Making Fiends (TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Making Fiends |
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| Genre | Horror comedy |
| Created by | Amy Winfrey |
| Written by | Amy Winfrey Matt Negrete Madellaine Paxson Peter Merryman |
| Directed by | Dave Wasson (supervising) Dave Knott Martin Cendreda |
| Voices of | Amy Winfrey Aglaia Mortcheva Peter Merryman Dave Wasson |
| Theme music composer | Amy Winfrey |
| Opening theme | "Making Fiends" |
| Composer(s) | Ego Plum Amy Winfrey |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 (18 segments) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Eric Coleman Matt Mahaffey Amy Winfrey (co-executive producer) |
| Producer(s) | Dave Wasson (supervising) |
| Running time | 21 minutes (3 7-minute segments) |
| Production company(s) | Nickelodeon Animation Studio |
| Distributor | ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks |
| Release | |
| Original network | Nicktoons Network |
| Audio format | Dolby Digital 5.1 |
| Original release | October 4 – November 1, 2008 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Web cartoon: Making Fiends |
Making Fiends is a super fun animated TV show. It's based on a popular web series with the same name. The show aired on Nicktoons Network in 2008. It was the first animated series from Nickelodeon Animation Studio to come from a web series!
The story is about two very different girls. There's Vendetta, who is evil and loves making scary monsters. Then there's Charlotte, a new girl who is always happy and a bit silly. They go to school in a gloomy town called Clamburg. Vendetta really dislikes Charlotte and tries to get rid of her in every episode.
The show was created by Amy Winfrey. She also voices Charlotte and her grandma! The voice of Vendetta is Aglaia Mortcheva. Many of the original voice actors from the web series came back for the TV show.
Making Fiends started without much advertising. But it quickly became one of the most popular shows on Nicktoons! Even though it was popular, the show was canceled after only six episodes. Reruns continued to air until October 2016.
Contents
What's the Story?
Vendetta is a small, green girl who loves herself a lot. She has a special power: she can create "fiends." These are scary, ugly monsters! She uses them to control her town, Clamburg. This once-happy town is now a dark and scary place. Stores are closed, and everyone is afraid of Vendetta's fiends.
Then Charlotte arrives at Vendetta's school. She is super cheerful and always wants to make friends. Charlotte quickly becomes Vendetta's opposite. She drives Vendetta crazy by always trying to be her best friend!
Vendetta can't make Charlotte sad or scared. Charlotte is just too happy! So, Vendetta starts making special fiends just to "destroy" Charlotte. But Charlotte's cheerful attitude makes her safe from all the dangers. She even thinks the scary fiends are fun! After surviving Vendetta's first fiend, Charlotte declares they will be "best friends forever."
As the show goes on, Charlotte even turns some of Vendetta's fiends into friendly helpers! This makes Vendetta even more frustrated. Charlotte never realizes that Vendetta hates her. Vendetta also never succeeds in getting rid of Charlotte. This funny conflict continues in every episode. Most people in Clamburg, even Vendetta's parents, start to fear Charlotte more than Vendetta!
Who are the Characters?
Vendetta and Charlotte go to Mu Elementary School. Their teacher is Mr. Milk, a kind but nervous man. Charlotte lives with her happy grandma, Charlene. Vendetta lives with her tiny parents, Violetta and Viktor, who live in a hamster cage!
Everyone lives in the mysterious town of Clamburg. Vendetta has closed many stores she doesn't like. Clamburg used to be a happy place with beaches and clam festivals. But now, it's mostly gloomy because of Vendetta and her fiends. The town is famous for its clams, and people eat a lot of them! They also enjoy beef jerky, grape punch, and even onion soda.
What are Fiends?
Vendetta creates her fiends almost like baking! She mixes different ingredients to bring them to life. It seems Vendetta is the only one in Clamburg who knows how to make fiends. But in one episode, Charlotte made a friendly fiend too, just with Vendetta's ingredients!
Vendetta gets her recipes from a big green cookbook called "How to make Fiends." The main ingredient is a special powder or liquid called "Fiend Mix," along with spiders. Simple fiends just need Fiend Mix. But more powerful fiends need extra ingredients. If Vendetta adds the wrong thing, the fiend can turn out totally weird!
