Kuckoo Kat's Wacky Cartoon Cabaret is an American animated anthology slapstick comedy television series developed by Monique Pratt and Thomas Baldwin and produced by Gryphon Television and Imagine Television for the streaming service Netflix. After having a theatrical pilot, "Home Sweet Homewrecker", the show officially premiered on August 16, 2013.
After the show's premiere, the series was a hit with critics and audiences with critic Marvin Morrison saying "With hilarious humor, perfect timing, and nice animation, Kuckoo Kat’s Wacky Cartoon Cabaret puts the classic characters in what may be their best show yet".
Synopsis and production[]
The show follows around Kuckoo, Kooky, Smarty, Cuckoo and the rest of the characters as they live in the small town of Whatzitville, as they all get into crazy and wacky situations. While the show brings back a few elements from previous incarnations (such as Stupidman from The Adventures of Kuckoo Kat), the show is very, VERY episodic, as the characters can be seen in many different places and even different time periods, such as Stockholm, Sweden (For Whom Nobel Toils), tropical islands (Aloha Owie), or even in the future (Pluck Codgers in Future Schlock!). The series featured a new format by having three seven-minute cartoons in each episode. During production, the showrunners, Thomas Baldwin and Monique Pratt decided to bring back the characters who didn't appear in the previous two series including Bingo, Sassy, Molly, Fink Fox, Dawson, Podunk, and Rebecca.
There were also two new segments added into the format, one being “Disasterpiece Theater”, which featured parodies of classic stories and fables and “Funny Folks”, which featured different sub-segments with assorted classic Gryphon characters, including:
- Puss n’ Pooch: A segment about two stray animals, Percival C. Puss (a cynical and cranky cat) and Perry T. Pooch (a happy and dim-witted dog) who both deal with crazy situations, whether it’s dealing with pesky foes or trying to keep a steady job.
- Tuxedo and Terry: a segment about a slick con artist cat by the name of Tuxedo Townsend (or Tuxedo for short) who tries to steal a quick buck from a friendly dim-witted cat by the name of Terry.
- Rocko Rabbit and Frankie Fox: a segment about a hungry but slow-witted predator, Frankie Fox, and his prey, a slick, smart-aleck, and looney rabbit named Rocko.
- Stupidheroes: a newly-made segment about an ordinary housecat named Willoughby who transforms into a superhero by the name of Commander Cat, who fights crime alongside his sidekick, Marvin the Mechanical Mouse
Characters[]
Protagonists[]
- Kuckoo Q. Kat (voiced by "Weird Al" Yankovic) - Kuckoo may look cute and sweet-natured, but don't be fooled, he's an absolute nutcase who will constantly make someone's life a living hell. He is the dim-witted leader of the main four and is the main troublemaker, as he always causes trouble for the characters. Due to that, he gets the main four into situations that cause them getting into pain. Despite his misfortunes, he still cares for all his friends and is always willing to help somebody. Kuckoo is also more like his original mischievous adult form, rather than the more domesticated and pedestrian depiction featured in the shorts from the late 50s and 60s.
- Kooky A. Kat (voiced by Amy Poehler) - A female cat who is Kuckoo's girlfriend and is just as crazy as him. She usually goes along with whatever crazy plan her boyfriend can think of, and always loves him no matter what.
- Smarty E. Kat (voiced by Tom Kenny) - Compared to his brother Kuckoo, Smarty is more insecure and innocent, suffering from extreme paranoia and always relying on Kuckoo to help him in many situations. He is frequently accident-prone as in many episodes, he has usually been seen getting hurt.
- Cuckoo T. Cat (voiced by Mark Hamill) - Cuckoo is Kuckoo's best friend and enemy (a frenemy, if you will). He is arrogant, self-centered, ignorant, inept, loud-mouthed, immature, and greedy. He is the most money-hungry of the main four, and is always willing to scam someone out of a buck, but always fails. He also has a huge crush on Sassy, but she always turns him down.
Supporting characters[]
- Bingo P. Butterworth (voiced by Bill Fagerbakke) - Bingo is one of Kuckoo's best friends and is easily the dumbest character in the series. Despite having a brain the size of a peanut, he is always handling different jobs in each episode, though he is still inept whenever he has a job. He also appears in his own short cartoons that are in a similar style to the Goofy "How To" cartoons.
- Sassy O. Kitty (voiced by Laraine Newman) - Cynical and grumpy, Sassy is a character most don't want to mess with. She's constantly lusted over by Cuckoo, who wants her to be his girlfriend. However, she always turns him down, to the point of even having a restraining order on him, though he'll always continue to ask her out. Despite her cynical demeanor, she does find a few characters tolerable, most notably Kooky. In this series, Sassy has a new modern goth design in contrast to her previous design from older incarnations.
- Molly A. Puppy (voiced by Lara Jill Miller) - Molly is the exact opposite of Sassy. While Sassy is cynical and grumpy, while having a burning hatred for Cuckoo, Molly is happy and bubbly (if a bit ditzy), while having a burning LOVE for Cuckoo. She adores him, even though he doesn't want anything to do with her, but most of the time, Cuckoo always ends up stuck with Molly, much to his chagrin.
