Spümcø
Encyclopedia
Spümcø, Inc. was an American
animation
production company based in Los Angeles
, California
. The studio produced three traditionally animated series, two Flash-animated cartoon series, two music videos, five animated shorts, and a comic book. The company also went on to produce content for a few animated spots and commercials. It has won several awards, including an Annie Award
for Best Animated Short Subject, for the Björk
music video, "I Miss You".
Spümcø was founded in 1988 as a small office facility in the heart of Hollywood. The company name was claimed to have been derived from the name of animation pioneer Raymond Spum. Only a few short months after Spümcø's founding, Nickelodeon
announced that they were looking for new cartoons. A concept claimed to be "revived" by then-president of Nickelodeon, Geraldine Laybourne
, was that of "creator-driven cartoons". Spümcø co-founder and then-president John Kricfalusi
sold The Ren & Stimpy Show to Nickelodeon in 1988, which became Spümcø's first original animated series production. The Golden Age of American animation, like the 1940s cartoons by Bob Clampett
and Tex Avery
to name a few, served for inspiration for the bizarre expressions and artwork for which Spümcø became well known.
The Spümcø headquarters were located in Los Angeles
, west of Paramount Studios. Amy Harmon of The New York Times
said that "the not-quite-underground headquarters" was "a nondescript building."
, would spend their time attempting to sell original cartoon ideas throughout the 1980s, while working for various animation studios like Filmation
. One of their ideas was Ren & Stimpy, but the show would be turned down by the three major television networks in the process. The idea of original animated cartoons created by actual cartoonists, and not by TV network executives whose ideas were solely based on toy products and comic books, would not happen again for some 25 years until Spümcø was founded and would eventually make history as the first animation studio of its kind. The company was officially founded in 1988 as a small office facility in the heart of Hollywood, by a small group of cartoonists, disappointed in the state of animation during the 1980s. John Kricfalusi, Lynne Naylor, Bob Camp
and Jim Smith
, who all co-founded the company, were cartoonists who were either laid off by animation companies, or willingly decided to quit. A few short months later, Nickelodeon announced that they were looking for new cartoons created by cartoonists. This would be a concept claimed to be "revived" by then-president of Nickelodeon, Geraldine Laybourne, that being the concept of "creator-driven cartoons."
Because Nickelodeon had no original cartoon material prior to the hiring of John Kricfalusi, the company was unaware of the basic process of an animated cartoon. Kricfalusi had volunteered to give Nickelodeon executives an informative background of cartoonists using storyboards for storytelling in animated cartoons, rather than a script. Vanessa Coffey, who became the executive for The Ren & Stimpy Show, listened to Kricfalusi's lessons and background briefing of the animation industry, and was pleased to learn about how the process works. Coffey agreed with Kricfalusi that, "if storyboards were good enough for Bugs Bunny, they were good enough for her."
Kricfalusi's animation company finished the pilot Big House Blues in October 1990, and the first episode of the show aired on August 11, 1991, premiering alongside Doug
and Rugrats
. Spümcø continued to produce the show for the next two years, while encountering issues with Nickelodeon standards and practices. Over the next couple of years, a number of episodes were censored
.
Kricfalusi described Nickelodeon in the earliest period as being "simple" as there was one executive, Vanessa Coffey, whom Kricfalusi said that he got along with. Kricfalusi said that another executive, who came during a later period in the show, tried to prevent some of the Ren and Stimpy episodes from being produced. According to Kricfalusi, the episodes continued production since he did a "trade" with Coffey, which would be the exchange of having "really crazy" episodes for some "heart-warming" episodes.
Bill Wray
, a production artist for the show, stated that "on some occasions Kricfalusi completed an episode in eight months. Other occasions, he completed an episode in two or three months." Wray described Kricfalusi's ideal production period per episode as four half-hour cartoons per year, and added that the arrangement would not "jibe with our production schedule."
with an oar
, which may be the cause for his firing. Nickelodeon banned the episode from airing; the episode did not air in North America until Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon" began in 2003.
