The Secret Saturdays
Encyclopedia
The Secret Saturdays is an American animated television series created by Canadian cartoonist
Jay Stephens
(creator of the Emmy-winning cartoon Tutenstein
) for Cartoon Network
. It debuted on October 3, 2008, in the United States. The series follows the adventures of the Saturdays, a family of cryptozoologists that work to keep the truth about cryptids from getting out, in order to protect both the human race and the creatures themselves. The Saturdays travel the world searching for cryptids to study and battling twisted villains like the megalomaniac V.V. Argost. The series is influenced by the style of '60s-era Hanna-Barbera
action series (such as Jonny Quest
), and is combined with Jay Stephens' own personal interest in cryptozoology. The show finished its run on January 30, 2010. Starting Monday, December 5, 2011, repeats will be shown on Boomerang
.
s, after the monsters undiscovered by science. It involved a crack team of globe-trotting cryptozoologists that were uniquely qualified for the job because they were once cryptids themselves. Okapi
, Komodo
, and Megamouth
, along with their 9-year-old human mascot, Francis, served as a sort of anti-detective
team. They scooted across land, sea, and air in what Stephens called a Campercopter, and their goal was to preserve the mystery of the world’s strangest creatures before they were expoged by humans or destroyed by the cryptids' nemesis, Monsieur Dodo. This version got him nowhere with many networks, though they all did show interest for some time.
Months later, the show was picked up by Cartoon Network, due to the network (at the time) wanting more action shows due to the success of Ben 10
and Ben 10: Alien Force
. 9-year-old Francis became 11-year-old Zak Saturday, and many of the original characters were canned. For a time, the network wanted the show's name to be The Secret Adventures Of Zak Saturday, but it was later changed. Unlike most mystery shows, the goal of the heroes of The Secret Saturdays is not to reveal the existence of cryptids, but to hide it. The art style of the show was influenced by the artwork of Alex Toth
and 1960s Hanna-Barbara action cartoons, such as Jonny Quest
and The Herculoids
.
In July 2008, Cartoon Network started a viral campaign for the show. Several commercials for a website called CryptidsAreReal.com aired on Cartoon Network. Each commercial featured a pet of the Saturday family: one showed Komodo, another Fiskerton, and a final one showed Zon. One area of the program's website also held a "secret" document; while most of the words on it were blacked-out, the names of Drew and Doc (two of the main characters) were revealed. The document also talked about a creature discovered outside of Nottinghamshire, England. Though the first word was blacked-out, the paper said a "phantom" had been the newly-discovered creature. It was implied that the creature was the Fiskerton Phantom
, a cryptid reported to have lived outside of Nottinghamshire, and commonly done by this website, would be Fiskerton, a main character in the show. To back this conclusion up, Zak stated in one episode that Fiskerton was lucky because he was saved by Doc and Drew, also stated in the document. Typed at the bottom of the document was the name "Agent Epsilon". This is a character in the show. The website also showed a blueprint of the Saturdays family's airship. Another site was linked to CryptidsAreReal.com: the page for an organization called Ten Hero Tusk (an anagram of "the Kur stone"), which states that its explorers are "D. Blackwell, B. Finster, and L. Van Rook", all of which are characters in the show. During San Diego Comic-Con 2008, booklets about a show called Weirdworld (the show-within-a-show) were given out, with the website for it on the back of them. Unlike CryptidsAreReal.com, this one couldn't be traced back to Cartoon Network. Later, commercials for Weirdworld aired on Cartoon Network for a few weeks before a commercial for The Secret Saturdays itself was aired on October 3, 2008.
s, but actual mysteries that the Saturday family must solve. Traveling all over the world, the Saturdays explore ancient temples and bottomless caves, and battle with villains which includes the evil V.V. Argost (who hides his evil plans under his TV show Weird World) and a masked mercenary, who specializes in the capture of cryptid
s, named Van Rook. Scouring the globe in search of cryptids, the Saturdays attempt to keep the existence of these unusual beasts secret, to protect both mankind and the creatures themselves. The Saturdays and their exotic cryptid pets are a loving bunch, trying to work through everyday family matters and squabbles in-between their adventures. During both seasons the Saturday family is on a race against V.V. Argost to stop Argost from controlling Kur, a mythical all-powerful beast that can supposedly raise a cryptid army.
An encyclopedia entitled The Secret Saturdays: The Official Cryptid Field Guide was released on August 11, 2009. Graphic novels and chapter books were released by Del Ray Manga in Summer 2009.
A video game called The Secret Saturdays: Beasts of the 5th Sun
was released by D3 Publisher
for the PlayStation 2
, PlayStation Portable
, Nintendo DS
and Wii
on October 20, 2009. Comic adventures of The Secret Saturdays appear semi-monthly as part of Cartoon Network Action Pack comic books published by DC Comics
.
