Remember that one day when you could wake up without an alarm? When you would get your favorite bowl of cereal and sit between the hours of 8 and 12? This is a blog dedicated to the greatest time of our childhood: Saturday mornings. The television programs you watched, the memories attached to them, and maybe introducing you to something you didn't realize existed. Updated every weekend.
Check out the history of Tom and Jerry at this post here.
Warner
Bros. was banking heavily on Looney Tunes: Back
in Actionbeing a success. So much so, they imagined it as the
springboard into which they could revitalize the Looney Tunes franchise
and re-introduce theatrical shorts. Unfortunately, those plans all fell apart
when the movie underperformed at the box office. Warner Bros. immediately
cancelled their planned slate of Looney Tunes shorts, but kept production
going on the 30 Tom and Jerry ones they commissioned for the next two
years before pulling the plug. While “The Karate Guard” did
actually manage to make it to theaters as intended, Warner Bros. decided the
best place for the rest was on television. A few of the shorts aired on Cartoon Network before being packaged
together to air on Kids’ WB
as Tom and Jerry Tales.
Spike and Butch pick on Tom and Jerry at the beach.
The serieswas a return to
form for the Tom and Jerry franchise. Each episode featured three shorts with
some kind of connecting theme and had Tom (Don Brown, with co-creator William Hanna’s archived yell
used a few times) and Jerry (Sam Vincent) engaged in their slapstick-laden
rivalry (although they would occasionally team-up against a common foe). A
great number of characters from the franchise were revived for the shorts,
including Tom’s primary nemesis Spike (Michael Donovan) and his son, Tyke;
Butch (Colin Murdock), an alley cat who was sometimes Tom’s friend and other
times his rival for Jerry; Tom’s equally-silent love interest Toodles Galore;
Tom’s owner Mrs. Two-Shoes (a modified version of the racially-charged
Mammy Two Shoes, voiced by Nicole
Oliver); young mouse Nibbles (Reece
Thompson & Chantal
Strand); and frequent appearances by Droopy Dog (Brown & Donovan). Character
designs were handled by Dan
Haskett, Frank Molieri, and
Tony Cervone, and while they
adhered to the most up-to-date models of the characters, occasionally they
would slip back into earlier designs in various episodes.Despite having
credited voice actors, Tom and Jerry didn’t speak like in the disastrousTom and Jerry: The Movie.
They only spoke in the short “Kitty
Hawked” as it relied on them relaying a story to an audience on and through the
screen.
Taking the battle to cyberspace.
Tom and Jerry Tales debuted
on The CW as part of the Kids’ WB programming
block on September 23, 2006; although it did air in markets outside of the
United States earlier in the year. It would be the first Tom and Jerry show
produced by Warner Bros. since their acquisition of the MGM properties through the merger of Turner Entertainment
and Time Warner. The series was
very well-received due to its harkening back to the franchise’s earlier days.
The writing and animation by Yearim
Productions Co., Ltd, Lotto
Animation, Toon City Animation,
Inc. and Rough Draft Studios
were praised. A second season was ordered and brought the total number of
episodes to 26 for the course of the series; with 78 shorts total (some of which
served as updates or contained similarities to earlier entries of the franchise).
Any chance of a third season was
likely killed by the fact that Kids’ WB was on the way out when the second
season was due to finish airing. Reruns of the series survived the block’s
transition to The CW4Kids, remaining
on the network until September of 2008. The series would return in reruns on
Cartoon Network in 2011 where the series was able to be broadcast in the
widescreen aspect ratio it was produced in due to the changing television
technology.
EPISODE GUIDE: “Tiger Cat / Feeding Time / Polar Peril” (9/23/06) – After
Tom accidentally wrecks his art, a monkey stealthily paints Tom to look like a
tiger. / Tom must keep Jerry from feeding the zoo animals or else Spike will
fire him. / An overprotective polar bear becomes Jerry’s defender.
“Joy Riding Jokers / Cat Got Your Luggage? / City Dump
Chumps” (9/30/06) – Mistaken as parking valets, Tom and Jerry take Spike’s car
on a joyride. / Trashing a hotel lobby leads to Tom being made a bellboy to pay
for the damages. / Tom and Butch battle over who gets Jerry in a junkyard.
