam Flynn as Malice The Dog
• Brad Garrett as The Lord of Nightmares
• Lisa Kaplan
• Danny Mann as Archbug
• Edie McClurg
• Dee Dee Rescher as The Purple Alien
• Kevin Michael Richardson as The Anti-Fish
• Ben Stein as Rosebud The Nameless Beast
• Billy West as The Sturgeon
• April Winchell as Mrs. Bleverage

How the Show Was Made

The Earthworm Jim series was created by Doug TenNapel. It was produced by Universal Cartoon Studios along with AKOM, Flextech Television Limited, and Shiny Entertainment.

Episodes Guide

Two seasons of the show were made, with a total of 23 episodes.

Series Overview

Season 1 (1995–1996)

Season 2 (1996)

Media Releases

The Earthworm Jim show was released on VHS tapes in the UK back in the 1990s. These tapes are now hard to find.

Later, the full series became available on DVD.

• On June 1, 2011, the complete series was released as a 5-disc set in Australia and New Zealand.
• In November 2012, the complete series was released on 3 discs in the United States. You can find it on Amazon.com.

Show's Impact

The Earthworm Jim TV show had a lasting impact on the video game series. New characters and the art style from the show were later used in games like Earthworm Jim 3D and Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy.

Two comic book series, one in the US and one in the UK, were also made to go along with the animated show.

Playmates Toys released a line of action figures based on the show. These included different versions of Earthworm Jim, Peter Puppy, Princess Whats-Her-Name, Bob the Killer Goldfish, Evil the Cat, and other popular characters.

See also

In Spanish: Earthworm Jim (serie de televisión) para niños