Growing Up Creepie

Growing Up Creepie is an animated television series created by Anthony Gaud, Chris Woods, and Carin Greenberg, and produced by Mike Young Productions. In other countries, the series was simply titled Creepie. The series premiered on September 9, 2006, and concluded on June 21, 2008, airing one season of 26 episodes.[2]

Growing Up Creepie
Genre
Created by
Directed by
  • Sung Lin Gun
  • Guy Vasilovich
  • Andy Luckey
Voices of
Opening theme"Creepie Kids" by Samantha Lombardi
Ending theme"Creepie Kids" (instrumental)
ComposerGuy Michelmore
Country of origin
  • Canada[1]
  • United States
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes26 (52 segments)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Phil Dibartolo
  • Michark A. Puskas & Clarence Jeyaretnam
  • Marie Brand (line producer)
  • Siobhán Ní Ghadhra
  • Lim Lin Li (line producer)
  • Anand Pandey (on line producer)
  • Sara Helman (associate producer)
Editors
  • Steve "Sketch" Vallino
  • Richard Finn (supervising editor)
Production companies
Release
Original networkDiscovery Kids
Original releaseSeptember 9, 2006 (2006-09-09) 
June 21, 2008 (2008-06-21)

Premise

As told in the opening introduction and in the episode "Creepie Crawling", Creepie was an infant left on the doorstep of the Dweezwold Mansion, which is home to a family of various anthropomorphic insects. The family took her in and raised her as one of their own. She must now adjust to a life surrounded by a society of entomophobic humans as she attends Middlington Middle School and keeps her home life secret in order to protect both herself and her family.

