Foofur
| Foofur | |
|---|---|
|
Foofur and his group. | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Phil Mendez |
| Directed by |
|
| Theme music composer | Hoyt Curtin |
| Opening theme | "Foofur" |
| Ending theme | "Foofur" (Instrumental) |
| Composer(s) | Hoyt Curtin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 (46 Separately) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | |
| Producer(s) |
|
| Editor(s) | Gil Iverson |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Hanna-Barbera Productions SEPP International S.A. |
| Distributor |
|
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | September 13, 1986 – February 18, 1988 |
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Foofur is an American animated children's television series created by Phil Mendez, and was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions with SEPP International S.A.. Airing on NBC from 1986 to 1988, the show was about the everyday misadventures of the skinny blue protagonist dog.[1] A comic book series, based on the cartoon, was produced by and released from Star Comics (an imprint of Marvel Comics).
Plot
In the town of Willowby, a tall skinny blue dog named Foofur (voiced by Frank Welker) has taken refuge in a mansion, in 32 Maple Street, which is also his birthplace. In Foofur's group is his niece Rocki (voiced by Christina Lange), Fencer the Cat (voiced by Eugene Williams), Louis (voiced by Richard Gautier) with his girlfriend Annabell (voiced by Susan Tolsky), Dolly (voiced by Susan Blu), Hazel (voiced by Pat Carroll) with husband Fritz-Carlos (voiced by Jonathan Schmock), and Burt (voiced by William Callaway).
Foofur and his friends however, have an enemy in a woman named Mrs. Amelia Escrow (voiced by Susan Silo) and her pet Chihuahua named Pepe (voiced by Don Messick), as Pepe tries to expose Foofur's illegal roommates – but always to no avail. Mrs. Escrow has tried many times to sell the estate, but unknown to Her, Foofur and his friends keep the house from being bought, as they also protect their home from rodents like the Rat Brothers, other cats like Vinnie and His Cat Pack, and greedy humans. While trying to stop Mrs. Escrow, Foofur tries to evade having his friends captured by the Bowser Busters' dog catchers Mel (voiced by David Doyle) and Harvey (voiced by Michael Bell).
Voice cast
Main
- Frank Welker – Foofur
- Michael Bell – Harvey
- Susan Blu – Dolly
- William Callaway – Burt
- Pat Carroll – Hazel
- Peter Cullen – Baby, Vinni
- David Doyle – Mel
- Richard Gautier – Louis
- Christina Lange – Rocki
- Allan Melvin – Chucky
- Don Messick – Pepe
- Jonathan Schmock – Fritz Carlos
- Susan Silo – Mrs. Escrow
- Susan Tolsky – Annabell
- Chick Vennera – Sam
- Eugene Williams – Fencer
Additional
- David Ackroyd –
- Jered Barclay –
- Roscoe Lee Brown –
- Arthur Burghardt –
- Hamilton Camp –
- Victoria Carroll –
- Cheryl Chase –
- Danny Cooksey –
- Jim Cummings –
- Linda Dangcil –
- Jennifer Darling –
- Walker Edmiston –
- Casey Ellison –
- John Erwin –
- Miriam Flynn –
- June Foray –
- George Furth –
- Melanie Gaffin –
- Henry Gibson –
- Scott Grimes –
- Edan Gross –
- Jonathan Harris – Lance Lyons
- Phil Hartman –
- Jerry Houser – Killer the St. Bernard (ep. 14a)
- Vincent Howard –
- Arte Johnson –
- Aron Kincaid –
- Keland Love –
- Allan Lurie –
- Jim MacGeorge –
- Robert Mandan –
- Kenneth Mars –
- Terrence McGovern –
- Brian Stokes Mitchell –
- Pedro Montero –
- Lynne Moody –
- Pat Musick –
- Frank Nelson – Dr. Pavlov (ep. 1)
- Louis Nye –
- Nicholas Omana –
- Rob Paulsen –
- Josh Rodine –
- Percy Rodrigues –
- Alexandra Stoddart –
- Larry Storch –
- Mark L. Taylor –
- Sal Viscuso –
- B.J. Ward –
- Lennie Weinrib –
Episode list
Season 1
| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1a | 1a | "A Little Off the Top" | Story by : Mark Young; Teleplay by: Tony Marino | September 13, 1986 |
| The gang try to help Fritz get over losing his hair, but the situation gets worse when part of His mustache is accidentally shaved off. | ||||
| 1b | 1b | "A Clean Sweep" | Story by : Mark Young; Teleplay by: Mark Cassutt | September 13, 1986 |
| Hazel forces the gang to clean the house, but then the dogcatchers come to clean the mansion for Mrs. Escrow. | ||||
| 2 | 2 | "Moving Experience" | TBA | |
| Foofur and the others try to help a dog named Irma who is about to give birth to puppies. | ||||
| 3 | 3 | "Dogstyles of the Rich and Famous" | TBA | |
| When Mrs. Escrow rests in the gang's house while her house's paint dries, the gang come to a fancy mansion, as a burglary is about to take place. | ||||
| 4 | 4 | "Foofur Falls in Love" | Susan Misty Stewart and Joseph Taggart | |
