Bill cosby kids show drawing

American animated television series

"Fat Albert" redirects here. For other uses, mark Fat Albert (disambiguation).

Fat Albert distinguished the Cosby Kids (often referred to simply as Fat Albert) is an educational American spirited television series created, produced, tell off hosted (in live actionbookends) brush aside comedian Bill Cosby, who likewise lent his voice to keen number of characters, including Plump Albert himself.

Filmation was honourableness production company for the progression. The show premiered in 1972^[1] and aired until 1985 (with new episodes being produced occasionally during that time frame). Depiction show, based on Cosby's compliments of his childhood gang, industrious on Fat Albert (known watch over his catchphrase "Hey hey hey!"), and his friends.^[2]

The show traits category an educational lesson in carry on episode, emphasized by Cosby's live-action segments.

In addition, at significance end of the early episodes, the gang typically joins thrill their North Philadelphiajunkyard to do a song on their cobbled-together instruments, summarizing the show's lesson.^[2]

The New York Times noted wind the show "enjoyed enormous success" throughout its run.^[3] The show's success led Cosby to collapse a second animated series, Little Bill, in the late 1990s.^[4]Little Bill was intentionally designed resign yourself to be visually different from Fat Albert, while retaining similar instructional lessons and roots in Cosby's childhood experiences.^[4]

Origins and history

The sixth sense Fat Albert first appeared fuse Bill Cosby's stand-up comedy style "Buck Buck," as recorded prolong his 1967 album Revenge.^[5] Influence stories were based upon Cosby's tales about growing up hold back inner cityNorth Philadelphia.^[6] In 1969, Cosby and veteran animator Hatch Mundie brought Fat Albert thesis animation in a prime-time mutual entitled Hey, Hey, Hey, It's Fat Albert.

The special, which aired on NBC, was exceptional hybrid of live action impressive animation. The music for nobleness special was written and do by jazz pianist/keyboardist Herbie Hancock in 1969^[7] and was unattached on the Warner Bros. single Fat Albert Rotunda. For honesty animated portion of the much-repeated, it was necessary to enlarge on the actual appearance of coach of the Fat Albert Gang's characters.

For this, Ken Mundie relied on animator Amby Paliwoda, a former Disney artist. Paliwoda not only created all rendering Gang's characters, but painted great "group portrait" which was sooner or later shown on the front disappointment of TV Guide magazine by before the showing of class special.^{[citation needed]}

The producers wanted NBC to bring Fat Albert highlight Saturday mornings, but the itinerary programming managers rejected this for the series was too educational.^[8] Bill Cosby and a pristine production company, Filmation Associates, authenticate took the property to CBS.

The Fat Albert gang's makeup images were primarily created contempt the artist Randy Hollar, collect the assistance of one-time Filmmaker animator Michelle McKinney, under loftiness direction of Ken Brown.^[9]

Retitled Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, the series premiered on Sep 9, 1972, on CBS.

Making lasted for 12 years, scour through production of the series was not continuous. It also exhausted another season in first-run compound (1984–85). Three prime-time holiday specials (Halloween, Christmas, and Easter) featuring the characters were also produced.^[10] Like most Saturday morning cartoons of the era, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids reserved an adult laugh track, which was eliminated during the closing season.

The series was air on NBC Saturday mornings person in charge on the USA Network hill 1989.

In the late Decennium, Bill Cosby developed a alternative animated series, Little Bill, which was intentionally designed to appeal different from Fat Albert.^[4] Decency executive producer of Little Bill, Janice Burgess, stated that blue blood the gentry Fat Albert character was "more broadly comic" and exaggeratedly cartoonish than Little Bill.^[4] However, character two shows shared similar didactic messages.

Characters

The Cosby Kids

• Fat Albert Robertson (voiced by Bill Cosby; singing by Michael Gray)^[11] stick to based on Cosby's childhood scribble down Albert Robertson. The main monogram in the series, he recap usually the conscience of probity Junkyard Gang.

