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.

My Thoughts on Naughty Naughty Pets

Quite recently I've looked at a cartoon that is very over-looked and I can see why; if you guessed "Naughty Naughty Pets" than you're obviously human. Now I wasn't at all bothered when it actually came out infact I never really heard of it until now; it was really the art style that caught my attention because of how it remained me of the Cramp Twins a little bit; so I checked out the names of the producers assuming they would have worked on that same show. It turns out this show was based on a series of characters by illustrator/graphic designer Wendy Ann Gardner who started off creating her own plush toys in the same style; eventually she opened her own company where the plush toys would spawn into picture books and other merchandise. So it only made enough sense to give them their own cartoon series, I thought the right thing to do was to watch a hand full of episodes to see if these creatures are worth keeping as pets or putting down.

Lets start with the plot; the show is about this young girl named Wendy Woo (who is based on the creator herself) that has a part time job tending to a bunch of freaky pets that live in a hotel which hardly makes much sense but it's a cartoon so who's complaining. Anyway each episode would center around an animal character whether it's Sir Leo Licks a Lot, Dig Ivan Dig In, or Pretty Princess Vicky, Marty Cohen, and so on and so on; the pets would cause a lot of mischeif and havoc (well because they're called the "naughty naughty pets" after all) so the pets become a hand full for little Wendy. While the premise isn't all that great and theres not that much variety it's just one of those cartoons about anthropomorphic pets who get into many misadventures that we've seen a billion times before, but while those other shows are funny this isn't, maybe it is to kids but to an adult there isn't much to it.

Now we're done with the premise lets talk about the animation; I'll be truthful the animation isn't certainly the best I've ever seen but it's certainly not the worse. To Garder's credit the character designs are very original but there's something about them that looks kind of ugly in a way, they look more like side character for The Cramp Twins if you ask me. But with shows like "Beavis and Butthead", "South Park" and "Three Friends and Jerry" artistic integrity doesn't matter very much to people. Than again the colours really match the drawing syle perfectly. Also the movement of the characters come off stiff and choppy but at least it's more abstract than in Bobinogs.

Now to prove to you that I have watched the show i'm gonna talk about the episodes i have seen one by one. We'll start with the first episode I saw "Too Much of a Good Thing" Wendy goes to the kitchen to get Mitchell with a Twitchell Bunny a carrot only to find another bunny in the room so while she gets another carrot the two bunnies get to second base and multiply in a blink of an eye. This becomes a problem for Wendy as she literally gets a truck load of carrots to feed them. Soon the bunnies take up population of the whole world and the universe. The episode than ends with Wendy singing a diddy of how too much can not be always a good thing.

The next episode I watched was "Ivan digs Hamlet" which about Ivan digging in his room to find a skull 0-0 he holds the skull and does what most people would do if they picked a skull; quotes the famous line from Shakespeare's Hamlet...and that's it.
While I did like the idea being a shakespeare fanboy myself, I felt it wasn't really much to turn it into a whole 3 minute episode so it was very basic really.

The last episode I watched was "The Dog who Cried Wolf" it starts with Wendy opening a can of cat food for one of the pets. but then another pet named Jacques Rock Star informs Wendy that Marty Cohen has gotten into an accident, while Wendy's gone Jaques eats the can of food which turns out to be really spicy for him, so he goes in such a frenzy to get some water. Eventually he drinks from the toilet like most dogs but then he flushes himself by accident...charming.

So here are my thoughts on the episodes that i've watched of "Naughty Naughty Pets" and if you ask me the show is very meh to me!

Like I said it's definatley not the best cartoon I've ever saw but it's not by far the worst I ever saw. The animation isn't much eye candy but it has charm right? The characters feel rehased they dont seem to bring more to the show and so does the writing of each episode but to the producer's credit at least they tried!

Yeah it's pretty bad but it's certainly not god awful or unbearable, while I wouldn't recomend this to kids; at least they could enjoy it more then adults, especially ones who enjoy the books and own the plus toys. I do appreciate how the producers were willing to give value to something that had very less value at all. Overall Naughty Naughty Pets gets a 2/5 from me.

