Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa
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Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa is an American animated television series for children created by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book artist Ryan Brown. It was produced by Greengrass Productions and animated by Gunther-Wahl Productions for its first season and then by Ruby-Spears Productions for its second season. C.O.W.-Boys aired Saturday mornings on the American Broadcasting Company television network. Originally a production of King World the series is now owned by CBS Television Distribution through their acquisition of King World in January of 2000. Paramount Home Entertainment releases CBS-owned programs to the home video market. CBS Consumer Products currently owns the video rights to Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa DVD compilations.
First broadcast on September 12, 1992, the television series ran for two seasons, spanning 26 episodes, before the show was canceled on May 26, 1994 with Disney's acquisition of ABC. The series was then broadcast on Toon Disney from April of 1998 to April of 2001.
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[edit] Characters
Like many cartoons during its time, The C.O.W.-Boys dealt with a mutation of some kind; in this case, an irradiated meteor struck the late 1800s western plains creating a miles high mesa shrouded in clouds. Everything trapped on top of the mesa was "cow-metized" by the light from the "cow-met" and "evolved" into a "bovipomorphic" state. Inspired by old tales of the Wild West, this new bovine community developed to the point where they emulated that era's way of life, including the requisite ruffians and corrupt sheriffs. However, their knowledge of Wild West living was limited, and as such, many things about their culture had to be improvised to 'fill in the blanks'.
The series focuses on trying to keep justice in the frontier territory. The lawbreakers were too much for the corrupt regulators of Cowtown - Mayor Bulloney and Sheriff Terrorbull - to handle by themselves. Helping them out, whether they wanted it or not, were a group of peacekeepers known as C.O.W. Boys, short for "Code of the West." Led by bull Marshal Moo Montana, the C.O.W. Boys also included the Dakota Dude and the Cowlorado Kid. The muscle-bound Marshal and his deputies had their hands full with various ruffians and outlaw gangs that plagued the otherwise peaceful town.
[edit] Main Characters
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Marshal Moo Montana: leader of the C.O.W-Boys and marshal of Moo Mesa. Courageous and quick on his hooves Moo Montana "battles the bad guys and makes the West a safer place to graze". Lives by the Code of the West, which he seems to make up as he goes along (episode 12: Dances with Bulls). (Voice: Pat Fraley). | |
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The Dakota Dude: the soft-spoken muscle of Montana's posse, Dakota possesses a cool temperament and rarely gets mad, even in near death experiences (episode 12: Dances with Bulls). Dakota agreed to marry Cowlamity Kate in Wedding Bull Blues to save her father's inheritance. (Voice: Jim Cummings). | |
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The Cowlorado Kid: the youngest of the group and a self-proclaimed ladies' man with a good singing voice, regardless of his skill with the lasso and guitar, Cowlorado isn't a deputy yet. In Stolen on the River, he tries to prove he's worthy of being a deputy by catching Five Card Cud only to be rescued by Dakota and Moo Montana. (Voice: Jeff Bennett). | |
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Sheriff Terrorbull/The Masked Bull: selected by the corrupt Mayor Bulloney, Terrorbull uses his sheriff front to conceal his evil intentions. Was forced to leave Cowtown after losing a bet to Moo in No Face To Hide. Subsequently became sheriff of the remote town of Lonesome Gulch, where he continued his unlawful exploits. (Voice: Joe Piscopo). | |
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Mayor Oscar Bulloney: the greedy and corrupt mayor of Cowtown in Moo Mesa, Bulloney rigs elections (episode 9: Stolen on the River) and makes taxes so high that the Masked Bull compares it to stealing. He also serves as Cowtown's crooked Justice of the Peace and Bank President. | |
| Lily Bovine: bartender, former showgirl and owner of the local saloon, The Tumbleweed. Also Moo Montana's love interest. Her best friend is Cowlamity Kate. | ||
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Cody Calf: nicknamed "Calf-Pint" by Moo and his posse, he idolizes the marshal and hopes to be a lawcow himself when he grows up. He is apparently related to Lily Bovine in some way and lives with her, though he does not appear to be her son; like everyone else, he refers to her "Miss Lily". Though well meaning, he often gets himself into serious trouble trying to "help" the lawcows, but has been a useful asset on several occasions. | |