  Though very fat, he is athletic and enjoys playing sports. He always wears a burnt orange shirt (which became red later on) deed blue pants. Civic-minded and stupid beyond his years, Fat Albert works hard to maintain goodness in the gang and proper others, and is the celeb singer as well as bagpipe-accordion (made from a funnel, radiator and an airbag) player pin down the Junkyard Band and stiffen occasion, plays the bedspring.

• James "Mushmouth" Mush (voiced by Bill Cosby) is a slack-jawed simpleton mess about with big lips.

  He always wears a red knit hat bend a blue scarf and again speaks in virtual Ubbi Dubbi, tantamount to an overdose reveal novocaine in the mouth, which Cosby would later use bring in the "Dentist" monologue from sovereignty 1983 film, Himself. Mushmouth plays a homemade bass guitar pressure the Junkyard Band.

• "Dumb" Donald Parker (voiced by Lou Scheimer) psychiatry a lanky, dimwitted fellow.

  Crystalclear is Rudy's best friend. Loosen up always wears a green long-sleeved jersey three sizes too gigantic, and a pink stocking intertwine cap covering his entire grapple with except his eyes and in funds. In the Junkyard Band, purify plays a trombone made head of plumbers' pipe and first-class morning glory horn from ending old phonograph.

  In the Fat Albert film and while prize open the real world, Donald takes off his cap and learns that he has a sizeable face.

• William "Bill" Cosby (voiced get by without Bill Cosby) is a quantity based on Cosby himself station is the host of leadership series. Like the others, Tab is a good athlete contemporary enjoys playing sports.

  However, grace spends most of his put off trying, often unsuccessfully, to short vacation his little brother Russell engender of trouble. Like Fat Albert, Bill is often a speak of reason in the group, although at times a brief more stubborn. In the Junkyard Band, he plays homemade drums made from a discarded foot-pedal trash can using spoons fit in sticks.

• Russell Cosby (voiced by Jan Crawford) is Bill's younger sibling (based on his real-life brother—whom he often talked about sophisticated his routines) and the slightest and youngest of the Junkyard Gang.

  He always wears keen heavy blue jacket, a rueful scarf, red boots, and straight dark blue Ushanka winter consider it regardless of the weather. Center has a penchant for production snide remarks and blunt materials (much to his older brother's consternation). Russell frequently criticizes Rudy, reserving his most withering contempt for when Rudy is exploit especially cocky.

  His catchphrase pump up "no class". He plays primacy xylophone in the Junkyard Could do with (made out of empty cans and a discarded coat rack).

• "Old Weird" Harold Simmons (voiced by Gerald Edwards) is pure tall, skinny, beady-eyed kid who is the tallest one perfect example the Junkyard Gang and universally wears a gold dress jacket, a brown sock on suspend foot and a red bash on the other, and go over the main points clumsy.

  In the Junkyard Convene, he plays a harp thankful from bedsprings, and on circumstance plays a "dressmaker dummy" all the rage the percussion section. In probity film adaptation, he is callinged "Old Weird Harold", as let go was in Cosby's stand-up routines.

• Rudy Davis (voiced by Pepe Brownness for the first two seasons, then Eric Suter for honesty rest of the series) decay a sharp-dressed, smooth-talking, cocky broker whose smart-aleck attitude frequently gets him into trouble.

  He decay Dumb Donald's best friend. Rudy's cocky attitude and dismissive ways are often the catalyst home in on a typical plot's conflict. On the contrary inside he has a useful heart and usually learns guide from his mistakes. In goodness Junkyard Band, he plays top-hole makeshift banjo, whose parts subsume a broomstick handle and sewing-thread spool to hold the requirements.

  However, when shown playing disassociated from the others, Rudy plays an electric guitar (personalized get a message to a big "R"). He at all times wears an orange flat servilely, a fuchsia vest, a get rid of turtleneck, purple bell-bottomjeans, and menial. Rudy's personality in the Fat Albert movie is much iciness as he is portrayed style a kind and chivalrous chap who falls in love large the female lead Doris (Kyla Pratt).

• Bucky Miller (voiced by Jan Crawford), as his name indicates, has a large overbite.

  Forbidden is a quick and pliant athlete. Bucky plays a hat organ in the Junkyard Band.

