The Lingo Show Review

Ever since "Dora the Explora" animation for younger kids has become either abysmal and boring in terms of writing and characters. Though there might be some exceptions (that I probably don't know of) but mostly there's nothing. One cartoon that looks like it's taken the same route as most kid shows these days but  actually thinks it's going outside the box. A recent show that only the people of UK know about is "The Lingo Show"

Now I'll start by saying I was not interested in seeing this show but after seeing a picture of it I became a little curious. Now I also know that any programme on CBeeBies is bad news in my book, but how bad can it be. For those who don't know, The Lingo Show is an animated/half live action hybrid about a minature circus with talking insects that entertains kids everywhere. The show teaches it's viewers different languages, now it sounds pretty promising for a show on CBeeBies. But is this better than the monstrosity known as "Bobinogs" or do we need to get out the bugspray.

Like I said The Lingo Show is about a bug called Lingo who conducts circus performances in a flying mechanical tent. The performers who are Wéi, Jargonaise, Queso, Blodwen, Dyzio, Jaadoo,
Kikli, Subah and Leib; are not only insects as well, but they come from different countries; so it adds more cultural equality. Lingo and his team would travel around the UK to perform their Big Bug show using one of his performers. The idea of animated talking bugs is much similar to "A Bug's Life" or "Santo Bugito" it may sound holesome when you look at it and the idea that it teaches pre-schoolers different languages before they go to school makes it work for older audiences as well, but does it make it more entertaining....well.....In the show, one of the character's must find different objects as props for his/her act, while the're getting the object the character teaches the viewers the name of the certain objects in his/her language. Now that wouldn't be a problem, if they didn't do it in every single episode!!!

Now this is where The Lingo Show falls flat, because it wants to focuss on being educational and because it tends to use that same formula in every episode, it feels like it's missing that element that makes a story a story. Also the way they teach kids a different language is too simplictic, now I know learning a new language is hard, especially for pre-schoolers and I'll admit that the strongest point is the variety of cultures. But the problem with "The Lingo Show" is that it suffers from what I like to call "kid show symdrome" where a tv show has to talk down to it's audience, relays on annoying characters and because it's aimed at children under the age of 7, they have the excuse for their flaws. 

Another thing The Lingo Show lacks is clever dialogue, it often resorts to breaking the forth wall but not in a funny or clever way. Theres also a running gag where Lingo and the other characters tell the audience to wave their hands in the air, is this an exercise show for a language show? Seriously the only reason why they do that is so they can bring the objects back and from where they found them.....How in the bloody name of Carol Vorderman does that teach children in any way. That if you want to borrow something you just wave your hands in the air like "HEEEEEYYYY HEY BABY!!! OH! AH! so they can appear in the place you want them No! that's not the way life works, even if you're a cartoon bug!

Now that we're done with the plot, let talk about the animation. Now the show has a mix of animation and live action which I must admit is a clever combination. It's animated in Flash so it's moves in the same way as "Naughty Naughty Pets" or "Mucha Lucha" while it could be better at least it fits the character designs. Speaking of which, the character design of the bugs looks cute but I've seen better; they look like background characters from "The Buzz on Maggie" if you ask me. Because the background is live-action as well as the human characters, theres very little design so it's more focused on the bug characters. The only problem is that there are not many bug designs which is lacking. Fortunetly the show doesn't focuss on the live action so it has a good ratio. So the visuals are meh, but at least it has some variety unlike Charly the Unicorn or the Bobinogs.

With the animation out of the way, let get on to the more important bit which is the characters.Unfortunatley the characters in Lingo Show have the personality of paint, despite them having different accents most of the characters lack any personality which doesn't help the show in any way. It seems like their only purpose is to get the objects they need for their performances and teach the audiences their languages. Because of this and that the producers refuse to tell a story none of the characters have any depth. Lingo is this perky bloke who mostly speaks to the audience while setting up his Big Bug Show and that's about it really, Queso the Spanish bug who like the others is not memorable or funny, which is a shame because he could have been a great comic relief. The rest are nothing special and it doesn't help that each of them have to sing their own theme song in every episode they're in; now to be fair I'm sure the actors were having fun with these roles but that alone won't save the show. Hey at least the bugs airn't racist stereotypes.