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Cowlamity Kate Cudster: tomboyish rancher and operator of the highly profitable Golden Cud Mine, and Dakota's love interest. Don't let her looks fool you, this is one gal who can take care of herself! She's as hard-working and hard-riding as any man and has enough skill with a lasso to put Cowlorado to shame. Dakota Dude's love interest, she gave him the hat he wears and nearly married him in Wedding Bull Blues. Her name is a play on that of the famous Wild West heroine, Calamity Jane. (Voice: Kay Lenz). | |
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Saddle Sore: a scorpion, and one of Sheriff Terrorbull's comically inept henchmen. He is slightly smarter and braver than Boot Hill Buzzard, but only just. (Voice: Jim Cummings). | |
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Boot Hill Buzzard: Sheriff Terrorbull's other comically inept henchman. As the more dim-witted of the two, he is often saddled with more than his fair share of the grunt work, especially if the job involves something embarrassing or unappealing (such as cross-dressing). His name is taken from an old west slang term for a graveyard. |
[edit] Recurring Characters and Major Villains
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Buffalo Bull: as his name suggests, is an older male bison. He serves as Cowtown's resident blacksmith and like J.R., is a mildly eccentric inventor and scientist. His name is a play on that of Wild West showman and frontier figure, Buffalo Bill Cody. |
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Puma: a diminutive old puma with a bushy gray beard, rumpled stovepipe hat and shabby clothing. Serves as the town handyman. Tends to be a freeloader and is probably the closest thing Cowtown has to a town drunk. Once saw the Masked Bull without his mask on during a stagecoach robbery and made the lawcows wait on him hand-and-foot in exchange for his testimony against Sheriff Terrorbull. Unfortunately, he was later found in court to be an unreliable witness due to his poor eyesight. (Voice: Bill Farmer) |
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Josey Rey [J.R.]: somewhat eccentric Native American inventor and scientist. Appropriately, he is a bison. Quoted by his niece Tejua as having said that "Within every mess, lies the roots of inventiveness". His inventions tend to go haywire, but have still managed to come in handy for Moo and his posse more than once. (Voice: Michael Horse) |
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Tejua: J.R.'s niece and Cody's playmate. She is a champion at the Pine Cone Toss, which she says is "all in the wrist action". Voice by Charity James. |
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Jake: One of Cody Calf's schoolmates / friends. Tends to be a little more cautious and reluctant than either of his peers. |
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Carly: Another of Cody Calf's schoolmates / friends; possibly Jake's sister. Is slightly braver and more adventurous than Jake is. (Voice: Kath Soucie) |
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Jack: a rabbit; serves as Cowtown's worry-prone telegraph operator. Has a cousin in Moo Montana's home town of Miller Glen who is also a telegraph operator. Voice (Jim Cummings). |
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Skull Duggery: ill-tempered demonic skeletal cow. He is the ghost of a greedy silver miner named Tom Duggery, who, after striking it rich on his claim at Skull Mountain, was trapped by a cave-in during a terrible thunderstorm. Now his ghost haunts the abandoned mine tunnels, dealing harshly with those who dare to invade his domain. It is said that no one leaves Skull Mountain alive. However, this did not stop Cody Calf and his friends Jake and Carly from trying to find Duggery's lost cache of silver. Duggery was defeated when Moo trapped him under a pile of boulders. In the second season a year later on Halloween Night, Duggery escapes from the mine and joins up with his friends Evil Eye and Owl to take revenge against Moo.(Voice: Jim Cummings) |
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Bat Blastagun: an ill-tempered brown bat who wears a suit and a derby hat. Despite being a confirmed outlaw, he also wears a marshal's badge/ Has a peculiar habit of replacing words like "thanks" with "fangs", as in "Fangs-a lot!". His name is a play on that of famous gunslinger and lawman Bat Masterson. (Voice: Rob Paulsen) |
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Sid Arachnid: a tarantula. One of Bat Blastagun's henchmen, he found the comet shard which Bat later used to shrink the lawcows. Sid's voice is based on the SNL character Father Guido Sarducci. |
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Gil A. Monster: a gila monster with a cockney accent. Another of Bat Blastagun's henchmen. |
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The Rawhide Rattler: a rattlesnake who wears a Union Army cap. Typically rides coiled around Gil A. Monster's neck, he is yet another member of Bat Blastagun's gang. |
[edit] Episode guide
[edit] Season One:
- Another Fine Mesa: No one cares that it is Moo's 10th anniversary as marshal. Then, Moo receives a telegram from his hometown of Miller Glen, where the sheriff wants Moo to take over. Now Moo must decide between Miller Glen and Cowtown.
