The Tick (1994 TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Tick |
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| Genre | Superhero Comedy Satire |
| Created by | Ben Edlund |
| Based on | The Tick by Ben Edlund |
| Starring | Townsend Coleman |
| Voices of | Micky Dolenz (1994–95) Rob Paulsen (1995–96) Cam Clarke Kay Lenz Jess Harnell |
| Composer(s) | Doug Katsaros |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 36 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Joe Bacall Tom Griffin CJ Kettler |
| Producer(s) | Hank Tucker |
| Running time | 30 minutes (including commercials) |
| Production company(s) | Sunbow Entertainment Graz Entertainment AKOM Fox Children's Productions |
| Distributor | 20th Television (formerly) Saban International (currently) |
| Release | |
| Original network | Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox Kids) |
| Original release | September 10, 1994 – November 24, 1996 |
The Tick is an American animated TV show based on the funny superhero The Tick from New England Comics. This cartoon was shown for three seasons, from 1994 to 1996, on the Fox network's Fox Kids block. It helped many people discover The Tick character.
The Tick has also been shown on other TV channels, making its cult following even bigger. You could even buy it on VHS tapes and DVDs. Later, two live-action TV shows were made, one in 2001 and another by Amazon in 2016. The show was also aired in Canada on Teletoon and in the UK on BBC2.
Contents
The Story of The Tick
The Tick is a superhero who goes through special tryouts at the National Super Institute in Reno, Nevada. Superheroes who pass these tests get sent to the best cities to protect them from bad guys. After passing, The Tick is sent to The City. There, he becomes friends with Arthur, who used to be an accountant. Arthur then becomes The Tick's sidekick.
With help from other heroes like Die Fledermaus, American Maid, and Sewer Urchin, The Tick and Arthur keep The City safe. They fight against many villains, including Chairface Chippendale, Breadmaster, El Seed, and The Terror, who all want to cause trouble.
Meet the Voices Behind the Heroes
Many talented actors gave voices to the characters in The Tick.
Main Voice Actors
- Cam Clarke – Die Fledermaus, Fishboy
- Townsend Coleman – The Tick, Lava Man
- Micky Dolenz – Arthur (Season 1)
- Jess Harnell – Sewer Urchin, Breadmaster
- Kay Lenz – American Maid
- Rob Paulsen – Arthur (Season 2 and 3), The Terror
Episodes Guide
Series Overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
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| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 13 | September 10, 1994 | February 11, 1995 | |
| 2 | 13 | September 9, 1995 | February 17, 1996 | |
| 3 | 10 | September 14, 1996 | November 24, 1996 | |
Season 1 (1994–95)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
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| 1 | "The Tick vs. The Idea Men" | Sue Peters, John Kafka and Russel Mooney | Ben Edlund and Richard Liebmann-Smith | September 10, 1994 | 101 |
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The Tick moves to The City and meets Arthur, convincing him to become his partner in fighting evil. Villain: The Idea Men |
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| 2 | "The Tick vs. Chairface Chippendale" | Sue Peters, John Kafka and Russel Mooney | Ben Edlund and Richard Liebmann-Smith | September 17, 1994 | 102 |
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The Tick tries to stop Chairface Chippendale from writing his name on the moon with a giant heat ray. Villain: Chairface Chippendale |
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| 3 | "The Tick vs. Dinosaur Neil" | Sue Peters, John Kafka and Russel Mooney | Ben Edlund and Richard Liebmann-Smith | September 24, 1994 | 103 |
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A scientist named Dinosaur Neil accidentally turns into a giant dinosaur and causes chaos in The City. Villain: Dinosaur Neil |
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| 4 | "The Tick vs. Mr. Mental" | Sue Peters, John Kafka and Russel Mooney | Ben Edlund and Richard Liebmann-Smith | October 1, 1994 | 104 |
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The evil Mr. Mental controls The Tick's mind to steal a device called the Thinking Cap. Villain: Mr. Mental |
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| 5 | "The Tick vs. The Breadmaster" | Sue Peters, John Kafka and Russel Mooney | Ben Edlund, Richard Liebmann-Smith and Martin Pasko | October 8, 1994 | 105 |
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The Breadmaster plans to cover The City with a giant lemon Soufflé. Villain: Breadmaster |
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| 6 | "The Tick vs. El Seed" | Sue Peters | Ben Edlund and Richard Liebmann-Smith | October 15, 1994 | 106 |
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El Seed uses his plant powers to get revenge on all animals. The Tick and Arthur team up with other heroes. Villain: El Seed |
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| 7 | "The Tick vs. The Tick" | Art Vitello | Ben Edlund and Richard Liebmann-Smith | October 22, 1994 | 107 |
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The Tick fights another hero who also calls himself "The Tick." Meanwhile, a bomber plans to blow up a club. Villains: Barry "The Tick" Hubris and The Evil Midnight Bomber What Bombs at Midnight |
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| 8 | "The Tick vs. The Uncommon Cold" | Art Vitello | Henry Gilroy | October 29, 1994 | 108 |
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The Tick gets a cold, making it hard to fight the alien Thrakkorzog, who wants to take over Earth with evil Tick clones. Villain: Thrakkorzog |
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| 9 | "The Tick vs. Brainchild" | Art Vitello | Art Vitello and Ben Edlund | November 5, 1994 | 109 |
