MARTIN MYSTERY

 

MARTIN MYSTERY
(YTV, Discovery Kids October 1, 2003-March 27, 2006)
 
Marathon Animation, Rai Fiction, Image Entertainment Corporation, Merchandising Media GmbH (season 1-2)

  

            Martin Mystère is an Italian comic book created by Alfredo Castelli and Giancarlo Alessandrini, first published by Segio Bonelli Editore in 1982. The titular Martin is an art historian, archaeologist, anthropologist, adventurer, writer, television producer and collector of unusual objects living in New York City; although most of his education and adventures take place in Italy. Following the death of his parents in a plane crash, Martin devoted himself to studying the most enigmatic places and events in human history. Accompanying him on his adventures is Java, a mute Neanderthal man he discovered in a hidden city of Neanderthals. His long-time fiancée and eventual wife is Diana Lombard, a social worker that often gets annoyed with his taking off on his adventures on a whim and being surrounded by beautiful women. Although Martin often comes up against unscrupulous men and secret agencies, he occasionally found himself facing more fantastical beings such as Morgan le Fay, Loki, and Merlin.

Java, Martin, Billy and Diana, on the case.

            The comic was very loosely adapted into a French/Canadian animated series: Martin Mystery. Created by Vincent Chalvon-Demersay and David Michel and developed by them with Séverine Villaume, the show reimagined Martin (Sam Vincent & Alexis Tomassian) and Diana (Kelly Sheridan & Dorothée Pousséo) as 16-year-old Canadian stepsiblings attending Torrington Academy; a boarding school located in Sherbrooke, Quebec. They worked for a secret organization known as “The Center” that covertly protected Earth from extraterrestrial and supernatural threats. Martin’s vast knowledge of the supernatural and his overall intuition made him a valuable member of The Center; however, his hyperactive nature, huge ego and clumsiness tended to get in the way. Working alongside them was Martin’s best friend, Billy (also Vincent & Yann le Madic), a small, green-skinned alien, and Java (Dale Wilson & Sylvain Lemarié), a super-strong and simple-speaking caveman from 200,000 years ago that worked as a janitor at Torrington as a cover. Serving as their supervisor was M.O.M. (Teryl Rothery & Laurence Dourlens); a super-serious former agent that was an expert in hand-to-hand combat. A planned 4^th season would have revealed that M.O.M. was Diana’s mother who had her memories of her family removed and stored so that she could run The Center without distractions.

Martin suffering a slight case of vampirism.

            Martin Mystery debuted on YTV and Discovery Kids (later Nickelodeon) in English and Vrak in French on October 1, 2003, running for 3 seasons across 66 episodes. In May and June of 2004, the series began airing in the United States on the FoxBox Saturday morning programming block. After 7 episodes it was removed and the series was later picked up and aired by Nickelodeon before eventually moving to Nicktoons Network from 2005-08. Because the series was produced by Marathon Animation (now Zodiak Kids & Family France) and Image Entertainment Corporation, Martin Mystery characters have appeared in their other productions; including a  crossover with Totally Spies! In the years since, Martin Mystery has garnered a cult following, despite Alessandrini disavowing the series in 2011 as “very ugly”. While it has had a very limited home media release, episodes can be found on video hosting sites like YouTube. In 2023, Powerkids Entertainment Ltd. and Boneli Entertainment, the production arm of Sergio Bonneli Editore, announced a new 3D computer-animated series based on the comic that seemed to maintain the youthful versions of the characters. However, as of this writing, it has yet to be released.

JOHNNY BRAVO

 

JOHNNY BRAVO
(Cartoon Network, July 14, 1997-August 27, 2004)
 
Cartoon Network Studios
 
 

            Van Partible, born Efrem Giovanni Bravo Partible, attended Loyola Marymount University. His senior thesis project was an animated short film about an Elvis Presley impersonator called Mess O’ Blues. The short ended up becoming quite the spectacle and a source of pride for the university as, when Partible accidentally destroyed the soundtrack during editing, LMU graduate, writer, producer and voice over artist Lee J. Bognar assembled the cast and musicians to perform the soundtrack live when it was presented. Partible’s animation professor showed the film to a friend at Hanna-Barbera and Partible was asked to submit a pitch for their upcoming anthology showcase, What a Cartoon!

