Dave the Barbarian
| Dave the Barbarian | |
|---|---|
|
Promotional poster | |
| Genre |
Adventure Comedy Fantasy |
| Created by | Doug Langdale |
| Voices of | |
| Narrated by | Jeff Bennett |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 21 (40 segments) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Walt Disney Television Animation |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Disney Channel |
| Picture format | 1080i (16:9) (HDTV) |
| Audio format | Dolby Digital |
| First shown in | United States |
| Original run | January 23, 2004 – January 22, 2005 |
Dave the Barbarian is an American animated television series created by Doug Langdale for Disney Channel . The show centers on a barbarian named Dave and his friends and family, who go on surreal Medieval-themed adventures. The series premiered on January 23, 2004[1] and ended on January 22, 2005, with a total of one season and 21 episodes.
Premise
The series takes place in the kingdom of Udrogoth during the Middle Ages. It centers on Dave (voiced by Danny Cooksey) , a powerful yet cowardly barbarian who lives with his older sister Candy (Erica Luttrell) and younger sister Fang (Tress MacNeille). His parents, Throktar and Glimia, are the King and Queen, but are away "fighting evil" across the world (though they sometimes communicate via a magic crystal ball or cauldron), and have left Candy in charge of the kingdom as Princess Regent while Dave is supposed to defend the kingdom (since he is the biggest). Together the three siblings, along with their "wizard" uncle Oswidge, are left to run and protect the kingdom.
There is a Narrator, referred to either as "the Narrator" or "the Storyteller." He is able to talk to the characters of the show, and vice versa, which breaks the fourth wall. In fact, he was once captured by The Dark Lord Chuckles the Silly Piggy, and was forced to tell the story from his kidnapper's commands.
Production
The show was created and written by Doug Langdale. After premiering on Disney in 2004, it began broadcasting on Toon Disney a year later. In Latin America, the show is broadcast on Jetix.
Much like its predecessors Hagar the Horrible, The Flintstones and the short-lived The Roman Holidays, Dave the Barbarian juxtaposes both the ancient and modern. Candy, for example, shops in the local mall and uses the crystal ball for online shopping sprees. Occasionally, the series even breaks the fourth wall with a character directly addressing the audience or even communicating to the narrator.
Characters
Main characters
- Dave (voiced by Danny Cooksey) - The middle child and only brother of the three siblings. Dave is a muscular and very strong barbarian war-prince who is very sensitive to pain and would rather knit and cook than fight evil. He is also afraid of many things and at least once an episode, he will be frightened somehow and shriek his high-pitched, effeminate scream. He is also allergic to many things. According to Fang, Dave wanted to be a barbarian when he was young, but thought a barbarian was a librarian who also cuts hair. Dave's catchphrases are "Bajabbers" and "Please don't hurt me!"
- Fang (voiced by Tress MacNeille) - The youngest of the three siblings. Fang is a very rambunctious and uncivilized tomboy who loves to smash things. She has long red hair in a ponytail. She resembles a cross between both Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm of The Flintstones. She is the butt of a running joke in which she is often mistaken for a monkey, hence her catchphrase, "Not a monkey!". However, she frequently acts and appears to look like a monkey and during one episode she finds a tribe of monkeys that exactly resemble her. She is too small to fight most of the time and resents Dave (who is very strong) because of his cowardice. Although she aspires to be a tough barbarian princess (ala Xena), she secretly likes to play with dolls. Fang wields a spear in combat.
- Candy (voiced by Erica Luttrell) - The oldest child of the three siblings. Left in charge while the king and queen are away, Candy has a contemporary "valley girl" attitude and would rather shop and hang out than rule a kingdom. Candy's main ability is her martial arts skills. She is the kingdom's most beautiful girl and she's rather selfish, but gets over that in a small way while helping Hamwise and his wife defeat the nefarious Invisigoths. Candy has used the quote "Don't mess with the princess" on a number of occasions and has referred to herself also as a Barbarian. She has displayed the most strength out of the family often when it comes to monsters destroying a shop or so; whether or not she is stronger than Dave remains unseen but out of the two, she is the one willing to use it.
- Oswidge (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) - Dave, Fang and Candy's uncle. A rather clumsy sorcerer who usually wreaks havoc with his spells rather than being useful. It was revealed in the episode Sorcerer Material that he never really went to sorcerer school, he just worked in the cafeteria. Uncle Oswidge loves to eat and presents a rather unkempt appearance. Like his niece Fang, he secretly likes to play with dolls. His favorite foods are ham and "Nut Logs" and cannot resist them. His knowledge of magic and magical items, and most other things, surpasses the rest of the family.