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Brainchild wants to use his Mega-Devastator Multi-Cannon to make a mark on the moon. Villain: Brainchild |
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| 10 | "The Tick vs. Pineapple Pokopo" | Art Vitello | Ben Edlund and Richard Liebmann-Smith | November 12, 1994 | 110 |
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The Tick, Arthur, and American Maid go to Pokoponesia to rescue a smart astronaut monkey from Pineapple Pokopo. Villain: Pineapple Pokopo |
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| 11 | "The Tick vs. The Mole-Men" | Art Vitello | Christopher McCulloch | November 19, 1994 | 111 |
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The Tick and Arthur host a group of Mole-Men and their King. Villain: Lava Man |
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| 12 | "The Tick vs. The Proto-Clown" | Art Vitello | Henry Gilroy | February 4, 1995 | 112 |
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The Tick and Arthur return to The City to find a genetically engineered Proto-Clown causing trouble. Villain: Proto Clown |
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| 13 | "The Tick vs. Arthur's Bank Account" | Art Vitello | Ben Edlund and Richard Liebmann-Smith | February 11, 1995 | 113 |
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The Terror tries to take over The City and meets The Tick for the first time. Villain: The Terror Note This episode is where The Tick first says his famous catchphrase "Spoon!" |
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Season 2 (1995–96)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
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| 14 | "The Little Wooden Boy and the Belly of Love" | Hank Tucker | Ben Edlund and Richard Liebmann-Smith | September 9, 1995 | 214 |
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Arthur goes on a date, so The Tick builds a wooden sidekick. Meanwhile, spies are after a scientist's notebook.
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| 15 | "Alone Together" | Hank Tucker | Chris McCulloch | September 16, 1995 | 215 |
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The Tick is sent to the moon to fix Chairface Chippendale's writing. He ends up flying through space on Omnipotus.
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| 16 | "Armless but Not Harmless" | Hank Tucker | Ben Edlund and Richard Liebmann-Smith | September 23, 1995 | 216 |
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The Tick and Arthur's arms are removed and used by the villains Venus and Milo.
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| 17 | "Coach Fussell's Lament" | Hank Tucker | Pippin Parker and Andy Yerkes | September 30, 1995 | 219 |
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Brainchild uses The Mad Nanny to capture The Tick and turn him into a bird.
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| 18 | "Leonardo da Vinci and His Fightin' Genius Time Commandos!" | Hank Tucker | Michael Rubiner | October 7, 1995 | 218 |
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A villain kidnaps famous inventors from history and tries to send the world back to the dark ages.
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| 19 | "Bloomsday" | Hank Tucker | Ben Edlund and Richard Liebmann-Smith | October 21, 1995 | 220 |
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El Seed returns with a new monster named Rosebud.
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| 20 | "Evil Sits Down for a Moment" | Hank Tucker | Jed Spingarn | November 4, 1995 | 221 |
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The Ottoman tries to marry Die Fledermaus to take over The City together.
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| 21 | "Heroes" | Hank Tucker | Ben Edlund and Randolph Heard | November 11, 1995 | 222 |
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A camera crew follows The Tick and Arthur as they fight crime for a day.
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| 22 | "Ants in Pants!" | Hank Tucker | Ralph Soll | November 18, 1995 | 223 |
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The Tick checks into a superhero hospital, and a colony of ants captures other superheroes.
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| 23 | "The Tick Loves Santa!" | Hank Tucker | Ben Edlund and Richard Liebmann-Smith | November 25, 1995 | 217 |
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A bank robber dressed as Santa gets powers and becomes the evil Multiple Santa.
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| 24 | "Tick vs. The Big Nothing" | Hank Tucker | Ben Edlund and Richard Liebmann-Smith | February 3, 1996 | 224 |
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Aliens called The Whats kidnap The Tick and Arthur to stop their enemies, The Heys, from destroying the universe.
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| 25 | "Tick vs. Reno, Nevada" | Hank Tucker | Pippin Parker and Andy Yerkes | February 10, 1996 | 225 |
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A former dolphin named The Fin plans to bury Reno. The Tick and Arthur come to help.
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| 26 | "Grandpa Wore Tights" | Hank Tucker | Ben Edlund and Richard Liebmann-Smith | February 17, 1996 | 226 |
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The aging villain The Terror sends his son to get back his Desire-O-Vac from the Decency Squad.
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Season 3 (1996)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
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| 27 | "That Mustache Feeling" | Hank Tucker | Ben Edlund and Christopher McCulloch | September 14, 1996 | 327 |
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The Tick wakes up with a mustache that has a mind of its own, and Jim Rage is after it.
