Klasky Csupo
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Klasky Csupo, Inc. (pronounced Klass-key Chew-po) is an American multimedia entertainment production company located in Los Angeles, California, founded by artist/producer Arlene Klasky and master animator Gábor Csupó.
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[edit] Brief Overview
Klasky-Csupo was started in 1982 in the spare bedroom of a Los Angeles apartment where Klasky and Csupo were living while married. Klasky-Csupo's first major work came in 1989, when they became the 'animation house' for the first three seasons of The Simpsons (after which Film Roman took over in 1992); Klasky-Csupo had already produced the animated pilot for The Simpsons, as a sketch on The Tracey Ullman Show.
In 1991, Klasky-Csupo began producing Rugrats, an animated show for Nickelodeon. The cartoon would go on to become the company's calling card.
Their next major series was Duckman for the USA Network. The show revolved around the home life and adventures of a dim-witted and lascivious private detective duck named Eric Duckman. The series ran from 1994 to 1997.
During the same time Nickelodeon released Klasky-Csupo's second series, AAAHH!!! Real Monsters!. During this time Klasky Csupo ended production on Rugrats. However K-C produced three new Rugrats specials between 1995 and 1996. The specials were so successful that the series was revived in 1997.
After AAAHH!!! Real Monsters! and Duckman were both cancelled in 1997, Klasky-Csupo began producing The Wild Thornberrys for Nickelodeon. The cartoon, premiering in 1998, revolved around a girl who could talk to animals.
Between the late-1990s and 2000s, Klasky-Csupo began producing new shows Rocket Power, As Told by Ginger, Santo Bugito and Stressed Eric.
In 2001, in honor of the Rugrats 10th Anniversary, Klasky-Csupo released a two-part special entitled "All Growed Up". The special featured the famous babies as pre-teenagers. The special was so popular, that a series based on that special premiered in 2003.
The company was also active in producing recorded music. Gabor Csupo was a good friend of Frank Zappa and occasionally collaborates with Mark Mothersbaugh.
Klasky-Csupo also produced a number of projects in commercial advertising, including a series of direct-to-video features (The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald) for the McDonald's fast food chain.
By 2004, Klasky-Csupo shut down production on most of its shows, including Rugrats but continued to produce All Grown Up!.
[edit] The Future
In fall 2006, Klasky Csupo announced development of 11 new animated pilots, which will be up for sale at a later date: [1]
- Ace Bogart, Space Ape
- Big Babies
- Commander Bunsworth
- Ronnie Biddles
- Chicken Town
- Grampa and Julie, Shark Hunters (based on the Nick Magazine strip and slated to feature Dustin Hoffman as Grampa)
- Sugarless
- Zeek and Leo
- Wiener Squad
- Rollin' Rock Starz
- Twinkle
- Ricky Z
- Junkyard Teddies
The animation design in these pilots are in various styles, instead of the typical style that Klasky Csupo was famous for in the 1990s.
During 2005 and 2006, there were rumors that Klasky Csupo was going out of business, due to the lack of Klasky Csupo programming on Nick and the closure of the online Cooltoons store. However, these rumors has since been refuted.
In addition, Gábor Csupó is directing his first live-action film for Walt Disney Pictures, Bridge to Terabithia, due for US theatrical release February 16, 2007.
[edit] Name Pronunciation and its logo
Although the company's official pronunciation is "Class-key Chew-po", many fans have thought the pronunciation is "Class-key Cu-su-po", the pronunciation used when the company introduced its current ident of the logo (see below), debuting in The Rugrats Movie (1998).
It begins when an open mouth, with two big blue blinking eyes, spoke the words Klasky-Csupo pronouncing it 'class-key cu-su-po' in a robotic voice). It ended with white 3-D toy blocks spinning out of its mouth spelling KLASKY CSUPO.
The old logo begins with the letters KLASKY CSUPO going side to side on a rock wall and behind drawn by a crayon and there are man and dog sounds. The old background music is higher than the new version.
The current logo is an updated version of their original ID that first appeared at the end of the world premiere of Rugrats in 1991. There was an alternate ident with a different logo seen in the 2003 movie Rugrats Go Wild!.
Duckman used a sped-up version of the original 1991 ident, with a variation in music.
The Klasky Csupo ident seen in Rugrats Go Wild!, starts with a rooster sleeping at sunrise and a voice says, "Wake Up!" and the rooster on a tower wakes up and crows with patterns of 3-D blocks spelling the logo's name with a flash.
[edit] Klasky Csupo productions
[edit] Series
- The Simpsons (1989-1992 seasons only)
- Rugrats (1991) - (2005)
- AAAHH!!! Real Monsters (1994-1998)
- Duckman (1994)
- Santo Bugito (1995)
- The Wild Thornberrys (1997-2004)
- Stressed Eric (1998 season only)
- Rocket Power (1999-2004)
- What's Inside Heidi's Head? (1999) – live action
- As Told by Ginger (2000-2004)
- All Grown Up! (2003-Present)
[edit] Full-length
- The Rugrats Movie (1998)
- The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald (1998) – direct to video
- Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (2000)
- The Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002)
- Rugrats Go Wild! (2003)