ren and stimpy

Ren and Stimpy are the title characters of two cartoon TV series created by Canadian animator John Kricfalusi. Ren Hek, a neurotic "asthma-hound" chihuahua, and Stimpson J. Cat, a fat simpleton cat wander around in nonsensical adventures reminiscent of the golden age of cartoons. Krisfalusi created the characters in 1979 while working for low-budget TV cartoons after moving to the USA. Although a product of the children's cable network Nickelodeon, The Ren & Stimpy Show had a reputation for subversiveness. In fact, the show pushed the bounds of good taste further than any cartoon had to its day; its level of gross-out humor was exceeded only by the antics of Beavis and Butthead or The Brothers Grunt. And though sometimes seen as low-brow, the series also cleverly lampooned culture and made many viewers and studio executives uncomfortable. Nickelodeon eventually fired Kricfalusi from his own creation and systematically censored the cartoon down to little more than a remnant of its former self. Eventually, several episodes were deemed unairable and have never been broadcast by Nickelodeon again.

Original Characters

Ren Hek: Ren is a chihuahua who often calls Stimpy an idiot. Ren's cousin, Svn Hek, is dumber than he is. Ren's name is the real name of creator John Kricfalusi's building manager. Originally voiced by Kricfalusi, later by Billy West after the Nickelodeon split.
Stimpy: Stimpy's full name is Stimpson J. Cat. Stimpy is named after an art school classmate of Kricfalusi in Canada, whose nickname was Stimpy Kadogan (Stimpy appeared in one episode as a wrestler named Killer Kadogan). Voiced by Billy West and Eric Bauza.
George American: George is an ultra-patriotic American and is so conservative that he thinks the Republicans are Communists. Originally named George Liquor, the name was changed at Nickelodeon's insistence. Voiced by Michael Pataki, who also voiced another demented character called The Sewer King in the animated Batman series.
Powdered Toast Man: Idiot bumbling superhero and spokesperson for Powdered Toast. His favourite phrase is "Cling tenaciously to my buttocks!" He was voiced by Gary Owens.
Muddy Mudskipper: A fish-like creature who hosts an afternoon kids' show.
Haggis McHaggis: A short, bald stereotypical Scotsman. Voiced by Alan Young.
Mother and Father: A pair of square, white suburban parents who are seen only from the waist down.
Abner and Ewalt: A pair of incredibly stupid hicks.
Wilbur Cobb: A demented, decaying old man who speaks in malapropisms.
Mr. Horse: One of the original and classic characters, with his catch phrase "No sir, I don't like it".
Mrs. Buttloaves: An incredibly obese and homely woman.
The Fire Chief: Has a psychotic hatred for circus midgets.
The Guilded Yak: The figurehead of Yak Shaving Day.

Ren and Stimpy are the stereotypical odd couple. Ren is sarcastic, cynical, and anal. Stimpy is dimwitted (Ren is fond of the phrase, "Stimpy, you eedeeot!"), pleasant, and clumsy. To showcase the mismatch, consider Stimpy's favorite song, "Happy Happy Joy Joy", a silly children's tune that drives Ren to convulsions when he hears it. According to Kricfalusi, Ren and Stimpy are gay lovers. When asked about it, "Totally," says Kricfalusi proudly. "In Ren's case, it's not completely by choice. He'd rather have a beautiful human woman if he could get away with it. Since he can't, Stimpy's easy. Stimpy's madly in love with Ren."

The Firing of John K.

Ren and Stimpy was written, directed, and produced by Kricfalusi only in the first two seasons. During this time, he was constantly harassed by Nickelodeon over content issues, of which he often pushed the limits. The last straw, so to speak, was the episode entitled "Man's Best Friend," in which Ren and Stimpy are bought by George Liquor and put through a cruel and unusual training session. The brutal violence and the overall theme of animal cruelty in the episode was deemed unairable by Nick. Kricfalusi was soon fired from the show, and his ownership of the characters was revoked. Billy West took over his role as the voice of Ren. Animation duty was taken from Spumco and given to Games Animation. Naturally, many fans agree that the quality of the show suffered greatly from the loss of its creator and original animation studio.

Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon"

After his seperation from Nick, Kricfalusi retained ownership of George Liquor and has used him extensively in projects by Spmc, his animation studio. He was a major character in John K.'s short-lived comic book, simply titled "Comic Book." Of note: One of the conditions of retaining ownership of George Liquor was that he couldn't become "a child molester or mass murderer." Kricfalusi reportedly responded by asking how many murders he would need to commit to make him a mass murderer. In June 2003, the show returned to U.S. television as Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon" on Viacom's Spike TV, with decidedly more adult content. The network also aired digitally remastered episodes of the original series. A DVD set of seasons one and two of the original series was released in October 2004. Some fans were angered by the fact that the set, billed as "Ren and Stimpy Uncut," retained some of the edits. Kricfalusi said in a statement that all of the cut footage he knew about had been returned. DVDs of seasons three, four, and five of the original and also of Adult Party Cartoon are in the works and planned for release in 2005.