Characters

  • Creepella "Creepie" Creecher (voiced by Athena Karkanis) is the Gothic protagonist, a preteen girl raised by bugs. She was born with multicolored hair. She initially comes off as being sassy, but in reality, she is friendly and warm-hearted. Her catchphrase is "Wicked". She was abandoned on Caroleena and Vinnie's doorstep as a baby. Creepie's biological parents are never seen or mentioned, and no explanation is given for their absence. Her real name is Creepella, but everyone except Dr. Pappas and Vinnie calls her Creepie. If anyone ever finds out that Creepie is being raised by bugs she will have no choice but to live somewhere else, and the Dweezwold Mansion will be fumigated by Mr. Hollyruller. Her favorite color is black, and she is fiercely protective of her family and other insects.
  • Caroleena (voiced by Julie Lemieux) is a praying mantis who is Creepie's adoptive mother and Marge's best friend. She is very strict and constantly threatens to eat her children if they don't listen to her. It was her maternal instinct that persuaded her husband to adopt Creepie. She loves cooking.
  • Vinnie (voiced by Dwayne Hill) is a mosquito who is Creepie's adoptive father. He is a New Age vegan that has a sinister vampiric appearance. Like his wife, he is loving to his adopted daughter. He loves to paint and meditate.
  • Gnat (voiced by Stevie Vallance) is Creepie's younger brother, a gnat. He constantly sneaks in Creepie's backpack and causes havoc at school. Gnat is actually older than Creepie since he and Pauly were the ones that persuaded their family to adopt her.
  • Pauly (voiced by David Berni) is Creepie's older brother, a pillbug. He loves to eat and is a wisecracking jokester.
  • Budge Bentley (voiced by Richard Yearwood) is Creepie's best friend. He is the only one who knows Creepie's secret. While Budge might look like a bully because of his height and size, in reality, he's a sweet guy who wouldn't hurt a fly. He is friends with Creepie and Chris-Alice. Budge is very smart like his dad and loves yoga. He also loves entomology.
  • Chris-Alice Hollyruller (voiced by Leah Cudmore) is Creepie's relentlessly happy friend and neighbor. Her catchphrases are "Soggy Muffins" and "Super Mega Duper". Chris-Alice is on the cheerleading squad, takes karate, and is always signing Creepie up for stuff at school without asking her first. Her favorite color is pink. Her name is a pun on the word chrysalis, a form of immature insect.
  • George Hollyruller (voiced by Scott McCord) is Chris-Alice's father, the local exterminator. He is also the football coach at Middlington Middle School.
  • Bunny Hollyruller (voiced by Stevie Vallance) is Chris-Alice's mother, a hard-selling real estate agent. Like Chris-Alice, she is bossy and perky.
  • Carla Cabrera (voiced by Stephanie Anne Mills) and Melanie Melisma (voiced by Athena Karkanis) are two popular girls who maintain an on/off again friendship with Creepie. They are obsessed with Harry Helby, shopping, fashion, makeup, and their cell phones. Carla is the leader of the duo constantly seen with her cheerleading outfit and has her hair in unbraided pigtails. Melanie is a stereotypical dumb blonde and has problems with pronunciation. Her outfit consists of an orange T-shirt with a yellow cat on the front, green cargo pants, and white/orange sneakers. Also, she really enjoys shiny things and watches horror movies, almost as much as Budge. Melanie's favorite color is blue, and Carla's favorite color is purple. Carla and Melanie just want Creepie to be normal.
  • Harry Helby (voiced by Scott McCord) is the resident heartthrob who is obsessed with his hair. Melanie and Carla have a massive crush on him though he usually ignores them and is somewhat more interested in Creepie.
  • Ms. Monserrate (voiced by Julie Lemieux) is a firm but fair disciplinarian and principal of Middlington Middle School. Like Dr. Pappas, she's always spying on Creepie and the other students at Middlington Middle School and is a stickler for rules. She's obsessed with cleanliness. Her catchphrase is "Detention!" She will usually hand out a detention slip.
  • Dr. Pappas (voiced by Juan Chioran) is Creepie's homeroom and science teacher who is a stickler for rules. Dr. Pappas is always spying on Creepie and the other students at Middlington Middle School. He never cuts anybody a break if they're late turning in a class assignment or homework. His catchphrase is "Miss Creecher!" He refers to the students by their last names. He is probably insecure due to being practically bald and having a big nose. He is afraid of Budge.
  • Tarantula Boy (real name: Skipper) (voiced by Dan Petronijevic) is Creepie's love interest – seemingly half-human, half Goliath tarantula – a headliner at the carnival "freaky" show. In the episode "Creepie Meets Tarantula Boy", Creepie later found out he was a normal kid and Tarantula Boy was just a costume and lost interest in him. However, in the episode "Return of Tarantula Boy", he appears in a movie and meets back up with Creepie. He introduces her to his mother, who is a real tarantula. In turn, she introduced him to her family, and it turns out that Creepie's mother knew his mom when they were kids, later on, it is hinted that they would start a romantic relationship from then on, but it never developed.
  • Marge (voiced by Leah Cudmore) is a giant tarantula who is Skipper's adoptive mother and Caroleena's best friend. In the episode "Creepie Meets Tarantula Boy", she was revealed to be a giant tarantula who wears hair curlers. She made caramel apples for the carnival and that's how Skipper came to be in the freak show.
  • Dr. Lance Pierce (voiced by Patrick McKenna) is a prominent pin-happy entomologist at the Middlington Museum of Natural History and a minor antagonist in the show who only appears in three episodes. His catchphrase is "Oh, no!"

Episodes

No.TitleWritten byStoryboard byOriginal air date
1"The Tell-Tale Poem"Carin GreenbergGuy VasilovichSeptember 9, 2006 (2006-09-09)
"Creepie Meets Tarantula Boy"Dennys McCoy and Pamela HickeyLane Lueras

"The Tell-Tale Poem": Creepie's Mother's Day poem piques the curiosity of her principal, who decides to meet her mother.

