Grossology (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Grossology is a Canadian animated television series produced by Nelvana
, and based loosely on the non-fictional children’s book series of the same name
by Sylvia Branzei. It debuted on the YTV network in Canada
on September 29, 2006, and was first shown on Discovery Kids
(now The Hub
) in the United States
on January 13, 2007. Then it aired on qubo
on July 17, 2007 until August 25, 2008, and it dropped by the channel on September 2008. then it returned on September 7, 2009 to present. It also aired on Jetix
on June 2, 2007 and Kix!
from September 15, 2008 in the United Kingdom
; in Nickelodeon
last March in South East Asia, and aired on ABC TV
in Australia
in December 2007.
This series is animated using the partially-developed software Toonboom Harmony (and later, Toonboom Digital Pro). The first season consists of 26 half-hour installments, and the second season has premiered on September 2008. The principal character designs were done by Faruk Cemalovic.
The French title of this series in Canada is Glurp Attack.
The closing credits depict slime, forming abstract lines (within which the credits appear), ending with a gag Nelvana logo, in which the logo's polar bear and star are suddenly doused with green slime. In the UK version, three guitar notes are heard (the jingle for Nelvana) followed by the sound of slime being splashed(as it's being splashed on the polar bear, the star, and the company's text.
The YTV airings retain the original closing credits, however they are omitted from the Discovery Kids airings, which have embedded credits underneath a compressed picture (at the end of each episode), followed briefly by the normal YTV and Nelvana logos.
September 2008 saw the first official DVD release in the series' native Canada. One volume is available so far:
in the Grossology series is that in every single season two episode, there is a poster of Charlie Chaplin
somewhere in the background.
Nelvana
Nelvana Limited is a Canadian entertainment company founded in 1971 known for its work in children's animation. It was named by founders Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert and Clive A. Smith after a Canadian comic book superheroine created by Adrian Dingle in the 1940s...
, and based loosely on the non-fictional children’s book series of the same name
Grossology (books)
Grossology is a non-fiction children’s book written by Sylvia Branzei and published by Price Stern Sloan in 1992. It is a frank, thorough, yet light-hearted examination of various unappealing bodily functions and medical conditions...
by Sylvia Branzei. It debuted on the YTV network in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on September 29, 2006, and was first shown on Discovery Kids
Discovery Kids
Discovery Kids is an American website owned by Discovery Communications, Inc. created for children. Until October 10, 2010, it was an American digital cable specialty channel, owned by Discovery Communications with television programming for education of children. It was launched in October 1996...
(now The Hub
The Hub (TV network)
The Hub is an American digital cable and satellite television channel that launched on October 10, 2010. The channel, which replaced Discovery Kids, is a joint venture of Discovery Communications, Inc. and Hasbro...
) in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on January 13, 2007. Then it aired on qubo
Qubo
Qubo is a multi-platform children's television specialty channel endeavor operated as a joint venture between ION Media Networks, NBCUniversal, Nelvana, Scholastic Corporation, and Classic Media...
on July 17, 2007 until August 25, 2008, and it dropped by the channel on September 2008. then it returned on September 7, 2009 to present. It also aired on Jetix
Jetix (UK & Ireland)
Jetix was a television channel owned by The Walt Disney Company that was aimed at children ages six to 14. Jetix was available in many countries around the world in a localized form, including the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. It was previously known as Fox Kids.Jetix was available as a...
on June 2, 2007 and Kix!
Kix (TV channel)
Kix! is a free-to-air children's and teen's television channel in the UK, broadcasting between 06:00 to 23:30, showing cartoons, extreme sports and music videos. It is owned by CSC Media Group, and was launched on 19 May 2008, replacing a one-hour timeshift of sister channel Pop. Kix! is aimed at...
from September 15, 2008 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
; in Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon South East Asia
Nickelodeon Southeast Asia is a satellite and cable TV channel for children and teenagers. Operated by MTV Networks Asia Pacific and owned by Viacom International....
last March in South East Asia, and aired on ABC TV
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in December 2007.
This series is animated using the partially-developed software Toonboom Harmony (and later, Toonboom Digital Pro). The first season consists of 26 half-hour installments, and the second season has premiered on September 2008. The principal character designs were done by Faruk Cemalovic.