“Way-Off Broadway / Egg Beats / Cry Uncle” (10/7/06) – Tom
and Jerry compete as buskers to try and out-earn each other. / Tired of the city
noise drowning out his music, Jerry moves to Tom’s farm where the music causes
Tom’s pet hen to rapidly lay eggs. / Jerry’s uncle Pecos Pest comes for a visit
and keeps him and Tom up with his annoying singing. “Bats What I Like About the South / Fraidy Cat Scat / Tomb
It May Concern” (10/28/06) – Jerry uses a bat that resembles him to put a scare
into Tom. / Jerry pretends to be a ghost in order to scare away Tom after he
buys the haunted house he lives in. / Tom follows Jerry to an ancient tomb where
they disturb and anger the mummy within. “Dine-O-Sores / Freaky Tiki / Prehisterics” (11/4/06) – Tom
and Jerry end up shipwrecked on an island full of dinosaur eggs. / Under mind
control, Tom and Jerry enter a Hawaiian volcano where they meet Pele, goddess
of flame. / The rivalry transcends generations to Tom and Jerry’s prehistoric
ancestors. “Digital Dilemma / Hi, Robot / Tomcat Jetpack” (11/11/06) – A
lightning strike sends Tom and Jerry into their new computer. / Jerry falls in
love with the robot female mouse Tom builds to trap him. / Jerry and Spike
team-up to take Tom down after he acquires a jetpack. “Fire Breathing Tom Cat / Medieval Menace / The Itch”
(2/3/07) – Jerry ends up getting Sir Tom eaten by the dragon he’s sent to slay,
which ends up with Tom acquiring the dragon’s flame breath for himself. / A
chase ending up in a medieval castle goes magical when Tom and Jerry get ahold
of a magic wand. / Jerry wants to join a band of rats whose music causes
everyone to become itchy. “Ho, Ho, Horrors / Doggone Hill Hog / Northern Light Fish
Fight” (2/10/07) – Tom and Jerry battling it out in Tom’s dream ends up with
them wrecking the house for real. / Spike claims Tom and Jerry’s sledding hill
for himself. / Ice fishing at the North Pole leads to Tom trying to steal
Jerry’s fish. “Cat Nebula / Martian Mice / Spaced Out Cat” (2/17/07) – Jerry
and Nibbles encounter an alien squid Tom while traveling through space. / Giant
mice from Mars abduct Tom and Jerry. / Tom attempts to become the first to
reach the moon in order to impress Toodles and win her back from Spike. “Octo Suave / Beach Bully Bingo / Treasure Map Scrap”
(2/24/07) – An underwater chase leaves Tom looking like a mermaid and
attractive to an octopus. / A relaxing day at the beach for Tom and Jerry is
interrupted by Butch and Spike. / Tom attempts to get some sunken treasure for
himself and cut Jerry out of the deal. “Destruction Junction / Battle of the Power Tools /
Jackhammered Cat” (3/3/07) – An extreme case of splinters sees Spike put in
charge of finishing a building’s construction. / A suddenly rich Tom and Jerry
try to outdo each other while building their neighboring mansions. / Tom and
Jerry attempt to get at a feast Spike is guarding at a construction site. “Tin Cat of Tomorrow / Beefcake Tom / Tomcat Superstar”
(4/28/07) – Mrs. Two Shoes gets a robotic cat to catch Jerry. / Tom enrolls in
a gym to get into better shape to catch Jerry. / Tired of a life of fame, Tom
retires to the countryside. “Piranha Be Loved by You / Spook House Mouse / Abracadumb”
(5/5/07) – Jerry sicks a piranha on Tom as Tom tries to win Toodles’ affection.
/ A chase leads Tom and Jerry into an amusement park haunted house. / Tom and
Jerry battle with magic. Season 2: “More Powers to You / Catch Me Though You Can’t / Power Tom”
(2/22/07) – Tom must protect a team of superheroes’ power rings from an evil
dog. / Jerry gains super speed, making him uncatchable. / Tom and Jerry
accidentally end up in the lair of a superheroine. “Zent Out of Shape / I Dream of Meanie / Which Witch”
(9/29/07) – Jerry constantly foils Tom’s attempts to achieve inner peace. /
Sultan Tom uses genie Spike to grant his wishes and remove Jerry from his
palace. / Tom is caught in a feud between two witches and must catch Jerry for
one of their potions. “Don’t Bring Your Pet to School Day / Cat Show Catastrophe /
The Cat Whisperer with Casper Lombardo” (10/6/07) – Nancy brings Tom to school
and tells him to behave so she’ll win a gold store, but that’s made difficult
when another student brings in Jerry. / Jerry and Nibbles try to spoil Tom’s
chances at winning a cat show. / When Tom accidentally ruins her tea party,
Mrs. Two Shoes hires him a trainer. “Adventures in Penguin Sitting / Cat of Prey / Jungle Love”
(10/13/07) – Jerry takes in a penguin that escaped from the zoo. / Tom sneaks
into an animal park to make a meal out of its star: Jerry. / Jerry is protected
by a baby rhinoceros while a snake falls in love with Tom’s tail. “Invasion of the Body Slammers / Monster Con / Over the
River and Boo the Woods” (10/27/07) – A shape-shifting alien emerges from a
ship that lands next to Tom and Jerry’s house. / Abraham Van Helsing crashes a
monster convention, but all his assistant Tom is interest in is catching Jerry.
