Brak (character)

Brak is a former villain on the 1966 Hanna-Barbera cartoon Space Ghost, portrayed as a catlike alien space pirate trying to conquer the galaxy. Brak appeared alongside his twin brother Sisto in such episodes as "The Lure" and "The Looters", and was also a member of the Council of Doom (an organization of Space Ghost villains which originally consisted of Zorak, Moltar, Metallus, Creature King, Black Widow, and himself). He later appeared on the Cartoon Network's adult-oriented talk show Space Ghost Coast to Coast, and then became the main character in its spin-off The Brak Show also on Cartoon Network.

In the original Space Ghost series, he is only known as Brak. In the two Cartoon Network shows he is given the full name of "Voldemar H. Brakley Guerta".

Space Ghost Coast to Coast and Cartoon Planet

On the premiere episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast in 1994, Brak and his brother Sisto were first shown as a parody of Beavis and Butt-Head. Brak eventually made more frequent appearances on Space Ghost Coast to Coast, often just yelling short phrases like "All hail Brak!!!" or "Hi my name is Brak!!", until the spin-off Cartoon Planet premiered on TBS in 1995 and his character developed more of a personality, as well as a vocabulary (to some extent). On an episode of Cartoon Planet, when responding to a viewer's letter, Brak revealed that the cause of his sudden stupidity was the after-effects of being thrown into a space dust cloud by Space Ghost at the end of one of the original shorts titled "The Lure."

The Brak Show

In 2000, Brak had two hour-long Sonny and Cher-style variety specials called Brak Presents the Brak Show Starring Brak, which included celebrity guest stars and music numbers. In December 2000, The Brak Show premiered (unannounced at a very early hour in the morning), originally a parody of the sitcom Leave It To Beaver, where Brak plays a suburban pre-teen living with his mom and dad and was usually hanging out with his friend Zorak. In September 2001 The Brak Show premiered on Adult Swim, with different sitcom parody names for every episode of the first season (e.g. "Diff'rent Braks," "All in the Brak"). Cartoon Network's writeup for Brak explained:

This toothy, mask-wearing former pirate made his first TV appearance on 'Space Ghost.' It was during this adventure that Brak was irradiated by Pirranamyte, releasing him from the burden of intelligence. Now armed only with his meager wits and the love of a peppy tune, Brak happily entertains fans and annoys his co-stars with equal aplomb. He will continue to do so as long as he receives a steady diet of pineapple and processed meats.

Voice actors

Brak's voice was provided by Keye Luke in the original 1966 animated series and Sisto's voice was provided by Don Messick. In the premiere episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast (in the Beavis & Butt-head parody) Brak and Sisto were both voiced by C. Martin Croker. In all appearances after that episode, Brak has been voiced by Andy Merrill.

Discography

In 2000, a Brak album was released called Brak Presents the Brak Album Starring Brak

Track Listing:

1. Really Cool Song - Brakettes
2. Franz Shoebert
3. Dentist
4. Magic Toenail
5. Babbling Brook
6. I'll Tell Me Ma - Brak, The Chieftains
7. Rock Candy
8. Big Fat Squid
9. I Like Hubcaps - Brakettes
10. Cowboy Buddy - Brakettes
11. Highway 40 Revisited - Brak, Freddy Prinze Jr.
12. Bananachek
13. Smell You Later
14. Store - Brakettes
15. Brak Counterbrak - Brakettes
16. Evil Is Only Skin Deep
17. We Like Girls - Brakettes
18. Brakiachi - Brakettes
19. Beeflog
20. Another Cowboy Buddy
21. Barbecue
22. Count Brakula
23. I'm Forgettable
24. News Bulletin
25. I'm a Cucumber
26. News Bulletin
27. Molly Cule
28. We're Buds
29. Chili Today, Hot Tamale - Brakettes
30. Ohio - Brakettes, Wally Gator
31. I've Got You Under My Drawers - Brakettes
32. Year of the Mantis
33. Soup on a Stick

External links

• The Brak Show (a Titles & Air Dates Guide) by Dan Pawlak
• Brak's Scrapbook