DangerMouse

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This article is about the cartoon series and character. For the DJ and producer, see Danger Mouse.
DangerMouse

DangerMouse cast. (L to R) Stiletto, LeatherHead, Baron Greenback, Nero, DangerMouse, Penfold and Colonel K.
Genre Animated Sitcom
Creator(s) Brian Cosgrove and
Mark Hall
Starring David Jason
Terry Scott
Edward Kelsey
and Brian Trueman
Country of origin Flag of United Kingdom United Kingdom
No. of episodes 89 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time 5-25 mins
Broadcast
Original channel ITV
Original run September 28, 1981 – March 19, 1992
Links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

DangerMouse is a British animated television series which was produced by Cosgrove Hall Films.

It features the eponymous DangerMouse, a British mouse that works as a secret agent. The show is a loose parody of British spy fiction, particularly James Bond and the Danger Man series starring Patrick McGoohan. The eponymous hero wears a rakish eyepatch and his chest is prominently emblazoned with the initials "DM". This causes problems for those translating the series into other languages, where a literal translation of the words "Danger" and "Mouse" do not share those initials; the Scots Gaelic version, for example, calls the series (and the lead) "Donnie Murdo" (two given names unconnected either with mice or danger). The Slovenian translation omitted the DM initials entirely, however, dubbing DangerMouse Hrabri mišek ("brave mouse").

DangerMouse was the first British cartoon to break into the American TV market, being shown in syndication on June 4, 1984, where it garnered a tremendous fan following that still exists. Since it went off air it has been periodically repeated and been released on DVD. In Australia, it first aired on ABC TV, then in 1996 it was on Network Ten. It was also the first British cartoon to break into Cheez TV, being shown on the weekdays.

Although rumours of a CGI revival of the show have persisted in recent years, no official announcements have been made.[1] The original DangerMouse is set to return to terrestrial television after the BBC recently purchased episodes of the series to broadcast in its daytime schedules with its first airing on 12th February 2007.[2]

Contents

[edit] Other adaptations

A long-running comic strip adaptation, written by Angus P. Allan and illustrated by Arthur Ranson, ran in Look-In magazine and was syndicated in various other magazines. Ranson also provided some backdrops for the TV series. Allan and Ranson's work was highly appreciated by Cosgrove Hall, and the pair were awarded an "Oh Goodness Oh Crikey" award in appreciation of their services. Some of Allan's stories were adapted for the television series, although Allan's name was mis-spelled "Angus Allen". Artist Ranson later went on to illustrate Judge Anderson in the UK comic 2000 AD.

A series of video games based on the character also appeared. The first was DangerMouse in Double Trouble [1] and Danger Mouse in the Black Forest Chateau [2] (both in 1984) followed by Danger Mouse in Making Whoopee! [3] in 1985.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Heroes

  • DangerMouse (voiced by David Jason): The greatest secret agent in the world. He speaks 34 languages fluently, including some extra-terrestrial ones. He regularly balances himself on his index finger and bounces up and down on it, (something that Remo Williams has also been known to do. Dangermouse refers to this as "going into a 7th level Yoga-Hopping Trance"). His only apparent flaw is that he has only one eye (How he lost the other one is never explained). Referred to as the "White Wonder" and "Wretched Rodent" by Baron Greenback.
  • Ernest Penfold (voiced by Terry Scott): A timid, bespectacled hamster, and sidekick to DangerMouse. Once, he won third place in a Penfold look-a-like contest (possibly a reference to a Charlie Chaplin legend which states Charlie Chaplin once came third in a Charlie Chaplin lookalike contest). In the first episode, it is mentioned that his codename is "Jigsaw" because he often "goes to pieces". Sometimes referred to as the "Hopeless Hamster" by the enemy.
  • Colonel K (voiced by Edward Kelsey): DangerMouse's boss; often mistaken for a walrus, it was revealed in an issue of "Look-In" magazine that he is, in fact, a chinchilla. Previously worked for Special Branch, where he was known as Special K. He is a champion piano-thrower, decorated judo expert and the first to climb Mount Everest on a pogo stick. During the last two seasons, he became more absent-minded, tending to frustrate both DM and Penfold with his tendency to ramble nonsense.
  • Professor Heinrich Von Squwawkencluck: Mad scientist/inventor/boffin. Inventor of the Mark III, DM's flying car and the Space Hopper, DM's personal spacecraft. A mole, despite his avian name. (He owes the latter to the fact that, on his first appearance on the show, he was engaged in hormone experiments to grow chickens to enormous sizes.) Spoke in a broken German accent.
  • Agent 57: Initially a master of disguise, Agent 57 later gained the ability to alter his own molecular structure to transform into any appearance he wished. This ability went temporarily out of control in one episode when he contracted a cold, causing him to involuntarily change shape whenever he sneezed. As a result of changing his appearance so many times, he can no longer remember what he originally looked like. (Although his name derives principally from Heinz 57, it is an interesting coincidence that Nayland Smith in the Fu Manchu books was "Agent 56".).

