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Cow and Chicken
Cow and Chicken logo.png
Genre
Created by David Feiss
Written by
  • Pilar Menendez
  • David Feiss
  • Monte Young
  • Victor Ortado
  • Larry Huber
  • Vincent Davis
  • Greg Emison
  • Gordon Coulthart
  • Michael Ryan
  • Bill Burnett
  • Steve Marmel
  • Vincent Waller
  • Seth MacFarlane
  • Richard Pursel
  • Maxwell Atoms
  • Sherri Schrader
  • Jeff Kwitny
  • Gary Wilson
  • Sami Rank
  • Genndy Tartakovsky
  • 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
Theme music composer Guy Moon
Opening theme "Cow and Chicken"
Ending theme "Cow and Chicken" (Instrumental)
Composer(s) Guy Moon
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 3
No. of episodes 52 (106 segments) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
  • 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)
Producer(s)
  • David Feiss
  • Vincent Davis
  • Davis Doi (supervising producer, seasons 2–3)
Running time 14 minutes
Production company(s) Hanna-Barbera Cartoons
Distributor Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original network Cartoon Network
Picture format 480i SDTV
Audio format Dolby Surround
Original release July 15, 1997 (1997-07-15) – July 24, 1999 (1999-07-24)
Chronology
Related shows

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

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. It was nominated for two Emmy Awards.

Premise

Cow and Chicken No Smoking Poster
Poster for the series' pilot, featuring the Red Guy (left), Cow (center), and Chicken (right).

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

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; Chicken's best friends Flem (Howard Morris) and Earl (Dan Castellaneta); and their cousin, Boneless Chicken (Adler). 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.

Episodes

List of Cow and Chicken episodes Cow and Chicken has a total of 52 episodes in 3 seasons that were produced from July 1997 to July 1999. Each half-hour contains 2 Cow and Chicken and 1 I Am Weasel segment. Cow and Chicken premiered as a full half-hour on July 15, 1997. 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. 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. 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.

Video games

Cow, Chicken, and the Red Guy are playable characters in the game Cartoon Network Racing. The PlayStation 2 version includes Flem and Earl as playable characters.

Cow/Supercow, Chicken, and the Red Guy are playable characters in the game Cartoon Network Speedway.

In the 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

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Cow and Chicken para niños

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