''The Wacky World of Tex Avery'' ( French: ''Le Monde Fou de Tex Avery'') is a short-lived animated television series created by Robby London and co-produced by DIC Productions, L.P., Les Studios Tex SARL, Milimetros, M6 and Telcima.
Both the series and the titular character were named after
Tex Avery
Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American animation. His mo ...
, a cartoonist who is known for his work at
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
and
MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
. The creator describes the show as "homage to the brilliant, hilarious and groundbreaking animator Tex Avery and the wonderful squash-and-stretch cartoons of his era".The Wacky World of Tex Avery , '' Spumco and
DIC Entertainment
DIC Entertainment Corporation (; also known as DIC Audiovisuel, DIC Enterprises, DIC Animation City, DIC Entertainment, L.P., and DIC Productions), branded as The Incredible World of DIC, was an international film and television production com ...
'' The series was first broadcast on French channel M6 on September 3, 1997, followed on by its broadcast in the United States on September 29, through
syndication
Syndication may refer to:
* Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system
* Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips
* Web syndication, ...
, until it ended on December 26 the same year, due to poor ratings and reviews. In following years, ''The Wacky World of Tex Avery'' was overwhelmingly panned for it being an "insult" to Tex Avery's legacy, along with its animation, crude humor, voice acting, character designs and imagery, theme song, outdated stereotypes and characters.
Segment series
The series contains 7 segment series: The reason why the characters Tex Avery created weren't included was due to the fact that Tex Avery cartoons from WB and MGM are all owned by
Turner Entertainment
Turner Entertainment Company is an American multimedia company founded by Ted Turner in 1986. Purchased by Time Warner in 1996 as part of its acquisition of Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), the company was largely responsible for overseeing th ...
, then owned by Time Warner in 1996, and Universal's Tex Avery cartoons would still be owned by Universal Studios.
Tex Avery
Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American animation. His mo ...
This segment series centers on a cowboy named Tex Avery who saves the day and his love interest, Chastity Knott, from his nemesis, Sagebrush Sid. He was inspired by Bob Clampett's (a fellow animator at Termite Terrace in the 1930s) Red Hot Ryder character from '' Buckaroo Bugs''. The theme song is "
Home on the Range
"Home on the Range" is a classic cowboy song, sometimes called the "unofficial anthem" of the American West. Dr. Brewster M. Higley (also spelled Highley) of Smith County, Kansas, wrote the lyrics as the poem "My Western Home" in 1872 or 1873 ...
".
Pompeii Pete
Pete is a diminutive bumbling Roman centurion from Pompeii who was buried in lava from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and two thousand years later breaks free from his preserved state in the modern world. His over-interpretive behavior constantly foil the schemes of sleazy conman, Dan. He was loosely inspired by Shorty from the Famous Studios era of ''
Popeye the Sailor
Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar.Manuel from
Fawlty Towers
''Fawlty Towers'' is a British television sitcom written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, broadcast on BBC2 in 1975 and 1979. Two series of six episodes each were made. The show was ranked first on a list of the 100 Greatest British Televisio ...
, borrowing some inspiration from ''
Encino Man
''Encino Man'' (known as ''California Man'' in France, Finland, Sweden, Great Britain, Asia, South Africa, and New Zealand) is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Les Mayfield in his directorial debut. The film stars Sean Astin, with a supp ...
''. The theme song is "
Tarantella Napoletana
The "Tarantella Napoletana" is the tarantella associated with Naples. It is familiar to North American viewers of popular media as a quintessentially Italian musical riff or melody.
\relative c''
Examples of its use include Gioachino Rossini ...
".
Einstone
This segment series centers on a brilliant
caveman
The caveman is a stock character representative of primitive humans in the Paleolithic. The popularization of the type dates to the early 20th century, when Neanderthals were influentially described as "simian" or " ape-like" by Marcellin Bo ...
