|
|
|
|
|
Foster's Home For Imaginary FriendsFoster's Home for Imaginary Friends is an animated television program created and produced by cartoonist Craig McCracken, who also created the Powerpuff Girls. It premiered on Cartoon Network on August 13, 2004, as a ninety-minute TV movie. Half-hour episodes began airing the following Friday and continue to do so. It also played two fifteen-minute episodes thrice ("Seeing Red" was paired with "Phone Home", "When There's A Wilt, There's A Way" was paired with "Bye Bye Bendy" and "Sight for Sore Eyes" was paired with "Bloo's Brothers"). Show summary In the world of Foster's, an imaginary friend becomes real the instant a kid imagines them. Everyone can see and talk to them, but sometimes, they still outgrow their friends. When that happens, the friends don't disappear, which is why Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends was founded. This foster home was founded by the elderly Madame Foster to provide a home for abandoned imaginary friends; their motto is "Where good ideas are not forgotten." Children who cannot imagine their own imaginary friends can also adopt friends from Foster's Home. In the premiere movie, we meet eight-year-old Mac and his imaginary friend Blooregard Q. Kazoo, a/k/a Bloo, who is about to be thrown out of the house. Mac's mother and his thirteen-year-old bullying brother Terrence think he's too old to have an imaginary friend and want the troublemaker out of the house, but Mac isn't ready to give Bloo up yet. Then they hear about Foster's Home. At first, Bloo is hesitant, but after visiting Foster's Home and meeting some new friends, he decides to stay. Normally the occupants of Foster's Home are eligible for adoption by other children, but after Madame Foster sees that Mac and Bloo are still best friends, she declares that Bloo may stay at Foster's without ever having to worry about being adopted. In return, all Mac has to do is visit every day. This is hardly a problem for Mac, who would rather spend his after-school time with his friends at Foster's Home than at home with the mean, ugly Terrence, who conspires with a arrogant imaginary friend named Dutchess to try and get rid of Bloo after a girl decides he's better than Dutchess. The show is produced entirely in-house using computer vector graphics programs, including Macromedia Flash, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe After Effects. This all-digital animation method is relatively inexpensive, and unlike most American traditionally animated shows, none of the animation is done overseas. Foster's Home is known to attract even high-schoolers for its quirky humor and odd plots. Hidden throughout the show are jokes, puns and references aimed at older children and young adults that they would understand, while the character Bloo acts in a way that is typical of characters in shows like Family Guy and Futurama, the longest-running Adult Swim shows. Characters Character designer Lynn Naylor-Reccardi was nominated for an Annie Award in 2004 for her work on the show. - Blooregard Q. Kazoo (Bloo for short) is Mac's imaginary friend, created when Mac was three years old. A short blue blob with no legs, he has a short attention span and is quite mischievous, which is the opposite of his creator. Voiced by Keith Ferguson.
- Coco is an imaginary friend dreamed up by a lonely girl on a deserted island to keep her company. She has a head and neck like a palm tree, a crooked, wavy beak like a bird, a body like an airplane and human legs and feet. The only thing she can say is "coco", but the other imaginary friends can understand her anyway. When alarmed or if other friends are in need of defensive weapons and such, Coco lays plastic Easter eggs on the spot, filled with whatever the situation deems necessary. Voiced by Candi Milo.
- Eduardo is a large imaginary friend with lots of hair, large fangs and a belt buckle shaped like a skull, resembling a mythical Minotaur. Of all the show's main characters, he's the scariest-looking but he's actually kind-hearted and even a bit of a coward. He speaks "Spanglish" and some French. Voiced by Tom Kenny.
- Frances "Frankie" Foster is the 22-year-old granddaughter of Madame Foster who serves as Mr. Herriman's assistant at the house. An easygoing girl, she is nevertheless often stressed out by her job, feeling that she is overworked, and as we found out in Everyone Knows It's Bendy, she's "punk rock". Her voice is provided by Grey DeLisle.
- Her Royal Dutchess Diamond Persnickity The First, Last and Only (Dutchess for short) is a "high-matainence" imaginary friend, but is really a arrogant, scheming, ugly character that closely bears a resemblance to a Picasso painting. In the premiere movie, she expresses utter jealousy of all the attention Bloo gets and gets help from Mac's brother, Terrence, to get rid of him. Grey DeLisle plays Dutchess.
