Freakazoid! facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Freakazoid! |
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Title card
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| Created by | Bruce Timm Paul Dini |
| Developed by | Tom Ruegger |
| Voices of | Paul Rugg Edward Asner Jeff Bennett Craig Ferguson Googy Gress Jonathan Harris David Kaufman John P. McCann Tress MacNeille Ricardo Montalban Tracy Rowe David Warner Frank Welker |
| Narrated by | Joe Leahy |
| Theme music composer | Richard Stone |
| Composer(s) | Richard Stone Steven Bernstein Julie Bernstein Gordon Goodwin Tim Kelly Carl Johnson |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 24 (47 segments) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Steven Spielberg |
| Producer(s) | Mitch Schauer Paul Rugg Tom Ruegger Rich Arons John P. MacCann |
| Running time | 22 minutes (approx.) |
| Production company(s) | Amblin Entertainment Warner Bros. Animation |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | The WB (Kids' WB) |
| Picture format | 480i (4:3 SDTV) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | September 9, 1995 – June 1, 1997 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Tiny Toon Adventures The Plucky Duck Show Animaniacs Pinky and the Brain Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain |
Freakazoid! is an American superhero animated TV show. It was created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini. Tom Ruegger helped develop it for the Kids' WB TV block. The show is about a crazy superhero named Freakazoid. He fights many supervillains. The series also has short episodes about other strange superheroes.
Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation made the show. It was the third cartoon made by Steven Spielberg and Warner Bros. Animation. This happened during the "animation renaissance" of the 1990s.
Bruce Timm first wanted the show to be a serious superhero action story. It would have some funny parts. But executive producer Steven Spielberg asked Tom Ruegger and the Animaniacs team to make it a full comedy. Freakazoid! is like other shows led by Ruegger, such as Animaniacs. Its humor is unique. It uses slapstick (physical comedy) and fourth wall breaks. It also has parody, surreal humor, and pop culture jokes.
The show first aired on Kids' WB on September 9, 1995. It ran for two seasons and had 24 episodes. The last episode aired on June 1, 1997. At first, the show did not get high ratings. But reruns on Cartoon Network and a strong fan base made it a cult hit. Warner Bros. thought about a third season. But they decided it would be too expensive. The show was also ranked #53 on IGN's Top 100 Animated Series list.
Contents
Meet Freakazoid! How He Got His Powers
The main character is Freakazoid. He is the superhero version of Dexter Douglas. Dexter is a geeky 16-year-old (later 17) who goes to Harry Connick High School. His name is a joke about superhero names that start with the same letter. Think of Bruce Banner or Peter Parker.
Dexter got his powers from a computer bug. This bug was activated by a "secret key sequence." This sequence was "@[=g3,8d]\&fbb=-q]/hk%fg". Dexter's cat walked on the keyboard. It pressed the keys and then Delete. Dexter was pulled into his computer. He instantly gained all the information from the Internet.
As Freakazoid, he has super strength and endurance. He is also very fast and agile. He is not very sane, meaning he acts a bit crazy! These changes make him a strong hero for good. But he can get easily distracted. For example, by a bear riding a motorcycle!
Freakazoid has a secret base called the Freakalair. It is a funny version of the Batcave. His quiet butler, Ingmar, built it. The Freakalair has a "Hall of Nifty Things to Know." It also has a mad scientist lab. Freakazoid's main weakness is a cage with graphite bars charged with negative ions. He also really dislikes "poo gas".
Freakazoid has some other powers that come and go. Once, he could move things with his mind when he got angry. This power was never seen again. He can also turn into electricity to travel fast. But often, he just runs with his arms out, making whooshing sounds. He pretends to fly!
Dexter can change into Freakazoid by saying "Freak out!" He changes back by saying "Freak in!" When he is Dexter, he looks and acts normal. His family does not know about his secret. Freakazoid spends his time in Dexter's brain. This area is called the Freakazone. There, he thinks deep thoughts and watches old TV shows.
The show is mostly set in Washington, D.C.. But Freakazoid often travels around the world. This depends on the jokes in the show.
Main Characters
- Freakazoid (voiced by Paul Rugg) – The main hero. He used to be Dexter Douglas (voiced by David Kaufman). Dexter became Freakazoid after his cat walked on his keyboard. This activated a special computer chip. Freakazoid says "Aw, nut bunnies!" His look and "Freak Out!" power are like the superhero Shazam.
The Douglas Family
- Duncan Douglas (voiced by Googy Gress) – Dexter's older brother. He is a bully to Dexter. He acts like a typical high school jock. When Dexter becomes Freakazoid, Duncan often gets into trouble.
- Debbie Douglas (voiced by Tress MacNeille) – Dexter's mom. She has no idea her son is Freakazoid. She is generally happy and a bit clueless.
- Douglas Douglas (voiced by John P. McCann) – Dexter's dad. He sells cars. He thinks a goblin lives in his car's gas tank. He is often shown as a dad who is not good with technology.
- Mr. Chubbikins (voiced by Frank Welker) – The Douglas family's very large cat. He was named Mr. Chubbskins before. He jumped on Dexter's keyboard. This caused Dexter to become Freakazoid.
Freakazoid's Friends
- Sgt. Mike Cosgrove (voiced by Edward Asner) – A big, tough police sergeant. He has a kind heart and is Freakazoid's friend. He speaks in a flat voice and does not show much excitement. He can point at something and say "Cut it out." This makes people stop whatever they are doing. He can also find Freakazoid anywhere by driving his police car there. Cosgrove often asks Freakazoid to go to fun events. While there, he gives Freakazoid important clues about the villain.