The French title of this series in Canada is Glurp Attack.
Plot
Ty and Abby are a brother and sister crime-fighting team who report to the secret government facility named Bureau of Grossology. Each episode of the series follows the pair on adventures based on real scientific facts. Aided by their friend Lab Rat (a human), Ty and Abby face many disgusting criminals.Major characters
- Abigail "Abby" Archer (voiced by Krystal MeadowsKrystal MeadowsKrystal Meadows is a Canadian stage and voice actress from Stratford, Ontario, best known for voicing Abby Archer on the animated television series, Grossology. Meadows attended George Brown Theatre School and is a graduate of Vancouver Film School's Acting for Film and Television...
) - Abby unravels mysteries so disgusting that no adult will touch them. She loves everything gross and slimy – nothing grosses her out. Abby likes to test her limits to see if there is something so gross, so slimy, so disgusting, that it will make even her, the Queen of Squeam, turn green. So far nothing has come close. Although she closely resisted gagging at gross sights on a rare number of occasions, such as in the episodes "The Slim Slime Man" and "Go Fish", the only exception was in the episode "Yack Attack", when she unknowingly drank contaminated water and threw up. She gets covered in slop the most, and being dirty has yet to affect her trademark ponytail. On the field, she is a competent fighter. She holds a severe grudge against not only villains like Lance Boil, but her school rival Paige. Unlike her younger brother Ty, she is athletic and depends on her instincts and feelings at times, however sometimes her feelings cloud her judgment when she has an affection for the suspect in question. Throughout the series she has shown interest in drama and sports like volleyball. She is scared of leeches as shown in the episode "Vein Drain". Abby and Ty share ownership of their kitten, Hairball. She also tried out for the volleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
team at the goading of her father Harvey, who wanted her to live his dream through her in the zombie kids invason she and ty become zombies*
- Tyler "Ty" Archer (voiced by Michael CohenMichael Cohen (actor)-Biography:Born in Winnipeg, Michael and his family moved to Richmond, British Columbia when he was 10. As a big fan of Carol Burnett through her TV show, The Carol Burnett Show, and studying the actors appearing on that show, he was inspired to be an actor and writer, and won a Young Playwright's...
) - Ty is Abby's little brother and a hard kid to face. His cool, analytical mind takes everything in. He sees himself as a scientist and he takes his job very seriously, too seriously if you listen to Abby. In his mind, science is everything, and his goal is to be remembered with the very best in his field. He and Lab Rat share many common interests. On the field, Ty pilots the GRS-1 and is great at strategic manoeuvres. His quick thinking has saved the day many times. His utility pack doubles up as a jet pack. Ty owns a chemistry set at home and often does analyses on things he finds (e.g. Hairball’s hairballs). He gets tongue tied around his love interest Naomi. It was hinted in the episode “Queen for a Day” that he is afraid of clowns. Ty is hinted many times to be much smarter than Abby.
- Paul "Lab Rat" Squirfenherder (voiced by M. Christian HeywoodM. Christian HeywoodM. Christian Heywood, born "Matthew Christian Heywood" April 22, 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, is a Canadian voice actor. He is known as M. Christian Heywood, or his nickname of "M.C. Heywood"....
) - Paul Squirfenherder is the Grossology Department's tech support, designing and building gadgets and vehicles to aid Grossologists on their missions, and he is also a friend of them. He spends so much time doing experiments that it earned him the nickname “Lab Rat”. His impressive inventory of hi-tech gadgets and encyclopedic knowledge make him invaluable to the team. He has a pet rat named Hermes, who he treats as his best friend. Lab Rat often gives Ty and Abby solutions and inventions to stop the villains. Lab Rat suffers from AgoraphobiaAgoraphobiaAgoraphobia is an anxiety disorder defined as a morbid fear of having a panic attack or panic-like symptoms in a situation from which it is perceived to be difficult to escape. These situations can include, but are not limited to, wide-open spaces, crowds, or uncontrolled social conditions...
, he only ventures out of the Gag Lab for Hermes’ well being. The episode "Owl Most Foul" shows Lab Rat not only stepping out of the Gag Lab for the first time, but also wearing his blue slime suit for the first time. In the episode "Fartzilla", a robotic version of Hermes was used to break into the school cafeteria in order for Ty and Abby to investigate. Abby often jokes that he stinks.