- Madame Foster is the elderly woman who founded Foster's Home. She doesn't say much, but she's always smiling, and will go out of her way to help a friend in need — even if it means breaking Mr. Herriman's rules. Voiced by Candi Milo.
- Mr. Herriman (also known as Funny Bunny) is a large anthropomorphic rabbit (simular to Harvey) with a monocle, a top hat and an aristocratic British accent in a sterotypical personifaction of the Edwardian era. He is Mme. Foster's imaginary friend from her childhood, serving as the manager of the house, believing in strict adherence to rules, such as being precisely on time for meals and is also a dependable source of stress for Frankie as well as the target of jokes by the friends. Voiced by Tom Kane.
- Mac is the shy, precocious eight-year-old boy who imagined Bloo, both of them best friends, even though they don't always get along. He lives with his mother (as yet unnamed) and his bullying older brother, Terrence. Voiced by Sean Marquette.
- Terrence is a sterotypical mean, ugly child who is the 13-year-old brother of Mac. He always tries to get rid of Bloo by blaming him (as well as Mac) for all the problems that Terrence creates. Voiced by Tara Strong.
- Wilt is a tall, thin red friend who has to duck to get through doorways. He has only one arm (the left is a stump) and a slightly undersized left eye which may be blind. Each eye is mounted on a stalk protruding from the top of his head. Gentle and polite to a fault, he often apologizes more than necessary, and takes pride in bringing abandoned imaginary friends to the foster home. His name is a reference to Wilt Chamberlain since Wilt likes basketball and is dressed in a jersey, shoes and a single wristband. Voiced by Phil LaMarr.
- The Extremeasaurus (from "House of Bloo's"): These monsters were created by dorky teenage boys and are kept in the back of the residence locked up in a cage never to be let out because of the danger they imposed. That was, until Terrence and Dutchess co-conspired to get rid of Bloo.
- Scribbles (from "The Trouble With Scribbles"): These are an infant's first imaginary friends, locked behind a door at Foster's...until Bloo let them out.
Episode List Season One Season One was comprised of thirteen episodes. - House of Bloo's (premiered August 13, 2004) - The premiere "movie" which comprised the first three episodes. See above for plot summary. The title plays off the popular Dan Aykroyd- founded restraunt/nightclub chain House of Blues.
- Store Wars (premiered August 20, 2004) - The gang heads to the mall to buy a birthday present for Madame Foster, but Frankie loses control as they run around the mall and Bloo calls everone working there a "rip-off artist", kicking them in the shin after hearing the prices of items. The title is a pun on the movie Star Wars. Look for skewering of Sears, Victoria's Secret and Sharper Image in this episode.
- The Trouble With Scribbles (premiered August 27, 2004) - Bloo opens the most forbidden door at Foster's and unleashes a mass of troublesome imaginary friends called Scribbles. The title is a pun on a Star Trek episode entitled "The Trouble with Tribbles." In a flashback, look for a reference to George Orwell's book 1984.
- Busted (premiered September 3, 2004) - While trying to follow the rules of the house that are established by Mr. Herriman, Bloo accidentally breaks a bust of Mme. Foster and the gang rushes to fix it before he finds out. Meanwhile, an overworked Frankie gets very frustrated with the "Funny Bunny" and those same rules.
- Dinner is Swerved (premiered September 10, 2004) - It's dinnertime, but a very starving Bloo and Mac are lost in Mme. Foster's labyrinthine house, seemingly winding up on the roof every time they try to get to the table, and Mr. Herriman won't let the other friends eat until everyone is there.
- World Wide Wabbit (premiered September 17, 2004) - Working on a video with Frankie's digital camera for the Foster's Home web site, Mac and Bloo accidentally tape a video of Mr. Herriman singing a silly song to Mme. Foster. Much to Mac's chagrin, Bloo and Frankie show it to all the friends, then Bloo uploads the video onto the Internet and it quickly becomes an Internet phenomenon. The story resembles the fabled tale of "The Star Wars Kid", which has become a cult classic on the web. Dell Computers, eBay and the Girls Gone Wild video series get a visual parody treatment.