A line of action figures and play sets was released by Mattel.
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
Jay Stephens
Jay Stephens
Jay Stephens is a Canadian cartoonist. He is best known as the creator of Discovery Kids's animated television series Tutenstein and Cartoon Network's The Secret Saturdays. Stephens has also worked on an animation project Jetcat...
(creator of the Emmy-winning cartoon Tutenstein
Tutenstein
Tutenstein is an animated television series, produced by Porchlight Entertainment for Discovery Kids based on the comic by Jay Stephens which was published in Oni Press' JetCat Clubhouse. This cartoon also airs on Jetix in Europe and Maxi TV in Turkey. It began broadcasting on November 1, 2003...
) for Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (United States)
Cartoon Network is an American cable television network owned by Turner Broadcasting which primarily airs animated programming. The channel was launched on October 1, 1992 after Turner purchased the animation studio Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1991...
. It debuted on October 3, 2008, in the United States. The series follows the adventures of the Saturdays, a family of cryptozoologists that work to keep the truth about cryptids from getting out, in order to protect both the human race and the creatures themselves. The Saturdays travel the world searching for cryptids to study and battling twisted villains like the megalomaniac V.V. Argost. The series is influenced by the style of '60s-era Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
action series (such as Jonny Quest
Jonny Quest (TV series)
Jonny Quest – often casually referred to as The Adventures of Jonny Quest – is an American science fiction/adventure animated television series about a boy who accompanies his father on extraordinary adventures...
), and is combined with Jay Stephens' own personal interest in cryptozoology. The show finished its run on January 30, 2010. Starting Monday, December 5, 2011, repeats will be shown on Boomerang
Boomerang (TV channel)
Boomerang is a 24-hour American cable television channel owned by Turner Broadcasting System, a division of Time Warner. Boomerang specializes in reruns of animated programming from Time Warner's extensive archives, including pre-1986 MGM, Hanna-Barbera, Cartoon Network, DePatie-Freleng Enterprises...
.
Origin
When Stephens first pitched the show, it was called CryptidCryptid
In cryptozoology and sometimes in cryptobotany, a cryptid is a creature or plant whose existence has been suggested but is unrecognized by scientific consensus and often regarded as highly unlikely. Famous examples include the Yeti in the Himalayas and the Loch Ness Monster in...
s, after the monsters undiscovered by science. It involved a crack team of globe-trotting cryptozoologists that were uniquely qualified for the job because they were once cryptids themselves. Okapi
Okapi
The okapi , Okapia johnstoni, is a giraffid artiodactyl mammal native to the Ituri Rainforest, located in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Central Africa...
, Komodo
Komodo dragon
The Komodo dragon , also known as the Komodo monitor, is a large species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang and Gili Dasami. A member of the monitor lizard family , it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of in rare cases...
, and Megamouth
Megamouth shark
The megamouth shark, Megachasma pelagios, is an extremely rare species of deepwater shark. Since its discovery in 1976, only a few megamouth sharks have been seen, with 53 specimens known to have been caught or sighted as of 2011, including three recordings on film...
, along with their 9-year-old human mascot, Francis, served as a sort of anti-detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
team. They scooted across land, sea, and air in what Stephens called a Campercopter, and their goal was to preserve the mystery of the world’s strangest creatures before they were expoged by humans or destroyed by the cryptids' nemesis, Monsieur Dodo. This version got him nowhere with many networks, though they all did show interest for some time.
Months later, the show was picked up by Cartoon Network, due to the network (at the time) wanting more action shows due to the success of Ben 10
Ben 10
The Omnitrix was originally created by a Galvan named Azmuth. The Omnitrix was intended to allow beings to experience life as other species in order to bring understanding and foster peace in the universe....
and Ben 10: Alien Force
Ben 10: Alien Force
When it recalibrated it gained a more watch-like shape, a green wristband, became smaller and sleeker, and the face dial became black and green. The inside of the hourglass shape glows in different colors at special moments; these colors signify the state that the Omnitrix is presently in...
. 9-year-old Francis became 11-year-old Zak Saturday, and many of the original characters were canned. For a time, the network wanted the show's name to be The Secret Adventures Of Zak Saturday, but it was later changed. Unlike most mystery shows, the goal of the heroes of The Secret Saturdays is not to reveal the existence of cryptids, but to hide it. The art style of the show was influenced by the artwork of Alex Toth
Alex Toth
Alexander Toth was an American professional cartoonist active from the 1940s through the 1980s. Toth's work began in the American comic book industry, but is known for his animation designs for Hanna-Barbera throughout the 1960s and 1970s. His work included Super Friends, Space Ghost, The...
and 1960s Hanna-Barbara action cartoons, such as Jonny Quest
Jonny Quest (TV series)
Jonny Quest – often casually referred to as The Adventures of Jonny Quest – is an American science fiction/adventure animated television series about a boy who accompanies his father on extraordinary adventures...
and The Herculoids
The Herculoids
The Herculoids is a Saturday morning animated television series that was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The show debuted on September 9, 1967 on CBS...
