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Foofur

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Foofur
Foofur and his group
Genre
Created byPhil Mendez
Directed by
Voices ofMichael Bell
Pat Carroll
Peter Cullen
David Doyle
Dick Gautier
Christina Lange
Allan Melvin
Don Messick
Jonathan Schmock
Susan Silo
Susan Tolsky
Chick Vennera
Frank Welker
Eugene Williams
Theme music composerHoyt Curtin
Opening theme"Foofur"
Ending theme"Foofur" (Instrumental)
ComposerHoyt Curtin
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes26 (46 segments)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Kay Wright (season 1)
  • Paul Sabella (season 2)
EditorGil Iverson
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesHanna-Barbera Productions
SEPP International S.A.
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 13, 1986 (1986-09-13) –
December 5, 1987 (1987-12-05)

Foofur is an American animated children's television series from Kissyfur creator Phil Mendez that was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions with SEPP International S.A.[1] Airing on NBC from 1986 to 1987, the show was about the everyday misadventures of the skinny blue protagonist dog in Willowby.[2] A comic book series based on the cartoon was produced by and released from Star Comics (an imprint of Marvel Comics).

Plot

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In the town of Willowby, a tall skinny blue bloodhound named Foofur has taken refuge in a mansion, in 32 Maple Street, which is also his birthplace. In Foofur's group is his niece Rocki, Fencer the Cat, a bulldog named Louis with his girlfriend, an Old English Sheepdog named Annabell, and a cocker spaniel named Hazel with her husband, a miniature schnauzer named Fritz-Carlos.[3]

Foofur and his friends, however, have an enemy in a woman named Mrs. Amelia Escrow and her pet Chihuahua named Pepe, who tries to expose Foofur's illegal roommates – but always to no avail. Mrs. Escrow has tried many times to sell the estate, but unbeknownst to her, Foofur and his friends keep the house from being bought, as they also protect their home from rodents like the Rat Brothers who tend to mess with Fencer, other cats like Vinnie and his Cat Pack, and greedy humans.

While trying to stop Mrs. Escrow, Foofur tries to avoid having his friends captured by the Bowser Busters' dog catchers Mel and Harvey. In addition, an Afghan Hound named Burt also antagonizes Foofur and competes with him to win the affection of a basset hound named Dolly.

Characters

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Main characters

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  • Foofur (voiced by Frank Welker) – a blue bloodhound who has taken refuge in a mansion, at 32 Maple Street, which is also his birthplace.
  • Rocki (voiced by Christina Lange) – an indigo bloodhound puppy and Foofur's niece.
  • Louis (voiced by Dick Gautier) – a street-smart bulldog.
  • Annabell (voiced by Susan Tolsky) – a sensitive Old English Sheepdog and Louis' girlfriend.
  • Hazel (voiced by Pat Carroll) – a cocker spaniel and Fritz-Carlos' wife.
  • Fritz-Carlos (voiced by Jonathan Schmock) – a miniature schnauzer and Hazel's husband.
  • Fencer (voiced by Eugene Williams) – a cat with a penchant for the martial arts.
  • Mrs. Amelia Escrow (voiced by Susan Silo) – a woman who has tried many times to sell the mansion. Unbeknownst to her, Foofur and his friends keep the house from being bought.
  • Pepe (voiced by Don Messick) – Mrs. Amelia Escrow's chihuahua who tries to expose Foofur and his roommates, to no avail.
  • Rat Brothers – three rats who antagonize Fencer.
    • Sammy (voiced by Chick Vennera) – a thin black rat who is the leader of the Rat Brothers.
    • Baby (voiced by Peter Cullen) – a fat violet rat.
    • Chucky (voiced by Allan Melvin in most episodes, and by Frank Welker in a few episodes) – a fat pink rat who is the strongest of the Rat Brothers.
  • Mel and Harvey (voiced by David Doyle and Michael Bell) – the Bowser Busters' dog catchers.
  • Vinnie (voiced by Peter Cullen) – leader of a cat gang and one of the enemies of Foofur and his friends.
  • Burt (voiced by William Callaway) – an arrogant Afghan Hound who tries to win Dolly's love.
  • Dolly (voiced by Susan Blu) – a basset hound who is the object of Foofur and Burt's affections.