| Foofur goes head over heels for a girl dog named Dolly. | ||||
| 5a | 5a | "The Last Resort" | Story by : Mark Young; Teleplay by: Richard Merwin | |
| Rocki becomes friends with a pup who ran away from an obedience school. | ||||
| 5b | 5b | "Thicker Than Water" | Story by : Mark Young; Teleplay by: Reed Robbins | |
| Chaos ensues when Foofur tries to give a gold collar to Dolly and at the same time, try to help Fencer by donating blood. | ||||
| 6a | 6a | "Hot Over the Collar" | TBA | |
| Foofur uses a hatband as a makeshift collar for Rocki, and she comes to a dog show, not knowing it's a trap set by Mel and Harvey. | ||||
| 6b | 6b | "A-Job Hunting We Will Go" | TBA | |
| Pepe has the gang work odd jobs to raise $100 to pay Mrs. Escrow's house tax or the gang will be out on the streets. | ||||
| 7a | 7a | "A Royal Pain" | Mark Cassutt | |
| Fencer helps a group of cats after the owner's sister evicts them from the house. | ||||
| 7b | 7b | "Nothing to Sneeze At" | Story by : Mark Young; Teleplay by: David Schwartz | |
| Fencer gets a cold after Foofur and the others bathe him. | ||||
| 8a | 8a | "Country Club Chaos" | TBA | |
| Foofur, Rocki, Fencer, and Dolly try to save a fox cub's life from a group of fox hunters. | ||||
| 8b | 8b | "You Dirty Rat" | TBA | |
| After accidentally putting Rocki in danger, The Rat Brothers are thrown out of the house, and they turn to a shipyard rat named Boombah for help. | ||||
| 9a | 9a | "This Little Piggy's on TV" | Story by : Mark Young and Reed Robbins; Teleplay by: Christina Adams | |
| The gang try to help a pig reunite with his girlfriend, who broke into show business. | ||||
| 9b | 9b | "Fencer's Freaky Friday" | TBA | |
| It's Friday the 13th, Fencer is treated like bad luck, and a pair of superstitious twins are in search of a treasure. | ||||
| 10a | 10a | "Legal Beagles" | TBA | |
| Foofur's house is under threat when a con artist's dog fakes an injury and sues Mrs. Escrow. | ||||
| 10b | 10b | "Bon Voyage Rocki" | TBA | |
| Just as Rocki is visited by her father just before her birthday, she is faced by a bully, and she has to choose between staying with her uncle Foofur or go with her father to sea. | ||||
| 11 | 11 | "New Tricks" | TBA | |
| Rocki hopes to become a performer after coming to the circus. | ||||
| 12a | 12a | "Russian Through New York" | Story by : Mark Young and Reed Robbins; Teleplay by: John Bonaccorsi | |
| On a visit to New York City, Lewis and the others guide a Russian dog named Vladimir around the town, but have to save him from two thieves, who steal dogs from Diplomats. | ||||
| 12b | 12b | "Fritz Carlos Bombs Out" | TBA | |
| Fritz becomes jealous when Hazel's old boyfriend comes for a visit. | ||||
| 13 | 13 | "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" | TBA | |
| Lewis tries to save Annabelle from some counterfeiters in London. | ||||
Season 2
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "Pepe's Pet Peeve / Clothes Make the Dog" | Pepe's Pet Peeve: Kristina Mazzotti | |
|
Pepe's Pet Peeve: Pepe turns to Foofur for help to remove a dog named Killer from Mrs. Escrow's house. however... Clothes Make the Dog: Pepe hopes to win the heart of a poodle at a dog show. | ||||
| 15 | 2 | "Boot Camp Blues / My Pharoah Lady" | TBA | |
|
Boot Camp Blues: Fritz enrolls to a boot camp, when he thought he's re-enrolling to be in the Foreign Legion, and Foofur and Louis are involved. My Pharoah Lady: Fencer tries to win the heart of an archeologist's cat. | ||||
| 16 | 3 | "What Price Fleadom? / Winging It" | TBA | |
|
What Price Fleadom?: The rats infest Hazel with circus fleas. Winging It: Annabelle befriends a chick, which matures into a chicken. | ||||
| 17 | 4 | "The Dog's Meow / Friend Foofur's Foul Up" | TBA | |
|
The Dog's Meow: Louis is hypnotized by a TV hypnotist into thinking he's a cat. At the same time, Louis is to fight Muggsy, who insulted Annabell. Friend Foofur's Foul Up: Foofur switches places with an old friend at the Happy Glen Country Club. | ||||
| 18 | 5 | "Alone at Last, Dahling / Tooth or Consequences" | TBA | |
|
Alone at Last, Dahling: Fritz-Carlos is fed up with his friends cutting into his alone time with Hazel, so Foofur sneaks the both of them into a cruise ship, but things go awry. Tooth or Consequences: Foofur gets a toothache, just as he and his pals face against Burt's friends, called the Swells in a game of tug of war. | ||||
| 19 | 6 | "Fencer Finds a Family / The Nose Knows" | TBA | |
|