Bill Wray, a production artist for Ren and Stimpy, described the main issues regarding Kricfalusi's conflict with Nickelodeon as not being able to meet deadlines for production. Wray stated that Kricfalusi attributed the delays to Nickelodeon "not approving things fast enough", and Nickelodeon staff members "changing their minds" over what can or cannot be produced. Wray said that Kricfalusi believed that the product's quality holds more importance than meeting deadlines, and that he perceived Nickelodeon as "slowing him down". According to Wray, Kricfalusi believed that, "every step after the storyboard
s weakens the process", and that he "fought for the integrity of the storyboards", and lengthened production time because he wished to salvage the quality of the series.
In 1997, John Kricfalusi directed a music video for Björk
titled "I Miss You
", a single that was released the same year. It was animated by the entire staff at Spümcø. It premiered on MTV
as well as Canada's
MuchMusic
channel. "I Miss You" won an Annie Award for Best Animated Short Subject
in 1997, from the International Animated Film Association
, ASIFA-Hollywood
.
A variety of techniques were used for the production of the video: traditional 2-D cel animation by Spümcø and Colorkey Productions; 3-D computer animation supervised by Charlie Gibson at Rhythm & Hues; real-time motion-capture animation by House of Moves; and blue screen mattes brought in live-action into the mix. The live-action sequences with Björk were shot in a Los Angeles
studio in one day. The entire music video took nine months to complete.
Björk, who confirmed to be a long-time fan of Kricfalusi's work, insisted that he do a video for her when they met at one of her concerts. She was claimed to be very pleased when she first saw John's storyboard that she apparently proclaimed, "It's just like Christmas!" and did not ask for any changes.
During 1997, John Kricfalusi and his staff at Spümcø launched their web site, whose goal was to provide cartoons for audiences, without the censorship of television networks. Kricfalusi decided to use George Liquor
, a cartoon character he created, to star in the Flash Internet cartoon series, The Goddamn George Liquor Program
, created by Kricfalusi himself. The series premiered on October 15, 1997. The Goddamn George Liquor Program was the first cartoon series to be produced exclusively for the Internet. George appeared on the series with his nephew, Jimmy The Idiot Boy; Jimmy's cousins, Slab and Ernie; Jimmy's love interest, Sody Pop; and George and Jimmy's pet dog, Dirty Dog. Spümcø produced eight one-minute shorts. In 1999, The Goddamn George Liquor Program won an Annie Award
for "Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Interactive Production".
In 1999, Spümcø created its second Internet-only cartoon series, Weekend Pussy Hunt
. The series would last for 12 episodes, with 4 unfinished cartoons due to budget problems. The series starred characters "Dirty Dog", who also made an appearance on The Goddamn George Liquor Program, and "Cigarettes the Cat." When asked about the style of the cartoon series, creator John Kricfalusi made the following statement:
TV special titled Boo Boo Runs Wild
, which premiered September 24, 1999, on Cartoon Network
. The animated short focused on Yogi Bear's sidekick, Boo Boo Bear, who becomes fed up with the rules of man and decides to return to his natural bear roots. Though it focused primarily on Yogi and Boo Boo, it was titled as a "Ranger Smith cartoon." Alongside Boo Boo Runs Wild, a second "Ranger Smith" cartoon aired, titled A Day in the Life of Ranger Smith
. The story focused on Ranger Smith in his daily life routine as a forest ranger.
After Nickelodeon fired John Kricfalusi from The Ren and Stimpy Show in September 1992, he had plans to make a feature film starring the world's "manliest men". The feature film plan was scrapped, but the characters were then used in the 2001 animated series, The Ripping Friends
. As early as a 1987 story session for the Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures
, Kricfalusi had proposed using a wad of gum as a character, an idea which was used to create the first villain for the new series, Indigestible Wad. The Ripping Friends aired on September 22, 2001, and lasted until January 26, 2002.
During 2002, after The Ripping Friends had been cancelled, John Kricfalusi received a phone call from the cable network TNN (now Spike). TNN was struggling against other channels and decided to give Kricfalusi a new chance. In June 2003, Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon" premiered with three episodes, ones which used plots developed for The Ren & Stimpy Show. The entire show was produced by Spümcø, who also had complete creative control over the content of the series. The animation for the series was produced by Carbunkle Cartoons and PiP Animation Services
. The series also premiered along with formerly censored episodes from the first two seasons of The Ren and Stimpy Show. The plot of Adult Party Cartoon focused on the adventures of the duo from the original cartoon series. Six episodes were originally meant to air during the summer of 2003, but were delayed for a year along with the rest of Spike TV's "Strip", mainly because of the risque "Naked Beach Frenzy" episode. Spike TV planned to bring the show back with the final remaining episodes on August 20, 2004, but instead delayed the series once again, and cancelled the series in early July 2003. On July 18, 2006, Paramount Home Entertainment
released a DVD
collection titled Ren & Stimpy: The Lost Episodes, which contained the entire Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon" episodes, all of which were uncensored.
