Frankenstein's Cat facts for kids

Frankenstein's Cat is a fun children's picture book created by Curtis Jobling. It tells the story of Doctor Frankenstein's very first experiment: a cat!

This special cat is made from nine different cats, which is why he's called Nine. Nine feels a bit lonely because he doesn't have any friends. He asks the Doctor to make him a friend. But Nine soon learns to be careful what he wishes for! The Doctor creates a companion that is much more than Nine can handle. The book was later printed again by Hodder.

Characters in the Story

The main characters you'll meet are Nine, Lottie, Dr Franken, Fifi, Heidi, Igora, Pipsquawk, Trevor, Sweeny, Bigtop, Mr Crumble, and Gutner Van Halen.

Nine

Nine is Doctor Frankenstein's first creation. He's a creature stitched together from nine different cats. His name is also a clever play on the idea that cats have nine lives. Nine isn't very scary, though his smell might be!

Like most cats, he is very curious and loves to play. He sometimes makes mistakes, but he always means well. His three "ugly sisters," Igora, Heidi, and Fifi, often trick or bully him. His best and only friend is Lottie, and he always protects her. The comedian Joe Pasquale provides his voice in the animated show.

Lottie

Lottie is an 8-year-old girl and the only girl in the town of Oddsburg. She is new to the town. She gets along well with Doctor Frankenstein. Lottie thinks Nine is her best and only friend.

She loves to get into mischief but is also very kind. Sometimes she can be a little lazy. Lottie is also very determined and smart. She can easily keep up with the boys. You'll always see her wearing her glasses. Her voice is provided by Alex Kelly.

Dr Frankenstein

Dr Frankenstein has a German accent. He wants to be a brilliant mad scientist, just like his family before him. He spends most of his time thinking up wild experiments. Sadly, many of his experiments don't work out.

When a monster fails, he throws it into the castle's "Wrong Things" dungeon. His sisters, Heidi, Igora, and Fifi, don't like Nine. But the Doctor doesn't mind his first creation. He just wishes he could make something more frightening. He seems to like Lottie. Sometimes he sends her strange gifts through Nine. This is his way of saying thank you for helping with monster problems. His voice is provided by Keith Wickham.

Fifi, Heidi and Igora

These are Nine's three "ugly sisters." Fifi is a dog, Heidi is a hamster, and Igora is a chicken. They are all very proud of themselves. They love to tease Nine and play mean tricks on him. They don't seem to respect the Doctor much. They wish they had a more exciting life. Heidi is special because she is a "were-hamster."

Pipsquawk

Pipsquawk is the small son of Oddsburg's Mayor. His father spoils him all the time. He leads the town's group of four boys. He is usually the loudest when he says he dislikes girls.

His main rival is Lottie. She is not only a girl but also more talented than him. Sometimes, he and the other boys try to get rid of her. Even though he acts tough, he is actually very scared. He has also been shown to be quite unsure of himself. His voice is provided by Keith Wickham.

Trevor

Clever Trevor is the smart kid in Oddsburg. He is the second-in-command in Pipsquawk's group. Trevor wears big glasses and speaks with a lisp. He is in charge of the "Big Boy's Book of Big Boy Stuff." He is always ready to quote from it when needed. This is not surprising, as he writes most of the book himself! His voice is provided by Keith Wickham.

Sweeny

Sweeny has pale skin and big, goggle-like eyes. He is one of the four boys in Oddsburg. People think he is the most disgusting. He loves anything slimy, smelly, or snotty. He also likes creepy and "scary" things. However, like everyone else in Oddsburg, he is a coward. He usually goes along with what the group is doing. But he is not as mean as Pipsquawk or Trevor. His voice is provided by Teresa Gallagher.

Bigtop

Bigtop is the gentle giant of Oddsburg's four boys. He has a simple mind. He often finds things funny that other Oddsburg boys wouldn't, like dolls or fairy cakes. But he gets away with it because he is also very strong. Like Sweeny, he is happy to play along with the other boys. His father reads him stories about accountants at bedtime. He is voiced by Jimmy Hibbert.

Mr Crumble

Mr Crumble is the only teacher in Oddsburg. His personality changes between being friendly and being worried. He usually shows both traits while teaching. He seems to like Lottie a lot. This is because she is actually interested in learning. But even this doesn't stop Lottie from being very bored in class, just like the boys. Mr Crumble sometimes joins in when the angry townspeople cause trouble. His voice is provided by Jimmy Hibbert.

Gutner Van Halen

Van Halen is known as the "Monster Man." He is a monster hunter. He says he has "dedicated his life and limbs to their destruction." This is true, as he has many scars from his job. He lost his left arm catching a Two-Headed Transylvanian Zombie. He lost his nose to a Giant Blood-Sucking Leech of the Black Lagoon. How he lost his left eye and right leg is not known.

Animated Series Adaptation

The Frankenstein's Cat book was also made into an animated TV show. It was created by MacKinnon & Saunders (UK), CCI Entertainment (Canada), and Kayenta Productions (France). The show uses digital 2D animation made entirely with Flash.

Frankenstein’s Cat is for kids aged 6 and up. It has 30 episodes, each about 11 minutes long. The series generally follows the adventures of Nine, the super active Franken-pet, and his best friend Lottie. They often outsmart, outrun, and generally do better than the people of Oddsburg.

France 3 first showed the series in October 2007. The BBC aired it in January 2008. ABC1 showed it in March 2008. The show was also sold to many other countries around the world.

The animation for the series was done by A Productions in Bristol and Kayenta Productions in Paris.

Frankenstein's Cat won some awards too! It won the Pulchinella for "Best Children's Show" at the Cartoons On The Bay festival in 2008. It also won the "Best TV Show" award at the BAF awards, also in 2008.

The girl who looks after the cat is related to the character Dot from the Jim Henson show “Dot.”

Episodes

• Tricky Spot
• Brains
• Lucky Ticket
• Dust Up
• Wall
• Wrong Things
• Witch!
• Unlucky Day
• Monster Man
• The Apprentice
• Halloween
• Trapped
• Pest in Show
• New Best Friend
• Freakshow
• The Big Foot Burglar
• A Tale of Tails
• The Horror of Little Shops
• Film
• Hay Day
• Weird Science
• Tricky Spot (Series Finale)