Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
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Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends is an American animated television series created and produced by animator Craig McCracken at Cartoon Network Studios, who also created The Powerpuff Girls. It first premiered on Cartoon Network on August 13, 2004, as a 90-minute television movie. It now shows as half-hour episodes (including commercials). Occasionally, there will be two separate stories in one episode, each story taking half of the episode. The series currently airs on Cartoon Network and its affiliates worldwide, except in Canada where it currently airs on Teletoon/Télétoon due to Canadian television ownership regulations. The show was also on Kids' WB from July 9 through August 13, 2005, but has since been taken off the schedule.
Mac and Bloo, the two main characters, are also serving as the hosts of Cartoon Network's "Cartoon Summer" promotion that started on May 29, 2006 (Memorial Day in the United States).
Overview
Inspiration
When McCracken and his wife Lauren Faust, adopted a pair of dogs from a California animal shelter, McCracken wondered what the dogs' lives were like before he got them. From this, the idea for Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends was created.The world of Foster's
In this world, imaginary friends become real the instant a child imagines them. Unfortunately for the imaginary friends, the children outgrow them. When that happens, the friends are left to fend for themselves. Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends was founded by the elderly Madame Foster to provide a foster home (hence the title) for abandoned imaginary friends; their motto is "Where good ideas are not forgotten." There are (according to "Setting A President") 1,340 imaginary friends at Foster's Home, and according to Mac in "Bloo's Brothers", the house is located at 1123 Wilson Way. The show is not clear on just what city or state they are located in, as the episode "Squeeze The Day" shows everyone in the house at a beach while Bloo watches a weather station on cable, which is reporting on the weather in Topeka, Kansas and Spokane, Washington.
Animation technique
The show is produced in-house and overseas using computer vector graphics programs, including Macromedia Flash, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe After Effects. This all-digital animation method is relatively inexpensive.Cultural references
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends is known to attract older viewers with its quirky humor and odd plots. Hidden throughout the show are jokes, parodies, puns, and references aimed at older children and young adults, while the sarcastic, wise-cracking Bloo is an atypical character among standard children's fare. In addition, pop culture is also referenced with episode titles, parts of plots, and in-jokes, such as a stylized version of the Nintendo GameCube that the imaginary friends often play video games on, one of which is a parody of the 1979 arcade game, Galaxian. There are also more mature-themed in-jokes, an example being the fact the Mac's hyperactive problem and Mr. Herriman's addiction to carrots are both references to drug addiction.Characters
Humans
- Mac — Mac is a bright eight-year-old boy who lives with his mom and older brother Terrence. Mac almost always knows what to do when there is a problem and how to punish a person when they are bad.
- Madame Foster — Madame Foster is founder of the foster home. She is elderly, but she has a lot of spunk and loves to play tricks on others. Her imaginary friend is Mr. Herriman, whom she imagined when she was a child and never gave up. Frankie is her granddaughter.
- Frances "Frankie" Foster — Frankie is Madame Foster's 22-year-old (but younger-looking) granddaughter. She is pressured by Mr. Herriman into doing chores around the house, but doesn't enjoy it, and thinks of herself as "punk rock."
- Terrence — Terrence is Mac's older brother. Exceptionally dense and lacking any sense of compassion, he constantly bullies Mac and Bloo. He imagined Red, who appeared in one episode, and a piece of pizza, which he ate.
Imaginary friends
- Blooregard Q. Kazoo — Blooregard, called Bloo for short, is Mac's best friend. He's a small, wise-cracking, door-shaped, blue blob who gets into trouble because of his mischievous mind and attention-craving ego.
- Eduardo — Eduardo is an imaginary protector friend who speaks "Spanglish." With his huge horns, purple hair, skull buckle, and grey pants, he resembles a Wild Thing from Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. Unfortunately, Eduardo harbors a cowardly streak a mile long. He also possesses an impressive stash of "beanie buddies" (an obvious reference to the widely known and collectable beanie babies) that he values greatly. In spite of his almost constant state of terror, however, he is incredibly strong and can be trusted to come to his friends' rescue whenever they are truly in trouble.
- Wilt — Wilt is a tall, red, imaginary friend with a stubby left arm and a crooked eyestalk. Wilt enjoys basketball and is generally very easy-going. He will always aid a friend in small tasks, prides himself on rescuing abandoned friends, and sometimes helps Frankie around the house. His defining aspect is his sense of fair play and good sportsmanship, which he applies to every part of life he can. His name is an obvious homage to NBA star Wilt Chamberlain.
