Catscratch
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| Catscratch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Sitcom, slapstick |
| Created by | Doug TenNapel |
| Voices of | Wayne Knight Kevin McDonald Rob Paulsen Maurice LaMarche Liliana Mumy John DiMaggio |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 20 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company | Nickelodeon Animation Studios |
| Original release | |
| Network | Nickelodeon |
| Release | July 9, 2005 – February 10, 2007 |
Catscratch is an American animated television series created by Doug TenNapel (also known for creating Earthworm Jim). It was aired on both Nickelodeon and Nicktoons on July 9, 2005. It was also shown on Nickelodeon UK and Ireland in 2006. It is a lighthearted adaptation of TenNapel's graphic novel, Gear, which is also the name of the cats' monster truck. The series features music composed by longtime TenNapel collaborator, Terry Scott Taylor. Catscratch's first DVD appearance was on Nick Picks Vol. 3, which came out February 7, 2006 (though the DVD contained only "Bringin' Down the Mouse").
Description
The series revolves around a trio of anthropomorphic feline brothers, including the arrogant and acerbic Mr. Blik, the impulsive and cheerful Waffle, and Gordon Quid, who possesses stereotypical Scottish mannerisms and recounts apparently fictional experiences back in Scotland. After their wealthy owner Edna Cramdilly died, she left her riches to them, along with a menacing, oversized monster truck named Gear and a dignified butler named Hovis, and the program commonly chronicles their wealthy lifestyles and action-packed, sometimes paranormal, experiences. Other characters include the kind, sweet young neighboring girl Kimberly, with whom Gordon is obsessed with, and the cats' competitive rivals the Chumpy Chump Brothers, among others.
Characters
- Mr. Blik (voiced by Wayne Knight)
- Mr. Blik is the self-appointed leader of the group who's confident, pampered and vain. He is a bombay cat. It is told that a black cat means bad luck, and this is true for Mr. Blik (because he is a black cat), who often gets himself into major trouble and is prone to near-death injuries. Mr. Blik is proud of his newly inherited riches and spends his money on anything and everything that spells respect and power. Mr. Blik always insults his two brothers. Mr. Blik's catch phrases are, "Yeah!" and "Suckers!" He is the oldest of the three.
- Waffle (voiced by Kevin McDonald)
- Waffle is an extremely enthusiastic, naïve and childish cat. He has an affinity for newts, and can speak Newtuguese (a language supposedly spoken by newts) as if he were a newt himself. Waffle is a lover of life who is overly optimistic. His catch phrases are "Spleee!" or "Yahoo!" when he's happy and gets super-excited about all things silly. Waffle has been wowed by revolving doors, fingers, bubble wrap and newts. He also wishes roller coasters were public transportation, would eat donuts straight from "donut trees", loves zero gravity basketball and smelling the pictures of flowers on shirts. Waffle also likes doing flatulent sounds with his underarms. He is a gray Tortie with long, floppy ears and a long tail with dark periwinkle stripes like his right ear. He is the tallest and the youngest of the three.
- Gordon Quid (voiced by Rob Paulsen)
- Gordon is an outspoken member of the Highland Quid clan and acts like he's from Scotland despite the fact that he is not. However, he speaks with a thick stereotypical Scottish accent. He is kind-hearted, has a soft spot for "Human" Kimberly and loves to sing, which quite regularly angers his older brother, Mr. Blik. He is also an excellent cook, usually cooking Scottish recipes, which a lot of people don't find edible. He has an orange patch on his right eye. The episode "Lovesick" shows he is allergic to both broccoli and chocolate, which cause disastrous effects upon contact. At first, the reaction seems to consist of typical allergic symptoms, such as sneezing, but eventually, all of the lights appear to go out and he turns into a Mr. Hyde-like monster, similar to a cat-like monster they were watching in a movie. Somewhat fortunately (particularly for Mr. Blik and Waffle), no future episode involves or mentions Gordon and his allergies. In some episodes, Gordon is shown with green-colored eyes, but in others he has blue. Judging from his short tail, he is a Manx. Gordon also has a mission set before him: to get Mr. Blik to do the right thing. Gordon's catch phrases are, "In the name of the Highland Quid Clan", "Feel my sting.", "Great gopher", "Cheer", and sometimes "Pop a Wheelie!". He is the shortest of the three, younger than Mr. Blik and older than Waffle.
