Block 13

''Block 13'' ( ar, قطعة 13, translit=qiteat ṯālatha 'ash) is a Kuwaiti animated television series that serves as the Arabic adaptation of the popular American animated sitcom, ''South Park''. It was created and directed by Nawaf Salem Al-Shammari and aired on Kuwait TV on November 27, 2000, running until December 5th, 2002. It was the first animated TV series to be produced in the Persian Gulf region. It has recently re-aired on Kuwait TV for 2020's Ramadan and continues to.

The series follows Hammoud, Azzouz, Saloom, Honey, Abboud, and his baby sister Farooha, who all often go on wacky and strange misadventures. Similar to ''South Park'' in the United States, the series dealt with many issues that concerned the Kuwaiti population but in a way that could be less offensive and more family-friendly. Unlike ''South Park'', which is adult-oriented, ''Block 13'' was meant for families and children of all ages.

Characters

Main characters

Abboud

*Abdullah "Abboud" Bu Abboud Al-Abboud (voiced by Nawaf Salem Al-Shammari) – The first member of the group- a chubby boy who always likes to be the center of attention, he is bald, and wears a white taqiyah and is the show's version of Eric Cartman.

Hammoud

*Ahmad "Hammoud" Kashkh Al-Zain (voiced by Mohammed Maseeb Najm) – The second member of the group- the "coolest" and the most well behaved boy out of his group. He is often known to be a teacher's pet by his classmates. He is the show's version of Stan Marsh.

Azzouz

*Abdulaziz "Azzouz" Mutlaq Bu Taqqah (also voiced by Mohammed Maseeb Najm) – The third member of the group- a caring boy who will be there for his friends and agree with them when no one else does. In the first season, he wore a black and brown ushanka, but in Seasons 2 and 3, he wore a baseball cap with an A on it with the same colors. He has short, curly hair in the first season, and straight hair in the second season and beyond. He is the show's version of Kyle Broflovski.

Saloom

*Saloom (also voiced by Nawaf Salem Al-Shammari) – The fourth member of the group- a nice, reserved, and innocent boy who enjoys making the class laugh with his jokes and antics. He is shown to be very emotionally sensitive, usually when anyone makes comments about his personal life. He gets into accidents constantly that tend to be fatal due to his poor sense of judgement and focus. He wears his father's red keffiyeh that covers his face & muffles his speech. He is known for his creativity with papers and garbage, and is the show's version of Kenny McCormick.

Honey

*Honey Hatif Atlan (voiced by Hani Sulaiman) – The fifth and newest member of the group- an American kid who moved to Block 13 to live with his grandmother, first appearing in the second season. It is unknown where Honey's parents are, but they were seen in a description of Honey in the show, the character has a serious personality but knows how to be like the others, one of his typical phrases is "whatever." He is considered by many to be the show's version of Craig Tucker.

Secondary characters

Faroouha

*Faroouha, otherwise called Farooha (voiced by herself) – Abboud's baby sister who often accompanies the Main 4 on their adventures. Her catchphrase is "Dig-iday!" (alternatively "Diged-dee"). She is considered by many to be the show's version of Ike Broflovski.

Halool

*Halool, otherwise called Hallel (voiced by Bou Hilal) – The frenemy (now friend) of the main 4 in earlier seasons. He has a standard uniform, along with his triangle head with dot eyes.

Jamool

*Jamool (voiced by Jamal Al-Shatti) – The former friend, and frenemy of the main 4 in season 1. He was also best friends with Halool. After the first season, he becomes a penguin.

Jameah

*Jameah/Friday (voiced by Ali Al-Alawi) – The best friend of Halool and the replacement of Halool's former friend, Jamool. His name is mistaken with Friday, which commonly makes him mad. He has squiggly hair with an overbite.

Teachers

Miss Attiyat

*Miss Attiyat (voiced by Nizar Al-Qandi) – The portly Egyptian female principal/teacher of the Block 13 school. She has a tendency to mispronounce Kuwaiti words and wears a bright orange and yellow abaya. She is the show's version of Principal Victoria.

Mr. Saleh

*Mr. Saleh, otherwise called Teacher Saleh (voiced by Saleh Al-Bawi) - A former teacher at the Block 13 school who has anger issues, and was the Main 4's teacher before getting sent to a mental hospital over his relationship with Miss Attiyat. He is the show's version of Herbert Garrison.

Mr. Atiya

*Mr. Atiya, otherwise called Teacher Atiya (voiced by Daoud Hussein) - A teacher that first appeared in season 2 and the replacement of Mr. Saleh. He is a strong teacher, and the love interest of Miss Attiyat.

Credits

Directors & Creators

Nawaf Salem Al-Shammari (director, creator, writer)

Mohammed Maseeb Najm (writer, assistant director)

Designers

Animators

Sami Al-Khars

Khalid Al-Lahw

Graphic Design

Nayef Al-Feili (S1-3)

Atef Al-Azmi and Ali Bin Awadh (S2)

Meshari Al-Arouj

Fahad Hayat (S3)

Sound

Composers, Writers and Sound Effects

Ahmed Al-Shargawi (opening theme writer)

Sahir (ending theme writer)

Ammar Al-Binni & Komar (block 13 theme composer, and sound effects)

Sound Editing & Mixing

Salman Al-Zeidi (S2)

Khalid Al-Ajlan (S2-3)

Sound Recording

Abdullah Al-Ali and Fahad Zakour (S2)

Hani Al-Nasser (S3)

Other

Financial Supervisor

Ali Nasir

Computer Engineering

Dhari Shamali

Saleh Al-Harbi

Khalid Al-Eid (S1)

Moustafa Al-Ameer (S2)

Mohammed Al-Middhin (S3)

Editor

Ahmed Al-Khaldi (S1-2)

Handlettering

Abdul-Ameer Al-Bannai (S2)

Coordination

Hassan Al-Shatti (S1)

Mohammed Al-Bakshi (S2)

History

South Park ban

After ''South Park'' was banned in Kuwait due to its poking fun at Islam, Block 13 was created to serve as a replacement for ''South Park'' in the region. The show aired during every year's Ramadan.

Spin-offs

Qatouta and Kaloob

Due to the show's success, after the show ended, a spin-off titled ''Qatouta and Kaloob'' (Arabic: ''قطوطة وكلوب'', romanized: ''qatutat wakulub'') was released during the Ramadan of 2004 and aired on Al-Rai TV, made by the same people who worked on ''Block 13'', and directed by Nawaf Salem Al-Shammari.
The show stars Qatouta, a female purple cat along with Kaloob, Honey's pet dog. Qatouta is voiced by the same voice actor as Faroouha from ''Block 13''. Some ''Block 13'' characters made some appearances in this spin-off such as Abboud, Saloom, and Miss Attiyat.

13th Street

A reboot known as ''13th Street'' was released in 2022, it currently airs on VO, Dubai TV and Awaan. There is limited information available on this particular reboot. The basis for identifying it as a reboot is primarily attributed to the involvement of a significant number of individuals who previously contributed to ''Block 13'', in addition to the shared nomenclature and milieu between the two productions.

References

External links

*
Block 13's official website (archived)

{{South Park

Television series about Islam
Islamic animated films
Kuwaiti television series
Arabic television series
Arabic-language television shows
2000 television series debuts
2000s animated television series
2003 television series endings
Television shows remade overseas
Television remakes
South Park
Film and television memes