/ A fishing trip takes Tom and Jerry to a haunted forest where they encounter a
bat creature. “Xtreme Trouble / A Life Less Guarded / Sasquashed”
(11/3/07) – Jerry rides his skateboard to catch a cheese truck with Tom in hot
pursuit. / Jerry sabotages Tom as he tries out for a lifeguard job against
Droopy. / A camping trip has Tom, Jerry and Tuffy meet Bigfoot. “Summer Squashing / League of Cats / Little Big Mouse”
(11/10/07) – Tom must protect a garden from Jerry and his clan. / Butch invites
Tom to join a secret organization of cats that unite to catch mice. / Tom gets
blamed when Jerry steals all the food from the refrigerator, but Jerry ends up
too bothered by an ant to enjoy it. “Bend it Like Thomas / Endless Bummer / Game Set Match’
(12/1/07) – Tom’s enthusiasm for soccer bothers the neighborhood. / Tom and
Jerry compete against Droopy in a surfing competition. / Spike forces Tom to
teach Tyke tennis. “The Declaration of Independunce / Kitty Hawked / 24 Karat
Kat” (12/8/07) – Tom must retrieve the Declaration of Independence after using
it to send Jerry off in a paper airplane. / Museum tour guides Tom and Jerry
recount their parts in the Wright Brothers’ flight. / Tom and Butch attempt to
steal Jerry’s gold claim. “Hockey Schtick / Snow Brawl / Snow Mouse” (2/2/08) – Jerry
freezes the pond to skate, but Tom wants to play hockey. / Magic hats end up
making Tom and Jerry’s snowball fight more interesting. / Tom and Jerry
encounter a giant abominable snow mouse in the Himalayas. “DJ Jerry / Kitty Cat Blues / Flamenco Fiasco” (2/9/08) – Jerry
hosts a party in the record store Tom is meant to guard. / Tom gives Jerry as a
gift to the girl he likes. / Jerry and his girlfriend compete against Tom and
Toodles in a flamenco contest. “You’re Lion / Kangadoofus / Monkey Chow” (3/8/08) – Tom
visits his lion relatives to give Jerry as a gift, but they both end up on the
menu. / Jerry is adopted by an overprotective momma kangaroo. / Tom and Mrs.
Two Shoes move to get away from Jerry, but he follows them and causes trouble
with a monkey. “Game of Mouse & Cat / Babysitting Blues / Catfish
Follies” (3/22/08) – Tom and Jerry play virtual games in which their roles are
reversed. / Tom and Jerry’s nephews prove to be a handful. / A fishing trip
leads to an encounter with catfish Butch, who wants to eat Jerry while Tom
wants to eat him.
In 2002, 4Kids Entertainment
acquired the license for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and debuted their
own cartoon the following year. Compared to the original
1987 cartoon, it was a darker, more serious take on the franchise that
brought it closer to its comic roots; however, it wasn’t without its own kind
of humor. The series initially aired on the FoxBox/4Kids TV programming
block on FOX until it was discontinued in
2008, prompting its move to The CW for its
final season on The CW4Kids
programming block. Ultimately, a combination of low ratings and co-creator Peter Lairdselling
the franchise to Nickelodeon saw the end
of the series, but not before 4Kids delivered one final parting gift.
The meeting of the generations.
As 2009
marked the 25th anniversary of the Turtles franchise, 4Kids wanted
to do something for it and conceived of an idea to bring their Turtles in
contact with the 1987 incarnations, as well as the original
comic versions. Originally, they planned to make it part of the final Back
to the Sewer season, but decided to make it its own standalone film
entitled Turtles Forever. Itsaw the 1987 Turtles shunted to the
2003 universe when a dimensional teleporter malfunctioned during a fight in the
Technodrome.
The 2003 Turtles became aware of their capture by Hun (Greg Carey) and the Purple Dragons gang
and rescued them; leading to an encounter with 1987 Shredder (Load Williams)
and Krang (Bradford Cameron). Shredder hypothesized that there might be another
Shredder on that world and sought to ally with him to defeat the Turtles once
and for all. However, 2003 Shredder (Scottie Ray) found his counterpart
insufferable and took over the Technodrome and its horde of Foot
Clan robots for himself. 2003 Shredder discovered that there were multiple
dimensions with even more Turtles that could potentially disrupt his plans, and
theorized that he could end them all by destroying the universe he deemed
“Turtle Prime”. The 8 Turtles made their way to Turtle Prime where they
encountered their 1984 black and white, grim and gritty counterparts and proceeded
to battle 2003 Shredder for the fate of the entire multiverse. The film ends
with a cameo from creators Kevin
Eastman and Laird as they prepared to publish the first issue of Turtles
in 1984.
12 Turtles to save the world.
The art
styles for the 1987 and 1984 Turtles were rendered as close to their original
ones as possible, while the 2003 Turtles sported a different design than what
was currently seen on their show. For the final season of the 2003 series, the
Turtles were modified to closer resemble the ones seen in the 2007 theatrical
film TMNTfor
“brand
unity”. For Turtles Forever, the Turtles were given a slight
redesign of their appearances during the Fast
Forwardstory arc. Other incarnations of the Turtles, including
the original live-action
films, TMNT, and various other interpretations from the “Guest Era” of the comics
(a span of the original series from #22-44 that weren’t made by Eastman and
Laird and later deemed non-canon) also made cameo appearances during 2003
Shredder’s villain monologue. The only one absent was the live-action Ninja
Turtles: The Next Mutation, which was famously despised by
Laird. Adrian Marquez Barrios
served as the lead character designer, with further designs by Danny Kimanyen, Khary Randolph and Emilio Lopez.