The proto-Johnny.

            Partible revised the main character from Mess O’ Blues. He took inspiration from James Dean, giving the character large blonde hair, a t-shirt with rolled-up cuffs and jeans rather than black hair and an Evils suit, as well as a top-heavy muscular build. He was inspired by Michael Jackson’s use of whip snaps and cracks whenever he struck a pose, which the character would do often to show off. Finally, he would be renamed “Johnny Bravo”, a play on Partible’s middle name and inspired by the alias Greg Brady (Barry Williams) used to secure a record deal on The Brady Bunch.

Johnny attempting to woo a woman by showing off.

            After the first three segments debuted as World Premiere Toons, Johnny Bravo became a series on July 14, 1997 with those original segments comprising its first episode. The series centered on Johnny (Jeff Bennett, continuing the Elvis impersonation), a narcissist and dimwitted self-proclaimed ladies’ man from Aron City (a nod to Elvis’ middle name). Johnny spent all of his time trying to impress a woman enough to go on a date with him (and who always rejected him in a comedically violent manner). Johnny lived with his mother, “Momma” Bravo (Brenda Vaccaro). Other characters included Little Suzy (Mae Whitman), a talkative and intelligent young girl that liked to agitate him; Carl Chryniszzswics (Tom Kenny), a geek that idolized him despite Johnny always bullying him; Master Hamma (Brain Tochi), a martial arts instructor that taught Johnny, but considered him weak and stupid; Pops (Larry Drake), the unscrupulous owner of the local diner that made food with strange ingredients and often advised Johnny; Donny Osmond, playing a version of himself that always irritated Johnny; and Jungle Boy (Cody Dorkin), a feral boy with super strength and the ability to talk to animals.

Johnny showing off for Daphne and the Scooby gang.

            Much of the series’ humor came from pop culture references and celebrity guest stars that included Adam West, Shaquille O’Neal, Seth Green and more, as well as other Hanna-Barbera characters such as the cast of Scooby-Doo, Speed Buggy, Jabberjaw and others. Partible had intended for the middle segment to be a parody of The New Scooby-Doo Movies with celebrity appearances, but ultimately guest stars were used informally. Johnny Bravo was put on hiatus before being renewed for a second season; during which time Warner Bros. took over Turner Broadcasting and fired Partible due to his inexperience. He was replaced by Kirk Tingblad for the next two seasons, who retooled the show’s look, tone and humor. Partible, on the basis of a new pitch he attempted with WB, was rehired and oversaw the final season of Johnny Bravo, which undid a lot of the changes made. Johnny Bravo proved a hit for the network, received numerous award nominations, and continues to be fondly regarded in cartoon retrospective articles and lists.

DEXTER’S LABORATORY

 

DEXTER’S LABORATORY
(TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, April 27, 1996-June 15, 1998
November 18, 2001-November 20, 2003)
 
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons/Cartoon Network Studios

 

            While studying at the California Institute of the Arts, Genndy Tartakovsky screened a two-and-a-half-minute pencil test as his second student film for the producers of Batman: The Animated Series; earning him a job on the series. That same short would later earn him a slot in the upcoming Cartoon Network anthology series, World Premiere Toons (aka What a Cartoon!), which was developed to help find the network new content to turn into original programming as well as reinvigorate the classic short subject approach to animation. “Changes” debuted on the network on February 26, 1995, and it became one of the network’s highest-rated What a Cartoon! shorts. Not only did Tartakovsky end up making three more shorts starring his characters, but the network ended up giving him a full series order. Joining him on the production were fellow classmates and co-workers Craig McCracken, Rob Renzetti and Paul Rudish.

Dexter and Dee Dee with Dad and Mom.

