Fred Figglehorn

Fred Figglehorn was the central character in an Internet video series created by American Internet personality Lucas Cruikshank from 2006 to 2015.[1] It yielded other spin-off series and a relationship with Nickelodeon, including three movies and a television series.

Fred Figglehorn
Fred character
Fred Figglehorn in videos he made in 2006 and 2010, Fred: The Movie, and It's Fred!
First appearanceFred on Halloween (2006)
Last appearanceLucas Defeats Yuksung (2014)
Created byLucas Cruikshank
Portrayed byLucas Cruikshank
Jack Coughlan (young; film series)
Voiced byLucas Cruikshank
In-universe information
OccupationStudent
NationalityAmerican
CatchphraseHey, it's Fred!
Age6 years (series)
15 years (film series)

History

Lucas Cruikshank introduced the Fred character in a video on JKL Productions, a channel he started on YouTube with his cousins, Jon and Katie Smet on June 11, 2006. Cruikshank uploaded several videos testing out different characters. The first Fred video was uploaded on October 30, 2006, and a few more videos were uploaded throughout 2007.[2] On April 30, 2008, these videos were moved to the Fred channel, and on May 1 the first official video of the series, titled "Fred on May Day" was released. By April 2009, it became the first YouTube channel to have over one million subscribers.[3][4]

Zipit Wireless Messenger (Z2) sponsored the first season of Fred, with several product placements. Walden Media hired Cruikshank to promote the film City of Ember, along with the sci-fi novel it was based on, cameos from the film's star Tim Robbins in Fred episodes, and a mock movie trailer.[5]

Cruikshank made a cameo appearance as both Fred and himself on Nickelodeon's iCarly in "iMeet Fred", which originally aired on February 16, 2009.[6] The episode has iCarly facing a huge loss of popularity after Freddie Benson criticizes Fred on-air, resulting in Cruikshank pretending to cancel his own show, and the characters organizing a crossover episode between the two web shows to regain popularity.

In December 2009, Cruikshank filmed Fred: The Movie, which aired on Nickelodeon on September 18, 2010. Nickelodeon created a franchise surrounding the character,[7][8][9] with the sequel, Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred, airing on October 22, 2011. In 2012, Fred: The Show aired, consisting of 24 11-minute episodes; a third movie, Fred 3: Camp Fred, premiered that year.

In June 2010, Fred appeared on the Annoying Orange web series. In October and November 2011, Ari Gold cameos in Fred as Power, from the film Adventures of Power.[10]

The last video in the Fred franchise was an appearance by Cruikshank in the video “Lucas Defeats Yuksung”, an episode of “The New Fred”. Cruikshank made one final appearance in a promo for the new era of the channel in which users could send in their own videos before selling off the channel, making few appearances from then on. The channel made its final upload in 2015.

In 2020, Cruikshank created a TikTok channel based on Fred named HeyItsFred.[11]

Format

Fred lives with his grandmother and his mother who is a recovering drug-addict and alcoholic stripper. Fred has been the victim of child abuse and his father is a former rock musician, and currently on death row in the state penitentiary.

The series uses a floating timeline, meaning it is always taking place in the current year, and Fred is perpetually six years old and in kindergarten. The videos primarily consist of the character speaking to the audience about what is happening in his life. Fred has a high-pitched voice and is hyperactive, achieved by speeding up the footage.[2] Cruikshank has described the channel as "programming for kids by kids"[1] as a parody of people who "think that everyone is so interested in them". He believes that viewers either "automatically love Fred or automatically hate Fred, there is no in between".[12]

Leading up to the second movie's release, a new series called Figgle Chat features Internet and television stars. An animated series, It's Fred! joined the channel.

Discography

Albums
List of albums, with details and chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
Comedy
[13]		 US
Heat
[13]
Who's Ready to Party?
  • Released: September 17, 2010 (United States)[14]
  • Labels: Collective Records
  • Formats: Digital download
 1 29

Extended plays
List of albums, with details and chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
Comedy
[13]		 US
Heat
[13]		 US
Holiday
[13]
It's Hackin' Christmas with Fred 8 24 13

Charted songs
List of charted songs, with peak positions
Title Year Peak positions Album
US
Comedy
[16]		 US
Holiday
[17]
"Christmas Cash" 2009 22 5 It's Hackin' Christmas with Fred
"Christmas is Creepy" 9 1
"Fred's 12 Days of Christmas" – 28
"I Wanna Be a Celebrity" 2010 11 – Who's Ready to Party
"—" denotes the song did not chart.

