Mission: Freakazoid

Presented by Anubis Market (a division of Osiris Foods), "Mission: Freakazoid" is Episode 16 of Freakazoid! and the third episode of season 2. It aired September 28, 1996. It was written by John P. McCann and directed by RIch Arons and Dave Marshall.

Synopsis

While on vacation in Vukanova, the Douglases are captured by the tyrannical Vukanovan minister of state security, Janos Ivenovowels, to trade to the U.S. for captured Vukanovan spies. Tragedy strikes at home as well as abroad: Freakazoid's mute butler Ingmar quits to become a rodeo clown. Roddy and the Announcer task Freakazoid with the mission of saving his family, and he assembles the crack team of Cosgrove, Steff, and his new butler, Professor Jones.

Characters

• Announcer
• Sergeant Mike Cosgrove
• Debbie Douglas
• Dexter Douglas
• Douglas Douglas
• Duncan Douglas
• Freakazoid
• Ingmar
• Janos Ivenovowels (brutal Vukanovan Minister of State Security; voiced by Jim Cummings)
• Jill (mentioned)
• Professor Jones
• Henry Kissinger (caricature/cameo in Mission: Freakazoid! intro)
• Roddy MacStew
• Mime (from Animaniacs "Mime Time"; refuses to "talk" and is imprisoned in Vukanova)
• Colonel Anton Mohacs (Invenovowels's sadistic enforcer; weapon of choice is a retractable bat, not found around the house; voiced by Larry Cedar)
• Emmitt Nervend (cutaway in Mission: Freakazoid! opening credits; "Emmitt" credit screen in Mission: Freakazoid! opening credits)
• Steff
• Valerie (mentioned)
• Vukanovan Prison Guard (voiced by Larry Cedar)

Other

Main Title Version: jumping chimp

Gag Credit: Who has a biscuit for me? Who does? Huh? Sound off, if you have a biscuit for me, ’cause I really want one now. No one, huh? I’ll remember this.

Tag: Anubis Market logo

Trivia

• The episode parodies the 1966-73 TV series Mission: Impossible (which, only four months before this episode aired, had been revived as a Tom Cruise film which alienated the fan base of the series by turning the show's protagonist Jim Phelps into a mass-murdering double agent). The intro (with the burning fuse and clips from the upcoming episode) is taken directly from that show.
• While most of the Mission: Freakazoid! intro is composed of clips from the episode, several shots are unique to the intro. Some of these are likely outtakes/deleted scenes from the main body of the episode. The unique shots are: the Douglases in their cell looking frightened; Freakazoid drawing a mustache on his face while in the Vukanovan base; Roddy fighting the "master chip" (which stands upright like a giant monster); live action footage of an Anubis employee peering into a vast hot dog oven; Freakazoid being electrocuted (this is footage from the subsequent episode "Heroboy"); black and white animated footage of a fuel-leaking rocket falling off a launchpad and exploding; a shot of Emmitt Nervend; a still caricature of Henry Kissinger; live action footage of a man fighting a bear (from Grizzly Adams; last seen in "The Chip, Part II"); an extreme close-up on Freakazoid's eyes; and live action black and white footage of a nuclear explosion (the same footage used in "Dexter's Date" when Freakazoid and Lobe crash into the wall while riding dessert carts).
• This episode introduces the character of Professor Jones.
• This episode reveals Sergeant Cosgrove's first name, Mike.
• This episode is the first time the audience learns that Freakazoid has told Cosgrove his secret identity.
• Steff and Professor Jones learn Freakazoid's secret identity in this episode, due to Cosgrove's chattiness.
• Steff knows Roddy in this episode, although we have never seen the two meet before.
• The Mission: Freakazoid! opening credits list "Weena Mercator as The Hopping Woman."
• This is the second time Freakazoid has been seen operating outside the United States, following "The Cloud."
• Continuing the running joke from "The Freakazoid," the characters sing, "Bum! Bum! Bum!" when the Vukanovan prison guards discover them.
• This is the only time Freakazoid is seen using his plane (although it was seen in the background in the Freakalair in "Next Time, Phone Ahead!"). It is unknown if he repaired or replaced it after it crashed in this episode.

Voice Credits

Paul Rugg as Freakazoid

Edward Asner as Sgt. Cosgrove

John P. McCann as Douglas Douglas

Tress MacNeille as Debbie Douglas

David Kaufman as Dexter Douglas

Googy Gress as Duncan Douglas

Tracy Rowe as Steff

Craig Ferguson as Roddy MacStew

Jonathan Harris as Professor Jones

Larry Cedar as Anton

Jim Cummings as Janos

Joe Leahy as Our Announcer