Snorks

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This article is about the USA/Belgian cartoon TV series. For the characters in Tove Jansson's Moomin books, cartoons and TV series, see Moomin.
Snorks
Format Animated series
Starring Michael Bell
B.J. Ward
Barry Gordon
Frank Welker
Nancy Cartwright
Brian Cummings
Rob Paulsen
Roger DeWitt
Clive Revill
Rene Auberjonois
Fredricka Weber
Country of origin  United States
No. of episodes 65
Production
Executive producer(s) William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
Freddy Monnickendam
Producer(s) Berny Wolf
Running time 12 minutes per episode / 24 minutes per episode (later episodes)
Broadcast
Original channel NBC, Syndicated; Boomerang
Original run September 15, 1984 – January 14, 1989

Snorks is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, which ran on NBC from September 15, 1984 to January 14, 1989, and in syndication from 1987 to 1988. Freddy Monnickendam of Belgian character licensing firm SEPP originally developed the "Snorks" concept in 1982, as a new franchise which could hopefully equal SEPP's success with the Smurfs, and at the same time be free from the creative and legal problems that had arisen between SEPP and Peyo over the Smurfs license. Belgian comics artist Nic Broca created the original character designs.[1] Unfortunately, the Snorks never became as successful of a franchise as the Smurfs; though the cartoon was relatively successful and has a considerable fan following, the characters never became the merchandising success Monnickendam and SEPP had hoped for.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

The Snorks are a race of small, colorful, fictional beings that live happily in the underwater world of Snorkland. They have snorkels on their heads, which are used to propel them swiftly through the water. As evidenced by the cartoon series, when a Snork becomes excited their tube makes a "snork" sound. Like the Flintstones or the Smurfs, they have much of the same technology as contemporary humans, adapted to their own aquatic environment. The Snorks use clams as currency, a reference to the slang word "clam", meaning "dollar."

According to the Snork back-story, a few ventured to the surface (which the Snorks believe is "outer space") in 1643, and watched a Royal Navy ship being attacked by pirates. The captain wound up in the water, and that was the first contact between the species when the Snorks saved his life, to which the captain then expressed his gratitude by writing a book about the Snorks, although very few humans believe in the existence of the Snorks. Since then, Snorks have adopted several human habits, such as wearing clothes.

[edit] Characters

For the third season (which premiered in syndication) in 1987, several changes were made to the series. The character Dimmy Finster was written out of the storylines, and three new characters were introduced: Corky (the Snork Patrol Officer), and the series' new chief villains, Bigweed & his sidekick, Lil' Seaweed. Also, there are some episodes which take place on dry land, and the later episodes run in two parts.