Although the viewer does not know what he looks like, in the episode where Agent 57 had sneezing fits, Dangermouse asked him if he could transform himself into what he was originally. Agent 57 oblighed and Dangermouse looked down in the floorboard of the Mark III and was horrified by the sight(Agent 57 was not on camera in his true form at the time). Dangermouse, after gathering himself from the shock asked Agent 57 to please transform into something more heavier, to which he transformed into a hippo and the excess weight dropped the Mark III like a stone.

  • Flying Officer Buggles Pigeon (voiced by David Jason): Another of Colonel K's agents who came to the aid of DangerMouse and Penfold in the episode, "Chicken Run," and appeared in several episodes afterward. His name is a reference to Biggles.
  • B.L.E.E.P: (Building Location and Emergency Expedition Platoon) This special squadron was called to assist DangerMouse and Penfold to defeat Hannibal Hogatey when he and his elephants stole a stately mansion. Their leader is Mad Major Melvin, who is also an old friend of DangerMouse.
  • Texas Jack McGraw McGraw: (voiced by David Jason) This wild loud mouthed but loyal Texan helped DangerMouse and Penfold when Baron Greenback stole all of the world's famous buildings, including the Statue of Liberty.

[edit] Villains

  • Baron Silas Greenback (voiced by Edward Kelsey): The recurring villain and DangerMouse's archenemy; a toad, although sometimes he was referred to as being a frog. Known as Baron Greenteeth in the unaired pilot episode. Commonly known as the "Terrible Toad".
  • Stiletto Mafiosa (voiced by Brian Trueman): Greenback's henchman; a crow. He always called Greenback "Baroné", Italian for "Baron". In the original British version, he spoke with an Italian accent; to avoid offending Italian-Americans, this was changed to a Cockney accent for U.S. distribution and all references to his surname were removed as well (although the Italian word for "Baron" was retained). In several episodes, a short silence after his first name is said and the next word is quite obvious. The original voicing has been restored on all U.S. VHS and DVD releases and during its Cheez TV run.
  • Leatherhead (voiced by Terry Scott): Greenback's other crow henchman. Even less intelligent than Stiletto, he only appeared in several of the early episodes, where he spent most of his time reading comic books.
  • Nero: Greenback's pet. A fluffy white caterpillar (equivalent to the stereotypical white cat frequently associated with arch villains, particularly Ernst Stavro Blofeld). Non-speaking character although his noises and laugh are voiced by David Jason, but readily understood by Greenback and Stiletto.
  • Doctor Augustus P. Crumhorn III (voiced by Jimmy Hibbert): A mad scientist, he recurred as DangerMouse's adversary less frequently than Baron Greenback. In one episode he attempted to undermine DangerMouse by metamorphosing into a Shirley Temple lookalike.
  • Count Duckula (voiced by David Jason): A showbiz-obsessed vampire duck who inspired a later Cosgrove Hall spin-off series, titled Count Duckula.
  • Copper-Conk Cassidy: A memorable one-shot villain who had the distinctive characteristic of causing everyone who encountered him to literally fall to pieces in sheer terror. He was done in when Penfold, missing his glasses thanks to the villain, accidentally knocked him down a wishing well and then accidentally wished the well out of existence.
  • Doctor Frankenstoat: Another one-shot villain who formed a temporary alliance with Count Duckula. Unlike his namesake, Frankenstoat built machines to aid a bid for world domination rather than attempting to create life.
  • J. J. Quark: A short, helmet-wearing, snout-nosed space alien who speaks with a Scottish accent. He plans to take over the world with a robot named Grovel. (Who literally does so whenever his name is mentioned) Both of these characters only appeared in a few episodes.
  • El Loco: A violent Mexican criminal who packs a few pistols. He was so named when he "went off the rails at the age of three". He only appeared in two episodes, however.
  • Mac The Fork: A sneaky, Scottish snake who is most likely a parody of Mack the Knife. He was a one shot villain who planned to build an Earth shattering device with the help of Dudley Poyson. (See below.) He also has a half witted brother named Mac the Spoon, who is far from dangerous.
  • Dudley Poyson: A mad owl scientist, who paired up with Mac the Fork to create an Earth shattering device. Also a one shot villain.
  • Hannibal Hogatey: A one shot villain. With his herd of highly trained elephants, he stole a stately house and threatened to send it back a brick at a time unless he was paid a ransom for it. He was foiled, however, by Danger Mouse and the B.L.E.E.P Squadron.
  • Wufgang: Another one-shot villain, a canine with frazzeled hair who was patterned after Ludwig van Beethoven and named (apparently) after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He was guilty of destroying the world's music, and DM proceeded to blow his castle up.
  • The Gremlin: Yet another one-shot villain, an anti-logical being who beamed darkness down upon the earth via a spaceship. DM defeated him by engaging him in conversation upon which he proceeded to confuse himself out of existence.

[edit] Other

  • Isambard Sinclair (voiced by David Jason): The unseen narrator, but occasionally interacts with the characters (in one episode he accidentally sends DM back in time). Often voices his disdain for the show and his job.
  • Miss Boathook -The colonel's secretary, only referred to by the colonel and never seen (though sometimes heard) and often being mistaken for Dangermouse. In some versions the Colonel's secretary is referred to as Miss Prendergast.

