Sabrina: The Animated Series facts for kids

Sabrina: The Animated Series is a fun cartoon show. It's based on the popular Archie Comics character, Sabrina the Teenage Witch. This series was made by Savage Studios Ltd. and Hartbreak Films. They worked with DIC Productions, L.P., which was part of Disney back then.

The show is also a spin-off from the live-action TV series Sabrina the Teenage Witch. That show ran from 1996 to 2003.

Sabrina: The Animated Series aired on ABC and UPN. After this series, a movie called Sabrina: Friends Forever (2002) came out. Then, a new series, Sabrina's Secret Life (2003–2004), was made. DIC produced these later projects without Disney.

About the Show

In this cartoon, Sabrina Spellman is 12 years old. She goes to middle school. Sabrina lives with her witch aunts, Hilda and Zelda Spellman. Her talking black cat, Salem Saberhagen, also lives with them. They all give Sabrina advice about using magic.

Most episodes are about typical middle school problems. But they also show issues that happen when Sabrina uses magic. She might not have much experience, or she might use spells the wrong way. Sabrina and her best friend Chloe often use magic. They get it from the "Spooky Jar," which has a genie-like being inside. They use it for all kinds of emergencies. For example, they might try to fit into new clothes. Or they might turn Sabrina's crush, Harvey, into a superhero.

By the end of each episode, Sabrina's magic usually causes problems. She learns that magic isn't always the best way to solve her daily issues.

Meet the Characters

Main Characters

• Sabrina Spellman: Sabrina is half witch and half mortal. She won't get her full magic powers until she's 16. But she can borrow spells from her aunts using the "Spooky Jar." She often does this. The show follows her pre-teen adventures. However, her magic usually makes things worse. Her friend Chloe knows about Sabrina's magic. But Harvey Kinkle, her friend and crush, does not. She secretly likes Harvey a lot. Sabrina wears a white and pink striped top. She has a green moon earring and a yellow star earring. Her magic is pink and yellow. Emily Hart voices Sabrina. Emily is Melissa Joan Hart's sister. Melissa played Sabrina in the live-action show.

• Hilda Spellman and Zelda Spellman: Hilda often suggests bending the rules with magic. Zelda tries to say no, but usually gives in. Hilda is more free-spirited than Zelda, who is more careful. They sometimes argue, but they are still sisters. In this show, Hilda and Zelda look like teenagers. This was their punishment for "abusing magic" in the past. Zelda wears a red top and blue bellbottoms. She has long strawberry blonde hair and blue glasses. Her magic is blue and yellow. Hilda wears a purple mini-dress. She has tan skin and shorter brown hair. Her magic is purple and yellow. Melissa Joan Hart voices both aunts.

• Salem Saberhagen: Salem is a black cat who loves to talk Sabrina into things. He was once a powerful wizard. But he was turned into a cat for trying to take over the world. He still helps Sabrina with magical charms. Nick Bakay voices Salem. He also voiced Salem in the live-action TV series.

• Uncle Quigley: Uncle Quigley is a new character for this cartoon. He is Sabrina's great-uncle on her mother's side. He is the adult who looks after the house. He doesn't have magic powers. This shows that Sabrina's mother is a mortal. Jay Brazeau voices him.

• Chloe Flan: Chloe is Sabrina's best friend. She is African-American. She and Uncle Quigley are the only mortals who know Sabrina's secret. Cree Summer voices Chloe.

• Harvey Kinkle: Harvey is kind and sweet. He calls Sabrina his "best pal," but he likes her a lot. Harvey doesn't know Sabrina is a witch. But he often sees the strange results of her magic. Bill Switzer voices Harvey.

• Gemini "Gem" Stone: Gem is a snobby and spoiled mean girl. She lives nearby. Gem sees Sabrina as her main rival for Harvey's attention. But Harvey likes Sabrina more. She is voiced by Chantal Strand.

Other Characters

• Spookie Jar: Spookie Jar is like a genie. He lives in a purple cookie jar in Sabrina's kitchen. Sabrina can get a spell from him when she needs one. But the spells rarely turn out as she expects. Spookie Jar always speaks in rhymes. David Sobolov voices him.