[edit] The Snorks

  • AllStar Seaworthy (voiced by Michael Bell) - An athletic, yellow-skinned, male Snork. More or less the hero of the series. As well as being athletic and heroic, he's interested in Science and also an inventor. He helps his uncle, Dr. Gallio, with his projects whenever he can. Whenever he has an important idea or comes to an important conclusion the star on his belt buckle starts to spin - his "startbright idea". He's believed to be Casey's love interest. In the later seasons his parents have a baby girl named Smallstar, who becomes AllStar's infant sister. He used to be best friends with Junior.
  • Casey Kelp (voiced by B.J. Ward) - A light and adorable pink-skinned, female Snork with reddish hair and generally believed to be AllStar's love interest. She's intelligent, brave and strongwilled. She dislikes bullies or being bullied and will stand up for herself as well as others. She is best friends with Daffney Gillfin.
  • Wellington Wetworth Jr. aka: "Junior" (voiced by Barry Gordon) - An orange-skinned, male Snork with bluish hair who's a nice and spoiled snob, and also less generous in some must episodes, that takes after his parents, especially his father, the Governor of Snorkland. Before Bigweed became the villain in season 3, Junior was seen as minor villain-like, due to his rude attitude towards other Snorks, especially AllStar & his friends. His ambitions are to become the Governor, like his father, to become rich, and to outperform AllStar (in everything). Usually learns lesson at the end of the episode. Takes after Grandpa Wetworth. Junior used to be best friends with AllStar (when he was younger and starting off in school) until standing up for himself went to his head. He used appear to be Daffney's love interest from the third season.
  • Tooter Shellby (voiced by Frank Welker) - A green-skinned, male Snork with dark green hair who could only communicate through "tooting". He has the ability to communicate with some of the sealife.
  • Daffney Gillfin (voiced by Nancy Cartwright) - A vain, coral colored, female Snork with purple hair who was always concerned with her looks and appears to be Dimmy's love interest. She has ambitions of becoming an actress. In one of the episodes, she understudies for a famous female, Broadway Theatre actress (from New Snork City) and becomes the star of the show. She is known for having a big heart and for being extremely tactful, especially when it comes to breaking bad news to others. She is best friends with Casey Kelp. She used appear to be Junior's love interest from the third season.
  • Demitrius "Dimmy" Finster (voiced by Brian Cummings) - An athletic, orange-skinned, male Snork who was seems to have a crush on Daffney. He fancies himself to be a comedian as well as a fighter. He also appears to have an insatiable appetite. Whenever Dimmy talks it sounds like he has a cold. He hates being called by his full name. From the beginning of the season 3, he is written out of the storylines.
  • Occy (voiced by Frank Welker) - Allstar's male, red, pet octopus. He was once owned by Junior until he abandoned him. Occy does not get along with Junior whatsoever and will go out of his way to embarrass and/or chase Junior.
  • Corky (voiced by Rob Paulsen) - An orange-skinned, male Snork. He's the Snork Patrol Officer and a workaholic, but a dedicated policeman and defender of Snorkland. He is liked by all Snorks and gets along with AllStar and his friends.
  • JoJo (voiced by Roger DeWitt) - A male, tan-skinned, two-snorked Snork who was raised and lives in the wild, he's the Snork equivalent of Tarzan. He's incredibly strong and can communicate with all the sealife. JoJo isn't very good at grammar.
  • Fengy - A dogfish which is JoJo's companion since he was a child.
  • Willie Wetworth (voiced by Fredricka Weber) - An orange-skinned infant, male Snork. Even though Junior picks on him, Willie looks up to his big brother, Junior. He is the opposite of Junior - nice, friendly, generous, and well liked by all. He is friends with SmallStar. Takes after Grandpa Wetworth.
  • Governor Wellington Wetworth (voiced by Frank Nelson and later Barry Gordon) - An orange-skinned, male Snork with lavender colored hair. He is the governor of Snorktown. Governor Wentworth is a stereotypical politician that resorts to double talk, tries to abuse his power, blames others when things go wrong, sends others to do the work while he tries to take the credit, cowardly, thinks of himself first, and a social climber who thinks that he and his family are better than others. He's also an egomaniac who raises taxes in order to build monuments to himself; all of which causes him to be disliked by the majority of Snorks. He's Junior and Willie's father. He wants Junior to succeed (and be governor) to the extent that he turns a blind eye to Junior's underhanded tricks until they cause trouble and/or are exposed. He doesn't like Dr Gallio, AllStar and his friends because they're in the spotlight more than his son. He secretly has an older brother, Captain Long John, who is a kindly, old pirate and is friends with AllStar and Casey.
  • Dr. Gallio Seaworthy (voiced by Clive Revill) - A purple-skinned, male Snork with white hair. He is involved in all things scientific, medical and technical. He has saved Snorktown numerous times from villains and natural disasters. He is AllStar's and SmallStar's uncle and a friend to AllStar's gang. He is a brother to AllStar's father as in the episode "A Hard Day's Snork" he reveals his last name is Seaworthy when he meets with his old classmate Rip Van Snorkel in the belly of "Predatory Piperfish". He is also the brother of Dr. Strangesnork.
  • "Baby" SmallStar Seaworthy (voiced by Gail Matthius) - A yellow-skinned, infant, female Snork. She is AllStar's baby sister and friends with Willie.