- The Director (voiced by Paul O'SullivanPaul O'SullivanPaul Thomas O'Sullivan, AO is Australia's High Commissioner to New Zealand and former Director-General of Security. Prior to his appointment to head ASIO in July 2005, O'Sullivan was former Prime Minister John Howard's senior foreign affairs advisor.O'Sullivan attended Marcellin College, Randwick,...
) - He is stern. He is officious. He is the man who gives the Grossologists their repulsive assignments. And he is also incredibly squeamish. The world is full of filth and germs from the Director's perspective, and he must do everything he can to keep the city, and more importantly himself, uncontaminated. Even though he dislikes his area of work, it is still better than no job (this prompting Ty to ask his sister "what exactly does he do anyway?"). The Director is known to arrogantly enter the scene when the crime is solved and take all the credit. He claims that Abby and Ty's success is because of his "great leadership skills" and a variety of other qualities. Unfortunately for him, Abby and Ty see right through his farce and make sure to it that his ego is kept in check. That isn't hard to do, since the crime scene often unnerve the Director. (For example, he once claimed to have an iron-cast stomach in front of The Detective. After sniffing Ty's Sloppy Joe induced stench, he promptly vomited on the spot. In reply, The Detective said "Mr. Director, do you mind cleaning up your iron-cast stomach off my shoes?"). Despite his incredibly squeamish nature, he has on one known occasion, gone into the field on his own to search for his missing agents.
Villains
- Insectiva (voiced by Lili FrancksLili FrancksLili Red Eagle Francks is a Canadian actress and dancer who is of Cree and Afro-Canadian ancestry; she is also a member of the Plains Cree First Nation. Her most recent role was the character of Theresa in the 2006 film Away From Her, based on the short story "The Bear Came Over the Mountain" by...
) - She was once a promising young university student who wanted to study entomologyEntomologyEntomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
(the study of insects) until she discovered how insects are treated by science; captured and dissected. Now, armed with all sorts of bugs, she pursues an insect agenda, to wipe all people off the planet so bugs can rule again. She, like many insects, can't get past windows, therefore she is continuously running into them.- Real Name: Cara Chitin
- First Appearance: Episode 1 ("Queen for a Day")
- Cara Chitin's last name is based on chitinChitinChitin n is a long-chain polymer of a N-acetylglucosamine, a derivative of glucose, and is found in many places throughout the natural world...
, what insects' exoskeletons are made of.
- The Slim Slime Man (voiced by Neil CroneNeil CroneNeil Crone is a Canadian voice actor and comedian who does the voices of Gordon the Big Engine, Splatter and Diesel 10 from the film Thomas and the Magic Railroad. He does Phillip the Concierge in the My Secret Identity episode "Sour Grapes"...
) - A bitter old sewer worker, who abnormally fused with a living slime mould while working in the sewers one day, becoming a strange giant slime creature with a ghoulish skull-like head seen inside. As he gets more powerful, he aims to cover the surface world with living slime molds.- Real Name: Slim
- First Appearance: Episode 2 ("The Slim Slime Man")
- Fartor (voiced by Sean CullenSeán CullenSeán Cullen is a Canadian comedian. He is known for combining improvisation with mimicry and music. Cullen has been described in Time as the "vanguard of comedy's next generation". He is best known for voicing Four, Five & Seven in Seven Little Monsters. -Career:Cullen entered into the public eye...
) - Fifteen years ago, he was just an ordinary kid. That was until his older brother Gary tortured him by stuffing his brother under the bedsheets and farting in there. During those fifteen years, he became adapted to breathing the gases in farts. Like a fish being out of water, clean air is toxic for him, so he breathes toxic gases in a dome that he wears on his body. There was only one thing Fartor wanted revenge on his brother Gary.- Real Name: Larry
- First Appearance: Episode 3 ("Fartzilla")
- Sloppy Joe (voiced by George BuzaGeorge BuzaGeorge Buza is an American-born Canadian actor who is best known for voicing Beast in the X-Men Animated Series.-Biography:Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he moved to Canada as a young man and became a Canadian citizen in 1998. He appeared as Chief Jake McKenna multiple times in the TV series Honey, I...