The Merchant and his Boy

An interesting watercolour I did in college based on two statues I've seen in the Willow Pool Garden Centre and Baron Antiques. It was intended to be a study for a larger scale painting I would make along the way, so here's what I and my tutors consider a vibrant toned piece of resistance.

Top 10 Shows That Never Ended

Hello there, guess what I decided to make another top 10 list but before we can start counting down I just want to explain some thing about television. We all watch tv don't we and there's always a show we watch that becomes apart of our past time, so it's such an inconvinience  when a certain show ends too early. As there are shows that bid the viewers farwell there are some shows that just end without warning or a big season finale, there are even those shows that end on cliffhangers. I have had a grudge with this sort of problem for a long time now which is why I'm counting down the top 10 shows that were left unfinished. Oh BTW I'm not counting Dexter's Laboratory because that show actually had a series finale and a movie; it just that it had 2 seasons afterwards that took place before the finale.

10. Santo Bugito

For those who don't know, Santo Bugito was a cartoon series about a Mexican town filled of talking insects, it revolved around these 2 married bugs called Paco and Carmen. The show was extremley under-rated and only lasted 13 episodes, to be truthful it's a very good show but I can see why it only lasted a few episodes but anyway it's still a forgotten gem worth checking out.

9.Stupid!

Just to let you know this show was from the UK which is where I'm from, so some of you would probably be baffled. The show took place in this mythical world where emotions are controlled by a different monarchs; in this case the main characters were the King of Stupidy himself and his annoying gremlin butler Goober.
The premise of this show was about how King Stupid would control the actions of innocent people using his advance computer system to make them do utterly idioctic things which cut to a series of sketches of the unfortunate victims. For example there would be a girl who think she's a lawer, or a boy who thought he could turn invisable, there was also one were a Scout Master who would make his campers get back at his ex-wife's new boyfriend (or Fancy man as the scout master calls him) and who could forget the Devil Finger sketch where a 11 year old boy thinks his finger is pocessed by the forces of evil. The sketches were either recurring or minor.

This show wasn't really one of my favourites so it doesn't hold up for me but it did have some funny moments right? So why is it on the list? The most controversal episode in my opinion was the last epsiode.
When a young girl actually makes a discovery of king Stupid, the king become concerned so he makes her act silly just to keep everyone from believing her. Later King Stupid transports her to his universe where she records everything that King Stupid does with her phone; with that she tries to mail the data to the news crew but King Stupid fights for the phone and the episode ends with the data being sent to the media leaving the viewers to wait for the next episode. Unfortunetly the show was cancelled after that making this the last episode; what's really annoying about this show is that it ended on a cliff hanger which is another reason why I don't like this show that much. Anyway for a show that lived up to it's name, Stupid was just a show that ended way too soon.

8. Robotboy
  Now I'll be honest this show didn't really leave much an impact on me but when it first aired,it was good to watch right? For some reason not many people liked this show but like I said before it was good when it first aired so it wasn't exactley bad. It was about 10 year old Tommy Turnball who is given the invention of famous scienctist Professor Moshino, RobotBoy to keep safe from the evil scienctist Dr Kamikazi who wants the robot to take over the world (Bison: OF COURSE!)
So it's up to Robotboy to save the world from Kamikazi's crutches.

Now the show's last episode wasn't much of a finale because it was just about Kamikazi seeing his grandma nothing special really; I mean couldn't they've had a big series finale like in Dexter's Lab. But I digress this show didn't last that long and it shows really.

7.Clone High

I've only started checking out this series on You Tube more recently and I got to say it's quite good. The show was about a high school of teens who are genetic clones of famous people in history like Abraham Lincoln, Cleopatra, Joan of Arc and so forth. The series was basically an animated sicom for more older and more mature viewers. It was made by the same duo who would later make the film adaption to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. The reason why it's on the list is because it only lasted for one season and it ended on a cliffhanger but that doesn't mean it's gaining a cult following. In case you're wondering why it's so low on the list well like I said I only started seeing it recently and although it's not one I would sink my teeth into; needless to say Clone High is an experiment which would have lasted longer and actually worth looking at.