- Berry Scary (premiered September 24, 2004) - A cute new friend named Berry shows up at the house and falls in love with Bloo. When Bloo ignores her, she becomes jealous of Bloo and Mac's friendship, and proceeds to "accidentally" break their attempts for a world record, as things eerily resembles the story on a parody of the popular soap opera The Young and the Restless entitled The Loved and the Loveless. Look closely for the in-joke of a book entitled BLOCKHEADS GUIDE TO CGI ANIMATION as a reference to Foster's being a computer-animated series.
- Seeing Red/Phone Home (premiered October 1, 2004) - The first two-part episode. In Seeing Red, Terrence creates his own imaginary friend — a large red square named "Red" — to torment Bloo, but it winds up doing the opposite of what he wants to do, while being abused by bees, a sea monster and unicorns as Bloo gives him a tour of the residence. In Phone Home, Bloo mistakes a man in a cell phone costume as an imaginary friend and brings him to the house trying to outdo Wilt's constant winning the "Friend of the Month" award. The title of second episode refers to a line that was said by the title character in the 1982 Stephen Spielberg movie, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
- Who Let the Dogs In? (premiered October 8, 2004) - After a couple mistakenly brings a dog to Foster's, Eduardo brings a puppy to the house and tries to hide him from Mr. Herriman, who is deathly afraid of dogs. The title is based on a 2000 song by the Baha Men entitled Who Let the Dogs Out? Among the spoofs here are refernces to the 1980's rock group Frankie Goes to Hollywood when Bloo tells someone that "Frankie says 'relax'" and the movie Gremlins near the end of the episode.
- Adoptcalypse Now (premiered October 15, 2004) - When the house holds a special event, Adopt-a-Thought Saturday, Mac and Bloo conspire to keep their friends from being adopted. Look for a tribute to The Benny Hill Show with a chase scene involving school children, Eduardo, Frankie, Mr. Herriman, Bloo and Mac, as well as a spoof of two human characters from Boobah, Mister Man and Mrs. Lady. The title is a pun on Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 movie Apocalypse Now.
- Bloooooo! (premiered October 22, 2004) - Frightened by a scary movie, Coco, Wilt and Eduardo mistake a cold-ridden Bloo (who turned white) for a ghost. This Halloween-themed episode skewers every known horror movie from the last two decades in a sub-plot where Frankie tries to get into the house after taking Mac home — who, like Bloo, had a cold — but is scared by a mystery person.
Season Two - Partying is Such Sweet Soire (premiered January 21, 2005) - Mme. Foster and Frankie are away, so Mr. Herriman is left in charge of the house. Bloo decides that it's a great time to throw a party, but when Mac tries to stop it from happening, Bloo tempts Mac with his one weakness: sugar. The title is a play on the line "Parting is such sweet sorrow" from William Shakespere's Romeo and Juliet. Look to references from Def Leppard, Grease, The Beastie Boys and even the Lord of the Rings trilogy as well as a visual joke about the urban legend of mixing Pop Rocks and soda in this episode.
- The Big Leblooski (premiered January 28, 2005) - When Mme. Foster loses half her bowling team to Mrs. Jerkins, her rival, she turns to Mac and the friends to help. Bloo would rather play with his Chinese finger trap, and try to get a paddleball in a game at the bowling alley's arcade. But when Mac gets thrown off the team, he turns to a guru for advice. The title is a play on words of the title of the 1998 Joel and Ethan Coen movie "The Big Lebowski". Look for uncanny visual likenessess of Jeff Bridges as "The Dude", John Goodman as "Donny" and Steve Buscemi as "Walter" from the above-mentioned film in this episode.
- Where There's A Wilt, There's A Way/Everyone Knows It's Bendy (premiered February 4, 2005) - Second two-part episode. In Where's There A Wilt..., a series of ridiculous demands threatens Wilt from watching the big basketball game on TV, and in Everyone Knows It's Bendy, the gang have problems with a new resident that causes trouble...and blames the others (as voiced by Jeff Bennett). The first title refers to the noted phrase "When there's a will, there's a way", while the second refers to either a line from the song from the 1960's rock group The Association called "Windy" or a title of a South Park episode called "Everyone Knows It's Butters".