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| 28 | "Tick vs. Dot and Neil's Wedding" | Hank Tucker | Ben Edlund and Richard Liebmann-Smith | September 21, 1996 | 329 |
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Dot and Dinosaur Neil are getting married, but a new villain makes Neil turn into a dinosaur again.
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| 29 | "Sidekicks Don't Kiss" | Hank Tucker | Richard Liebmann-Smith and Christopher McCulloch | September 28, 1996 | 330 |
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Arthur is kidnapped by the Deertown Aztecs. The Tick teams up with Carmelita to rescue him.
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| 30 | "Tick vs. Arthur" | Hank Tucker | Ben Edlund and Richard Liebmann-Smith | October 5, 1996 | 332 |
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Arthur finds a belt that makes his muscles bigger, but it also makes him challenge The Tick.
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| 31 | "Devil in Diapers" | Hank Tucker | Randolph Heard and Christopher McCulloch | October 6, 1996 | 328 |
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Mr. Mental, disguised as a baby, hides in The Tick and Arthur's apartment while building a super-weapon.
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| 32 | "Tick vs. Filth" | Hank Tucker | Ben Edlund and Richard Liebmann-Smith | October 26, 1996 | 331 |
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The Tick and Arthur learn to respect Sewer Urchin as SewerCzar unleashes an army of intelligent Filth.
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| 33 | "Tick vs. Europe" | Hank Tucker | Ben Edlund and Richard Liebmann-Smith Story Concept by: Eric Stangel & Justin Stangel |
November 2, 1996 | 333 |
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The Tick goes to Belgium for a superhero exchange program. He battles villains while Arthur deals with the Breadmaster.
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| 34 | "Tick vs. Science" | Hank Tucker | Ben Edlund, Richard Liebmann-Smith and Christopher McCulloch | November 9, 1996 | 335 |
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Professor Chromedome causes chaos at a science fair with a mind-swapping machine.
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| 35 | "Tick vs. Prehistory" | Hank Tucker | Randolph Heard | November 16, 1996 | 334 |
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The Tick and Arthur travel back in time over three million years and join a tribe of early humans.
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| 36 | "Tick vs. Education" | Hank Tucker | Ben Edlund and Richard Liebmann-Smith Story Concept by: Eric Stangel & Justin Stangel |
November 24, 1996 | 336 |
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In the final episode, The Tick and Arthur become teachers for people who want to be superheroes. They meet Uncle Creamy on a field trip.
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Home Video Releases
The first two episodes of The Tick were released on VHS tapes in 1995 and 1998.
Later, in 2006, the first season of The Tick came out on DVD. It was called The Tick vs. Season One. This DVD set had 12 out of 13 episodes. One episode, "The Tick vs. The Mole Men," was not included because of licensing issues. However, the UK version of the first season, released later, had all 13 episodes.
The second season, The Tick vs. Season Two, was released on DVD in 2007. This set was also missing one episode, "Alone Together." This episode featured a character similar to Galactus from comic books. The UK version of season 2 included all 13 episodes.
In the UK, a company called Liberation Entertainment Ltd. released all three seasons of the show. These versions were complete and had no missing episodes.
Awards and Nominations
Annie Awards
| Year | Category | Nominee | Result |
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| 1995 | Best Creative Supervision in Animation | Ben Edlund (co-producer) | Won |
| Best Writing in Animation | Ben Edlund, Richard Liebmann-Smith for "The Tick vs. Arthur's Bank Account" | Won | |
| Best Animated TV Program | The Tick | Nominated | |
| 1997 | Best Animated TV Program | The Tick | Nominated |
| Best Voice Acting by a Male Performer in a TV Show | Townsend Coleman for playing The Tick | Nominated |
Daytime Emmy Awards
| Year | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Outstanding in Animation | Andres Nieves, Claude Denis, Phillip Kim, David Manners, Richard Liebmann-Smith, Susan Blu, Larry Latham, Elaine Hultgren, Chuck Harvey, Christopher McCulloch, Hank Tucker and Ben Edlund | Nominated |
| Outstanding Sound Editing - Special Class | Marty Stein, David John West, Rick Hinson, Anthony Torretto, Chris Fradkin and Terry Reiff | Nominated | |
| 1997 | Outstanding Sound Mixing - Special Class | Stuart Calderon, Deb Adair, John Boyd and David John West | Nominated |
Cool Merchandise
When The Tick animated series came out, there were lots of cool products you could buy! You could find action figures, pogs, T-shirts, hats, party supplies, costumes, and even a board game. Many fast food places like Carl's Jr. and Taco Bell also gave away Tick-themed toys.
Fox Interactive also made a beat 'em up video game based on the show. It was released for the Super NES and Sega Genesis.
- The Tick: Circus Maximus, NEC Comics, 2004.
- The Tick: Mighty Blue Justice!, Hyland, Greg, Berkley Boulevard Books, New York, 1997
- at Comedy Central
- at Fox Kids
See also
In Spanish: The Tick: The Animated Series para niños
