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Camp Candy

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Camp Candy
GenreAnimated series
Created byJoel Andryc
Ellen Levy
Phil Harnage
Developed byJohn Candy
Jack Mendelsohn
Scott Shaw
Phil Harnage
Directed byScott Shaw (season 1)
Dan Thompson (season 2)
Winston Richard (season 3)
Animation Directors:
Robert Alvarez (Season 1)
StarringJohn Candy
Voices ofTony Ail
Lewis Arquette
Valri Bromfield
E.G. Daily
Tom Davidson
Danielle Fernandes
Brian George
Willow Johnson
George MacPherson
Danny Mann
Gail Matthius
Candi Milo
Andrew Seebaran
Cree Summer
Chiara Zanni
Opening theme"Camp Candy Theme" sung by Harry Nilsson and John Candy
ComposersShuki Levy (Seasons 1, 3)
Haim Saban (Season 1)
Clark Gassman (Season 2)
Country of originUnited States
Canada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes39 (and 1 clip show)
Production
Executive producersAndy Heyward (seasons 1–2)
Haim Saban (seasons 1, 3)
John Candy (season 3)
Robby London (season 2)
David Campbell (season 3)
ProducersScott Shaw! (seasons 1–2)
Winston Richard (season 3)
Running time23 minutes
Production companiesDIC Animation City (seasons 1–2)
Saban Entertainment (season 3)
Original release
NetworkNBC (1989–90)
Syndication (1991–1992)
ReleaseSeptember 9, 1989 (1989-09-09) –
1992 (1992)

Camp Candy is an animated television series produced by DIC Animation City, Saban Entertainment and Worldvision Enterprises, in association with Frostbacks Productions, with comedian John Candy providing the voice for an animated version of himself.[1] Thirteen new episodes ran in syndication in the 1992 season, distributed by Worldvision Enterprises, along with repeats of the previous episodes. The series was later rerun on the Fox Family cable channel from 1998 to 2001.

Plot

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The show is set in a fictional summer camp run by John Candy.[2] Twenty-six episodes of the series aired during the 1989 and 1990 television seasons on the NBC television network.[3] Almost all episodes would begin where John Candy would be trying to show an outdoor skill to some kids, to which he would then be reminded of a story, where he would tell of the episode in narration. John was a dedicated and responsible leader of Camp Candy, a summer camp that was presumably built by him years ago, and he frequently tries to get various kids to get along. Some episodes focused on John, namely having to stave off the bankruptcy or ruination of his camp due to the plots of Rex DeForest III.

In the third season, Candy also appeared in live action segments, talking about nature and ecology. Several characters originating from SCTV that were performed by Candy or otherwise also made guest appearances that season.[4]