Many fiends appear in the show. Some are important characters, like Grudge. Others only show up for an episode or two. Many fiends were first seen in the original web series.
Charlotte has a strange power over fiends. If she gives them sugar or even just shows them affection, they often turn good! It's a mystery if this is a flaw in all fiends or Charlotte's special ability. Most fiends Vendetta makes only have one job. But Grudge is a smart fiend who does anything Vendetta asks.
Music in the Show
The creator of the series, Amy Winfrey, wrote all the songs for Making Fiends. After she recorded a basic version of each song, it went to the show's composer, Ego Plum.
Ego Plum is known for using unusual sounds and instruments in his music. He used things like dripping water, toy pianos, baby rattles, plastic xylophones, and even a goat! Sometimes, other crew members from Making Fiends helped play instruments. This gave the music a unique, "homemade" feel, just like the original web series.
How the Show Was Made
The idea for a TV show came from a Nickelodeon employee's daughter. She loved Making Fiends and showed the website to others at Nickelodeon. They then asked Amy Winfrey if she wanted to make it into a TV series.
In 2004, Nickelodeon started talking with Winfrey about making a half-hour TV show. While they were planning, Winfrey kept making new web episodes. She also sold merchandise online. Later, Nickelodeon started sharing the web cartoons on their own website, TurboNick, and on iTunes.
The TV series was officially approved in late 2006. Production started in January 2007, and the show began airing in 2008. It was first planned for Nickelodeon, but then it moved to its sister channel, Nicktoons.
The show premiered on October 4, 2008, and finished on November 1 of the same year. It aired on Saturdays and Sundays. Critics generally liked the show. Making Fiends is rated TV-Y7, which means it's for kids aged 7 and up, with some fantasy violence. The show aired in the US, Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands.
The writing team for Making Fiends was small, with only four people. They even had a special "thinking couch" in the studio to come up with new ideas!
Animation Style
The show was animated using traditional 2-D animation by Cyber Chicken Animation Studio and DQ Entertainment Limited. The characters look similar to the web series, but with cleaner lines and brighter eyes. Even though both versions used Adobe Flash, the TV episodes look much smoother. This is because the TV show had a proper budget. Also, the buildings in the TV show are more colorful. For example, Vendetta's house is dark green, and Charlotte's is blue.
Voice Cast
Creator Amy Winfrey voices many characters, including Charlotte, Grandma Charlene, Giant Kitty, Marion, Maggie, Buttons, and Mrs. Millet. Character designer Aglaia Mortcheva voices Vendetta and her mom, Violeta. Amy Winfrey's husband, Peter Merryman, voices Mr. Milk, Marvin, Malachi, Grudge, Mort, Ms. Minty, Onion Man, and most of the fiends. The show's supervising producer and director, Dave Wasson, voices Vendetta's dad, Viktor, and Mr. Gumpit.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
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| 1a | "Charlotte's First Day" | Dave Knott | Amy Winfrey | October 4, 2008 | MF101 |
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A happy girl named Charlotte moves to Clamburg with her cheerful grandma. Charlotte starts school right away. Vendetta enters the classroom, and Charlotte tries to befriend her. Charlotte quickly annoys Vendetta, even though she's just being nice. Vendetta plans to bring a fiend to Show and Tell. Charlotte brings her hamster, Buttons, and a rock Vendetta threw at her. Vendetta's tentacle fiend tries to eat Charlotte, but the Giant Kitty saves her! Remake of: Web episodes one and two. Fiends featured: Giant Kitty, tentacle fiend |
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| 1b | "A Fiendish Friend" | Martin Cendreda | Peter Merryman Amy Winfrey |
October 4, 2008 | MF102 |
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Charlotte loves to pretend. Vendetta suggests they "pretend to be dead." Charlotte starts "haunting" Vendetta at a fancy restaurant. Vendetta goes home and hears ghostly sounds from her attic. She finds Charlotte rattling chains like a ghost! Vendetta makes a scissor fiend to get rid of her, but Charlotte quickly befriends it. Remake of: Web episode four. Fiends featured: Scissor fiend (Buttons 2) |
