Dave the Barbarian

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Dave the Barbarian
Genre	Animated television series Children's television series
Running time	approx. 22 minutes (per episode)
Creator(s)	Doug Langdale
Starring	Jeff Bennett Danny Cooksey Estelle Harris Erica Luttrell Tress MacNeille Kevin Michael Richardson Frank Welker
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
Original channel	Disney Channel
Original run	January 23, 2004–January 22, 2005
No. of episodes	22
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Dave the Barbarian is a Disney animated television series, created and written by Doug Langdale, that premiered in January of 2004 on The Disney Channel. A year later, it began broadcasting on Toon Disney as well. The series takes place in the Middle Ages and centers on a powerful yet cowardly barbarian named Dave. Together with his sisters Fang and Candy and their Uncle Oswidge, the family is in temporary rule of the fictitious land of Udrogoth. The real king and queen (their parents), Throktar and Glimia, are away "fighting evil" (though they make occasional appearances via crystal ball) and have left Candy in charge.

Much like its predecessors The Flintstones and the short-lived The Roman Holidays, Dave the Barbarian juxtaposes both the ancient and modern. Candy, for example, shops in the local mall and uses the crystal ball for online shopping sprees. Occasionally, the series even drops the so-called "fourth wall" with a character directly addressing the audience.

There is a narrator, known as the Storyteller -- sometimes referred to as the Narrator. He is voiced by Jeff Bennett. He plays a big part in the show, as he controls what happens in the story. He is able to talk to the characters of the show, and vice versa. In fact, he was once captured by Dark Lord Chuckles the Silly Piggy, and was forced to read narration where Dave loses to him.

The show, though surprisingly praised by critics, was mysteriously put on hiatus after its 22nd episode. It is unknown what Disney Channel plans to do with the series. Fans of the show say a cancellation is most likely imminent, and say the reason was not that the show was lacking in quality, but because the jokes were over the head of regular Disney Channel viewers. However, stylistically, the humor of the program is dissimilar to the majority of the Disney lineup. Dave the Barbarian continues to air on the Disney Channel at an extremely late-night (mostly at 4 AM on weekends) time slot.

In Australia it airs at 11:30 weeknights

Contents 1 Characters 1.1 Main characters 1.2 Minor characters 1.3 Main Enemies 2 Cast 3 Episodes: 4 Cancellation? 5 External links

[edit] Characters

[edit] Main characters

• Dave The Barbarian - A huge, muscular barbarian war-prince who would rather knit and cook than fight evil. He is afraid of a lot of things, and screams a lot. He only became a barbarian because he thought it was a librarian who also cut hair. At least once an episode, he will be frightened somehow, and shriek his high-pitched, effeminate scream. He is also allergic to many things, including cats, cheese, roses, coal and pudding. This causes his face to turn pink and swell up to approximately twice its size until the offensive substance is removed. His catchphrase: "Bejabbers." Dave is voiced by Danny Cooksey.

• Fang - The youngest of the three siblings, Fang is a very rambunctious and uncivilized girl who loves to smash things. She resembles a cross between both Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm of The Flintstones and is the victim of a running gag where she is often mistaken for a monkey, hence her catchphrase, "Not a monkey!" (however during the fight against Chuckles and the Vermites, just after receiving the insult, she jumps on a bunch of bananas and begins shouting like a monkey). She is too small to fight most of the time and resents Dave (who is very strong) because of his cowardice. Like her Uncle Oswidge, she secretly likes to play with dolls, but doesn't like people to know. In one episode where the castle is being destroyed, she cries "All my dollies are in there!", then quickly tries to cover up what she just said. Fang wields a spear in combat. Fang is voiced by Tress MacNeille.

• Candy - Left in charge while the king and queen are away, Candy has a contemporary "valley girl" attitude and would rather shop and hang out than rule a kingdom. Candy's main ability is her martial arts skills. She is rather selfish, but gets over that in a small way while helping Hamwise and his wife defeat the nefarious Invisigoths. Candy is voiced by Erica Luttrell, she has used the quote "Don't mess with the princess" on a number of occasions and has referred to herself also as a Barbarian, she has displayed the most strength out of the family often when it comes to monsters destroying a shop or so, whether or not she is stronger then Dave remains unseen but out of the two; she is the one willing to use it.