[edit] Supporting Snorks

  • Mr. Seaworthy (voiced by Bob Holt) - Mr. Seaworthy is a yellow-skinned, male Snork. He is AllStar & "Baby" SmallStar's father. Mr Seaworthy is the manager of the Snorkland Steam Plant. The Steam Plant is responsible for providing energy for buildings & automobiles, as well as heat for heating & cooking needs for the residents of Snorktown.
  • Mrs. Seaworthy (voiced by Edie McClurg) - Mrs. Seaworthy is a yellow-skinned, female Snork. She is AllStar & "Baby" SmallStar's mother.
  • Mrs. Kelp (voiced by Joan Gerber) - A light pink-skinned, female Snork and Casey's mother.
  • Auntie Marina (voiced by Mitzi McCall) - A light pink-skinned, female Snork with reddish hair. She is an actress that's always trying to perform for people; no matter where she is or what the situation is. She is Casey's aunt.
  • Mrs. Wetworth (voiced by Joan Gardner) - A female Snork with bluish hair. She is Junior & Willie's mother. Just like her husband & oldest son (Junior), she aspires to be a social climber and a snob which believes that she's better than other Snorks. She's always correcting her husband, Governor Wellington Wetworth, whenever he's making a speech (which he always either forgetting or mixing up).
  • Grandpa Wetworth (also voiced by Frank Welker) - An orange-skinned Snork. He's Junior & Willie's grandfather. He's a smart trickster that acts as if he knows less than what he does. He's an elderly male that is young at heart & spirit, as well as being technologically savvy. Junior always tries to get scams, stunts & tricks past him but Grandpa Wetworth is always one step ahead. He's liked by all and likes AllStar & his friends.
  • Ms. Seabottom (voiced by Edie McClurg) - A yellow-skinned, female Snork who wears glasses. She is a high school teacher and appears to be the only teacher to take the students on field trips.
  • SNIP & SNAP - SNIP & SNAP are a pair of Robotic Snorks. The male Robotic Snork is named SNIP, while the Female Robotic Snork is named SNAP. They were created by Bigweed in order to infiltrate and make it easier for him to takeover Snorkland by getting rid of Corky - head of The Snork Patrol. They first appeared to AllStar insinuating that they were UFOs (Unidentified Floating Objects). After they succeeded in having Governor Wetworth take away The Hero of the Year Award from Corky and in making Corky leave Snorktown, after he felt unwanted & unappreciated, they allowed Bigweed & Lil' Seaweed to take over Snorkland. After SNIP & SNAP had a change of heart (which earned the wrath of Bigweed & Lil'Seaweed to SNAP being dismantled by Lil' Seaweed), SNIP helped Corky, Tooter, AllStar & Casey run Bigweed & Lil' Seaweed out of town. Dr. Gallio was able to successfully rebuild SNAP. Later on, Dr Gallio builds a communication device for SNIP & SNAP which allows them to make basic sounds and words.

[edit] Villains

  • Bigweed (voiced by Michael Bell) - The villain of the series. He is supposed to be an evil, green, seaweed-like creature with magical abilities. Bigweed can magically disguise himself to look like a Snork or any form of sealife.
  • Lil' Seaweed (voiced by B.J. Ward) - Bigweed's female sidekick. Also an evil, green, seaweed-like creature with magical abilities. She is supposed to have the same magical abilities as Bigweed but on a diminished scale. She is about the same age as AllStar & his friends. Later on, Lil' Seaweed is forced by Snorktown Social Services to attend school in Snorktown because of her age.
  • Dr. Strangesnork "Seaworthy" (voiced by Rene Auberjonois) - A purple-skinned, male Snork with white hair that has a black lightning shaped streak going down the center. He is a villainous, forgetful, absent-minded scientist that can't remember his own name at times. He wants to take over Snorktown, which he attempted to do by swapping his mind with Governor Wetworth's. He is jealous of his brother, Dr. Gallio, and want to get revenge upon him and his nephew, AllStar.
  • Finneus - A catfish that's orange in color with black striping. He's Dr. Strangesnork's sidekick and companion from childhood. He's always reminding Dr. Strangesnork of everything that he forgets.

[edit] Supporting villains

  • The Great Snork Nork (voiced by Frank Welker) - He is a purple and indigo colored male Snork. Unlike other Snorks, his snork is on the front of his face, facing down, not on the top of his head. He's the Snork's equivalent of Dracula, the Prince of Darkness. Fans refer to him as Count Snorkula. He sleeps upside-down, hanging from the ceiling, just like a bat, and has fangs. He has magical abilities and is able to hurl electrical bolts from his hands. He hates sunlight & bright light, avoiding it at all cost. He's an evil vampire villain, that wants to take over Snorktown, and is always accompanied by two sidekicks. His sidekicks are a miniature version of him minus the magical abilities, they're purple & coral colored.
  • The Snork-Eaters - Large, red creatures that are known to prey off Snorks. They are led by a Snorkeater named Spike. The only thing that scares them are fishes called Snork-Eater Eaters, which are tiny fish with enormously large mouths. However, King Neptune has the power to banish Snork-Eaters.
  • Weed and Wood - Bigweed's two muddies minor sidekicks.