- Sight for Sore Eyes/Bloo's Brothers (premiered March 4, 2005) - Third two-part episode. Sight For Sore Eyes finds Ivan, a seeing eye friend with a hundred eyes (voiced by Kevin McDonald) seperated from his blind owner, Stevie (a reference to Stevie Wonder) and it's up to Bloo, Mac and the others to try and find the child. In Bloo's Brothers, Mac's classmates dream up different versions of Bloo after he's the subject of a show-and-tell at school. How will they save an ice show when the star skater is out? The latter title is a play on words of the Dan Aykroyd-John Belushi Saturday Night Live characters The Blues Brothers. Look for Bloo-inspired versions of Homestar Runner and Bart Simpson among the minnions of his.
- Cookie Dough (premiered March 11, 2005) - On a very rainy day in the middle of winter, the house's roof leaks beyond all control. Meanwhile, an ill-advised purchase of a gold safe with the home's emergency funds by Mme. Foster prompts Bloo to get into the cookie making business using her once-a-year cookie recipe. However, the power of ownership gets to his head.
- Frankie, My Dear (premiered March 18, 2005) - Both Mac and Bloo develop a crush on Frankie and compete for her love, but she begins to fall for a secret suitor. The two friends become jealous and thwart Quinn, a pizza delivery boy and an imaginary Prince Charming that Frankie gets in contact with, but when they see her real suitor, a Gex-Xer named Dylan Lee, they proceed to spoil their date — with Prince Charming in drag. When her date is found out to be just plain stuck-up, Frankie then realizes who her true friends are. The title is a play on words of part of the Clark Gable line from the classic 1939 movie "Gone With The Wind" "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." Also look for a humorous play on the name of actor Orlando Bloom.
Future Episodes - Bye-Bye Nerdy - Bloo learns that Mac is a nerd and tries to make him cooler. What will Blooregard do when Mac is too cool for his best friend? The title is a pun on words of the title of the Broadway musical and movie "Bye Bye Birdie".
- Bloo With Envy - When Uncle Applesauce, an original friend of the house, comes back to Foster's, Bloo is suspecious of "The Best Imaginary Friend Ever".
- Squeakerboxxx - Bloo's obsession with a prized squeaking elephant shared by the friends love goes too far by accidently breaking it. Can he find a way to replace the damaged pachyderm before everyone else finds out? The title is a pun on words on part of the OutKast 2003 album titled "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below".
Trivia - Both Mr. Herriman and Townsville's Mayor in The Powerpuff Girls have these simularities: they both wear black top hats and waistcoats, monocles over their left eye, and have thinning white hair just above their temples.
- Frankie is loosely based on series producer/writer/story editor and real-life fiance of series creator Craig McCracken, Lauren Faust. She always wears a stylized Powerpuff Girls t-shirt, and bares a resemblance to Vicky the Babysitter from The Fairly OddParents, right down to the voice actress who provides both their characters — Grey DeLisle. However, both Frankie and Vicky are polar opposites.
- Mojo Jojo (The Powerpuff Girls' worst enemy) is also seen in the Foster's TV movie during the part when Wilt is showing all the friends in Foster's. Mojo is considered an unimaginary friend, as in a friend "copied" from TV shows.
International titles and names The show is now seen on Cartoon Network channels in Europe, Asia and Latin America. The titles are as follows in their native languages: - Latin America: Mansin Foster para Amigos Imaginairos.
- Brazil: A Manso Foster para Amigos Imaginrios.
- France: Fosters, la maison des amis imaginaires.
- Italy: Gli amici immaginari de Casa Foster.
- Norway and Denmark: Fosters hjem for fantasivenner.
- Spain: Fosters, La Casa de los Amigos Imaginarios.
- Sweden: Fosters hem fr phittade vnner.
Some of the characters have slightly different names to fit their particular language. - Wilt: Wildo (Latin America), Minguado (Brazil), Villy (Norway), Stakan (Denmark), Ville Visen (Sweden).
- Bloo: Bl (Latin America).
- Mac: Max (Sweden).
- Coco: Coc (Latin America)
- Dutchess: Duquesa (Latin America), Duchesse (France), Grevinnan (Sewden).
- Mr. Herriman: Seor Coneja ("Mister Rabbit"; Latin America), Herr ("Hare") Herman (Sweden); Seor Herriman (Spain).
- Terrence: Terrible (pronounced "tur-ee-bley"; Latin America), Terrivel (Brazil), Robert (Norway), Torker (Sweden).
- Madame Foster: Seora Foster (Latin America), La signora Foster (Italy).
External Links
|
 |
|
| Copyright 2005-2009 OnPedia.com. All Rights Reserved |
|
|