"The Freakazoid" is Episode 15 of Freakazoid! and the second episode of season 2. It aired on September 14, 1996. It was written by Paul Rugg and directed by Rich Arons and Jack Heiter.
Synopsis[]
Cosgrove has heard that a superhero must grant any request that is made of him on his birthday, which has turned Freakazoid's birthday celebration into a real drag for him. People from all over the world line up to ask him for things. Worst of all, the Lobe asks Freakazoid to leave him alone -- leaving Lobe free to enact a reign of terror, taking over as mayor of Washington, D.C., while all the superheroes besides Freakazoid are out of town at a conference on some moon.
Characters[]
- Joe the Announcer (appears onscreen)
- The Brain
- Sergeant Mike Cosgrove
- Mr. Fizizi
- Freakazoid
- Guy who asked Freakazoid to mow his lawn (voiced by Jeff Glen Bennett)
- The Huntsman
- The Lobe
- The Lobe's Goons (he has two identical henchmen, but they are not his typical ones)
- Johnny Mathis (sings "The Hokey Pokey" at Freakazoid's birthday party; voiced by Jess Harnell)
- The Mayor of Washington, D.C. (voiced by Dorian Harewood)
- Mayor's secretary (voiced by Tress MacNeille)
- Mr. Chubbikins
- Steven Spielberg
- Dot Warner (cameo on wrapping paper)
- Wakko Warner (from Animaniacs)
- The Brain (from Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain)
Other[]
Main Title Version: Jumping chimp
Gag credit: Visit us on the WEB at http://www.com.com...com.com.com...com.com.comma comma dom dooby do dum dum, breaking up is hard to do.
Tag: Cosgrove says, “Cut it out.”
Trivia[]
- The episode's title, "marionette" logo, and opening sequence parody Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 film The Godfather. In the original, Vito Corleone (played by Marlon Brando) cannot deny anyone a request on the day of his daughter's wedding. Mr. Fizizi parodies undertaker Amerigo Bonasera, who opens the film with the line, "I believe in America," and asks Don Corleone to exact revenge on his daughter's boyfriend, who brutally beat her. The Huntsman stands in for Johnny Fontaine, a singer (based on Frank Sinatra) who begs Don Corleone to help get a role in a film, just as the Huntsman begs Freakazoid to help him find work. Cosgrove's "cut it out" is just as effective as Brando's "You can act like a man!"
- The song "You're a Meany, Nasty Lobe" is a parody of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" from Chuck Jones's 1966 adaptation of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Dorian Harewood (the voice of Lt. King) does a pretty phenomenal impression of the original singer, Thurl Ravenscroft.
- The Lobe's line, "So it shall be written, so it shall be done," is a quote spoken by Yul Brenner as Rameses in Cecil B. De Mille's 1956 film The Ten Commandments.
- This episode introduces the season 2 running joke of characters singing, "Bum! Bum! Bum!" at suspenseful moments. The Lobe does this when he is revealed arriving at Freakazoid's party, and all the guests at Freakazoid's party subsequently do it when the Lobe begins his crime spree.
- Among those waiting in line to ask a favor of Freakazoid are Joan Rivers, Rush Limbaugh, President Bill Clinton, Princess Diana, Pope John Paul II, Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne's character in the 1969 film True Grit), Cosmo Kramer (from Seinfeld), The Mask (another zany superhero, from the Jim Carey film and subsequent animated series), Judge Ito (from the O. J. Simpson trial), and the waiter from "Dexter's Date" who repeatedly tried to find Dexter. Rivers and Limbaugh were previously caricatured on Freakazoid! in "Freakazoid Is History!"; Princess Di was seen in the cold open to Episode 3 and "Deadpan"; the Pope was in the cold open to Episode 3 and "Nerdator"; both Kramer and Ito appeared in the second season premiere, "Dexter's Date."
- Cosgrove's list of guests waiting to see Freakazoid contains the names of several prominent Italian entertainers (referencing the Mafioso nature of the scene's origin). On the list are (Robert) DeNiro, (Tony) Bennett, (Sylvester) Stallone, (Frank) Sinatra and (Richard) Grieco, as well as Bugsy (Siegel), a famous Jewish gangster. Grieco played Bugsy in the 1991 movie Mobsters (and Warren Beatty much more prominently played him in another 1991 film, Bugsy). Other names on the list include Butterworth, Smith and Barker.
