Cow and Chicken

Cow and Chicken is an American animated comedy television series created by David Feiss for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. It is the third of the network's Cartoon Cartoons. It follows the surreal adventures of two talking animal siblings, Cow and Chicken. They are often antagonized by the Red Guy, a cartoon version of the Devil who poses as various characters to scam them.[1]

Cow and Chicken
Genre
Created byDavid Feiss
Story by
  • David Feiss
  • Monte Young
  • Victor Ortado
  • Larry Huber
  • Vincent Davis
  • Greg Emison
  • Gordon Coulthart
  • Michael Ryan
  • Bill Burnett
  • Steve Marmel
  • Seth MacFarlane
  • Richard Pursel
  • Sherri Schrader
  • Jeff Kwitney
  • Gary Wilson
  • Sami Rank
  • Scott Morse
  • Nora Johnson
  • Fred Belford
Directed by
  • David Feiss
  • Co-directors:
  • John McIntyre (1 episode)
  • Monte Young (1 episode)
  • Robert Alvarez (15 episodes)
Voices of
  • Charlie Adler
  • Candi Milo
  • Dee Bradley Baker
Theme music composerGuy Moon
Opening theme"Cow and Chicken"
Ending theme"Cow and Chicken" (Instrumental)
ComposerGuy Moon
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes52 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Brian A. Miller
  • Sherry Gunther (seasons 1–2)
  • Larry Huber (season 1)
  • Buzz Potamkin (pilot)
  • For Cartoon Network:
  • Linda Simensky (season 3)
  • Khaki Jones (season 3)
Producers
  • David Feiss
  • Vincent Davis
  • Davis Doi (supervising producer, seasons 2–3)
Running time14 minutes
Production companyHanna-Barbera Cartoons
DistributorWarner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution
Release
Original networkCartoon Network
Picture formatNTSC
Audio formatDolby Surround
Original releaseJuly 15, 1997 (1997-07-15) –
July 24, 1999 (1999-07-24)
Chronology
Related

The original pilot appeared as an episode of the animation showcase series What a Cartoon!. The popularity of the original short allowed Hanna-Barbera to give it the green light for a full series, which premiered on July 15, 1997. Originally, Cow and Chicken was attached to another segment called I Am Weasel, which was later spun-off into its own half-hour series on June 10, 1999. The series was produced by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons. In fact, it is the last original Cartoon Network show to be entirely produced by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons. It was nominated for two Emmy Awards.

Premise

The series focuses on the misadventures of two unlikely yet somehow biological siblings: the sweet-natured, dim, ecstatic, anthropomorphic 7-year-old Cow and her cynical 11-year-old older brother Chicken (both voiced by Charlie Adler). The two are often caught in escapades with their flamboyant enemy, the Red Guy (Adler), a comical version of the Devil himself who disguises himself under various personas to attempt to either scam them or take them to Hell.[lower-alpha 1]

Supporting characters include Chicken and Cow's delirious human parents Dad and Mom (Dee Bradley Baker and Candi Milo, respectively), only seen from the waist down and implied to have no torsos, heads, or arms; Chicken's best friends Flem (Howard Morris) and Earl (Dan Castellaneta); and their cousin, Boneless Chicken (Adler).[2] Cow has her favorite dolls, Crabs the Warthog, Piles the Beaver, and Manure the Bear, who is a polar bear.

The series draws on eccentric, surreal, grotesque, and repulsive humor. For example, Cow and Chicken always order "pork butts and taters" in the cafeteria, the Red Guy always shows his butt, and characters often pepper their speech with malapropisms and sarcasm. The humor and storylines depicted are often based on traditional childhood worries, anxieties, or phobias such as cooties or venturing into the girls' restroom, but enhanced comically.

Many of the slapstick antics involve the main characters getting physically abused.

Production

Development

David Feiss first created Cow and Chicken as a story for his daughter.[3] Feiss was an animator who had worked with Hanna-Barbera and related projects since 1978.[3]

Years later, Feiss was called to submit ideas for What a Cartoon!, a series of various animated shorts from numerous creators and writers, created by Hanna-Barbera president Fred Seibert. Feiss submitted three ideas to executive producer Larry Huber, one of which was Cow and Chicken.[4] Cow and Chicken premiered on What a Cartoon! in 1995. Later, Hanna-Barbera decided to turn Cow and Chicken into a full series, following many letters from fans asking for more.[4]

Voice actors

A single actor, Charlie Adler, voiced the three leading roles of Cow, Chicken, and the Red Guy. Supporting voices included Candi Milo and Dee Bradley Baker as Mom and Dad, and Dan Castellaneta and Howard Morris as Earl and Flem.

