The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper
Genre	Animated Comedy Horror Slapstick
Developed by	Sherri Stoner and Deanna Oliver
Directed by	Alfred Gimeno (seasons 1–2) Marija Miletic Dail (seasons 3–4)
Voices of	Malachi Pearson Kath Soucie Dan Castellaneta Joe Nipote Joe Alaskey Brad Garrett Jess Harnell Rob Paulsen Miriam Flynn Tress MacNeille Frank Welker Jim Cummings Debi Derryberry Sherry Lynn April Winchell Tim Curry
Composer(s)	Michael Tavera Thom Sharp Bruce Babcock Charles Fernandez Harvey Cohen Ron Grant
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	52
Production
Executive producer(s)	Jeffrey A. Montgomery
Producer(s)	Alfred Gimeno (seasons 1–2) Marija Miletic Dail (seasons 3–4)
Editor(s)	Paul D. Calder Ken Solomon
Production company(s)	AKOM (South Korea) Amblin Television The Harvey Entertainment Company Universal Cartoon Studios Jeffrey A. Montgomery Productions
Distributor	MCA TV (North America) HIT Entertainment (Worldwide, except US) DreamWorks Classics (current holder)
Release
Original network	Fox Kids
Original release	February 24, 1996 (1996-02-24) – October 17, 1998 (1998-10-17)

The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper is an animated TV show that aired from 1996 to 1998. It's a spin-off from the live-action Casper movie. That movie, in turn, was based on the classic Harvey Comics character, Casper the Friendly Ghost.

Making the Casper TV Show

After the Casper movie was finished, people thought about making a second live-action movie. A story idea was even written. However, the first movie didn't make as much money as expected. Also, the main actors, Christina Ricci and Bill Pullman, were busy with other projects. They wouldn't be free for over a year.

Because of this, the idea for a live-action sequel was dropped. Instead, the creators decided to make this cartoon series. It would continue the story of Casper and his friends.

The show was shown on Fox Kids TV from 1996 to 1998. There were 3 seasons in total. Fifty-two episodes were made. However, only the first 46 episodes aired on Fox Kids. The remaining episodes first appeared on the FOX Family Channel. Many people who worked on this show also worked on other popular cartoons. These included Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, and Pinky and the Brain.

This new Casper show was different from older versions. It was more like a sitcom, with lots of jokes and references to pop culture. It also often broke the "fourth wall." This means characters would sometimes talk directly to the audience. The show brought back old Casper characters. These included Casper's cousin Spooky and Spooky's "ghoulfriend" Pearl. Nightmare the Ghost Horse also appeared. New characters were added too, like Casper's very loud teacher, Ms. Banshee.

Meet the Characters

Casper

Casper McFadden is a friendly ghost who lives in Whipstaff Manor. He became a ghost after he got sick and died when he was twelve years old. Casper lives with his three mischievous uncles: Stretch, Stinkie, and Fatso.

Casper's afterlife isn't always easy. His uncles cause a lot of trouble. Casper really wants to make human friends, but his uncles often scare them away. The only humans who became his close friends were Kat and her dad, Dr. Harvey. Casper has been a ghost for over a hundred years.

Casper is very kind and likes to be friendly. Other ghosts think his behavior is strange. They believe ghosts should be scary and rude. Sometimes, other ghosts are even afraid of Casper's good manners! Casper sometimes uses this to his advantage. For example, he once helped his uncles stay on Earth. He told a ghost court that his uncles hadn't taught him how to be scary yet. This meant they still had "unfinished business." Malachi Pearson is the voice of Casper.

The Ghostly Trio

The Ghostly Trio are Casper's uncles. They absolutely love scaring humans. They call humans funny names like "fleshies" or "skinbags." The trio includes:

• Stretch: He is the tallest and the leader. He can be very hot-headed.
• Stinkie: He almost always smells bad and loves anything stinky. He uses his smell to annoy others.
• Fatso: He is seen as the least smart of the brothers. He loves to eat almost anything.

These three ghosts are very chaotic. They can't resist scaring people or causing trouble. They often boss Casper around, calling him "Bulbhead" or "Short-sheet." Even though they seem mean, they sometimes show a caring side. For example, when Casper accidentally turned into a baby, they took care of him. They even started to like him, especially Stretch.

They also worried about Casper when they thought he would face a very evil spirit alone. Once, Casper got very angry at them for not controlling their tempers. He even planned to leave them. But the Trio convinced him to stay. They gave him compliments, saying he was "fun to knock around" and "easily insultable." They even admitted they liked him.

In the movie, they helped Dr. Harvey speak to his wife one last time. Joe Nipote voices Stretch, Joe Alaskey voices Stinkie, and Brad Garrett voiced Fatso in seasons 1-2. In seasons 3-4, Jess Harnell voiced Fatso.

Dr. Harvey

Dr. James Harvey is a ghost therapist. His daughter, Kat, calls him "Doc." In the movie, he became a ghost therapist to find his wife, Amelia, after she died. He thought she might be a ghost. But he learned she became an angel instead.