Other characters

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  • Norris – a beagle puppy who is also a mascot for a dog food company.
  • Bertie and Bernie – two beagles belonging to a judge.
  • Harry – an easily-scared dog.
  • Pam – a Pekingese.
  • Celia – a poodle.
  • Brenda – a terrier.
  • Brigette – a poodle who belongs to Mrs. Escrow's cousin Roberto.
  • Lucy – a poodle who lives in a pawn shop.
  • Muffy – a poodle.
  • Jojo – a Scottish Terrier.
  • Sarge – a Doberman Pinscher.
  • Dobkins – a St. Bernard.
  • Trendy – a Siberian Husky.
  • Blaze – a German Shepherd.
  • Lorenzo – a dalmatian.
  • Otto – a Labrador Retriever.
  • Rover Cleveland – an elderly dog.
  • Tugboat – Foofur's brother and Rocki's father.
  • Phyllis – Foofur's sister.
  • Obscura – a cat belonging to a fortune teller.
  • Cleo – a violet cat belonging to an archaeologist.
  • Willy – a fox kit, trying to avoid the fox hunters.
  • Duke – a singing mouse.
  • Killer – (voiced by Jerry Houser) - a harmless St. Bernard.
  • Brisbane – a dog.
  • Big Boombah – a rat and the leader of the Shipyard Rats who is an opportunist.
  • Pops – a rat who lives in the Willowby Train Station.
  • Buttercup – Mrs. Escrow's pet canary.
  • Mr. Mutton – a smuggler from London.
  • Kirk – Hazel's old boyfriend, a German Shepherd trained for fire rescues who saves Fritz-Carlos and Rocki's playmate Augie when they're trapped in a burning house.
  • Augie – another local dog, Rocki's playmate.
  • Ivan – a Russian dog Foofur and Louis interact with in New York City.
  • Lulubelle – a female dog initially intended to smuggle jewels, who was replaced by Annabelle.
  • Oliver – an English puppy whom Annabelle saves after she ends up in London.

Voice cast

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Additional voices

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Episode list

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Season 1 (1986)

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No.TitleWritten byOriginal air date
1a"A Little Off the Top"S : Mark Young;
T : Tony Marino		September 13, 1986 (1986-09-13)
The gang try to help Fritz get over losing his hair, but the situation gets worse when part of his mustache is accidentally shaved off.
1b"A Clean Sweep"S : Mark Young;
T : Mark Cassutt		September 13, 1986 (1986-09-13)
Hazel forces the gang to clean the house, but then the dogcatchers come to clean the mansion for Mrs. Escrow.
2"Moving Experience"T : Mark Young;
S/T : Jim Ryan		September 20, 1986 (1986-09-20)
Foofur and the others try to help a dog named Irma who is about to give birth to puppies.
3"Dogstyles of the Rich & Famous"T : Mark Young;
S/T : Jack Enyart		September 27, 1986 (1986-09-27)
When Mrs. Escrow rests in the gang's house while her house's paint dries, the gang comes to a fancy mansion as a burglary is about to take place.
4"Foofur Falls in Love"Susan Misty Stewart and Joseph TaggartOctober 4, 1986 (1986-10-04)
Foofur goes head over heels for a girl dog named Dolly.
5a"The Last Resort"S : Mark Young;
T : Richard Merwin		October 11, 1986 (1986-10-11)
Rocki becomes friends with a pup who ran away from an obedience school.
5b"Thicker Than Water"S : Mark Young;
T : Reed Robbins		October 11, 1986 (1986-10-11)
Chaos ensues when Foofur tries to give a gold collar to Dolly and at the same time, try to help Fencer by donating blood.
6a"Hot Over the Collar"S : Mark Young;
T : Mark Edens		October 18, 1986 (1986-10-18)
Foofur uses a hatband as a makeshift collar for Rocki, and she comes to a dog show, not knowing it's a trap set by Mel and Harvey.
6b"A-Job Hunting We Will Go"S : Mark Young;
T : Tony Marino		October 18, 1986 (1986-10-18)
Pepe has the gang work odd jobs to raise $100 to pay Mrs. Escrow's house tax or the gang will be out on the streets.
7a"A Royal Pain"Mark CassuttOctober 25, 1986 (1986-10-25)
Fencer helps a group of cats after the owner's sister evicts them from the house.
7b"Nothing to Sneeze At"S : Mark Young;
T : David Schwartz		October 25, 1986 (1986-10-25)
Fencer gets a cold after Foofur and the others bathe him.
8a"Country Club Chaos"S : Mark Young;
T : Reed Robbins		November 1, 1986 (1986-11-01)
Foofur, Rocki, Fencer, and Dolly try to save a fox cub's life from a group of fox hunters at a country club.
8b"You Dirty Rat"Paul Pumpian and Franelle SilverNovember 1, 1986 (1986-11-01)
After accidentally putting Rocki in danger, the Rat Brothers are thrown out of the house by Foofur and they turn to a shipyard rat named Boombah for help.
9a"This Little Piggy's on TV"S : Mark Young and Reed Robbins;
T : Christina Adams		November 8, 1986 (1986-11-08)
The gang try to help a pig reunite with his girlfriend, who broke into show business.
9b"Fencer's Freaky Friday"S : Mark Young;
S/T : Reed Robbins		November 8, 1986 (1986-11-08)
It's Friday the 13th, Fencer is treated like bad luck and a pair of superstitious twins are in search of a treasure.
10a"Legal Beagles"Reed RobbinsNovember 15, 1986 (1986-11-15)
Foofur's house is under threat when a con artist's dog fakes an injury and the con artist sues Mrs. Escrow.
10b"Bon Voyage Rocki"S : Mark Young;
T : Don Glut;
S/T : Reed Robbins		November 15, 1986 (1986-11-15)
Just as Rocki is visited by her father Tugboat just before her birthday, she is faced by a bully and she has to choose between staying with her uncle Foofur or go with her father to sea.
11a"Russian Through New York"S : Mark Young and Reed Robbins;
T : John Bonaccorsi		November 22, 1986 (1986-11-22)
On a visit to New York City, Lewis and the others guide a Russian dog named Vladimir around the town, but have to save him from two thieves who steal dogs from Diplomats.
11b"Fritz-Carlos Bombs Out"S : Mark Young and Reed Robbins;
T : Tony Marino		November 22, 1986 (1986-11-22)
Fritz becomes jealous when Hazel's old boyfriend comes for a visit.
12"New Tricks"Mark EdensNovember 29, 1986 (1986-11-29)
Rocki hopes to become a performer after coming to the circus.
13"Mad Dogs and Englishmen"S : Mark Young and Reed Robbins;
T : Mark Edens		December 6, 1986 (1986-12-06)
Lewis tries to save Annabelle from some counterfeiters in London.