Poster for the film.
A rough unfinished
version of Turtles Forever was shown at San Diego Comic Con in July of 2009. A
limited theatrical release was planned for October 29th, but a
dispute between 4Kids and Fathom Events
ended that plan. It instead made its debut on television on November 21st
on The CW4Kids following a 25th anniversary Top 10 episode countdown;
although, this version was shortened with the removal or reduction of several
scenes. Initially billed as a one time only airing, it was split up into three 23-minute parts
and aired weekly between November 28th and December 12th.
The uncut version of the film containing 12 extra minutes was put up on the
4Kids website on December 16th. The film aired again on March 20th,
then May 29th, and then on August 29th and Thanksgiving
Day on Nickelodeon.
2003 Shredder--outside of his human armor--is not amused by 1987 Shredder.
Turtles
Forever was generally well-received by fans of the 2003 show and the
franchise as a whole. However, some fans took issue with the portrayal of the
1987 Turtles. They were depicted as unable to take anything seriously, ineffective
in combat, and obsessed with getting pizza no matter what. It got to the point
that the 2003 Turtles got frequently exasperated while trying to reign them in
as well as their constant need to give noogies and the fact that 1987 Raphael
(Sebastian Arcelus) kept breaking the 4th wall (as was done
frequently in the original show). The
1987 series actually began as a more action-oriented show, but concerns over
the violence were raised and forced the show to tone it down. That necessitated
the inclusion of often silly alternatives to straight-out violence, such as
slicing open a fire hydrant to hit foes with water, or causing a foe to fall on
their own by being pushed into some kind of pratfall. The final season also
took on a much darker and serious tone, attempting to turn Shredder back into a
genuine threat. But, the 1987 Turtles were allowed a redeeming moment crucial
to the outcome of the final battle in the film.
The player takes control of an
unseen being whose job it is to tend to a neglected piece of land on Piñata Island.
Using a variety of gardening tools,
they get the plot ready for the planting of various kinds of plants and
erection of structures and habitats. When certain requirements are met, the
garden will attract any one of 60 species of Piñatas to come visit (based on
real animals, but in wild colors and given cute designations). Meeting further
requirements would result in that Piñata becoming a resident. If two Piñatas of
the same species take up residence (they have no gender) and their requirements
for mating are met, they will perform a “romance dance” that will lead to an
egg being delivered by Storkos
(a superpowered human woman who retrieved the eggs from Egg Mountain,
which the Piñatas had trouble doing themselves). The player can then hatch the
egg or send it off to another player. The ultimate goal is to keep the Piñatas
happy and healthy.
Professor Pester and the Ruffians.
The game isn’t just all gardening
and mating, however. To add a challenge there are antagonists in the form of
Ruffians led by the masked human Professor Pester and Sour Piñatas,
all of whom want to wreak havoc on your garden or harm your resident Piñatas.
Pester and his Ruffians can be chased off by purchasing certain items or
siccing a particular Piñata on them, while Sours could additionally be trapped
and tamed into being good Piñatas. Another threat comes from the natural food chain
of the island, known as the “doughnut of life”. Some Piñatas are predator and
prey to each other and must be eaten for a requirement. If both types are
residents, however, they won’t do that unless told, but fights between them
could still break out. And what gardening game would be complete without the
constant threats of weeds popping up and destroying your hard work?
Piñata Island.
Viva Piñata was developed by
British studio Rare,
who was responsible for hit Nintendo
games like Donkey Kong Country until Microsoft
purchased them outright. Co-founder Tim Stamper
came up with the idea of the game for the handheld Pocket PC
platform in 2002 and started up a development team on it. After the studio’s
acquisition, development moved to the Xbox
and eventually the Xbox
360
for its enhanced graphics. Wanting a unified style, the developers settled on
the piñata motif which excited them not only because piñatas were rare in their
home country, but the idea of their being filled with candy opened up all-new
gameplay possibilities. Microsoft’s only instruction to the team was to keep it
family-friendly, as they sought to make it the Xbox’s signature franchise and
use it to increase its market appeal.
The game was released on November 9,
2006. In order to meet their deadline, Rare ended up having to cut partial
ideas leaving the game incomplete in their eyes. However, the game was
well-received by players and performed within the company’s expectations,
making it an internal success. In promotion of the system and the game,
Microsoft collaborated with Six
Flags Mexico to build a 48-foot (15m) tall and 52-foot
(16m) long Piñata modeled after a Horstachio
(a horse); the largest-recorded
piñata ever built. Microsoft greenlit a sequel, which Rare
saw as an opportunity to make a more definitive version of the original. They
built upon the work they had already done, adding in a new cooperative
multiplayer mode, Xbox Live Vision
Camera support, more types of Piñatas and areas to catch
them, a new plot, fashion show and racing minigames and the ability to teach
the Piñatas tricks. Trouble
in Paradisewas released on September 2, 2008 to generally favorable
reviews that praised the additions but felt it was too similar to its
predecessor.