Guest stars included Feiss, Will Ferrell, Carlos Alazraqui, Tom Kenny, Jill Talley, Dom DeLuise, Michael Gough, Mark Hamill, Jess Harnell, Pamela Adlon, and many others.

Episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
PilotNovember 12, 1995 (1995-11-12)
113July 15, 1997 (1997-07-15)October 7, 1997 (1997-10-07)
213May 16, 1998 (1998-05-16)August 8, 1998 (1998-08-08)
313August 15, 1998 (1998-08-15)November 7, 1998 (1998-11-07)
413April 26, 1999 (1999-04-26)July 24, 1999 (1999-07-24)

Cow and Chicken has a total of 52 episodes in 4 seasons that were produced from July 1997 to July 1999. Each half-hour contains 2 Cow and Chicken and 1 I Am Weasel segment.[5] Cow and Chicken premiered as a full half-hour on July 15, 1997.[6] The series ran for 52 episodes through 1999. As a supporting segment, the show included a cartoon called I Am Weasel; this segment was spun off as an independent series that premiered on June 10, 1999.[7] Typically, an episode would consist of two seven-minute Cow and Chicken shorts playing back-to-back, then followed by a seven-minute I Am Weasel short before the end credits.[6] The exception to this structure was episode 105 ("The Ugliest Weenie"), which had the Weasel short ("I Are Big Star") play in-between the two Cow and Chicken shorts, possibly because said shorts were one storyline.

"Buffalo Gals" controversy

The second season segment "Buffalo Gals", first paired with "Cow and Chicken Reclining", was banned by Cartoon Network after receiving one letter of complaint from a parent about the episode's visual and verbal innuendo about the titular biker group being lesbians. In the segment, the Buffalo Gals break into people's homes to chew on the carpet, a biker named Munch Kelly has a carpet swatch for a calling card, and when Dad freaks out over the Buffalo Gals in the house, Mom says, "They're not after you."[8] In addition, the Buffalo Gals play softball and talk about pitching and catching. Although "Buffalo Gals" only aired once on June 27, 1998, "Buffalo Gals" has been replaced with "Orthodontic Police" in future airings, including on Netflix streaming and reruns on Boomerang. The episode was also discussed on an installment of Rob Paulsen's Talkin' Toons special featuring Cow and Chicken creator David Feiss and voice actor Charlie Adler when an audience member asked why "Buffalo Gals" only aired once.

Awards and nominations
YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)Result
1996Annie AwardBest Animated Short Subject[9]
Won
Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less)[10]
  • Buzz Potamkin, Larry Huber, David Feiss, Pilar Menendez, and Sam Kieth
  • for "No Smoking"
Nominated
1997Annie AwardBest Individual Achievement: Storyboarding in a TV Production[11]
  • Nora Johnson
  • for "Orthodontic Police"
Won
1998Outstanding Individual Achievement for Music in an Animated Television Production[12]
  • Bill Burnett and Guy Moon
  • for "The Ugliest Weenie, Part 2"
Nominated
Outstanding Individual Achievement for Producing in an Animated Television Production[12]Vincent DavisWon
Outstanding Individual Achievement for Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production[12]
  • Maxwell Atoms
  • for "The Karate Chick"
Nominated
Golden Reel AwardBest Sound Editing — Sound Effects[13]Greg LaPlanteNominated
Best Sound Editing — Television Animated Series[13]Cartoon NetworkNominated
Best Sound Editing — Television Animation — Music[13]Cartoon NetworkNominated
Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less)[14]
  • Davis Doi, Vincent Davis, David Feiss, Steve Marmel, Richard Pursel, and Michael Ryan
  • for "Free Inside!/Journey to the Center of Cow"
Nominated
1999Annie AwardOutstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production[15]
  • Charlie Adler
  • as Cow
Nominated
Golden Reel AwardBest Sound Editing — Television Animated Series — Sound[16]Cartoon NetworkNominated
Best Sound Editing — Television Animation — Music[16]Cartoon NetworkNominated

Other media

Cow makes a cameo in the beginning of The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy episode "Herbicidal Maniac" giving General Skarr fertilizer.

During the Mad episode "Once Upon a Toon", Cow and Chicken are among the classic cartoon characters reunited in a spoof of ABC's Once Upon a Time.

The two main characters, Cow and Chicken, made cameo appearances as aliens in Ben 10: Omniverse. They were the second Cartoon Network characters to make cameo appearances in the Ben 10 franchise, Billy from The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy being the first. Adler reprised his roles for the cameo.