- A Sheepful of Dollars: Cowlorado volunteers for Miss Lily's cattle drive, only to find out his cattle are bad tempered sheep.
- A Snake in Cow's Clothing: A mysterious bull arrives in town who has all the women drawn to him and Moo and Dakota are suspicious of him, especially after Miss Lily is robbed.
- Bang'em High: Mayor Bulloney and The Masked Bull make a plan to get rid of Moo, with explosive (literally) results.
- Bulls of a Feather: During an attack on the stagecoach Puma sees that The Masked Bull is actually Sheriff Terrorbull. In order to save his identity the sheriff must break his brother Horribull out of jail.
- Dances with Bulls: Moo and Terrorbull get in a mess when they both try to capture the Gila Gang.
- Legend of Skull Duggery: When Cody, Carly and Jake find a treasure map in Cowlamity Kate's attic, they decide to follow it to find Tom Duggery's lost silver.
- School Days: A new teacher (actually, Boot Hill Buzzard in drag) has the children help The Masked Bull commit crime through her strange assignments.
- Stolen on the River: In an attempt to get his own deputy star, Cowlorado decides to catch Five Card Cud all by himself, only to fail in a shot of embarrassment as he's rescued by Dakota and Moo.
- The Big Cow Wow: Cody is really excited about going to the Pueblo's annual Cow-Wow with J.R. and Tejua, but a string of robberies by the Hole in the Ground Gang could disrupt the whole fiesta. When Moo and the other C.O.W.-Boys run into some trouble trying to catch the gang Cody and Tejua help to bring them to justice.
- Wedding Bull Blues: When Cowlamity Kate's doesn't receive a letter from her father who has been exploring the Mesa for 7 years, Mayor Bulloney claims he will be taking all her property since her father had no will. But when a page of one of her father's old letters shows up, stating Kate and her husband will inherit the ranch and his gold, Kate plans to marry Dakota.
- Wetward, Whoa: Cowtown dries up and only Mayor Bulloney has water. When Cody finds the real reason for this it is up to him to bring water back everyone.
- Thoroughly Moodern Lily: When Mayor Bulloney discovers a hidden secret buried deep beneath Lily Bovine's Tumbleweed Saloon he quickly dispatches Lily's arch-rival Sadie Wowcow to run her out of town.
[edit] Season Two:
- Billy the Kidder: While the bulls are out on the trail, Miss Lily receives a message from her Uncle Rocky who has found a lost treasure. But when she's taken hostage by Billy the Kidder, the Cowboys and Cowlamity Kate ride out to rescue her.
- Boom Town or Bust: Cowlorado discovers gold on the Mesa and every bull, cow, and calf is looking to get rich quick. Keeping the peace proves difficult enough without Big Bucks and his band of outlaws robbing claims at gun point.
- Circus Daze: The Cowboys are in charge of the Cowlanor Diamond awaiting the stagecoach to Jersey City when The Great Bovini's Circus rolls into town. But when everyone who attends the circus starts acting funny, Moo has to do double duty to protect the diamond while spying on the circus with a little help from Boot Hill.
- Cow Pirates of Swampy Cove: Longhorn Silver and his band of buccaneers have been robbing trains and causing touble on the Mesa's waterways. With a gold shipment and Cody's money for new boots in their possession the Marshal and the Cowboys have to go to Newportleans to track these scoundrels down.
- How the West was Shrunk: Bat Blastagun and the boys are back, and bent on revenge. They find a shard of the comet and take it to Dr. Wolfgang Wolfenstein, who unleashes its powers.