) - After discovering that a whiff of his stink was enough to render people unconscious, Joe vowed to never let a drop of water, soap, or deodorant touch his skin again, and turned to an easy life of crime. His plan: go from filthy, to filthy rich. Despite his stink, he is sometimes shown to be a protaganoist, like when he retired from his job to get into the holiday spirit and works as a mall Santa. When clean he is shown to be an albino.- First Appearance: Episode 4 ("The Perfect Stink")
- Real Name: Joseph Puglowski
- The Scab Fairy (voiced by Jessica HolmesJessica HolmesJessica Holmes is a Canadian comedian and actress. She is best known for her work with the Royal Canadian Air Farce, which she joined in 2003. She is married to actor Scott Yaphe....
) - A crazed former beauty queen who was traumatized over a small cut to her shoulder, ending her career. Not seen since then, she used her exceptional degree in dermatology and mythology to create a high-tech dragonfly-winged suit made of scabs, and takes the identity of the Scab Fairy, based on a Tooth FairyTooth fairyThe tooth fairy is a fantasy figure of early childhood. The folklore states that when a child loses a baby tooth, if he or she places it beneath the bed pillow, the tooth fairy will visit while the child sleeps, replacing the lost tooth with a small payment....
-like myth figure that collects scabs (rather than teeth). She is armed with a high-tech wand that removes scabs from people's wounds, and inflicts them on others. Her ultimate obsession is to inflict scabs on anyone pretty, as revenge for the loss of her old beauty queen career.- Real Name: Helena Globin
- First Appearance: Episode 5 ("The Scab Fairy")
- Helena Globin's name is a pun on the word hemoglobinHemoglobinHemoglobin is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein in the red blood cells of all vertebrates, with the exception of the fish family Channichthyidae, as well as the tissues of some invertebrates...
, a blood-related property.
- Lance Boil (voiced by Juan Chioran) - He was once a successful Grossologist, but grew tired of the grind. Lance Boil quit the Grossology team for never receiving much credit and soon he was fired. He also caused the Gag Lab to fill with pus, revealing his plan to take over the Bureau of Grossology. It is also shown that Ty played around with Lance's Shrink Ray, removing a part and causing Lance to blast himself and shrink. At first, Lance didn't like how he looked, but later on, he is shown to be very proud of his boil. After being fired from the team, he decided to use his skills to evil, with one goal in his twisted head revenge against all Grossologists; especially Abby and Ty. Deep down Lance Boil is insecure due to being short, having a big head, and having a boilBoilA boil, also called a furuncle, is a deep folliculitis, infection of the hair follicle. It is always caused by infection by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, resulting in a painful swollen area on the skin caused by an accumulation of pus and dead tissue...
on his head.- Real Name: Lance Boyle
- First Appearance: Episode 6 ("When Ya Gotta Go")
- Keith Van Kobbler (voiced by Pat MastroianniPat MastroianniPasquale "Pat" Mastroianni is a Canadian actor best known for his role as Joey Jeremiah on the Degrassi series of television shows.- Biography :...
) - A popular and undefeated young basketball player, and Abby's former idol. Calls himself "VK" for short, and always refers to himself in the third person. Endorsed the "KVK-1" brand super-sneakers, which have been a runaway success, but after a short while, all wearers (including VK's opposing players, up-and-coming basketball players) suffer a severe case of foot fungus! After painstakingly examining the KVK-1 sneakers in the case, Ty and Lab Rat suspect VK himself to be the culprit, while Abby has difficulty accepting their suspicion. As it turns out, VK is indeed the culprit, with a twisted method behind his fame; he singlehandedly manufactured the KVK-1 sneakers for mass consumption, and spiked them with fungus (while wearing a non-spiked "Deluxe Edition" pair for himself, of course), so that everyone will have foot fungus, and most of all, eliminate the competition, so that he will be the only basketball player in the world. His weapon is a high-tech "Wrecking Ball" basketball.- First Appearance: Episode 9 ("It's Gotta Be the Shoes")
- Mr. Fowler (voiced by Derek McGrathDerek McGrathDerek McGrath is a Canadian actor.He is known for his roles in Cheers as "Andy-Andy" Schroeder , Dr. Benjamin Jeffcoate in My Secret Identity, Crewman Chell in Star Trek: Voyager, and as Dr. Derek Hebert in Doc...
) - He is the custodian at Ringworm Junior High School. He is small, timid, shy, afraid of Paige, and wears oversized glasses. Always hums the song "4 and 20 Black Birds Baked In a Pie." He grew tired of cleaning up the excess pigeon poop around the school, so he built a giant mechanical owl suit, with which he captures pigeons and plots to put them in a pie to bake them.- First Appearance: Episode 10 ("Owl Most Foul")
- Kid Rot (voiced by Travis Ferris) - After a science experiment mishap, young boy Chester gains the "rotting touch," with which he causes all organic materials to rot with a single touch, and also gives off a horrible smell. He becomes a new student at Ringworm Junior High School, and causes chaos upon his arrival, with a concerned Abby and Ty trying to cure him (Abby initially had feelings for him, much to Ty's suspicion). But Chester's rotting powers literally go to his head, giving him a twisted personality (even christening himself "Kid Rot"), and making him a formidable and diabolical foe for the Grossology team. Worse, he has a psychotic infatuation for Abby (who ultimately hates him, at least his prevalent Kid Rot persona), and will stop at nothing to win her heart, even going as far as to rot the entire world! His rotting powers used to be a excellent fertilizer (in a way making his science experiment a success), but the second time they met, his rotting powers had evolved to where they just kill whatever they touch. The last time we saw Kid rot he was engulfed in rot he created. Abby and Ty gave up looking for him but as the episode is about to end we see a hand (presumable Kid Rot's) sticking out from the rot and as a leaf lands on it, it's grabbed by the hand. The episode ends as we hear some heaving breathing. We have yet to know what has become of Chester/Kid Rot.
- Real Name: Chester
- First Appearance: Episode 13 ("Kid Rot")
- Dr. Cornelius Colon (voiced by Peter KeleghanPeter KeleghanPeter Keleghan is a Canadian television actor, who has played roles in several popular Canadian comedy series.Keleghan's best-known roles have been film industry CEO Alan Roy on Made in Canada, low-IQ news anchor Jim Walcott on The Newsroom, and Ranger Gord on The Red Green Show...
) - A mad proctologist, who plots to engulf the world in a gigantic colon, starting with Ringworm Junior High School (on the last day before its Summer vacation), to take revenge on people for unsympathetically making fun of him for his unfortunate surname. Has giant tapeworms as henchmen.- First Appearance: Episode 18 ("School's Grossed Out for Summer")
- Far-Ty - Ty as a temporary villain. Feeling he's not needed after Abby showed him up several times, Ty, trying to overcompensate for himself behind her back, was captured by Fartor, who was in the midst of planning yet another full-scale fart attack on the world. He exposes Ty to the same deadly gases that transformed him, using a special process to speed up the transformation. Now, Ty, as Far-Ty, becomes Fartor's greatest asset in carrying out his dastardly plan. And just as Fartor plotted revenge on his older brother Gary, Far-Ty carried out a twisted revenge on his older sister Abby.
- Real Name: Ty Archer
- First Appearance: Episode 20 ("Silent But Deadly Part 1" and "Silent But Deadly Part 2")
- Frankenbooger - A giant monster made of nose mucusMucusIn vertebrates, mucus is a slippery secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. Mucous fluid is typically produced from mucous cells found in mucous glands. Mucous cells secrete products that are rich in glycoproteins and water. Mucous fluid may also originate from mixed glands, which...
stolen by Sloppy Joe (using a suction gun), who simply wanted to make a "boogerman" with said mucus (much like a snowmanSnowmanA snowman is an anthropomorphic snow sculpture. They are customarily built by children as part of a family project in celebration of winter. In some cases, participants in winter festivals will build large numbers of snowmen...
). Abby and Ty confront Sloppy Joe, and in the process, inadvertently cause an electrical accident that brings the "boogerman" to life. The monster sucks mucus out of people's noses, and the more he consumes, the larger he gets. Its only weakness is dirt particles (just like any mucus), which cause him to not only dry up, but decrease in size.- First Appearance: Episode 24 ("Frankenbooger")
- Darko Crevasse (voiced by Julian RichingsJulian RichingsJulian Richings is an English-born Canadian actor. He appeared in over 50 Canadian films and 20 separate television series.-Life and career:...