Overall The Lingo Show may seems like a fine show for younger viewers but turns out to be a typical broken kids cartoon with a repetative plot (if you can call it that), mediocure animation, bad forth-wall humor and characters whose purpose is to teach the audiences different languages and nothing else. It's nice to see a CBeeBie show teaches children different languages because it shows that it does stick to it's title but that alone won't save it. If you're like 5 or 6 you'll enjoy it, but if you're over that age limit than it feels like a lackluster. To the parents that are reading this, may I suggest you expose your kids to the Muzzy video than this.

As an answer to my question, is it better than Bobinogs?....Yes and No. Compared to Bobinogs  Lingo Show has more educational value, slightly better animation and less irritating gags. However what downgrades it, is it's lack of story, depth and humor; so it's debatable really. I don't depise the Lingo Show but I don't think it's that good compared to other recent cartoons like Adventure Time or Fish Hooks. I don't think it'll even last that long. I give The Lingo Show a rating of 1/5 just be thankful it's not on a channel for older kids.

Thats all I have people, I'll be back for more posts but for now I'm gonna catch up on my Portugese.

In Defense of Mucha Lucha

Hola amigos, boy do I have a treat for you but first let me just say I love cartoons. I mean who doesn't love to watch a good cartoon once in a while whether it's funny, charming or dramatic; one cartoon that gets over-looked and receives quite a bit of hate from animation fans is Mucha Lucha.

Created by Eddie Mort and Lil Chin in 2002, Mucha Lucha was a show set in Mexico, the landmark of mask wrestling. It centres around the adventures of Rikochet, Buena Girl and The Flea destine to become famous wrestlers at the Foremost World-Renowned International School of Lucha while also fighting for Honor, Family, Tradition..........and Donuts. Critics consider this to be one of the worst cartoons of the 2000s but let me ask "....why...." Why in the name of broken bones is the show so hated? Granted the animation is tamed and the writing wasn't exactly Shakespeare but it gave us something fun and original, I enjoyed it as a kid and still find enjoyment out of it even now. So let's take a look at Mucha Lucha and see why it deserves more respect......LUCHHAAARRRRAAAANNNNN!!!!!!!........

Like I mentioned before The show centres 3 young wrestlers; Rikochet who dreams of becoming a famous luchador like his father and his grandfather, while he's bravest and the most confident he does get himself into the most conflict and does get stress whatever situation he's in.
Buena Girl, the smartest of the group and the most loyal, she plays the honour student role as she fights for what is right. She also believes in the Code of Mask Wrestling (which is like the bible of lucha libre) which she uses to keep her friends in order. While she is more likely to lose it from time to time she still keeps her standing ovation a luchador. The Flea who is the comic relief of the 3. While he's disgusting and not the brightest he still has a good heart. While he's the one who breaks the rules in order to get his own ways (or that he doesn't care much at times) But still he tries his best to fix things in the end.

Then there's El Ray Rikochet's talking action figure, now before you get confused by the added Toy Story like character El Ray is very likeable. Not only is he Rikochet's friend but he's his mentor as well. He didn't appear much, but when did he offered so much to the story. Oh did I forget to mention Mask Dog, he's cool.

The show had a good range of supporting characters, whether there were other luchadors or just regular people. Each wrestler had a different personality that matched their outfits, there were even different races of wrestlers in the show giving it more equality. Like I mentioned earlier the show revolve around these 3 characters as they attend the Foremost World-Renowned International School of Lucha, there they have matches against other students to test their ability (and they say you can't fight at school) As well as having different personalities, each wrestler had different fighting moves (i.e Rikochet's Super Sonic Pinball)
this gave the show more action along with the comedy as well as some creativity in the animation.

Speaking of animation, it looked slick and original for its time. Considering this was the first animated tv show to use Flash (which was mostly used in web cartoons back then) the animators really used it to a better potential. While critics say it looks dated and choppy; I respect that opinion very much but I must say that the flash animation in Mucha Lucha really fits in with the style and humour. There were times when it was used very creatively for its time. The people who worked on this show eventually went on to work on other shows like "Buzz on Maggie" and "El Tigre" which unfortunately had a shorter run.

Another thing about the animation was that the characters had fun and original designs to them, especially on their masks. But may I just say this about the character design, don't you think they look pretty similar to the Cramp Twins? I don't mean that in a bad sense but both shows have similar-looking characters. A big example of this is the designs of the 3 characters, Señor Hasbeena, Mr Midcarda and The Headmistress, I mean The Headmistress looks like Mrs Cramp, Señor Hasbeena looks like Mr Parsons and Mr Midcarda looks like Mr Winkle. I know it's a coincidence and I know it happens with a lot of cartoons but that's what I've thought as a child I'm sure you would say the same thing if you saw both shows growing up.