In the OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes episode "Crossover Nexus", Chicken and I.M. Weasel (with Michael Dorn reprising his role as Weasel for a speaking cameo) made cameo appearances as two of the Cartoon Network heroes that were summoned by Strike, and also Cow (as SuperCow) appears as one of the Cartoon Network heroes that Ben Tennyson (Ben 10) shapeshifts into.

Home media

Cow and Chicken: Season 1, a two-disc set featuring the complete first season which contains 13 complete episodes, was released by Madman Entertainment in Australia (Region 4 PAL) on September 12, 2007.[17] Season 2 came out on February 10, 2010, by the same company in Australia.[18] The entire series got partially released on DVD in Thailand as 4 season sets, containing Thai and English audio, with the segment "Buffalo Gals" banned from these releases.

The video game Cartoon Network Racing contains the episodes "Black Sheep of the Family" and "Child Star" (PS2 version only) as unlockable extras.

All 4 seasons were released on iTunes and Amazon as of August 16, 2018.

TitleFormatDVD RegionCountryDistributorRelease dateRef.
Cartoon Cartoons: Cow and Chicken VHS — United States Cartoon Network 1998 [19]
Cow and Chicken: Season 1 DVD 4 Australia Madman Entertainment September 12, 2007 [17]
Cow and Chicken: Season 2 February 10, 2010 [18]

American releases

  • Cartoon Network Halloween - 9 Creepy Capers: "Cow with Four Eyes" (August 10, 2004)[20]
  • Cartoon Network Christmas - Yuletide Follies: "Me an' My Dog" (October 5, 2004)[21]

Video games

Cow, Chicken, and the Red Guy are playable characters in the 2006 racing game Cartoon Network Racing, which released on the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS. The PlayStation 2 version includes Flem and Earl as playable characters.

Cow/Supercow, Chicken, and the Red Guy are playable characters in the kart racing video game Cartoon Network Speedway, which released on the Game Boy Advance in North America on November 17, 2003.

In the online video game FusionFall, one of the character items is based on Cow and Chicken. Cow and Chicken's cousin, Boneless Chicken, can also be seen on a billboard in the game. Though not in the game, Cow is seen as Supercow as a statue at Mt. Neverest.

See also
  • I Am Weasel
  • Cartoon Cartoons
  • List of works produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions
  • The Shnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show
  • The Ren & Stimpy Show

Notes
  1. As depicted in the pilot No Smoking.

References
  1. Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 138–139. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  2. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 218–219. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  3. "Animator Profile: David Feiss". cartoonnetworkla.com. Cartoon Network. Archived from the original on 2006-05-16. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
  4. "Cow and Chicken, and I Am Weasel — Two Animated Cartoon Series". h2g2. BBC. 2002-09-05. Archived from the original on 2013-08-01. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
  5. Feiss, David (January 12, 2000). "Episode Guide: Cow and Chicken and I Am Weasel". Archived from the original on 2006-12-12. Retrieved 2011-07-05.
  6. Gallo, Phil (July 15, 1997). "Cow and Chicken". Variety. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on October 3, 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-31.
  7. Kilmer, David (June 11, 1999). "Cartoon Network Sets Premiere for I Am Weasel". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  8. Scibelli, Anthony (August 6, 2010). "The 6 Creepiest Things Ever Slipped into Children's Cartoons". Cracked. Archived from the original on May 11, 2011. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
  9. "24th Annie Award Winners Announced". Animation World Magazine. Animation World Network. 1 (9). December 1996. Archived from the original on 2013-01-31. Retrieved 2013-01-27.
  10. "Cow and Chicken in No Smoking". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on 2014-07-28. Retrieved 2013-04-15.
  11. "25th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (1997)". AnnieAwards.org. ASIFA-Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2015-12-30. Retrieved 2013-01-26.
  12. "26th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (1998)". AnnieAwards.org. ASIFA-Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2013-02-23. Retrieved 2013-01-26.
  13. "Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA (1998)". IMDb. Archived from the original on 2015-04-10. Retrieved 2013-01-26.
  14. "Cow and Chicken". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2013-04-15.
  15. "27th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (1999)". AnnieAwards.org. ASIFA-Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2014-04-01. Retrieved 2013-01-26.
  16. "Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA (1999)". IMDb. Archived from the original on 2013-06-01. Retrieved 2013-01-26.
  17. "Cow and Chicken Season 1". Madman.com.au. Madman Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2012-04-11. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
  18. "Cow and Chicken Season 2". Madman.com.au. Madman Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2012-04-30. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
  19. "Cartoon Cartoons: Cow and Chicken | VHSCollector.com". vhscollector.com. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  20. Cartoon Network Halloween - 9 Creepy Capers, ASIN B000244ESI
  21. Cartoon Network Christmas - Yuletide Follies [DVD], ASIN B0002I84M6
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