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KaBlam!

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KaBlam!
The logo used from 1998 to 2000
GenreSketch comedy
Musical
Slapstick
Anthology series
Created by
Starring
Opening theme"Two-Tone Army" by The Toasters
Ending theme"Skaternity" by The Toasters (season 1)
"Everything You Said Has Been a Lie" by The Toasters (seasons 2–4)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes48 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Bob Mittenthal
  • Will McRobb
  • Chris Viscardi
  • Brian O'Connell
  • Albie Hecht
Running time24 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNickelodeon
ReleaseOctober 11, 1996 (1996-10-11)[2][3] –
May 27, 2000 (2000-05-27)
Related

KaBlam! (stylized as KaBLaM!) is an American animated sketch comedy anthology television series that aired on Nickelodeon from October 11, 1996 to May 27, 2000, with reruns continuing until November 2, 2001.[4] The series was created by Robert Mittenthal, Will McRobb, and Chris Viscardi. It was developed to showcase alternative forms of animation more commonly associated with independent films and television commercials.[5] Each episode featured a collection of animated shorts in different styles, linked by segments featuring the characters Henry and June.[6]

Production

[edit]

KaBlam! featured shorts produced by a number of different creators and animation studios. These included Action League Now!, created by Tim Hill and animated by David Fain; Mo Willems's The Off-Beats; Stephen Holman's Life with Loopy; and shorts produced by Ink Tank, LunaVox productions and Crank It Out!.[7] The series' theme music was performed by the Moon Ska Stompers.[8]

When KaBlam! premiered in October 1996, it was one of several original series introduced as part of Nickelodeon's expansion of its prime-time programming.[9] The Los Angeles Times described the series as an animated sketch comedy presented in the form of an electronic comic book.[10] KaBlam! aired on Friday nights at 8pm and ran for four seasons. The series concluded in 2000.[11]

Episodes

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SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
113October 11, 1996 (1996-10-11)January 31, 1997 (1997-01-31)
213September 26, 1997 (1997-09-26)January 16, 1998 (1998-01-16)
311September 4, 1998 (1998-09-04)March 12, 1999 (1999-03-12)
411December 31, 1999 (1999-12-31)May 27, 2000 (2000-05-27)

Season 1

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Season 1 featured the recurring shorts Sniz & Fondue, Action League Now!, Prometheus and Bob, and Life with Loopy. The Off-Beats also appeared in some episodes, occasionally replacing Life with Loopy or Prometheus and Bob. Other shorts shown during the season included Surprising Shorts, Lava!, Angela Anaconda and The Louie and Louie Show. The Henry and June segments generally served as brief links between the animated shorts, although some episodes gave them a more continuous storyline.

Season 2

[edit]

Season 2 continued to feature The Off-Beats, although the segment was discontinued during the season, alongside the final appearance of Surprising Shorts. The season also introduced several one-off shorts, including Randall Flan's Incredible Big Top, The Girl with Her Head Coming Off, and The Adventures of Patchhead, the latter of which returned in Season 3. The Brothers Tiki appeared twice. The Henry and June segments also received visual changes from the first season.

Season 3

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Season 3 featured the final appearances of Sniz & Fondue and introduced JetCat and Race Rabbit as recurring shorts. The Adventures of Patchhead made its second and final appearance, while music videos by James Kochalka, including "Hockey Monkey" and "Pizza Rocket", were also shown. The Henry and June segments became more story-driven during this season, and the opening sequence was shortened. Lou Rawls appeared as himself in the episode "You May Already Be a...KaBlammer!"

Season 4

[edit]

Season 4 was the final season of KaBlam! and featured the final appearances of Life with Loopy, Prometheus and Bob, JetCat and Race Rabbit. The season also included several one-off shorts, including Fuzzball, Garbage Boy, Emmett Freedy, Stewy the Dog Boy, The Little Freaks, and The Shizzagee. Music videos by They Might Be Giants for "Why Does the Sun Shine?" and "Doctor Worm" were also featured. The Henry and June segments continued to use a more continuous storyline within each episode. In "Sasquatch-ercise", Richard Simmons appears as himself, while John Stamos appears in "Now With More Flava'".[12]

Shorts

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KaBlam! combined recurring animated and live-action shorts with occasional one-off segments. Episodes were linked by animated host segments featuring Henry, voiced by Noah Segan and June by Julia McIlvaine.[13]

Henry and June

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Henry and June are the animated hosts of KaBlam!, appearing between the programme's shorts and introducing each segment.[5] Henry is voiced by Noah Segan and June by Julia McIlvaine.[14] In 1999, Nickelodeon aired The Henry & June Show, a half-hour television special that placed the characters outside the show's usual comic-book framing and centered on their own variety-show-style programme and school adventures.[15] The special was intended as a pilot for a proposed Henry and June spin-off series, but the series was not picked up.[9]

Recurring segments

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Sniz & Fondue

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Sniz & Fondue follows the title characters and their friends in a series of traditionally animated shorts.[16] It was one of KaBlam!'s original recurring segments.[16] The 1992 pilot, "Psyched for Snuppa", was produced by Stretch Films and Jumbo Pictures and was directed by John R. Dilworth.[17]

Action League Now!