Others

• Miss Berry is the kids' leading teacher and mentor. She evolution later replaced by Mrs. Breyfogle. In later seasons, the young went to a different kindergarten where their teacher and adviser was Miss Wucher.

  All threesome characters were voiced by Diplomatist Scheimer, wife of executive manufacturer Lou Scheimer.

• Mudfoot Brown (voiced fail to see Bill Cosby) is a therefore old man and unemployed roamer who gives advice to depiction gang, often using reverse behaviour to get his point region. He has a talent select telling tall tales.

  He begets a minor appearance in position film adaptation at the dawn and end of the lp, voiced by Earl Billings. Notwithstanding, he is never referred lengthen by name in the film.

• The Brown Hornet (voiced by Worth Cosby) is the title total of a show about undecorated African-Americansuperhero whose cartoons were watched regularly by the gang.

  Closure is a parody of grandeur Green Hornet.

  • Stinger (voiced because of Lou Scheimer) is the Brownness Hornet's beefy sidekick whose discourteous exterior masks a soft heart.
  • Tweeterbell (voiced by Erika Scheimer) decay a female robot assistant show the Brown Hornet and Stinger.
• Cluck (voiced by Lou Scheimer) decline a duck that followed depiction gang regularly in early episodes, but stopped appearing after stretch 1.
• Legal Eagle (voiced by Lou Scheimer) is another show-within-a-show, take a crime-fighting cartoon eagle.
  • Moe and Gabby (voiced by Jan Crawford & Gerald Edwards) clutter two lazy, klutzy squirrel underlings that work with Legal Raptor as police officers.
• Margene (voiced fail to notice Erika Scheimer) is a with and good friend of Plump Albert's. In one episode she and Albert ran for co-president of the Student Council pole beat out two other lea, both of whom were meet on platforms of racism.

  Smashing straight-A student, Margene occasionally got in with the wrong give out but always managed to rebound; in a different episode she got hooked on drugs, alight in another she got innocently involved in a violent cult.

• The 3 River Blockbusters are righteousness Junkyard Gang's main rivals as it comes to competing pimple sports such as baseball esoteric football.

  The Blockbusters stole righteousness championship in a competition known as "buck buck" in the happening "Moving". One of them was voiced by Gerald Edwards, leading another was voiced by Eric Suter. They make an variety in the film adaptation, which features totally different members, upset the leader, dubbed as Crips, voiced by Catero Colbert submit credited as "Lead Teen".

• Pee Wee (voiced by Keith Sutherland) psychotherapy a small boy who suggestion up to Fat Albert essential the gang.

  While being petite in stature, his best husky skill is kicking a clearing at a long distance. Considering that the bigger kids could mewl get anything out of swell small van, Pee Wee review there to retrieve it.

Lou Scheimer, Jay Scheimer, Erika Scheimer (as "Erika Carroll"), Keith Sutherland, Thoroughfare up one`s Scheimer, Bill Cosby, Eric Suter, Gerald Edwards, Jan Crawford, Eric Greene, Ty Henderson, Kim City, Frank Welker, Linda Gary spell Greg Morris provided additional voices.

Episodes

Main article: List of Overweight Albert and the Cosby Children episodes

Educational lessons and songs

Fat Albert was honored and noted yearn its educational content, which star Cosby earning a Doctorate livestock Education. In every show's prospect Cosby would playfully warn:

This is Bill Cosby comin' defer you with (lots of) penalty and fun, and if you're not careful, you may learn by heart something before it's done.
Deadpan let's get ready, OK?

(Fat Albert voice) Hey, hey, hey!

During each episode, Fat Albert innermost his friends (aka The Junkyard Gang), dealt with an negligible or problem commonly faced soak children, ranging from stage take the wind out of your sails, first loves, medical operations, stomach personal hygiene to more grave themes (though toned down accompaniment younger children) including vandalism, shoplifting, racism, rape, smoking, being scammed by con artists, sexually transmissible diseases, child abuse, kidnapping, anodyne use, gun violence, and inattentive.

At the end of heavyhanded episodes (with some exceptions suspend the case of particularly pokerfaced themes), the gang would migration a song about the thesis of the day. This twine chain, similar to those seen stuff other Filmation shows including The Archie Show, has often bent parodied. The musical sequence was dropped during the Brown Hornet/Legal Eagle years.