- Hovis (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) Hovis is Mrs. Cramdilly's butler and has stayed on to look after the cats and collect his measly paychecks (which Mr. Blik signs). He's not exactly thrilled about his new situation, but he hails from a long line of butlers who have served in the house and he honestly believes he has nowhere else to go. Therefore, Hovis puts up with the fact that the former pets have become his masters. Blik barks out orders constantly, Gordon treats him as an equal and Waffle hasn't quite figured out that he's not a pet anymore (he still asks Hovis to be let out and scratched behind his ears). His birthday is April 14, 1982, as seen in "Love Jackal." (Hovis' voice sounds similar to that of Shackelford, the butler to the Sherman family on The Critic, which LaMarche also portrayed.)
- Kimberly (voiced by Liliana Mumy): Kimberly is a 9-year-old girl with a good-natured personality, a gap in her teeth, and an obsession with unicorns. She is one of the few human friends the cats have. She doesn't think they are greedy, and just accepts her feline neighbors for who they are and sees the good in their hearts. She is also completely unaware of the fact that Gordon has a complete infatuation with her. She has three human friends named Kaitlin, Kaitlyn and Charlotte.
Episodes
| Total # | Title | Original Air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "To the Moon / Bringin' Down the Mouse" | July 9, 2005[1] | |
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1a. Mr. Blik tries to win a barbecue contest by going to the moon for moon rocks after Gordon tells him a story about Duke Eark Splee. 1b. Mr. Blik won't let Waffle join him and Gordon on the Mouse Hunters' Ball, all because he never caught a mouse. Then an evil blue mouse named Squeakus tricks Waffle into thinking that his brothers are mice. | |||
| 2 | "Unicorn Club / Go Gomez! Go!" | July 9, 2005[1] | |
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2a. Gordon fibs to Human Kimberly telling her he possesses a unicorn. But the unicorn is really his brothers in a suit. 2b. The cats and the Chumpy Chump Brothers engage in a car race. The problem is that only Waffle is the only one tall enough to drive. | |||
| 3 | "Lovesick / King of All Root Beer" | July 15, 2005[1] | |
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3a. Gordon has an allergic reaction to a piece of broccoli that Human Kimberly gives him, making Mr. Blik and Waffle to believe he is a monster 3b. Mr. Blik cheats to become the king of root beer, making Waffle angry | |||
| 4 | "Tale of a Tail / Mr. Pickles" | July 22, 2005[1] | |
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4a. Gordon must defeat the kraken in order to wish for a long normal tail. 4b. After being dumped in Gordon's pickle juice, Mr. Blik turns green and no one listens to him anymore. So he becomes a hobo. | |||
| 5 | "Off the Leash / Slumber Party" | July 29, 2005[1] | |
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5a. Waffle runs away from home when no one cares that he has a dog personality. He becomes friends with the dog Barkmeat and gets caught by the dogcatcher. 5b. Human Kimberly buys all the root beer in the store for a sleepover party so the cats get inside Kimberly's party disguised as girls in order to get root beer for themselves at any cost. | |||
| 6 | "The Ghost of Mrs. Cramdilly / A Line in the Litterbox" | September 23, 2005[1] | |
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6a. Hovis disguises as Mrs. Cramdilly and says that the fortune will be given to Hovis and the cats will be the servants, will the cats get the fortune back and defeat the "ghost"?. 6b. The cats divide the house in three parts; later, they engage in a war using various items from their 'kingdoms'. | |||
| 7 | "Love Cats / Zombie Party a Go-Go!" | September 30, 2005[1] | |
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7a. Mr. Blik falls in love with Kimberly when she insults him. Then he and Gordon fight for the love of Kimberly. When Blik gets hurt, Gordon thinks Kimberly has chosen Blik so he wants to escape to the stars. 7b. When zombies arise from the graveyard of the dip that Waffle made, Mr. Blik mistakes the undead for a group of fancy people he invited for dinner. | |||
| 8 | "Gordon's Lucky Claw / Big-Eyed Bunny" | October 14, 2005[1] | |
