The Brothers Flub
The Brothers Flub is an animated television series produced by Sunbow Entertainment and co-produced by jigsaw puzzle manufacturer Ravensburger. It aired in the United States on the television network Nickelodeon. The show's title characters are a pair of alien brothers named Guapo and Fraz, both of whom work as couriers, who travel throughout their universe to deliver packages to a different planet in each episode of the series. It ran from January 16, 1999 until January 8, 2000.[6]
| The Brothers Flub | |
|---|---|
The cover of Plan C: Panic!, depicting Guapo (left) and Fraz | |
| Genre | Comic science fiction |
| Created by | David Burke Laslo Nosek[1] |
| Voices of | Scott Menville Jerry Sroka Charlotte Rae Ron Hale Christine Cavanaugh[2] |
| Theme music composer | Nathan Wang[2] |
| Country of origin | United States Germany |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 26 (52 segments) |
| Production | |
| Producers | Bonni Freeman (coordinating) C.J. Kettler (executive) Geraldine Clarke (supervising) Jodey J. Kaminski (associate) Salaam Coleman (Nickelodeon executive) Wolfgang Heidrich (Ravensburger Film + TV executive) |
| Running time | approx. 22-26 minutes (2×11-minute episodes) |
| Production companies | Ravensburger Film + TV Videal Sunbow Entertainment Sony Wonder Television |
| Distributor | Sunbow Entertainment[3] |
| Release | |
| Original network | Nickelodeon (United States) Super RTL (Germany) |
| Original release | January 16, 1999[4] – January 8, 2000[5] |
Summary
The Brothers Flub takes place in outer space. The show's title refers to its two central characters: a pair of blue-furred alien brothers named Guapo and Fraz Flub. Guapo is shorter and fatter than his brother, and is a lighter shade of blue. Both wear bodysuits, shoes and caps.
In the series, they work for a company called RetroGrade Interdimensional Couriers, of which a green-colored female alien named Tarara Boomdeyay is the boss.[1][7][8] Other characters at their job include a female alien named Valerina and an older orange, male alien named Squish. The brothers, who are couriers, travel through their universe in their spacecraft (called the Hoog) to deliver packages to various planets.[8][9] Each episode features a different planet with a different characteristic, such as "The Land of Oversized Games", which comprises life-sized game pieces such as a pinball machine,[10] or "Hip City", a planet inhabited by beatnik aliens.[11]
History
Cindy Barth of the Orlando Business Journal said that "although still an untested property, optimism is high for the Brothers Flub" because of Sunbow's record and staff members.[12]
Production
The creators marketed the series for children ages six through eleven.[13] Sunbow contracted with Animatics, an Orlando, Florida-based company, allowing for Animatics to create the storyline and the storyboard for the series.[12] Laura Sullivan, the senior director of marketing of Sony Wonder, said in a 1999 Promo article that the series attracted equal numbers of male and female children and that it was "very Nickelodeon-looking."[13] The series was delayed for a year from its original scheduled debut.[14]
Episodes
| No. | Title | Written by | Directed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wrestlemaniacs | Story by: Dan Danko & Tom Mason Teleplay by: Raldolph Heard | Thom Kins & Bert Ring |
| Bard Brain | Doug Langdale | Thom Kins & Bert Ring | |
| 2 | Queen Bees | Story by: Dan Danko & Tom Mason Teleplay by: Ralph Soll | Thom Kins |
| Fitness Freaks | Doug Langdale | Thom Kins | |
| 3 | Flub, Flub and Away | Story by: Dan Danko & Tom Mason Teleplay by: Ralph Soll | Thom Kins & Bert Ring |
| Cookie Crumbles | Story by: Dan Danko & Tom Mason Teleplay by: Kati Rocky | Thom Kins & Bert Ring | |