            Dexter’s Laboratory centered on a pair of siblings. One was the boy-genius Dexter (Christine Cavanaugh & Candi Milo), who had a massive secret laboratory under his house where he used science to solve a wide range of problems or deal with his arch-rival: Mandark (Eddie Deezen). Dexter was inspired by Tartakovsky’s childhood in Chicago, where he was mocked for his “very thick accent” since his family immigrated from Russia. Dexter, in turn, had an accent since “all well-known scientists have accents.” Dee Dee (Allison Moore & Kat Cressida) was Dexter’s tall, carefree older sister who loved to invite herself into Dexter’s lab and end up causing a mess with his inventions while dancing around. She was designed first, as Tartakovsky wanted to animate a girl dancing. Dexter was created to be her opposite in both personality and shape. Their parents, known only as Mom (Kath Soucie) and Dad (Jeff Bennett), were unaware of their son’s activities. The series also featured two recurring segments. Dial M for Monkey followed Monkey (Frank Welker), Dexter’s pet who was secretly a crime-fighting superhero. Monkey fought crime alongside Agent Honeydew (Soucie) and a team of heroes called The Justice Friends. The other segment, The Justice Friends, followed three of their members: uber patriotic Major Glory (Rob Paulsen); electric guitar-wielding Valhallen (Tom Kenny); and the simple-minded purple Infraggable Krunk (Welker) as they shared an apartment together. They were parodies of Captain America, Thor and the Hulk in a sitcom with a superhero twist. They were inspired by Tartakovsky’s reading Marvel Comics while learning how to speak English.

Monkey with The Justice Friends.

            Dexter’s Laboratory debuted on April 27, 1996. Early episodes premiered on TBS and TNT before airing on Cartoon Network; all of which were then-owned by Turner Broadcasting. The simplistic art style was inspired by UPA shorts and the short The Dover Boys at Pimento University. Other influences included Warner Bros. cartoons, Hanna-Barbera cartoons and Japanese animation.  The series was a hit with the critics, and was Cartoon Network’s highest-rated original series. It was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards and won three Annie Awards. After 2 seasons, the series was intended to end with the film Ego Trip. However, Cartoon Network ended up ordering 110 more episodes in 2001. As Tartakovsky was busy developing other projects, Chris Savino took over the series for an additional two seasons; with the third being ushered in by a 12-hour viewer’s choice marathon.

THAT'S SO RAVEN

 

THAT’S SO RAVEN
(Disney Channel, January 17, 2003-November 10, 2007)
 
It’s a Laugh Productions, Brookwell McNamara Entertainment (season 1-3), That’s So Productions (season 4), Warren & Rinsler Productions (season 4)
 
 

            Created by Michael Poryes and Susan Sherman, That’s So Raven (originally The Future Is on Me, and later Absolutely Psychic before the lead was cast) focused on teenaged Raven Baxter (Raven-Symoné) who had something special about her: she was psychic. Raven would receive random psychic visions that she would misinterpret as bad, and tried to protect her friends and family by taking steps to ensure the vision wouldn’t come true. Pratfalls ensued, which often included costumes designed by her for herself and whatever friend she roped into helping. Her secret was shared by her best friends Chelsea Daniels (Anneliese van der Pol, after Raven originally auditioned for it), an environmentalist, and Eddie Thomas (Orlando Brown), a girl-crazy aspiring rapper, and her family that included her father Victor (Rondell Sheridan), a chef that would eventually open the teen hangout The Chill Grill, mother Tanya (T’Keyah Crystal Keymáh), a law student, and brother Cory (Kyle Massey), who had entrepreneurial ambitions.

The Baxter family.

            That’s So Raven debuted on Disney Channel on January 17, 2003, with reruns airing on Disney-owned ABC starting that fall as part of the ABC Kids programming block. Raven and Brown would perform the series’ theme, composed by John Coda. It was the network’s first multi-camera sitcom and the highest-rated original series in its history; surpassing Lizzie McGuire and earning numerous award nominations. It also became the first to break Disney’s controversial 65-episode rule, running for 100 episodes. Originally planned for only 3 seasons like other Disney shows, the series was renewed for a 4^th. That ended up costing them Keymáh, who had to leave to care for her ill grandmother. Tanya’s absence was explained by her going to England to study. Raven was promoted to a producer on the series at 19-years-old, giving her more input on casting, scripts and special effects; although she declined an offer to direct an episode. During this season, the series took part in a crossover with fellow Disney shows The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Hannah Montana called That’s So Suite Life of Hannah Montana.

Raven with her besties Eddie and Chelsea.