What made the show fun to watch was the clever and adventurous stories it had to offer. While there were some episodes that took a spin on situations most children were dealing with growing up, episodes where one of the characters would get into a certain situation like betraying a friend but would be resolved so that character would learn a lesson at the end. There were also episodes where Rikochet and his friends would solved mysteries, one episode had the gang search for a missing page from the Code of Masked Wrestling, another had the gang investigate who was accusing the students and teachers for crimes they haven't committed. It turned out to be a student named "Timmy of A Thousand Masks" who uses other wrestler's masks to get away with just about anything.
There were also episodes that were very surreal. Like there was an episode where The Flea had to fight the Evil Masked Toilet, and there was an episode where the gang awaken a Slamazonian mummy and have a fight with her. But the weirdest episode is where The Flea doesn't wash his hands which cause a giant doughnut to come to live and destroy the city. Okay, okay people do say this show went too far with it's surrealism to the point where it didn't make sense anymore; but it was a cartoon about masked wrestlers!........Get With It People!

What also made this show great was it's awesome theme song just have a listen and you'll see

 Sadly despite being a success Mucha Lucha ended with just 3 seasons; while it has gained a cult following this show hasn't got it's own season box set and can only be seen on YouTube and other sites. However the show actually still airs re-runs in the UK on Kix. If this show still airs in re-runs in your country please let me know.

Overall Mucha Lucha was a fun cartoon with likeable characters, stories that you could sink your teeth in, I only wish people would treat this show a lot better. Looking back it's not as grand as I remember it, but it gave us something hilarious and enjoyable. Mucha Lucha may have not been the greatest cartoon ever made but it's definitely a lot better than most cartoons today. If you didn't like it, then that's okay I just consider it a great childhood show. If you watched it, go watch it again and tell me what you thought of it, if you haven't watched it, go check it out if you want. I give this show a rating of 4/5. I like to talk more but for now Adios Muchacha!

A Retrospective on Michael Foreman Part 1

One of my favourite art forms of all time is illustration, if you look around everything has a design that reflects a story, a person, an event even an object. Every piece of illustration has their style to fits to different people's tastes and I hope one day my illustrations will be seen and loved by everyone. One man who has been making great illustrations for decades, bringing to life stories that we know and love in the most splendid of ways is English artist and designer, Michael Foreman.
Like Walt Disney and Picasso, Michael Foreman created such iconic and ingenious works that are well known across the world. His smooth and delicate watercolours breathe so much life and character that they bring you to the world that he has created. No one and I mean no one has managed to add the same superb wonder into illustrations or even storytelling than Foreman. Which is why we're gonna look back on his career, not only as a children's book illustrator but as an artist as well. Now as fascinating his work is I won't be looking at all that he has done I'll only cover the best of his works.

                                                                 The General-1961
The first children's book Foreman ever illustrated was "The General" a political satire that tells the story of a  Dictator that finally sees the beauty of the world after getting lost in the woods. I haven't read this book but after finding the illustrations and hearing about it on the internet I consider it a gem among his work. As you can tell from the art style; Foreman was jumping on the bandwagon at the time, I for one love seeing how it all began. If any of you have read or seen this book tell me what you think of it because I would like to see this anti-war tale of whimsey for myself.

Dinosaurs and All That Rubbish-1972
Cut to a mere11 years later Foreman created what made him a popular icon in the illustration industry, "Dinosaurs and all that Rubbish". It's about a man who destroys an entire rainforest and builds a load of factories in order to build a rocket to space. This results with the dinosaurs coming back to life, then they ravage an entire city. This perky fable gives the children an environmental message in such a charming, colourful way. I remember reading this book at school so reading it again brings back some good memories, the message as well the illustrative style really holds up which is why it is considered the best book Foreman ever worked on. You can tell he had stepped up from the light-heartedness of "The General" and gone for a more funny and original approach. But the best was yet to come.

War and Peas-1974

Michael would write and illustrate another story that enlighten as well as educated the minds of children with "War and Peas" a funny tale of a battle between anthropomorphic creatures and obese human beings. Michael Foreman not only created a funny satire against war, but he also went out of his way to top his previous success with more colourful imagery and more in-depth characters.

To me this is Foreman's magnum opus, he gives his views on war in the most hilarious and clever way without sugar-coating it for younger readers (hope I used that term likely). War and Peas is a delicious dish of delectable artwork and juicy story-lines I highly recommend it.