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8a. Gordon gets a lucky claw when he says that he's going on a trip to China. Determined to win the trip to China Mr. Blik steals it. After having a fight with Waffle, Mr. Blik flushes the claw away when he says that the claw works for no one. Then bad luck happens. 8b. When Kimberly gets a new best friend, Gordon becomes jealous and Mr. Blik accidentally kills Kimberly's bunny, or at least he thinks he does. | |||
| 9 | "Requiem for a Cat / Scaredy Cat" | October 28, 2005[1] | |
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9a. Mr. Blik gets 24 hours to live and Gordon and Waffle try to run away from Mr. Blik, but they find out the truth. 9b. Gordon refuses to celebrate Halloween as the aliens mistake the cats' redecorated house as a mothership. (Halloween Special) | |||
| 10 | "Hi Ho Kraken / King of Clubs" | February 3, 2006[1] | |
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10a. The cats and the Kraken head to the Kraken Planet to regain Kraken's honor at any cost. 10b. Mr. Blik tries to join a high society club. But Gordon and Waffle are accepted instead. | |||
| 11 | "Livesavers / Mecha-Kitties" | February 17, 2006[1] | |
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11a. Mr. Blik saves Gordon's life, making him (Gordon) serve him. 11b. Mr. Blik, Waffle, and Gordon make robots of themselves but things go (un)expectingly wrong. | |||
| 12 | "My Bodyguards / Charge!" | March 3, 2006[1] | |
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12a. In order to not get into a fight with the alley cat, Blik gets the Chumpy Chumps's help. But they end up being too helpful. 12b. When sliding down from the slide, Blik becomes charged with static electricity. But he doesn't know that the static electricity attracts to anything metal, and so he gets stuck to it. | |||
| 13 | "A Wooly Adventure / EVIL!" | March 24, 2006[1] | |
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13a. After a heatwave, an iceberg thaws, and a wooly mammoth springs forth and the mammoth thinks he's Blik's son! 13b. Waffle becomes convinced that he's an evil genius and makes plans to take over the world. | |||
| 14 | "Clan Destiny / Mall Adjusted" | April 7, 2006[1] | |
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14a. Mr. Blik and Waffle are dragged to Scotland in Gear by Gordon to prove that he is from The Highland Quid Clan. However, they find no evidence that he was once one of them, so Gordon is left in sadness. However, Waffle and Mr. Blik learn a Banshee haunts the Highland Quid Clan. Can Gordon somehow get rid of the Banshee, or is this the end for him, the cats, and the Highland Quid Clan? 14b. Waffle bankrupts the cats after purchasing his favorite new toy: all the bubble-wrap in the world! The cats are kicked out of the mansion and Hovis and the newts are repossessed! With no money, the cats are forced to endure degradation in its worst of forms; working at the mall! Every time they go work at many of the stores in the mall, they always get fired. When another job that involves making root beer, the brothers take their energy into making root beer. A string of gigs leads to a series of destruction, chaos, and of course, firings. Just how will the cats get out of debt when they've got no skills? Maybe it's time for them to learn the true meaning of a hard day's work | |||
| 15 | "Two of A Kind / Core-uption" | May 5, 2006[1] | |
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15a. As their families prepare for battle, Waffle befriends the Chumpy Chump brother known as Lunk. The two have a blast together! But when their kin find out, Waffle and Lunk’s friendship is banned! The two buddies decide they must run away, but when a disaster strikes their beloved brothers, only these two like-minded pals can save the day! Or can they? 15b. Kimberly’s teacher fails her on her project: a model of the earth’s core, made of glitter, cotton candy, rainbows, and other pretty stuff. Seeing Kimberly upset, Gordon travels to the center of the earth, and tosses her project into the core! And the earth transforms! Clouds turn into cotton candy, unicorns roam freely, and it rains glitter! But as the cats soon learn, too much of a good thing can be really, really awful. | |||
| 16 | "Katilda / The Secret Door" | June 2, 2006[1] | |