            Ultimately Disney decided to end the show as the actors were aging out of their roles, and a companion film slated for 2007 never saw production due to Raven’s busy schedule. Instead, Disney commissioned its first Disney Channel spin-off series Cory in the House, which would follow Cory and Victor to Washington, D.C. where Victor served as the White House executive chef. It lasted two seasons. An Indian version, Palak Pe Jhalak, debuted on Disney Channel India in 2015 and ran for a single season. 2017 saw the return of Raven and van der Pol in Raven’s Home, which initially followed the now adult friends that were both divorced single mothers before a soft reboot sent Raven back to San Francisco to care for her ailing father. Her son, Booker (Isaac Ryan Brown) inherited his mother’s powers, creating a whole new generation of mishaps. It lasted longer than the original series, running 6 seasons and 122 episodes.

LITLE BILL

 

LITTLE BILL
(Nickelodeon, November 28, 1999-February 6, 2004)
 
Nickelodeon Animation Studio (as Nick Jr. Productions)
 
 
 

            Little Bill was a series of children’s books written by Bill Cosby with collage-style art from Varnette Honeywood, whose work was collected by Cosby and his wife and were featured on the sets of his programs. The titular character was based on Cosby and his then recently-deceased son, Ennis, for which the books were dedicated and from where the character’s catchphrase—“Hello, friend!”—originated. The books were told in the first-person as Little Bill dealt with things like bullying, honesty, family, friends, boredom and more. 12 books were published by Scholastic between 1997 and 1999 and received critical acclaim for their realism and accessibility. In late 1997, Nickelodeon entered into discussions to adapt the books into three specials, with a potential series to follow.

The cover to one of the original books.

            The animated version of Little Bill, Cosby’s second after Fat Albert, debuted on Nickelodeon on November 28, 1999, as part of its Nick Jr. programming block (although the first 8 episodes originally aired on Sunday nights). Little Bill Glover Jr. (Xavier Pritchett) was an inquisitive 5-year-old boy with a knack for storytelling and daydreaming that learned about everyday life through his family, friends and imagination. He lived in Philadelphia with his father Big Bill (Gregory Hines), a building inspector; mother Brenda (Phylicia Rashad, who played Cosby’s wife on both The Cosby Show and Cosby); sister April (Monique Beasley), who was 10-years-old and tended to be competitive and played sports; brother Robert (Devon Malik Beckford & Tyler James Williams), an 8-year-old violin player and member of the Boy Scouts; and great-grandmother Alice Kendall (Ruby Dee). Elephant was the family’s pet hamster, named for Little Bill’s favorite animal, and tended to roll around the apartment in his plastic hamster ball. Cosby would appear in live-action during the show’s opening sequence, composed part of the theme song with Don Braden and Jon Faddis, and portrayed Little Bill’s favorite superhero, Captain Brainstorm.

The series' characters: Little Bill, teacher Miss Murray, sister April Glover, friend Kiku Wong, April again, brother Bobby Glover, cousin Fuchsia Glover, Bill again, Kiku again, Bill once more, Bobby again, best friend Andrew Mulligan, grandmother Alice the Great, mother Brenda Glover, father Big Bill, and Elephant.

            The series ran for two seasons, being nominated for several Daytime Emmy Awards and winning one and spawning a book series of its own. Nick Jr. would continue to air episodes through 2006, while it also aired concurrently on CBS Saturday mornings as part of the Nick on CBS programming block. In 2007, the series moved to the Noggin channel and then to the channel version of Nick Jr. in 2009. Reruns would continue to air until 2014. When allegations against Cosby came to light, networks and studios began to distance themselves from the comedian; with his shows and specials—including Little Bill—being pulled from schedules. The books themselves had also been targeted for removal from school libraries. Since then, Nickelodeon has largely scrubbed Little Bill from its history; excluding it from a 2022 illustrated timeline of its programs and not offering it up for streaming. However, episodes were still available to purchase through Prime Video.

