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I Am Weasel

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I Am Weasel
File:I Am Weasel intertitle.jpg
The series' intertitle
GenreComedy
Created byDavid Feiss
Directed byDavid Feiss
Robin Steele
Robert Alvarez
Voices ofMichael Dorn
Charlie Adler
Theme music composerBill Fulton[3]
Opening theme"I Am Weasel"
(composed by Bill Fulton, written by Richard Pursel, sung by April March)
Ending theme"I Am Weasel" (instrumental)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes79 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersSherry Gunther[4]
Larry Huber[4]
ProducerVincent Davis[4]
Running time7 minutes approx.
(per episode)
Production companiesCartoon Network Studios
Hanna-Barbera Productions
Original release
NetworkCartoon Network
ReleaseJuly 15, 1997 (1997-07-15)[1]
June 10, 1999 (1999-06-10) (as a spin-off)[2]
Related
Cow and Chicken

I Am Weasel (also spelled I.M. Weasel after the character) is an American animated television series produced from 1996 to 1999[5] by Cartoon Network Studios in co-production with Hanna-Barbera, created by animator David Feiss and broadcast on the Cartoon Network. The series tells the adventures of I.M. Weasel, an internationally famous, highly intelligent and talented weasel who is adored by everyone, and I.R. Baboon, an ugly and idiotic baboon who is envious about Weasel's success and tries to constantly better him. The show's premise begins from a humorous take on the classic nursery rhyme "Pop Goes the Weasel". The series' theme song, composed by Bill Fulton[3] and sung by April March, is based on the well-known musical version of the rhyme.[6]

I Am Weasel was originally a part of the Cow and Chicken show, often airing as the third of three segments in an episode, after two Cow and Chicken segments. Eventually, I Am Weasel was spun off into its own series, aired between 1997 and 1999 with reruns airing until 2004, with both new episodes and the episodes that had aired on Cow and Chicken included in this series (much like how Pinky and the Brain was spun off from Animaniacs or how Evil Con Carne came from Grim & Evil), totaling 79 episodes.

Characters

The series usually consists of two anthropomorphic animal characters: I.M. Weasel and I.R. Baboon. Both characters' species are as suggested by their names.

I.M. Weasel

I.M. Weasel (Weasel for short) is the extremely gifted and talented protagonist of the series. He is a handsome young weasel who, although famous, is not snobby or stuck-up and is rather generous (for example, in one episode he donated his kidney to a sickly little boy in a kidney transplant)[7] and is the distinguished celebrity who everyone admires. He is highly intelligent and has many skills (both social and practical), and is proficient in most known professions.

Though Weasel was never a bully to him, the fellow main character, I.R. Baboon (see I.R. Baboon below), is always trying to top the admired Weasel because he wants an equal or better share in admiration, though unlike his rival, Baboon is extremely idiotic and the target for ridicule because of his bright red buttocks, but Weasel tries to generously help out his friend.

Weasel is often assisted by a beautiful woman named Loulabelle who likes to dress as a nurse.

Voiced by: Michael Dorn.

I.R. Baboon

File:Weasel and Baboon.jpg
The two main characters of the series: I.R. Baboon (left) and I.M. Weasel (right).

I.R. Baboon (I.R. or Baboon for short) is the deuteragonist of the series. He is the exact opposite of Weasel who he is always trying to top in order to be better than him. He is a baboon who is unintelligent, jealous, ugly, willing to sniff his finger half of the time, and has no talent at most things. I.R. is in possession of a bright red butt that he never wears pants to cover, and therefore is ridiculed for it. He is often depicted doing the opposite of what most would consider sensible. As Weasel has good luck, I.R. seems to have bad luck: for instance, when he was about to get married, his bride fell in love with someone else and left him standing at the altar.[8] I.R. is also the adoptive father of Grampa, a baby who was left on his doorstep in the episode "I.R. Mommy" and I.R. named it after his grandfather, whom he seems to greatly respect. At the end of the episode, Grampa grew up.[9]

I.R. wears a white T-shirt with his short name "I.R." handwritten[10] upside-down on the front of it. He lives in a run-down trailer near Weasel's mansion. I.R. fails to use proper grammar sometimes, explaining the titles for some episodes ("I Are Big Star", "I Are Music Man", "I Are a Artist", "I Are Bellhop", among others), and also refers to himself in third-person. He frequently attempts to outdo Weasel in everything, and when he believes that he has done so, will perform a routine victory dance which consists of putting his hands on his hips and jumping around in a circle while repeatedly chanting a declaration of his success. However, in some episodes, I.R. and Weasel are shown to be friends and partners instead of rivals, such as when they were pilots assisting in an "air-migration" service in the episode "I Am Bush Pilot", or when there were deceased ghosts trying to scare a D-movie actress portrayed by The Red Guy in the episode "I Are Ghost".

Voiced by: Charlie Adler.