) - A gothic caped villain whose eyesight is accustomed to darkness, and therefore must wear dark glasses. He summons a huge flock of bats to drop guano on anyone who opposes him. As he cannot stand light, his ultimate plan is to plunge the city into eternal darkness.- First Appearance: Episode 24 ("Lights Out")
- Sarah Senia (voiced by Jayne EastwoodJayne EastwoodJayne Eastwood , also credited as Jane Easton or Jane Eastwood, is a Canadian actress most famous for appearing in the 2002 film Chicago. She was one of the original cast members of the Toronto branch of The Second City, and was a semi-regular on SCTV...
) - A lady whose DNA structure was crossed with that of plants. Has leaves and tendrils around her body. Plotted to use giant carnivorous plants to attack the city, and ultimately, the world.- First Appearance: Episode 25 ("A New Leaf")
- Arachnidia (voiced by unknown) - Insectiva's twin sister. Unlike Insectiva, she loves arachnids, as her name suggests. She and Insectiva have had a bitter rivalry, and both pit their own respective arthropods against each other, with catastrophic results. She is the gothic version of Insectiva.
- First Appearance: Episode 27 ("Sinister Rivalry")
- Frederick Follicle (voiced by Stephen OuimetteStephen OuimetteStephen Ouimette is a Canadian actor and director, born and raised in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, and a graduate of the University of Windsor...
) - A hair dresser who doesn't like to change styles. After getting kicked out of a job, he went underground doing biological experiments, and ends up with living hair.- First Appearance: Episode 31 ("Hairless Whispers")
- Roger Pink-Eye (voiced by unknown) - A kid with a pink eye. He is curious about Ty and Abby's extra-curricular activities, and thus sets off to find the truth about his classmates' secret identities, using various attempts to do so, but all of them end in failure.
- First Appearance: Episode 33 ("Mold Monster")
- Basso Profondo (voiced by Ben CampbellBen CampbellBen Campbell may refer to:* Ben Nighthorse Campbell, U.S. Senator from Colorado* Ben Campbell , , bassist for rock bands Atlas and Zed* Ben Campbell, a character in the 2008 film 21...
) - A disgraced operaOperaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
star, who was once part of the Three Baritones. He's back for revenge, but this time he's singing a whole new tune; in other words, he's now a burpingBurpingBelching involves the release of gas from the digestive tract through the mouth. It is usually accompanied with a typical sound and, at times, an odor...
star.- First Appearance: Episode 39 ("Ain’t Over Till the Fat Man Sings")
- Gary Gumdrop (voiced by Adrian TrussAdrian TrussAdrian Truss is a British-born Canadian actor, writer and director whose more recent work is as a voice actor for animated children's TV shows and Movies.Since moving from England to Canada in 1957, he has starred in many movies, plays, and television shows...
) - People call him the ultimate candy man, but he's just a crazy man with a big sweet tooth and a lot of rotten teeth. His plan is to make super tooth-rotting candy, pretending that they'll take care of your teeth, and distribute them to everyone, so he won't be the only one with a rotten mouth and a large craving for candy.- First Appearance: Episode 40 ("Candy Isn’t Dandy")
Supporting characters
- Harvey & Petunia Archer (voiced by Richard Binsley and Karen HinesKaren HinesKaren Hines is a Canadian actress, writer and director. She is the artistic director and producer of "Keep Frozen: Pochsy Productions."Hines has appeared in several television series, including many of Ken Finkleman's satires such as The Newsroom, Foreign Objects, and Married Life for which she was...
, respectively) - Abby and Ty's father and mother, respectively. Both are shown to be gullible, and as such, are completely unaware of their children's secret jobs as Grossologists. Harvey manages the city's water treatment plant while Petunia teaches entomologyEntomologyEntomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
. Petunia has a fear of heights as shown in the episode "Squirmed".
- The Detective (voiced by Danny WellsDanny WellsDanny Wells is a Canadian movie and television actor and voice actor. He is perhaps best known for his occasional role as Charlie the bartender on The Jeffersons as well as playing the role of the video game character Luigi, brother of Nintendo's mascot Mario, in the live-action segments of The...
) - A gruff, burly police detective, who occasionally works with Abby and Ty on cases, and is the only outsider who knows their secret. He bears MORE than a strong resemblance to Detective Dick Gumshoe from the Phoenix Wright series of games
- Mr. Scheffer (voiced by Chad DeRohgth) - An often nervous and uptight teacher at Ringworm Junior High School. He has been noted to teach science (Silent But Deadly: Part 1) and direct plays (When Ya Gotta Go).
- Paige Logan (voiced by Melissa AltroMelissa AltroMelissa Altro is a Canadian actress best known for her voice acting. She has lent her voice to such animated roles as Pippi Longstocking in the 1998 series Pippi Longstocking, and Muffy Crosswire in the long-running PBS animated series, Arthur.Altro guest-starred as Alex in a 1994 episode of Are...
) - A popular but very snobbish girl at Ringworm Junior High, and Abby's bitter rival. However, as seen in "New Recruits", she was once actually nice to her. Her father is very rich, and her favorite color is pink. She has been noted several times throughout the second season to have a crush on a blond boy named Rudy.
- Naomi (voiced by Lauren CollinsLauren CollinsLauren Felice Collins is a Canadian actress that is perhaps best known for portraying Paige Michalchuk on Degrassi: The Next Generation.-Life and career:...
) - A shy and gentle girl at Ringworm Junior High, and Ty's love interest. She takes balletBalletBallet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
. She also has three incredibly jockish brothers as seen in the episode "When Allergies Attack" when Ty went on a family picnic with her.
- Hairball - A small orange kittenKittenA kitten is a juvenile domesticated cat.The young of big cats are called cubs rather than kittens. Either term may be used for the young of smaller wild felids such as ocelots, caracals, and lynx, but "kitten" is usually more common for these species....
that Ty and Abby got in the episode "Go Fish". Abby, in particular, adores him.
Main Title Sequence & Credits
There have been two main title sequences used:- The first main title sequence (Episodes 1-5, 9 and 11) involves a montage of clips from previous episodes. After a shot of the GRS symbol, we see clips involving exciting or gross situations.
- The second main title sequence (from Episode 6 onward) is the colorful "art decoArt DecoArt deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
" opening, styled like the credits sequence from The IncrediblesThe IncrediblesThe Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated action-comedy superhero film about a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers. It was written and directed by Brad Bird, a former director and executive consultant of The Simpsons, and was produced by Pixar and distributed by...
and the classic movie credits of designer Saul BassSaul BassSaul Bass was a Jewish-American graphic designer and filmmaker, best known for his design of motion picture title sequences....
. As is the case with the first opening sequence, the International airings of the series has the full 45-second opening sequence, whereas the airings in Canada and the US have a truncated 30-second version.
The closing credits depict slime, forming abstract lines (within which the credits appear), ending with a gag Nelvana logo, in which the logo's polar bear and star are suddenly doused with green slime. In the UK version, three guitar notes are heard (the jingle for Nelvana) followed by the sound of slime being splashed(as it's being splashed on the polar bear, the star, and the company's text.
The YTV airings retain the original closing credits, however they are omitted from the Discovery Kids airings, which have embedded credits underneath a compressed picture (at the end of each episode), followed briefly by the normal YTV and Nelvana logos.
Production
- Back when the series was in development in 2004, the planned series was somewhat different. Background designer Brad Graham was originally slated to do the character designs & backgrounds. The character designs looked completely different, and had more of a conventional "abstract" look like most modern kids' cartoons, but many of Graham's elements remained in the final version. The more diverse Grossology team lineup consisted of Abby & Ty (who were still the main characters, only Abby had pigtails rather than the long trademark ponytail), Nigel Stodding (a British kid fashioned like 1960s secret agent Harry PalmerHarry PalmerHarry Palmer is the name of the protagonist of a number of films based on the main character from the spy novels written by Len Deighton. Michael Caine played Harry Palmer in the films based on three of the first four of the published novels featuring this character, and also later in two films not...