As part of their franchising,
Microsoft sought to bring their properties to television. They partnered with 4Kids
Entertainment and offered them several options from their
library. Seeing potential in Viva Piñata, 4Kids selected it before the
game was even released. 4Kids worked closely with Rare in making the show;
basing the character designs on the 3D models used in the game, including tips on
how to interact with the in-game Piñatas into the stories, and having original project
lead Gregg
Mayles approve each script for their applicability to the
game.
Langston in Piñata Central.
Like the game, the series was set on
Piñata Island, home to sentient Piñatas. The Piñatas went about their days
munching on candy and gardening until they reach their full Candiosity,
which was detected by a Candiosity
Meter that operated like a scale, or their own personal Piñatameter
that resembled a smart phone. The meter was monitored by Piñata
Central, which fielded requests for Piñatas at human parties.
Once full of their limit of candy, a Piñata was loaded into the Cannoñata
(a massive cannon) and fired to a party where they were smashed open by the
guests. Upon returning to the island, the Piñata was reassembled by robots and
they resumed their life until the next time they’re full. Certain Piñatas were
exempt from attending parties, such as royalty like King Roario (a lion, voiced
by Dan Green) or older more fragile Piñatas in retirement.
Promo art featuring Franklin, Simone, Paulie, Les, Fergy and Hudson.
The show focused on a primary set of
inhabitants: Hudson Horstachio (Green), one of the most popular and famous Piñatas
on the island whose ego often needed to be reigned in; Paulie Preztail (Brian
Mallard), a red-tailed fox that was clever and no-nonsense with a skill for
cooking and a dislike of parties; Fergy Fudgehog (David Wills), a hedgehog who
loved candy but had a deathly fear of parties and did whatever it took to get
out of them; Franklin Fizzlybear (Marc Thompson using a surfer accent), a laid
back grizzly bear who loved to surf and draw portraits of the others; Tina and
Teddington Twingersnap (Kathleen Delaney and Jamie McGonnigal, respectively), a
two-headed serpent that had sub-par gardening skills and always argued with
each other; Ella Elephanilla (Rbecca Soler), an elephant who suffered from
short-term memory loss and loved ballet; Les Galagoogoo (Eric Stuart, who also
served as voice director), a Galago whose intelligence was often overshadowed
by the fact his words came out as high-pitched gibberish (although the others
seemed to understand him, they just ignored him); and Langston Lickatoad (Mike
Pollock), a toad who was the representative of Piñata Central and responsible
for getting a full Piñata to the Cannoñata.
The Sours.
As in the game, the Piñatas were
often accosted by Professor Pester (David Brimmer) who concocted a variety of
plans to trap and break open the Piñatas in order to get at the candy they
contained. His plans were often ruined by his bumbling henchmen, the Ruffians
(Stuart), who also led to Pester accidentally creating the Sours. Another
antagonist was the Great Bonboon,
a baboon that pretended to be an all-knowing guru and tried various schemes to
steal the other Piñatas’ candy. Other characters included Chortles
Chippopotamus (Sean Schemmel),
a hippopotamus that believed himself to be a comedian; Pecky Pudgeon (Stuart),
a gossiping photojournalist pigeon; Simone Cinnamonkey (Soler), Hudson’s
resourceful monkey agent; Prewitt
Profitamole (Mike MacRae),
a mole who was the only mechanic on the island and an inventor, and who
performed repairs on Piñatas; Dr.
Quincy Quackenberry, a duck and the resident psychologist
called on to cure everything that ailed the others; Hailey
Horstachio, Hudson’s biggest rival; and Beverly
Badgesicle, a badger that was Hudson’s biggest and most
obsessive fan.
Ella squishing Paulie.
Viva Piñata debuted on FOX on August 26, 2006 as
part of the 4Kids
TV
programming block. The series was developed by Norman Grossfeld
and Lloyd
Goldfine, and was a co-production between 4Kids, Microsoft, YTV (where it would air in
Canada), and Bardel Entertainment,
who animated it. Each episode consisted of two segments written by Anne D. Bernstein,
David Steven Cohen,
Robert David,
Randolph Heard,
John T. Reynolds,
Eric Scott
and Mike
de Seve. The characters’ designs were adapted for the show
Ryan Cummings, Jason Cheng, Edmond Mai, Shayan Naziripour, and Carolyn Wong.
The series’ music was composed by John Siegler,
Mike Brady, Lou Cortelezzi, Sue Shufro, Elik Alvarez, Peter Lurye, Matt
McGuire, Ralph Schuckett, Freddy Sheinfeld, Dan Stein and Russell Velázques,
with Siegler and Grossfeld doing the theme.