After that, he and Kat moved into Whipstaff Manor. He continued to work as a ghost therapist. He tried to help the Ghostly Trio stop causing trouble, but he wasn't very successful. Dr. Harvey is a kind and easy-going person. He loves Kat very much.

In the cartoon, Dr. Harvey is very focused on being a therapist. He often uses psychology terms when talking to everyone, even Kat. Casper and the Ghostly Trio just see this as one of his quirks. Dan Castellaneta voices Dr. Harvey in the show.

Kat Harvey

Kathleen "Kat" Harvey is Dr. Harvey's daughter. She is a typical teenager with a good sense of humor. She is about thirteen years old. Kat is a good friend to Casper.

Kat doesn't get along well with the Ghostly Trio. They often insult each other. Once, the Trio made fun of Kat for not having a job. Kat made a bet that she could get a job and a paycheck before them. They all ended up working at the same theater, which got partly destroyed. They called it a draw.

But sometimes, Kat and the Ghostly Trio work together. One time, they helped return a goldfish Kat won at a fair to its mother. Another time, Dr. Harvey and Casper became famous from a TV show. They started treating Kat and the Trio badly. So, Kat and the Trio worked together to remind Dr. Harvey what was truly important. Kath Soucie voices Kat in the show.

Spooky

Spooky is Casper's cousin. He loves to cause mischief. He looks up to the Ghostly Trio and sees them as heroes. Spooky doesn't really dislike Casper, but he hates that Casper isn't interested in scaring humans.

Spooky is always trying to scare Casper better than Casper can scare. But he usually fails. Deep down, Spooky might have a soft spot for his cousin. Spooky looks a lot like Casper. But he has a black nose and freckles. He also wears a brown "doiby" hat and speaks with a Brooklyn accent. Rob Paulsen voices Spooky.

Pearl

Pearl (or "Poil" as Spooky calls her) is Spooky's "ghoulfriend." She is often a bit absent-minded. Pearl usually doesn't notice what's happening around her and takes things very literally.

She loves Spooky and everything about him, even his freckles and black nose. Pearl is good friends with Casper. She doesn't care as much for the Ghostly Trio as Spooky does. Miriam Flynn voices Pearl.

Miss Banshee

Miss Maddie Banshee is the teacher at Casper, Spooky, and Poil's ghost school. Just like her name, Miss Banshee can yell and scream incredibly loud. Her screams can be heard for miles and even wake the dead!

Miss Banshee enjoys being a teacher. But she dreams of becoming a professional opera singer. All three of the Ghostly Trio have a crush on Miss Banshee. They are always trying to win her over. Miss Banshee is okay with the Trio, but she isn't usually impressed by their efforts. Tress MacNeille voices Miss Banshee.

Amber Whitmire and the Jennifers

Amber Whitmire and the Jennifers are Kat's classmates and rivals at Friendship Junior High School. Amber and the Jennifers are shown as rich, mean, and spoiled "queen bees."

• Jennifer #1 has brown hair and wears glasses. She is Amber's closest friend.
• Jennifer #2 has red hair.
• Jennifer #3 has blonde hair and a snorting laugh. She is the least intelligent of the three.

Sherry Lynn voices Amber, and Debi Derryberry voices the Jennifers.

Kibosh

Kibosh is a powerful, evil, and feared King of Ghosts. He is a big, muscular green ghost with red eyes. He is Casper's main enemy and really dislikes the friendly little ghost. James Earl Jones voices Kibosh.

Episodes List

Season 1 (1996)

Season 2 (1996–1997)

Season 3 (1997–1998)

Season 4 (1998)

Voice Actors

• Malachi Pearson as Casper McFadden
• Kath Soucie as Kat Harvey, Marilyn Krump, various voices
• Dan Castellaneta as Dr. Harvey
• Joe Nipote as Stretch, Narrator
• Joe Alaskey as Stinkie, Baby Huey (cameo in the end of "Legend of Duh Bigfoot"), various voices
• Brad Garrett as Fatso (Seasons 1-2)
• Jess Harnell as Fatso (Seasons 3-4), various voices
• Rob Paulsen as Spooky, various voices
• Miriam Flynn as Poil, various voices
• Tress MacNeille as Miss Banshee, various voices
• Sherry Lynn as Amber Whitmire
• Debi Derryberry as The Jennifers, various voices
• Frank Welker as Nightmare the Horse, various voices, animal effects
• April Winchell as Baby Casper, Miss C, various voices

Additional Voices

Show Creators

• Kelly Ward - Voice Director

Watching at Home

From 1996 to 1998, Universal Studios Home Video released episodes from the first three seasons on VHS tapes.

Later, in 2007 and 2008, Universal Studios Home Entertainment released two DVD collections. These were called The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper, Volume 1 and The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper, Volume 2. Volume 1 has the first 5 episodes of the show. Volume 2 has the next 5 episodes from season 1.

There are no current plans from Universal to release more DVDs of the show.

VHS Releases in the United States

DVD Releases

See also

In Spanish: The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper para niños