Cow and Chicken Cartoon Sit Com
A Bizarre Cartoon for Children and Adults
Mar 26, 2008 Dulcinea Norton-Smith
A family sitcom with a difference that causes you to start wondering how such a concept was ever dreamt up.
Cow and Chicken is a cartoon sitcom in which Cow is a naïve younger sister who happens to be a full sized cow and Chicken is the smart mouthed, cynical older brother. Who just so happens to be a chicken. Mum and Dad are a kitsch 1950s style couple who are only ever seen from the waist down. This leads to them doing all things with their feet instead of their hands. Such as driving. Does no-one wonder how two humans gave birth to a cow and a chicken? Well no. In fact the theme tune tells that first came a chicken then came a cow “Dad was proud, he didn't care how”.
The Characters
- Cow is the little, or not so little, sister. She is innocent naïve and full of joy. Her favourite pastime is playing with her dolls. She worships and adores her older smarter brother Chicken and often acts as his common sense and conscience. When in trouble she transforms into Super Cow in a red cape. As Super Cow she can fly.
- Chicken is the bitter, angry older brother with an attitude. He cares little of morals and doing the right thing. He is like a teenage boy as he thinks he is the coolest guy on the planet. Cow irritates him for being girly and annoying. Whilst Cow tags along and tries to guilt Chicken into staying on the straight and narrow Chicken's two not very clever friends, Flem and Earl, take part in whatever wacky plan Chicken comes up with.
- Boneless Chicken is Cow and Chicken's floppy cousin. As his name betrays he has no bones. He is older than Cow and Chicken and is fond of bad jokes.
- The Red Guy is a red devil character who rarely wears pants and pops up in various disguises each more random than the last
I Am Weasel
Named after the book I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, I Am Weasel is the story of IM Weasel, a sophisticated and noble weasel who in each episode plays a different prolific character unrivalled in their chosen field. His nemesis the stupid and uncouth IR Baboon tries in every episode to either upstage or off foot IM Weasel. I Am Weasel is sandwiched between two episodes of Cow and Chicken so as to create a half hour programme. As the characters progressed the Red Guy from Cow and Chicken moved to I Am Weasel as the nemesis and IR Baboon stepped into the role of IM Weasel's sidekick.
A Few Facts
- Cow and Chicken was created by David Feiss in 1995 as a one off short to appear in Hanna Barbera's What a Cartoon show on the Cartoon Network. It was an immediate hit and so more were commissioned
- Cow has three dolls. Crabs the warthog, Piles the beaver and Manure the bear
- One episode Buffalo Girls was broadly criticised for stereotyping lesbians
- Cow and Chicken has been nominated for two Emmys
- The Red Guy wears no pants and when in disguise often adopts names that reflect this such as “Officer Pantsoffski” and Mrs Bare Derierre”
- Super Cow speaks only in Spanish. In the Spanish version of Cow and Chicken she only speaks English
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