Cow and Chicken Totally Explained

Everything about Cow And Chicken totally explained

Cow and Chicken is an Emmy Award-nominated American animated television series, created by David Feiss. The series shows the adventures of a cow, named Cow, and her chicken brother, named Chicken, who are often tormented by the Red Guy, a usually pants-less devil-like character who poses as various characters to scam or hurt them as seen in the episodes "Supermodel Cow and Part Time Job". The series was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1996 and 1998.
Like Dexter's Laboratory and other Cartoon Network series from the 1990s, the original pilot appeared as an episode of the series What a Cartoon!. The Cow and Chicken series first broadcast on Cartoon Network from 1997 to the year 2000, with reruns airing prominently on the network until 2004. Late into the series run, the characters I.M. Weasel and I.R. Baboon, who were part of the series' recurring segment, I Am Weasel, were another counterpart onto their own series.

Background

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Premise

Cow and Chicken are sister and brother, a cow and a chicken, but who have human parents whose faces are never seen in any episode (although there are references where you can see their shadows of their upper halves). The creators were faced with the question of whether and how to explain this scenario. Sometimes opening credits are cumbersome vehicles for an origin story. David Feiss approached this problem in the series' opening title sequence: Mama had a chicken/Mama had a cow/Dad was proud/He didn't care how. This is all that's ever offered in explanation, though there's one hint in the episode "The Day I Was Born" that Cow is adopted, while Chicken's paternity is unknown.
Cow and Chicken's extended family consists of various other types of animals, including Cousin Boneless, who is a boneless chicken (unable to walk or get up from the floor); Snail Boy, a snail; Cousin Black Sheep, a sheep; and Sow, an evil pig. They also have an uncle Longhorn Steer, who appears in "Professor Longhorn Steer". The episode "Happy Meat" also showed the ghosts of a pair of Cow and Chicken's ancestors, a male farmer married to a female chicken.

Main characters

Cow

(voiced by Charlie Adler) One of the two main characters and Chicken's 7-year old sister. Her weight is given at several points as 600 pounds. Usually viewed (at least by Chicken) as exceedingly infantile & stupid, she however occasionally displays uncanny talents.
Cow's alter ego is Super Cow, a powerful cow with the ability to fly. Super Cow's powers lie in a green blanket. Super Cow's costume is purple with a logo on the chest which slightly resembles that of Super Man, but with a C instead of a S. Inexplicably, she speaks Spanish. Her catchphrase is "¡Super Cow al rescate!" ("Super Cow to the rescue!"), but in the Spanish translation she speaks in English. Her catchphrase is often said before a battle. Cow first became Super Cow in the Pilot, "No Smoking."

Chicken

(voiced by Charlie Adler) Cow's 11-year old brother. At times, he can be quite mean to his younger sister, and even the rest of the family (as seen in "Chicken in the Bathroom", where he refuses to take a bath solely to prevent everyone else from using the toilet). He has a rather large ego. In spite of this, he's a powerful conscience, usually only displayed when Cow is in danger (and unable to become Supercow). He speaks with a "street" type of accent, often peppering his speech with malapropisms (as do the rest of the characters), and often using sarcasm. He often gets injured, sometimes quite brutally or almost killed. Sometimes Chicken uses Cow for his needs. In Sumo Cow, Chicken used Cow's size to get his money, then told her to get lost making her look like the bully. Despite being a male, he, in one episode, demonstrated being able to lay eggs, only to toss a dozen of them at the Red Guy, who was posing as Dead Ghost (a parody of space ghost). Chicken is very fond of ice skating. Like chickens, he can not fly, but is also very much afraid of flying.

The Red Guy

(voiced by Charlie Adler) Cow, Chicken, Weasel and I.R. Baboon's arch fiend/nemesis. He is an often-incompetent antagonist/protagonist disguised as various authority figures (principals, kings, lunch ladies), trying to either scam the protagonists or torment them (or, in the earliest episodes, trying to kill them). In some episodes, multiple and seemingly distinct Red Guys are present, usually working together. The Red Guy was originally The Devil in the pilot episode of Cow and Chicken, "No Smoking". Red also has a reputation in wearing no pants, which he can also bring into his disguise names (for example Dr. Lax Slax, Ben Panced, Seymour Butts, Mr. Lackapants, Mrs. Bare Derierre, Ivan Panced, etc.). Sometimes more than one Red Guy is shown at a time, such as in the episode "Dirty Laundry", when the warden from an earlier episode has a conversation with another Red Guy. The Red Guy will usually make pants jokes and butt jokes. His catch phrases are, "Hello it's me (whoever he is)", "Sue me", and "Is that a crime?" (Pronounced "cra-yim", like his "nine" is pronounced "na-yin"). Like the other characters on "Cow and Chicken" Red will refer everyone as ladies, girls, gals, or men.