- Faffy (voiced by Frank Welker) - The family's dumb pig-shaped pet dragon. Unlike most dragons, he breathes lightning and is domesticated, plus he does not have a tail. He does possess a wild streak that can be revealed when around other dragons, particularly evil ones with rebellious attitudes. It is mentioned in the show that Faffy has a one digit IQ.
- Lula (voiced by Estelle Harris) - Dave's shrill, impatient, sarcastic enchanted sword. Her main ability is shooting a lightning discharge from the tip of her blade. She was once the sword of Argon the Ageless, but was used by Argon as the nose of a snowman, and left there for centuries.
Secondary characters
- King Throktar and Queen Glimia (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson and Erica Luttrell) - The proper rulers of Udrogoth, and the parents of Dave, Candy and Fang. They are away fighting evil around the world, though they can communicate to their children via Oswidge's crystal ball, which seems to operate like a phone. Occasionally they are called while in a terrible situation.
- The Narrator (voiced by Jeff Bennett) - The narrator of the series. He has never been seen in an episode.
- Dinky and Cheezette (voiced by Erica Luttrell and Tress MacNeille) - Princess Candy's best friends, who are sometimes unsupportive - and wisely so - towards her actions. They are as obsessive about fashion, clothes, and social lives as Candy is.
- Mrs. Gert Bogmelon (voiced by Lisa Kaplan) - A witch-like shopkeeper who loves money and loves to rip off her customers. She can be cowed by Fang and other aggressive people but takes advantage of meek people like Dave. She sells evil weasels, mystical swords, and other plot-related paraphernalia, such as used T-shirts for sporting events.
- Twinkle The Marvel Horse (voiced by Jeff Bennett) - A magical pony with a rainbow-colored tail. He suffers from extreme depression and possible psychosis, apparently due to being left on his own in the stable all the time. He often talks about his dreams, which are very disturbing. He is capable of flight, though he has no wings. His manner of speech is a parody of Christopher Walken.
Antagonists
- The Dark Lord Chuckles the Silly Piggy (voiced by Paul Rugg) - An evil pig with a high-collared cape (and equally high voice) bent on ruling Udrogoth and the main antagonist of the show. Chuckles lives in a castle on the outskirts of the kingdom. He possesses the Mystic Amulet of Hogswineboar (named so because hogs, swine, and boars are all synonyms for the word 'pig'). This grants him amazing mystical powers such as telekinesis, shape-shifting, blasting magic to rival Lula's, and conjuration. He is also a whiz with technology, as evidenced by the Mecha-Dave. His schemes usually rely on a particular gimmick (like giant clams, giant ducks, evil pastries, or evil furniture). Catchphrase: (whenever he gets hurt) "Ooh, my little piggy [insert body part]". It was also revealed in one episode that he has a nephew named Knuckles the Silly Piggy, who wanted to be the Harvest Hog instead of a dark lord of evil.
- Malsquando (voiced by Rob Paulsen) - An evil sorcerer and Oswidge's rival. He has an obsession with taking over the world and making money. He was revealed to be a member of the Evil Sorcerers' union. He also runs a shop that cures hiccats (magical hiccups that produce cats from one's mouth). Unlike Oswidge, he actually went to wizards' school. His speaking pattern is based on that of Jonathan Harris.
- Quosmir (voiced by Michael McShane) - The god of freshly laundered trousers, overused punctuation and possibly other random and ridiculous things. He has mommy issues and carries a security blanket known as his "ni-ni lankie". He often experiences short-term memory loss and attention deficit disorder. He is a green skinned naga-like giant with the lower half of a snake instead of legs; he is always wearing a blue cape and a combover. He has a severe inferiority complex that is only exacerbated in the presence of his mother. He has immense magical powers including flight, super-speed, and flaming loogies.
- Princess Irmaplotz and Queen Zonthara (voiced by Melissa Rivers and Joan Rivers) - The evil sorceress princess of Hyrogoth that is trying to destroy Dave (or more likely she just wants to make Dave's life miserable). Her mother Zonthara is the ruler of Hyrogoth, and keeps on trying to teach Irmaplotz to be more evil. Her father is good, making her half-evil. Earlier in the show, Dave and Irmaplotz fell in love, but Dave decided that they were too different, and ended up dumping her, where she is now seeking revenge. She still may have feelings for him though; she once got the chance to destroy Dave, but she chose not to do so. She is similar to Dave in that they both have the same odd hobbies and interests (she and Dave both love "bad poetry" for example). She also has the same allergies as Dave. She is very beautiful and an intellectual; she would be a great match for Dave, only if she were not an evil princess. She occasionally wears glasses (she has stated that she does not like to wear them as she feels they make her look bookish, even though she cannot see things from far away without them), due to her being nearsighted.
