Marsupilami (1993 TV series)

Marsupilami
Opening title card for Marsupilami
Genre	Comedy
Created by	Based on the character created by André Franquin
Written by	John Behnke Rob Humphrey Jim Peterson
Directed by	Bob Hathcock Ed Wexler
Voices of	Steve Mackall René Auberjonois Dan Castellaneta Jim Cummings Steve Landesberg Tress MacNeille Jason Marsden Frank Welker Samuel E. Wright
Theme music composer	Roy Braverman
Composer(s)	Stephen James Taylor Mark Watters Jean-Michel Bernard Roy Braverman
Country of origin	United States United Kingdom Australia
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	13
Production
Producer(s)	Andre Franquin
Running time	20–22 minutes
Production company(s)	Walt Disney Television Animation Marsu Productions (characters)
Distributor	Buena Vista Television
Broadcast
Original channel	CBS
Original run	02015-09-18-0000September 18 – December 11, 1993 (1993-12-11)

Marsupilami is an American animated television series that first appeared on television in Raw Toonage in 1992, and was then spin off into his own eponymous show on the CBS television network for the 1993–1994 season. The show was based on Marsupilami, a fictional animal species created for comic books by Belgian artist André Franquin in 1952.

Production

There were 13 episodes in the series, which lasted one season and ended on December 11, 1993. Reruns of the show were aired on The Disney Channel (from October 1994^[1] to June 1995^[2]^[3]), and later on Toon Disney. Each of the 13 episodes would feature one new "Marsupilami" short, then one short either featuring Sebastian the Crab or Shnookums and Meat, and then an old "Marsupilami" short, from "Raw Toonage". As of 2009, there have been two other animated adaptations of the Marsupilami.

The original Marsupilami comic stories by Franquin never included a recurring gorilla or elephant character, since these species are native to Africa, while the marsupilami in the comic version was said to come from South America (However, in the album "Le dictateur et le champignon", the Marsupilami escaped from his cell on a boat along with a gorilla). Another change is that the animated Marsupilami can speak, whereas his comic counterpart can only mimic sound like a parrot.

Segments

Marsupilami

This segment deals with the adventures of Marsupilami (voiced by Steve Mackall) and his friends Maurice the Gorilla (voiced by Jim Cummings) and Stewart the Elephant (voiced by Dan Castellaneta). Some episodes of Marsupilami would have him either evading Eduardo the Leopard (voiced by Steve Landesberg) or outwitting a human named Norman (voiced by Jim Cummings).

Sebastian the Crab

Sebastian the Crab (voiced by Samuel E. Wright) from The Little Mermaid is a segment located in various locations out of the sea after the end of the events in the The Little Mermaid. Ariel has become human, married Prince Eric, moved onto land, and almost never has any time to drop by and visit her old friends in the ocean. Flounder and Scuttle have also moved on with their lives now that their best friend Ariel is living away on land. Sebastian has some new adventures, with some of them having him outwit Chef Louie (voiced by René Auberjonois). The events in this segment seem to show that both Sebastian and Louie moved away from the coastal area where The Little Mermaid took place, even though they both returned in the second movie.

Shnookums and Meat

Shnookums and Meat was a secondary segment on this show which would later spin-off into its own show. This segment involves a cat named Shnookums (voiced by Jason Marsden) and a dog named Meat (voiced by Frank Welker) who did not get along very well. Their owners are unseen stock characters only viewed from the neck down and named (appropriately enough) Husband & Wife (voiced by Steve Mackall and Tress MacNeille). Husband is always referring to their home as their "domicile" before the two leave their pets in charge while they are away.

