Fraidy Cat (TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fraidy Cat |
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| Written by | Michael J. O'Connor |
| Directed by | Don Towsley |
| Voices of | Alan Oppenheimer Lennie Weinrib |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 18 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 6 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Filmation |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | September 6, 1975 – January 3, 1976 |
Fraidy Cat is a funny cartoon show from 1975. It was first shown as a short part of Filmation's TV series Uncle Croc's Block on ABC. The show is all about a very unlucky cat named Fraidy who has a big problem with his nine lives!
About Fraidy Cat's Lives
The main character is Fraidy "Nine" Cat, voiced by Alan Oppenheimer. Like all cats, Fraidy has nine lives. But he has already used up eight of them! Now he's on his ninth and last life, and he really wants to make it last a long, long time.
The funniest part of the show is that Fraidy's life is already hard enough. But almost every time he accidentally says a single-digit number (like one, two, three, up to eight), or even a word that sounds like one of those numbers, something strange happens! A ghost from one of his past lives suddenly appears. These ghosts usually make things even worse for poor Fraidy!
The ghosts from Fraidy's past lives are:
- Tinker Elephunt "Cave One" Cat (voiced by Lennie Weinrib): This ghost is a prehistoric saber-toothed tiger who acts like a caveman. He even has a giant pet dinosaur named "Ant"!
- Kitty "Two" Wizard (voiced by Lennie Weinrib): A confused magician whose magic wand is often set to the wrong spell.
- Captain "Three" Kitt (voiced by Lennie Weinrib): A pirate who thinks he's the best buccaneer around.
- Sir Walter "Four" Cat (voiced by Lennie Weinrib): A very fancy nobleman from the Elizabethan era. He's also an amazing swordsman.
- William "Billy Five" H. the Kit (voiced by Lennie Weinrib): A cowboy from the Old West. He's small but has a super loud voice!
- Jasper "Six" Catdaver (voiced by Lennie Weinrib): An undertaker who sometimes seems to want Fraidy to "pass on" to the "Other Side." But he's actually the least troublesome of all the ghosts.
- Captain Eddie "Seven" Kittenbacker (voiced by Lennie Weinrib): A pilot who flies in a very wild and unpredictable way.
- Hep "Eight" Cat (voiced by Lennie Weinrib): A cool, jive-talking street cat who wears a zoot suit.
And there's one more special "number" to watch out for:
- Cloud Nine (voiced by Alan Oppenheimer): If Fraidy accidentally says the word "nine," a scary, dark storm cloud appears. This cloud is shaped like the number nine and immediately chases Fraidy, trying to zap him with lightning bolts! Fraidy has to run away or wait for the cloud's power to run out.
Each cartoon short starts with all eight ghosts appearing around Fraidy. He then tells the audience about his life: "Every kitty has nine lives. But eight of mine went fast. Now there's only one life left, and I want to make it last!" Then Cloud Nine appears, and Fraidy starts running!
When Fraidy gets really scared by a dangerous situation, he often shouts: "This kitten's splittin'!"
Episodes
Only 12 episodes of Fraidy Cat were made and shown before Uncle Croc's Block was cancelled. The other 6 episodes were being made but were stopped when the show ended.
| No. | Title | Original air date | |
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| 1 | "The Not So Nice Mice" | September 6, 1975 | |
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Fraidy runs from a dog and ends up in "Mouse Town," where a gang of mice are in charge.
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| 2 | "Cupid and the Cat" | September 13, 1975 | |
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Fraidy saves a female cat named Lulu. He gets hit by Cupid's arrow and tries to protect Lulu from her mean boyfriend, Chuck.
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| 3 | "Over the Wall and Havin' a Ball" | September 20, 1975 | |
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Fraidy is taken to the Animal Shelter. There, he meets three dog mobsters who want him to help them escape so their leader can watch his favorite cartoon.
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| 4 | "Feline Fortune" | September 27, 1975 | |
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Fraidy finds money stolen by three "Cat Burglars." He tries to keep the money to pay his overdue phone bill.
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| 5 | "Puss n' Boats" | October 4, 1975 | |
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Fraidy hides on a ship and meets a group of pirate birds. They hire him to find food for them.
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| 6 | "A Scaredy Fraidy" | October 11, 1975 | |
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Fraidy is caught stealing oat-flavored lollipops from a horse's stable and becomes a wanted cat.
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| 7 | "Meaner Than a Junkyard Cat" | October 18, 1975 | |
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Fraidy accidentally lands in a junkyard. The junkyard dog, "Mr. Meaney," hires him to guard the place while he tries to sleep.
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| 8 | "Love Is a Many Feathered Thing" | October 25, 1975 | |
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In an exotic bird shop, Fraidy gets stuck between a big dog and three huge female birds who all like him.
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| 9 | "It's a Dog's Life" | November 1, 1975 | |
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Fraidy smells food at a dog show and eats all the dogs' food. He gets chased and ends up disguised as a dalmatian.
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| 10 | "Choo Choo Fraidy" | November 8, 1975 | |
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Fraidy hides on a train and ends up in a desert. He meets many animals, including a buzzard, a coyote, a cougar, a prairie dog, and a circus lion.
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| 11 | "Magic Numbers" | November 15, 1975 | |
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Two other cats trick Fraidy into saying "nine." He has to outsmart the storm cloud to avoid being hit by lightning.
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| 12 | "A Small Star Is Born" | November 22, 1975 | |
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Fraidy gets help from an old animal actor to pretend to be a famous cat star so he can get some food.
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Behind the Scenes: Production and Home Video
Fraidy Cat was one of the few original cartoon series made by Filmation that wasn't based on another story. Later, the show was shown again in syndicated TV packages, like Groovie Goolies and Friends.
Some of the Fraidy Cat episodes (12 out of 18) were released on DVD in the 2000s. They were put out by Boulevard Entertainment and later by BCI on a DVD called Frightfully Funny Volume Two. This DVD also included episodes from other cartoons like Groovie Goolies and Filmation's Ghostbusters.
Many people have mistakenly thought that Fraidy Cat is in the public domain (meaning anyone can use it freely). Because of this, you might find it on many DVD collections that feature public domain cartoons.
