Kappa Mikey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kappa Mikey
The main cast of Kappa Mikey From left: Lily, Ozu, Mikey, Gonard (center, behind Mikey,) Yes Man, Guano, and Mitsuki (woman behind Guano.)
Created by	Larry Schwarz
Directed by	Sergei Aniskov
Voices of	Michael Sinterniklaas Sean Schemmel Stephen Moverley Kether Donohue Gary Mack Jesse Adams Carrie Keranen Dan Green Wayne Grayson Bella Hudson
Opening theme	"Hey Hey Look Look" by Beat Crusaders
Composer(s)	John Angier
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	52 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Larry Schwarz Sergei Aniskov Sean Laher Christopher Fauci Michael Gold
Producer(s)	Joel Blanco Tina Moglia
Editor(s)	William Gadea Dave Killen
Running time	22 minutes
Production company(s)	Animation Collective Kanonen & Bestreichen, Inc.
Release
Original network	Nicktoons Network
Original release	February 25, 2006 (2006-02-25) – September 20, 2008 (2008-09-20)

Kappa Mikey is an American animated comedy TV show. It was created by Larry Schwarz and made by his company, Animation Collective. The show aired from February 25, 2006, to September 20, 2008. It had two seasons and a total of 52 episodes, each about 22 minutes long.

The show was first announced in 2002. It was planned to be on The N, a TV block for teens on the Noggin channel. However, the show later moved to Nicktoons Network. This made Kappa Mikey the first half-hour show to start only on Nicktoons.

What the Show is About

Kappa Mikey is a parody of Japanese anime. A parody is a funny imitation of something. The show follows a young American actor named Mikey Simon. His cartoon style looks different from the other characters.

Mikey travels to Japan to star in a superhero show called LilyMu. His co-stars are drawn in an anime-influenced style. They act like common anime characters you might see.

Each episode usually starts with the cast filming a LilyMu scene. Something goes wrong, which often starts the main problem for the episode. After the problem is solved, they film the LilyMu scene again. This time, it usually works out, often using what they learned in the episode.

Sometimes, in later episodes, the LilyMu scene at the end is skipped. This happens if the episode is too long. It also happens if the characters are already in their LilyMu costumes.

The show's title, Kappa Mikey, is a play on the word kappamaki, which is a type of sushi. The name "Mikey" comes from the main character. "Kappa" is a Japanese water creature that can also live on land. Like the kappa, Mikey feels like a "fish out of water" in Japan. The kappa creatures first appeared in the episode "Mikey, Kappa." This episode explained why the show was named that way.

Main Characters

Here are the main characters in Kappa Mikey:

• Mikey Simon (voiced by Michael Sinterniklaas) is a 19-year-old American actor. He plays the superhero Kappa Mikey in the show LilyMu.
• Gonard (voiced by Sean Schemmel) is the main bad guy in LilyMu. He has purple skin and blue hair. But in real life, he is a very kind young man.
• Guano (voiced by Gary Mack) is a small purple creature. He has long pointed ears, whiskers, and a long tail. He also has a blue crystal on his stomach.
• Lily (voiced by Kether Donohue) is an actress who plays the "damsel-in-distress" role. This means she often needs saving. She can be a bit bossy and self-centered. She was the first star of LilyMu.
• Mitsuki (voiced by Carrie Keranen) is a kind and helpful young woman and actress. In LilyMu, she plays a strong, tough girl.
• Ozu (voiced by Stephen Moverly) is the boss of LilyMu. He produces the show and owns many things in Tokyo.
• Yes Man (voiced by Jesse Adams) is a very energetic and dramatic yes man. He loves working for Ozu and is often very happy or a bit silly.

How the Show Was Made

Larry Schwarz first thought of the idea for Kappa Mikey in 2000. He was working at a toy company in New York City. In 2002, the show was picked up by Noggin for its teen block, The N. Later, it moved to Nicktoons Network. The show was changed a bit to fit Nicktoons' younger audience.

The voices for the characters were often done by local actors in New York City. The audio was recorded at NYAV Post, a studio owned by Michael Sinterniklaas. Larry Schwarz and other producers watched over all parts of making the show. The music was created by John Angier.

Unlike many other cartoons at the time, the studio owned the show itself. The animation was done in-house and not sent to other countries. The episodes were written by full-time staff. Kappa Mikey was the first TV series made by Animation Collective. The show was produced in New York City. Work began in 2002, and animation started in 2005. Production finished in September 2007.

The show was animated using Adobe Flash software. Some parts used CGI, made with Maya. To show the difference in animation styles, one group of animators worked on the anime characters. Another group worked on Mikey and the other American-style characters. Things like vehicles and weapons were made in Maya and then brought into Flash. The backgrounds were also made in Maya, with details added in Photoshop. Some backgrounds were inspired by real places in Tokyo.

The anime characters in the show often make funny, over-the-top facial expressions. Their faces or bodies might change in an exaggerated way. This gave animators a lot of freedom. The show uses common anime funny moments, like sweat drops, lines over the eyes, or characters becoming very small. Mikey sometimes tries to do these things, but he can't because he is drawn in an American cartoon style. This was a running joke in the show.

Episodes

All episodes of Kappa Mikey were directed by Sergei Aniskov.

Series overview

Dancing Sushi

Dancing Sushi is a spin-off show from Kappa Mikey. It was based on short clips shown during the main series. This show features four sushi characters: Salmon, Larry, Roro, and Meep. They all want to become famous pop stars. Unlike Kappa Mikey, Dancing Sushi has no talking. The sushi characters were "voiced" by people who worked on Kappa Mikey.

Dancing Sushi was made from October to December 2007. It was created to give fans more characters from the Kappa Mikey world. It also helped animators move between the studio's big shows. Another show, Speed Racer: The Next Generation, was being made soon after. There was even a thought to bring some Kappa Mikey characters into Dancing Sushi.

Home Media Releases

A Kappa Mikey DVD was released on September 18, 2007. It included three episodes from the first season: "Lost in Transportation," "Easy Come, Easy Gonard," and "The Man Who Would Be Mikey." It also had extra features like a music video, wallpaper, a game, and a "How-to-Draw-Mikey" guide.

In 2008, the Animation Collective website announced a second DVD. This DVD was supposed to have the entire first season. However, the announcement was later removed, and the DVD was never released.

In Australia, Season 1 (Episodes 1–13) was released on DVD on September 12, 2007. Season 2 (Episodes 14–26) was released on DVD on March 12, 2008.

The music from "The Karaoke Episode" was available to download on iTunes. Both seasons of the show were also available for download on iTunes for a while, but they were later removed.

See also

In Spanish: Kappa Mikey para niños