Episodes

No.	#	Title	Original air date
1	1	"Working Class Mars"	September 18, 1993 (1993-09-18)
Corporate head Norman hires Mars and Maurice as office workers, to his regret.
1	2	"StC: King of the Beach"	September 18, 1993 (1993-09-18)
Lifeguard Sebastian tries to kick out a seagull that's made her nest in his lifeguard chair.
1	3	"The Hairy Ape"	November 21, 1992 (1992-11-21)
Norman traps Maurice to take to the zoo, telling Mars that he's taking him to a party. But now Mars wants to go, too.
2	1	"Normzan of the Jungle"	September 25, 1993 (1993-09-25)
Norman learns hypnosis and intends to use it to control all the jungle animals as Normzan. He hypnotizes Maurice to make him his sidekick.
2	2	"StC: Room Service"	September 25, 1993 (1993-09-25)
Hotel Clerk Sebastian has to keep everything quiet for guest Chef Louie, who's at the breaking point because of a failed restaurant opening.
2	3	"Bathtime for Maurice"	November 7, 1992 (1992-11-07)
Mars has to go through a lot of trouble to get filthy Maurice to take a bath.
3	1	"Hole in Mars"	October 2, 1993 (1993-10-02)
Golfing expert Norman challenges Mars to a betting game of golf, and regrets it.
3	2	"StC: Crab Scouts"	October 2, 1993 (1993-10-02)
Sebastian takes the Crab Scouts on a hike, always stressing the value of the Crab Scout Manual.
3	3	"The Treasure of the Sierra Marsdre"	October 3, 1992 (1992-10-03)
Norman spies on Mars and Maurice planning to go on a treasure hunt, and worms his way into joining them.
4	1	"The Wizard of Mars"	October 9, 1993 (1993-10-09)
A strong windstorm blows Mars all the way to the Land of Oz, with Maurice playing a composite of the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion, and Norman playing the Wicked Witch of the West.
4	2	"StC: TV Jeebies"	October 9, 1993 (1993-10-09)
A TV executive keeps casting Sebastian and Chef Louie in various TV pilots.
4	3	"The Puck Stops Here"	September 26, 1992 (1992-09-26)
Norman uses the hotel air conditioning system to freeze the lake, and then challenges Mars to a game of hockey.
5	1	"Mar-Sup-Du-Jour"	October 16, 1993 (1993-10-16)
Mars first meets Eduardo, a Spanish leopard who wants to eat Mars.
5	2	"S&M: Kung-Fu Kitty"	October 16, 1993 (1993-10-16)
Shnookums the cat is alarmed when his owners buy a guard dog named Meat. But he learns kung-fu to defend himself. The premiere short.
5	3	"Romancing the Clone"	October 24, 1992 (1992-10-24)
Norman dresses up as a female Marsupilami to deceive a tourist that's trying to take a picture of a marsupilami. But Mars falls in love with Norman.
6	1	"Toucan Always Get What You Want"	October 23, 1993 (1993-10-23)
Mars protects a baby toucan from Eduardo and tries to teach it how to fly.
6	2	"S&M: I.Q. You, Too"	October 23, 1993 (1993-10-23)
The cat and dog use brain-enhancing devices to come up with evermore violent pranks to commit against each other.
6	3	"Fear of Kites"	November 7, 1992 (1992-11-07)
Mars and Maurice's kite gets tangled up on the hotel rooftop. But bellhop Norman won't let them inside to retrieve it.
7	1	"Mars' Problem Pachyderm"	October 30, 1993 (1993-10-30)
Mars tries to cure the many phobias of his friend Stewart, the scaredy elephant.
7	2	"S&M: Night of the Living Shnookums"	October 30, 1993 (1993-10-30)
On a stormy night, Meat thinks he's killed Shnookums! But it's not the last he's seen of the cat.
7	3	"Mars Meets Dr. Normanstein"	September 19, 1992 (1992-09-19)
Mars and Maurice take refuge from a rainstorm in the home of Dr. Normanstein, who wants to use Maurice's brain for his monster.
8	1	"Steamboat Mars"	November 6, 1993 (1993-11-06)
Norman tries to smuggle a rare bird out of the jungle by transporting it in his steamboat. But he runs into Mars fishing for piranhas.
8	2	"S&M: Something Fishy"	November 6, 1993 (1993-11-06)
The pet fish learns how to make itself evolve, and turns into a giant monster that terrorizes Shnookums and Meat.
8	3	"Someone's in the Kitchen with Mars"	October 17, 1992 (1992-10-17)
Chef Norman steals Mars and Maurice's big basket of fruit. But Mars and Maurice track him to the hotel kitchen.
9	1	"Hey, Hey! They're the Monkeys!"	November 13, 1993 (1993-11-13)
A trio of thuggish baby monkeys abandoned by a circus clown rob Mars of his nest.
9	2	"S&M: Jingle Bells, Something Smells"	November 13, 1993 (1993-11-13)
Meat's smelly sock fells Santa Claus, and now the cat and dog must drive the sleigh in his place.
9	3	"Prime Mates Forever"	December 5, 1992 (1992-12-05)
Mars helps Maurice try to romance a tough female gorilla.
10	1	"Thorn O' Plenty"	November 20, 1993 (1993-11-20)
Mars pulls a thorn out of Eduardo's paw, and so the leopard now feels he must save Mars's life before he can eat him.
10	2	"StC: Basic Insting"	November 20, 1993 (1993-11-20)
Sebastian unknowingly gets a fishhook tangled on his back, and a near-sighted female scorpion falls in love with him.
10	3	"Witch Doctor is Which?"	November 21, 1992 (1992-11-21)
Witch Doctor Norman places a series of curses on Mars so that he instead of Mars will be the happiest person in the jungle.
11	1	"A Spotless Record"	November 27, 1993 (1993-11-27)
Mars loses his spots from eating bad fruit. A reluctant Stewart knows how to cure him and ends up taking Mars and Maurice to where a cure might be found.
11	2	"StC: A Boy and His Crab"	November 27, 1993 (1993-11-27)
Sebastian waits out Crab Season by being the pet of a boy who thinks he's a dog.
11	3	"Mars vs. Man"	October 10, 1992 (1992-10-10)
Foreman Norman uproots Mars's tree to make space for his condominiums, but Mars squats in one of them.
12	1	"Cropsy Turvy"	December 4, 1993 (1993-12-04)
Mars scares his friends with campfire stories of the monstrous Cropsy, but finds that he's wrong when he meets the real Cropsy.
12	2	"StC: A Crabby Honeymoon"	December 4, 1993 (1993-12-04)
Sebastian gets mixed up in the problems of a newlywed couple staying at his hotel.
12	3	"Safari So Good"	November 28, 1992 (1992-11-28)
Norman's Aunt Mindy pays a visit and takes an immediate liking to Mars.
13	1	"Royal Foil"	December 11, 1993 (1993-12-11)
Mars and Maurice vacation in London, where Norman tricks them into helping him steal the crown jewels.
13	2	"StC: Flambe, Bombe"	December 11, 1993 (1993-12-11)
Superstar Sebastian rushes through New York trying to get to the Mervin Peevish center in time to host a variety show, and avoiding getting caught by Chef Louie. Note: Originally a host sequence in "Raw Toonage".
13	3	"Jungle Fever"	November 14, 1992 (1992-11-14)
Mars tries to cure a sick Maurice, but keeps getting sneezed into the way of a refined lion named Leonardo.