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Action League Now! follows a group of inept superheroes represented by action figures. The shorts used a technique known as "Chuckimation", combining stop motion with live-action movement in which figures were thrown, dropped or moved into frame.[18] The segment was created by Robert Mittenthal, Will McRobb, and Albie Hecht.[19] After KaBlam! ended, Nickelodeon briefly repackaged the shorts as a half-hour Action League Now! series.[20]

The Off-Beats

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The Off-Beats, created by Mo Willems, follows a group of socially awkward children whose rivals are a clique known as the Populars. The shorts were produced by Curious Pictures and appeared on KaBlam! during its early run.[21] A half-hour special, An Off-Beats Valentine's, aired on Nickelodeon in February 1999.[21]

Life with Loopy

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Life with Loopy, created by Stephen Holman, follows Larry and the surreal adventures of his imaginative younger sister, Loopy. Loopy is voiced by Danielle Judovits.[14] The shorts combined stop-motion animation, puppetry and live-action; the characters' faces were made of metal with magnetic features that could be changed to create different expressions.[22]

Prometheus and Bob

[edit]

Prometheus and Bob is a stop-motion segment created by Cote Zellers, in which an alien named Prometheus attempts to teach a caveman named Bob the basics of human life while recording the lessons on video, often with interference from a monkey. Zellers also directed the shorts and provided voices for the segment.[23]

Occasional shorts

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In addition to its regular segments, KaBlam! featured several shorts that appeared only occasionally. Some of these were presented during the first season under the title Surprising Shorts.

Lava-Lava!

[edit]

A series of animated shorts by a French animator Frederico Vitali, generally featuring animals and other characters in absurd, slapstick situations.[24] The segment appeared in four episodes during the first season and once during the second; its season-two appearance was not presented as a Surprising Short.[25]

Angela Anaconda

[edit]

Angela Anaconda, created by Joanna Ferrone and Sue Rose, first appeared as shorts on KaBlam! before being developed into a stand-alone animated series in 1999.[26] The later series, produced by Decode Entertainment in association with C.O.R.E Digital Pictures, used a cut-and-paste CGI animation style and aired on Fox Family in the United States.[27]

JetCat

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JetCat, created by cartoonist Jay Stephens, follows a young girl who becomes the cat-themed superhero JetCat. The character originated in Stephens' comics before being adapted into animation shorts for KaBlam!; Stephens received an Annie Award nomination for production design for the short "Sacred Identity".[28]

The Louie and Louie Show

[edit]

An animated short created by Gary Baseman about a hamster and a chameleon, both named Louie, who compete with the family dog for their owners' attention. The KaBlam! segment was directed by Tom McGrath, with Billy West voicing Louie the hamster and Jim Belushi voicing Louie the chameleon.[29]

Race Rabbit

[edit]

A live-action segment about an English-accented rabbit who competes in automobile races while contending with two human antagonists, the Boolies. The segment was created by Scott Fellows.

The Adventures of PatchHead

[edit]

A live action/animated segment about a boy who wears a watermelon rind as a hat and competes against cheaters. Nick Offerman appears as the antagonist, Colonel Kudzu.

One-off shorts

[edit]

KaBlam! also featured a number of shorts that appeared only once as part of the series.

  • The Brothers Tiki - A mixed-media segment about two alien tiki figures stranded on Earth after arriving in a spaceship resembling a barbecue grill.
  • Fuzzball - An animated short created by Kevin Dougherty about a girl who tries to replace her father's bowling trophy after accidentally breaking it.
  • Anemia and Iodine - A one-off animated short about two friends investigating paranormal activity at a haunted house. The segment was directed by Robert Scull; and written by Scull and alternative comics artist Krystine Kryttre.
  • Little Freaks - An animated short about three unusual superheroes attempting to stop a villain from controlling global fashion trends.
  • The Shizzagee - A computer-animated short about a coyote-like creature believed to be the last of its kind, who lives with its owner, Brutus.
  • The Girl With Her Head Coming Off - An animated short created by Emily Hubley
  • Randall Flan's Incredible Big Top - An animated short about a travelling circus ringmaster trying to protect his blue lion in a town hostile to blue lions.
  • Untalkative Bunny - An animated short featuring the title character, later developed into a television series for Teletoon. The short had previously appeared on Cartoon Sushi.
  • Garbage Boy - A collage-style animated short about a boy who creates objects from discarded rubbish.
  • Emmett Freedy - A stop-motion short about a boy whose classmates mistake a piece of cereal caught in his hair for lice.
  • Stewy the Dog Boy - An animated short about a dog who behaves like a human boy.
  • Dave, Son of Hercules - An animated short about a boy embarrassed by his father, Hercules. The short was produced by the same animation team responsible for the Henry and June segments.

