Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids |
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The title card in the show's intro
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| Genre | Comedy-drama Educational |
| Created by | Bill Cosby |
| Directed by | Hal Sutherland |
| Creative director(s) | Don Christensen |
| Presented by | Bill Cosby |
| Voices of |
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| Theme music composer | Ricky Sheldon Edward Fournier |
| Opening theme | "Gonna Have A Good Time (Fat Albert Theme)" (Performed by Michael Gray) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 8 |
| No. of episodes | 110 + 5 specials (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Bill Cosby |
| Producer(s) | Lou Scheimer Norm Prescott (1972–84) |
| Production location(s) | United States |
| Production company(s) | Filmation |
| Distributor | Group W Productions (syndicated) NBCUniversal Television Distribution (current, on behalf of DreamWorks Classics) |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS (1972–84) first-run syndication (1984–85) |
| Picture format | 480i |
| Audio format | Mono |
| Original release | September 9, 1972 – August 10, 1985 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Hey, Hey, Hey, It's Fat Albert (1969) |
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids was a popular American cartoon show. It was created by comedian Bill Cosby, who also hosted it and voiced many characters. The show first aired in 1972 and continued until 1985. It was made by Filmation.
The series was inspired by Bill Cosby's own childhood memories and friends. It followed Fat Albert and his friends, who lived in a junkyard. Fat Albert was famous for his catchphrase, "Hey hey hey!" Each episode taught an important lesson. Bill Cosby himself would appear in live-action parts to explain these lessons. At the end of many early episodes, the friends would play music together. They used instruments they made from junkyard items. Their songs would help explain the lesson of the day.
Contents
Meet the Characters
The Main Gang
- Fat Albert Robertson (voiced by Bill Cosby) is the main character. He is often the "conscience" of the group, helping everyone do the right thing. Fat Albert is very athletic and enjoys sports. He always wears a red shirt and blue pants. He is the lead singer and plays a homemade bagpipe-accordion in the Junkyard Band.
- James "Mushmouth" Mush (voiced by Bill Cosby) speaks in a way that is hard to understand. He has large lips and always wears a red knit hat with a blue scarf.
- "Dumb" Donald Parker (voiced by Lou Scheimer) is Rudy's best friend. He is tall and wears a green jersey that is too big. He also wears a pink stocking cap that covers his whole face, except for his eyes and mouth. In the Junkyard Band, he plays a trombone made from pipes.
- William "Bill" Cosby (voiced by Bill Cosby) is a character based on the show's creator. Bill is a good athlete. He often tries to keep his younger brother, Russell, out of trouble. Bill is usually a voice of reason in the group. He plays homemade drums in the Junkyard Band.
- Russell Cosby (voiced by Jan Crawford) is Bill's younger brother. He is the smallest and youngest of the gang. Russell always wears a heavy blue jacket, a yellow scarf, red boots, and a dark blue winter hat. He often makes funny or blunt comments. His catchphrase is "no class." He plays a xylophone made from cans in the Junkyard Band.
- Weird Harold Simmons (voiced by Gerald Edwards) is the tallest kid in the gang. He is clumsy and wears a gold blazer. He also wears one brown sock and one red sock. In the Junkyard Band, he plays a harp made from bedsprings.
- Rude Rudy Davis (voiced by Eric Suter) is a smooth-talking and confident character. His smart-aleck attitude often causes problems. Rudy is Dumb Donald's best friend. He usually learns from his mistakes. He plays a makeshift banjo in the Junkyard Band. Rudy always wears an orange flat cap, a fuchsia vest, and purple bell-bottom jeans.
- Bucky Miller (voiced by Jan Crawford) has a large overbite. He is a quick and flexible athlete. Bucky plays a stovepipe organ in the Junkyard Band.
Other Important Characters
- Miss Berry, Mrs. Breyfogle, and Miss Wucher (all voiced by Jay Scheimer) are the kids' teachers and mentors. They guide the children in different seasons.
- Mudfoot Brown (voiced by Bill Cosby) is a wise old man. He often gives advice to the gang. He is known for telling tall tales.
- The Brown Hornet (voiced by Bill Cosby) is a superhero from a cartoon show. The gang loves to watch his adventures. He is an African-American superhero.
- Stinger (voiced by Lou Scheimer) is the Brown Hornet's strong sidekick.
- Tweeterbell (voiced by Erika Scheimer) is a female robot who helps the Brown Hornet and Stinger.
- Legal Eagle (voiced by Lou Scheimer) is another cartoon hero. He is a crime-fighting eagle.
- Moe and Gabby (voiced by Jan Crawford & Gerald Edwards) are two clumsy squirrel helpers. They work with Legal Eagle as police officers.
- Margene (voiced by Erika Scheimer) is a classmate and good friend of Fat Albert's. She is a very smart student.
- 3 River Blockbusters are the Junkyard Gang's main rivals in sports. They often compete in games like baseball and football.
- Pee Wee is a small boy who looks up to Fat Albert and his friends. He is very good at kicking a football far.
Lou Scheimer, Erika Scheimer, Keith Allen, Lane Vaux, Pepe Brown, Dementra McHenry, Eric Suter, and Gerald Edwards also provided voices for other characters.
Episodes and Lessons
Fat Albert was praised for its educational content. Bill Cosby even earned a special degree in education because of the show.
At the end of most episodes, the gang would sing a song. This song was about the lesson they learned that day. These musical parts were very popular. The show was one of the longest-running Saturday morning cartoons ever.
The Theme Song
The show's catchy theme song is called "Gonna Have a Good Time." It was written by Ricky Sheldon and Edward Fournier. Michael Gray sang the main vocals.
A band called Dig covered the theme song in 1995. This cover was part of a tribute album called Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits. Parts of the song's chorus were also used in the 1998 hit song "Praise You" by Fatboy Slim.
See also
In Spanish: El gordo Alberto y la pandilla Cosby para niños