Cast

René Auberjonois – Chef Louie
Dan Castellaneta – Stewart the Elephant
Jim Cummings – Maurice the Gorilla, Norman, Leonardo the Lion
Steve Landesberg – Eduardo the Leopard
Steve Mackall – Marsupilami, Husband
Tress MacNeille – Wife
Jason Marsden – Shnookums
Frank Welker – Meat
Samuel E. Wright – Sebastian the Crab

Additional voices

Crew

Ginny McSwain – Voice Director

VHS releases

US releases

Three VHS compilations containing 15 short episodes of the series were released in the United States.

VHS Name	Episode Titles	Release Date
Marsupilami (Volume 1): Marsuper-Duper	"Mars Meets Dr. Normanstein" "Hole in Mars" "Witch Doctor is Which?" "Safari So Good" "Steamboat Mars"	???
Marsupilami (Volume 2): Adventurous Tails	"Bathtime for Maurice" "Hey, Hey! They're the Monkeys!" "Fear of Kites" "Toucan Always Get What You Want" "Mar-Soup-Du-Jour"	???
Marsupilami (Volume 3): Jumpin' Jungle Jive	"The Hairy Ape" "Working Class Mars" "Cropsy Turvy" "Mars' Problem Pachyderm" "Normzan of the Jungle"	???