MONSTER HIGH (2022)

 

MONSTER HIGH (2022)
(Nickelodeon, October 6, 2022-October 24, 2024)
 
Mattel Television, Nickelodeon Animation Studio

 

 

Monster High is a fashion doll and media franchise produced by Mattel, who first trademarked the name in 2007. The line was developed by toy designer Garrett Sander and his twin brother, Darren, and featured the teenaged children of monsters and other mythical creatures attending the titular school in the fictional town of New Salem. While shopping with young girls, the Sander brothers noticed they were into goth fashion. That inspired the idea for a toy with a dark aesthetic, further influenced by monster movies, Tim Burton films, and Lady Gaga (who would go on to partner with the line in support of her Born This Way Foundation). The line officially launched in 2010, with the first dolls consisting of patchwork monster and central character Frankie Stein, vegetarian vampire Draculaura, werewolf Clawdeen Wolf, blue-skinned sea monster Lagoona Blue, mummy princess Cleo de Nile, and laid-back gorgon Deuce Gorgon. They were joined a few months later by brilliant and mute zombie Ghoulia Yelps, and Holt Hyde, a descendent of Mr. Hyde who had a human alter ego of Jackson Jekyll and some fire elemental traits. Other monsters would follow, resulting in over 750 different dolls being produced for the line. These were bolstered by a full multi-media campaign that included a web series on YouTube, a series of television films on Nickelodeon, video games, books and music releases.

The original dolls: Clawdeen Wolf, Lagoona Blue, Cleo de Nile, Deuce Gorgon, Frankie Stein, and Draculaura.

        The line proved a massive success, thanks to its edgier appeal and messaging of anti-bullying, personal acceptance and diversity. They racked up $500 million in annual sales and sold so quickly the dolls were often hard to find in stores. Monster High eventually diminished Mattel’s Barbie line sales, although not quite surpassing it. However, sales began to decline in 2014 as the brand aged and other companies tried to produce their own competing toys. When they reached their lowest point in 2016, the line underwent a reboot to appeal to a younger age group. The ploy ultimately failed and the line was discontinued in 2018. Special collector dolls were released in 2020 and 2021 and did well enough to warrant a second reboot in 2022; targeting general consumers and collectors that came up with the franchise. While still drawing on the familiar characters they created, changes were made to their designs and backgrounds to help spark new interest and further increase diversity. To bolster this reboot, a live-action musical film and a new computer-animated series entered production, both in partnership with and slated to air on Nickelodeon.

Meet the new class: Deuce Gorgon, Toralei Stripe, Heath Burns, Draculaura, Clawdeen Wolf, Frankie Stein, Lagoona Blue and Cleo de Nile.

            Monster High debuted on the network on October 6, 2022. It followed the lives and antics of the students of Monster High, a boarding school built over a wellspring of magical power and hidden from humans by a magical barrier. Clawdeen Wolf (Gabrielle Nevaeh Green), now the Afro-Latina daughter of a werewolf mother and human father who grew up in the human world, was sent to Monster High with a necklace that allowed her to access her wolf abilities. She was made the new central character and shown to be on a quest to embrace her monster side and discover what happened to her mother. She was the leader of the Boo Crew, which featured Frankie Stein (Iris Menas), now the non-binary kid of mad scientists Dr. Mary (Debra Wilson) and Dr. Victor Stein (Vishesh Chachra); Draculaura (Courtney Lin), now half-Taiwanese, vegan instead of vegetarian, and who fed off the energy from success and feeling good about herself along with a  passion for the forbidden practice of witchcraft; Lagoona Blue (Valeria Rodriguez), originally a blue-skinned Australian sea monster now depicted as a pink-skinned Honduran who grew up in a sunken castle with little knowledge of the outside world and a love of telenovelas; and Cleo de Nile (Kausar Mohammed), depicted as a bit kinder than previous portrayals, but was still prideful and standoffish given her royal status and always desired to be #1. Other characters included Deuce Gorgon (Tony Revolori), son of Medusa and a barista in the local hangout, the Coffin Bean Café; Toralei Stripe (Alexa Kahn), who was initially antagonistic of Clawdeen and led a band called The Hissfits; Heath Burns (Alexander Polinsky), the son of fire elementals and passionate environmentalist; and Headless Headmistress Bloodgood (Wilson), daughter of the Headless Horseman who oversaw the school.

The 2022 relaunch dolls.

            The animated series ran for 2 seasons and 50 episodes. While developer and showrunner Shea Fontana shared fans’ hopes for a third season, the production has yet to receive an order for more episodes. After the series’ initial run, it continued to be aired on the network in reruns; even finding its way to their Saturday morning schedule.