| 4 | Village Idiots | Dan Danko & Tom Mason | Bert Ring & Thom Kins |
| Flubs Overeasy | Steve Brasfield | Bert Ring & Thom Kins | |
| 5 | Hair Brains | Dan Danko & Tom Mason | Thom Kins |
| Tiresome Twosome | David Burke | Thom Kins | |
| 6 | Pizza! Pizza! | Story by: Dan Danko & Tom Mason Teleplay by: Steve Brasfield | Thom Kins |
| Bad Judgement Day | Andrew Brenner | Thom Kins | |
| 7 | Snow Doomed | Story by: Dan Danko & Tom Mason Teleplay by: Andrew Brenner | Thom Kins |
| Guapos Galore | Story by: Dan Danko & Tom Mason Teleplay by: Shaun McLaughlin | Thom Kins | |
| 8 | Tarara Birthdeeyay | Andrew Brenner | Bert Ring & Thom Kins |
| Big Business | Story by: Dan Danko & Tom Mason Teleplay by: Andrew Brenner | Bert Ring & Thom Kins | |
| 9 | Cold Soreheads | Story by: Dan Danko & Tom Mason Teleplay by: Ralph Soll | Thom Kins |
| Operation Flubpossible | Story by: Dan Danko & Tom Mason Teleplay by: Andrew Brenner | Thom Kins | |
| 10 | Warped Speed | Kati Rocky | Bert Ring & Thom Kins |
| Double Feature | Dan Danko & Tom Mason | Bert Ring & Thom Kins | |
| 11 | A Courier's Carol | Dan Danko & Tom Mason | Bert Ring & Thom Kins |
| Boys Toys | Story by: Dan Danko & Tom Mason Teleplay by: Raldolph Heard | Bert Ring & Thom Kins | |
| 12 | Sore Loser | David Burke | Thom Kins |
| Paradise Shmaradise | David Burke | Thom Kins | |
| 13 | Finder's Keepers | Steve Brasfield | Bert Ring & Thom Kins |
| Shrinky Dinky | Andrew Brenner | Bert Ring & Thom Kins | |
| 14 | Teacher's Pest | Dan Danko & Tom Mason | Bert Ring & Thom Kins |
| Yippy-Ki-Yay | Dan Danko & Tom Mason | Thom Kins | |
| 15 | It's a Mystery | Ralph Soll | Thom Kins |
| For the Birds | Shaun McLaughlin | Thom Kins | |
| 16 | Unlucky Charmers | Don Priess & Susie Singer | Thom Kins |
| Bunch of Trouble | Story by: Dan Danko, Tom Mason & Kati Rocky Teleplay by: Dan Danko & Tom Mason | Thom Kins | |
| 17 | Madman Mambo | David Burke | Thom Kins & Bert Ring |
| Guapo's Funhouse | Dan Danko & Tom Mason | Thom Kins & Bert Ring | |
| 18 | Heads Up | Story by: Dan Danko & Tom Mason Teleplay by: Ralph Soll | Thom Kins |
| Pay Dirt | Andrew Brenner | Thom Kins | |
| 19 | Bosom Buddies | Dan Danko & Tom Mason | Thom Kins |
| Mother's Little Helpers | Shaun McLaughlin | Thom Kins | |
| 20 | Wishmasters | Dan Danko & Tom Mason | Thom Kins |
| Train in Vain | Dan Danko & Tom Mason | Thom Kins | |
| 21 | Fatal Distraction | David Burke | Thom Kins |
| Just Deserts | Ralph Soll | Thom Kins | |
| 22 | Good Sports | Dan Danko & Tom Mason | Thom Kins |
| Sidekicked | Rick Gitelson | Thom Kins | |
| 23 | Playtime | Dave Polsky | Thom Kins |
| On My Case | Dan Danko & Tom Mason | Thom Kins | |
| 24 | Family Outing | David Burke | Thom Kins |
| Talent Show Offs | Dan Danko & Tom Mason | Thom Kins | |
| 25 | Thanks for the Memories | David Burke | Thom Kins |
| Sloppy Sentiment | Dan Danko & Tom Mason | Thom Kins | |
| 26 | Scared Stiff | David Burke | Thom Kins |
| Prehysteria | Story by: Dan Danko & Tom Mason Teleplay by: Ralph Soll | Thom Kins |
Cast
Main cast
- Guapo Flub: Jerry Sroka
- Fraz Flub: Scott Menville
- Tarara Boomdeyay: Charlotte Rae
- Squish: Ron Hale
- Valerina: Christine Cavanaugh
Additional voices
- Richard Horvitz
- Mariette Hartley
- Joe Lala
- John Kassir
- Jerry Sroka
- Tim Curry
- Candi Milo
- Jeff Bennett
- H. Richard Greene
- Michael Bell
- Pat Fraley
- Sally Struthers
- Roger Rose
- Kevin Michael Richardson
- Jennifer Darling
- Bruce Eckstart
- Tom Shell
- Gayiel Von
- Nick Bakay
- Tress MacNeille
- Harvey Korman
- Estelle Harris
- Marsha Clark: Judy Hen
- Stuart Pankin
- Gregg Berger
- Gary Littman
- Vanessa Marshall
- Peter Ratray
- Dee Bradley Baker
- Lori Alan
- Jim Ward
- Billie Hayes
- Michael Horton
- Tom Kenny
- Tommy Widmer: Bob