- Ned Frischman (voiced by Richard Steven Horvitz) - A nerd who works at a pants factory in the year 1994. He gains a radioactive zipper which he uses to travel back into time to attempt conquering the world by using the advanced technology of the future, such as the Game Guy (a parody of a Game Boy), and a joke book from the 1940s, both plans of which were thwarted by Dave and his family (Though he is defeated by Faffy, Lula and Twinkle the marvel horse because they do not have thumbs to play on the Game Guys).
Episodes
| # | Title | US Air Date | Production Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Maddening Sprite of the Stump / Shrink Rap" | January 23, 2004 | 108 |
|
The Maddening Sprite of the Stump (Mark Drop): Lula gets stuck in a tree stump during Dave's attempt to guard the Enchanted Forest against a giant man-eating muffin. When the royal family is unable to free Lula, a tiny, winged sprite establishes himself as the ruler of Udrogoth. | |||
| 2 | "Pet Threat / Lula's First Barbarian" | January 23, 2004 | 103 |
|
Pet Threat (Tom Minton): Faffy is sad because the family forgot to get him anything during Dragon Appreciation Week, so Dave buys Faffy a diseased weasel for a pet. The diseased weasel gets all of Dave's attention, so Faffy runs away. The weasel turns out to be Chuckles The Silly Piggy, who wants to steal a magical fruit hidden in Faffy's room. | |||
| 3 | "Girlfriend / Ned Frischman: Man of Tomorrow" | January 23, 2004 | 111 |
|
Girlfriend (Ralph Soll):Dave begins dating Princess Irmaplotz, but breaks up with her when he learns that she is evil. Irmaplotz is upset about the breakup and sends an army of filthy pixies to attack Udrogoth. | |||
| 4 | "Beef! / Rite of Pillage" | January 23, 2004 | 109 |
|
Beef! (Brian Palermo): Candy seeks instant muscle gratification, but the magic broccoli she eats to strengthen her muscles makes her dumber and wanting to eat more. | |||
| 5 | "King for a Day or Two / Slay What?" | January 23, 2004 | 105 |
|
King for a Day or Two (Mark Drop): Dave in his capacity as temporary ruler of Udrogoth forces the citizenry to attend his musical production, "Oh, Pastry!" | |||
| 6 | "Civilization / The Terror of Mecha-Dave" | January 30, 2004 | 104 |
|
Civilization (Kevin Hopps): Candy sets her sights on making Fang presentable in high society. | |||
| 7 | "The Way of the Dave / Beauty and the Zit" | February 6, 2004 | 101 |
|
The Way of the Dave (Doug Landale): Candy's quest for an ultra-trendy antler hat takes her outside of the kingdom and in direct conflict with Chuckles the Silly Piggy. | |||
| 8 | "Band / Web" | February 13, 2004 | 110 |
|
Band (Doug Langdale):The teen protectors of Udrogoth spend their downtime jamming in a popular rock band. | |||
| 9 | "Sorcerer Material / Sweep Dreams" | February 20, 2004 | 102 |
|
Sorcerer Material (Doug Langdale): Uncle Oswidge has the "Hicats" and need to go to Malsquando's, only to realize that Malsquando knew Oswidge back in the past and tells Dave and Fang that Uncle Oswidge worked in a cafeteria and never went to sorcery school in order to break Oswidge's confidence and get him out of Malsquando's path to way to world domination. | |||
| 10 | "Here There Be Dragons / Pipe Down!" | February 27, 2004 | 106 |
|
Here There Be Dragons (Doug Langdale): Faffy's allegiance to his dragon brethren makes it tougher for Dave to reverse an unnatural heat wave that has struck Udrogoth. | |||
| 11 | "Termites of Endearment / Thor, Loser" | March 19, 2004 | 107 |
|
Termites of Endearment (Kevin Hopps): Vermites destroy Dave's boutique only to find out that they are controlled by The Dark Lord Chuckles the Silly Piggy. | |||
| 12 | "The Princess and the Peabrains / Horders & Sorcery" | March 26, 2004 | 112 |
|
The Princess and the Peabrains (Earl Kress): Candy makes her friends princess while she haves fun and all. Meanwhile, Chuckles and his silly nephew are planning to take over Udrogoth (not to mention that his nephew really wants to be a Harvest Hog). | |||
| 13 | "The Brutish Are Coming / The Lost Race of Reeber" | April 30, 2004 | 113 |
|
The Brutish Are Coming (Kevin Hopps): Dave and Fang try to protect Udrogoth from invading monsters. | |||
| 14 | "That Darn Ghost! / The Cow Says Moon" | October 2, 2004 | 114 |
|
