Ricky Sprocket: Showbiz Boy
Encyclopedia
Ricky Sprocket: Showbiz Boy is an animated TV series that aired on Nickelodeon
and now airs on Nicktoons. Its first airing was on September 1, 2007 in the United Kingdom
.
The series was produced in 2007 and it is seen in over 150 countries. In Canada, it is aired on Teletoon. In the UK, it aired on Nickelodeon UK in the United Kingdom. It is a Canadian production made in Vancouver, BC.
and David Fine, who also created the primetime animated series, Bob and Margaret
as well as the Oscar winning short, Bob's Birthday
. They co-directed the series along with Josh Mepham.
The series was produced at Studio B Productions in Vancouver, BC and was a production of Studio B, Snowden Fine and Bejuba Entertainment. There are 52, 11 minute episodes which air as half hours with two eps in each show. It was produced using Flash animation which was done partly at Studio B and partly in the Philippines at Top Draw Animation.
Writers on the series include Russell Marcus (who also served as an executive story editor), Louise Moon, Bill Motz and Bob Roth, Brandon Sawyer, Shane Simmons, Ian Boothby
, Roger Fredericks and others.
Voices were recorded in Vancouver and Toronto.
) and for Mr. Louie Fischburger, his boss. Despite the fact that Ricky stars in some of his favorite movies, lives in a mansion, and sometimes performs brain surgeries for actor patients, otherwise he is a very normal kid who doesn't let celebrity fame go to his head. He likes to hang out with his friends and shares a rivalry with a spoiled female child star named Kitten Kaboodle. Still, Ricky has chores and homework he must do sometimes when he isn't battling animatronic props.
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon is a US cable TV channel.Nickelodeon may also refer to:-In television:*Spinoffs of the Nickelodeon channel:** Nickelodeon Magazine, a children's magazine.** Nickelodeon Universe, an amusement park....
and now airs on Nicktoons. Its first airing was on September 1, 2007 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...
.
The series was produced in 2007 and it is seen in over 150 countries. In Canada, it is aired on Teletoon. In the UK, it aired on Nickelodeon UK in the United Kingdom. It is a Canadian production made in Vancouver, BC.
Production
The series was created by Alison SnowdenAlison Snowden
Alison Snowden Alison Snowden Alison Snowden (born in Alison Snowden (born in Alison Snowden (born in [[Nottingham 4 April 1958) is a voice actress, producer, and screenwriter best known for [[Bob and Margaret]].- Life and work :...
and David Fine, who also created the primetime animated series, Bob and Margaret
Bob and Margaret
Bob and Margaret was a Canadian/UK animated television series that was also shown in the United States and all over the world. The series was produced by Nelvana, a Toronto animation studio, and created by Canadian David Fine and Brit Alison Snowden...
as well as the Oscar winning short, Bob's Birthday
Bob's Birthday
Bob's Birthday is a 1993 animated short by Alison Snowden and David Fine, winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 67th Academy Awards. The 12 minute 18 second film features a humorous look a wife's plans to throw a surprise birthday party for her husband on his 40th...
. They co-directed the series along with Josh Mepham.
The series was produced at Studio B Productions in Vancouver, BC and was a production of Studio B, Snowden Fine and Bejuba Entertainment. There are 52, 11 minute episodes which air as half hours with two eps in each show. It was produced using Flash animation which was done partly at Studio B and partly in the Philippines at Top Draw Animation.
Writers on the series include Russell Marcus (who also served as an executive story editor), Louise Moon, Bill Motz and Bob Roth, Brandon Sawyer, Shane Simmons, Ian Boothby
Ian Boothby
Ian Boothby is a multiple Shuster Award, Harvey Award and Eisner Award nominee and an Eisner Award–winning comic book creator best known for his work as one of the main writers on Simpsons Comics and Futurama Comics for Matt Groening's Bongo Comics. Boothby has written more Simpsons Comics than any...
, Roger Fredericks and others.
Voices were recorded in Vancouver and Toronto.
Summary
Ricky Sprocket is the world's biggest child film star. He works for Wishworks studio (a parody of Dreamworks StudioDreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
) and for Mr. Louie Fischburger, his boss. Despite the fact that Ricky stars in some of his favorite movies, lives in a mansion, and sometimes performs brain surgeries for actor patients, otherwise he is a very normal kid who doesn't let celebrity fame go to his head. He likes to hang out with his friends and shares a rivalry with a spoiled female child star named Kitten Kaboodle. Still, Ricky has chores and homework he must do sometimes when he isn't battling animatronic props.
Characters
- Ricky Sprocket (Jillian MichaelsJillian Michaels (actress)Jillian Michaels is a Canadian voice actress who has done English dubs of Japanese anime like InuYasha, Hamtaro, and Silent Möbius...
) – Ricky is the world's biggest child movie star. At the age of ten he's famous, adored, has everything a kid could want, but at heart, he's still a normal kid with normal kid problems. He loves hanging with his pals as much as he loves making movies. One minute he's on set battling aliens, the next he's doing his homework or taking out the garbage.
- Bunny Sprocket (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...
) – Bunny is a down-to-earth, unsophisticated, no-nonsense mother. She is loving and devoted and only sees Ricky as a typical boy. She is more concerned with his homework and taking out the garbage than "showbiz shenanigans". She also used to be a trapeeze artist in high school.