- Night of the Cowgoyle: In search of an outlaw, Marshal Montana, Dakota, Cowlorado and Cody accompany a wagontrain through the Valley of Darkness where a mysterious creature has been attacking them and everyone's a suspect.
- No Face to Hide: Shock Holiday and his gang haven't just been stealing from trains, they've been stealing the whole dadburn train. Over a drink, Moo makes a bet that he can catch Holiday before Sheriff Terrorbull or he'll resign his post as Marshal. But when the Sheriff gets to Holiday first, Montana and the Cowboys have no choice but to leave town. But, everything is not as it seems.
- No Way to Treat a Lady: Moo is stunned when the shipment of gold bullion they are guarding is left by thieves in favour of stealing supplies from The Cowtown Gazette. However, he's distracted by a house warming for a new lady in town.
- Skull Duggery Rides Again: Risen from the undead, Skull Duggery and his super-natural posse head to Cowtown to wreak havoc and disrupt the Halloween celebrations.
- The Cacklin Kid: After defecting from the Bayin' Bunch, the Cacklin Kid argees to help the lawcows find his former friends in exchange for not serving jail time. But after a few days on the trail his gift for gab is almost more than the cowboys can bare.
- The Down Under Gang: The cowboys are dumbfounded as every outlaw they chase seems to disappear into thin air. With Cowlorado hidden in a strongbox, they hope to find the location of Sidewinder City.
- The Fastest Filly in the West: The Annual Cowtown Cross Country Race is coming up quick and Cowlorado's interest leaves Marshal Montana and Dakota short handed. Competing for first place and Cowlamity Kate's cousin's effections he's little help in stopping Fast Willie from robbing the Pony Express.
- The Wild Wild Pest: Airship captain Mules Burne seeks payback from the inventors at the Invention Convention. Once he's captured Moo Mesa's scientific community, he uses them as a workforce to build his most diabolical creation yet.
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Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. |
[edit] Arcade game
| Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa | |
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| Developer(s) | Konami |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Designer(s) | Ryan Brown |
| Aspect ratio | Horizontal |
| Platform(s) | Arcade |
| Release date | 1992 |
| Genre(s) | run and gun |
| Mode(s) | Single player or multiplayer (1-4 players) |
| Input methods | 8-way joystick 2 buttons (shoot and jump) |
| Cabinet | Upright |
| Arcade system | Xexex Based Hardware |
| CPU | Motorola 68000 @ 16 Mhz |
| Sound | Z80 @ 8 Mhz YM2151 @ 4 Mhz K054539 @ 48 Khz |
| Display | 384 x 224 @ 60 Hz 2048 palette colors |
In 1992 Konami released Wild West C.O.W.-Boys Of Moo Mesa, an arcade game based on the series. Unlike many other arcade games, the game was never ported to a home console. The game allowed players to play as the Cowlorado Kid, the Dakota Dude, Marshall Moo Montana and, introduced for the first time, the shotgun-toting Buffalo Bull. C.O.W.-Boys creator Ryan Brown worked closely with Konami on the game's development.
The Wild West C.O.W.-Boys Of Moo Mesa game also bears a striking resemblance to Konami's very own Wild West themed arcade/video game, Sunset Riders.
[edit] Comic book series
Archie Comics released both a mini-series and regular series of Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa comic books. The first issue of the mini-series came with an exclusive pull-out wanted poster available only through the direct sales market.
The C.O.W.-Boys made their TMNT universe debut when they teamed up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in issue #21 of the Mirage Studios title "Tales of the TMNT." The TMNT aided the C.O.W.-Boys in stopping Sheriff Terrorbull from stealing a magic crystal shard.
Moo Montana and his deputies returned in number 32 of the Tales of the TMNT series.
This time the horned heroes come up against Savanti Romero and the Eye of Aga-Moo-Tu. The story takes place in the astral realm of Bov-gamesh and introduces the character Tsou-T'an-Jin an ancient sorceress tortoise that lives on Moo Mesa. A special event exclusive edition of this issue was sold at a one day event on March 31, 2007 at the Wayne Center for the Arts in Wooster, Ohio. It differs from the regular release because of its alternate cover by Andre Ponce, Ryan Brown and Steve Lavigne. It also has a special message from the arts center on the inside front cover.