"Creepie Meets Tarantula Boy": Creepie becomes smitten with a sideshow performer known as Tarantula Boy.
2"The Scared Twitch Project"Carin GreenbergPeter FerkSeptember 16, 2006 (2006-09-16)
"Frogenstein"Todd Waterman

"The Scared Twitch Project": While on a camping trip, Creepie tries to find evidence of "Bugfoot", a massive prehistoric wasp.

"Frogenstein": Creepie resurrects the frog she was supposed to dissect for science class.
3"Bug It On"Sharon Schatz RosenthalTrevor WallSeptember 23, 2006 (2006-09-23)
"The Case of the Mysterious Moth"Heather MitchellLane Lueras

"Bug It On": Creepie helps her school's cheerleading squad win a competition after a rival steals their routine.

"The Case of the Mysterious Moth": Creepie attends a sleepover that seems to be haunted by a ghost moth.
4"Attack of the Wasp Zombies"Ken PontacDan Kubat and Anson JewOctober 14, 2006 (2006-10-14)
"Legend of the Locker"Rick DemottIan Freedman and Bert Ring

"Attack of the Wasp Zombies": While watching old horror films, Creepie dreams that her classmates have been turned into zombies by a wasp.

"Legend of the Locker": When a rival tries to frighten Creepie with the story of "Gina Redshoes", she decides to teach him a lesson.
5"Bite Nite"Dennys McCoy and Pamela HickeyPeter FerkOctober 28, 2006 (2006-10-28)
"Night of Fright"Carin GreenbergDan Kubat

"Bite Nite": Creepie suspects her mosquito cousins are responsible when blood from a blood drive goes missing.

"Night of Fright": While Creepie attends a party at Chris-Alice's, a mix-up sends Melanie and Carla to Creepie's house.
6"Roaché Motel"Don GilliesTrevor Wall and Peter FerkNovember 4, 2006 (2006-11-04)
"Little Greenhouse of Horrors"Todd Waterman

"Roaché Motel": While on a road trip with Chris-Alice and her mom, Creepie suspects something is amiss at the roadside motel they stop at.

"Little Greenhouse of Horrors": Creepie, Gnat, and Pauly are threatened by massive carnivorous plants and their gardener at the local greenhouse.
7"Field of Screams"Douglas BoothTodd Waterman and Trevor WallNovember 25, 2006 (2006-11-25)
"Mom Under Glass"Dennys McCoy and Pamela HickeyRoy Smith and Trevor Wall

"Field of Screams": Creepie fights to protect an endangered beetle on the school football field from Chris-Alice's exterminator father.

"Mom Under Glass": After a small spat with her mom, Creepie must save her from an entomologist determined to add her to his collection.
8"Goth To Have Better Friends"Corey PowellTrevor Wall and Kirk TingblatJanuary 13, 2007 (2007-01-13)
"Wax Attacks"Peter Ferk

"Goth To Have Better Friends": Creepie begins to hang out with some new goth friends but begins to neglect Chris-Alice and Budge.

"Wax Attacks": Creepie takes Harry to a wax museum where people have disappeared.
9"Headless Roach Man"Ruby Ann Bradt Vanderzee and Rowan CutlerTodd Waterman and Trevor WallJanuary 20, 2007 (2007-01-20)
"Invasion of the Locusts"Bryan ThompsonPeter Ferk and Kevin Pawlak

"Headless Roach Man": A costume party at school has Creepie mistaking an actual giant headless roach for Budge.

"Invasion of the Locusts": When Creepie's locust relatives come for a visit, they begin to devour most of the town.
10"Creepie's Living Doll"Corey PowellGarrett HoJanuary 27, 2007 (2007-01-27)
"Operation Monarch Liberation"Meredith Jennings OffenGary Hartle and Todd Waterman

"Creepie's Living Doll": Creepie receives a belated birthday present: a doll that seems to show up everywhere she goes.