Characters

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  • John Candy (voiced by himself) - The fictional version of the actor who is the proprietor of Camp Candy who runs it with comical results. A very friendly, soft-hearted, funny, comedic, easygoing yet clumsy everyman, John is almost always in some form of self-inflicted trouble, usually when helping out Nurse Molly or the child campers with problems of their own. He is, however, very smart and responsible, and has a witty sense of humor, ending almost every pun or remark he makes with his trademark giggle. In nearly every episode, he encounters a problem that may cause Camp Candy to be shut down, but he always somehow manages to end the day victorious. John is rotund yet handsome with shaggy blonde hair, and typically wears an army green shirt with pockets in the front over a white T-shirt, a whistle around his neck, army green shorts, and brown boots. However, he has been seen in a variety of outfits.
  • Nurse Molly McDermott (voiced by Valri Bromfield) - The sweet, motherly yet somewhat naive and absent-minded camp nurse at Camp Candy. She has an intense crush on John, flirting with him and tending to his frequent injuries. John has often shown signs of having the same feelings towards Molly as well, taking her frequent attempts to impress him seriously and being very gentle with her whenever she is upset. A running gag in a few episodes involves Molly's bad cooking skills; whatever food she makes is either inedible or burnt. Molly is slender with hip-length blonde hair, has a small beak-like nose, and almost always wears a white nurse's uniform even when not tending to her nursing duties.
  • Robin (voiced by Danielle Fernandes in season 1, Cree Summer in season 2, Candi Milo in season 3) - A nature lover who is known for her sweet, shy and sensitive personality. She is very good at understanding and communicating with animals and loves being out in the wilderness, taking in all the nature around her. She hates to see any environment in danger or any animal hurt and wants to help everyone anyway she can. She is an African-American with her black hair tied in twin buns and wears a t-shirt with the letter C, shorts, white socks and gray sneakers.
  • Alexandra "Alex" Dawson (voiced by Chiara Zanni in season 1-2, E.G. Daily in season 3) - A tomboy who has a huge enjoyment of camping and sports. She is described as brash, outgoing and extremely courageous, never letting anything scare her. She also likes to take up the role as leader. However, Alex's leader senses can make her way too bossy. Physical activity is her favorite hobby and always loves to participate in races, sports and always desires to have lots of exercise in her life. She has red hair that is tied in two pigtails and wears a t-shirt with the letter C on it, shorts and brown boots.
  • Vanessa (voiced by Willow Johnson in season 1-2, Gail Matthius in season 3) - An extremely girly fashionista who comes from a rich family. She is very new to camping as she had been used to a wealthy, spoiled environment. Vanessa can care more about her appearance and can come across as selfish but, in reality, is still a supportive and charismatic person. Fashion is her specialty and, like Molly, she never goes anywhere without any beauty essentials. She has long brown hair (in the comics her hair is auburn), with a portion of it held up in a whale spout ponytail and wears a t-shirt with the letter C on it, shorts, pink socks and lavender sneakers.
  • Richard "Rick" (voiced by Andrew Seebaran in season 1-2, E.G. Daily in season 3) - A prankster who comes from a family line of comedy. Like John, Rick is notable for his easygoing attitude as well as his comical nature. He loves to pull pranks on the campers and John just as much as he loves to act cool. However, Rick can get to the point of irritating and can even be very reckless at times. He has blonde hair as well as green and pink shorts.
  • Bartholomew "Binky" (voiced by Tony Ail in season 1-2, E.G. Daily in season 3) - The youngest of the campers and Iggy's younger brother. Binky is described as a daredevil and loves to seek out an adventure. He's very energetic, optimistic and very curious, always wanting to know more about the world without him. However, being the youngest he can get very careless about his safety, as well as coming across as a bit naive, dragging the ever-reluctant Iggy along with him. He has short ash brown hair that is covered by a blue cap turning the other way.
  • Iggy (voiced by Tom Davidson in season 1-2, Katie Leigh in season 3) - A timid, high-strung, clumsy, and accident-prone boy who fears practically everything and was the most hesitant about attending Camp Candy, that is, until John showed him what fun summer camp can be. Despite having such an reluctant attitude, Iggy is known for being the smartest camper due to his intense knowledge of the wild even moreso than John. He is Binky's older brother and has short ash brown hair with glasses.
  • Botch (voiced by Brian George) - The camp chef who debuts in the second season. He was an immigrant whose native country was never specified, but he spoke with an Eastern European accent. When not tending to his duties in the camp's kitchen, Botch was seen practicing his shots at basketball.
  • Milo Gould (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) - Camp Candy's counselor-in-training who is tends to be a self-serving brown-noser which admittedly annoys him quite a bit, yet in typical John Candy fashion, he treats Milo very well and lets him in on all the fun and hilarity at Camp Candy.
  • Rex DeForest III (voiced by Lewis Arquette) - The primary antagonist of the series. DeForest is a very self-centered and greedy businessman and entrepreneur who openly hates John as he had built his Camp Candy on his property per an agreement they had made years ago, feeling duped and betrayed by him. His plans often involved getting Camp Candy shut down or constructing nearby it. These would always never work due to various reasons (or by John and the campers' interference) and Camp Candy would continue to stay open.
    • Chester (voiced by Danny Mann) - DeForest's henchman. He was a dimwitted greaser who always followed Rex's orders. One episode had him revert to his childhood after falling into a "fountain of youth" which Rex takes advantage of to use Chester as a kid to join Camp Candy in order to cause trouble. However, he has a change of attitude and starts to think for himself once John and the Camp Candy kids accepted him.
  • Allan "Al" Nayles (voiced by Jess Harnell) - The head counselor of another summer camp called Camp Kickboot which is at the other side of the lake. His personality is nearly the opposite of John's; he is self-centered, brash, snide, bossy, demanding, short-tempered, and very hot-headed. Al can, however, be whiny and cowardly when faced with real danger, and John uses his own skills to save him.