REAL SCARY STORIES

 

REAL SCARY STORIES / SCARY…BUT TRUE
(FOX Family, October 21, 2000-March 10, 2001)
 
Highland Entertainment

 

 

MAIN CAST:
Hollie Ralph – Narrator
Patrick Russell – Narrator

 

            Real Scary Stories was a documentary-style series that saw a different group of teenagers from around the country set out to confront an unusual occurrence in their area; from haunted mansions and firehouses to urban legends. The viewers would then follow along as the teens trapsed around spooky locations, being terrified by various sounds or near-encounters.

Exploring the U.S.S. Hornet.

            Created, produced and co-directed by Don Wells through his production company, Highland Entertainment, the series relied on the submissions of real teenagers who have had ghostly encounters or knew of a local legend. Once the production selected the story they wanted to follow, they organized an expedition to bring those teens into a direct encounter with whatever entity was involved; most commonly by having them spend the night in a haunted location or an investigation of an affected area after sunset. Of course, since the supernatural really doesn’t appear on camera on demand, these adventures were often sweetened by clever sound design, specific editing cuts, and intentional camera angles. Supplementing the main action and were interviews with other locals and relatives to add more details to the phenomenon. After the encounter, the teens would gather for a recap of what they just experienced.

Spending the night in a haunted firehouse.

            Real Scary Stories debuted on FOX Family (now Freeform) on October 21, 2000; renamed Scary…But True for international airings. Depending on length, two or three different story segments aired per half-hour episode. Hollie Ralph and Patrick Russell served as the monotone narrators; introducing the scenario and the players involved. The two would alternate turns, generally marked by briefly overlapping and reading the same line together as one faded in and the other faded out in order to create an eerie, otherworldly effect with their voices. Each episode would end with a P.O. Box address that viewers could send submissions to potentially wind up as a future segment. The series was written by Wells along with Michael Koegel, Christopher Manahl and Helen Demeranville.  Music was composed by Shuki Levy, Haim Saban (as Kussa Mahchi), John Majkut and Barry Kolsky.

Strange emanations appear in photographs of Diane.

            After 13 irregularly scheduled episodes, the series ultimately ended up being cancelled in favor of the very similar Scariest Places on Earth, which debuted on the network two days later and featured star power in the form of The Exorcist’s Linda Blair and Poltergeist’s Zelda Rubinstein. Real would remain on the network for a while as a schedule-filler, even after it was taken over by Disney and renamed ABC Family. It last aired during 2002’s 13 Nights of Halloween programming block, but would return for one more time in 2010 on the now-defunct channel Chiller TV under its Scary title. In the years since, almost every episode has found its way to YouTube through fan uploads.

 

 

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Rest in Peace / Haunted Home Video / Green Man Tunnel” (10/21/00) – After buying a new bed from an antique shop, Jason feels a presence in his room. / Heather discovers a ghost on her family’s Christmas tape. / An antisocial figure haunts the train tunnels in a Pennsylvania town.

 

“Cell Block Four / Seacoast Theater Poltergeist” (10/28/00) – Danny explores Eastern State Penitentiary with a team of ghost hunters. / A poltergeist haunts a local theater and causes havoc during the final performances of shows.

 

“Jersey Devil / The Grey Ghost / Ray the Banisher” (11/18/00) – The 13^th generational descendant of the Jersey Devil decides it’s time that they meet. / Four teens investigate the possible haunting of the USS Hornet. / Ray is your average teenager—except he’s able to communicate with the dead. 

 

“Bachelor’s Grove / The Vortex” (11/25/00) – Mark and his classmates investigate the hauntings at Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery. / Ray and his friends see if ghosts remain at the ruins of an exploded munitions factory.

 

“The Haunted Lighthouse / The Altamaha Sea Monster / Martha” (12/2/00) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“Anges, Are You There? / Room 347 / Bodie’s Curse” (11/16/00) – Erin attempts to communicate with the ghost of the woman entombed in her school’s walls. / C.J. returns to the hotel where he once befriended a ghost girl. / Two girls investigate the curse of bad luck that befalls anyone that removes something from the ghost town of Bodie.

 

“Virginia City Dare / 13 Curves” (1/20/01) – Jaena and Chris dare each other to stay in Virgina City’s two most haunted houses until midnight. / Joe sets out to make a documentary about a dangerous stretch of road, complete with a séance led by a psychic.

