''Bounty Hamster'' is a 2003 comic science fiction

animated series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...

created by David Max Freedman and Alan Gilbey.

Plot

Cassie Harrison, a 13-year-old girl, is searching the universe for her father after he was kidnapped by space pirates. To help her, she enlists the aid of an alien

bounty hunter A bounty hunter is a private agent working for a bail bondsman who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as a bail enforcement agent or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated ...

she can afford, but suddenly, she meets an alien that looks like a blue

hamster Hamsters are rodents (order Rodentia) belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae, which contains 19 species classified in seven genera. They have become established as popular small pets. The best-known species of hamster is the golden or Syrian ...

named Marion. They have an odd-couple style relationship and search the universe together for Cassie's father. The blue space ship the pair use is divided into two parts, a driving cockpit which can be detached in order to fly down to a planet in a similar manner to a

jolly boat The jolly boat was a type of ship's boat in use during the 18th and 19th centuries. Used mainly to ferry personnel to and from the ship, or for other small-scale activities, it was, by the 18th century, one of several types of ship's boat. The de ...

from a vessel, and a larger booster component which is attached on top of the small driving compartment. Scenes involving driving often show large objects and rooms that appear within the ship. The name of the ship is Keith. Running gags include Marion pulling many, or odd, objects from his cheeks as if they are large pockets. In one instance he pulls out a large assortment of objects to help him and Cassie when they are falling off a cliff and this includes a cruise ship. Also, one of the science fiction references is the gag in which

C-3PO C-3PO () or See-Threepio is a humanoid robot character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He is a protocol droid (Star Wars), droid designed to assist in etiquette and translation, and is fluent in over six million forms of communication. The chara ...

from ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'' appears in the ship and Cassie asks who he is. Every episode starts with a brief explanation of the basic running plot and features a sequence showing Cassie's father being taken away. This is followed by a short sequence showing Marion being uncovered from a 'tough' armoured outfit and standing on stilts. The next sequence features the screen divided into four quarters, each showing several different scenes from episodes. The credits culminate in Marion uttering a fierce growl. The

closing credits Closing credits, aka end credits or end titles, are a list of the cast and crew of a particular motion picture, television show, or video game. While opening credits appear at the beginning of a work, closing credits appear close to or at th ...

show an image of stars in space. The tune to the theme sounds like the words 'bounty hamster' but with notes to a 3-4 beat. Despite airing in a children's timeslot, the show has quite a broad appeal, containing frequent

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

references, in-jokes and puns, as well as nods to other movies and TV series. Marion's name and eyepatch is a parody of

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

and the character he played in '' True Grit''. The show's premise is also based on ''True Grit'' – a young girl loses her father and then hires a bounty hunter.

Characters

*Marion, the hamster (voiced by Alan Marriott) – Marion is a blue talking hamster. He wears an eyepatch on his right eye (purely for aesthetic reasons, as he has both eyes) and can fit all manner of objects within his cheek cavities. He is often outraged by stronger characters calling him 'cute' and tries to defend his personality despite his feminine name and small structure and this is when he says his catchphrase ''Don't call me CUTE!'' before going berserk. He is often seen as being clumsy or forgetful, with the exception of comedic instances, such as when he remembers to use a remote-controlled locking device on his space ship. *Cassie Harrison (voiced by Juliet Cowan) – Cassie (short for Cassiopeia) has dirty blonde hair and is usually the more rational of the pair. She is constantly searching for her father and complaining of Marion's foolishness.

Episodes

In addition, ''A.I. (Artificial Idiocy)'', an episode between ''The Lost World'' and ''Planet of the Japes'' was originally slated to air as episode 21; but due to budget cuts at ITV, the episode was never made and was replaced by ''The Trial'', a low-budget clip show episode. According to co-creator Alan Gilbey, the episode would have involved a past friend of Marion now hunting the duo down in a starship.

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=1145491, title=Bounty Hamster 2003 British television series debuts 2003 British television series endings 2000s British animated television series 2000s British children's television series Animated television series about extraterrestrial life British children's animated action television series British children's animated comic science fiction television series British children's animated space adventure television series New Zealand children's animated adventure television series Cultural depictions of John Wayne British English-language television shows ITV children's television shows Fictional bounty hunters Hamsters in popular culture ITV animated television series