"Operation Monarch Liberation": Thinking she is doing the right thing, Creepie releases a swarm of Monarch Butterflies from their sanctuary, unaware they aren't prepared for freedom.
11"Bait and Switch"Story by: Rick Demmott
Teleplay by: Carin Greenberg
Ian Freedman and Garrett HoMarch 31, 2007 (2007-03-31)
"Shutterbug"Story by: Laurai Israel and Rachel Ruderman
Teleplay by: Carin Greenberg
Todd Waterman

"Bait and Switch": Creepie joins Chris-Alice and her dad on a fishing trip to a lake rumored to be the home of a giant crab.

"Shutterbug": A school assignment on hobbies leads Creepie to discover a love of photography.
12"Bad Karma Chameleon"Meredith Jennings OffenJon Hooper and Trevor WallApril 7, 2007 (2007-04-07)
"Home is Where the Haunt Is"Bryan ThompsonGary Hartle and Trevor Wall

"Bad Karma Chameleon": Creepie reluctantly agrees to watch Chris-Alice's pet, only to discover it is a bug-eating Chameleon.

"Home is Where the Haunt Is": After her parents decide they need a bigger house, Creepie makes her home appear haunted to scare away potential buyers.
13"Creepie Friday"Bryan ThompsonPeter FerkApril 28, 2007 (2007-04-28)
"The Final Curtain"Laurai Israel and Rachel RudermanTodd Waterman

"Creepie Friday": Creepie worries for her family's safety after coming home to an empty house.

"The Final Curtain": Creepie and her friends must put on their school play in an old abandoned theater where spooky things happen.
14"Creepie and the Candy Factory"Story by: Erin Fox
Teleplay by: Roger Eschbacher
Enrique MayMay 26, 2007 (2007-05-26)
"The Ice Bug Cometh"Story by: Kati Rocky and Eric Trueheart
Teleplay by: Eric Trueheart
Gary Hartle

"Creepie and the Candy Factory": Creepie and Chris-Alice take a tour of a candy factory.

"The Ice Bug Cometh": A frozen prehistoric bug is thawed out, and Creepie invites him to her home.
15"Are You Afraid of the Moths?"Laurai Israel and Rachel RudermanTrevor WallJune 9, 2007 (2007-06-09)
"Revenge of the Water Bug"Mitchell LarsonTrevor Wall and John Perkins

"Are You Afraid of the Moths?": Creepie tells her scout troop a campfire story about giant moths that abduct campers.

"Revenge of the Water Bug": When her principal flushes a water beetle down the toilet and the bug returns seeking revenge, Creepie tries to protect her.
16"Nightmare on Locust Lane"Peggy SarlinGary Hartle and Trevor WallOctober 13, 2007 (2007-10-13)
"The Mummy's Curse"Bryan ThompsonPeter Ferk

"Nightmare on Locust Lane": Bizarre electrical disturbances at her house convince Chris-Alice that it's haunted, so Creepie tries to find the real culprit.

"The Mummy's Curse": A field trip to a new Egyptian tomb exhibit leads Creepie to an ancient mummy's curse and a mysterious dung beetle.
17"Children of the Pumpkin Patch"Story by: Ruby Ann Bradt Vanderzee, Rowan Cutler and Bryan Thompson
Teleplay by: Bryan Thompson
Todd WatermanOctober 27, 2007 (2007-10-27)
"Night of A Thousand Legs"Bryan ThompsonGuy Vasilovich and Trevor Wall

"Children of the Pumpkin Patch": While out picking pumpkins, Creepie and her friends spend the day on a farm, where they are menaced by a living scarecrow.

"Night of A Thousand Legs": It's Halloween and when her Aunt Rose gets loose, Creepie and Budge have to track her down.
18"Lice Lice Baby"Carin GreenbergPeter Ferk and Mark MaxeyNovember 10, 2007 (2007-11-10)
"Scorpiophobia"Ruby Ann Bradt Vanderzee & Rowan CutlerPeter Ferk

"Lice Lice Baby": Creepie's lice cousins visit her at school, causing the principal to lock down the school to prevent an outbreak.