That Darn Ghost! (Evan Gore, Heather Lombard): Candy discovers that she is the only person in Udrogoth who does not have a ghost haunting her house. Caring for their sister, Dave and Fang go down to the local ghost shop, and hire a ghost. The ghost throws a huge ghost party, and everyone's ghost attends. After Candy tries to kick them all out, the ghosts get angry, and chase the gang around Udrogoth. | |||
| 15 | "Night of the Living Plush / I Love Neddy" | December 27, 2004 | 116 |
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Night of the Living Plush (Mark Drop): Candy has bought too many plush animals. When her room explodes from being stuffed with too much fluff, she finally realizes that she needs to buy more. Chuckles discovers that Candy needs plush toys, and disguises himself as a piggy doll. After Candy buys him and takes him home, she immediately leaves and buys more. Meanwhile Chuckles, using his amulet, creates an army of plush animals, in an attempt to conquer Udrogoth. | |||
| 16 | "Shake, Rattle, & Roll Over / Bad Food" | December 28, 2004 | 118 |
|
Shake, Rattle, & Roll Over (John Behnke, Rob Humphrey): While retrieving the magical Combat Rattle from an ancient temple, Faffy causing a statue to come to life and attack Dave and the others. Dave decides to get Faffy trained, so Chuckles disguises himself as a dragon trainer in order to steal the Combat Rattle. | |||
| 17 | "Red Sweater of Courage / Dog of the Titans" | December 29, 2004 | 119 |
|
Red Sweater of Courage (Brian Palermo): To make Dave brave, Fang makes him wear the Red Sweater of Courage. Unfortunately, Dave becomes so brave that he insults Chuckles, Malsquando, and Quozmir, so the three villains team up to destroy Udragoth. | |||
| 18 | "Fiends & Family / Plunderball" | December 30, 2004 | 121 |
|
Fiends & Family (Doug Langdale): When her parents announce that they have to start their quest all over again, Fang is crushed and cheering her up is a Herculean task. | |||
| 19 | "A Pig's Story" | January 17, 2005 | 120 |
| A Pig's Story (Paul Rugg, Doug Langdale): Dark Lord Chuckles the Silly Piggy has a plan that can't fail; he kidnaps the Storyteller and forces him to read narration in which Dave loses! Chuckles soon finds himself not only Master of the World, but also the new star of "Dave the Barbarian", which has been renamed "The Dark Lord Chuckles the Silly Piggy Will Destroy You All Variety Hour." But when the Storyteller gets laryngitis, it looks like the winner will be whoever can find the best new narrator. | |||
| 20 | "Lederhosen of Doom / Floral Derangement" | January 21, 2005 | 115 |
|
Lederhosen of Doom (Ralph Soll): Fang gets some pants sent by her parents and doesn't bother to read the note that came with them. This is problematic, because the note explains that the pants are the evil trouser beast and will take control of anyone who wears them. Fang loves the pants at first because they give her fantastic strength — at last she's as strong as Dave! But soon the pants take her over, using her as a tool to get revenge on their hated foe... Oswidge. | |||
| 21 | "Not a Monkey / Happy Glasses" | January 22, 2005 | 117 |
|
Not a Monkey (Evan Gore, Heather Lombard): Fang gets an illness, so Uncle Oswidge and Dave take her to the doctor. The doctor says that Fang gets the illness that only monkeys get. Fang can only get the cure from the island far far away. The cure is berries. After a long cruise, they reached the island. Fang sets out to find the berries but she is taken away by a pack of monkeys that coincidentally look just like her, and Fang begins to wonder if she actually IS a monkey. They accept her at first but when she eats the berries and isn't cured, Fang realizes she is not a monkey. But she is in trouble when she gets chased by monkeys, Dave is chased by gorillas, and Faffy is chased by lemons. Lula, meanwhile, stays at the hotel. | |||
Awards and Nominations
- Annie Awards
- 2005 - Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production - Wendy Grieb for episode "The Maddening Sprite of the Stump" (Won)
- 2005 - Writing in an Animated Television Production - Evan Gore & Heather Lombard for episode "Ned Frischman: Man of Tomorrow" (Nominated)
Broadcast
The series was broadcast internationally, including on the Family Channel in Canada.
References
- ↑ "Dave The Barbarian". www.bcdb.com, May 13, 2012
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386176/awards
External links
 |
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Dave the Barbarian |
- Dave the Barbarian at the Internet Movie Database
- Dave The Barbarian at the Big Cartoon DataBase
- Dave the Barbarian at TV.com