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of DangerMouse episodes

[edit] DVD releases

[edit] United Kingdom

FremantleMedia is licensed to release DangerMouse in the United Kingdom. They released six Region 2 DVDs in 2001-02, featuring 6-8 episodes in each set.

In September 2006, to celebrate 25 years of DangerMouse, Fremantle Media released a further 6 DVDs and a 12 DVD Boxset with Special Features. They have also licensed rights to a number of companies to produce a range of new anniversary merchandise including Blues Clothing (women’s and girls’ underwear and sleepwear) and Concept 2 Creation (collectable figurines).

[edit] United States

A&E Home Video is licensed by FremantleMedia to release DangerMouse in the United States.

[edit] Trivia

  • Although all the characters in the series are animals, the adventures of DangerMouse appear to be taking place alongside the human world; there are various examples of a mouse-sized DangerMouse walking through human-scale sets, standing on table-football tables and, not least, living inside a normal size pillar box. This becomes less consistent as the series goes on, as many later episodes show the characters as being human size. There are also times when the cast attempts to deliberately interact with humans (such as Duckula mind-controlling human Members of Parliament to be as showbiz-mad as he is.)
  • In two different episodes, DangerMouse and Penfold encountered a longcase clock that was capable of time travel. The reference to the cult series Doctor Who was so obvious that even Penfold noticed it. A similar reference occurs in "Custard", when the duo find themselves in what DM describes as "a time-traveller's potting shed".
  • In one episode Penfold was referred to with a first name, Ernest. No "normal" name is ever given for DangerMouse himself.
  • When the series was rerun on Nickelodeon, DangerMouse was usually aired with two short episodes back-to-back in a half-hour timeslot. Even with commercials this was not enough to fill the allotted time, so episodes of the British cartoon Bananaman (among other animated short films) were aired alongside it to fill the remaining time.
  • In its Network Ten run, DangerMouse was also aired with two 11 minute episodes and three 5 minute ones back-to-back in a half-hour timeslot, even though none of the episode's titles were at the beginning of each episode.
  • DangerMouse was voted third in Channel 4's poll of the hundred greatest children's TV programmes.
  • US animated series The Simpsons paid homage in an episode featuring a character called DangerDog. Instead of living in a post box the character lived in a giant fire hydrant.

[edit] Credits

  • Music: Mike Harding
  • Music Production: Ritchie Close
  • Sung by: Myfanwy Talog
  • Written by: Brian Trueman
  • Storylines: Keith Scoble, Nigel Rutter, Angus Allen (actually Angus Allan), Brian Cosgrove
  • Storyboards: Keith Scoble, Peter See, Chris Randall
  • Animation: Keith Scoble, George Jackson, Robert Newman, Clinton J. Preist, Brian Cosgrove, Paul Jasper, Dan Whitworth, Gary Hurst, Malcolm McGookin, Kevin Baldwin, Neil Salmon, Garry Owen, Tony Garth, Stephen Thomas, Dave Bowers, Les Brooksbank, Jean Flynn, Meryl Edge, Denise Heywood, Phil Morris, John Offord, Dave Livesey, Denise McAllister, Phillip McMylor
  • Backgrounds: Malcolm Turner, Andy Roper, Diane Wren, Maggie Riley, Barbara Alcock, Bev Bush, Michelle Graney, Peter Hillier, Phil Jackson
  • Special Effects: Roy Huckerby
  • Paint and Trace: Bob Burrows, Phillip McMylor, Roy Huckerby, Monica McCartney, Lorraine Thomas, Bev Phillips, Peter Kidd, Yasodha Gopal, Ceri Matthews, Andrew Wilson, Barbara Alcock, Judy Ringrose, Joan Storey, Simon White
  • Dubbing: Magmasters London Ltd
  • Camera: Frank Hardie, Wendy Hardie, Peter Kidd, Phil Atack
  • Editing: Nigel Rutter, Nibs Senior, Stephen Perry, John McManus
  • Production Supervisor: Bob Burrows
  • Assistant Director: Jean Flynn
  • Executive Producer: John Hambley
  • Produced by: Brian Cosgrove, Mark Hall
  • Directed by: Brian Cosgrove

[edit] Airing History

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Dangermouse (1981-92)". British Film Institute.
  2. ^ "Dangermouse back on 25th birthday". BBC News. September 5, 2006.

[edit] External links

Formerly Broadcast Animated Nickelodeon Shows of the 1980s
Channels on the Nickelodeon Network: TV Land | Nick Too | Nick GAS | Nicktoons Network | Noggin / The N
Premiered between 1983-1989:

Bananaman | DangerMouse | Belle and Sebastian | Star Trek: The Animated Series | The Little Prince | The Smurfs | Mysterious Cities of Gold | Spartakus and the Sun Beneath the Sea | Adventures of the Little Koala | Heathcliff | Jim Henson's Muppet Babies | Inspector Gadget | Maple Town | Count Duckula | The Alvin Show on Nickelodeon | Beetlejuice | Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics | Looney Tunes on Nickelodeon | Noozles | The World of David the Gnome
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../d/a/n/DangerMouse_db70.html"
In other languages