In 2005, Kricfalusi shut down Spümcø shortly thereafter following a lawsuit by Carbunkle filed against Spümcø in the Canadian court system.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
production company based in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The studio produced three traditionally animated series, two Flash-animated cartoon series, two music videos, five animated shorts, and a comic book. The company also went on to produce content for a few animated spots and commercials. It has won several awards, including an Annie Award
Annie Award
The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972...
for Best Animated Short Subject, for the Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
music video, "I Miss You".
Spümcø was founded in 1988 as a small office facility in the heart of Hollywood. The company name was claimed to have been derived from the name of animation pioneer Raymond Spum. Only a few short months after Spümcø's founding, Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
announced that they were looking for new cartoons. A concept claimed to be "revived" by then-president of Nickelodeon, Geraldine Laybourne
Geraldine Laybourne
Geraldine Laybourne founded Oxygen Media and served as its chairman and chief executive officer until it was sold in 2007 to NBC Universal. Oxygen was launched in 2000 to fill a void in the television landscape—creating a television network targeted to younger women...
, was that of "creator-driven cartoons". Spümcø co-founder and then-president John Kricfalusi
John Kricfalusi
Michael John Kricfalusi , better known as John K., is a Canadian animator. He is creator of The Ren & Stimpy Show, its adults-only spin-off Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon", The Ripping Friends animated series, and Weekend Pussy Hunt, which was billed as "the world's first interactive web-based...
sold The Ren & Stimpy Show to Nickelodeon in 1988, which became Spümcø's first original animated series production. The Golden Age of American animation, like the 1940s cartoons by Bob Clampett
Bob Clampett
Robert Emerson "Bob" Clampett was an American animator, producer, director, and puppeteer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes animated series from Warner Bros., and the television shows Time for Beany and Beany and Cecil...
and Tex Avery
Tex Avery
Frederick Bean "Fred/Tex" Avery was an American animator, cartoonist, voice actor and director, famous for producing animated cartoons during The Golden Age of Hollywood animation. He did his most significant work for the Warner Bros...
to name a few, served for inspiration for the bizarre expressions and artwork for which Spümcø became well known.
The Spümcø headquarters were located in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, west of Paramount Studios. Amy Harmon of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said that "the not-quite-underground headquarters" was "a nondescript building."
The beginning
Prior to the founding of Spümcø, two animators, John Kricfalusi and Lynne NaylorLynne Naylor
Lynne Naylor is an artist who has worked prolifically in animation, collaborating with others like Bruce Timm and Timothy Björklund, and designing female characters for Batman: The Animated Series. She also co-founded Spümcø, the company of her former boyfriend John Kricfalusi...
, would spend their time attempting to sell original cartoon ideas throughout the 1980s, while working for various animation studios like Filmation
Filmation
Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live action programming for television during the latter half of the 20th century. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1963...
. One of their ideas was Ren & Stimpy, but the show would be turned down by the three major television networks in the process. The idea of original animated cartoons created by actual cartoonists, and not by TV network executives whose ideas were solely based on toy products and comic books, would not happen again for some 25 years until Spümcø was founded and would eventually make history as the first animation studio of its kind. The company was officially founded in 1988 as a small office facility in the heart of Hollywood, by a small group of cartoonists, disappointed in the state of animation during the 1980s. John Kricfalusi, Lynne Naylor, Bob Camp
Bob Camp
Bob Camp is a cartoonist, comic book artist, director, and producer. Camp has been nominated for two Emmys, a CableACE Award, and an Annie Award for his work on The Ren & Stimpy Show.-Career:...
and Jim Smith
Jim Smith (animator)
Jim Smith, , is an American animator and musician. He worked on Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures with his long-time working partner John Kricfalusi...