It is rumored that there may be a Wild West C.O.W. Boys of Moo Mesa mini series, written by Tristan Jones from Tales of the TMNT.
[edit] Merchandise
Action figures and vehicles were made by Hasbro. Story books, coloring books and VHS home videos were put out by Random House. Halloween costumes were made by Collegeville/Imagineering LP. Farley Candy came out with a line of themed fruit snacks. Bath products by Tsumura International were also available, as well as lunch boxes by Thermos Company. Figural coin banks were made by Toy Dreams. Plastic dinnerware was available from Betras Plastics. Kid's Meal promotional items (3" action figures, sack, placemat, activity pack, collectible cups) were made by Kid Stuff.
[edit] Action figures
In 1991 Hasbro Toys produced a series of ten action figures and one vehicle. Marshal Moo Montana was produced heaviest while the character Boot Hill Buzzard is the rarest of the set with only a limited number released. Of the three main heroes the Dakota Dude is the scarcest.
In 1999 the Kid Stuff company manufactured a set of 3 inch tall action figures for its Moo Mesa Kid's Meal promotion. Articulated at the shoulders, neck and waist the assortment consisted of Marshal Moo Montana, The Dakota Dude, The Cowlorado Kid, Miss Cowlamity Kate, Cody Calf and the Masked Bull. These were available at participating restaurants.
[edit] Other appearances
In issue #21 of the Mirage Studios Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the C.O.W.-Boys chase Sheriff Terrorbull through a portal that leads them into New York City. There they meet Master Splinter and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles who aid them in capturing the villainous Terrorbull.
The C.O.W.-Boys return in issue 32 of Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles titled "The Eye of Aga-Moo-Tu". Written by Stephen Murphy, this March 2007 issue tells the story of Savanti Romero's pursuit to possess an all-seeing cosmic eye that, once in his possession, will allow him to harness the power of the universe. It's up to the Turtles and the C.O.W.-Boys to stop him. Other Moo Mesa characters that make an appearance in the issue are Miss Lilly Bovine, Cody Calf, Cowlamity Kate, Mayor Oscar Bulloney, Saddlesore Scorpion and Boothill Buzzard. The story ends with an utrom in a cowboy exoskeleton exiting the Tumbleweed Saloon and riding off into the sunset. There are 2 versions of this comic book. The regular edition sold through the direct sales market and an event exclusive edition sold only at a one day TMNT art exhibit. It features a brand new, alternative cover.
For the cross-over adventures, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles creator Peter Laird stepped in to plot both issues.
The C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa make a cameo appearance in episode #120 of the 2003 TMNT animated series. The turtles visit the Tumbleweed Saloon in Moo Mesa in the form of a virtual simulation, where they fight a cast of Cowtown villains and play a hand of cards with heroes Marshall Moo Montana, the Dakota Dude, and the Cowlorado Kid. The featured Moo Mesa villains are Sheriff Terrorbull, Boothill Buzzard, Shock Holiday, Big Bucks, Lone Grunger, Butch Cowsiddy, Stub and Slick Willie Weasel, all of whom first appeared in the 1992-1994 Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa animated ABC television show.
Brown has been asked at a number of convention appearances to clear up the confusion surrounding the C.O.W.-Boys Fast Forward appearance and about why the TMNT fought them. He explained that after preliminary talks, multiple Moo Mesa characters were provided to 4Kids Entertainment for the Home Invasion episode and that each character was clearly identified as a good guy for the final card table scene or bad guy for the fight sequence. The TMNT were never supposed to battle the good guys Marshal Moo Montana, the Dakota Dude and the Cowlorado Kid, and one must assume that the animators, not being familiar with the Moo Mesa characters, merely mixed them up. Brown further explained that due to the episode's extremely tight deadline he did not get to view the final product until the broadcast date. Also of note, Brown's name is misspelled in the end credits for the show.
[edit] External links
- Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa at the Internet Movie Database
- Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa
- Collection of images of the Wild West C.O.W-Boys of Moo Mesa Hasbro toy line
- Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa arcade game information
- Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa Blog