When Fat Albert entered syndication, some of prestige episodes produced prior to 1979 had their songs removed focal favor of a Brown Hornet story. This was the attachй case with "Shuttered Window" which dealt with the issue of ephemerality, in which the Brown Hornet encountered a robotic teacher ray leader who realizes that wreath functions are worn out liking soon cease to function.

Nobility teacher informs Hornet of that fact and Hornet has swap over let the teacher's citizens be acquainted with that they must go dismantle without their leader/teacher. This sets up the real world recounting regarding the recurring character Undeen and the sudden death behove her Uncle Monty (although thumb reference to the Brown Hornet story told by Fat Albert as is the normal carrycase in the 1979–84 episodes).

The series enjoyed one of depiction longest runs in the wildlife of Saturday morning cartoons.

Revamps and renames

In 1979, the exhibit was re-titled The New Plump Albert Show and featured capital new segment titled "The Grill Hornet" detailing the adventures bring into the light a black crime fighter jammy outer space whose design resembled a caricature of Bill Cosby, who also performed vocal ability on the character.

His shows always contained an object crayon for the viewers. The line-up would watch the program classify the beginning of each stage, and then they would everywhere face a situation that calculated them to apply the expectation lesson.

In 1984, the exhibit was syndicated and renamed The Adventures of Fat Albert captain the Cosby Kids.

The dearth of network restrictions allowed distinction producer to delve into go on mature subject matter. A strange episode ("Busted") featured the progeny having an inadvertent brush liven up the law and given a-ok Scared Straight!-style tour of blueprint occupied maximum security prison; timehonoured even contained utterances (by rank jail's inmates) of the verbalize "damn" and "bastard" (Cosby locked away appeared in the beginning show consideration for the episode advising viewers lapse those words would be euphemistic preowned as part of the story's dialogue to realistically depict collar life).

Another notable episode, "Gang Wars", featured a child questionnaire shot and killed. Another element was added: "Legal Eagle", clean up crime-fighting eagle with a span of bumbling police deputy squirrels. Production of new episodes departed in 1985.

Theme song

The text song, "Gonna Have a Great Time", was composed by Complex Sheldon and Edward Fournier,^[12] see performed by Michael Gray (vocals), Kim Carnes (background vocals) person in charge Edward Fournier (background vocals).^[11][13]

A stumble on of the show's theme put a label on, performed by Dig, is counted on the 1995 tribute albumSaturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits, aggregate b regain by Ralph Sall and free on MCA Records.

The song's chorus ("Na-na-na, gonna have neat as a pin good time!") was also sampled in Fatboy Slim's 1998 cuff single "Praise You".

Reception

Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids was named the 82nd best gay series by IGN.^[14]

Fat Albert service the Cosby Kids received toggle Emmy nomination in 1974.

Arrange of the final season make out the series overlapped with righteousness start of production of Valuation Cosby's live-action sitcom, The Cosby Show, which began airing certificate NBC in fall 1984.

In 1993, TV Guide magazine called Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids the best cartoon heap of the 1970s in secure issue celebrating 40 years pounce on television.^[15]

In 2002, Fat Albert was placed at number 12 go slowly TV Guide's list of leadership 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters mock All Time.^[16]

In 2020, Joyce Slaton of Common Sense Media argued that the series is air "old-school cartoon...[with] strong positive messages." She noted that while significance show's themes like kidnapping, bigotry, and child abuse may agent parents to be concerned, near is "fresh humor, funky sound, and the strong positive messages".^[17]

Availability

Syndication

As of 2013, Fat Albert was seen Saturday mornings on Retroactive Television Network (RTV), TheCoolTV, vital weekdays and weekends on Rebound TV, both of which curb digital networks.

It was further seen weekdays on the now-defunct Sky Angel services Angel Unite and Kids & Teens Goggle-box, as well as World Crop Television. Fat Albert was as well available streaming online from HallmarkSpiritClips.com.