, who all co-founded the company, were cartoonists who were either laid off by animation companies, or willingly decided to quit. A few short months later, Nickelodeon announced that they were looking for new cartoons created by cartoonists. This would be a concept claimed to be "revived" by then-president of Nickelodeon, Geraldine Laybourne, that being the concept of "creator-driven cartoons."
The Ren & Stimpy Show
After only a few months of the founding of Spümcø, John Kricfalusi decided to fly to Nickelodeon's headquarters in New York, where he would pitch five ideas for cartoons. Geraldine Laybourne, the president of Nickelodeon at the time, picked two of the five ideas: Ren & Stimpy and Jimmy the Idiot Boy. Ultimately, Kricfalusi decided to sell Ren & Stimpy, which led to Spümcø's first animated series production, The Ren and Stimpy Show.Because Nickelodeon had no original cartoon material prior to the hiring of John Kricfalusi, the company was unaware of the basic process of an animated cartoon. Kricfalusi had volunteered to give Nickelodeon executives an informative background of cartoonists using storyboards for storytelling in animated cartoons, rather than a script. Vanessa Coffey, who became the executive for The Ren & Stimpy Show, listened to Kricfalusi's lessons and background briefing of the animation industry, and was pleased to learn about how the process works. Coffey agreed with Kricfalusi that, "if storyboards were good enough for Bugs Bunny, they were good enough for her."
Kricfalusi's animation company finished the pilot Big House Blues in October 1990, and the first episode of the show aired on August 11, 1991, premiering alongside Doug
Doug
Doug is an American animated sitcom created by Jim Jinkins and co-produced by his studio, Jumbo Pictures . Doug centers on the surreal and imaginative exploits of its title character, Douglas "Doug" Funnie, who experiences common predicaments while attending middle school. The series lampoons...
and Rugrats
Rugrats
Rugrats is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The series premiered on August 11, 1991, and aired its last episode on June 8, 2004....
. Spümcø continued to produce the show for the next two years, while encountering issues with Nickelodeon standards and practices. Over the next couple of years, a number of episodes were censored
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
.
Kricfalusi described Nickelodeon in the earliest period as being "simple" as there was one executive, Vanessa Coffey, whom Kricfalusi said that he got along with. Kricfalusi said that another executive, who came during a later period in the show, tried to prevent some of the Ren and Stimpy episodes from being produced. According to Kricfalusi, the episodes continued production since he did a "trade" with Coffey, which would be the exchange of having "really crazy" episodes for some "heart-warming" episodes.
Bill Wray
Bill Wray
William York Wray is an American cartoonist and landscape painter, notable for his Urban Landscape series of paintings, his many pages for Mad and his contributions to The Ren & Stimpy Show...
, a production artist for the show, stated that "on some occasions Kricfalusi completed an episode in eight months. Other occasions, he completed an episode in two or three months." Wray described Kricfalusi's ideal production period per episode as four half-hour cartoons per year, and added that the arrangement would not "jibe with our production schedule."
After Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon fired John Kricfalusi in 1992, and Nickelodeon moved production from Spümcø to Games Animation. Kricfalusi confirmed that the primary reason for the Nickelodeon executives' decision, seemed to be due to the level of violence in the show. Kricfalusi made remarks specifically to the episode "Man's Best Friend", which features Ren beating the character George LiquorGeorge Liquor
George Liquor , most famous for his appearances on The Ren and Stimpy Show, is a cartoon character created by John Kricfalusi and is a mascot for Kricfalusi's defunct animation studio, Spümcø. Kricfalusi portrayed George Liquor as a patriotic, outspoken, politically conservative blowhard...
with an oar
Oar
An oar is an implement used for water-borne propulsion. Oars have a flat blade at one end. Oarsmen grasp the oar at the other end. The difference between oars and paddles are that paddles are held by the paddler, and are not connected with the vessel. Oars generally are connected to the vessel by...
, which may be the cause for his firing. Nickelodeon banned the episode from airing; the episode did not air in North America until Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon" began in 2003.