Crew
- Charlie Adler - Voice Director
Merchandising
The Brothers Flub was used in several promotional deals for various brands. Fast food chain KFC announced that it would use the characters in a kids' meal, while Carl's Jr. and Hardee's branded tray liners and bags with The Brothers Flub images.[13] GNC planned to include The Brothers Flub yo-yos in its children's vitamins, while department store chain Macy's used the characters in their back-to-school advertising flyers.[15] Skechers started a sweepstakes that distributed Skechers and The Brothers Flub-branded items.
VHS release
Sony Wonder released two videocassettes of the show in 1999. These were entitled Plan C: Panic! and Doom Wears Funny Tights!.[16][17] Each one featured four episodes of the series. Both tapes are now out of print and hard to find.
VHS releases were planned for the series by Maverick in the United Kingdom, but in the end, no releases came to fruition.[18]
Reception
The Brothers Flub was panned by critics. Joanne Weintraub of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel described the show as "a rare clinker with all the noisy hyperactivity of Aaahh!!! Real Monsters and little of the cockeyed charm."[19] The Hollywood Reporter called it "a somewhat vacuous effort that lacks the charm and substance of much of Nick's other programming" but added "now and again [the creators] hit on some clever high jinks."[9] Writing for the Lakeland Ledger, Evan Levine thought that the show had a promising premise, but thought that its humor was mean-spirited.[20]
References
- ^ a b Richmond, Ray (1997-12-09). "Nick buys "Brothers Flub"". Variety. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
- ^ a b As listed in closing credits
- ^ "Sunbow takes Sony Wonder product to market".
- ^ . Promo Magazine. 1999-09-01. Archived from the original on 2006-11-18. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
- ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television cartoon shows: an illustrated encyclopedia, 1949 through 2003. Vol. 1 (2 ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 159. ISBN 0-7864-2099-5.
- ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 95. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- ^ . Retroland. Archived from the original on 2009-01-09. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
- ^ a b Barth, Cindy (1998-05-29). "Nickelodeon's Brothers Flub gets local touch". Orlando Business Journal. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
- ^ a b . Hollywood Reporter. 1999-01-22. Archived from the original on 2007-12-14. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
- ^ "Scared Stiff". The Brothers Flub. Nickelodeon.
- ^ "Bard Brain". The Brothers Flub. Nickelodeon.
- ^ a b Barth, Cindy. "Nickelodeon's Brothers Flub gets local touch." Orlando Business Journal. Friday May 29, 1998.
- ^ a b c "New Kids on the Shelf: Brothers Flub attracts"transdimensional" promo slate 2006-11-18 at the Wayback Machine." Promo Magazine. September 1, 1999.
- ^ Perlmutter, David (2018-05-04). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 95. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- ^ Stanley, T. L. (1999-07-26). "Bros. Flub sets rookie promo deal". Brandweek. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
- ^ "." The New York Times. Retrieved on November 9, 2008.
- ^ "." The New York Times. Retrieved on November 9, 2008.
- ^ "News in Brief".
- ^ Weintraub, Joanne. "Animals star in two winning kid-TV shows." Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. February 23, 1999.
- ^ Levine, Evan (16 April 1999). "'The Brothers Flub' Needs More Than Funny Premise". Lakeland Ledger. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
External links
- The Brothers Flub at IMDb