                                                           The Panda Series-1977-1984

 During the late 70s when Foreman was starting to add more detail to his backgrounds and as his design work began to gear towards older readers; he decided to write with his new illustrative style "Panda's Puzzle and his Voyage of Discovery" It's about a young panda bear who travels the world in order to find out if he's a "white panda with black bits" of a "black panda with white bits" The only time I ever read this book was at school and looking back on it, I must say this is Foreman's best. With beautifully serene illustrations, a fun character and a clever storyline I would like to read this book again as I think it would like it more now than I did back than.

It also spawned a sequel 4 years later titled "Panda and the Odd Lion" in this one Panda meets a lion who was born with wings, as they become friends Panda and the lion go on an adventure like never before. I also remember reading this book and it was as good as the first one. There were 2 other sequels as well "Panda and the Bunyips-1984" and "Panda and the Bush Fire-1986" which I haven't read but I bet they would be brilliant. The Panda books are now not as well known as "Dinosaurs" or "War and Peas" but they have gained a cult following among fans. I think children would love these books not only for Foreman's gorgeous art style but his clever storytelling as well.

                                       Michael Foreman meets Terry Jones
Being considered the greatest illustrator of his time, things only got better for Foreman when he collaborated Monty Python's Terry Jones. In 1981 Terry asked Foreman if he could do a couple of both ink and watercolour illustrations for a series of modern fairy tales he was writing. These stories were meant to satirise old folk tales and fables told by The Brothers Grimm and Oscar Wilde as well as pay homage to them; considering Foreman did his own take on those stories himself he agreed. The result was "Fairy Tales" a brilliant collection of original stories that felt like the classic English folk tales; the combination of Foreman's artwork and Jones's funny tales helped invent a new revolution in illustration and children's literature.

After "Fairy Tales" Terry worked with Foreman again to make "The Saga of Erik the Viking" a valiant tale of a Viking warrior on a quest for a land where the sun goes at night. It got Foreman commended for a Greenaway Medal, making it the Best Illustrated Children's Book of '83' Just by looking at the illustrations it looks epic to me, I wish I could say the same about the feature that followed. Terry and Michael would then make "Nicobobinus" and "The Curse of the Vampire Socks and other Doggerel"

In 1992, Foreman and Terry made a follow up to Fairy Tales after 11 years called "Fantastic Stories" The book would contain more original stories written by Jones which followed the same formula as the first one, once again Foreman did a unique job at illustrating the stories making them tasteful and memorable for younger readers and his fans. It's a book that's such a comfort to read I highly recommend it for those who like a variety of stories.

In 1997 Foreman and Jones made "The Knight and the Squire" as a take of medieval fantasy as well as the sequel "The Lady and the Squire" in 2000, it would be the last book Foreman ever illustrated for Jones until 11 years later when they both  released "Animal Tales" To celebrate 30 years since they first worked together Jones wrote the long-awaited follow up to Fantastic Stories. With a collection of assorted funny stories about different animals "Animal Tales" brings back memories of their previous work while making it appeal to a new generation of readers as well. It's great to see these two back together as we owe a lot to them for changing children's literature, I just can't wait to see what these two can now that they're together again.

I'm afraid that's all we have readers but we're not done yet, stay in touch for part 2 as I'll cover more of Michael Foreman and what he's done for children's books but for now I'll see you later.

Hamlet: The Dream

Hello there, there's no doubt that Hamlet is one of the best plays Shakespeare ever wrote. The story of a young prince in vengeance for his dead father, so he goes into temporary madness, which results in killing off the main characters. Just another dark tale of treachery and moral corruption that has been incarnated into books, film and tv; many who has brought the prince of darkness back to life have either become well known in their time and I hope to be one of those people.

If you don't know what I mean by that last remark I'll tell you more. For years it has been my ambition to become an illustator with my first book to be Shakespeare related; so when I was younger I wanted my first book to be an illustrated version of "Hamlet". I'm not joking when I say that I have been working on this product since Year 7, which is how much this product means  to me.

The idea for this goes back to 2004, when I decided that I wanted to become an illustrator so I made this cover design (left) in MS Paint. I wanted the design to look nice so from the top of my nogon I just did the characters without drawing them on paper first and thus I created my own version of "Hamlet" as he was and how he shall always be.
I loved how it turned out as it felt like the perfect first step into this agenda.