- Coco — Coco is an insane, bird-airplane-plant, imaginary friend who can only speak or write the word "coco" at various speeds and with different emphasis. The other characters understand her without any apparent difficulty. The characters often repeat what she says, or close to it, so the conversation is understood. Coco also loves to drink cocoa, which does sometimes create confusion. She can also lay plastic eggs that will have virtually any item inside them; however, she won't always lay an egg carrying something that the others need. Coco sometimes suggests criminal offenses to solve problems, though her manner of speech leaves the exact details unclear. One instance even seems to have her suggesting murder. This ties in with her already insane nature.
- Mr. Herriman — Mr. Herriman is a giant imaginary rabbit created by Madame Foster herself, when she was a child. He serves as the president of the home, and expects the inhabitants to follow his rules. He is very formal and well-mannered, which leaves his tolerance for Bloo lacking in most regards. Sometimes, Mr. H (as he is also called) does a little dance in front of his creator, which Bloo once recorded and posted on the Internet, hence his pet name from Madame Foster of "Funny Bunny."
- Duchess — Duchess, as she is commonly called (her full name is much longer), is a cross, selfish, ungrateful imaginary friend, resembling a figure from a Cubist painting or a work from Pablo Picasso. In fact, Duchess is two-dimensional, as shown in the episode "Partying Is Such Sweet Soireé". Due to an oath, everyone must cater and care to her every need, although she complains repeatedly, and wishes to leave the foster home. She did leave once, but was returned from her adoptive family quickly by Mac and Bloo, due to her disturbing the neighbors with her horrible screaming and shouting.
Episode list
This is a complete known episode list for Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends.
Aside from the regular episodes, a two-minute short entitled "Driving Miss Crazy" aired on June 9, 2006. In it, Bloo and the gang go to a mechanic to pick up the Foster's bus. The episode's title puns the play and movie Driving Miss Daisy.
First season
The first season is comprised of the three-episode pilot ("House of Bloo's") and ten single episodes.| Overall | Season | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 - 03 | 101 - 103 | "House of Bloo's" | August 13, 2004 |
| 04 | 104 | "Store Wars" | August 20, 2004 |
| 05 | 105 | "The Trouble With Scribbles" | August 27, 2004 |
| 06 | 106 | "Busted" | September 3, 2004 |
| 07 | 107 | "Dinner is Swerved" | September 10, 2004 |
| 08 | 108 | "World Wide Wabbit" | September 17, 2004 |
| 09 | 109 | "Berry Scary" | September 24, 2004 |
| 10 | 110 | "Seeing Red" / "Phone Home" | October 1, 2004 |
| 11 | 111 | "Who Let The Dogs In?" | October 8, 2004 |
| 12 | 112 | "Adoptcalypse Now" | October 15, 2004 |
| 13 | 113 | "Bloooooo!" | October 22, 2004 |
Second season
| Overall | Season | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 201 | "Partying Is Such Sweet Soireé" | January 21, 2005 |
| 15 | 202 | "The Big Lablooski" | January 28, 2005 |
| 16 | 203 | "When There's a Wilt, There's a Way" / "Everyone Knows It's Bendy" | February 4, 2005 |
| 17 | 204 | "Sight for Sore Eyes" / "Bloo's Brothers" | March 4, 2005 |
| 18 | 205 | "Cookie Dough" | March 11, 2005 |
| 19 | 206 | "Frankie My Dear" | March 18, 2005 |
| 20 | 207 | "Mac Daddy" | May 6, 2005 |
| 21 | 208 | "Squeakerboxxx" | May 13, 2005 |
| 22 | 209 | "Beat With A Schtick" | May 20, 2005 |
| 23 | 210 | "Sweet Stench of Success" | May 27, 2005 |
| 24 | 211 | "Bye Bye Nerdy" | July 1, 2005 |
| 25 | 212 | "Bloo Done It" | July 8, 2005 |
| 26 | 213 | "My So-Called Wife" | July 15, 2005 |
Third season
| Overall | Season | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 301 | "Eddie Monster" | July 22, 2005 |
| 28 | 302 | "Hiccy Burp" | September 5, 2005 |
| 29 | 303 | "Camp Keep a Good Mac Down" | September 9, 2005 |
| 30 | 304 | "Imposter's Home For Um…Make 'Em Up Pals" | September 16, 2005 |
| 31 | 305 | "Duchess of Wails" | September 23, 2005 |
| 32 | 306 | "Fosters Goes To Europe" | November 4, 2005 |
| 33 | 307 | "Go Goo Go" | November 11, 2005 |
| 34 | 308 | "Crime After Crime" | November 18, 2005 |
| 35 | 309 | "Land of the Flea" | November 25, 2005 |
| 37 | 311 | "One False Movie" | February 10, 2006 |
| 38 | 312 | "Setting A President" | February 17, 2006 |
| 39 | 313 | "Room With A Feud" | March 17, 2006 |