Bill Wray, a production artist for Ren and Stimpy, described the main issues regarding Kricfalusi's conflict with Nickelodeon as not being able to meet deadlines for production. Wray stated that Kricfalusi attributed the delays to Nickelodeon "not approving things fast enough", and Nickelodeon staff members "changing their minds" over what can or cannot be produced. Wray said that Kricfalusi believed that the product's quality holds more importance than meeting deadlines, and that he perceived Nickelodeon as "slowing him down". According to Wray, Kricfalusi believed that, "every step after the storyboard
Storyboard
Storyboards are graphic organizers in the form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence....
s weakens the process", and that he "fought for the integrity of the storyboards", and lengthened production time because he wished to salvage the quality of the series.
In 1997, John Kricfalusi directed a music video for Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
titled "I Miss You
I Miss You (Björk song)
"I Miss You" is a song by Björk, the sixth and final single release from her 1995 album Post. It is amongst her least-well performing singles in the UK, but it hit #1 on the U.S...
", a single that was released the same year. It was animated by the entire staff at Spümcø. It premiered on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
as well as Canada's
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
channel. "I Miss You" won an Annie Award for Best Animated Short Subject
Annie Award for Best Animated Short Subject
The Annie Award for Best Animated Short Subject is an Annie Award given annually to the best animated short film, except in 1999 and 2002. It was introduced in 1995...
in 1997, from the International Animated Film Association
International Animated Film Association
The International Animated Film Association or ASIFA is an international non-profit organization founded in 1960 in Annecy, France by the best known animation artists of the time such as the Canadian animator, Norman McLaren...
, ASIFA-Hollywood
ASIFA-Hollywood
ASIFA-Hollywood, a non-profit organization in Los Angeles, California, USA, which is a branch member of the "Association Internationale du Film d'Animation" or "ASIFA"...
.
A variety of techniques were used for the production of the video: traditional 2-D cel animation by Spümcø and Colorkey Productions; 3-D computer animation supervised by Charlie Gibson at Rhythm & Hues; real-time motion-capture animation by House of Moves; and blue screen mattes brought in live-action into the mix. The live-action sequences with Björk were shot in a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
studio in one day. The entire music video took nine months to complete.
Björk, who confirmed to be a long-time fan of Kricfalusi's work, insisted that he do a video for her when they met at one of her concerts. She was claimed to be very pleased when she first saw John's storyboard that she apparently proclaimed, "It's just like Christmas!" and did not ask for any changes.
During 1997, John Kricfalusi and his staff at Spümcø launched their web site, whose goal was to provide cartoons for audiences, without the censorship of television networks. Kricfalusi decided to use George Liquor
George Liquor
George Liquor , most famous for his appearances on The Ren and Stimpy Show, is a cartoon character created by John Kricfalusi and is a mascot for Kricfalusi's defunct animation studio, Spümcø. Kricfalusi portrayed George Liquor as a patriotic, outspoken, politically conservative blowhard...
, a cartoon character he created, to star in the Flash Internet cartoon series, The Goddamn George Liquor Program
The Goddamn George Liquor Program
The Goddamn George Liquor Program is a 1997 Adobe Flash cartoon series created by John Kricfalusi and starring the animated George Liquor. Liquor was spun out to his own web-based cartoon during the days when the Spümcø studio had an online presence. Michael Pataki voiced Liquor in the series...
, created by Kricfalusi himself. The series premiered on October 15, 1997. The Goddamn George Liquor Program was the first cartoon series to be produced exclusively for the Internet. George appeared on the series with his nephew, Jimmy The Idiot Boy; Jimmy's cousins, Slab and Ernie; Jimmy's love interest, Sody Pop; and George and Jimmy's pet dog, Dirty Dog. Spümcø produced eight one-minute shorts. In 1999, The Goddamn George Liquor Program won an Annie Award
Annie Award
The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972...
for "Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Interactive Production".
In 1999, Spümcø created its second Internet-only cartoon series, Weekend Pussy Hunt
Weekend Pussy Hunt
Weekend Pussy Hunt was an internet-only film noir cartoon series created by John Kricfalusi, starring Dirty Dog and Cigarettes The Cat. The series was initially developed for MSN, which billed it as "the world's first interactive web-based cartoon" and slated it for release in 1997, however MSN...
