Earthworm Jim (TV series) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Earthworm Jim
Genre	Adventure Animation Comedy Science fiction action Slapstick
Created by	Doug TenNapel
Developed by	Doug Langdale
Voices of	Dan Castellaneta Jeff Bennett Charles Adler Jim Cummings Edward Hibbert John Kassir Andrea Martin Kath Soucie
Narrated by	Jeff Bennett
Theme music composer	William Kevin Anderson
Opening theme	"Earthworm Jim", performed by William Kevin Anderson
Ending theme	"Earthworm Jim" (instrumental)
Composer(s)	William Kevin Anderson / Patrick Griffin
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	23
Production
Executive producer(s)	David Perry Doug TenNapel
Producer(s)	Kathi Castillo Roy Allen Smith
Editor(s)	Jay Bixsen
Running time	25 minutes
Production company(s)	AKOM Flextech Shiny Entertainment Universal Cartoon Studios
Distributor	MCA TV
Release
Original network	Kids' WB
Original release	September 9, 1995 (1995-09-09) – December 13, 1996 (1996-12-13)

Earthworm Jim is an American animated television series based on the video game of the same name, which aired on Kids' WB for two seasons from September 9, 1995, to December 13, 1996. The series follows the adventures of an earthworm named Jim who is turned into a superhero by a robotic super suit. The video game and show were created by Doug TenNapel.

Premise

Most episodes involve the series' numerous villains attempting to reclaim the super suit, rule/destroy/freeze/knock over the universe, or otherwise causing mayhem throughout the galaxy. Other problems facing Jim include returning his neighbor's eggbeater and finding a new power source after his suit is depowered. Also, the show breaks the fourth wall with characters often talking to the audience and the narrator.

Episodes begin with a cold opening of Earthworm Jim and Peter Puppy in some peril that has nothing to do with the main plot or the previous episodes, with little explanation of how they got into the mess. In between parts (generally before or after the commercial break), there is a short side-story, generally featuring one of the villains doing a more natural part of life, usually without any involvement from Jim. These can range anywhere from Psy-Crow going through a career change, Evil the Cat disguising himself as a movie star in order to make his evil plans known to the world, or Professor Monkey-For-A-Head attending group therapy and always ending with the line: "and now, back to Earthworm Jim." The end of every episode involves Jim or any other character being crushed by a cow, a play on the first game of the series (in the first stage, the player launches a cow into the sky, only to have it crush the Princess upon the game's ending).

Characters

Most of the main characters from the show originated from characters introduced in the Earthworm Jim (1994) and Earthworm Jim 2 (1995) video games. Peter Puppy becomes Jim's sidekick and friend and Princess What's-Her-Name his love interest. Many villains from the game, including Evil the Cat and his assistant Henchrat, Psy-Crow, Bob the Killer Goldfish, Queen Slug-for-a-Butt and Professor Monkey-For-A-Head also appear in the show.

Additionally, some original characters were also created for the show, and were then in turn integrated into video games released after the TV series. For example, Evil Jim, an evil duplicate of Earthworm Jim created for the show, went on to be the main antagonist for the game Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy.

Voice cast

The voice director for the series was Ginny McSwain.

Main

• Dan Castellaneta as Earthworm Jim, Evil Jim, The Hamsternator, Turns-His-Eyelids-Inside-Out Boy, Jim's Four Brains, The Grim Reaper, Jaepius: God of Puns
• Jeff Bennett as Peter Puppy, The Narrator, Evil Peter, Puice Dynamo, The President of the United States, The Great Worm Spirit
• Charlie Adler as Professor Monkey-For-A-Head, The Doorman of The Gods, Superhero #1
• Jim Cummings as Psy-Crow, Bob The Killer Goldfish, Johnny Dactyl, Walter, Zantor: Master of The Flying Toupée, The Sword of Righteousness, Phlegmaphus: God of Nasal Discharge, Lower Back-Pain Man, The Giant Fur-Bearin' Trout, Santa Claus
• Edward Hibbert as Evil The Cat
• John Kassir as Snott, Henchrat
• Andrea Martin as Queen Slug-For-A-Butt, The Torch Singer
• Kath Soucie as Princess What's-Her-Name, Evil Princess, Johnny Dactyl's Mom, Perpsichore: Goddess of Disco, Cody

Additional

• Gregg Berger as Superhero #2
• S. Scott Bullock as various
• Miriam Flynn as Malice The Dog
• Brad Garrett as The Lord of Nightmares
• Lisa Kaplan as various
• Danny Mann as Archbug
• Edie McClurg as various
• Dee Dee Rescher as The Purple Ailen
• Kevin Michael Richardson as The Anti-Fish
• Ben Stein as Rosebud The Nameless Beast, Dr. Houston
• Billy West as The Sturgeon
• April Winchell as Mrs. Bleverage

Production

The series was created by Doug TenNapel and produced by Universal Cartoon Studios along with AKOM, Flextech Television Limited, and Shiny Entertainment.

Episodes

Two seasons of the series were produced, for a total of 23 episodes.

Series overview

Season 1 (1995–1996)

Season 2 (1996)

Media

The show was released in the UK onto 3 VHS tapes in 3 volumes covering 2 episodes on each video in the 90s but these are now out of print and considered rare.

On June 1, 2011, Via Vision Entertainment released the complete series as a 5-disc set in Australia and New Zealand.

The complete series was intended to receive a U.S. DVD release from Visual Entertainment on July 10, 2012 (2012-07-10), but was delayed right before release to late October. The set includes all 23 episodes on 3 discs, and is currently available on Amazon.com.

Legacy

Aspects of the show, such as newly created characters, or art style, were later implemented in future video games Earthworm Jim 3D and Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy. Two Earthworm Jim comic book series, in the US and UK, were also created to tie into the animated series.

A line of action figures based on the show was released by Playmates Toys. The series included several variants of Earthworm Jim, as well as Peter Puppy, Princess Whats-Her-Name, Bob the Killer Goldfish, #4, Evil the Cat, Henchrat, Major Mucus and Psy-Crow. A mountable "pocket rocket" was also available as well as a rare mail-in repainted figure of Earthworm Jim in a green suit.

See also

In Spanish: Earthworm Jim (serie de televisión) para niños