Recurring characters[]
- Fink F. Fox (voiced by Paul Rugg) - Fink is a self-proclaimed "genius", when in reality, he's a total failure. Fink is an inventor who constantly claims that he is a super genius and always tries to catch his foes and prey using crazy contraptions. However, all of his inventions always fail and leave him burnt or bruised.
- Dawson V. Dawg (voiced by Billy West) - Egotistical and arrogant, Dawson is the living opposite of "man's best friend". He considers himself better than any other animal on Earth and constantly tries to one-up Kuckoo. However, his attempts always fail and Kuckoo usually reigns victorious against him. In a few episodes, he also has an unrequited crush on Kooky. Dawson speaks in a manner similar to Paul Lynde.
- Podunk Possum and Rebecca Raccoon (voiced by Jack McBrayer and Park Overall) - Down from the South, Podunk and Rebecca are a brother and sister duo, one a possum, the other a raccoon. The two usually go hunting for their food, though their prey usually fights back. While Podunk is slow-witted and dumb, Rebecca is more of a wise smart-aleck.
Funny Folks characters[]
- Percival C. Puss (voiced by Charlie Adler) - A cranky, cynical stray cat who is the unlucky friend of Perry Pooch, who constantly hooks him and Pooch up with new jobs that they prove to be incompetent at.
- Perry Pooch (voiced by Kevin McDonald) - A dumb, hyperactive dog who often gets both him and Puss in trouble and causes them to get fired from their jobs.
- Tuxedo T. Townsend (voiced by Curtis Armstrong) - A fast-talking, cigarette smoking black cat who always tries to sell some kind of scam, but winds up getting his just desserts.
- Terry Tabby (voiced by Jeff Bennett) - A stupid-looking, tie wearing tabby cat who always falls for Tuxedo's scams, but manages to fool him.
- Rocko Rabbit (voiced by Billy West): A fast, quick-witted rabbit who is the prey of Frankie Fox and always manages to defeat him.
- Frankie Fox (voiced by Emo Phillips): A hungry but slow dim-witted fox who tries to catch Rocko Rabbit for dinner, but always falls for his tricks.
- Willoughby/Commander Cat (voiced by Dan Castellaneta): An ordinary housecat who becomes a heroic superhero whenever the time is right.
- Marvin the Mechanical Mouse (voiced by Jason Harris Katz): A mechanical mouse who is Commander Cat's helpful and plucky sidekick. Speaks in a manner similar to Marvin Kaplan (the voice of Choo-Choo from Top Cat).
- Dingbat D. Dog (voiced by Jeff Bennett): A pink dog who appears in each sub-segment and who plays different roles whenever he appears.
Episodes[]
- Main article: List of Kuckoo Kat's Wacky Cartoon Cabaret episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| Pilot | Home Sweet Homewrecker | June 22, 2012 | ||
| 1 | 21 | August 16, 2013 | October 26, 2013 | |
| 2 | 21 | November 10, 2014 | January 30, 2015 | |
| 3 | 20 | May 15, 2015 | June 25, 2015 | |
| 4 | 22 | October 13, 2015 | April 24, 2016 | |
Merchandise[]
Home media[]
| Blu-Ray title | Episode count | Release date | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kuckoo Kat's Wacky Cartoon Cabaret: The Complete First Season | 21 | August 11, 2014 | This three-disc set features all 21 episodes from the first season. Includes the first ten episodes on disc one, The Wonderful World of Paws on disc two, and the remaining ten episodes on disc three. Bonus features include the theatrical pilot, Home Sweet Homewrecker, "Meet the Characters", which feature small humorous introductions to the characters, in-character episode commentaries, and trailers. |
| Kuckoo Kat's Wacky Cartoon Cabaret: The Complete Second Season | 21 | March 25, 2015 | This two-disc set features all 21 episodes from the second season. Includes the first ten episodes on disc one and the remaining eleven episodes on disc two. Bonus features include the theatrical short, Stamped and Stumped, in-character episode commentaries, and trailers. |
| Kuckoo Kat's Wacky Cartoon Cabaret: The Complete Third Season | 20 | September 25, 2015 | This two-disc set features all 20 episodes from the third season. Includes the first ten episodes on disc one and the remaining ten episodes on disc two. Bonus features include the theatrical short, Highway Robbery, in-character episode commentaries, and trailers. |
| Kuckoo Kat's Wacky Cartoon Cabaret: The Complete Fourth Season | 24 | August 23, 2016 | This two-disc set features all 24 episodes from the fourth season. Includes the first twelve episodes on disc one and the remaining twelve episodes on disc two. Bonus features include the theatrical short, Westward Whirl, in-character episode commentaries, and trailers. |