Season 2 (1987–88)

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No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleWritten byOriginal air date
14a1a"Pepe's Pet Peeve"Kristina MazzottiSeptember 3, 1987 (1987-09-03)
Pepe turns to Foofur for help to remove a dog named Killer from Mrs. Escrow's house. What Pepe doesn't know is that Killer is not dangerous as he expects.
14b1b"Clothes Make the Dog"Marion WellsSeptember 3, 1987 (1987-09-03)
Pepe hopes to win the heart of a poodle at a dog show.
15a2a"Boot Camp Blues"Mark CassuttSeptember 10, 1987 (1987-09-10)
Fritz enrolls to a boot camp, when he thought he's re-enrolling to be in the Foreign Legion, and Foofur and Louis are involved.
15b2b"My Pharoah Lady"Mark EdensSeptember 10, 1987 (1987-09-10)
Fencer tries to win the heart of an archeologist's cat.
16a3a"What Price Fleadom?"Kenneth KnoxSeptember 17, 1987 (1987-09-17)
The rats infest Hazel with circus fleas.
16b3b"Winging It"Marie QuickSeptember 17, 1987 (1987-09-17)
Annabelle befriends a chick, which matures into a chicken.
17a4a"The Dog's Meow"Barry BlitzerOctober 3, 1987 (1987-10-03)
Louis is hypnotized by a TV hypnotist into thinking he's a cat. At the same time, Louis is to fight Muggsy, who insulted Annabell.
17b4b"Friend Foofur's Foul-Up"Dennis MarksOctober 3, 1987 (1987-10-03)
Foofur switches places with an old friend at the Happy Glen Country Club.
18a5a"Alone at Last, Dahling"Gary GreenfieldOctober 10, 1987 (1987-10-10)
Fritz-Carlos is fed up with his friends cutting into his alone time with Hazel, so Foofur sneaks the both of them into a cruise ship, but things go awry.
18b5b"Tooth or Consequences"M.R. WellsOctober 10, 1987 (1987-10-10)
Foofur gets a toothache, just as he and his pals face against Burt's friends, called the Swells in a game of tug of war.
19a6a"Fencer Finds a Family"Mark EdensOctober 17, 1987 (1987-10-17)
After he is tricked by Louis and Fritz-Carlos into a swimming pool, Fencer leaves to join the Cat Pack, but he doesn't know they are going to use him to commit crimes.
19b6b"The Nose Knows"Kenneth KnoxOctober 17, 1987 (1987-10-17)
After Rocki returns home late because she was lost, Foofur brings her to the wilderness to teach her how to track while avoiding a hunter's dog with an incredible sense of smell.
20a7a"Just Bumming Around"Anthony AdamsOctober 24, 1987 (1987-10-24)
After Foofur grounds Rocki for running the risk of being spotted and not ruining the neighbor's flower bed, she and Irma's two pups run away.
20b7b"Annabell Goes Punk"Dennis MarksOctober 24, 1987 (1987-10-24)
Annabell gets a makeover from a punk stylist, and meets other punk dogs in a club called the Lavender Loft.
21a8a"Just Like Magic"M.R. WellsOctober 31, 1987 (1987-10-31)
The Rat Brothers scare Fencer into thinking he's got one life left, while the gang thinks about using a magician's box to safeguard him from danger.
21b8a"Puppy Love"S : Barry Blitzer;
T : Gary Greenfield		October 31, 1987 (1987-10-31)
Rocki falls in love with a dog food star, but Foofur doesn't approve since two look-a-likes (One is rude, and the other is a jokester) made a horrible impression.
22a9a"Weekend in the Condo"Kenneth KnoxNovember 7, 1987 (1987-11-07)
Foofur and the gang deal with Crooks while being in Burt's master's condo.
22b9b"Bye, Bye, Birdie"M.R. WellsNovember 7, 1987 (1987-11-07)
The Rat Brothers scare Mrs. Escrow's canary causing Foofur and the canines to accuse Fencer of swallowing the bird and throwing him out. Fencer turns to Pepe to retrieve the bird.