Australia and New Zealand releases

Five VHS cassettes containing 28 short episodes of the series were released in Australia and New Zealand.

VHS Name	Episode Titles	Release Date
Marsupilami (Volume 1): Houba, Houba!	"The Hairy Ape" "Bathtime for Maurice" "Fear of Kites" "Marsupilami Meets Doctor Normanstein" "Witch Doctor is Which?" "Safari So Good" "Jungle Fever"	November 26, 1993
Marsupilami (Volume 2): The Superstar	"The Treasure of the Sierra Marsdre" "Hot Spots" "Mars vs. Man" "Someone's in the Kitchen with Mars" "Wanna Be Ruler" "Primes Mates Forever" "The Young and the Nestless" "The Puck Stops Here"	November 26, 1993
Marsupilami (Volume 3): Jumpin' Jungle Jive	"The Wizard of Mars" "Working Class Mars" "Cropsy Turvy" "Mars' Problem Pachyderm" "Normzan of the Jungle"	April 1, 1994
Marsupilami (Volume 4): Adventurous Tails	"Royal Foil" "Hey, Hey! They're the Monkeys" "Toucan Always Get What You Want" "Mar-Soup-Du-Jour"	April 1, 1994
Marsupilami (Volume 5): Marsuper-Duper	"Hole in Mars" "Thorn O'Plenty" "A Spotless Records" "Steamboat Mars"	April 1, 1994

References

↑ The Disney Channel Magazine, Vol. 12, no. 6, October/November 1994: pp. 36, 46, 58.
↑ The Disney Channel Magazine, Vol. 13, no. 2 (typo in magazine: should be "no. 3"), April/May 1995: pp. 26, 36, 44.
↑ The Disney Channel Magazine, Vol. 13, no. 4, June/July 1995: p. 48.

External links

Episode Guide
Marsupiliami at the Internet Movie Database
Marsupilami at the Big Cartoon DataBase
Marsupiliami at TV.com

Children's programming on CBS in the 1990s

First-run animated series	Dink, the Little Dinosaur (1989–91) Muppet Babies (1984–92) The California Raisin Show (1989–90) Garfield and Friends (1988–95) Rude Dog & the Dweebs (1989–90) The Adventures of Raggedy Ann and Andy (1988–91) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990–97) Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures (1990–91) Mother Goose and Grimm (1991–93) Back to the Future (1991–93) Where's Waldo? (1991–92) Fievel's American Tails (1992–93) The Little Mermaid (1992–95) Raw Toonage (1992–93) Marsupilami (1993–94) Hello Kitty and Friends (1993–94) All-New Dennis the Menace (1993–94) Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (1993–94) Conan and the Young Warriors (1994) Beethoven (1994–95) Aladdin (1994–96) Mega Man (1994–95) Skeleton Warriors (1994–95) Wild C.A.T.s (1994–95) Street Sharks (1994–95) The Adventures of Hyperman (1995–96) Timon & Pumbaa (1995–97) Santo Bugito (1995–96) The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat (1995–97) The Neverending Story (1995–96) The Mask (1995–97) Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1995–97) The Oz Kids (1996–97) Project G.e.e.K.e.R. (1996–97) Anatole (1998–2000) Dumb Bunnies (1998–99) Flying Rhino Junior High (1998–2000) Birdz (1998–99) Mythic Warriors (1998–2000) New Tales from the Cryptkeeper (1999–2000) Blaster's Universe (1999–2000) Rescue Heroes (1999–2000)

First-run live-action series	Pee-wee's Playhouse (1986–91) The Amazing Live Sea Monkeys (1992) Beakman's World (1993–98) Fudge (1995) Bailey Kipper's P.O.V. (1996–97) Secrets of the Cryptkeeper's Haunted House (1996–97) The New Ghostwriter Mysteries (1997) Wheel 2000 (1997–98) The Weird Al Show (1997) The Sports Illustrated for Kids Show (1997) In the News (1997–98)

Rebroadcasts	Inspector Gadget (1991–92) Cyber C.O.P.S. (1993) CBS Storybreak (1993–94)

Schedules	1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000

Related topics	Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue (1990) Modern animation in the United States