Films
Main article: Fred (film series)

Fred: The Movie
Main article: Fred: The Movie

Fred: The Movie is a 2010 film based on the YouTube series about Fred Figglehorn. It features Lucas Cruikshank as Fred, Pixie Lott as Judy, Jennette McCurdy as Bertha, Jake Weary as Kevin Cen, John Cena as Fred's imaginary dad, and Siobhan Fallon Hogan as Fred's mom. It follows the character as he tries to track down his crush, Judy after she moves away. It is written by David A. Goodman, directed by Clay Weiner, and produced by Brian Robbins.[18] Filming began November 9, 2009, and wrapped up December 20, 2009.[19] The movie premiered on Nickelodeon on September 18, 2010, and the DVD was released October 5, 2010[7] as well as streaming media such as Netflix.

Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred
Main article: Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred

Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred is a 2011 Halloween-themed sequel to Fred: The Movie. It first aired on October 22, 2011. After Fred has broken up with Judy, he meets Kevin Cen's sister Talia, and becomes convinced that his new neighbor is a vampire. The Judy character does not appear, and Jennette McCurdy was replaced by Daniella Monet in the role of Bertha.

Fred 3: Camp Fred
Main article: Fred 3: Camp Fred

In late 2011, a third Fred movie was announced. Fred 3: Camp Fred premiered July 28, 2012, on Nickelodeon,[20] which also aired Fred: The Show, a series of 24 11-minute-long episodes,[21] in 2012. For summer, Fred attends Camp Iwannapeepee, where he meets several different characters, and must compete against Kevin Cen's camp.

TV series

Fred: The Show
Main article: Fred: The Show

In 2012, Fred became the protagonist in his own TV series, which ran between January and August 2012. The series received dismal reviews, particularly for Fred's annoying attitude, and grating voice, and ratings continued to slip until the show was axed, after which Cruikshank severed ties with Nickelodeon, and Fred was retired.

References
  1. Andrew Keen (July 28, 2008). "Andrew Keen on New Media: Kids with cameras lead the way in giving web users their daily Fred". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved October 26, 2008.
  2. partnersproject (April 21, 2011). "Lucas Cruikshank aka Fred Exclusive Interview: The Partners Project Episode 19". YouTube. Archived from the original on July 12, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  3. Editorial Team (November 13, 2008). "BB Suggests: The Best of Web TV". Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
  4. Sarno, David (April 8, 2009). "YouTube's Fred is first online video star to break 1M subscribers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  5. Sanders, Pete (September 18, 2008). "Studios Hope YouTube Tie Sells Movie". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on March 25, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2008.
  6. Albrecht, Chris (November 18, 2008). "'Fred' Cranks Up the YouTube Views and Ad Dollars". Business Week. Archived from the original on May 12, 2009. Retrieved July 7, 2009.
  7. Barnes, Brooks (March 24, 2010). "'Fred: The Movie' Lands on Nickelodeon - Media Decoder Blog - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010. Retrieved March 25, 2010.
  8. Cruikshank, Lucas (February 22, 2011). "Tweet 40139239941210112". Twitter. Archived from the original on September 22, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  9. Cruikshank, Lucas (March 3, 2011). "Tweet 43282065155829760". Twitter. Archived from the original on September 22, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  10. lucas (October 27, 2011). "Lucas Gets Kidnapped!". YouTube. Archived from the original on January 23, 2012. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  11. "TikTok". www.tiktok.com. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  12. Brook, Anderson. "The Teen Behind Fred". YouTube. CNN. Archived from the original on September 12, 2008. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
  13. "Fred Figglehorn Awards". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
  14. "Who's Ready to Party? by Fred Figglehorn - Download Who's Ready to Party? on iTunes". iTunes. Archived from the original on September 24, 2010. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  15. "YouTube Sensation Fred Releases Christmas Album and Premiers Music Video « Pynk Celebrity". Archived from the original on November 13, 2009. Retrieved November 26, 2009.
  17. "Holiday Digital Songs: Oct 09, 2012". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 14, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
  18. Barnes, Brooks (December 7, 2009). "A High-Pitched Whine Brings to the Movies: Bigger Screen for a High-Pitched Whine". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
  19. Sanchez, Adrian (December 28, 2009). "Cruikshank's YouTube character to hit silver screen". Columbus Telegram. Archived from the original on March 27, 2012. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
  20. ""Fred 3: Camp Fred," Premieres". The Futon Critic. July 12, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  21. Andreeva, Nellie (December 1, 2011). "Nickelodeon Greenlights Third 'Fred' Movie, Picks Up 20-Episode 'Fred' Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 3, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
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