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| 1c | "Super Evil" | Dave Knott | Peter Merryman | October 4, 2008 | MF106 |
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Charlotte scores "super evil" on a magazine quiz, while Vendetta scores "mostly evil." Vendetta wants to see Charlotte's evil side, so she follows her. She even lets Charlotte make her own fiend! Charlotte creates Mr. Huggles, a pink bear-like fiend that loves to hug everyone. In the end, it turns out Charlotte didn't even read the quiz questions; she just drew a flower! Fiends featured: Mr. Huggles; a fiend made by Charlotte |
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| 2a | "Vegetables" | Martin Cendreda | Madellaine Paxson Amy Winfrey |
October 5, 2008 | MF103 |
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Charlotte notices the lunch lady only serves Vendetta's favorite foods: beef jerky, grape punch, and clams. Charlotte wants more vegetables! When she tries to change the menu, Vendetta makes vegetable fiends. But Charlotte teaches them how to sing a vegetable song! Remake of: Web episode three. Fiends featured: Red frog fiend, vegetable fiends Guest starring: Chris Fria as carrot, Ego Plum as tomato and broccoli |
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| 2b | "Toupee" | Martin Cendreda | Amy Winfrey | October 5, 2008 | MF112 |
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Mr. Milk likes Ms. Minty but doesn't know how to talk to her. Charlotte gives him an apple, calling him the "best teacher." Vendetta gives him an evil toupee that makes his dreams come true, but only if he destroys Charlotte! Mr. Milk tries, but he's too kind to harm the only student who gave him an apple. Fiends featured: Toupee fiend Guest starring: Fred Tatasciore as the Toupee |
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| 2c | "Mama Vendetta" | Dave Knott | Matt Negrete | October 5, 2008 | MF105 |
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To show off her power, Vendetta builds a giant statue of herself. Charlotte loves to swing on its "pretty elbow." To keep Charlotte away, Vendetta creates exploding pigeon fiends. But the fiends think Vendetta is their mother! Charlotte becomes their "father." In the end, Vendetta's statue breaks, but she rebuilds it. Fiends featured: Exploding pigeon fiends |
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| 3a | "Shrinking Charlotte" | Martin Cendreda | Amy Winfrey | October 11, 2008 | MF104 |
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Vendetta makes a fiend to shrink Charlotte, but accidentally shrinks herself and Grudge too! Charlotte is excited to be as small as her hamster, Buttons. Vendetta then makes "gianting squids" to become giant and destroy Charlotte. Remake of: Web episode seven. Fiends featured: Shrinking slug fiend, gianting squid fiends |
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| 3b | "Parents" | Martin Cendreda | Madellaine Paxson | October 11, 2008 | MF111 |
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Charlotte misses her parents, who are "up there" (possibly astronauts). Vendetta makes fiends that look like Charlotte's parents. Charlotte thinks they are real, even though the fiends try to eat her! As usual, Charlotte befriends them, and they have fun. They are later eaten by whales, but Grudge accidentally fires a cannon, making Charlotte think they returned to space. Fiends featured: Mom fiend, dad fiend |
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| 3c | "No Singing" | Dave Knott | Amy Winfrey | October 11, 2008 | MF110 |
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Vendetta is tired of Charlotte's happy songs. She makes a fiend to destroy singers. But then Maggie reads a sad poem, and Charlotte stops singing! Vendetta tries everything to make her sing again. When Vendetta starts singing herself, the fiend chases her instead of Charlotte! Fiends featured: Crushing fiend |
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| 4a | "Puppies! Puppies! Puppies!" | Martin Cendreda | Matt Negrete | October 18, 2008 | MF107 |
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Vendetta wants to protect her favorite places from Charlotte. She uses a "fiend multiplier" to make many guard dog fiends. But Vendetta leaves the multiplier with Charlotte! Charlotte finds a way to deal with all the fiends: she multiplies herself! Fiends featured: Guard dog fiends |
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| 4b | "Shorts 1 (Dear Pretty Diary, Dear Stupid Journal)" | Dave Knott | Peter Merryman Amy Winfrey |
October 18, 2008 | MF108 |