 

“Gurdon’s Light / Condie’s Ghost” (1/27/01) – Teens investigate the railroad tracks where a railroad foreman was murdered and his headless ghost now roams. / While visiting her friend at college, Sarah discovers that her dormitory is haunted.

 

“McPike Mansion / The Search for Bigfoot / The Haunting of Diane” (2/3/01) – Drew and his friends investigate the ruins of the most haunted mansion in town. / Richie leads an expedition into the woods to try and discover if Bigfoot is really out there. / Diane looks into why strange objects appear around her whenever she’s photographed.

 

“The Lady in Gray / The Deacon” (2/10/01) – Zach plots to make a ghost angry enough to manifest in the library she haunts. / Local kids investigate a ghost known as The Deacon that supposedly watches over the Depreciation Lands Museum.

 

“Lemp Mansion / The Haunted Firehouse / The Winchester Mansion” (2/24/01) – Teens investigate the abandoned home of a family driven to extinction by madness. / Kurt plans to spend a night in the firehouse where a heartbroken fireman killed himself. / Three teens investigate the mansion of Sarah Winchester, designed to keep her safe from the spirits of those killed by Winchester rifles.

 

“The Myrtle Plantation / Manresa Castle” (3/3/01) – Erin and Shalita plan to spend the night at a haunted plantation. / Joey and Kasey spend the night in a castle haunted by the ghost of a priest that committed suicide.

 

“Mansfield Prison / The Ghost of the Inyos” (3/10/01) – Rob and his friends investigate the most haunted prison in the country. / Chareen and Felicia see if the ghost of mass murderer Antoine Benoit is still haunting the Inyo Mountains where he died.

CAKE (2006)

 

CAKE (2006)
(CBS, September 16-December 9, 2006)
 
Brookwell McNamara Entertainment, KOL/AOL for Kids, DiC Entertainment Corporation

 

MAIN CAST:
Christa B. Allen – Cake
Anna Maria Perez de Tagle – Miracle Ross
Keegan McFadden – Benjamin Turner
Emily Everhard – Amy Carson

  

Since the year 2000, CBS’ Saturday morning programming was handled by corporate cousin Nickelodeon following the merger between Viacom and CBS Corporation. 5 years later, Viacom was again split from CBS Corporation into two distinct companies under the ownership of National Amusements. With Nickelodeon no longer under a common umbrella, CBS entered into a partnership with DiC Entertainment to take over their Saturday morning programming. DiC, in turn, partnered with KOL, internet provider America Online’s kid-centered website, to create the KOL Secret Slumber Party programming block.

Amy, Miracle, Cake, and Benjamin.

One of the first three programs launched under the block was Cake, created by Barbara Meyer and Maia Terzian and developed by Kaaren Lee Brown (not to be confused with the 2019 series of the same name). Cake was a how-to sitcom centered on a girl named Cake (Christa B. Allen) who was heavily into fashion and arts and crafts; inspired by her Grandma Crystal who used to design costumes and serve as a roadie for famous rock stars. Along with her best friend Miracle Ross (Anna Maria Pere de Tagle), who also loved fashion and art but was a bit on the materialistic and spoiled side, and young neighborhood girl Amy Carson (Emily Everhard), who was an environmentally-conscious jokester, Cake put on a public-access television show called Cake TV. Handling the camera was their other friend, Benjamin Turner (Keegan McFadden), whose stage fright left him happy to stay behind the scenes. They operated out of Cake’s garage and Crystal’s nearby Airstream travel trailer, which was loaded with supplies from her designing days. Despite other characters being mentioned and often being a factor at the center of an episode’s story, nobody else appeared on the show beyond a photograph of Cake with her mother and grandmother or vocal cameos from the television set.

Glue guns ready!

Cake debuted on CBS on September 16, 2006 with the rest of the Slumber Party block. The series was written by Susie Singer Carter and Don Priess, with Donald F. Roberts, PhD serving as an educational consultant to ensure the series met educational requirements mandated by the FCC. The main theme written by Michael J. Mani and Carter with vocals by Joey Singer, and music by Ron Wasserman. Costumes were designed by Sandy Ampon, CDG, and supervised by Dianne Kennedy, with Tim Wonsik, Raquel L. Jaffe and Stephen Oh as the costumers. The sets were decorated by Lisa De Los Reyes, SDSA.