Cast

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  • John Candy as Himself, Bear (in "When It Rains...It Snows"), Yosh Shmenge (in "Saturday Night Polka Fever"), Dr. Tongue (in "Dr. Tongue's Amazing Adventures")
  • Lewis Arquette as Rex DeForest III
  • Valri Bromfield as Nurse Molly McDermott
  • Danny Mann as Chester
  • Andrew Seebaran as Rick (Seasons 1–2)
  • Tom Davidson as Iggy (Seasons 1–2)
  • Tony Ail as Binky (Seasons 1–2)
  • Danielle Fernandes as Robin (Season 1)
  • Chiara Zanni as Alex (Seasons 1–2)
  • Willow Johnson as Charlotte (Seasons 1–2)
  • Brian George as Botch (Season 2)
  • Gary MacPherson as Milo Gould (Season 2)
  • Cree Summer as Robin (Season 2)
  • E.G. Daily as Rick, Binky, Alex (Season 3)
  • Katie Leigh as Iggy (Season 3)
  • Candi Milo as Robin (Season 3)
  • Gail Matthius as Charlotte (Season 3)

Additional voice cast

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Episodes

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Series overview

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SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
113September 9, 1989 (1989-09-09)December 16, 1989 (1989-12-16)
213September 8, 1990 (1990-09-08)January 19, 1991 (1991-01-19)
31319921992

Season 1 (1989)

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No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal air date
11"The Forest's Prime Evil"September 9, 1989 (1989-09-09)
22"Small Foot, Big Trouble"September 16, 1989 (1989-09-16)
33"The Katchatoree Creature"September 23, 1989 (1989-09-23)
44"Tough as Nayles"September 30, 1989 (1989-09-30)
55"Bird is the Word/Best Behavior"October 7, 1989 (1989-10-07)
66"Fools Gold"October 14, 1989 (1989-10-14)
77"Sleight of Hand/Thanks, But No Pranks"October 21, 1989 (1989-10-21)
88"Mind Over Matter/Brat Pact"November 4, 1989 (1989-11-04)
99"May the Best Parents Win"November 11, 1989 (1989-11-11)
1010"Not So Brave Brave/Opposites Attract"November 18, 1989 (1989-11-18)
1111"Indian Love Call/Spoiled Sports"December 2, 1989 (1989-12-02)
1212"Rick Gets the Picture/Poor Little Rich Girl"December 9, 1989 (1989-12-09)
1313"Christmas in July"December 16, 1989 (1989-12-16)

Season 2 (1990–1991)

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No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal air date
141"Robo-Camp/The Glasnost Menagerie"September 8, 1990 (1990-09-08)
152"Color War and Peace"September 15, 1990 (1990-09-15)
163"Camp Cuisine/Take the Compass and Run"September 22, 1990 (1990-09-22)
174"Candy Springs"September 29, 1990 (1990-09-29)
185"Wish Upon a Fish"October 6, 1990 (1990-10-06)
196"Taking the Bully by the Horns/Rock Candy"October 13, 1990 (1990-10-13)
207"Dear Mom and Dad"October 20, 1990 (1990-10-20)
218"Stand Up and Deliver/Ruthless Campers"October 27, 1990 (1990-10-27)

"Stand Up and Deliver": Rex DeForest III has developed a new summer resort that is ruining Camp Candy. To set up their own telethon to save Camp Candy from being made into a highway, they persuade the comedian Sonny Yuckmeister to help promote Camp Candy.