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This episode has short segments: an ad for Clamburg's onion stand; Charlotte and Vendetta sharing their day in their journals; Charlotte singing about Clamburg; and a tourism ad for Clamburg, which Vendetta ruins. Fiends featured: Book fiend, fuzzy ball fiends, unfinished fiend |
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| 4c | "Marvin the Middle Manager" | Dave Knott | Amy Winfrey | October 18, 2008 | MF114 |
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Vendetta decides she's too powerful for school. She hires Marvin to manage things while she's gone. Charlotte decides to help him! They do everything on the list, like scaring students and feeding fiends. But Marvin might not be able to destroy Charlotte, who thinks it's fun to be a butterfly hit by a piano. Fiends featured: Fiend by slide (Rick), purple fiend, library fiends, bat fiends, tentacle fiend |
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| 5a | "Parentnapped" | Martin Cendreda | Peter Merryman | October 25, 2008 | MF113 |
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Vendetta is mad at her parents for going on a picnic with Charlotte. She sends a fiend to bring them home, but it brings Charlotte's cheerful grandma, Charlene, instead! Vendetta writes a note to Charlotte about "trading parents." Charlotte plays with Vendetta's parents all day, while Charlene cleans Vendetta's house and knits scarves. Vendetta gets tired of Charlene and wants her parents back. Fiends featured: Burly fiend, Sugar fiend |
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| 5b | "Smash" | Martin Cendreda | Madellaine Paxson | October 25, 2008 | MF109 |
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For the Pancake Festival, Charlotte forms a band for the parade. Marvin plays tuba, Marion plays triangle, Maggie plays kazoo, and Mort plays drums. Vendetta makes a fiend to flatten Charlotte, but she ends up getting smashed with Charlotte instead! Fiends featured: Smash fiend |
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| 5c | "New Best Friend" | Dave Knott | Matt Negrete | October 25, 2008 | MF115 |
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Vendetta's house is taken over by termite fiends she made to destroy Charlotte. Her house needs to be treated for three days. Vendetta decides to move in with Marion, who is about to leave Clamburg forever. Marion is scared of Vendetta but also thinks it's nice to have a powerful friend. Fiends featured: Termite fiends, Crab-like fiend; a fiend made by Marion. |
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| 6a | "Tornado" | Dave Knott | Peter Merryman | November 1, 2008 | MF116 |
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Vendetta makes a tornado fiend to destroy Charlotte's house, but it accidentally attaches to her own house! Charlotte's silly actions drive Vendetta crazy. Meanwhile, Grudge gets blown away by the tornado and has an adventure trying to get home. Fiends featured: Tornado fiend, lamp fiend, servant fiends |
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| 6b | "Shorts 2 (The Land of Cheese)" | Dave Knott | Peter Merryman Amy Winfrey |
November 1, 2008 | MF117 |
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This episode features more short segments: a commercial for giant pet supplies; Charlotte dreaming about a world made of cheese with Vendetta (which later gets destroyed); and Charlotte singing about living on the moon, while Vendetta sings about its bad sides. Fiends featured: Dragon fiend |
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| 6c | "Pony" | Martin Cendreda | Amy Winfrey | November 1, 2008 | MF118 |
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Charlotte wants Vendetta to make her a pony. So, Vendetta creates a giant pony fiend! It runs wild through Clamburg, scaring everyone. Vendetta is happy until everyone hides in her house for safety. Now she has to get rid of "John" the female pony to get her house back! Fiends featured: Giant pony fiend, giant eagle fiend Guest starring: Dee Bradley Baker as John the Pony Note: This is the last episode to air before Making Fiends' cancellation |
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Merchandise
Before the TV show started, Amy Winfrey sold Making Fiends T-shirts and DVDs of the web episodes. Later, official T-shirts from Nicktoons were released.
A 2-disc DVD set with all six episodes was released on June 9, 2009. You can find it on Amazon.com. The whole series is also available to buy digitally on Amazon's Prime Video.