Flem

(voiced by Howard Morris) Chicken's best friend, who wears red lipstick. He and his father both have glasses. Of the three (Earl, Chicken and himself), he's the one most often sent to perform tasks, because he's considered the ugliest or fatest. Flem is named after one of David Feiss' friends back in Middle School who wasn't good looking but was very loyal. Flem sometimes breaks into tears when the Red Guy talks about him. No information about Flem's mom is known. One of the weirdest moments including Flem is when he laid a large Gold egg.

Earl

(voiced by Dan Castellaneta) Chicken's other best friend who wears a red cap and braces. Like Flem, Earl is based on one of David Feiss' friends back in Middle School. It's unknown what happened to Earl's parents or if he'll ever get his braces off.

Dad

(voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) Cow and Chicken's father (Partially unseen character, up to his waist). Often boasts his manliness, stating that even the most mundane of tasks (such as driving in the snow, in "Goin' My Way") "bring out the man in (him)". Although he's a man, he once gave a clock to Cow and stated that his mother gave it to him and the clock was passed down to all the girls in the family. Dad doesn't seem to know about Cow's birth, as once in an episode, he told Cow that she was born in a cabbage. Not only that, but he's also very proud of it as he cried and said, That was the best cabbage we ever had. Like his wife, sometime he also seems to be insane, as he once woke up his kids at 3 o' clock at night only to tell them how he and Mom met. Although he told them that they met each other when they were foot soldiers in the army, in many other episodes that isn't the case as once he told them that they met when they were Pirates.

Mom

(voiced by Candi Milo) Cow and Chicken's mother (Partially unseen character). She seems to be slightly insane, especially when she laughs. She also seems to be very sensitive, as shown in an episode, she started to cry when Chicken asked what would happen if a guy goes in a girl's bathroom. She loves her kids very much but once, when she thought that Cow's pet snake could talk like both Cow and Chicken, she said, Then what the heck do we need kids for?. On another episode, when she thought Dad's new chair (but unknown to both that the chair was really their old one) can give milk, she said, Then what the heck do we need Cow for?

Teacher

(voiced by Candi Milo) Cow and Chicken's female teacher who is simply called Teacher. She says "Shut your pork traps!" or "Shut your pie holes!" to get people to listen to her. Despite being a teacher, she sometimes shows signs of stupidity. Once, she told Cow that she was hatched.

Minor and one-time characters

Crabs the Warthog- One of Cow's favorite dolls. Shaped as a warthog with wheels instead of legs, as well as being dressed up in some smart and colourful clothes. His first appearance was in "Part Time Job." Crabs also has a key role in the episode, "Cow's Toys." Also appeared in "Can Cow Come Out and Play?" and in "Lawnmower Chicken."

Piles the Beaver- One of Cow's favourite dolls. Shaped as a purple beaver with blond hair. Much to Manure the Bear's disgust, Piles also has a rip-cord that says random things such as, "I'm Piles the Beaver. Hey!" His debut was in "Cow Loves Piles," but he was first mentioned in the episode, "Who is Supercow?" Piles also has an important role in "Cow's Toys."

Munch Kelly- One of the Buffalo Gals who only aired in the banned episode "Buffalo Gals", she tried to invade Cow and Chicken's house. She was voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.

Manure the Bear- One of Cow's favorite dolls. Shaped as a disgruntled bear wearing a stinky diaper. Manure was first referenced in "Chicken's First Kiss," when Earl tells Chicken that he was hit with the same doll. Manure wasn't introduced as one of Cow's dolls until series 3. Like Crabs and Piles, he also has a key role in "Cow's Toys."