Hamlet (First MS Paint Cover Design)-2004

A year later I went on to do more Hamlet related drawings using different materials, because I still drew in stick figure form I would practice and pratice drawing till I got better. Though I love my old drawing I didn't feel it would have worked in illustrated books, if my drawing style would stayed in that way from now on it would look cute but not that I've hoped for. Anyway I made many studies involving Hamlet whether it was at home or school and I felt each drawing would get more and more detailed as they went along.

In my book these drawings looked very clever and show how the whole design range started off. In that same year I even wrote the manual script for a year, though now it looks tamed but now I'm thinking of taking some elements from the original manual script and improving them.

Hamlet (Pastel and Drawing)-2005

                                                  Original Hamlet Pen Drawings-2005

When I got my first watercolour palette for my birthday I could finally use it to decide what style I wanted the illustrations to be. I used the water-colours in any which way till I found which style I liked.

                                                       Hamlet-Character Designs-2006
When I finally discovered my drawing style and improved on character designs I went to work on it in 2007. When I started working on the concept I took inspiration from the original pen studies I did 2 years earlier, because of school work I was off and on again while making the illustrations; also my tutors wanted to use the illustration I did so far for a school product and I didn't get them back till a year later. So like 7 illustrations were done in like 3 years. To be truthful I'm glad it took me this long to do them because my illustative style was improving and I wasn't that good at writing so if I finished it as a young child it would'nt be as good.

Nowadays I've stopped working on the illustrations just to focuss on college work; I'll start to work more on it on shorter notice. Which is why I want you guys to support this agenda of mine; I really want to get this product off the ground so please make sure Hamlet is to be, or not to be? I'll keep you updated on this product but for now I'll see you later.

Hey guys, it's been a while since I made a blog post so I thought to give you some updates for the next year. Just you let you know that I'll probably be posting more of my artwork for now on, it wont be any of my old stuff because on my deviant art page I've mentioned that I wont be posting any of my earlier works (if you haven't checked out my deviant art page here's the link below) With the artwork I'll be posting and the inside information based on any projects I'll probably won't be posting that many top 10 lists or reviews for a while but I will do a tribute or something.

http://cmtvable1.deviantart.com/

Speaking of which I want to tell you guys that I'm working on special product involving a classic Shakespearean play, so I'll be posting more about it because I really full support for this product please. One last thing, starting January my blog "The Coco Mills Blog" will be re-named "Milio Cocos Blog" Now the reason for doing this is personal so don't ask why I want to change my blog's name; however the old link will still be there and there won't be many drastic changes. So here are my updates hope you see my blog and stick around for all this and more in the future but for now; see you next time.

What is "Goodbye to Lucien and Wayne?"

As you all know I'm a Cramp Twins fanboy, it seems like just yesterday I saw the first episode on Cartoon Network and from that moment on it has been one of my favourite animated programs. So imagine how I felt when it meet it's end in 2005, but that doesn't matter because Cartoon Network could still make cartoons I mean whats the worse that could happen.......................

                                                                       ahh rats!!!

Yes like everyone else I have a grudge on the media for ending the Cramp Twins too soon, while I think it was all because of 4Kids I kind of blame CN for picking 4kid's side. Since then veteran cartoonist Brian Wood retired animation for reasons unknown, never to be heard of until I wrote my article "Whatever Happened to Brian Wood" (lets hope people saw that) The Cramp Twins have lived their afterlife in obsurity. But thanks to the internet, we the fans have managed to keep the memories of this show alive thus making it a cult hit along with Sheep in The Big City and Santo Bugito.

Now like every francise of production there has been propagander revolving around The Cramp Twins so you might have noticed there have rumors of a certain "lost episode" In my "Top 10 Shows Never Ended" list, I mentioned that there was something about a missing episode called "Goodbye to Lucien and Wayne" Now this has been on Wikipedia for ages and while I consider that website as "propagander" it makes me wonder. I mean were they really gonna end with a finale or is this another conspiracy? there were also recent rumors of a new series that was to suppose to come after this episode and prehaps a spin-off even.

Just imagine if Mari got her own show but I don't think a cartoon about a socially awkward girl who has to deal with her demented foster family would be "good ratings" material. Well at least it would be               more interesting to watch than anything thats on Cartoon Network now.

Anyway I just want to ask what was this "lost episode" anyway and why would CN keep us from seeing it if it did existed. Well whatever the reason and whether it exists or not I for one would love to see it for myself, if it's the final curtainl to the terrible twins then I could only imagine how great it could have been. I'm so interested I even wrote to Cartoon Network asking if they can air it to celebrate the show's tenth aniversery (if they have it at least) Even if there's no animation they could at least tell me where I could find the actual recording so I could post it on YouTube.