The Red Guy

Starting with season two, The Red Guy became a regular character on I Am Weasel while still keeping his role on Cow and Chicken. In the series, he is also referred as "I.B. Red Guy", an allusion to Weasel's and Baboon's names.

Voiced by: Charlie Adler.

Minor characters

  • Loulabelle - Weasel's assistant who usually dresses as a nurse. She debuted in the episode "I.R. Mommy", from season two. Her appearances are mostly in that season, with her only appearance in other season in the episode "Time Weasel", from season three, which is also her last appearance in the series. She is supposed to be a girlfriend to Weasel.
    Voiced by: Susan Blakeslee (in season 2), Teresa Ganzel (in season 3).
  • Admiral Bullets - A Naval officer who relies on Weasel's help. He made appearances only in the episodes "This Bridge, Not Weasel Bridge" and "I.R. Mommy", from seasons one and two, respectively.
    Voiced by: Jess Harnell (in season 1), Michael Gough (in season 2).
  • Cow and Chicken's characters - Besides the Red Guy, some other characters from Cow and Chicken made cameo appearances in I Am Weasel from season two. These include Cow (and Supercow), Chicken, Flem, Earl, Mom, Dad and Teacher.

Episodes

Main article: List of I Am Weasel episodes

I Am Weasel has a total of 79 episodes in 5 seasons that were produced from 1996 to 1999.[5]

Merchandise

DVD releases

Region 1

In United States, some episodes of the series were launched on Cartoon Network's special DVDs for Halloween and Christmas released in 2004 and 2005 and distributed by Warner Home Video.

  • Cartoon Network Halloween: 9 Creepy Cartoon Capers (August 10, 2004) - episode "I Am Vampire".
  • Cartoon Network Christmas: Yuletide Follies (October 5, 2004) - episodes "I.R.'s First Bike" and "Dessert Island".
  • Cartoon Network Halloween 2: Grossest Halloween Ever (August 4, 2005) - episode "Power of Odor".
  • Cartoon Network Christmas 2: Christmas Rocks (October 9, 2005) - episode "Happy Baboon Holidays".
Region 3

In Thailand, the series' seasons have been released on DVD since 2009 by the Thai company MVD Company Limited. The season one's DVD was launched on December 23, 2009, and the season two's was officially announced in the company's website, but not launched yet.[11]

Title Content Release date
I Am Weasel - Season 1 / ข้าคือวีเซิล - ภาค 1 Complete season one December 23, 2009
I Am Weasel - Season 2 / ข้าคือวีเซิล - ภาค 2 Complete season two TBA
Region 4

In Australia, a two-disc DVD release will be launched on July 6, 2011 distributed by Madman Entertainment.[12]

Video games

Cartoon Network Racing

In the cart racing game, Cartoon Network Racing, I.M. Weasel, I.R. Baboon and The Red Guy are playable characters. Also in the game, the episodes "My Friend, the Smart Banana" and "Enemy Camp" are available as bonus that can be viewed if unlocked by winning the I Am Weasel races. The game is available for PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS.

Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall

In the online game, Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall, there is one item named "I.R. Baboon shorts" which is a shorts used to wear a character, based on I.R. Baboon's buttocks.

Comics

I Am Weasel was featured in the comic book "Cartoon Cartoons" along with other Cartoon Network's cartoons, such as Dexter's Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, Ed, Edd n Eddy, Courage the Cowardly Dog, among others. The comic was published from 2001 to 2004 by DC Comics and had 33 issues.

See also

References

  1. ^ Boedeker, Hal (July 14, 1997). "Cartoon Network zany relief". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2011-05-29.
  2. ^ King, Susan (June 10, 1999). "From MTV Awards to Olsen Twins". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-05-30.
  3. ^ a b billfulton.com. "Bill Fulton Music - Music Production". Retrieved 2010-9-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  4. ^ a b c tv.nytimes.com. "I Am Weasel - Cast, Credits & Awards". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-11-20.
  5. ^ a b Feiss, David (January 12, 2000). "Episode Guide: Cow and Chicken and I Am Weasel". Retrieved 2011-05-29.
  6. ^ Season 2, Episode 19: "I Are Music Man" (1998): In a scene of the episode, The Red Guy repeatedly sings switches from the series' theme song and "Pop Goes the Weasel".
  7. ^ Season 1, Episode 1: "This Bridge, Not Weasel Bridge" (1997).
  8. ^ Season 3, Episode 37: "I.R. Do" (1998).
  9. ^ Season 2, Episode 14: "I.R. Mommy" (1998).
  10. ^ In the opening of the series, I.R. Baboon appear writing his short name with a pen on his T-shirt.
  11. ^ mvd.co.th. "MVD Company Limited: I Am Weasel Season 2 DVD". Retrieved 2011-4-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  12. ^ madman.com.au. "Madman Entertainment: I Am Weasel - Collection 1 DVD". Retrieved 2011-5-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

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