Inspector Gadget spinoff incarnations

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Since the cancellation of the original DiC cartoon series, Inspector Gadget, in 1986, there have been many attempts to recapture its popularity. These attempts have included the same characters and premises, to using completely different characters in completely different premises. Despite all the attempts, none have been as remarkably successful as the original. This article gives descriptions about these various projects.

Contents

Animation

Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas

[Promo Photo]

Dr. Claw has locked up Santa Claus at the North Pole and hypnotized his elves. Christmas will be finished unless Dr. Claw is stopped. Inspector Gadget, Penny, and Brain travel to the North Pole in an attempt to stop Dr. Claw and save Christmas. This special was nominated for an emmy.

Don Adams, Frank Welker, Erica Horn and Maurice LaMarche provide the voices for the characters.

Gadget Boy & Heather

([View Photo]) One of the many series to involve younger versions of famous cartoon franchises, this series is about the bumbling inspector as a kid, Gadget Boy. Instead of Penny, Gadget Boy was assisted by none other than the resourceful Heather. Just as maladroit as his future adult self is, Gadget Boy was usually bailed out of situations by the more practical Heather, though he was also helped greatly by his myriad high-tech gadgets and extendable arms and legs. In this series, traditional nemesis Dr. Claw was replaced by the villainous villainess Spydra. In addition, the chief, Strombolli who was much like Chief Quimby (only italian) had a "fax tie" that exploded after the mission was read.

The series debuted in 1995 and only a single season was produced, besides the historical spinoff, Gadget Boy's Adventures in History (q.v.), which aired on The History Channel. The main title song was written and performed by Mike Piccirillo. The musical underscore composers were Mike Piccirillo and Jean-Michel Guirao.

Inspector Gadget's Field Trip

In this 1996 series, Gadget takes students around the world in this series of 50 field trips. Adams returns as the voice of Gadget. The main title song was written and performed by Mike Piccirillo. The musical underscore composer was Mike Piccirillo.

Gadget Boy's Adventures in History

Following the adventures of Gadget Boy & Heather, they now have to stop Spydra across time.

The series debuted in 1998 on The History Channel. This also marks the last time Don Adams would perform a voice role for the animated Gadget series.

Inspector Gadget: Gadget's Greatest Gadgets

Released in 1999, it is a direct-to-video story in which Gadget has a flashback to his past adventures in the original TV series, using footage from episodes 'The Capeman Cometh', 'Prince of the Gypsies', and 'Gadget's Gadgets'. Maurice LaMarche did the voice of Gadget in the modern segment and in the segments 'The Capeman Cometh' and 'Gadget's Gadgets'. Cree Summer voiced Penny in the modern segment.

Inspector Gadget's Last Case

In 2002, DiC made an animated film called Inspector Gadget's Last Case.

When Inspector Gadget gives up his beloved but aging Gadgetmobile, his archenemy Dr. Claw uses a competing crime fighter to discredit Gadget and cost him his badge.

In this movie, Dr. Claw's face is finally visible to the audience...sort of. This film has the same animation style as the Gadgetinis series, paving the way for the concepts to follow in the series Gadget and the Gadgetinis and Go Go Gadgetini's

Gadget's voice was provided by Maurice LaMarche rather than Don Adams. LaMarche is most well-known for voicing Brain, the large-headed megalomaniacal lab mouse on Animaniacs (not related to the dog Brain from Inspector Gadget).

Gadget and the Gadgetinis

In 2001-2003, DiC also developed and made 52 episodes of the spinoff Gadget and the Gadgetinis, which aired in 2003.

In it, Gadget is a lieutenant, and a member of an organization called "WOMP" (World Organization of Mega Powers). He is aided in his work by Penny (who is now twelve years old), as well as the new robot characters Digit and Fidget, the titular Gadgetinis invented by Penny.

The quality of this production was clearly better than many other spinoffs (such as Gadget Boy and Inspector Gadget's Field Trip); it was made by the original crew, and followed the same plot as the original series, with the clumsy Inspector attempting to fight crime on his own, while Penny and her helpers did all the work. However, the music was not as elegant and the animation style somewhat edgier than in the original series. Doctor Claw, who in some stories was replaced by other villains - in a few cases aliens - had relatives in a few of the episodes, a move which has been criticized as detracting from his mystery.

Maurice Lamarche continued as Gadget's voice. The main title song was written and performed by Mike Piccirillo. The musical underscore composers were Mike Piccirillo and Jean-Michel Guirao.

Around 2003/4 GGG's began.
Go Go Gadgetini's is slightly different from all the previous Inspector Gadget series, in the fact that it follows a story arc. Gadget is sent to England to work with Inspector Prince to protect a third Inspector from a MAD Agent intent on assassinating him. Inspector Prince is a smart, pretty and somewhat clumsy purple haired lady, who has gadgets of her own tucked away in her backpack. Gadget and Prince, as the series progresses, become quite close and end up as lovers. Penny, now 16 years old, has accompanied Gadget on his latest adventure, making the excuse that it is a 'Holiday' for her. The Gadgetinis Digit and Fidgit now have some competition of their own in the form of 2 female Gadgetinis that belong to Inspector Prince, called 'Data' and 'Scooter'. Dr. Claw has also acquired a female counterpart, 'Miss Molly', who acts as his lieutenant.
Gadget is yet again voiced by Maurice LaMarche.

Inspector Gadget's Biggest Caper Ever: The Case Of The Giant Flying Lizard

This film uses the same theme music as Inspector Gadget's Last Case, but uses 3D computer animation, and returns Gadget to his position as a police inspector in Metro City. The film is seemingly a direct continuation of the abovementioned cartoon.

Dr. Claw, after finally being captured by Gadget, presumably in the last film, breaks out of jail. He employs an agent named Bombaboy and a giant flying lizard to seek revenge on his captors and launch yet another scheme to conquer the world. Dr. Claw's face is never seen in this film, but Inspector Gadget is briefely shown for the first time without his hat, and it is revealed that his body and head can survive without being attached to each other. The main title song was written and performed by Stephen Marston. The musical underscore composers were Mike Piccirillo, Jean-Michel Guirao, and Stephen Marston.

Video games

Inspector Gadget and the Circus of Fear

This game was written by Beam Software and was to have been released by Melbourne House in the UK in 1987. It resembled the arcade title Metrocross and was a left-to-right scrolling racing/jumping game with a quasi-isometric forced 3d perspective. Although the game was completed, and preview copies were reviewed (unfavourably) in the computing press, it was scrapped on the verge of release. [link] See also Horace series.

Inspector Gadget: Mission Global Terror

An adventure game.

Inspector Gadget: Gadget's Crazy Maze

Video game. Released on the PlayStation.