Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
From Free net encyclopedia
Image:Fatalbert.jpg Image:Fatal2.jpg Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids was an animated television series created, produced, and hosted (in live action bookends) by comedian Bill Cosby, who also lent his voice to a number of characters, including the titular one. Filmation was the production company for the series.
Contents |
Origins
Fat Albert first appeared in Cosby's stand-up comedy routine "Buck Buck," as recorded on his 1967 album Revenge. The stories were based upon Cosby's tales about growing up in the inner city of Philadelphia. In 1969, Cosby and veteran animator Ken Mundie brought Fat Albert to animation in a one-shot prime-time television special Hey, Hey, Hey, It's Fat Albert.
The special, which aired on NBC, was a hybrid of live-action and animation. The music for the special (and later the series) was written and performed by jazz pianist/keyboardist Herbie Hancock in 1969 and was released on the Warner Bros. album Fat Albert Rotunda.
The producers anticipated NBC to bring Fat Albert to Saturday mornings, but they refused because the series was too educational [1]. So, Bill Cosby and a new production company, Filmation Associates, took the property to CBS.
The series, now titled Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, premiered on September 9, 1972 on CBS for a 12-year run. It also spent a few more months in first-run syndication in 1984. Several prime-time holiday specials featuring the characters were also produced. Like most animated series at the time, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids contained a laugh track.
The Fat Albert Gang's character images were primarily created by the artist Randy Hollar with the assistance of one-time Disney animator Michelle McKinney, under the direction of Ken Brown.
Educational lessons and songs
Fat Albert was honored and noted for its educational content. During each episode, Fat Albert and his friends, collectively known as The Junkyard Gang, dealt with an issue or problem commonly faced by young children, ranging from stage fright, first loves ("puppy love"), medical operations, and skipping school to harder, more serious themes (toned down somewhat for young children) including smoking, stealing, racism, being scammed by con artists, child abuse, drug use, and gun violence.
At the end of each episode, the gang would sing a song about the theme of the day. This sequence, often seen in numerous Filmation shows including The Archie Show, has often been parodied and mocked for its style and lack of moral ambiguity.
Despite the reputation of educational children television series for being unpopular on commercial television, the series enjoyed one of the longest runs in the history of the Saturday morning cartoon timeslot.
Revamps and renames
In 1979, the show was re-titled The New Fat Albert Show and featured a pair of new animated segments: "The Brown Hornet" (detailing the adventures of a larger-than-life African-American crime fighter in outer space whose design resembled a caricature of Bill Cosby, who also performed vocal talents on the character) and "Legal Eagle" (involving a crime-fighting eagle and a pair of bumbling police squirrels).
In 1984, the show was syndicated and renamed The Adventures of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. It ended the same year. In 1989, NBC aired reruns for a few months during that summer.
Cultural influences
In the mid-90s to early 2000s, Fat Albert and the Junkyard Gang have been prominently displayed on clothing from urban clothier FUBU as well as other T-shirt producers.
A live action film based on the TV show, entitled Fat Albert was released on December 25, 2004. The series was released on DVD beginning in 2005.
Characters
- Fat Albert - Obese, kindly, somewhat naïve teenager. His catchphrase: "Hey Hey Hey"
- Mushmouth - Talked with an odd lisp that added "be" at the end of each syllable
- Dumb Donald - Wore a pink stocking cap over part of his face. Prone to horrible judgement
- Bill - based on Cosby himself
- Mudfoot - Elderly proprietor of the junkyard where the group often hung out. He often conned the group out of their money.
- Rudy - Flamboyantly dressed smooth talker.
- Russell - Bill's laid back younger brother, always dressed for the winter. His catchphrase: "No class.", usually used to insult Rudy.
- Weird Harold - Serves as Mushmouth's translator, a tall skinny kid who always wears a shirt and jacket, clumsy except on the basketball court
- Bucky - A kid with buck teeth
- The Brown Hornet - Show-within-a-show about an African American superhero (a parody of The Green Hornet) whose cartoons were watched by the group
- Legal Eagle - Another show-within-a-show, involving a crime-fighting cartoon bird and two lazy squirrel underlings
Seasons and Specials
- Hey, Hey, Hey, It's Fat Albert — November 12, 1969
- Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids — 1972–1973 (22 episodes), 1975–1976 (14 episodes)
- The Fat Albert Halloween Special — October 24, 1977
- The Fat Albert Christmas Special — December 18, 1977
- The New Fat Albert Show — 1979–1981 (23 episodes)
- The Fat Albert Easter Special — April 3, 1982
- The Adventures of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids — 1984–1985 (50 episodes)
Trivia
- Japanese character Koni, from the series Dotto Koni Chan, shows the influence of Fat Albert.
- Contrary to what the movie suggested, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids has never aired on TV Land, though many other shows produced by Bill Cosby, including The Cosby Show and Fatherhood, have.