Boneless Chicken (voiced by Charlie Adler)- Cow and Chicken's funny cousin. An older chicken who possesses no bones, except for having teeth. He always says random things, but the watcher can't tell if he's serious or just joking. He is a veteran of the Vietnam War. He only appeared in "Alive!", "The Laughing Puddle," "Dream Date Chicken," "Boneless Kite." and the pilot "No Smoking."

Grandmama (voiced by Bibi Osterwald)- Mom's mother and Cow and Chicken's grandmother. She often seems as blind as a bat. Once he lost her husband, and her only reason was can't remember where I put him. She was seen in the episodes, "Grandma at the Mall," and "No Smoking."

Flem's Dad- usually seen wearing Summer Camp clothing; he made appearances in the episodes, "The Legend of Sailcat", "Going My Way?", Lost at Sea".

Mr. Fleur- Cow and Chicken's drama teacher. He is seen wearing old-fashioned director's clothing that goes through three different colour schemes between shots. He appeared in the only two-part episode, "The Ugliest Weenie.

Black Sheep (voiced by Tom Kenny)- Cow and Chicken's cousin, who keeps getting into trouble despite his sincere efforts to do good. His only appearance was in "Black Sheep of the Family."

Snail Boy (voiced by Tom Kenny)- Cow and Chicken's cousin and Mom and Dad's nephew who is a snail. Only appeared in "Snail Boy."

Sow- Cow and Chicken's cousin. She is an anarchic pig who blames Cow for bad things she does. Her only appearances were in the episode "Sow and Chicken".

Slappy McCracken (voiced by Tom Kenny)- An exchange student from neighboring Mozerellaville. Fell in love with Cow in his only episodes "The Exchange Stüdent".

Professor Longhorn Steer (voiced by Tom Kenny)- Cow and Chicken's uncle, and Dad's brother. Appeared in "Professor Longhorn Steer".

Cerberus (voiced by Jess Harnell)- The Red Guy's assistant, a dog with three heads, one being a poodle, one being a weiner dog, and the other a dalmatian. This character only appeared in the original pilot "No Smoking".

Blind Mud Puddle Johnson- He is the king of the blues. His voice was provided by B. B. King, the King of the Blues. Appeared in the episode, "Cow and Chicken got the Blues."

Photo-Realistic Beaver- In "The Bad News Plastic Surgeons", Chicken chose to do the "Photo-Realistic Beaver" surgery on himself in order to win the event. Following this, we see him as the beaver eating breakfast with Cow.
History
The idea of Cow and Chicken first existed as a story that David Feiss had made for his daughter. Feiss was a cartoonist who had worked with Hanna Barbera and related projects since 1978. Cow and Chicken premiered on the "What a Cartoon!" series in 1995. Although most cartoons in the series had never gone beyond one short, Hanna Barbera had decided to turn Cow and Chicken into full series, following many letters from fans asking for more Cow and Chicken Cartoons.
Toys
Recently, according to AnimationInsider.net, Cow and Chicken, among many other Cartoon Network shows from the 1990s, will be in a new toy line in the fall of 2007. Cartoon Network hasn't yet released any other information on the subject of Cow and Chicken specifically.
Cow and Chicken, The Red Guy, and I Am Weasel have all been characters in the game Cartoon Network Racing. The game is for the PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo DS.
Controversy

Lesbian stereotyping
The episode titled "Buffalo Gals" was banned because of its innuendos implying that the Buffalo Gals were lesbians and its lesbian stereotypes. Some of the innuendos and sexual content included the carpet calling card Cow uses to find The Buffalo Gals, Mom's line "It's the Buffalo Gals, a biker group that randomly breaks into people's houses and chews on their carpet," the name of one of the bikers being "Munch Kelly", and the Buffalo Gals playing softball and talking about "pitching" and "catching", slang term for gay sex. Cartoon Network had aired "Buffalo Gals" only once because it was banned, and since then it was replaced with the episode "Orthodontic Police".
"Oh divot!"
The episode "Comet!" was edited after its first showing. On the part where Dad hits his golf ball too far, he originally shouts, "Oh, divot!". This language offended people, due to the fact that it sounded like "damn it", and almost led to cancellation. On reruns, this was edited by having the Dad shout, "Oh..." followed by a few seconds of silence and a repeat of Dad yelling, "Two!" The unedited episode could be seen on Cartoon Network Video August 26th to October 8th 2007 and on Boomerang (TV channel).

Further Information
Get more info on 'Cow And Chicken'.

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