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16a. Katilda’s the new cat in town, and, though Blik won’t admit it, she’s fascinating! With her charismatic leadership skills, Katilda soon has the cats following her into the woods to fight a terrifying monster. But when it appears that Katilda’s imagination may be a bit too active, will any of the cats be left to fight by her side? 16b. Blik and Gordon can’t figure out why Waffle keeps disappearing, until they find out that Waffle has discovered a secret world hidden inside the mansion! A world where he’s become king! Unfortunately, Waffle finds out that being king has its price when the Dragon Rider forces Waffle into battle. Now, it’s King Waffle’s duty to defeat this evil menace and save his subjects! Suddenly they find out that the Dragon Rider is really Hovis! | |||
| 17 | "Major Pepperidge / Magic Staff" | September 22, 2006[1] | |
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17a. While preparing for his own “Blik parade,” Blik suddenly grows a second head! And the new head is not like Blik at all. He’s nice! Blik loathes him, but everyone else loves the new head and his sage advice. If Blik doesn’t want to be upstaged at his parade, he’ll have to rid himself of the pest growing out of his neck. The pest known as… Major Pepperidge! 17b. After finding a staff that transforms the bearer into a hulking superman, the cats get selfish. They each want the powers of a hero, even if they don’t want to act like one. And when the guardian of the staff shows up to reclaim it, the cats must battle him to prove their worth! But do the cats really deserve such power? | |||
| 18 | "Free Hovis / Three Against Nature" | September 29, 2006[1] | |
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18a. Through Waffle's own ignorance, Hovis is accidentally transformed into a giant, talking fish and washed out to sea. Soon enough, a traveling aquarium captures the poor butler and puts him on display. Blik, Waffle, and Gordon must track down the fishy side show and free their flippered butler. 18b. Getting lost in the woods, an argument sends the cats down three different paths… alone! Luckily for Waffle, he becomes part of a fun hillbilly family.! But when they capture Blik for dinner, the cats will have to put their differences aside and work together to escape! | |||
| 19 | "Blikmail / Love Jackal" | October 13, 2006[1] | |
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19a. After Katilda teases Blik about his doll, he tries to get it back, but his brothers think it's a Scottish mind-controlling figure. 19b. The cats forgot about Hovis' birthday again, they found out he was part of a band called Love Jackal. Soon Hovis regroups the band together and he would not need the cats any longer. | |||
| 20 | "Spindango Fundulation / Duck and Cover" | February 10, 2007[1] | |
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20a. When Mr. Blik beats the uber-impossible videogame Spindango Fundulation, the cats are transported to an alien planet, where Mr. Blik must fight off evil invaders. The only problem is, the conniving kitty rigged the game so he'd win. What will Mr. Blik do now that the stakes are so high? (TV Special) 20b. Gordon is afraid of ducks. Mr. Blik and Waffle set up a wrestling match for him. | |||
Broadcast
US
- Nickelodeon (2005–07)
- Nicktoons (2005–09; December 19, 2015)
UK
- Nickelodeon (2006–08)
- Nicktoons (2006–08)
Canada
- Nickelodeon (2009–11)
- YTV (2006–09)
Australia and New Zealand
- Nickelodeon (2006–12)
Latin America
- Nickelodeon (2006–10)
Philippines
- TV5 (2008–10)
Middle East
- Nickelodeon (2008–2011)
Comics
Confirmed by an e-mail from Doug TenNapel, there were a few 2-page Catscratch comics in the works for Nick Magazine. The first one came out in the December / January 2005 issue. The second one came out in the March 2006 issue. The third and last one was in the February 2007 issue.
Production
Catscratch went into production in early 2005. Production continued on Catscratch until the final episode, "Spindango Fundulation/Duck and Cover" aired in early 2007. After the final episode of Catscratch was aired, Nicktoons continued to show re-runs of the cartoon until 2009.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Nomination | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Annie Best Character Design in an Animated Television Production Luther McLaurin
Casting Society of America |
Nominated |
| 2006 | Nominated Artios Best Animated Voice-Over Television Casting Sarah Noonan Meredith Layne
Motion Picture Sound Editors |
Nominated |
| 2006 | Golden Reel Award Best Sound Editing in Television Animated | Nominated |
| 2008 | Golden Reel Award Best Sound Editing - SFX, Foley, Dialogue, ADR & Music | Nominated |
DVD releases
There are 2 Catscratch episodes on DVD:
- "Bringin' Down the Mouse" on Nick Picks Vol. 3
- "Love Cats" on Nick Picks Vol. 5″
