Spümcø Inc. was an award-winning American animation production company based in Los Angeles, California. The studio produced three traditionally-animated series, two Flash-animated cartoon series, two music videos, five animated shorts, and a comic book. The company also went on to produce content for a few animated spots and commercials.[1] It has won several awards, including an Annie Award for Best Animated Short Subject, for the Björk music video, "I Miss You".[2]
On August 11, 1991, The Ren and Stimpy Show premiered on Nickelodeon, and the show would be produced and animated by Spümcø Inc.[3] After creator John Kricfalusi was fired in September 1992, Games Animation took over production after season two had ended, and would continue production for the next three seasons.[3] In 2001, 10 years after The Ren and Stimpy Show had premiered, Kricfalusi then created an animated series for FOX Kids in the United States and Teletoon in Canada, The Ripping Friends.[4] The series premiered on September 22, 2001, and would last for only one season.[4] In 2002, when Kricfalusi received a phone call from TNN (now Spike), he decided to revive Ren & Stimpy in the more adult-oriented series, Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon".[5] The series premiered on June 1, 2003, with the banned Nickelodeon series' episode, "Man's Best Friend", and a total of three original episodes aired on TNN.[5] The show was cancelled in July 2003, one month after it premiered.[5]
During 1997, John Kricfalusi and his staff at Spümcø launched their web site, which aimed to deliver cartoons to audiences without television networks' censorship.[6] Kricfalusi decided to use George Liquor, a cartoon character he created, to star in the Flash Internet cartoon series, The Goddamn George Liquor Program, which Kricfalusi created.[6] The series premiered on October 15, 1997,[7] and was the first cartoon series to be produced exclusively for the Internet.[8] In 1999, Spümcø created their second Internet-only cartoon series, Weekend Pussy Hunt.[9] The series would last for 12 episodes, with 4 unfinished cartoons due to budget problems.
In 1999, Spümcø produced and animated a Yogi Bear TV special titled Boo Boo Runs Wild, which premiered on September 24, 1999, on Cartoon Network.[10] The animated short focused on Yogi Bear's sidekick, Boo Boo Bear, who becomes fed up with the rules of man and decides to return to his natural bear roots.[10] Though it focused primarily on Yogi and Boo Boo, it was titled as a "Ranger Smith cartoon." Alongside Boo Boo Runs Wild, a second "Ranger Smith" cartoon aired, titled A Day in the Life of Ranger Smith.[11] Between 2001 and 2002, two Flash-animated Jetsons cartoons were created exclusively for Cartoon Network's official web site: The Jetsons: Father & Son Day and The Jetsons: The Best Son. A third Yogi Bear cartoon, titled Boo Boo and the Man, premiered in 2002 on Cartoon Network's official web site. It was animated in Macromedia Flash.
In 1997, John Kricfalusi directed a music video for Björk titled "I Miss You", a single that was released the same year.[12] It was animated by the entire staff at Spümcø.[2] It premiered on MTV, as well as Canada's MuchMusic channel.[2] In 2001, Spümcø produced their second music video production for Tenacious D, "Fuck Her Gently".[13] The video was produced in Macromedia Flash, and was directed by Gabe Swarr, who was also a producer for The Goddamn George Liquor Program and Weekend Pussy Hunt.[13]
Spümcø has also created a cartoon short of Quisp cereal for Quaker Oats.
Contents |
| Title | Date of Premiere | Seasons | Creator(s) | Original broadcasting station |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Ren and Stimpy Show | 11 August 1991[3] | 5 | John Kricfalusi | Nickelodeon (U.S.) |
| The Ripping Friends | 22 September 2001 | 1 | John Kricfalusi | FOX Kids (U.S.), Teletoon (Canada) |
| Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon" | 1 June 2003[5] | 1 | John Kricfalusi | TNN (now Spike) (U.S.) |
| Title | Date of Premiere | Seasons | Creator(s) | Broadcasting method (Web site) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Goddamn George Liquor Program | 15 October 1997[14] | 1 | John Kricfalusi | Spumco.com (now defunct) |
| Weekend Pussy Hunt | 15 August 2000[15] | 1 | John Kricfalusi | Spumco.com (now defunct) IceBox.com |
| Title | Date of Premiere | Director(s) | Original broadcasting station |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boo Boo Runs Wild | 24 September 1999[16] | John Kricfalusi | Cartoon Network (U.S.) |
| A Day in the Life of Ranger Smith | 24 September 1999[17] | John Kricfalusi | Cartoon Network (U.S.) |
| The Jetsons: Father & Son Day | 2001[18] | Gabe Swarr | Cartoon Network (U.S.) CartoonNetwork.com |
| The Jetsons: The Best Son | 2002[19] | Gabe Swarr | Cartoon Network (U.S.) CartoonNetwork.com |
| Boo Boo and the Man | 2002 | John Kricfalusi | Cartoon Network (U.S.) CartoonNetwork.com |
| Year | Title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "I Miss You"[2] | John Kricfalusi |
| 2001 | "Fuck Her Gently"[13] | Gabe Swarr |
| Year | Title | Client(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | "Back To School Again" (2D portion) | Nickelodeon |
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