Music videos

[edit]

KaBlam! also featured several music-video segments. They Might Be Giants appeared with videos for "Why Does the Sun Shine?"[30] and "Doctor Worm".[31] The series also featured James Kochalka's "Pizza Rocket" and "Hockey Monkey"; the latter was written and performed with The Zambonis and was produced as a mixed-media video by The Ink Tank.[32][33]

Cancelled spin-off film

[edit]

In 1998, Nickelodeon announced plans for a live-action Prometheus and Bob film, with Harald Zwart attached to direct, Amy Heckerling and Twink Caplan producing and Joe Stillman writing the screenplay.[34] The project did not proceed to production. Creator Cote Zellers later said that Chris Farley and David Spade had been considered for the film and that development continued after Farley's death, but stalled following disagreements over the screenplay.[23] Zellers also said that several ideas from the unproduced screenplay later appeared in Stillman's 2010 film Gulliver's Travels.[23]

Broadcast and release

[edit]

Broadcast history

[edit]

KaBlam! premiered on Nickelodeon on October 11, 1996,[10] and ran for four seasons. The final episode, "Just Chillin'", aired on May 27, 2000.[35] In May 2002, KaBlam! began airing in reruns on the newly launched Nicktoons.[36][37] Henry and June were included among the Nicktoons characters featured on the December 2007/January 2008 issue of Nickelodeon Magazine.[38] On October 8 and 9, 2016, KaBlam! aired on The Splat, Nickelodeon's retro programming block on TeekNick.[39][40]

Internationally, KaBlam! aired in France on Canal+ beginning on July 1, 1998.[41][42] It was also broadcast in the United Kingdom on Channel 5.[43] In Poland, KaBlam! aired from 1999 to 2001 on Fantastic.[44]

Home media and streaming

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Only one episode, "Won't Crack or Peel", was released on VHS, in its 3D broadcast version, as part of a promotion with Tombstone Pizza.[45] KaBlam! became available on NickSplat, a streaming channel on VRV, on August 28, 2018.[46] The series was added to Paramount+ on March 24, 2021.[47] On January 1, 2026, KaBlam! was removed from Paramount+ alongside Action League Now! and several other children's programs.[48][49]

Reception

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KaBlam! has a 100% approval rating for its first season on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 5 critic reviews.[50] Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media praised the show's mix of animation styles and singled out Action League Now! as one of its most memorable segments.[51] Ray Richmond of Variety described the show's use of cel, cutout, clay, computer, live-action and stop-motion animation as "revolutionary", while noting that its quality was initially inconsistent.[52]