, Ughbert Einstone, who is the world's first inventor. He tries to teach his friends how to be civilized through the use of his inventions. This segment is inspired by ''
The First Bad Man
''The First Bad Man'' is an American animated cartoon directed by Tex Avery, and features narration by singing cowboy Tex Ritter. It was released by MGM on September 30, 1955.
Plot
An unnamed narrator tells a story about the history of Texas set ...
'', with Einstone's name being a play on
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory ...
. The theme song is "
If You're Happy and You Know It "If You're Happy and You Know It" is a popular repetitive children's and drinking song. The song has been noted for its similarities to "Molodejnaya", a song appearing in the 1938 Soviet musical film ''Volga-Volga''.
History
The origin of the melo ...
".
Genghis & Khannie
Genghis the lion is a warlord who leads his barbarian army across the world to conquer in the name of his emperor and often crosses paths with a female
panda
The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes use ...
cub named Khannie who tends to thwart his plans through her innocent behavior. The duo's names are a play on Genghis Khan, while Genghis's design is based on the lion from '' Slap Happy Lion'' with his voice being modeled after Sean Connery and Khannie's mannerisms being influenced by Shirley Temple.
Freddy the Fly
A playful, obnoxious, and uncultured fly named Freddy bothers an obese, lazy and exceedingly short-tempered billionaire named Amanda Banshee, whose continuous excessive attempts to get rid of him often involve the most extreme of ways. Freddy was inspired by both one of Tex Avery's earlier characters, Homer the Homeless Flea and comedian
Red Skelton
Richard Red Skelton (July 18, 1913September 17, 1997) was an American entertainer best known for his national radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program '' The Red Skelton Show''. He has stars ...
's character, Freddy the Freeloader. Freddy and Banshee each have their own themes; Beethoven for Freddy and Vivaldi for Banshee.
Maurice & Mooch
This segment series centers on a young
chicken
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adu ...
named Maurice Squab who outwits Mooch, a fox constantly trying to eat him. Maurice's design is based on the canary from ''
King-Size Canary
''King-Size Canary'' is an animated cartoon short that debuted in movie theaters in 1947. It was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and directed by Tex Avery. The canary in this short was a primary inspiration for the design of Maurice, a character ...
'', with his personality influenced by Junior Pig from ''One Ham's Family''. Maurice speaks with a
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
accent; Mooch has a New York accent, with a voice modelled on Jimmy Durante. The segment's theme is "
Home! Sweet Home!
"Home, Sweet Home" is a song adapted from American actor and dramatist John Howard Payne's 1823 opera ''Clari, or the Maid of Milan'', the song's melody was composed by Englishman Sir Henry Bishop with lyrics by Payne. Bishop had earlier pub ...
".
Power Pooch
A normal dog gains superpowers after licking a superhero's shoe and becomes a superhero himself, albeit an incompetent one. Along with his
cat
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...
sidekick, Little Buddy, Power Pooch fights the forces of evil, such as Doctor Hydrant and his henchman, Boney. This segment is inspired by
W. Watts Biggers
William Watts "Buck" Biggers (June 2, 1927 – February 10, 2013) was an American novelist and co-creator of the long-running animated television series ''Underdog''.
Early life
Born in Avondale Estates, Georgia, Biggers went to Avondale High wh ...
Underdog
An underdog is a person or group in a competition, usually in sports and creative works, who is largely expected to lose. The party, team, or individual expected to win is called the favorite or top dog. In the case where an underdog wins, the ...
'', as well as
Doug TenNapel
Douglas Richard TenNapel ( ; born July 10, 1966) is an American animator, writer, cartoonist, video game designer, and comic book artist whose work has encompassed animated television, video games, and comic books. He is best known for creating ...
's ''
Earthworm Jim
''Earthworm Jim'' is a series of platform games featuring an earthworm named Jim who wears a robotic suit and battles the forces of evil. The series is noted for its platforming and shooting gameplay, surreal humor, and edgy art style. Four game ...
''.