| 40 | 314 | "Cuckoo for Coco Cards" | March 24, 2006 |
Fourth season
| Overall | Season | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 401 | "Challenge of the SuperFriends" | April 28, 2006 |
| 42 | 402 | "The Big Picture" | May 5, 2006 |
| 43 | 403 | "Squeeze The Day" | May 12, 2006 |
| 44 | 404 | "Neighbor Pains" | May 19, 2006 |
| 45 | 405 | "Infernal Slumber" | July 17, 2006 |
| 46 | 406 | "I Only Have Surprise for You" | July 27, 2006 |
| 47 | 407 | "Bus the Two of Us" | TBA |
Holiday episodes
| Overall | Season | Holiday | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 310 | Christmas | "A Lost Claus" | December 1, 2005 |
Awards
Annie Awards
The show was nominated for four Annie Awards in 2004, and five more in 2005, winning two awards that year for Best Original Music in a Television Series (James L. Venable and Jennifer Kes Remington for "Duchess of Wails") and Production Design in an Animated TV Series (McCracken with Mike Moon, David Dunnet and Martin Ansolabhere for the Christmas episode "A Lost Claus"). The episode "Go Goo Go" was nominated in 2006 for Best Animated Program Under One Hour.Emmy Awards
The show has won a total of three Emmy Awards. The episode "House of Bloo's" won two Emmy Awards for art direction (Mike Moon) and character design (Craig McCracken). "World Wide Wabbit" won an Emmy for best storyboard (Ed Baker). The show's theme song (described by McCracken as "psychedelic ragtime" and written by Venable) was nominated for Best TV Show Theme in 2005, but lost to Danny Elfman's theme to Desperate Housewives. The episode "Duchess of Wails" is nominated for Best Animated Program Under One Hour in 2006.Pulcinella Awards
The series was honored with two Pulcinella Awards at the 2005 Cartoons on the Bay Festival in Positano, Italy. Blooregard Q. Kazoo was the winner in the Best Character category. The series was also named the winner of the Best Cartoon Series for All Audiences.Merchandising
Other than in-house items such as Cartoon Network's internet shop (T-Shirts, a Bloo plush, etc.), there has not been much as far as major products. As of 2006, there has been a statue series with Bloo, Mac, and Eduardo featured in the first statue. Future statues will feature Frankie, Madame Foster, and Mr. Herriman in the summer of 2006, and one with Wilt and Coco will appear around Christmas. Two limited edition gilcee cels — one with the cast posing for a picture, the other styled like an cross-stitch — were also created. Scholastic Books has printed activity and story books based on episodes, and Burger King has had a toy promotion giveaway with their kids' meals in April and May of 2006. A Game Boy Advance game created by CRAVE Entertainment will debut in the Fall of 2006, and a Warner Brothers Home Video DVD will also appear as well. And starting in 2007, as part of an overall deal with Cartoon Network, Mattel will have items related to the mass marketing of the show.
On May 15, 2006, Cartoon Network introduced a new online game, Big Fat Awesome House Party, which allows players to create an online friend to join Bloo and the others in a one-year game online, and earn points that would give them gifts cards and other on-line "merchandise" for their albums and that friend made from one of over 900,000 possible characters could wind up in a future episode of Foster's.
Other countries
Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends is now seen in almost every language on various channels worldwide. While most of these are Cartoon Network affiliates, a few are not, mostly over-the-air or terrestrial channels.
In France, it airs on France 3 during the France Truc block, in the Philippines on RPN, in Mexico on Televisa and in Spain on Cuatro TV, in Brazil on Cartoon Network. It will air in Germany on Super RTL beginning in the summer of 2006.
Because of translation, the title for the show is not always the same in each language. The titles for the show vary from country to country.
External links
- [''BLOGregard Q. Kazoo], the official production blog for the show.
- [The Very Unofficial Guide to Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends], a fan site with an interview with McCracken and show information hosted by Toon Zone.
- [Screenshots of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends Episodes], A directory of screenshots maintained by C. "Sparky" Read.
- [The full theme song for Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends].
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