. The series would last for 12 episodes, with 4 unfinished cartoons due to budget problems. The series starred characters "Dirty Dog", who also made an appearance on The Goddamn George Liquor Program, and "Cigarettes the Cat." When asked about the style of the cartoon series, creator John Kricfalusi made the following statement:
Return to television
In 1999, Spümcø produced and animated a Yogi BearYogi Bear
Yogi Bear is a fictional bear who appears in animated cartoons created by Hanna-Barbera Productions. He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in The Huckleberry Hound Show. Yogi Bear was the first breakout character created by Hanna-Barbera, and was eventually more popular than...
TV special titled Boo Boo Runs Wild
Boo Boo Runs Wild
Boo Boo Runs Wild is a stand-alone special parody of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series, The Yogi Bear Show. It was made by The Ren & Stimpy Show creator John Kricfalusi and his company Spümcø. Boo Boo Runs Wild originally aired on Cartoon Network on September 24, 1999, along with A Day in the Life...
, which premiered September 24, 1999, on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
. The animated short focused on Yogi Bear's sidekick, Boo Boo Bear, who becomes fed up with the rules of man and decides to return to his natural bear roots. Though it focused primarily on Yogi and Boo Boo, it was titled as a "Ranger Smith cartoon." Alongside Boo Boo Runs Wild, a second "Ranger Smith" cartoon aired, titled A Day in the Life of Ranger Smith
A Day in the Life of Ranger Smith
A Day in the Life of Ranger Smith is a stand-alone special parody of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series, The Yogi Bear Show, which revolves around Ranger Smith. A Day in the Life of Ranger Smith was made by The Ren & Stimpy Show creator John Kricfalusi and his company Spümcø...
. The story focused on Ranger Smith in his daily life routine as a forest ranger.
After Nickelodeon fired John Kricfalusi from The Ren and Stimpy Show in September 1992, he had plans to make a feature film starring the world's "manliest men". The feature film plan was scrapped, but the characters were then used in the 2001 animated series, The Ripping Friends
The Ripping Friends
The Ripping Friends was an American/Canadian animated television series, created by John Kricfalusi. The show premiered September 22, 2001 on Fox Kids, but was cancelled in September 2002. Adult Swim later picked up the show. The series occasionally airs in Canada on Teletoon...
. As early as a 1987 story session for the Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures
Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures
Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures is a 1987 revival of the classic Mighty Mouse cartoon character. Produced by Bakshi-Hyde Ventures , it aired on CBS on Saturday mornings from fall 1987 through the 1988-89 season...
, Kricfalusi had proposed using a wad of gum as a character, an idea which was used to create the first villain for the new series, Indigestible Wad. The Ripping Friends aired on September 22, 2001, and lasted until January 26, 2002.
During 2002, after The Ripping Friends had been cancelled, John Kricfalusi received a phone call from the cable network TNN (now Spike). TNN was struggling against other channels and decided to give Kricfalusi a new chance. In June 2003, Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon" premiered with three episodes, ones which used plots developed for The Ren & Stimpy Show. The entire show was produced by Spümcø, who also had complete creative control over the content of the series. The animation for the series was produced by Carbunkle Cartoons and PiP Animation Services
PIP Animation Services
PiP Animation Services Inc. is a full service animation studio located in Ottawa, Canada. Its current work includes the Teletoon series "Carl Squared", the CBC series "The Secret World of Og" and the WNET series "Cyberchase".-Animation Accomplishments:...
. The series also premiered along with formerly censored episodes from the first two seasons of The Ren and Stimpy Show. The plot of Adult Party Cartoon focused on the adventures of the duo from the original cartoon series. Six episodes were originally meant to air during the summer of 2003, but were delayed for a year along with the rest of Spike TV's "Strip", mainly because of the risque "Naked Beach Frenzy" episode. Spike TV planned to bring the show back with the final remaining episodes on August 20, 2004, but instead delayed the series once again, and cancelled the series in early July 2003. On July 18, 2006, Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment is the division of Paramount Pictures dealing with home video founded in late 1975.-History:...
released a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
collection titled Ren & Stimpy: The Lost Episodes, which contained the entire Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon" episodes, all of which were uncensored.
In 2005, Kricfalusi shut down Spümcø shortly thereafter following a lawsuit by Carbunkle filed against Spümcø in the Canadian court system.
External links
- Spümcø's Wonderful World of Cartoons! at the Internet Archive
- Spümcø at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- ASIFA-Hollywood: The International Animated Film Society
- Spümcø at the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive