Frankenstein's Cat
Encyclopedia
Frankenstein's Cat http://www.wimp.com/frankensteincat/ ISBN 0-689-84695-9), created by Curtis Jobling
, is a children's
picture book
that follows the exploits of Doctor Frankenstein
's first experiment. The cat is created by the Doctor out of nine different cats, leading to his name being Nine. He has no friends and feels lonely, which leads up to him asking the Doctor to create him a friend. Nine learns to be “careful what you wish for”, as the Doctor creates a companion that is more than Nine can handle. The picture book has recently been republished by Hodder.
France 3
aired the premiere the Monday before Halloween in 2007, the BBC
aired the show in January 2008 and ABC1 aired the show in March 2008. Thus far, Frankenstein’s Cat has been distributed to Spain, Benelux, Southeast Asia, Latin-America, Israel, Australia, France and Britain.
Animation for the series was handled by A Productions in Bristol, and by Kayenta Productions in Paris.
Frankenstein's Cat won the Pulchinella for "Best Children's Show" at Cartoons On The Bay festival in 2008 and "Best TV Show" award at the BAF awards also in 2008.
Nine is Dr Frankenstein’s first creation: a monster stitched together out of nine different cats (his name is also a pun on the myth that cats have nine lives
). Unfortunately for the Doctor, Nine isn’t very menacing, although many might consider his smell to be quite frightening. Like all cats, he is naturally curious, and very playful. He might make mistakes sometimes, but he always means well. He is often tricked or bullied by his three ugly sisters, Igora, Heidi and Fifi. His best (and only) friend is Lottie, and he is fiercely protective of her.
Nine is voiced by Joe Pasquale
for CBBC.
Lottie
8-year-old Lottie is the only girl in Oddsburg, and a relative newcomer. She is on good terms with Doctor Frankenstein, and considers Nine to be her best (and only) friend. She is mischievous by nature, but also kind-hearted, if a little lazy at times. Lottie is also fiercely determined and quite intelligent, easily able to hold her own with the boys. She is always shown wearing her glasses.
Lottie is voiced by Alex Kelly
for CBBC.
Dr Frankenstein
German-accented Dr Frankenstein aspires to be a brilliant mad scientist like all of his forefathers, and most of his time is spent dreaming up mad experiments. Unfortunately, most of his experiments turn out to be failures. Whenever he discards a failed monster, he throws it down into the castle’s “Wrong Things” dungeon. Although Heidi, Igora and Fifi treat Nine with disdain, the Doctor isn’t bothered with his first creation, although he wishes he could create something more fearsome. He doesn’t seem to mind Lottie, and sometimes sends her strange gifts via Nine as a thank-you for sorting monster-related issues out. His voice is provided by Keith Wickham
.
Fifi, Heidi and Igora
A dog, hamster and chicken, respectively. Nine's three ugly sisters are all very vain, and are fond of teasing Nine and playing nasty tricks on him. They seem to view the doctor with some contempt, and long for a more glamorous life. Heidi stands out from the others in being a "were-hamster".
Pipsquawk
Pipsquawk is the diminutive son of Oddsburg’s Mayor, who constantly spoils him. He is the leader of the town’s gang of four boys, and is usually the loudest one in proclaiming his hatred of girls. His arch-rival is Lottie, who is not only a girl, but a girl who is more talented than he is and on rare occasions, he and the other boys hatched plans to get rid of her. Despite his aggressive attitude, he’s actually very cowardly, and has also been shown to be quite insecure. His voice is provided by Keith Wickham
.
Trevor
Clever Trevor is Oddsburg’s token Nerd, and the second-in-command in Pipsquawk's gang. With big cokebottle glasses, and sporting a lisp, Trevor is the custodian of the inaugural Big Boy’s Book of Big Boy Stuff, and is always ready to quote from it whenever the need arises—something which comes at no surprise, as he writes most of the book’s entries! Voice provided by Keith Wickham
.
Sweeny
Sallow-skinned, goggle-eyed Sweeny is one of the four boys in Oddsburg and is considered to be the most disgusting. He takes an extensive interest in anything slimy, smelly or snotty, and also likes morbid and "scary" things (although he, like all the other Oddsburg villagers, is a coward). He follows along with what the gang is doing, but his maliciousness is nowhere near as intense as Pipsquawk or Trevor. Voice provided by Theresa Gallagher.
Bigtop
Bigtop is the gentle giant of Oddsburg's four boys. He has a simple mind and is often amused by things that would normally seem unbecoming of an Oddsburg boy, such as dollies or fairy cakes, but gets away with it because he’s also very strong. Like Sweeny, he is mostly happy to play along with whatever else the other boys are doing. His father reads accountant tales to him as bedtime stories. He is voiced by Jimmy Hibbert
.
Mr Crumble
Mr Crumble is Oddsburg’s only teacher. His personality often variates between affable and paranoid, and usually utilizes both traits whilst teaching. He appears to be quite fond of Lottie because she actually takes an interest in learning, although this doesn’t save Lottie from being bored to tears in class, just like the boys. Mr Crumble also occasionally joins in the generic angry mob's rampaging. Voice provided by Jimmy Hibbert
.
Gutner Van Halen
Van Halen, the "Monster Man" is a monster hunter who, as he puts it, "dedicated his life and limbs to their destruction", which is saying something, as he has sustained a few scars in his career; he lost his left arm whilst capturing a Two-Headed Transylvanian Zombie and lost his nose to a Giant Blood-Sucking Leech of the Black Lagoon. How he lost his left eye and his right leg are not known.
Curtis Jobling
Curtis Jobling is a British illustrator and animator, born in Blackpool, England but lives in Warrington.He is best known for his role as production designer of children's TV hit, Bob The Builder, where he visualised all of that programme's inimitable characters and sets...
, is a children's
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
picture book
Picture book
A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. The images in picture books use a range of media such as oil paints, acrylics, watercolor and pencil.Two of the earliest books with something like the format picture books still retain now...
that follows the exploits of Doctor Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
's first experiment. The cat is created by the Doctor out of nine different cats, leading to his name being Nine. He has no friends and feels lonely, which leads up to him asking the Doctor to create him a friend. Nine learns to be “careful what you wish for”, as the Doctor creates a companion that is more than Nine can handle. The picture book has recently been republished by Hodder.
Animated Series
The book is also an animated show by MacKinnon & Saunders in the United Kingdom and Kayenta Productions in France. A digital 2D animation made entirely in Flash, Frankenstein’s Cat is aimed at the 6-11 age group and consists of 30x11-minute episodes. The series generally follows the exploits of hyperactive Franken-pet Nine and his best (and only) friend Lottie as they outwit, outrun and generally outdo the citizens of Oddsburg.France 3
France 3
France 3 is the second largest French public television channel and part of the France Télévisions group, which also includes France 2, France 4, France 5, and France Ô....
aired the premiere the Monday before Halloween in 2007, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
aired the show in January 2008 and ABC1 aired the show in March 2008. Thus far, Frankenstein’s Cat has been distributed to Spain, Benelux, Southeast Asia, Latin-America, Israel, Australia, France and Britain.
Animation for the series was handled by A Productions in Bristol, and by Kayenta Productions in Paris.
Frankenstein's Cat won the Pulchinella for "Best Children's Show" at Cartoons On The Bay festival in 2008 and "Best TV Show" award at the BAF awards also in 2008.
Characters
NineNine is Dr Frankenstein’s first creation: a monster stitched together out of nine different cats (his name is also a pun on the myth that cats have nine lives
Nine Lives
Nine Lives may refer to:*The common myth that cats have nine lives;- In film/television :*Ni Liv, Nine Lives, a 1957 Norwegian-language movie*The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat, 1974 adult animated film...
). Unfortunately for the Doctor, Nine isn’t very menacing, although many might consider his smell to be quite frightening. Like all cats, he is naturally curious, and very playful. He might make mistakes sometimes, but he always means well. He is often tricked or bullied by his three ugly sisters, Igora, Heidi and Fifi. His best (and only) friend is Lottie, and he is fiercely protective of her.
Nine is voiced by Joe Pasquale
Joe Pasquale
Joseph Ellis "Joe" Pasquale is an English comedian from Grays, Essex, arguably most famous for his high-pitched voice, use of visual gags and more recently being crowned "King of the Jungle", on the reality TV show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!...
for CBBC.
Lottie
8-year-old Lottie is the only girl in Oddsburg, and a relative newcomer. She is on good terms with Doctor Frankenstein, and considers Nine to be her best (and only) friend. She is mischievous by nature, but also kind-hearted, if a little lazy at times. Lottie is also fiercely determined and quite intelligent, easily able to hold her own with the boys. She is always shown wearing her glasses.
Lottie is voiced by Alex Kelly
Alex Kelly
Alex Kelly is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Olivia Wilde. She is bisexual, dating both Seth Cohen and Marissa Cooper in the second season of the series.-Conception:...
for CBBC.
Dr Frankenstein
German-accented Dr Frankenstein aspires to be a brilliant mad scientist like all of his forefathers, and most of his time is spent dreaming up mad experiments. Unfortunately, most of his experiments turn out to be failures. Whenever he discards a failed monster, he throws it down into the castle’s “Wrong Things” dungeon. Although Heidi, Igora and Fifi treat Nine with disdain, the Doctor isn’t bothered with his first creation, although he wishes he could create something more fearsome. He doesn’t seem to mind Lottie, and sometimes sends her strange gifts via Nine as a thank-you for sorting monster-related issues out. His voice is provided by Keith Wickham
Keith Wickham
Keith Wickham is a British actor, comedian and voice actor.He is well known for voicing Changed Daily in The Secret Show, Mr. Small, and Mr. Tall in The Mr. Men Show , Corneil in Corneil & Bernie , Mr...
.
Fifi, Heidi and Igora
A dog, hamster and chicken, respectively. Nine's three ugly sisters are all very vain, and are fond of teasing Nine and playing nasty tricks on him. They seem to view the doctor with some contempt, and long for a more glamorous life. Heidi stands out from the others in being a "were-hamster".
Pipsquawk
Pipsquawk is the diminutive son of Oddsburg’s Mayor, who constantly spoils him. He is the leader of the town’s gang of four boys, and is usually the loudest one in proclaiming his hatred of girls. His arch-rival is Lottie, who is not only a girl, but a girl who is more talented than he is and on rare occasions, he and the other boys hatched plans to get rid of her. Despite his aggressive attitude, he’s actually very cowardly, and has also been shown to be quite insecure. His voice is provided by Keith Wickham
Keith Wickham
Keith Wickham is a British actor, comedian and voice actor.He is well known for voicing Changed Daily in The Secret Show, Mr. Small, and Mr. Tall in The Mr. Men Show , Corneil in Corneil & Bernie , Mr...
.
Trevor
Clever Trevor is Oddsburg’s token Nerd, and the second-in-command in Pipsquawk's gang. With big cokebottle glasses, and sporting a lisp, Trevor is the custodian of the inaugural Big Boy’s Book of Big Boy Stuff, and is always ready to quote from it whenever the need arises—something which comes at no surprise, as he writes most of the book’s entries! Voice provided by Keith Wickham
Keith Wickham
Keith Wickham is a British actor, comedian and voice actor.He is well known for voicing Changed Daily in The Secret Show, Mr. Small, and Mr. Tall in The Mr. Men Show , Corneil in Corneil & Bernie , Mr...
.
Sweeny
Sallow-skinned, goggle-eyed Sweeny is one of the four boys in Oddsburg and is considered to be the most disgusting. He takes an extensive interest in anything slimy, smelly or snotty, and also likes morbid and "scary" things (although he, like all the other Oddsburg villagers, is a coward). He follows along with what the gang is doing, but his maliciousness is nowhere near as intense as Pipsquawk or Trevor. Voice provided by Theresa Gallagher.
Bigtop
Bigtop is the gentle giant of Oddsburg's four boys. He has a simple mind and is often amused by things that would normally seem unbecoming of an Oddsburg boy, such as dollies or fairy cakes, but gets away with it because he’s also very strong. Like Sweeny, he is mostly happy to play along with whatever else the other boys are doing. His father reads accountant tales to him as bedtime stories. He is voiced by Jimmy Hibbert
Jimmy Hibbert
James "Jimmy" Hibbert is an English television writer and voice actor best known for his work for Cosgrove Hall.He was brought up and educated at Leighton Park School and in Henley-on-Thames and later studied at the University of Manchester achieving a BA in drama...
.
Mr Crumble
Mr Crumble is Oddsburg’s only teacher. His personality often variates between affable and paranoid, and usually utilizes both traits whilst teaching. He appears to be quite fond of Lottie because she actually takes an interest in learning, although this doesn’t save Lottie from being bored to tears in class, just like the boys. Mr Crumble also occasionally joins in the generic angry mob's rampaging. Voice provided by Jimmy Hibbert
Jimmy Hibbert
James "Jimmy" Hibbert is an English television writer and voice actor best known for his work for Cosgrove Hall.He was brought up and educated at Leighton Park School and in Henley-on-Thames and later studied at the University of Manchester achieving a BA in drama...
.
Gutner Van Halen
Van Halen, the "Monster Man" is a monster hunter who, as he puts it, "dedicated his life and limbs to their destruction", which is saying something, as he has sustained a few scars in his career; he lost his left arm whilst capturing a Two-Headed Transylvanian Zombie and lost his nose to a Giant Blood-Sucking Leech of the Black Lagoon. How he lost his left eye and his right leg are not known.
Episode list, season 1
- Tricky Spot
- Brains
- Lucky Ticket
- The Great Dust Up
- The Wall
- Frankenfacts!
- Witch!
- Unlucky Day
- The Monster Man
- The Apprentice
- Halloween
- Trapped
- Pest in Show
- New Best Friend
- Freakshow
- The Big Foot Burglar
- A Tale of Tails
- The Horror of Little Shops
- Film
- Hay Day
- Weird Science
- Tricky Spot (Series Finale)