Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa
Promotional poster
Genre	Western
Created by	Ryan Brown
Voices of	Pat Fraley Jim Cummings Jeff Bennett Joe Piscopo Michael Greer Charity James Kay Lenz Troy Davidson Danny Mann Michael Horse
Theme music composer	Billy Dean and Verlon Thompson
Composer(s)	Gordon Goodwin
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	26
Production
Running time	23 minutes
Production company(s)	King World Productions Greengrass Productions Gunther-Wahl Productions (1992) (season 1) Ruby-Spears Enterprises (1993) (season 2) Flextech Television Mini Mountain Productions
Distributor	ABC Distribution Company
Release
Original network	ABC
Original release	September 12, 1992 (1992-09-12) – December 4, 1993 (1993-12-04)

Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa is a 1992-1993 American animated television series created by comic book artist Ryan Brown, known for his work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It aired as part of ABC's Saturday morning lineup.

It was produced by Greengrass Productions and Mini Mountain Productions in association with King World Productions and Flextech Television and animated by Gunther-Wahl Productions for its first season, and Ruby-Spears Enterprises for its second season. At the time of launch, it was only the second animated series involving King World Productions to be broadcast (the other was the animated spinoff of The Little Rascals, which aired on ABC from 1982 to 1984).

First broadcast on September 12, 1992, the show ran for two seasons of thirteen episodes each. It also aired on YTV from 1992 to 1999 in Canada. The series was featured in reruns on Toon Disney from 1998 to 2001.

Plot

Like many cartoons during its time, Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa dealt with a mutation of some kind. In this case, an irradiated comet struck the late 19th century Western plains creating a miles high mesa shrouded in clouds. Everything trapped on top of the mesa was "cow-metized" by the light from the "cow-met" and "evolved" into a "bovipomorphic" state. Inspired by old tales of the Wild West, this new bovine community developed to the point where they emulated that era's way of life, including the requisite ruffians and corrupt sheriffs. However, their knowledge of Wild West living was limited, and as such, many things about their culture had to be improvised to 'fill in the blanks'. The concepts of steampunk and Weird West were utilized throughout its run.

The series focuses on trying to keep justice in the frontier territory. The lawbreakers were too much for the corrupt regulators of Cowtown (namely Mayor Oscar Bulloney and Sheriff Terrorbull) to handle by themselves. Helping them out, whether they wanted it or not, were a group of peacekeepers known as C.O.W.-Boys (the C.O.W. part is short for "Code of the West"). Led by Marshal Moo Montana, the C.O.W.-Boys also included the Dakota Dude and the Cowlorado Kid. Marshal Moo Montana and his deputies had their hands full with various ruffians and outlaw gangs that plagued the otherwise peaceful town.

Characters

C.O.W.-Boys

• Marshal Moo Montana (voiced by Pat Fraley) - Leader of the C.O.W.-Boys and marshal of Moo Mesa. Courageous and quick on his hooves, Moo Montana "battles the bad guys and makes the West a safer place to graze". Lives by the Code of the West, which he seems to make up as he goes along (as seen in the episode "The Big Cow Wow"). He has a gun that shoots star-badges. His horse's name is Cyclone.

• The Dakota Dude (voiced by Jim Cummings) - The soft-spoken muscle of Montana's posse, Dakota possesses a cool temperament and rarely gets mad, even in near-death experiences (as seen in "Dances with Bulls") and is scared of heights. Dakota agreed to marry Cowlamity Kate in Wedding Bull Blues to save her father's inheritance. His horse's name is Rebel.

• Cowlorado Kid (voiced by Jeff Bennett) - A Holstein cattle bull who is the youngest of the group and a self-proclaimed ladies' man with a good singing voice, regardless of his skill with the lasso and guitar also Cowlorado isn't a deputy yet. In "Stolen on the River," he tries to prove he's worthy of being a deputy by catching Five Card Cud only to get in trouble and be rescued by Dakota and Moo. His horse's name is Jezebel.

Supporting characters

• Lily Bovine (voiced by Charity James) - A bartender, former showgirl, and owner of the local saloon called The Tumbleweed. Lily is Moo Montana's love interest. Her best friend is Cowlamity Kate.

• Cody Calf (voiced by Troy Davidson as a kid, Rob Paulsen as an adult in "Skull Duggery Rides Again") - Nicknamed "Calf-Pint" by Moo and his posse, he idolizes the marshall and hopes to be a lawcow himself when he grows up. He is apparently related to Lily Bovine in some way and lives with her, though he does not appear to be her son. Like everyone else, he refers to her as "Miss Lily". Though well-meaning, he often gets himself into serious trouble trying to "help" the lawcows, but has been a useful asset on several occasions.