), Lab Rat (who was an overweight Caucasian boy, but still had Hermes, who looked somewhat identical to the final version), and a weirder assortment of kids including Pink Eye (a beatnik boy; the basis for the villain Roger Pink-Eye), Creepy Crawly (a goth girl with spiders, who may have been the basis for the adult villainess Insectiva.), Sloppy Joe (a dirty spud-shaped kid, who ultimately became an adult villain for the series) and Colin Polyp (A bulb-headed kid who may have evolved into the adult villain Dr. Cornelius Colon in the final series). Abby & Ty still went to Ringworm Junior High School (which looked like a more classic-style school than the more modern one in the series), and the Gag Lab was originally a more complex underground secret base called the Grossotorium (something along the lines of the titular lab of the TV series, Dexter's LaboratoryDexter's LaboratoryDexter's Laboratory is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky and produced by Cartoon Network Studios . The show is about a boy named Dexter who has an enormous secret laboratory filled with an endless collection of his inventions...
). Abby and Ty did not wear Slime Suits at this point (that may have been devised upon the success of PixarPixarPixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
's The IncrediblesThe IncrediblesThe Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated action-comedy superhero film about a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers. It was written and directed by Brad Bird, a former director and executive consultant of The Simpsons, and was produced by Pixar and distributed by...
).
Season 1: (2006-2007)
| # | Title | Director(s) | Writer(s) |
|---|
Season 2: (2008-2009)
This season has yet to air in the United States.| Ep.# | Title | Director(s) | Writer(s) |
|---|
DVD releases
The first official DVD release for this series was issued in Australia on July 2008. Two volumes are available so far:- Grossology - Vol. 1: The Perfect Stink (Region 4 - Australia, PAL)
- Released: Wednesday, 9 July 2008
- Price: AUS $17.97
- Label: Magna Pacific
- Specs: Widescreen (16:9 Enhanced), Stereo (Dolby Digital 2.0)
- Running Time: 132 Minutes
- Special Features: None
- Episodes Included: "Queen For A Day", "The Slim Slime Man", "Fartzilla", "The Perfect Stink", "This Scab's for You", "When You Gotta Go"
- Grossology - Vol. 2: Yack Attack (Region 4 - Australia, PAL)
- Released: Wednesday, 9 July 2008
- Price: AUS $17.97
- Label: Magna Pacific
- Specs: Widescreen (16:9 Enhanced), Stereo (Dolby Digital 2.0)
- Running Time: 110 Minutes
- Special Features: None
- Episodes Included: "Club Parasites", "Go Fish", "Gotta Be The Shoes", "Owl Most Fowl", "Yack Attack",
September 2008 saw the first official DVD release in the series' native Canada. One volume is available so far:
- Grossology: The Perfect Stink (Region 1 - USA/Canada, NTSC)
- Released: Tuesday, 23 September 2008
- Price: CAN $15.99
- ASIN: B001CQS7C4
- Label: MCA Universal, Canada
- Specs: Widescreen (16:9 Enhanced), Stereo (Dolby Digital 2.0)
- Running Time: 90 Minutes
- Special Features: Bonus episode of Di-Gata DefendersDi-gata defendersDi-Gata Defenders is a Canadian action/adventure, science fiction, fantasy animated television series created by Greg Collinson with Nelvana Entertainment. This show is rated C8 according to the Canadian TV Classification System. The series currently has 52 episodes and is airing the Ethos Saga as...
- Episodes Included: "Queen For A Day", "The Slim Slime Man", "Fartzilla", "The Perfect Stink".
Easter Eggs
An easter eggEaster egg (media)
Image:Carl Oswald Rostosky - Zwei Kaninchen und ein Igel 1861.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Example of Easter egg hidden within imagerect 467 383 539 434 desc none...
in the Grossology series is that in every single season two episode, there is a poster of Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
somewhere in the background.
External links
- Grossology on YTV
- Grossology on Discovery Kids
- Grossology on Jetix UK
- Grossology on Nickelodeon Asia
- Grossology on Nick Canada
- Nelvana's official Grossology site, with widescreen promo video
- Original Grossology development art by Bradford I. Graham
- Animatic of full main title sequence (Google Video)
- Grossology Web of Deception/Glurp Attack Le Web des Illusions cyber-safety comic book (Kids' Internet Safety Alliance)