• Perry "Pi" McDonald: Pi is Harvey's best friend. He is also friends with Sabrina and Chloe. Pi is very smart and unique. His eyes are always hidden by his pork pie hat. Sabrina says he is "totally out of it and really smart." Chantal Strand voices Pi.

• Slugloafe the School Bully: Slugloafe is a big school bully. He calls people by their last names. He is a bigger bully than Gem Stone. His real name is Horace. Jason Michas voices him.

• Tim the Witch Smeller: Tim is a witch hunter. He appears in a few episodes. He was bullied by witches when he was a child. He didn't have magic, even though his mother was a witch. So, he thinks witches are evil. He collects them as trophies with his aardvark sidekick, Elton. Bob Bergen voices both Tim and Elton.

• Queen Enchantra: Enchantra rules all witches. She is the head of the Witches' Council. She wears a red catsuit and a flowing cape. She has a strong British accent. Her magic is red and purple. Kathleen Barr voices Enchantra.

How the Show Was Made

Sabrina had been in cartoons before, like The Archie Show. But the live-action Sabrina the Teenage Witch show was very popular. This helped create the idea for this animated spin-off.

Savage Steve Holland and Kat Likkel developed the series. Holland was also the main producer. The show had a funny, sometimes silly style, similar to Eek! The Cat.

Melissa Joan Hart, who played Sabrina in the live-action show, helped produce this cartoon. But her younger sister, Emily Hart, voiced the cartoon Sabrina. Emily had played Sabrina's cousin Amanda in the live-action show. Melissa instead voiced Sabrina's two aunts, Hilda and Zelda. These roles were played by other actresses in the live-action show. Nick Bakay returned to voice Salem, just like in the live-action series. The theme song for the show is sung by the group B*Witched.

Episodes

The series had 65 episodes in total. It ran for one season. Each episode was about 22 minutes long. Here are a few examples of the episodes:

Where the Show Aired

In the United States

The show first aired on UPN and ABC. It was part of special kids' blocks: Disney's One Too on weekdays and Disney's One Saturday Morning on Saturdays. The series stayed on these blocks until 2002.

Reruns of the show also aired on Disney Channel from 2002 to 2004. It was also on Toon Disney during the same time.

From 2004, the series was shown on the Syndicated DIC Kids Network block. It aired alongside the next series, Sabrina's Secret Life.

Later, the show returned to CBS as part of their kids' programming. It was on KOL Secret Slumber Party on CBS and KEWLopolis. In 2009, it joined the Cookie Jar TV lineup on CBS.

From 2012 to 2013, reruns aired on the "This Is for Kids" block on the TV channel This.

As of 2017, you can find reruns on the Starz channel, Starz Kids & Family. You can also stream the series on Starz's streaming service. It is also available to stream on Pluto TV's After School Cartoons channel.

Around the World

In Canada, reruns of the series aired on Teletoon from late 1999 to mid-2005.

Starting in 2004, many TV channels that already showed the series began to air it as part of a package. This package included Sabrina's Secret Life and was called "Totally Sabrina." This package was sold to channels in France, Ireland, Italy, Austria, Greece, Spain, Brazil, Germany, Israel, and Turkey. It also aired on Disney Channel and Toon Disney networks in the United Kingdom, Asia, Taiwan, Australia, France, Latin America, Brazil, the Middle East, and Spain.

Merchandise and Games

Viacom Consumer Products and DIC Entertainment created many products based on the show.

An 11-inch Sabrina fashion doll was made by Bambola. Other small plastic toys were also sold. These included figurines and a Polly Pocket-style Sabrina doll.

Video Games

Several video games were made based on Sabrina: The Animated Series:

Comic Book

While the cartoon was airing, Archie Comics also printed a comic book version. The first issue came out in January 2000. It ran for 37 issues. To connect it to their main Sabrina comic series, the first issue explained that Repulsa the Goblin Queen sent Sabrina back in time. This was so Sabrina would be out of the way while Repulsa tried to take over Enchantra's world. In issue 38, this story ended. The comic then went back to showing the teenage Sabrina in the next issue.

See also

In Spanish: Sabrina: The Animated Series para niños