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Simon's Cat

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Simon's Cat
Simon's Cat
The front cover of the Simon's Cat book.
Genrephysical comedy, slapstick, sitcom
Created bySimon Tofield
Developed bySimon's Cat Ltd.
Directed bySimon Tofield
Voices ofSimon Tofield
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes48
Production
Running timeVaries, usually 1–3 minutes per episode
Production companiesSimon's Cat Ltd.,Tandem Films, ChannelFlip
Original release
Network
YouTube
Release4 March 2008 (2008-03-04) –
Present

Simon's Cat is an animated cartoon and book series by the British animator Simon Tofield featuring a hungry house cat who uses increasingly heavy-handed tactics to get its owner to feed it.

In January 2009, it was announced that Simon's Cat would be published in book format.[1] Canongate released the title on 1 October 2009 in the United Kingdom. It was later released in many other countries[2] and additional titles in the series were subsequently published.

A Simon's Cat newspaper strip ran in the Daily Mirror from 2011 to 2013.[3]

In August 2015, it was announced that Endemol Shine UK had acquired a stake on Simon's Cat.[4]

Production

The series was animated with Adobe Flash software until 2014, then with TVPaint.[citation needed] The pictures are hand-drawn electronically, using an A4-size Wacom Intuos 3 graphics tablet.[5]

Creator Simon Tofield revealed that his four cats, called Teddy, Hugh, Jess and Maisie, provide inspiration for the series, with Hugh being the primary inspiration.[5][6]

Characters

  • Simon's Cat: The titular character. His antics, often in the quest for food, vex his owner Simon. He loves cat food, but also enjoys birds, mice, and fish out of Simon's koi pond. A significant amount of the humour in the book comes from his efforts to capture birds, mice, and fish. Simon's cat has not been officially named, though writer Simon Tofield says that Simon's cat is based on his own cat, Hugh.[7]
  • Simon: The long-suffering owner of the cat.
  • Simon's sister's dog: A dog that first appears in the video "Fed Up," in which he is fed underneath the table by a family. The dog also appears in the book and loves to play fetch.
  • The Bird: A bird who appears in "Snow Business." It provokes Simon's cat into a snowball fight. The bird also appears in various other episodes as a squeaky toy ("Santa Claws," "Hidden Treasure", "Cat Nap", "Suitcase" and "Catnip").
  • The Hedgehog: A hedgehog that lives in Simon's back garden. Simon's cat loves to annoy the hedgehog by impaling objects such as apples, leaves, and tennis balls onto its prickles. The hedgehog also has children. The hedgehog appeared exclusively in the book until the release of "Cat Chat" on 7 October 2010.
  • The Garden Gnome: A garden gnome similar to the one broken by Simon's cat in "Let Me In." The gnome is seen holding either a fishing rod or a net. Simon's cat often tries to get the gnome to help in his schemes to catch food. The cat considers the gnome a friend, apparently unaware that it is an inanimate object.
  • The Bunny: A rabbit that lives in Simon's garden who can literally run circles around the cat.
  • The Kitten: In October 2011, Simon brought home a new member of the family who, in spite of his tender age, appears to be considerably smarter than his adult counterpart.
  • The Frog:The frog also lives in the garden. In the episode "Tongue Tied" Simon's cat annoys the frog by biting and hitting it.
  • The Squirrel: The squirrel lives in a tree in Simon's back yard. He loves to pelt Simon's Cat with acorns when the cat chases him.
  • The Mouse: Another creature that is often chased by Simon's Cat. Despite their adversarial relationship, the mouse aided Simon's Cat in an elaborate plot intended to impress a female cat in "Smitten." The mouse also appears as a squeaky toy in many episodes, such as "Hidden Treasure" and "Cat & Mouse."
  • The Female Cat: A female cat who serves as the love interest in the Valentines Specials "Smitten" and "Butterflies". Demure and somewhat snobbish, she exhibits a finicky appetite, munching on a trail of cat treats but angrily refusing a mouse offered by Simon's Cat in the first film. Simon's Cat apparently loses interest in her after she unceremoniously devours a butterfly he gives her as a gift. In a recent episode of "Simon's Cat Logic", the female cat's name was revealed to be Chloe.

Books

Main series

  • Simon's Cat: In His Very Own Book (2009)
  • Simon's Cat: Beyond the Fence (2010)
  • Simon's Cat In Kitten Chaos (2011)
  • Simon's Cat: Beyond the Fence (2011)
  • Simon's Cat vs. the World (2012)

Compilations

  • The Bumper Book of Simon's Cat (2013) - A collection of highlights from the first three books, plus unreleased content.