Cast
*
Billy West
William Richard Werstine (born April 16, 1952), known professionally as Billy West, is an American voice actor. His voice roles include Bugs Bunny in the 1996 film ''Space Jam'' and several subsequent projects, the title characters of ''Doug'' ...
-
Tex Avery
Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American animation. His mo ...
, Sagebrush Sid, Freddy
*
Kathleen Barr
Kathleen Barr is a Canadian voice actress. She is best known for voicing Marie Kanker and Kevin in ''Ed, Edd n Eddy'' and Trixie Lulamoon and Queen Chrysalis in '' My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic''. She also voiced Henri Richard Maurice D ...
- Chastity Knott
*
Ian James Corlett
Ian James Corlett (born August 29, 1962) is a Canadian voice actor, animator, and author. He is the creator of Studio B Productions' animated series ''Being Ian'' and ''Yvon of the Yukon''. One of his best-known animation roles was the first En ...
- Ughbert Einstone and Pompeii Pete
* Phil Hayes - Power Pooch
*
Terry Klassen
Terry Klassen is a Canadian voice actor, ADR director and writer. Before animation, Klassen worked in radio in Winnipeg (CITI-FM), Toronto (Q107), Calgary (CFAC), Portage la Prairie (CFRY) and part-time at CFOX and CFMI. In animation, he is best ...
- Maurice Squab
*
Maurice LaMarche
Maurice LaMarche (born March 30, 1958) is a Canadian voice actor, comedian, and impressionist. He has voiced the Brain in '' Animaniacs'' as well as its spin-off '' Pinky and the Brain'', Big Bob in ''Hey Arnold!'' (1996–2004), and a variety of ...
- Mooch, The Emperor, Mr. Squab, The Narrator and Doctor Hydrant
*
Scott McNeil
Scott McNeil is an Australian-born Canadian actor. He currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. One of the best-known Canadian voice actors of all time, McNeil has provided voices to many characters in animated shows, most notabl ...
- Amanda Banshee
* Cree Summer - Khannie
* Lee Tockar - Genghis and Little Buddy
* Alec Willows - Dan
Development
In October 1995,
DIC Entertainment
DIC Entertainment Corporation (; also known as DIC Audiovisuel, DIC Enterprises, DIC Animation City, DIC Entertainment, L.P., and DIC Productions), branded as The Incredible World of DIC, was an international film and television production com ...
announced they would be opening an animation office in France in partnership with Hampster Productions (which at the time, was 33% minority-owned by DIC's majority owner
Capital Cities/ABC
Capital Cities/ABC Inc. was an American media company. It was founded in 1985 when Capital Cities Communications purchased the much larger American Broadcasting Company. It eventually proposed a merger of equals with The Walt Disney Company and ...
), and that their first project would be called ''Tex Avery Theater''. DIC also acquired the rights to use Avery's name and likeness through his estate in order to produce the series. The package of 195 7-minute cartoons would have been made available starting in October 1996. In March 1997, the studio was opened up and was named Les Studios Tex, which DIC was a shareholder, with DIC launching the show as ''The Wacky World of Tex Avery'' in syndication in the Fall of that year.
A logo of the studio that appears after the end credits of ''
Archie's Weird Mysteries
''Archie's Weird Mysteries'' (French: ''Archie, mystères et compagnie'') is an animated television series based on the characters by Archie Comics. The series premise revolves around a Riverdale High physics lab gone awry, making the town of R ...
'', shows a prototype design of Tex Avery that was scrapped, with a purple arc hat, while riding a horse. The same prototype design also appears in the French dub.
Home media releases and current-day syndication
France
In July 2003, TF1 Video through the TF! Video label released a 2-DVD boxset of the series, which contained 48 cartoons (24 cartoons each). Another boxset was released in January 2004, containing 64 cartoons (32 cartoons each).
In April 2011, AV Video released a boxset containing the first 24 episodes, with 72 cartoons all on the 3 DVDs.
