Taz-Mania

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Taz as he appeared on Taz-Mania.
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Taz as he appeared on Taz-Mania.

Taz-Mania is an early 1990s cartoon show, produced and directed by Art Vitello broadcast in the United States and elsewhere around the world. It follows the adventures of the classic Looney Tunes character, Taz (The Tasmanian Devil) in the fictional land of Tazmania (not Tasmania). Unlike similar cartoons of its time, it frequently broke the fourth wall, and often made jokes from the fact that Taz could actually speak perfectly normally when he wanted to.

In the show, he was a young slacker living with his family, working as a bell-hop at a local hotel, and having adventures with his friends.

Other characters (many of which are native Australian fauna) include:

  • Hugh Tazmanian Devil, Taz's Dad who talks like Bing Crosby and has an unknown occupation. Loves orange juice. His catchphrase is "blah, blah, blah, yakkity-shmakkity". This serves a similar purpose to what "yada, yada, yada" did on Seinfeld, except it's implied that "blah, blah, yakkity-shmakkity" is more what people "hear" when they tune out his fatherly lectures rather than being a phrase he intentionally uses to omit words. In one episode Jean comments that Hugh used to be very rambunctious and uncontrollable, much like Taz; later in in that same episode, Hugh goes insane when he can't make a house of cards stand up properly and enters into a manic, destructive whirlwind full of non-sensical slobbering similar to his son. He then asks Taz not to mention it to his mother and offers to split a bowling ball with him.
  • Jean Tazmanian Devil, Taz's Mom who's a homemaker/activist.
  • Molly Tazmanian Devil, Taz's sister. She considers Taz to be an annoying and immature brother and constantly threatens him with a bath if he misbehaves. She's artsy and listens to music.
  • Jake Tazmanian Devil, Taz's neurotic and hyper-active younger brother.
  • Dog, Taz's turtle who acts like a dog.
  • Drew Tazmanian Devil, Taz's Uncle who plays Bob Hope to Hugh's Bing Crosby. He appears on the three "Road to Taz-Mania" episodes (parodies of the Road to... series of films that Hope and Crosby starred in).
  • The Platypus brothers, Timothy and Daniel, semi-successful inventors who draft Taz into testing various dangerous devices. They sound and look much like Daffy Duck, though they lack his short temper, being quite friendly and equitable instead, though not always in touch with reality. similar to Warner Bros' Goofy Gophers characters.
  • Buddy Boar, Taz's best friend, a would-be Hollywood player who talks incessantly on a cell phone.
  • The Bushrats, a tribe of tiny rats that speak in a gibberish language, subtitled for the viewer's understanding.
  • The Kiwi bird, a tiny, yellow, incredibly fast bird sought after by Taz for food (ala Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner).
  • Wendell T. Wolf, supposedly the last surviving Tasmanian wolf (a real animal from Tasmania that died out in the 1930s), who talks like Woody Allen. Incessantly clings to Taz thinking he's his protector. Despite being one of the principle characters mentioned in the opening credits of the show, Wendell's appearances are very few and far between (a source of in-jokes for the few episodes in which Wendell did appear). It is later discovered that all the other tasmanian wolves are living underground and all look & sound exactly like Wendell.
  • Francis X. Bushlad, a young Tazmanian bushman who is determined to hunt and slay Taz as his rite of manhood. Although called a "Bushman" he talks like an Ivy League-er and is Caucasian. The name might be a parody of old time actor Francis X. Bushman.
  • Bull Gator & Axle, two alligators wanting to capture Taz for the zoo. Whenever Axle says "something stupid (again)", Bull Gator (voiced byJohn Astin) hits him with a club. In a later episode it is revealed Axle is actually well-educated in philosophy, among other subjects, but chooses to act stupid because being Bull's sidekick gave him meaning in a way intellectual pursuits did not. Many fans of Warner Bros. animation see Bull and Axle as the precursors to a later animated duo--Pinky and the Brain.
  • Didgeri Dingo, an egotisical bottlecap collector, who sometimes cons Taz out of his; sometimes his schemes rightfully backfire on him. His name is a pun of didgeridoo.
  • Bushwacker Bob, Taz's boss at the hotel he works at, thinks Taz is a slacker and a screw-up.
  • Bob's Mum, constantly insults her son.
  • Constance, a heavyset koala who works with Taz as a maid at Bob's hotel.
  • Mr. Thickley, a wallaby who works with Taz as a tour guide at Bob's hotel.
  • Willie Wombat, a later addition in the show.

[edit] Voice Cast

[edit] External links

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