Mini books

  • Feed Me! (2011)
  • Wake Up! (2013)
  • Play Time! (2013)

Episodes

No. Title (Simon's Cat in) Original YouTube airdate
1"Cat Man Do"4 March 2008 (2008-03-04)
Cat goes to extreme measures to get Simon out of bed in the morning. "Cat Man Do" won the "Best Comedy" award at the British Animation Awards 2008.[8]
2"Let Me In!"4 March 2008 (2008-03-04)
Cat goes to great lengths to get through the glass rear door until Simon comes to let him in.
3"TV Dinner"15 July 2008 (2008-07-15)
Cat just won't leave his master alone for a second as he attempts to watch television. The episode was shown on BBC2's The Culture Show on 15 July 2008[9] before being released on YouTube.[10]
4"Fed Up!"8 December 2008 (2008-12-08)
A lesson in over-consumption goes to an eagerly overeating dog and the family as they drop scraps to eat at the dinner table. The original title was "Simon's Sister's Dog in: Fed Up!"; it did not feature the cat. It ends with a message from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
5"Fly Guy"24 July 2009 (2009-07-24)
A game of Cat and Fly has undesired results for Simon.
6"Hot Spot"28 September 2009 (2009-09-28)
Cat has to find a way to get under the warm glow of his master's drawing lamp. It was released shortly before its book's release.
7"Snow Business"10 February 2010 (2010-02-10)
A day of play turns cold when Cat discovers that it is snowing. It is the first appearance of the bird.
8"The Box"18 August 2010 (2010-08-18)
Leaving an empty box unattended around Cat will produce undesired results.
9"Cat Chat"7 October 2010 (2010-10-07)
The last thing this hedgehog wants for a gabbing partner is a cat with a short attention span. First animated appearance of the hedgehog character.
10"Lunch Break"12 November 2010 (2010-11-12)
Cat's clever move of pulling the tablecloth out from underneath the dishes could use a little work.
11"Santa Claws"10 December 2010 (2010-12-10)
Cat's Christmas gives him new trees to climb and new ornaments to paw at.
12"Sticky Tape"28 February 2011 (2011-02-28)
Cat meets a new, transparent adversary.
13"Hop It"21 April 2011 (2011-04-21)
Cat tries to "Easter" into a new routine.
14"Hidden Treasure"16 June 2011 (2011-06-16)
A game of catch the ball turns into a treasure hunt when Cat's ball hides itself in the gaping darkness beneath the refrigerator.
15"Cat & Mouse"2 September 2011 (2011-09-02)
Cat messes around with the computer mouse.
16"Double Trouble"7 October 2011 (2011-10-07)
Cat gets a new hungry flatmate. First appearance of the kitten.
17"Catnap"23 November 2011 (2011-11-23)
The kitten nuzzles in on a sleeping Cat.
18"Fowl Play"14 December 2011 (2011-12-14)
Cat has plans for Christmas dinner.
19"Shelf Life"14 March 2012 (2012-03-14)
The cat causes mischief when walking along a shelf.
20"Tongue Tied"25 May 2012 (2012-05-25)
The cat meets a frog.
21"Window Pain"9 July 2012 (2012-07-09)
Cat and kitten thwart Simon's attempts to clean a window.
22"Ready, Steady, Slow!"4 August 2012 (2012-08-04)
The cat and friends cheer on a snail race.
23"Springtime"4 October 2012 (2012-10-04)
The cat scales to new heights in search of supper.
24"Fetch"29 October 2012 (2012-10-29)
The cat plays a disastrous game of fetch with an eager dog.
25"Nut Again"23 November 2012 (2012-11-23)
The cat is tormented by a playful but malicious squirrel.
26"Icecapade"7 December 2012 (2012-12-07)
The cat tries to catch a fish trapped under a frozen pond, only to be thwarted by the kitten.
27"Feed Me"4 February 2013 (2013-02-04)
Cat can't wait to be fed.
28"Screen Grab"12 April 2013 (2013-04-12)
Cat, kitten, and a flatscreen TV.
29"Flower Bed"14 June 2013 (2013-06-14)
The cat waits impatiently to be fed while Simon plants a flower garden.
30"Suitcase"2 August 2013 (2013-08-02)
The cat packs Simon's suitcase.
31"Mirror Mirror"13 September 2013 (2013-09-13)
Cat sees his own reflection in a mirror on a door.
32"Scary Legs"25 October 2013 (2013-10-25)
Cat tries to kill a spider, which Simon is afraid of, but the spider doesn't die. Halloween Special episode.
33"Christmas Presence (Part 1)"7 December 2013 (2013-12-07)
Cat finds a robotic singing Santa Claus dummy.
34"Christmas Presence (Part 2)"17 December 2013 (2013-12-17)
The Santa Claus dummy is used by Cat to get Kitten out of Cat's bed.
35"Smitten"3 February 2014 (2014-02-03)
Cat falls in love with another cat and decides to impress her.
36"Crazy Time"3 April 2014 (2014-04-03)
Cat causes another mess in Simon's home, this time from a sudden frenzy.
37"Pawtrait"5 June 2014 (2014-06-05)
Cat sabotages Simon's attempt to take a photo of the kitten.
38"Hot Water"31 July 2014 (2014-07-31)
Cat causes a mess in the bathroom while Simon takes a shower.
39"Washed Up"5 September 2014 (2014-09-05)
The Cat chases a spider into the laundry room, and then tries to take a nap, with disastrous results.
40"Scaredy Cat"9 October 2014 (2014-10-09)
Cat manages to terrify Simon during Halloween.
41"Let Me Out"6 November 2014 (2014-11-06)
The cat wants to be fed ruins his owners morning!
42"Catnip"4 November 2014 (2014-11-04)
The cat has fun with a catnip toy. Christmas Special Episode.
43"Butterflies"12 February 2015 (2015-02-12)
Simon's cat tries to impress the female cat by bringing her a box full of butterflies. Valentine's Special Episode.
44"April Showers"2 April 2015 (2015-04-02)
Simon's cat tries to catch a bird in the lawn on a rainy day but Kitten scares the bird away and locks the cat outside. April's Fools Day episode.
45"Pizza Cat"20 August 2015 (2015-08-20)
The cat wants Simon's pizza.
46"Box Clever"1 October 2015 (2015-10-01)
The cat does everything possible to avoid a visit to the vet.
47"Pug Life"5 November 2015 (2015-11-05)
The cat has trouble eating around the cone of shame, and is annoyed by a friendly Pug
48"Snow Cat"3 December 2015 (2015-12-03)
Festive Special Episode
49"Tough Love"4 February 2016 (2016-02-04)
Valentine's Day Special Episode
50"Fast Track"7 April 2016 (2016-04-07)
Simon plays slot cars, the cat spoils the fun.