Whats also intriguing about this rumor is the name of the episode "Goodbye to Lucien and Wayne" now you cant really tell if the name alone is real. I mean it sounds like someone made it up but if the Angry Beavers had a lost episode with the word "goodbye" then there must be a connection. After all both shows are about brothers and they both have missing episodes so maybe they were both cancelled for the same reason. Another thing about the name of this episode is "what did it actually mean?" Was it about the Cramp Twins moving away to a different city? or was it a metaphor for the show coming to a conclusion so there would no way of coming back. Or maybe, maybe they were gonna kill off both Lucien and Wayne. If that's true then it would have blown everyone's mind, to end a show with it's main protagonists dying would have been a dark and mature way and would've left an impact on children's animation. I mean think about it people.

Whatever ending this show was going for "Goodbye to Lucien and Wayne" would have been an epic conclusion to such an enjoyable program. I'm just sad it never aired or never made, either way I sure hope the producers will re-create this episode, with newer animation; I'm waiting! If you want to support my message to the world, just contact Cartoon Network (or whatever channel The Cramp Twins aired, depending on where you lived) ask them where to find the footage or audio. I repeat even if there's no footage then we can make our own and make it a viral hit.

Also if you do know where I could find some footage, recordings or storyboard work then leave your answer at the comment box below I would appreciate it.

 Now as a tribute to the Cramp Twins I like to show you a picture I've done on PhotoShop, inspired by 2001 A Space Odyssey I created this for fun as well as a statement of what impact a cartoon or a piece of art has, after it's debut to the world. Give me your thought and we'll see you next time.

4 years ago I made a music video combining clips from the Cramp Twins and Daft Punk's One More Time. It wasn't till 2010 when I posted it on YouTube as one the first CT amv I ever made. Since then it has gained 1.000 views and I would make post videos like this which I will put on this blog.

My Influence Map

Hello it's been a while since I uploaded stuff on my blog, but I've been busy with college and other things. So I decided to show you all my Influence Map. This shows what has inspired my style as well as what I admire dearly.

The Top 10 Best Cramp Twins Episodes

What can I say about the Cramp Twins, it was a funny and interesting cartoon that was not only original with it's colourful character designs and brilliant voice-over work but it had crude jokes and plots that appealed to both kids and adults. It may of not been one of the most popular of cartoons, but by god was it enjoyable. Now despite that this show ended way before it's time it still had plenty of episodes; and trust me when they were good they were really good! With that being said it's time we asked ourselves "which episode was the funniest, the darkest, which one was worth talking about the most.

So sit back and enjoy a big box of sugar tarts, this is the top 10 Best Cramp Twins Episodes

10. 6th Senselessness

After a day at the swamp, Lucien realises that he has physic powers even though he doesn't believe in all that mumbo jumbo. However he uses his powers to impress his family and to do well in school, but soon has doubts that he doesn't have powers when he makes one mistake, that is until he believes to find himself stuck in Wayne's sub-conscious.

What's so interesting about this episode is that it goes where no kid show has ever gone before, sure there were shows that have used a similar plot but in this episode it goes to a darker place, I mean Lucien has all these powers and is proud at-first but they get him so warped up in such confusion; it adds a mature aspect to the story.

Another thing this episode is known for this particular scene, just watch

                        

One of the most physiological episode you'll ever see in a kid's show, 6th Senselessness is an episode that will blow your mind!

  9. Holesome

Now don't let the name fool you, this episode is far from 'wholesome' well almost.......Mrs Cramp makes a new cleaning detergent of her own which she hopes to be a success and not a sub-atomic disaster like her other cleaning experiments. But the rest of her family don't want to be her lab rats so she goes medieval on the boys, trying her best to test her formula but ends up failing every time. It isn't long before Mrs Cramp loses her patience and goes into utter complete insanity, which turns her own family against her.

All I can say folks is that this episode is just dark, I mean even for a kid's show it's dark, what starts off with Mrs Cramp trying to test out a detergent (that is more of a acetic) turns into a game of cat and mouse which turns into a horror flick I mean really. Just the way Mrs Cramp becomes this psycho makes the episode all the more chaotic and all the more creepy. We all know Mrs Cramp doesn't mean to create these toxic potions but in this, she just goes utterly over the top MY GOD!