• Lula - The shrill, impatient and sarcastic talking enchanted sword in Dave's scabbard, this weapon with a Brooklyn accent has a tendency to insult Dave or the others when she sees fit. Her main ability is shooting a lightning bolt from the tip of her blade. She was once the sword of Argon the Ageless, but was used by Argon as the nose of a snowman, and left there for centuries. She is 20,000 years old and is related to many other magical weapons, including mighty Mjolnir, hammer of Thor, and the trident of the water god Poseidon. Lula is voiced by Estelle Harris.

• Uncle Oswidge - Dave's uncle, likely on Glimia's side of the family, though this is based solely on appearance. A rather clumsy sorcerer who usually wreaks havoc with his spells rather than being useful. Far from the stereotypical sorcerer (it was revealed in one episode that he never really went to sorcerer school, he just worked in the cafeteria), Uncle Oswidge loves to eat and presents a rather unkempt appearance. Like his niece Fang, he secretly likes to play with dolls. His favorite food is ham and he cannot resist it. He also can't resist something called "Nut Logs". His most powerful spell is "Benzoyl Peroxide!". Oswidge is voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.

• Faffy - The family's idiot, potato-shaped pet dragon. Unlike most dragons, he breathes lightning and is domesticated, plus he doesn't have a tail. He does possess a wild streak that can be revealed when around other dragons, particularly evil ones with rebel attitudes. Faffy's name might be a parody of Fafnir's, a legendary dragon of Norse mythology. Voice legend Frank Welker provides the "voice" (mostly squeaks and snorts) of Faffy.

[edit] Minor characters

• King Throktar and Queen Glimia - Rulers of Udrogoth, the parents of Dave, Candy and Fang. They are away "fighting evil" around the world, though they can communicate to their children via Oswidge's crystal ball, which seems to operate like a phone. Occasionally are called while in a villain's dungeon or similar.

• Dinky and Cheezette - Princess Candy's best friends, who are sometimes unsupportive - and wisely so - towards her actions. They are as obsessive about fashion, clothes, and social lives as is Candy.

• Ms. Bogmelon - A shopkeeper who loves money and loves to rip off her customers so she can get money. She can be cowed by Fang and other aggressive people but takes advantage of meek people like Dave. She sells evil weasels, mystical swords, and other plot-related paraphernalia. Catchphrase: "Looking for something, sweetie?" (before whoever she asks can answer), "We got that."

• Twinkle The Marvel Horse - A cute little magic pony who has an overly depressed and psychotic mind. This is because he gets left in the stable all the time. He may just pop up in the middle of a story and start talking about his dreams, which are very disturbing (maggots of death and so forth). A parody of Christopher Walken. Is capable of flight, though he has no wings.

[edit] Main Enemies

• The Dark Lord Chuckles the Silly Piggy - An evil pig with a high-collared cape (and equally high voice) bent on ruling Udrogoth. Chuckles lives in a castle on the outskirts of the kingdom. He possesses the Mystic Amulet of Hogswineboar (named so because hogs, swines and boars are all synonyms for the word 'pig'). This grants him amazing mystical powers such as psychokinesis, blasting magic to rival Lula's, and conjuration. He is also a whiz with technology, as evidenced by the Mecha-Dave. His schemes usually rely on a particular gimmick (like giant clams, giant ducks, evil pastries, or evil furniture). Catchphrase: (whenever he gets hurt) "Ooh, my little piggy [insert body part]". Chuckles is voiced by Paul Rugg.

• Princess Irmaplotz & Queen Zathura - The evil sorceress princess of Hyrogoth that is trying to destroy Dave (or more likely she just wants to make Dave's life miserable). Her mother Zathura is the ruler of Hyrogoth, and keeps on trying to teach Irmaplotz to be more evil. Her father is good, making her half-evil. Earlier in the show, Dave and Irmaplotz fell in love, but Dave decided that they were too different, and ended up dumping her, where she now seeking revenge. She still may have feelings for him though; she once got the chance to destroy Dave, but she chose not to do so. She is similiar to Dave in that they both have the same odd hobbies and interests (she and Dave both love "bad Poetry" for example). She also has the same allergies as Dave. She is very beautiful and an intellectual; she would be a great match for Dave, only if she weren't an evil princess. She occasionally wear glasses (she has stated that she doesn't like to wear them as she feels they make her look bookish, even though she can't see things from far away without them), due to her being nearsighted. Irmaplotz is voiced by Melissa Rivers, while Melissa's mother, Joan Rivers, provides the voice of her mother the evil Zathura.