• Cowlamity Kate Cudster (voiced by Kay Lenz) - A tomboyish rancher and operator of the highly profitable Golden Cud Mine. She's as hard-working and hard-riding as any bull, and has enough skill with a lasso to put Cowlorado to shame. She returns Dakota's romantic feelings where she once gave him the hat he wears and nearly married him in "Wedding Bull Blues." In "The Fastest Filly in the West," it is revealed that Cowlamity Kate has a cousin named Cowleen. Her name is a play on that of the famous Wild West heroine Calamity Jane.

• Puma (voiced by Bill Farmer) - An unspecified rodent and resident of Cowtown who is the resident shoeshiner.

• J.R. (voiced by Michael Horse) - An Indian bison who occasionally aids Moo, Dakota, and Cowlorado if the situation needs it. He tends to ramble about the scientific principles of his inventions which the C.O.W.-Boys don't want to listen to and would be asked to show them how it works.

• Buffalo Bull (voiced by Jeff Bennett) - A bison who works as Cowtown's blacksmith. In the video game, he is a member of the C.O.W.-Boys. His name is a play on Buffalo Bill.

• Jack (voiced by Jim Cummings) - A rabbit who works as a telegraph operator at Cowtown.

• Gordon Boredon (voiced by Jim Cummings) - A prison warden who runs the prison containing the prisoners that the C.O.W.-Boys apprehend.

Villains

• Mayor Oscar Bulloney (voiced by Michael Greer) - The greedy and corrupt mayor of Cowtown in Moo Mesa, Bulloney rigs elections (as seen in "Stolen on the River") and makes taxes so high that the Masked Bull compares it to stealing. He also serves as Cowtown's crooked Justice of the Peace and Bank President.

• Sheriff Terrorbull (voiced by Joe Piscopo) - Selected by the corrupt Mayor Bulloney, Terrorbull uses his sheriff's badge to conceal his evil intentions. When committing crimes, he disguises himself as The Masked Bull where he sports a different posture. Terrorbull was forced to leave Cowtown after losing a bet to Moo in "No Face To Hide" to see who can catch Shock Holiday and became sheriff of the remote town of Lonesome Gulch as Mayor Bulloney tells him to put up with it until he can think of a way to get him back into Cowtown. At Lonesome Gulch, Sheriff Terrorbull continued his unlawful exploits.
  • Saddle Sore (voiced by Jim Cummings) - A scorpion and one of the comically inept henchmen of Sheriff Terrorbull. He is slightly smarter and braver than Boot Hill Buzzard, but only just.
  • Boot Hill Buzzard (voiced by Danny Mann) - A buzzard who is Sheriff Terrorbull's other comically inept henchman. As the more dim-witted of the two, he is often saddled with more than his fair share of the grunt work, especially if the job involves something embarrassing or unappealing. His name is taken from an old west slang term for a graveyard.

• Barney Finkleberg (voiced by Tim Curry) - A con artist who used the alias of Jacques La Beef.

• Skull Duggery (voiced by Jim Cummings) - Tom Duggery was a mean miner who had staked his claim on Skull Mountain. He had struck silver and hid it in a secret chamber within his mine. In his second appearance, Skull Duggery planned his revenge on the C.O.W.-Boys by enlisting some ghosts from a ghost town to help him.

• Five Card Cud - A criminal who conspired to take control of the Dixie Trixie river boat.
  • Short Change (voiced by Michael Gough) - Five Card Cud's henchman.

• Gila Hooligans - A gang who crashed Mayor Bulloney's re-election party.

• Hole in the Ground Gang - A duo of snakes.

• Bat Blastagun (voiced by Neil Ross) - A bat outlaw. He and his gang caused trouble for Miller Glen where they even bested Sheriff T-Bone. In his second appearance, Bat Blastagun and his gang escaped from prison and use a weaponized version of the comet shard as part of a plot to shrink the C.O.W.-Boys and rob Cowtown.
  • Gil - A lizard who is a part of Bat Blastagun's gang. He is shown to carry an unnamed snake member of Bat Blastagun's gang.
  • Sid - A spider who is part of Bat Blastagun's gang. He wields a gun that shoots webs.
  • Dr. Wolfenstein - A wolf and mad scientist who Bat Blastagun enlisted to weaponize the shard of the comet that created Moo Mesa.

• Shock Holliday (voiced by Michael Bell) - A bison outlaw and the leader of his gang who captured all the trains while demanding a ransom from the Railway President. His name is a play on Doc Holliday.

• Cow Belle (voiced by Ruth Buzzi) - A female outlaw. She and her unnamed sons used Sidewinder City as a refuge for outlaws everywhere in exchange for a share of their heist.

• Longhorn Silver (voiced by Brad Garrett) - A pirate captain who leads his pirate crew in causing trouble on Moo Mesa's waterways. His name is a play on Long John Silver.

• Cacklin' Kid (voiced by Rob Paulsen) - A small coyote and known outlaw who the C.O.W.-Boys apprehend while he was being targeted by the Bayin' Bunch.

