Sports Cartoons facts for kids
Sports Cartoons is a fun animated TV series made in 1985 by Lamb-Perlman Productions, created by Derek Lamb and Janet Perlman. This show is special because it features animals that act like humans, playing all sorts of sports! You'll see cats, dogs, pigs, and even hippos competing in games like ice hockey, shot put, soccer, American football, and table tennis.
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Watching the Cartoons
The episodes of Sports Cartoons are quite short, usually lasting from 40 seconds to two minutes. About 45 episodes were made in total. Many kids in the late 1980s and early 1990s would have seen these cartoons during commercial breaks on Nickelodeon. The cartoons have a unique look, similar to other animated shows from the National Film Board of Canada. You could also find the series on video cassette released by Family Home Entertainment.
Meet the Characters
In Sports Cartoons, you'll often see the same four main animal characters. However, when there's a team sport, the team is usually made up of many identical versions of one character, like a whole football team of cats or a hockey team of hippos!
The Calm Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus character is usually very calm and often wins the game. The hippo is the most common opponent for the cat character. This hippo stays peaceful and collected, unless a small, helpless creature like a butterfly or a flower is in danger. Then, the hippo becomes very protective!
The Tricky Cat
The cat is often the "bad guy" in the series. This character usually doesn't play fair and tries to cheat. The cat often plays against the hippopotamus, trying to interrupt, distract, or mess up the hippo's game. But usually, the cat's tricks don't work, and the hippopotamus still wins! There's also a "Big Cat" version, which is a larger, stronger looking cat.
The Lucky Pig
The pig character doesn't appear as often as the others. The pig usually competes against the cat (or a team of cats) alongside the hippopotamus. Like the hippo, the pig always ends up winning, but often it's just by dumb luck rather than skill.
The Referee Dog
The dog character is seen the least. When the dog does appear, it usually plays the role of the referee or judge, making sure the games are played fairly.