• Malsquando - An evil sorcerer and Oswidge's rival. He has an obsession with taking over the world and getting a lot of money. He was revealed to be a member of the Evil Socerer's union. He also runs a shop that cures hiccats. Unlike Oswidge, he actually went to wizard's school. He is voiced by Rob Paulsen.

• Quwazmir - The god of freshly laundered trousers and misplaced punctuation. He has mommy issues and carries a security blanket known as his "ni-ni lankie." He often experiences short-term memory loss and attention deficit disorder. He is a green skinned naga-like giant with the lower half of a snake instead of legs; he is always wearing a blue cape and a combover. He has a severe inferiority complex that is only exacerbated in the presence of his mother. He has immense magical powers including flight, super-speed, and flaming loogies.

• Ned Frischman: Man of Tomorrow - A nerd who works at a pants factory in the year 1994. He gains a radioactive zipper which he uses to travel back into time to attempt conquering the world by using the advanced technology of the future, such as the Game Guy, and an old fashioned joke book, both plans of which were thwarted by Dave and his family. Ned is voiced by Richard Horvitz.

[edit] Cast

• Danny Cooksey - Dave, various
• Erica Luttrell - Candy, Dinky, Queen Glimia
• Tress MacNeille - Fang, Cheesette
• Kevin Michael Richardson - Uncle Oswidge, King Throktar, Dave's singing voice
• Estelle Harris - Lula
• Frank Welker - Faffy
• Lisa Kaplan - Mrs. Boggmelon
• Jeff Bennett - Narrator, Twinkle the Marvel Horse
• Paul Rugg - Chuckles the Silly Piggy
• Melissa Rivers - Princess Irmaplotz
• Joan Rivers - Queen Zathura
• Richard Steven Horvitz - Ned Frishman
• Rob Paulson - Malsquando
• Michael McShane - Quasmir
• Grey DeLisle - Troll Girl

[edit] Episodes:

Season 1

• 01. The Maddening Sprite of the Stump / Shrink Rap
• 02. Pet Threat / Lula's First Barbarian
• 03. Girlfriend / Ned Frischman: Man of Tomorrow
• 04. Beef! / Rite of Pillage
• 05. King for a Day or Two / Slay What?
• 06. Civilization / The Terror of Mecha-Dave
• 07. The Way of the Dave / Beauty and the Zit
• 08. Band / Web
• 09. Sorcerer Material / Sweep Dreams
• 10. Here There Be Dragons / Pipe Down!
• 11. Termites of Endearment / Thor, Loser
• 12. The Figar / Silly Wiggy
• 13. The Princess and the Peabrains / Horders & Sorcery
• 14. The Brutish Are Coming / The Lost Race of Reeber
• 15. Lederhosen of Doom / Floral Derangement
• 16. A Pig's Story
• 17. That Darn Ghost! / The Cow Says Moon
• 18. I Love Neddy / Night of the Living Plush
• 19. Bad Food/Shake, Rattle, & Roll Over
• 20. Red Sweater Of Courage/Dog Of Titans
• 21. Plunderball/Fiends & Family
• 22. Not a Monkey / Happy Glasses

[edit] Cancellation?

While the show continues to air on the Disney Channel and while IMDB [1] still lists the show as being in active production, there is good reason to believe that the show may actually have been cancelled. Only one season, composed of 22 episodes, was produced, unusually short for a Disney show, where the record is 65 episodes.

Some Reasons Fans Have Given for the (Supposed) Cancellation:

• The show was not well received.
• There has been talk that an actor who played one of the main characters in the show quit.
• Some have claimed that they (the studio) needed money for a show that came after it and that they couldn't budget both.

[edit] External links

• Disney Channel's official Dave the Barbarian site
• Dave the Barbarian at the Internet Movie Database
• Tv.com page

Disney Channel Original Series (2000 - present)

Television series:

American Dragon: Jake Long • Brandy and Mr. Whiskers • The Buzz on Maggie • Cory in the House • Dave the Barbarian • The Emperor's New School • Even Stevens • Hannah Montana • Kim Possible • Lilo & Stitch: The Series • Lizzie McGuire • Phil of the Future • The Proud Family • The Replacements • The Suite Life of Zack & Cody • That's So Raven