"Scorpiophobia": Creepie and her friends attend the premiere of the newest blockbuster film, "Scorpiophobia", only to discover the movie theater has been infested by real scorpions.
19"On Thin Ice"Laurai Israel & Rachel RudermanMike ManleyNovember 24, 2007 (2007-11-24)
"Toxic Mutant Millipede"Enrique May

"On Thin Ice": A snow day has Creepie and her friends enjoying themselves until a mysterious snowman starts to show up everywhere they go.

"Toxic Mutant Millipede": Creepie and Budge must rescue Chris-Alice and Harry from a new arcade game after they get trapped inside.
20"I Was a Teenage Wolfbug"Bryan ThompsonPeter Ferk and Todd WatermanDecember 8, 2007 (2007-12-08)
"Outta Sight Space Bowl Night"Ruby Ann Bradt Vanderzee & Rowan CutlerEnrique May and Todd Waterman

"I Was a Teenage Wolfbug": Exposure to a growth formula at school causes Gnat to grow to the size of a human kid, and he decides to spend the day as Creepie's classmate, while Budge tries to make an antidote.

"Outta Sight Space Bowl Night": A father/student bowling tournament to celebrate an outer space-themed bowling alley's grand opening has Creepie feeling left out since her father isn't really a bowler.
21"Rockabye Freakie"Ruby Ann Bradt Vanderzee & Rowan CutlerPeter FerkJanuary 12, 2008 (2008-01-12)
"Creep of the Deep"Laurai Israel and Rachel RudermanLynell Forstall

"Rockabye Freakie": Creepie reads the story of "Snow Black" to the baby bugs of Dweezwold.

"Creep of the Deep": A day at the beach finds Creepie helping a hermit crab and competing in a surf contest against her friends, but the crab decides to return the favor by sabotaging her competition.
22"Going For Brogue"Matt WayneLane LuerasJanuary 26, 2008 (2008-01-26)
"Yellow Jacket Racket"Bryan ThompsonBert Ring and Enrique May

"Going For Brogue": Creepie joins her goth friend's band as a bagpiper so they can play at the school dance, but Chris-Alice begins to notice her strange interaction with bugs.

"Yellow Jacket Racket": Creepie tries to help Gnat learn to defend himself after he has a run-in with some bullying yellow jackets.
23"The Return of Tarantula Boy"Dennys McCoy and Pamela HickeyTodd WatermanFebruary 9, 2008 (2008-02-09)
"All The President's Pests"Story by: Laurai Israel and Rachel Ruderman
Teleplay by: Eric Trueheart
Lane Lueras and Todd Waterman

"The Return of Tarantula Boy": Tarantula Boy returns, and Creepie finds they have much more in common than she thought.

"All The President's Pests": Chris-Alice is running for class president against school heartthrob Harry, but it's Creepie to the rescue when someone starts sabotaging her campaign.
24"Creep of the Crop"Laurai Israel and Rachel RudermanLarry HoustonMarch 1, 2008 (2008-03-01)
"Creepie Cousin"Trevor Wall and Luther McLaurin

"Creep of the Crop": Creepie helps Chris-Alice investigate crop circles at a local farm for their school paper while trying to protect her brothers from Mr. Hollyruller.

"Creepie Cousin": Creepie babysits Chris-Alice's little cousin, unaware that he likes to squash bugs.
25"Creepie Crawling"Ruby Ann Bradt Vanderzee and Rowan CutlerJay OliviaApril 12, 2008 (2008-04-12)
"Fashion Victim"Story by: Roger Eschbacher and Peggy Sarlin
Teleplay by: Peggy Sarlin
Mike Manley

"Creepie Crawling": Creepie tells the story of a baby left on the doorstep of a mansion where bugs live.

"Fashion Victim": Trying to rescue her brothers from Carla's lunch bag leads Creepie to get an impromptu makeover and enter a fashion contest.
26"Wanna Bee"Bryan ThompsonTodd WatermanJune 21, 2008 (2008-06-21)
"The Haunting of Tiki Lagoon"Peter Ferk

"Wanna Bee": After a new girl becomes more popular than Carla, Creepie helps her frenemy try and dethrone the new queen bee.