So if you'll in the mood for some insane/dark material in an animated series than you better check out this; 'Holesome', it's anything but! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

8. The Bad Seed  

We all know how different Lucien is from his family and how he almost excepted the fact that they are indeed his family, but in this episode he draws the line on this one so he goes to find out if he was really adopted or not. When he reads a book of the city's history, he discovers a page missing leading to a dark secret which Lucien believes could be a link to his family tree and to ask the very question to why he's so different. 

While investigating Lucien learns of the legend of 'The Bad Seed' who was a mysterious criminal in the old west or the mid 20s which becomes a clue to his family's roots. It isn't long before the bad seed returns to Soap City in the most likely of forms. What makes this episode great is how the mysteries drag you into the dilemma Lucien's facing and the city's dark history. Watch this episode again and you'll come to understand more and more of it. I wont give anything away here but if you haven't seen this episode, the ending of this is so surprisingly ironic, you wont believe your eyes!

Just another reason why Cramp Twins is best cartoon of the 2000s, if you haven't seen it, check it out for yourself. Despite being called "the bad seed" it's the seed to other great Cramp Twins episodes.                                                            

7. Swamp Curse 

Now I know what you'll thinking, what's an episode from the later season doing in this countdown when the earlier episodes were much superior, look guys as much as I think the earlier episodes were the strongest I liked the later episodes too cause it's where I felt they were at their best as well all right, all right.....moving on. When Tony gets into an argument with Wendy and her mother he puts a swamp curse on them; at first they don't believe in it but it's not long till their luck and home goes down the toilet, 

I mean literally because their entire bathroom is cursed with swamp goo. 

Tony becomes pleased with what he's done so he uses the swamp magic to his advantage. Eventually he goes from being the smallest person in the City to the biggest threat in the city; even Wayne's scared of him now. Like I said the later Cramp Twins episode were good and this one shows, it has everything from super natural phenomena to really funny gags, also we see a more dark side to Tony, for a midget he's quite a bada**, he's boss in this episode if he can make even Wayne scared of him. Don't mess with Tony because he's bad honestly!


6. Alien Glow

After watching a movie Wayne believes that aliens exist, of course no one believes him at first despite his efforts to prove them wrong. But things turn around when a strange glow is seen in the neighbour-hood which could be a possible UFO. So Lucien and Tony investigate this strange glow with no fortune, it isn't till an alien starts roaming the city streets bringing concerns to Lucien and the rest of town's people. But could this mean that Wayne was right for once?

Once again this show proves to be both entertaining and mysterious, not only do you have well formulated plot points but you also get to see Agent X again who has become a more developed character as well as a re-insurance for the plot. Theres so much to the episode which makes it all the more memorable, like the quotes, the animation and it shows the writer's talent; if it's any wonder so many fans of the show know about it. If you haven't seen Alien Glow, then do yourself a favour and check it out because it's out of this world.


5. Miss Kissy

Now we all know Miss Hissy as the strictest, most mean spirited teacher who is the utter bane of Wayne's life; if you looked up 'discipline' in the dictionary chances are that you would find her picture. This episode however shows quite a normal/subtle side to her as it shows us that she's not as bad a character as she is, in fact this episode is the main reason why I find my self laughing at her. When Wayne sees Miss Hissy getting a note from a mysterious person, Wayne assumes that the person is her boyfriend so he tells everyone that he'll investigate to learn who her mystery date is.

So Wayne gets himself in detention in order to go under-cover, later he finds himself out shopping with Miss Hissy, it isn't long before he is mistaken for Miss Hissy's boyfriend. Wayne is than ridiculed by his class-mates. So Wayne goes once again to find out who her boyfriend really is and to redeem his reputation. As a kid I loved this episode very much so it makes sense that I grew to appreciate it even more, it also tells a realistic story I mean some children do get accused of liking their teacher so you kind of feel for Wayne. Kids can be cruel thats all I can say! it also has one of the most hilarious scenes you'll ever see in this show just watch!

If I was a teacher and this episode was homework, it would deserve an A+

4. Swamp Fever

I think everyone knows this episode by now, when the city council decides to blow up the last remaining swamp in Soap City, it's now up to Lucien, Mari and Tony to protect the swamp with the legendary 'hairy marsh snail' which hasn't been seen for hundreds of years. But all hope is lost when they approve to build an amusement park instead. Lucien then goes in search for the snail but will he find it before Tony's home is no more.