.
In July 2008, Cartoon Network started a viral campaign for the show. Several commercials for a website called CryptidsAreReal.com aired on Cartoon Network. Each commercial featured a pet of the Saturday family: one showed Komodo, another Fiskerton, and a final one showed Zon. One area of the program's website also held a "secret" document; while most of the words on it were blacked-out, the names of Drew and Doc (two of the main characters) were revealed. The document also talked about a creature discovered outside of Nottinghamshire, England. Though the first word was blacked-out, the paper said a "phantom" had been the newly-discovered creature. It was implied that the creature was the Fiskerton Phantom
Fiskerton Phantom
The Fiskerton Phantom is a cryptozoological phantom cat or other creature, which was reportedly sighted near Fiskerton, Lincolnshire in the United Kingdom and formed the basis for a major character in The Secret Saturdays on Cartoon Network...
, a cryptid reported to have lived outside of Nottinghamshire, and commonly done by this website, would be Fiskerton, a main character in the show. To back this conclusion up, Zak stated in one episode that Fiskerton was lucky because he was saved by Doc and Drew, also stated in the document. Typed at the bottom of the document was the name "Agent Epsilon". This is a character in the show. The website also showed a blueprint of the Saturdays family's airship. Another site was linked to CryptidsAreReal.com: the page for an organization called Ten Hero Tusk (an anagram of "the Kur stone"), which states that its explorers are "D. Blackwell, B. Finster, and L. Van Rook", all of which are characters in the show. During San Diego Comic-Con 2008, booklets about a show called Weirdworld (the show-within-a-show) were given out, with the website for it on the back of them. Unlike CryptidsAreReal.com, this one couldn't be traced back to Cartoon Network. Later, commercials for Weirdworld aired on Cartoon Network for a few weeks before a commercial for The Secret Saturdays itself was aired on October 3, 2008.
Plot
Zak Saturday and his parents, Doc and Drew are a family of world-saving scientists called "The Secret Saturdays." Living in a hidden base, they are part of a secret organization of scientists known as The Secret Scientists who protect mankind against the hidden and terrifying things of the world. In the series, folktales aren't just legendLegend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
s, but actual mysteries that the Saturday family must solve. Traveling all over the world, the Saturdays explore ancient temples and bottomless caves, and battle with villains which includes the evil V.V. Argost (who hides his evil plans under his TV show Weird World) and a masked mercenary, who specializes in the capture of cryptid
Cryptid
In cryptozoology and sometimes in cryptobotany, a cryptid is a creature or plant whose existence has been suggested but is unrecognized by scientific consensus and often regarded as highly unlikely. Famous examples include the Yeti in the Himalayas and the Loch Ness Monster in...
s, named Van Rook. Scouring the globe in search of cryptids, the Saturdays attempt to keep the existence of these unusual beasts secret, to protect both mankind and the creatures themselves. The Saturdays and their exotic cryptid pets are a loving bunch, trying to work through everyday family matters and squabbles in-between their adventures. During both seasons the Saturday family is on a race against V.V. Argost to stop Argost from controlling Kur, a mythical all-powerful beast that can supposedly raise a cryptid army.
Merchandise
A DVD featuring the first five episodes of the series (along with bonus features such as animatics) was released on July 21, 2009. A second DVD with similar features was released on October 27, 2009.An encyclopedia entitled The Secret Saturdays: The Official Cryptid Field Guide was released on August 11, 2009. Graphic novels and chapter books were released by Del Ray Manga in Summer 2009.
A video game called The Secret Saturdays: Beasts of the 5th Sun
The Secret Saturdays: Beasts of the 5th Sun
The Secret Saturdays: Beasts of the 5th Sun is the first videogame of The Secret Saturdays series. It was released October 20, 2009.-Plot:...
was released by D3 Publisher
D3 Publisher
D3Publisher is a Japanese video game publisher founded on February 5, 1992. Current CEO and president is Yuji Ito, and It is known for its Simple series of low-priced console games. Their games have been released for the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2,...
for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
, Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
and Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
on October 20, 2009. Comic adventures of The Secret Saturdays appear semi-monthly as part of Cartoon Network Action Pack comic books published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
.
A line of action figures and play sets was released by Mattel.
External links
- Jay Stephens' Blog
- Cryptids Are Real!, viral marketing website
- Weirdworld Show, website for the show within a show: Weirdworld
- Secret Saturdays Wiki