• Bayin' Bunch - A gang of coyotes who target the Cacklin' Kid who hid their loot in a graveyard.
  • Scavenger - The leader of the Bayin' Bunch.

• Billy the Kidder (voiced by Charlie Adler) - A goat criminal who targeted the lost treasure of the Concudsadors. His name is a play on Billy the Kid.
  • Lester (voiced by Charlie Adler) - Billy the Kidder's lizard henchman.

• The Great Bovini (voiced by Dorian Harewood) - A ringmaster who uses a special stone called the Cowinoor Diamond to mesmerize people. As Boot Hill Buzzard was unaffected by the Cowinoor Diamond while Mayor Bulloney and Saddle Sore were, he and the C.O.W.-Boys had to work together to defeat the Great Bovini and free everyone from the mind-control.

• Barb Wire Babs (voiced by Kate Mulgrew) - Miss Barbara is the leader of an all-female gang.

• Big Bucks - A claim-jumper who targeted the recently-discovered gold.
  • Digalong - One of Big Bucks' henchman.
  • Stub - One of Big Bucks' henchman.

• Fast Willy - A criminal who plotted to steal Cowleen's horse Tornado as part of a bigger plot to rob the Pony Express.

• Mules Verne - A mule who plotted to steal the Dixie Trixie where the Invention Convention is so that he can force the inventors on board to build a giant robot cowboy as part of his plot to take over Moo Mesa. His name is a play on Jules Verne.

Episode guide

Several of these episodes or episode titles are parodies of popular Western films or books.

Season 1 (1992)

Season 2 (1993)

Cast

• Jeff Bennett - Cowlorado Kid, Hole in the Ground Gang Leader (in "The Big Cow Wow"), Frank (in "Another Fine Mesa"), Beans (in "Another Fine Mesa")
• Jim Cummings - The Dakota Dude, Jack, Saddle Sore, Warden Gordon Borden, Wild Bill Barker, Skull Duggery (in "Legend of Skull Duggery," "Skull Duggery Rides Again"), Gila Hooligans Leader (in "Dances with Bulls"), Toupee Turkey (in "The Big Cow Wow"), Grits (in "Night of the Cowgoyle")
• Troy Davidson - Cody Calf
• Bill Farmer - Puma, Jury Foreman (in "The Cacklin' Kid")
• Pat Fraley - Marshal Moo Montana
• Michael Greer - Mayor Oscar Bulloney
• Michael Horse - J.R.
• Charity James - Lily Bovine, Tejua
• Kay Lenz - Cowlamity Kate
• Danny Mann - Boot Hill Buzzard
• Joe Piscopo - Sheriff Terrorbull

Additional voices

• Charlie Adler - Billy the Kidder (in "Billy the Kidder"), Lester (in "Billy the Kidder")
• Jack Angel -
• Michael Bell - Shock Holiday (in "No Face to Hide"), Brewster Cogsbull (in "Night of the Cowgoyle")
• Robby Benson -
• Corey Burton -
• Ruth Buzzi - Cow Belle (in "The Down Under Gang")
• Jodi Carlisle -
• Tim Curry - Jacques La Beef/Barney Finkleberg
• David Doyle - Rocky Bovine (in "Billy the Kidder")
• Brad Garrett - Longhorn Silver (in "Cow Pirates of Swampy Cove")
• Ellen Gerstell -
• Michael Gough - Small Change (in "Stolen on the River")
• Mark Hamill -
• Dorian Harewood - The Great Bovini (in "Circus Daze")
• Kate Mulgrew - Barbed Wire Babs/Miss Barbara (in "No Way to Treat a Lady")
• Rob Paulsen - Adult Cody Calf (in "Skull Duggery Rides Again"), Cacklin Kid (in "The Cacklin Kid"), Swifty Buckhorn (in "The Fastest Filly in the West")
• Neil Ross - Bat Blastagun (in "Another Fine Mesa" and "How the West was Shrunk")
• Stu Rosen -
• Kath Soucie - Carly, Jake Daffidill, Sally Sheep
• Sally Struthers - Bessy Bluebell ("in "Another Fine Mesa")
• Russi Taylor - Sally Sue Holstein

Crew

• Ginny McSwain - Voice Director
• Cary Silver - Talent Coordinator

Theme song

The theme song was sung by country artist Billy Dean, who co-wrote it with Verlon Thompson.

Toys

A toy line was released by Hasbro with designs reminiscent of Playmates Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures.

In other media

Video game

A four-player arcade game was also released by Konami in North America and Europe on November 19, 1992. Ryan Brown worked closely with Konami on the game's development. The game is a side-scrolling run-and-gun similar to Konami's previous game, Sunset Riders.

Comic book

In 1992–1993, Archie Comics published a three-issue limited series based on Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa, which was written by Brown's long-time collaborator Doug Brammer.

See also

In Spanish: Los vaqueros de Moo Mesa para niños