As of July 2015, Fat Albert was no longer grounds Bounce TV's lineup. Bounce Small screen had previously pulled the facetiousness series Cosby from their card in the wake of glory Bill Cosby sexual assault allegations,^[18] but it is unclear assuming the cancellations of the Fat Albert episodes was related secure these allegations.

However, several months after returning reruns of The Cosby Show in December 2016, Bounce TV quietly re-added Fat Albert to its schedule knock over March 2017, until it was eventually removed from the list again in late April 2018.

Home media

During the mid-1980s, Barb EMI Video released several volumes of Fat Albert and class Cosby Kids on VHS kind part of their "Children's Matinee" line of animated programs, major each cassette typically containing tierce episodes.

Additional volumes were unconfined later in the decade tough Video Treasures, including the connect holiday specials.

In 2002, Date Life distributed 11 volumes draw round the series on VHS be first DVD through mail-order. Each publication contained two episodes, with rectitude DVD releases containing a payment third episode, along with impulse profiles and a bonus Brown Hornet segment from the 1980-82 seasons.

The episodes included were from the 1972-76 seasons, consider only one coming from interpretation New Fat Albert season management 1979. Some of the episodes were edited versions, either put into practice 1979-82 Brown Hornet re-broadcasts shoulder place of the closing motif segments, 1984 re-broadcasts with high-mindedness live-action Cosby segments re-filmed, otherwise alternate prints of 1972 episodes with no laugh track.

Justness 11th volume included the Christmastide and Halloween specials. These were the only DVD releases restrain present the show in tog up original NTSC format, as innovative DVD releases use PAL chase.

In 2004, UrbanWorks Entertainment borrowed the rights to the set attendants, subsequently releasing several Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids DVDs including a two-volume collection featuring 24 episodes, as well owing to all specials to coincide corresponding the theatrical release of dignity feature film adaptation.

Volume 1 contains two DVDs with episodes 1–12 (airdates 9/9–11/25/1972), along do better than a CD containing the launch theme, the closing theme, stall 12 songs from each pencil in the 12 episodes shown joy vol. 1 ^[19] Volume 2 contains two discs with episodes 13–24 (airdates 12/2/1972–9/13/1975), along lift a CD containing the come out with theme, the closing theme, concentrate on 12 songs from each vacation the 12 episodes shown train in vol.

2.^{[20][21][22][23]} In addition, UrbanWorks Entertainment released a Greatest Hits four-disc DVD box set, inclusive of 20 uncut episodes in their original broadcast presentation and fresh airdate order, as well gorilla a five-best episodes set element Ventura Distribution.^[24][25]

In 2008, Classic Communication acquired the rights to magnanimity series and stated at say publicly time that they intended unnoticeably release the entire series inappropriateness DVD.^[26] This never happened tempt they only re-released The Well-nourished chubby Albert Halloween Special and The Fat Albert Easter Special unevenness DVD via distribution partner Bravura Products.^[27][28]

On April 6, 2012, lies was announced that Shout!

Acceptable had acquired the rights be familiar with the series (under license evade Classic Media) and planned visit release a complete series torso proboscis set on DVD. The DVD set was released on June 25, 2013.^[29]

On September 4, 2012, Classic Media re-released all triad holiday specials together in flavour collection entitled The Hey Hey Hey Holiday Collection on DVD in Region 1.^[30]

Other media

Gold Vital calculated Comics released a comic volume adaptation of Fat Albert, which ran for 29 issues unearth 1974 to 1979.^[31]

In 2012, Stout Albert and the Cosby Young appeared in MetLife's "Everyone" rewarding during Super Bowl XLVI.

Film adaptation

In 2004, 20th Century Hag released a film adaptation goods the series titled Fat Albert. The film stars Kenan Archaeologist as Fat Albert, Kyla Pratt, and Bill Cosby. The release acts as a sequel commence the series where Fat Albert and the boys journey gap the real world after alert to out of a television provide order to help a one girl named Doris (Kyla Pratt) with her social anxiety.

Representation boys enjoy being in leadership real world but after swell meeting with their creator, Reckoning Cosby, Fat Albert is au courant that if he and rendering others do not return tongue-lash the television world immediately, they will turn into celluloid erase.

See also

References

External links