"The Haunting of Tiki Lagoon": Creepie and her friends find a treasure map that takes them to a small island in the town lake that is rumored to be haunted.

Music

The theme song "Creepie Kids" and other songs featured throughout the series were performed by Samantha Lombardi. They were written by Michael Puskas, Samantha Lombardi, and Clarence Jey, and produced by Michael Puskas and Clarence Jey. "Creepie Kids" and the song "Life Lessons", heard in the episode "Goth To Have Better Friends", were released on Lombardi's 2007 album, Full Stop. The music was featured on a DVD released by Mike Young Productions.

The instrumental score heard throughout the show was composed by Guy Michelmore, who was nominated for an Annie for his music for the series.

Broadcast

Growing Up Creepie aired on Discovery Kids in the United States and premiered on September 9, 2006. The final episode aired on June 21, 2008. After the series ended, reruns aired on The Hub until May 29, 2011.

It also aired on YTV in Canada and Nickelodeon worldwide. The show aired on ABC Kids in Australia from 2007 to 2010.

The series is available to stream on Sling TV and Spectrum TV Stream.

Reception

Pam Gelman of Common Sense Media gave the series 3 out of 5 stars; saying that, "Growing Up Creepie has lots of dark, Tim Burton-esque visuals and scary organ tunes, but older grade-schoolers and tweens will recognize that both are used for dramatic effect and will be able to focus on Creepie's day-to-day challenges."[3]

Awards and nominations

Year Award CategoryNominee(s) ResultRef.
2007 Annie Awards Directing in an Animated Television Production Guy Vasilovich (for "The Tell-Tale Poem") Nominated [4]
Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Special Class Animated Program Growing Up Creepie Nominated [5]
2008 Annie Awards Animation Production Artist Natasha Liberman (for "Creepie and the Candy Factory") Nominated [6]
Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation Peter Ferk Won[lower-alpha 1] [7]
2009 Annie Awards Music in an Animated Television Production or Short Form Guy Michelmore (for "Rockabye Freakie") Nominated [8]

Home media

A DVD of Growing Up Creepie was released for Region 1 from Genius Products on August 28, 2007. The single disc volume is titled Creepie's Creatures Volume 1 and features seven episodes. Bonus features include Creepie's Buggin' Trivia Game and an episode of Jeff Corwin Unleashed entitled "Creepy Creatures". It also had a DVD release in Australia from Madman Entertainment. There were plans for other volumes in Australia but they were never released. The episode "Creep of the Deep" appears as a bonus feature on Kenny the Shark Volume 3: Catch a Wave.

DVD title Episode count Release date Episodes
Creepie Creatures Volume 1 7 August 28, 2007 2b ("Frogenstein"), 3b ("The Case of the Mysterious Moth"), 5b ("Night of Fright"), 10a ("Creepie's Living Doll"), 13a ("Creepie Friday"), 15a ("Are You Afraid of the Moths?"), and 16a ("Nightmare on Locust Lane")

Notes

References

  1. "LUMIERE". Growing Up Creepie; Director(s): Guy Vasilovich, Andy Luckey, Sung Lin Gun; Co-producing countries: CA,US; Production year: 2006
  2. Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 259. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  3. Gelman, Pam (9 September 2006). "Growing Up Creepie review". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on 18 May 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  4. "34th Annie Awards". Annie Awards. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  5. "Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards - Childrens Nominations". Emmy Awards. March 18, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 25, 2007. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  6. "35th Annie Awards". Annie Awards. Archived from the original on August 28, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  7. "The Emmy Awards - Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards - Creative Winners". Emmy Awards. June 13, 2008. Archived from the original on July 1, 2008. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  8. "36th Annie Awards". Annie Awards. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
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