The first 20 episodes of season one
aired on FOX until April 28, 2007. The remaining 6 episodes aired in the weeks
leading up to the debut of the second season in November, complete with a new intro. However, after three
episodes the new ones stopped airing in the United States. By this time, the
relationship between 4Kids and FOX was dissolving due to 4Kids’ failure to pay
the network for the air time and the network’s inability to guarantee that
affiliates would even carry the block. Ultimately, FOX would abandon Saturday
morning programming altogether. In the meantime, the series continued to air on
YTV. 4Kids brought the show back onto their CW4Kids
programming block on The
CW
in September of 2008, but took it off again after 6 episodes; leaving 16
episodes unaired in the United States. Viva Piñata finished out its run
on YTV in May of 2009, and continued airing reruns through June of 2011. Across
both seasons, Viva Piñata aired in over 107 different countries and was
translated in 27 languages.
Microsoft commissioned a video game
based on the show, making use of its characters—Hudson, Paulie, Fergy, Franklin
and their female counterparts that appeared in various episodes—and voices.
However, as Rare was working on Trouble in Paradise (whose plot was
influenced by the show, although not as directly as this game), Microsoft
outsourced its production to Australian Krome
Studios. Unlike the other Viva Piñata games, Party Animals was
comprised of minigames in what is known as a party game, a genre popularized by
the Mario
Partyseries. It was framed like a game show where contestants competed
against each other with colorful commentary provided by announcers, followed by
a racing game and random challenge games. The winner was determined by which character
ended up with the most Candiosity. Although Microsoft expressed the utmost
confidence in Krome to help keep the franchise—and the 360—successful, the end
result was a game that was poorly received. Many criticized the fact it leaned
towards a much younger audience, and that the minigames felt far too similar to
each other. Rare would go on to make only one more Viva Piñata game in
2008: Pocket Paradisefor the Nintendo DS.
While maintaining the original gameplay mechanics. Pocket Paradise would
make use of the cartoon’s characters and clips both within the game and for its
marketing.
One of the DVD covers.
The segments “Chewnicorn in the
Garden” and “Horstachio of a Different Color” were released for free download
on the Xbox Live Marketplace
as a kind of preview before the show’s debut. The latter was also later
included on a bonus disc included with the Special
Edition of the game. In 2009, Shout!
Factory released the first 10 episodes across two DVD collections: The
Piñatas Must be Crazy and Other Storiesand Lights,
Camera, Action!Imavision
Canada would release three
volumes in Canada containing 4 episodes each. In the United Kingdom, Walt
Disney Pictures released 15 episodes across 3 DVDs: Hudson’s Better
Half, Invasion of the Boogie Snatchers!, and A Match Made in Court! On
the UK releases, segments were mixed up and not paired with their originally
aired partners. In Australia and New Zealand, Magna Pacific
and Warner
Bros. released 12 different episodes across 3 collections. EPISODE
GUIDE (some airdates vary by source and may not be entirely accurate): Season
1: “Cocoadile
Tears / Candiosity” (8/26/06) – Tina and Teddington need Cocadile tears to
improve their garden. / Fergy tries to decrease his Candiosity so he won’t have
to go to the party. “Queen
for a Day / A Chewnicorn in the Garden” (8/26/06) – The Buzzlegums grow tired
of Beatrice and make Franklin their leader. / Fergy and Franklin try to
convince Paulie that Chewnicorns are real. “Legs
/ Horstachio of a Different Color” (8/26/06) – Fergy has to borrow Chuckles’
legs when he loses his during dance practice. / A new rival turns Hudson off of
entering the Spring Fair Horstachio Competition. “Whirlm
with a Dream / The Crush” (8/26/06) – Wilson’s stature keeps him from going to
a party. / Ella accepts invitations to the dance from Fergy and Paulie, causing
problems between them. “Trojan
Horstachio / The Piñatas Must Be Crazy” (9/23/06) – Professor Pester and his
minions disguise themselves as a female Horstachio to lure Hudson into a trap.