- Roddy MacStew (voiced by Craig Ferguson) – Freakazoid's teacher and helper. He is a grumpy Scotsman. He used to work for Guitierrez. Roddy found the flaw in the Pinnacle chip. He was once stuck in the Internet. His favorite word is "Crud!"
- Steff (voiced by Tracy Rowe) – Freakazoid's cheerful blonde girlfriend. Her real name is Stephanie. She learns Freakazoid's secret identity by accident.
- Professor Heiney (voiced by Ed Gilbert) – A scientist with a lab in the mountains. Freakazoid often asks him for help. He studies monsters and zaps them.
- Ingmar – Freakazoid's quiet butler. He takes care of the Freakalair. He is a joke on Batman's butler, Alfred Pennyworth.
- Professor Jones (voiced by Jonathan Harris) – A snobby, scared manservant. He is like his character from Lost in Space. He replaced Ingmar.
- Joe Leahy (voiced by himself) – The show's loud announcer. He sometimes gets too involved in the story.
- Foamy the Freakadog (voiced by Frank Welker) – A wild, blue dog that Freakazoid saved. He wears a Freakazoid costume. Foamy often attacks Freakazoid because he is so wild.
Freakazoid's Enemies
Freakazoid! has many silly villains:
- The Lobe (voiced by David Warner) – Freakazoid's main enemy. He is an evil genius with a giant brain for a head. He is very smart but has low self-esteem.
- The Cobra Queen (voiced by Tress MacNeille) – Audrey Manatee was a shoplifter. A bad cosmetic turned her into a cobra woman. She can control snakes. Later, she and Cave Guy are a couple.
- Cave Guy (voiced by Jeff Bennett) – Royce Mumphry is a blue-skinned caveman. He is tough but speaks in a fancy way. He reads The New Yorker.
- Armando Guitierrez (voiced by Ricardo Montalbán) – The man with an eyepatch. His company made the faulty computer chip that created Freakazoid. He was Freakazoid's first enemy. He hates being called a "weenie."
- Candle Jack (voiced by Jeff Bennett) – A scary villain with a sack over his head. He kidnaps anyone who says his name. He ties them up with rope. He does this because "he's a nut." He likes pie and the show F Troop.
- Waylon Jeepers (voiced by Jeff Bennett) – A creepy man who created the Medusa Watch. This watch turns people into stone. Freakazoid truly dislikes him.
- Invisibo (voiced by Corey Burton) – An invisible, talkative pharaoh. He is only seen because of the staff he carries. Freakazoid named him "Invisibo" because he was invisible.
- The Nerdator (voiced by Aron Kincaid) – A man who wanted to kidnap all the nerds in the world. He planned to absorb their knowledge to become a "Super-Nerd."
- Dr. Mystico (voiced by Tim Curry) – A mad scientist. He turns orangutans into humans and vice versa. He wants to take over the world, but always says "Cleveland" instead.
Short Segments and Humor
Freakazoid! also has several mini-segments. These usually appeared in the first season. They have their own songs, title cards, and characters. They rarely mix with the main show.
- Lord Bravery (voiced by Jeff Bennett) – A superhero from the United Kingdom. He does not do much hero work. He is snooty and does not like unpleasant tasks. He is often made fun of.
- The Huntsman (voiced by Jeff Bennett) – A hero like Robin Hood, but played by Charlton Heston. He can never find enough crime to fight. He thinks the police are hiding crimes from him. His catchphrase is "Darn the luck, darn!"
- Toby Danger – A funny version of Jonny Quest. It features voices from the original Jonny Quest show.
- Fatman and Boy Blubber – Two very large superheroes. This is a joke on the Batman TV series. They are not very fit and struggle with their weight.
Show's Humor and Jokes
The humor in Freakazoid! used a lot of slapstick (physical comedy). It also used parody and pop culture jokes. The show often knew it was a TV show. This is called metafiction or breaking the fourth wall. For example, after the Freakmobile first appeared, the show showed a fake commercial for a toy version.
The show often used stock footage. This included a field of flowers ("Relax-O-Vision") or people screaming ("Scream-O-Vision"). It also showed Bavarians dancing and a man wrestling a bear.
Famous people often made cameo appearances. Characters from other Warner Bros. Cartoons also appeared. These included Pinky and the Brain and Animaniacs. Even a hint of Batman from Bruce Timm's animated show appeared. Many celebrities, including Steven Spielberg, appeared as themselves. Leonard Maltin and Norm Abram also guest-starred.
One strange character is Emmitt Nervend. He is a short, hunched man with straw-like hair. He has a frozen smile. He usually appears at least once per episode in the background. He never speaks. The end credits often say how many times Emmitt was seen in that episode.
One of the longest cameos was when Wakko (from Animaniacs) and the Brain (from Pinky and the Brain) appeared. They argued with Freakazoid about whose show was Steven Spielberg's favorite. Spielberg then asked them, "Who are you people?"
Freakazoid in Other Shows
Freakazoid appeared in an episode of Teen Titans Go! called "Huggbees." This episode aired on November 14, 2020. Freakazoid helped the Teen Titans fight the Lobe and the Brain. Freakazoid said Steven Spielberg would need to approve the crossover. Robin sent a message to Steven, who approved it. The original voice actors from Freakazoid! were in the episode. This included Paul Rugg, David Warner, Ed Asner, and Joe Leahy.
Images for kids
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The elusive Emmitt Nervend, who is often only seen briefly between frames of animation on the show
See also
In Spanish: ¡Fenomenoide! para niños