6.Sonic the Hedgehog (AKA Sonic SatAM)

Unlike the wacky and surreal Sonic cartoon, Sonic SatAM was an edgy gripping cartoon series that put everyone's favourite hedgehog in a more darker post-apocalyptic setting with lots of action to boot. One of the problems this show had was that it too ended too soon on a cliffhanger. I think this sort of thing that happens to most cartoons based on video games but it would later spawn new shows revolving Sonic (although most people don't like the later shows as much) So anyway Sonic SatAM is a show worth checking out even for those who are not Sonic fans.

5. Dungeons and Dragons

I think alot of people remember this show it was about a group of kids who get sucked into the Realm of Dungeons and Dragons by taking a ride on an amusement roller coaster. So it's up to the kids to find their way back to the real world by fighting mystical creatures and going through dangerous quests. The show wasn't much to me but alot people liked it though. The biggest upset to this show is that the children never went back to the real world they just stayed in the realm forever; though there was originally gonna be a forth season and prehaps a big season finale but unfortunetly the show got canned so pretty much the kids got screwed.



4.Hihi Puffy Ami Yumi

 What can I say about this show, it was retro, it was colourful and it was alot of fun. Based on Puffy Ami Yumi the real japenese rock/pop group this show had a variety of style and stories to keep us entertained which made it one of the last good shows on Cartoon Network. However the show was canned after only 3 seasons, there were final episodes made but they never aired them. Despite this Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi was a good show that faced the music too soon.

3.Sheep in the Big City

Sheep in the Big City was about a sheep simply named Sheep for runs away from his home on the farm to live in the surburban city street. While there he faces strange episodes as he tries to hide from the milatary, a little girl and Lady Richinton. This show was filled lots of hilarious gags and was an homage to tthe Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. Although the show never had a great season finale to let the series go off with a bang Sheep in The Big City will always be one of the baaaest cartoons of the 2000s, which would have had a better ending.  


2. The Cramp Twins

Again I'm putting the Cramp Twins on my top 10 list but I'm a Cramp Twins fanboy so there shouldn't be any complaining. I already mentioned why I like this show a few times in my blog so it shows. But if theres any thing that ticks me off about this show was that it didn't last very long, there was no season finale to explain any of the aspects that we wanted to know which makes me wonder why shows like this get cancelled so quickly. I quess originally there was originally going to be a finale called "Goodbye to Lucien and Wayne" (or something like that) which would have been a epic episode but nooooooooo! Alike all these other shows Cramp Twins was a show that deserved more respect from the network which resulted in it being layed to rest. I hope people will remember this show for what it was; maybe someday someone will be inspired to create a reamke of this.

And the #1 that was yet to end is.....................................................................................................

 1.Samurai Jack

 Now everyone watched this show at one point in their childhood and enjoyed it and so did I. Filled with action packed thrills, timeless animation, a catchy theme song and a great main character Samurai Jack was simply a show you wouldn't want to missed. Looking back at this show it was top-notch for it's time but if theres anything that this show didn't have; it was a big series finale. When the show got cancelled we never saw Jack return to the past so the fans had to figure that one out on their own. However with a Samurai Jack movie coming out there might be a chance to see the epic conclusion we've been waiting for.

So there you have it, all ten tv shows that were either cancelled in the middle of a climax or just were just canned for no apparent reason. Now I dont think low ratings were the reason for these show ending so soon, I guess it wasprobably due to complications. While I do say out all these shows Stupid, Dungeons & Dragons and Robotboy were my least favourites but even the least likable shows needed a finale or something to set the record straight. Lets hope in the future a show will not end on a cliff hanger or something like that and instead let it end on something to remember.