/ Great Bonboon convinces everyone that a balloon animal is a supreme being. “Franklin
Can’t Dance / Les Saves the Day..Again!” (9/30/06) – Franklin’s friends talk up
his the skills at dancing he doesn’t have to help him impress a girl. / No one
can understand Les’ warnings about the erupting volcano. “Sick
Day / Lights, Camera, Action!” (10/7/06) – Fergy takes care of the sick Piñatas
in the hopes of catching their cold. / Professor Pester disguises himself as a
movie director and everyone wants to be in his film, except Paulie. “Mad
Mongo / Hudson’s Biggest Fan” (10/21/06) – Franklin attempts to tame a Sour
Macaraccoon. / Beverly Badgesicle loves Hudson so much that she just won’t
leave him alone. “Mission:
ImPiñatable / My Little Fergy” (11/11/06) – Professor Pester captures Hudson,
who takes a liking to Pester’s lair. / Fergy’s mother comes to visit and he’s
embarrassed at never having been to a party like he’s written to her that he
has. “The
Great Gob Rush / Hero” (11/4/06) – Fergy stumbles upon a cave full of golden
caramel clusters. / When Franklin saves Hudson’s life Fraklin has trouble with
his newfound fame and Hudson has trouble being overshadowed by him. “On
a Sour Note / Pig Out Mountain” (11/18/06) – Sour joining the Piñata’s band
makes them a success. / Paulie and Fergy join Roary Rashberry’s gang on a trek
for a location supposedly loaded with food, which they plan on moving to. “Piñatapartyphobia
/ Royal Visit” (2/17/07) – Dr. Quackberry tries to cure Fergy’s party phobia. /
Fergy attempts to get knighted by King Roario so he won’t have to go to any
parties. “The
Wraisins of Wrath / Piñata Island Idol” (2/17/07) – A raisin pie turns the Piñatas
into their personality opposites. / The Piñatas attempt to raise funs to
rebuild the dance hall. “To
Catch a Piñata / Invasion of the Boogie Snatchers” (2/24/07) – Fergy becomes
the new Piñata wrangler. / Professor Pester hypnotizes the Piñatas to get all
of their candy. “Cannibalism
/ Pecky Pudgeon, Private Eye” (3/3/07) – Fergy is charged with cannibalism
after he eats a chocolate Bunnycomb he said was his cousin. / Pecky searches
for the missing Ella. “Rocket
to Nowhere / Twingersnapped!” (3/10/07) – Bonboon offers to send Fergy to
another planet for all of his candy. / Teddington and Tina split into two after
they get lost in the jungle. “Franklingestion
/ Confetti-it is” (3/17/07) – Franklin can’t remember a party he went to, or
figure out why he’s spitting up vegetables. / Franklin’s coat falls out when he
contracts Confetti-it is and goes to Dr. Quackberry for a cure. “Soil
and Green / I, Pretztail” (3/24/07) – Fergy and Paulie discover a Whirlm that
can make plants grow anywhere he digs. / Paulie learns he was mistaken about
his origins due to a misplaced file. “Free
the Piñatas / For My Next Trick” (4/7/07) – Professor Pester convinces the Piñatas
to destroy the Cannonata in Piñata Central. / Professor Pester sets his sights
on Franklin’s new magic wand. “Treasure
of Piñata Madre / Between a Flock and a Hard Place” (4/21/07) – Professor
Pester seeks to claim a found treasure chest. / When Goobaa rampages his flock
through the gardens, Teddington gets the blame. “High
Plains Drafter / Pester’s Party” (10/13/07) – A caricature artist visits the
town and destroys the confidence of the Piñatas. / Professor Pester changes the
Cannonata’s coordinates to launch the Piñata’s to his party trap. “Mouse
Flap / Snow Place Like Home” (10/20/07) – Monty Mousemallow gets angry when
Franklin accidentally sits on him. / Paulie and Fergy’s retirement destination
ends up being in the Arctic. “The
Abominable Jeli / Mirror Shmirror” (10/27/07) – Franklin, Fergy, Hudson and Les
find themselves in the middle of a snowball war. / Franklin falls into another
dimension and encounters an evil dictator version of himself. “My
Pal Langston / Snail’s Pace” (10/27/07) – Fergy and Paulie plot to become
Langston’s friends so he won’t send them to any parties. / Fergy’s soccer team
must overcome their handicaps to deal with suddenly facing off against a team
of Sours. “Hudson
on Hudson / Wild Horstachios” (11/3/07) – Hudson’s puppet show starring a
puppet of himself gives him a crisis of ego. / Hudson ends up living in the
wild for the first time with a group of Horstachios. “My
Sweet Sours / Six Million Dollar Piñata” (11/10/07) – Professor Pester
reminisces about the beginnings of his sinister plans. / Fergy gets a bionic
upgrade and has trouble controlling his new abilities. Season
2: “A
Terrible Tribute / Pester the Piñata” (11/17/07) – Hudson is placed on a show
where he meets Piantas from his past. / Professor Pester gets amnesia and
believes he’s a Piñata. “Fudge
Match / Hudson’s Holiday” (11/24/07) – Fergy becomes jealous of a visiting
Fudgehog and challenges him to a race. / Hudson is forced to take a vacation on
a deserted island. “Hudson
Tells All / Langston’s Jameleon Cousins” (12/1/17) – Hudson’s talking doll
records a rant and offends the other Piñatas. / Langston’s cousins visit and
pull pranks on him. “The
Fudgetive / She Stomps at Night” (2/17/08 CAN, 9/13/08 US) – Fergy tricks the Piñatas
into believing he’s been captured by a vacationing Professor Pester. /
Professor Pester attempts to lure a sleepwalking Ella to his lair. “Les
the Jet Setter / Slayin’ em at the Sands” (2/24/08 CAN, 9/20/08 US) – Fergy
uses Les’ jetpack to avoid parties. / Professor Pester puts on a comedy routine
to make Paulie’s cousins lose their candy. “Crimes
of Passion Fruit / The Antlers are Blowin’ in the Wind” (3/2/08 CAN, 9/27/08
US) – Thinking the big boss of Piñata Central—a bowl of fruit—is ignoring him.