Awards

Simon's Cat has won many awards from various festivals.

Episode Award Category Date
Cat Man Do British Animation Awards Best Comedy March 2008
Cat Man Do Festival international des Très Courts Prix Animation 2008
Cat Man Do Leicester Short Film Festival Best Animation 2008
Cat Man Do Bradford Animation Festival Special Jury Prize 2008
Let Me In Animae Caribe Most Outstanding Animation September 2008

Other awards:

  • Simon's Cat series, YouTube's "The Blockbuster" Award (October 2008)

Bibliography

All books written by Simon Tofield and published by Canongate.

  • Simon's Cat (2009) ISBN 978-1-84767-481-4
  • Simon's Cat: Beyond the Fence (2010) ISBN 978-1-84767-484-5
  • Simon's Cat in Kitten Chaos (2011) ISBN 978-0-85786-078-1
  • Simon's Cat: Feed Me!(2012) ISBN 978-0-85786-277-8
  • Simon's Cat vs. The World! (2012) ISBN 978-0-85786-080-4
  • Wake Up! (2013) ISBN 978-0-85786-773-5
  • Play Time! (2013) ISBN 978-0-85786-771-1
  • The Bumper Book of Simon's Cat (2013) ISBN 978-0-85786-079-8

Notes

  1. ^ "Canongate buys Simon's Cat"
  2. ^ List of countries that released Simon's Cat in his very own book Archived 2010-09-13 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Archived 2012-02-08 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ http://kidscreen.com/2015/08/17/endemol-shine-uk-adopts-youtube-star-simons-cat/
  5. ^ a b Archived 2010-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "Simon's Cat is revealed!". Your Cat magazine. 29 August 2008. Archived from the original on 31 October 2009. Simon, who works for London-based Animation Studio Tandem Films, explains that the films are based on three of his cats, all moggies. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ Archived 2011-01-18 at the Wayback Machine (text and video)
  8. ^ British Animation Awards 2008 list of winners. (2008) British Animation Awards website
  9. ^ BBC2's Culture Show blog discussing the showing of 'TV Dinner'(24 July 2008)
  10. ^ Tandem Films' blog entry reporting the showing of 'TV Dinner'. (16 July 2008) Random Tandem blog.
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