- Leonard Sprocket (Jeff LumbyJeff LumbyJeff Lumby is a Canadian actor and voice actor. He is a member of the Lumby family, who created and produced the 1980s Canadian children's television series, Size Small, where he appeared as "Tex". Lumby played "Winston Rothschild, III", the septic tank and sewer technician character on The Red...
) – Ricky's Dad, Leonard is a goofy guy, but he always means well. He's a dedicated father, but not very sophisticated. Despite his son's fame and fortune, he still works in a sausage factory and often imparts wisdom to his son with stories about sausages. Ricky's father is well-meaning, but not that bright. In fact, he can be a bit of a buffoon, which causes Ricky acute embarrassment. He loves his job at Wishworks Sausages.
- Ethel Sprocket (Kathleen BarrKathleen BarrKathleen Barr is a Canadian voice actress. She is also the sister of Professor Mark Lyle Barr at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.-Filmography:...
) – Ethel is Ricky's younger sister and as charming and fun as Ricky is, Ethel is pretty much the opposite. She is smart and scheming and if she can get Ricky into trouble, all the better. She has no interest in her stupid brother's movie business. Occasionally, Ricky has come to Ethel when he needs her.
- Benny Newford (Tabitha St. GermainTabitha St. GermainTabitha St. Germain is a Canadian stage actress. She has made the transition from stage work to voice work, and has since become one of the core female voice actresses working with Ocean Productions in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.- Anime :* .hack//Roots - Asta, Nazo Grunty* Black Lagoon -...
) - Ricky's biggest fan and pal. Often doesn't understand what Morris is talking about, but then, few people do. Benny isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he makes up for it with his enthusiasm and his sheer dedication to Ricky. Also colorblind.
- Morris Moony (Ashleigh BallAshleigh BallAshleigh Ball is a Canadian voice actress and the lead singer and flautist in the Vancouver-based jazz/pop band Hey Ocean!.-Filmography:-External links:...
) – Morris Moony is Ricky's brainy pal. He loves science and biology and excels in all academic subjects. He is exceptionally bad in art, drama and gym. However, he is a good rope holder and apparently good at video games. If there's a technical way of looking at anything, Morris will find it. Often refers to facts on his laptop, which he seems to have with him almost all the time. He is a good rope holder and apparently good at video games.
- Jamal Pennycook (Dorla Bell) Ricky's pal. Jamal has some attitude, but he's still just a regular kid. He's a little more streetwise than Benny and Morris, but that's not really saying much. Always ready for action, Jamal is the cool kid.
- Alice Applewood (Chiara ZanniChiara ZanniChiara Zanni is a Canadian actress & voice actress, performing in movies such as BIONICLE: Mask of Light as Hahli, playing the role of Hamtaro in the TV anime cartoon series. Young Joe in Cyborg 009, Hamtaro, Jubilee in X-Men: Evolution, Bon Bon in My Little Pony Tales and Nori, the mermaid in...
) – Alice is sweet, clever, and often has good ideas when a problem needs solving. She's kind of goofy and far more down to earth than Morris in her approach in problem-solving. She is the least seen of Ricky's friends.
- Kitten Kaboodle (Andrea LibmanAndrea LibmanAndrea Eva Libman is a Canadian actress, television writer, and singer, whose most popular on-screen appearances are on the Little Women movie, Andre and a guest-role on The X-Files...
) Kitten is another child actor who is often cast in the same projects as Ricky. She is precocious, competitive, demanding, and terribly jealous of Ricky and his success. She drives everyone crazy, which may be due to the example her mother sets as her domineering agent. Her father is a milquetoastCaspar MilquetoastCaspar Milquetoast was a comic strip character created by H. T. Webster for his cartoon series, The Timid Soul. In 1912, Webster drew a daily panel for the New York Tribune, under a variety of titles—Our Boyhood Ambitions, Life's Darkest Moment, The Unseen Audience...
. Kitten is jealous of Ricky and loves to see him fail, but when they were lost on a deserted island she gave some indication that she may actually have feelings for Ricky.
- Mr. Louie Fischburger (Scott McNeilScott McNeilScott McNeil is a Canadian actor and voice actor. He currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada...
) – Mr. Fischburger is the head of Wishworks Studios, where Ricky works. He's a little man with a big voice. He treats Ricky a blood relation. He may have fired his own son, but there is a bond between Ricky and himself. Ricky' boss, the head of Wishworks studios (a parody of DreamWorksDreamWorksDreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
). He's an old time Hollywood boss and movies are his life. He treats Ricky like his own son. Well, better than his own son due to fact that he fired his own son and because Ricky pays the bills.
- Wolf Wolinski (Jamie Watson) – Wolf is Ricky's regular director at Wishworks. He is driven, passionate, and demands the best from Ricky, but he also has a short fuse, which makes dealing with Ricky and Kitten something of a trial for him. He can come across as obsessive and manic, but the stereotypical genius sometimes comes across this way.
- Vanessa Stimlock (Tabitha St. GermainTabitha St. GermainTabitha St. Germain is a Canadian stage actress. She has made the transition from stage work to voice work, and has since become one of the core female voice actresses working with Ocean Productions in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.- Anime :* .hack//Roots - Asta, Nazo Grunty* Black Lagoon -...
) Showbiz Buzz Entertainment reporter at lager. If there's a media scrum, she's leading it. Vanessa reports on all things showbiz, but seems to be especially assigned to cover Ricky Sprocket.