"Ruthless Campers": Rex DeForest III is babysitting his sister's mischievous twin sons Jason and Freddy who are causing trouble for him and Chester. To get them out of his hair, Rex has Jason and Freddy sent to Camp Candy. Binky works on befriending these boys who are the same age as him as Jason and Freddy cause trouble throughout Camp Candy.
2209"Robin's Ark"November 10, 1990 (1990-11-10)
2310"Candy and the Ants/Smart Moose, Foolish Choices"November 17, 1990 (1990-11-17)
2411"One Million Years B.C."November 24, 1990 (1990-11-24)
Rex DeForest III plans to put a super highway through the mountains on his part of the property line much to the protests of everyone at Camp Candy. When a rainstorm happens, they take refuge in a cave that Binky found where they find cave paintings revolving around the Condi Tribe and their clash with the caveman ancestors of Rex DeForest III and Chester.
2512"Jokers of the Wild/Uncle Rexie"December 1, 1990 (1990-12-01)
2613"Scare Package"January 19, 1991 (1991-01-19)

Season 3 (1992)

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No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal air date
271"TV or Not TV"TBA
282"Rock and Rest/Rick Van Winkle"TBA
293"The Last Word"TBA
304"A Ribbeting Experience/The Bamboo Woodpecker"TBA
315"Wild, Wild Candy"TBA
326"When It Rains... It Snows"TBA
A heat wave has it Camp Candy which has even affected the local animals. Rex DeForest III and Chester obtain instant rain crystals in Rex's latest attempt to get John Candy to sell Camp Candy's properties. When the cloud seeding is done, it starts snowing instead. The campers start to adjust to the snow as John calls in his friend Pete to teach them how to play ice hockey even then they are challenged to a match by Hob Nayles and Camp Kickboot as Rex and Chester plan to sabotage it with Insta-Freeze spray causing John to enlist the help of Chief Leapin' Lizard and the Cowabunga Indians to combat the unnatural weather systems.
337"Saturday Night Polka Fever"TBA
348"Chester's Millions"TBA
359"Bee Prepared/Signs of Silence"TBA
3610"Dr. Tongue's Amazing Adventures/Lucky Dog"TBA

"Dr. Tongue's Amazing Adventures": John and his campers stay up late and watch "Nightmare Theater" which is showing the movie "Dr. Tongue's 3D Museum of Wax Statue". They are suddenly visited by Dr. Tongue the actor and Bruno who need to use their telephone to do a business call when their car broke down. While John has the mechanic Perry Gravy fix Dr. Tongue's car, Dr. Tongue does a 3D campfire story about how they had a crash where the boa constrictor they rented from the snake farm had escaped.

"Lucky Dog": The campers complain to John about how John's dog Lucky has been acting boring to them, eating, sleeping, and having gross flea. The campers work to make Lucky look presentable like giving him a makeover and having Nurse Molly do a thorough examination on him. At Nurse Molly's suggestion, John takes Lucky to Miss Woodenhouse's Advanced Institute for Canine Control. When that fails, John takes Lucky for a walk in the woods until John ends up trapped in a rockslide and it's up to Lucky to save him.
3711"Wild World of Camping/Total Lack of Recall"TBA
3812"Battle of the Badges/The Return of the Magnificent Three"TBA
3913"Bobby Bittman"TBA

Clip Show

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No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal air date
Clip–ShowClip–Show"Camp Candy’s Funniest Home Videos"November 3, 1990 (1990-11-03)

Production

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Songs

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Harry Nilsson wrote the series' theme song, which he sang with Candy. In both versions, the closing credits featured songs about Camp Candy that were sung to the tune of various folk songs such as "Bingo" (spoofed as "Candy"), "I've Been Working On The Railroad" (parodied as "I've Been Camping at Camp Candy"), "Comin' Around the Mountain," "Over the River and Through The Woods" (parodied as "Over The Field and Through The Woods"), "Yankee Doodle Boy" (parodied as "Big John Candy"), "The Bear Went Over The Mountain" (parodied as "A Jolly Good Camp"), "Tiny Tim, the Turtle" (parodied as "We Have a Camp Called Candy"), "Row Row Row Your Boat" (parodied as "Camp Candy Is A Scream"), "Reuben and Rachel" (parodied as "Robin and Iggy"), "On Top of Old Smokey" (parodied as "On Top Of Mount Frostback") and "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze" (parodied as "Circus Parade").

Comics

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The animated series spawned a brief comic book series based on the show; also entitled Camp Candy, it was published by Marvel Comics' Star Comics imprint.

References

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  1. ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 105–106. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  2. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 173–175. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  3. ^ Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. pp. 57–58. ISBN 9781476672939.
  4. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2014). "camp+candy"&pg=PA155 Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 Through 2010 (2nd ed.). McFarland. p. 155. ISBN 9780786486410. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
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