Not only was this episode loosely based on the actual graphic novel but it also teach us an environmental message without rubbing it in our faces. They also emphasise why the swamp needs to be protected as well as the plot of the entire series. I mean this is the episode that began the "Mr Winkle Conspiracy" Overall Swamp Fever is a great episode that stays true to it's source material as well as a good message which makes it one of the most memorable episodes in the entire series.




3. Mari Mania

If you thought the last episode I've mentioned was good than you haven't seen this one. Soap City is known for being a peaceful clean surburban town next to one of the biggest soap factories in the world, that is until one day when the whole city turned upside down!

This is the one of strangest episodes of Cramp Twins ever, it starts with Mari being upset about her family but it cuts to Lucien finding a furry worm but thats not the weird part. Theres also a part where Wayne turns his bed into a racing car but thats not the weird part. Lucien and Tony than go into town to see that all the cars have stopped for a stuffed squirrel and everything goes weird from that point on!

My god is this episode amazing! from it's terrific plot and animation to it's dark mystery, this in my opinion is how the last episode should have been like, in fact this is how most cartoons today should be like. This episode is the inspiration for a Cramp Twins related product I want to work on called 'Cramp Twin Peaks' based on the show 'Twin Peaks' you know if I've known better I say this episode was inspired by Twin Peaks.
If you want to see the Cramp Twins at their finest then why not check out Mari Mania it's insania!


2. Home on the Range

When Wayne gets mad with Tony after ruining his dead squirrel scam he takes his anger on Lucien after Tony gets away. So Lucien knits an emergency rubber suit for protection and it works until Wayne finds out the suit can shrink when wet. So being the mean spirited brute he is Wayne gets the suit all wet Tony rushes to Mrs Cramp for help. After that Mrs Cramp gets the boys cleaned up for the Haz Cam Country and Western Barbecue. There is also a Hogs and Hens Dance at the barbecue which gives Wayne the opportunity to sign Lucien in for the sake of cruelty.

Out all the episodes in this countdown this is my most favourite, why because not only was it also based on the first Cramp Twins novel by Brian Wood but every second of it is filled with fun, I love the settings, the animation, the story and the quotes. Here's a section of dialogue from this episode to show why it's so funny.

Mr Cramp: He talked to me! the president and chief executive officer of the Haz Cam Soap Factory, The Grand Bubba of the Country and Western Club; he actually talked to me!
Mrs Cramp: Yes I believe he said "get out of my way Norman" but your name's not Norman
Mr Cramp: Well no; not exactly but my middle name is Nevel and thats pretty close, pretty darn close indeed!
Truly this is one of the Cramp Twins episode that put the entire show on the map.

Remember this is completely based on opinion, maybe there are better episodes that deserve to be at the #1 spot but I had this on my list for a long time now. Also I was gonna put 'Home on the Range' at #1 but there was one episode that has amazed me since childhood, it's so great it's like if every other episode in this countdown got put together it's that good, that is why the #1 Cramp Twins episode is.................................................

1. Little Big Man

Where can I begin, there are no words to describe how awesome this episode; it's up there with 'Mari Mania' there's a lot to talk about but I'm just gonna we'll begin with the story because thats where the good stuff is. When a new roller coaster is opened Mr  Cramp takes Wayne, Lucien and  Tony to the amusement park. When they get to the roller coaster Tony cant ride the roller coaster because of course he's too small, this brings Tony down so while Lucien tries to cheer him up they both go on an epic adventure to where no small boy hasn't gone before. Tony than realises one of the most important lessons of childhood, that size doesn't matter and that a small person can make a big difference no matter what shape or form.

4 words, THIS EPISODE KICKS A**! It's probably one of the best episodes in a cartoon no less, the amount of effort the producers have put into one episode still amazes me today. I mean it goes beyond anything that this show has offered us and that's saying a lot! The written's well done, the animation is top notch, the acting is great, it's a roller coaster of fun; did I forget to mention this is the only episode where you would see Wayne turn into Godzilla, I'm dead serious he turns into freaking Godzilla! Whether you like the Cramp Twins or not I guarantee you'll still enjoy this episode and if you have seen it just once just be thankful you did!

I'm just gonna wrapped up this episode just to keep it under a millennium long. Little Big Man it's bigger in more ways than one!......freaking GODZILLA!

So there's the top 10 episode that are worth looking at, I'm just grateful to see a series have so many great episodes despite it's short run. If only people would have seen more of this show I bet there would be even more great episodes, and if you don't like this show then why do you bother coming here? See you next time.