In 2016, Screen Rant ranked KaBlam! 25th on its list of "Nickelodeon's 25 Best TV Shows Ever".[53]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Known as Games Animation for seasons 1-2.
  2. ↑ Hall, Jane (October 7, 1996). "A Nick Off the Old Block". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Kablam!". TV.com. Archived from the original on May 29, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  4. ↑ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 332. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  5. 1 2 "1997: The year of drawing dangerously". Variety. November 18, 1997. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
  6. ↑ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 463. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  7. ↑ "Films- Animation World News Issue 2.6, September 1997". www.awn.com. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Paley Archive: KABLAM!". www.paleycenter.org. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
  9. 1 2 "The Ka-Case of KaBlaM!". The Black Case Diaries. September 10, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  10. 1 2 Hall, Jane (October 7, 1996). "A Nick Off the Old Block". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
  11. ↑ "SHOWS FOR YOUNGSTERS AND THEIR PARENTS TOO : Carmen Sandiego offers more lessons on KCET; 'Kablam!' and 'Arnold!' get Nickelodeon excited". Los Angeles Times. October 6, 1996. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
  12. ↑ "KaBlam! – Full cast & crew" (Database). IMDb. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  13. ↑ "KaBlam! | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  14. 1 2 "KaBlam! - Full Cast & Crew - TV Guide". www.tvguide.com. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  15. ↑ "KaBlam! - The Henry and June Show - TheTVDB.com". thetvdb.com. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  16. 1 2 "TV's Fall Animation Lineup". Animation World Network. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Psyched for Snuppa (1992) | Stretch Films". www.stretchfilms.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2026. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  18. ↑ Erickson, Hal (July 20, 2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003, 2d Ed. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7864-2099-5.
  19. ↑ "The Best of Nicktoons" (PDF, album booklet / liner notes). Internet Archive. Kid Rhino / Rhino Entertainment Company. 1998. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  20. ↑ Perlmutter, David (May 4, 2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-1-5381-0373-9.
  21. 1 2 "Valentine's Day animation guide". Animation World Network. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Nickelodeon Ooze News Archive: Draw Hey Arnold! | Ooze News | August 1998". Nickelodeon Ooze News Archive. August 16, 1998. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  23. 1 2 3 Neilan, Dan. "Nickelodeon's long-forgotten Prometheus And Bob deserves a second look". AV Club. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  24. ↑ Matin, Le (October 16, 2007). "«Le Festival est devenu très populaire»". «Le Festival est devenu très populaire» (in French). Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  25. ↑ "KaBlam! - Aired Order - All Seasons - TheTVDB.com". thetvdb.com. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  26. ↑ Beard, William; White, Jerry (2002). North of Everything: English-Canadian Cinema Since 1980. University of Alberta. ISBN 978-0-88864-390-2.
  27. ↑ Longworth, Jocelyn. "Winner–Girls". Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Secret Origins of 'The Secret Saturdays'". Animation World Network. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  29. ↑ "The Louie and Louie Show – Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  30. ↑ They Might Be Giants - Why Does the Sun Shine?. Retrieved September 23, 2026 – via vimeo.com.
  31. ↑ Brodsky, RBBy Rachel (October 18, 2021). "We've Got A File On You: They Might Be Giants". stereogum.com. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  32. ↑ "Watch KaBlam! Online | Season 3 (1998) | TV Guide". www.tvguide.com. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  33. ↑ "INK TANK produces "Hockey Monkey"". Animation World Network. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  34. ↑ Hindes, Andrew (September 18, 1998). "Nick sets 'Bob' toon feature". Variety. Archived from the original on September 30, 2008. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
  35. ↑ "Watch KaBlam! Online | Season 4 (1998) | TV Guide". www.tvguide.com. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  36. ↑ "Nicktoons TV Launches On AT&T Digital Cable". Animation World Network. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  37. ↑ tvguidearchiver (May 1, 2002). "Nicktoons TV May 1, 2002". TV Guide Archive. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  38. ↑ Liu, Ed (November 6, 2007). "PR: Nickelodeon Serves Up Thanksgiving "Superstuffed Nicktoons Weekend"". Anime Superhero News. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  39. ↑ "The Splat To Air "KaBlam!" On Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th October 2016 | Nickelodeon Animation 25". Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  40. ↑ "Nickelodeon Takes Fans Back to the '90s with the Launch of "The Splat," Brand-New Destination for Iconic Nick Content, Starting Monday, Oct. 5, on TeenNick" (Press release). Paramount. Nickelodeon / Viacom. September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  41. ↑ "kablam-emission-du-1-juillet-1998". catalogue.ina.fr. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  42. ↑ "La télé à l'heure d'été". Le Monde (in French). June 21, 1998. ISSN 1950-6244. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  43. ↑ "KaBlam! (Original)" (Database record). BFI Collections Search. British Film Institute. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  44. ↑ "KaBlam! – Dubbingpedia". dubbingpedia.pl. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  45. ↑ @NickTVHistory (August 30, 2019). "A limited edition 3D KaBlam! VHS tape released as part of a Tombstone Pizza promotion in the late '90s" (Tweet). Retrieved January 23, 2025 – via Twitter.
  46. ↑ "Your Favorite '90s NICKELODEON Shows Are All Streaming In One Place". Nerdist. August 28, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  47. ↑ Barnes, Jess (March 25, 2021). "Paramount+ Adds 90s Nickelodeon Shows to Its Content Library". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  48. ↑ "Paramount+ Removes More Nick Classics: As Told By Ginger, Nick Arcade, KaBlam! | Nickandmore!". www.nickandmore.com. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  49. ↑ Valentine, Evan (January 2, 2026). "Two Nickelodeon Classics Have Vanished From Paramount+". ComicBook.com. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  50. ↑ "KaBlam!: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
  51. ↑ "KaBlam! - Parents' Guide & TV Review | Common Sense Media". www.commonsensemedia.org. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  52. ↑ Richmond, Ray (October 9, 1996). "Kablam!". Variety. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  53. ↑ Coriaty, Spencer (July 28, 2016). "Nickelodeon's 25 Best TV Shows Ever". Screen Rant. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
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