Amy, Cake and Benjamin out in the yard by Grandma Crystal's trailer.

Each episode began with Cake showing the audience what craft project they’ll be working on later in the episode; such as jazzing up an old purse, creating a custom CD case, or revitalizing old plush toys. That was followed by a standard sitcom plot designed to lead the characters into a need or inspiration for that particular project. For instance, the first episode featured Miracle’s credit card being cut off by her parents for repeatedly going over her limit, leaving her without the ability to get a new dress (which was made for her by Cake) or a gift for a friend’s Bat Mitzvah (which was the mentioned project). For a bit of corporate synergy, one project was inspired by the success of pop group the Slumber Party Girls, the hosts and namesake of the Slumber Party block. The rest of the episode was dedicated to the filming of Cake TV and the craft project. The show would end with the disembodied voice of Cake saying “It’s a piece of cake!”

Amy, Cake and Miracle filming Cake TV.

As for the show-within-a-show, Cake TV featured the girls all wearing shirts with their names in creative lettering and Amy providing their introductions. Cake would then describe the project they’ll be working on. However, before that could begin, they played some stock footage of themselves marching out on the lawn carrying signs that spelt out the acronym “PARTY TIME”. PAR stood for “Permission Always Required”, reminding their viewers that they needed parental supervision and/or permission to use the more dangerous tools like scissors or a hot glue gun (Cake’s favorite). TYT stood for “Take Your Time”, encouraging the organization of materials and proceeding at a casual pace. IME stood for “Imagination Means Everything”, opening up their minds to allow their creativity to flow.  The girls then guided the viewers along on a step-by-step process of what materials they’ll need and what to do so they could follow along with their own craft project.

It's "PARTY TIME"!

Despite being nominated for two Young Artist Awards, winning one, the series was ultimately cancelled after the end of its only season of 13 episodes. A 14^th episode titled “Amy Takeover” was planned, but was never aired. Cake remained on the network in reruns until 2009. Following DiC’s takeover by Cookie Jar Group. CBS renewed its programming deal with Cookie Jar which then subsequently replaced all of DiC’s programming with their own for new programming block Cookie Jar TV.  While never released on home media, various episodes have been uploaded by fans to video sites like YouTube and it was made available for streaming on Tubi.

 

 

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Miracle on Ice…The Case of the Frozen Assets” (9/16/02) – When Miracle’s parents freeze her credit card, she’s unable to buy a new outfit or gift for a friend’s Bat Mitzvah.

 

“Flip-Flopped” (9/23/06) – Amy copies other people’s style until Cake helps her discover her own individuality.

 

“Or-dis-ganized” (9/30/06) – Cake must help everyone get over a spreading case of forgetfulness.

 

“Not Your Mama’s Piggy Bank” (10/7/06) – Amy’s desire to help rebuild a playground destroyed by a tornado helps inspire that week’s craft to renew old stuffed toys.

 

“You Tell Her” (10/14/06) – Everyone tries to figure out the best way to tell Miracle that she stinks when she comes to the garage straight from soccer practice.

 

“The Write Inspiration” (10/21/06) – The kids are inspired by the Slumber Party Girls’ success and set out to achieve their own.

 

“Baby Blues” (10/28/06) – Amy decides that she’s tired of being treated like a kid because she’s the youngest and starts dressing and acting like a grown-up.

 

“Makin’ Up Is Hard to Do” (11/4/06) – A misunderstanding breaks up the friendship between Miracle and Benjamin.

 

“A Cake Walk” (11/11/06) – Miracle is concerned that Cake’s preoccupation with her grandmother’s hip surgery has drained her creative spark.

 

“Trump-IT” (11/18/06) – Benjamin loses his passion for trumpet-playing in the school’s concert band when the new exchange student seems unimpressed by his skill.

 

“Flopportunity” (11/25/06) – Miracle’s fashion sense is challenged when the ripped jeans she spent all her money on is deemed inappropriate by the principal.

 

“Snack Attack” (12/2/06) – Cake is concerned about Miracle’s unhealthy chocolate chip cookie addiction.

 

“Second Hand Woes” (12/9/06) – Amy hates getting hand-me-downs, but Cake sees it as a creative opportunity.