| Kuckoo Kat's Wacky Cartoon Cabaret: The Completely Unhinged Collection | 86 | September 24, 2018 | This nine-disc complete series set features all 84 episodes from all four seasons, released just in time for Kuckoo Kat's 80th anniversary. Includes all the original Blu-ray discs from the season sets. |
| Blu-Ray title | Episode count | Release date | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kuckoo Kat's Wacky Cartoon Cabaret: The Complete First Season | 21 | August 11, 2014 | This three-disc set features all 21 episodes from the first season. Includes the first ten episodes on disc one, The Wonderful World of Paws on disc two, and the remaining ten episodes on disc three. Bonus features include the theatrical pilot, Home Sweet Homewrecker, in-character episode commentaries, and trailers. |
| Kuckoo Kat's Wacky Cartoon Cabaret: The Complete Second Season | 21 | March 25, 2015 | This two-disc set features all 21 episodes from the second season. Includes the first ten episodes on disc one and the remaining eleven episodes on disc two. Bonus features include the theatrical short, Stamped and Stumped, in-character episode commentaries, and trailers. |
| Kuckoo Kat's Wacky Cartoon Cabaret: The Complete Third Season | 20 | September 25, 2015 | This two-disc set features all 20 episodes from the third season. Includes the first ten episodes on disc one and the remaining ten episodes on disc two. Bonus features include the theatrical short, Highway Robbery, in-character episode commentaries, and trailers. |
| Kuckoo Kat's Wacky Cartoon Cabaret: The Complete Fourth Season | 24 | August 23, 2016 | This two-disc set features all 24 episodes from the fourth season. Includes the first twelve episodes on disc one and the remaining twelve episodes on disc two. Bonus features include the theatrical short, Westward Whirl, in-character episode commentaries, and trailers. |
| Kuckoo Kat's Wacky Cartoon Cabaret: The Completely Unhinged Collection | 86 | September 24, 2018 | This nine-disc complete series set features all 84 episodes from all four seasons, released just in time for Kuckoo Kat's 80th anniversary. Includes all the original discs from the season sets on DVD. |
| DVD name | Episode count | Release date | Episodes featured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kuckoo Kat's Wacky Cartoon Cabaret: Born to Misbehave | 15 | January 15, 2017 | Season 1, episode 1 (Surely You Jest/Scrambled Yeggs/Mouse Menace) to Season 1, episode 15 (Around the World in 22 Minutes) |
| Kuckoo Kat's Wacky Cartoon Cabaret: Best of Puss n' Pooch Volume One | 17 | February 11, 2018 | Be Patient, Patient; The House of Yesterday; Gopher Broke; Moby Dork; Village of the Dammed; Bugged Out; King of the Thing; Hunka Hunka Hound Dog; A Life Less Guarded; Loch Ness Pests; Hi, Robot; The Circus Comes to Clown; Attack of the 50 Foot Pussycat; A Wolf in Canine's Clothing; Cock-A-Doodle Cat; A Matter of Conscience; It's A Hap-Hap-Happy Life |
| Kuckoo Kat's Wacky Cartoon Cabaret: Best of Puss n' Pooch Volume Two | 20 | February 11, 2018 | Doggelganger; Puss in Books; Story Bored; Vanity Fur; Stop, Spook, and Listen; Mars Needs Velcro!; Soup's On; Little Penguin Lost; Dine and Dash; Puss N' Pooch and the Three Bears; Stowaway and Today; Uh Oh, Vertigo!; The Natives Are Restless; Plumber's Cracked; Two-Faced Baby Face; Saps With A Map; Farm Foolery; Robinson Carousel; Frog Day Afternoon; Fish n' Gypped |
| Kuckoo Kat's Wacky Cartoon Cabaret: Disasterpiece Theater's Silliest Stories | 15 | July 30, 2018 | Jerk and the Beanstalk; The Three Little Cats; The Adventures of Robin Hoodwink; Frankenfeline!; The Pie-Eyed Piper; Beauty and the Beast; Aladdin and His Blunderful Lamp; The Legend of Sleazy Hollow; The Big Bad Salesman; The Tragicomedy of Macbeth; Faux White and the Seven Mice; Little Red Riding Hoodlum; Cuckoo at the Bat; Fit to Be Stewed; The Ugly Jerkwad
Bonus episode: Defective Detective Triple Feature |
| Kuckoo Kat's Wacky Cartoon Cabaret: Our Spookiest (and Stupidest!) Stories | 10 | October 30, 2018 | Night Foolery (You Can Count on Me/Not What He Seems/A Wolf in Canine's Clothing); The Whatzitville Zone (To Sewer With Love/The Legend of Sleazy Hollow/It's A Hap-Hap-Happy Life); Kooky Spooky (Party Fright/Stop, Spook, and Listen/Holly Jolly Halloween); Night of the Living Dumb; Frankenfeline!; Attack of the 50 Foot Pussycat; The Goo From Outer Space That Swallowed The City of Whatzitville; Good Golly, Miss Dolly; The Devil and Daniel Leadfoot; The Monster Bash |