- The final chase scene takes place on streets clearly modeled on San Francisco, referencing the many great car chases that have been filmed in that city, including the Steve McQueen film Bullitt.
- Story nitpick: Since the Huntsman couldn't attend the superhero convention, why didn't he stop Lobe's crime spree?
- The studio audience laughing along with Freakazoid is the same audience from the "Bonjour Lobey" number in "Dexter's Date."
- Oddly, the writers who urge Freakazoid to use the Freakmobile are not caricatures of the Freakazoid! staff, unlike other episodes where the writers appear.
- Wakko's America briefly appears.
- The memo that Freakazoid claims he received from Steven Spielberg is based on a real memo Spielberg sent the staff saying that Freakazoid! was the funniest animated series on the air.[1]
- Like its previous appearance on Animaniacs, the Amblin studio building is a repurposed version of Acme Looniversity from Tiny Toon Adventures.
- Originally, Plucky Duck from Tiny Toon Adventures was also going to appear, but Tiny Toons was in reruns on Nickelodeon at the time and wouldn't appear on the Kids WB schedule for another year.
Lyrics[]
You're a Meany, Nasty Lobe[]
You're a meany, nasty Lobe
You're as bad as villains get
Your head is really mushy
'Cause you haven't got a skull
Nasty Lobe
Why, I wouldn't sit next to you on an airplane if...if there was a seat next to you on an airplane
Such a bad guy, nasty Lobe
You're as cruel as cruel can be
You're vicious, you're malicious
You're despicable and more, nasty Lobe
If you invited me to go to the movies with you, I probably wouldn't go
When You Cannot Show Your Face[]
Freakazoid, you wander, a teen without a home
Everywhere, they hate you, you've been cast out; you're alone
Your deeds have been forgotten, the world's a cold, cruel place
It's tough to go on living when you cannot show your face
We'll be right back
Quotes[]
- Neighbor: What are you doing?
- Freakazoid: I'm fulfilling your request. I'm mowing your lawn.
- Neighbor: While the Lobe's attacking everybody?! Go get him already! What are ya, wacko?!?
- Wakko: No! I'm Wakko! (singing) Baton Rouge, Louisiana / Indianapolis, Indiana / And Columbus is the capital of Ohi—
- Freakazoid: Hey! Wakko, what are you doing? We're kind of in the middle of something.
- Wakko: Oh, it's okay. Steven loves it when we do stuff like this. After all, Animaniacs is his favorite.
- Freakazoid: Um, sorry to break this to you, Wakko, but if I'm not mistaken, Freakazoid! is Steven's favorite show. We got a memo.
- The Brain: Ahem. I believe you're both mistaken. It is the sophisticated wit and charm of Pinky and the Brain that has captured Steven's heart. As well as making it the breakaway hit of The WB schedule.
- Freakazoid: Well, why don't we just go find out?
- (cut to Amblin headquarters where Freakazoid and the two cartoon visitors are loudly arguing in front of Spielberg.)
- Spielberg: Quiet!!! Now what's this about?
- Freakazoid: First of all, Steven, thank you very much for taking the time to meet with us. We realize you're very busy and—
- The Brain: Oh, just ask him!
- Freakazoid: We were just wondering, who's your favorite?
- (Freakazoid, the genetically modified lab mouse, and the.... whatever the short guy in the baggy shirt and red baseball cap is all smile widely waiting for Spielberg's answer.)
- Spielberg: Who are you people?
Voice Credits[]
Paul Rugg as Freakazoid
David Warner as The Lobe
Tress MacNeille as Secretary
Dorian Harewood as Deep Voiced Singer
Edward Asner as Sgt. Cosgrove
Jeff Glen Bennett as The Huntsman
Frank Welker as Mr. Chubbikins
Jess Harnell as Wakko
Maurice LaMarche as The Brain
Joe Leahy as Our Announcer
- ↑ Audio Commentary, Episode 11