23a10a"Fencer Gets Soul"Kenneth KnoxNovember 14, 1987 (1987-11-14)
Fencer goes to New Orleans for a chance to be the newest member of a soul-singing cat group. Foofur comes along, but the Cat faces competition with a mouse with a golden voice.
23b10b"Rocki's Big Fib"Samantha ClemensNovember 14, 1987 (1987-11-14)
Rocki aids a white alligator, but is captured by Big Boombah and his gang of shipyard rats when the Rat Brothers fail to pay back a cheese tax.
24a11a"You Bet Your Life"Gary GreenfieldNovember 21, 1987 (1987-11-21)
In Las Vegas, with Lorenzo, Hazel is cheated by a couple of crooked dogs in games of rat race.
24b11b"Louis Sees the Light"Don Nelson and Arthur AlsbergNovember 21, 1987 (1987-11-21)
Louis meets a childhood friend who is a seeing-eye dog, but has to save him from Mel and Harvey while getting a blind boy to reunite him with his dog.
25a12a"Annabell Gets Framed"M.R. WellsNovember 28, 1987 (1987-11-28)
After Mrs. Escrow's glasses fall on Annabell's eyes, she and her friends get her a pair of glasses, but Annabell's relationship with Louis begins to falter when Louis feels threatened.
25b12b"Scary Harry"Samantha ClemensNovember 28, 1987 (1987-11-28)
While trying to join a club, Rocki encounters an easily scared green dog named Harry in an abandoned dog pound.
2613"Look Homeward, Foofur"Mark EdensDecember 5, 1987 (1987-12-05)
Foofur tells Rocki a story of how he first met his friends while searching the town for the house that his brother, sister, and owners live.

Home media

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In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a number of episodes of the series were released on VHS in the United States by Celebrity Home Entertainment's Just for Kids label.

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Foofur played a role in the case Nationwide Insurance v. Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, 116 F.3d 1154 (7th Cir. 1997). The case dealt with an insurer's duty to defend an insured party in light of the insured's intentional acts of property damage. The insured, a drunken college student, spelled out "FOO"—meaning "foo", a word derived from Foofur—on the artificial turf football field of Memorial Stadium with lighter fluid burning the letters into the turf. He caused $600,000 damage to the AstroTurf. The court held that such an act was not within the insurance policy's liability coverage.[4]

Reception

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In 2014, listing it among twelve 1980s animated series that supposedly did not deserve remembrance, io9 criticized the series, perceiving its premise to be contrived and remarking that "someone had the gall to think this was 'cool'".[5]

References

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  1. ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 216–217. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  2. ^ "Saturday Morning: Good And Bad". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
  3. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television cartoon shows: an illustrated encyclopedia, 1949 through 2003. McFarland & Co. p. 346. ISBN 07864-2255-6.
  4. ^ "Nationwide Insurance v. Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois". June 19, 1997. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  5. ^ Bricken, Rob (11 November 2014). "12 Cartoons From The 1980s No One Will Ever Have Nostalgia For". io9. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
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