Fergy smashes him with a stapler. / Paulie and Fergy are joined by Machi Moojoo
in their attempts to avoid parties. “Sumo
Tsumani / Recipe for Disaster” (3/9/08 CAN, 10/4/08 US) – Fergy becomes a sumo
wrestler so that he can gorge. / Fergy and Paulie enter a cooking contest to
win a lifetime supply of candy. “Mr.
Unbustable / Too Many Fergys” (3/30/08 CAN, 10/11/08 US) – Fergy plots to work
out hard to make himself unbreakable. / Fergy ends up in a time portal that
sends him back to yesterday. “Party
Parasite / Hibernation Nation” (11/4/06) – Hudson learns a parasite is eating
all of his candy. / Franklin invites his friends to a hibernation party. “The
Old Piñatas Home / Shirley Sells Out” (4/6/08 CAN, 10/18/08 US) – Fergy and his
friends decide to spruce up his uncle’s retirement home. / Professor Pester
gives Shirley a potion that changes her into a Sour. “The
Transparent Trap / To Catch A Pester” (6/8/08 CAN) – Great Bonboon convinces
Fergy that a tonic turned him invisible. / The Piñatas lock up Professor Pester
in their new jail, but he turns out to be an annoying houseguest. “My
Sweet Swanana / Ella Forgets to Forget” (12/8/07) – Fergy and Paulie set Rory
up on a date in an effort to get him out of Paulie’s house. / Fergy uses Ella’s
forgetfulness as a service, but she ends up beginning to remember the secrets
she’s told. “Motivational
Break / Bringing up Cluckle” (4/20/08 CAN) – Langston enlists a drill sergeant
to get Fergy and Paulie ready for parties. / Joining a big brother program puts
Hudson in charge of a mother Cluckle’s three kids. “Beauty
and the Beasts / The Talented MR. Hck” (4/27/08 CAN) – Disliking the entrants
he has to judge for the Miss Piñata pageant, Hudson has Fergy, Franklin and
Paulie enter disguised as women. / Hudson’s hiring of a double backfires when
the double really does try to take his place. “De-Mock-Racy
/ Her Royal Forgetfulness” (5/18/08 CAN) – Hudson takes the lead in the vote to
replace Langston. / Fergy takes advantage of Ella’s new status of being a queen
to play her husband and get out of parties. “The
Wrong Stuff / Piñatametermania” (5/25/08 CAN) – Hudson is sent to a party on
the moon that ends up being a trap by Professor Pester. / A mix-up at the
theater leaves the Piñatas with the wrong Piñatameters and jobs as a result. “Heads
and Tails / Speechless” (6/22/08 CAN) – A faulty repair robot puts Hudson’s
head on Fergy’s body and he ends up put into a circus. / Teddington takes
advantage of Tina’s laryngitis to engage in his terrible singing without her
complaints. “Good
Cop, Bad Cop / Announce This” (6/29/08 CAN) – Hudson becomes a cop and arrests
everyone on the island—even himself. / Hudson, Pierre and Pecky compete to be
the announcer for the Party Animals Championship Challenge. “Ruffians
On Strike / Zip It Good” (9/7/08 CAN) – Hudson helps the Ruffians strike
against Professor Pester…now he needs to get them back to him. / Hudson
takes a vow of silence. “Tabloid
for Two / All Spun Out” (9/14/08 CAN) – Rivals Hudson and Hayley are forced
into a wedding when their agents promote their having a relationship. /
Professor Pester opens a nightclub to lure in the Piñatas and steal their
candy. “Arctic
Invasion / Say Uncle Hoofy” (1/11/09 CAN) – Hudson and Langston work together
to get rid of the sensational new visiting band. / Hudson and Fergy fight over
who’s the favorite son when Fergy’s mother and Hudson’s uncle get married. “A
Match Made in Court / Hudson’s Better Half” (1/18/09 CAN) – Beverly takes
Hudson to court and is awarded the right to be within 10 feet of him at all
times. / Hayle and Hudson’s teams compete in an obstacle course that both want
to lose. “Hudsonly
Ever After / Hudson Who-Stachio?” (9/8/07) – Hudson tells his dummy a bedtime
story to help him sleep and inserts himself into it. / When Hudson is ignored
at a party he falls into a personal crisis. “The
Horstachio Who Never Was / Fergy Drops Out” (9/15/07) – Hudson creates a new
identity for himself that the others like more than his original one. / Fergy
and Paulie flee a party re-education course and Fergy finds himself named the
master of a group of party-rejecting Chocstriches. “Super
Hero Hudson / The Amazing Hudini” (9/22/07) – Hudson gains super powers and
becomes a hero, but ends up taking things too far. / Hudson attempts to revive
his career by becoming a stunt performer. “Variations
on a Theme Park / Masters of Klutz Fu” (5/18/09 CAN) – Hudson prevents Rodney
from building his theme park. / Fergy and Paulie decide to create their own
martial art to fend of kids at parties.