Fencer Finds a Family: After he is tricked by Louis and Fritz-Carlos into a swimming pool, Fencer leaves to join the Cat Pack, but he doesn't know they are going to use him to commit crimes. The Nose Knows: After Rocki returns home late because she was lost, Foofur brings her to the wilderness to teach her how to track, while avoiding a hunter's dog with an incredible sense of smell. | ||||
| 20 | 7 | "Just Bumming Around / Annabell Goes Punk" | Just Bumming Around: Anthony Adams Annabell Goes Punk: Dennis Marks | |
|
Just Bumming Around: After Foofur grounds Rocki, not for ruining the neighbor's flower bed, but running the risk of being spotted, she and Irma's two pups run away. Annabell Goes Punk: Annabell gets a makeover from a punk stylist, and meets other punk dogs in a club called the Lavender Loft. | ||||
| 21 | 8 | "Just Like Magic / Puppy Love" | Story by : Barry Blitzer; Teleplay by: Gary Greenfield | |
|
Just Like Magic: The Rat Brothers scare Fencer into thinking he's got one life left, while the gang thinks about using a magician's box to safeguard him from danger. Puppy Love: Rocki falls in love with a dog food star but Foofur doesn't approve since two look-a-likes (One is rude, and the other is a jokester) made a horrible impression. | ||||
| 22 | 9 | "Weekend in the Condo / Bye, Bye, Birdie" | Bye, Bye, Birdie: M.R. Wells | |
|
Weekend in the Condo: Foofur and the gang deal with Crooks while being in Burt's master's condo. Bye, Bye, Birdie: The Rat Brothers scare Mrs. Escrow's canary, causing Foofur and the canines to accuse Fencer of swallowing the bird and throwing him out. Fencer turns to Pepe to retrieve the bird. | ||||
| 23 | 10 | "Fencer Gets Soul / Rocki's Big Fib" | Rocki's Big Fib: Samantha Clemens | |
|
Fencer Gets Soul: Fencer goes to New Orleans, for a chance to be the newest member of a soul-singing cat group, Foofur comes along, but the Cat faces competition with a mouse with a golden voice. Rocki's Big Fib: Rocki aids a white alligator, but is captured by Big Boombah and his gang of shipyard rats when the Rat Brothers fail to pay back a cheese tax. | ||||
| 24 | 11 | "You Bet Your Life / Louis Sees the Light" | TBA | |
|
You Bet Your Life: In Las Vegas, Hazel is cheated by a couple of crooked dogs in games of rat race. Louis Sees the Light: Louis meets a childhood friend who is a seeing-eye dog, but has to save him from Mel and Harvey while getting a blind boy to reunite him with his dog. | ||||
| 25 | 12 | "Annabell Gets Framed / Scary Harry" | Annabell Gets Framed: M.R. Wells | |
|
Annabell Gets Framed: After Mrs. Escrow's glasses fall on Annabell's eyes, she and her friends get her a pair of glasses, but Annabell's relationship with Louis begins to falter when Louis feels threatened. Scary Harry: While trying to join a club, Rocki encounters an easily scared green dog named Harry in an abandoned dog pound. | ||||
| 26 | 13 | "Look Homeward, Foofur" | TBA | February 18, 1988 |
| Foofur tells Rocki a story of how He first met His friends while searching the town for the house that His brother, sister, and owners live. | ||||
Home media release
In the late 1980's and early 1990's, a number of episodes of the series were released on VHS in the United States by Celebrity Home Entertainment's Just for Kids label.
International broadcast
Legal activity
Foofur played a role in the case Nationwide Insurance v. Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, 116 F.3d 1154 (7th Cir., 1997). The case dealt with an insurer's duty to defend an insured party in light of the insured's intentional acts of property damage. The insured, a drunken college student, spelled out "FOO" – meaning "foo", a word derived from Foofur – on the artificial turf football field of Memorial Stadium with lighter fluid burning the letters into the turf. He caused $600,000 damage to the astroturf. The court held that such an act was not within the insurance policy's liability coverage.[2]
Reception
In 2014, listing it among twelve 1980s animated series that supposedly did not deserve remembrance, io9 criticized the series, perceiving its premise to be contrived and remarking that "someone had the gall to think this was 'cool'".[3]
References
- ↑ "Saturday Morning: Good And Bad". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
- ↑ [caselaw.findlaw.com/us-7th-circuit/1058032.html Nationwide Insurance v. Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois] (Decided: 19 June 1997)
- ↑ Bricken, Rob (11 November 2014). "12 Cartoons From The 1980s No One Will Ever Have Nostalgia For". io9. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
External links
- Foofur on IMDb
- Foofur at TV.com
- Foofur at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on July 30, 2016.
- William Hanna: The Story of a Legend
- Foofur at The Cartoon Scrapbook