The Brothers Flub

The Brothers Flub

The cover of Plan C: Panic!, depicting Guapo (left) and Fraz
Genre Animated television series
Created by David Burke
Laslo Nosek[1]
Written by Susie Singer Carter
Dan Danko
Tom Mason
Don Priess
Ralph Soll
David Burke
Bob Widmer
Andrew Brenner
Kati Rocky
Shaun McLaughlin
Doug Langdale
Steve Brasfield
Directed by Bob Boyle
Ralph Grairl
Charlie Adler (voice)
Voices of Scott Menville
Richard Horvitz
Jerry Sroka
Mariette Hartley
Charlotte Rae
Ron Hale
Christine Cavanaugh
Joe Lala
John Kassir
Tom Kenny
Candi Milo
Jeff Bennett
H. Richard Greene
Michael Bell
Pat Fraley
Sally Struthers
Roger Rose
Kevin Michael Richardson
Jennifer Darling
Bruce Eckstart
Tom Shell
Gayiel Von
Tress MacNeille
Harvey Korman
Estelle Harris
Marsha Clark[2]
Theme music composer Nathan Wang[2]
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 26
Production
Producer(s) Bonni Freeman (coordinating)
C.J. Kettler (executive)
Running time approx. 22-26 minutes (2×11-minute episodes)
Production company(s) Ravensburger Film + TV
Videal
Sunbow Entertainment
Distributor Sony Wonder
Release
Original network Nickelodeon
Original release 17 January 1999[3] – 8 January 2000[4]

The Brothers Flub (Japanese: ふラブと言う兄弟 Hepburn: Furabu To Iu Kyōdai, lit. The Brothers Called Flub) is an animated television series produced by Sunbow Productions and co-produced by Ravensburger. It aired in the United States of America on the television network Nickelodeon. The show's titular characters are a pair of alien brothers named Guapo and Fraz, both of whom work as couriers, who travel throughout their universe to deliver packages to a different planet in each episode of the series. The Brothers Flub lasted for twenty-six episodes, airing on Sundays from January 1999 until its cancellation in January 2000.

Summary

The Brothers Flub takes place in a fictionalized version of outer space. The show's title refers to its two central characters: a pair of blue-furred alien brothers named Guapo and Fraz Flub. Guapo is shorter and fatter than his brother, and is a darker shade of blue. Both wear bodysuits, shoes and caps.

In the series, they work for a company called RetroGrade Interdimensional Couriers, of which a green-colored female alien named Tarara Boomdeyay is the boss.[1][5][6] Other characters at their job include a female alien named Valerina and an older orange, male alien named Squish. The brothers, who are couriers, through their universe in their spacecraft (called Hoog) to deliver packages to various planets.[6][7] Each episode features a different planet with a different characteristic, such as "The Land of Oversized Games", which comprises life-sized game pieces such as a pinball machine,[8] or "Hip City", a planet inhabited by beatnik aliens.[9]

History

Cindy Barth of the Orlando Business Journal said that "although still an untested property, optimism is high for the Brothers Flub" because of Sunbow's record and staff members.[10]

Production

The creators marketed the series for children ages six through eleven.[11] Sunbow contracted with Animatics, an Orlando, Florida-based company, allowing for Animatics to create the storyline and the storyboard for the series.[10] Laura Sullivan, the senior director of marketing of Sony Wonder, said in a 1999 Promo article that the series attracted equal numbers of male and female children and that it was "very Nickelodeon-looking."[11]

Episodes

Merchandising

The Brothers Flub was used in several promotional deals for various brands. Fast food chain KFC announced that it would use the characters in a kids' meal, while Carl's Jr. and Hardee's branded tray liners and bags with The Brothers Flub images.[11] GNC planned to include The Brothers Flub yo-yos in its children's vitamins, while department store chain Macy's used the characters in their back-to-school advertising flyers.[12] Skechers started a sweepstakes that distributed Skechers and The Brothers Flub-branded items.

VHS release

Sony Wonder released two videocassettes of the show in 1999. These were entitled Plan C: Panic! and Doom Wears Funny Tights!.[13][14] Each one featured four episodes of the series. Both tapes are now out of print and hard to find.

Reception

Critical reception for the show was largely negative. Joanne Weintraub of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel described the show as "a rare clinker with all the noisy hyperactivity of Aaahh!!! Real Monsters and little of the cockeyed charm."[15] The Hollywood Reporter called it "a somewhat vacuous effort that lacks the charm and substance of much of Nick's other programming" but added "now and again [the creators] hit on some clever high jinks."[7] Writing for the Lakeland Ledger, Evan Levine thought that the show had a promising premise, but thought that its humor was mean-spirited.[16]

References

  1. 1 2 Richmond, Ray (1997-12-09). "Nick buys "Brothers Flub"". Variety. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
  2. 1 2 As listed in closing credits
  3. ↑ "New kids on the shelf: Brothers Flub attracts "transdimensional" promo slate.". Promo Magazine. 1999-09-01. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
  4. ↑ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television cartoon shows: an illustrated encyclopedia, 1949 through 2003 1 (2 ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 159. ISBN 0-7864-2099-5.
  5. ↑ "Brothers Flub". Retroland. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
  6. 1 2 Barth, Cindy (1998-05-29). "Nickelodeon's Brothers Flub gets local touch". Orlando Business Journal. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
  7. 1 2 "Brothers Flub". Hollywood Reporter. 1999-01-22. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
  8. ↑ "Scared Stiff". The Brothers Flub. Nickelodeon.
  9. ↑ "Bard Brain". The Brothers Flub. Nickelodeon.
  10. 1 2 Barth, Cindy. "Nickelodeon's Brothers Flub gets local touch." Orlando Business Journal. Friday May 29, 1998.
  11. 1 2 3 "New Kids on the Shelf: Brothers Flub attracts"transdimensional" promo slate." Promo Magazine. September 1, 1999.
  12. ↑ Stanley, T. L. (1999-07-26). "Bros. Flub sets rookie promo deal". Brandweek. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
  13. ↑ "Brothers Flub: Plan C - Panic! (1999)." The New York Times. Retrieved on November 9, 2008.
  14. ↑ "Brothers Flub: Doom Wears Funny Tights." The New York Times. Retrieved on November 9, 2008.
  15. ↑ Weintraub, Joanne. "Animals star in two winning kid-TV shows." Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. February 23, 1999.
  16. ↑ Levine, Evan (16 April 1999). "'The Brothers Flub' Needs More Than Funny Premise". Lakeland Ledger. Retrieved 11 July 2010.

External links

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