[edit] Others

  • Serena the Mermaid - A small mermaid with blonde hair. She was saved from a storm and later from Dr. Strangesnork by Dimmy. Dr. Strangesnork's shrinking device works in reverse on her, and she becomes regular mermaid sized.

[edit] Episode list

[edit] Season 1 (1984)

Season 1 ran from September 15, 1984 to December 8, 1984.

  1. Journey To the Source / Vandal Scandal
  2. Hooked on a Felling/ The New Neighbors
  3. Das Boot / Which Snork Snitched
  4. Allstar's All-Star Band / Snorkymania
  5. A Snorking We Will Go/ Now You Seahorse, Now You Don't
  6. Snork Dance / Snork Marks the Spot
  7. Junior's Secret / The Big Scoop
  8. The Blue Coral Necklace / Up, Up and A Wave
  9. Snorkin Surf Party / The Snorkness Monster
  10. A Snork on the Wild Side / Allstar's Double Trouble
  11. Fine Fettered Friends / Time Out for Sissies
  12. Me Jo-Jo, You Daffney / The Old Shell Game
  13. The King of Kelp/ Whale Tales

[edit] Season 2 (1985)

Season 2 ran from September 14, 1985 to November 16, 1985.

  1. Snorkitis is Nothing to Sneeze At / The Whole Toot and Nothing But the Toot
  2. Chickens of the Sea / Never Cry Wolf-fish
  3. A Hard Day's Snork / Learn to Love Your Snork
  4. Allstar's Freshwater Adventure / Dr. Strangesnork
  5. It's Just a Matter of Slime / Water Friends For?
  6. Junior's Octopuppy / The Shape of Snorks To Come
  7. Casey and the Doubleheader / The Ugly Yuckfish
  8. Gills Just Want to Have Fun / Guess What's Coming to Dinner
  9. A Sign of the Tides / The Littlest Mermaid
  10. I Squid You Not / The Backwards Snork

[edit] Season 3 (1987)

Season 3 ran from September 12, 1987 to December 5, 1987.

  1. All's Whale that Ends Whale / Allstar's Last Hour
  2. A Willie Scary Shalloween / Sea Shore Sideshow
  3. Freeze Save our Town / Snip and Snap
  4. Junior's Empire / The Golden Dolphin
  5. It's Always Darkest Before the Snork / The Sand Witch
  6. Tooter Loves Tadah / The Shady Shadow
  7. Daffney's Ransom / Salmon Chanted Evening
  8. Casey in Sandland / Reefberry Madness
  9. A Farewell of Arms / Mummy Snorkest
  10. Jo-Jo in Control / The Day the Ocean Stood Still
  11. Chills, Drills and Spills / The Longest Shortcut
  12. Willie & Smallstar's Big Adventure / Taming of the Snork
  13. A Snork in a Gilded Cage / The Snorkshire Spooking

[edit] Season 4 (1988-1989)

Season 4 aired from September 10, 1988 to January 14, 1989

  1. Daffney's Not so Great Escape / Willie's Best Fiend
  2. Dr. Strangesnork's Bomb / Day of the Juniors
  3. Ooze Got the Snorks / A Starfish is Born
  4. The Silly Snorkasaurus / Who's Who?
  5. Battle of the Gadgets / Little Lord Occy
  6. Junior's Fuelish Kelp Rush / The Boo Lagoon
  7. How the Snork was Won / In Junior's Image
  8. Robosnork
  9. Summer and Snork
  10. Allstar's Odyssey
  11. In Greed we Trust
  12. Jaws Says the Word
  13. Prehissnorkic
  14. Rhyme and Punishment
  15. The Wizard of Ice
  16. Big City Snorks
  17. Nightmare on Snorkstreet
  18. Robin Snork
  19. Snorkerella
  20. Snork Ahoy
  21. The Daring Young Snork on the Flying Trapeze
  22. Oh Brother!
  23. The Story Circle
  24. I'll Be Senior
  25. The Day They Fixed Junior Wetworth
  26. The First Snork in Space
  27. Wish or Wish Out
  28. All That Glitters is Not Goldfish
  29. My Dinner with Allstar

[edit] Cast

[edit] Additional voices

[edit] Other media

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Broca biography on Lambiek Comiclopedia

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snorks"
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