United States
In 2003,
Sterling Entertainment
United American Video (or in short: UAV) Corporation, and more commonly known as UAV Home Video or UAV Entertainment was an American entertainment company founded in 1984 as a small local company originally located in Charlotte, North Carolina. ...
released three VHSs/DVDs of the series titled ''Power Pooch to the Rescue'', ''Pompeii Pete in the 21st Century'' and ''Tex Rides Again'', each containing nine cartoons from their respective segments. On the DVD versions, three bonus cartoons are featured with other characters from the show, like Freddy the Fly. The Tex Avery and Pompeii Pete DVDs were re-released in 2007 by NCircle Entertainment.
In February 2013, Mill Creek Entertainment released ''The Wacky World of Tex Avery- Volume 1'' on DVD in Region 1 for the first time. The four-disc set features the first 40 episodes of the series and includes a bonus episode of '' Bump in the Night''. It is unknown whether the rest of the episodes will be released on another DVD, as this DVD is currently out-of-print.
The show was originally available on Hulu, but has since been taken down, and is now only on
Tubi
Tubi is an American over-the-top content platform and ad-supported streaming service owned by Fox Corporation. The service was launched on April 1, 2014, and is based in Los Angeles, California. In January 2021, Tubi reached 33 million monthly ...
and
Vudu
Vudu is an American digital video store and streaming service owned by Fandango Media, a joint-venture between NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery. The company offers transactional video on demand rentals and digital purchases of film ...
.
International
In Italy the show was shown to Mediaset from 1999.
Later syndication
After the show's run on M6 in France, the show re-aired on
Télétoon
Télétoon (styled as TĒLĒTOON) is a Canadian French language specialty channel owned by Teletoon Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. Its name is a portmanteau of " télévision" and "cartoon". As of 2013, along with its Englis ...
Gulli
Gulli (; stylised as gulli) is a French free-to-air television channel focused on kids programming for those aged 3 to 14. It was created as a result of a partnership between Lagardère Active and state-owned broadcaster France Télévisions. ...
in 2008 and 2010, respectively.
In the United States, it aired in reruns on most Fox and UPN stations from 1997 to 2000 under the
Bohbot Kids Network
Bohbot Kids Network (more commonly referred to and on-screen as BKN, originally known as Amazin' Adventures until 1997) is a children's programming block operated by Bohbot Entertainment (later BKN, Inc.) that aired in syndicated television stati ...
, and was brought back in reruns on the
DiC Kids Network
The Cookie Jar Kids Network (formerly DiC Kids Network) was a syndicated children's programming block that airs selected Cookie Jar Group shows on local Fox, The CW, MyNetworkTV, and independent stations to provide them with a source of E/I p ...
in 2003 (also on most Fox and UPN stations) up until 2004. In 2010, the program re-aired in the United States for the first time in a decade, where it was a part of the weekday morning
Cookie Jar Toons
Cookie Jar Toons (also known as This Is for Kids) was a daily children's programming block on the This TV digital broadcast network when that network was partially owned by the former Weigel Broadcasting (7 years later, the network was acquired ...
This TV
This TV (also known as This TV Network and alternately stylized as thisTV) is an American free-to-air television network owned by Allen Media
Broadcast Networks, LLC, part of the Allen Media Group division of Entertainment Studios. Originally f ...
. The show was removed from the lineup on September 26, 2011. Most episodes of the show were also available on Hulu and Jaroo.com. These prints plaster the DIC logo with the 2008 Cookie Jar logo. As of 2022, episodes 1-52 are available on
Tubi
Tubi is an American over-the-top content platform and ad-supported streaming service owned by Fox Corporation. The service was launched on April 1, 2014, and is based in Los Angeles, California. In January 2021, Tubi reached 33 million monthly ...
.
Episodes
Reception
''The Wacky World of Tex Avery'' has been critically panned for its animation and humor. David Perlmutter in his book ''Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows'' described the show as an "insult" to the titular cartoonist, writing that it lacked the masterful way Avery himself employed and often transcended the limits of his material.