''Kissyfur'' is an American
animated
Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...
children's television series
Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television show, television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during ...
which aired on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
.
It was produced by
Jean Chalopin
Jean Chalopin (born 31 May 1950) is a French bank executive. During the 1980s and early 1990s, he produced a range of successful animated series, first as the founder and president of the production company DIC, then at his newly created compa ...
and
Andy Heyward
Andrew B. Heyward (born February 19, 1949) is the former Chairman and CEO of DIC Entertainment, an animation production company. He is currently CEO of Genius Brands International.
Early life
Heyward was born in New York City, New York, the ...
and created by Phil Mendez for
DIC Animation City. The series was based on a half-hour NBC special called ''Kissyfur: Bear Roots'' and was followed by three more specials until its Saturday morning debut. The show ran for two seasons between 1986 to 1988.
The show follows the adventures of Gus and Kissyfur, a father and son
bear who had joined the
circus
A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...
. One day, the circus
train
In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often ...
derails and the bears escape to a new life in the
swamps of Paddlecab County, somewhere in the Southeastern United States. There, they protect the local swamp's inhabitants from the hungry, bumbling
alligator
An alligator is a large reptile in the Crocodilia order in the genus ''Alligator'' of the family Alligatoridae. The two extant species are the American alligator (''A. mississippiensis'') and the Chinese alligator (''A. sinensis''). Additiona ...
s Floyd and Jolene. Kissyfur and his father use the skills they have acquired from the human world to create a boat tour business transporting other animals and their products down the river.
As of 2022, Kissyfur is one of the few NBC productions not in the
Peacock
Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are r ...
streaming service.
Characters
Adults
* Gus (voiced by
Ed Gilbert
Edmund Francis Gilbert (June 29, 1931 – May 8, 1999) was an American actor, with extensive credits in both live-action roles and voice work in animation, although he was better known for the latter. He is also credited, under his birth name (E ...
) — Kissyfur's widowed father, who owns a Paddlecab company, taxiing animals from one side of the swamp to the other. He can be a bit goofy at times, but is a very good father. He's the only one of all the swamp parents who can take on both alligators, Floyd and Jolene, and run them off.
* Miss Emmy Lou (voiced by Russi Taylor) — a
blue bear who wears a flower behind one ear. She's the schoolteacher in the swamp and has a Southern accent. She is also an excellent cook and has a sister named Jenny Lou and a cousin named Ernie. She is sweet on Gus and serves as his love interest.
* Charles (voiced by
Lennie Weinrib
Leonard Weinrib (April 29, 1935 – June 28, 2006) was an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show '' H.R. Pufnstuf'', Grimace in McDonaldland commercials, the title role in ...
) — a
warthog
''Phacochoerus'' is a genus in the family Suidae, commonly known as warthogs (pronounced ''wart-hog''). They are pigs who live in open and semi-open habitats, even in quite arid regions, in sub-Saharan Africa. The two species were formerly co ...
and Lennie's stubborn father, Charles thinks he has everything figured out most of the time, but is usually more brawn than brains. He is strong enough to take on Jolene, but not Floyd. He is one of the only three adults to be captured and almost eaten by the gators, along with the Cackle Sisters.
* Howie (voiced by
Frank Welker) – a
mocking bird
Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the family Mimidae. They are best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly and in rapid successio ...
who can throw his voice and can mimic anything and everyone. This talent often gets him into trouble.
* Uncle Shelby (voiced by
Frank Welker) - a wise
turtle
Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked t ...
who is the elder of the swamp.
* The Cackle Sisters (portrayed by Russi Taylor and Frank Welker) — two
chicken
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adu ...
sisters named Bessie and Claudette. Bessie talks and is very prim and proper, while Claudette just clucks, usually agreeing with whatever her sister says. They are usually seen keeping watch for Floyd and Jolene on a large, floating buoy and are quick to ring a bell whenever they catch sight of them. They are two of the only three adults to be captured and almost eaten by the gators, along with Charles.
* Floyd (voiced by
Stu Rosen) — an alligator who, along with His sister, Jolene, is always hatching a plan to capture the swamp cubs so they can eat them for dinner (though if the opportunity arises, they may sometimes go after the adults, as well). He often makes dimwitted remarks.
* Jolene (voiced by
Terence McGovern
Terence McGovern (born May 11, 1942) is an American actor, television broadcaster, radio personality and acting instructor. He is best known as the original voice of Disney character Launchpad McQuack from ''DuckTales'' and spin-off ''Darkwing Duc ...
) — a hot-tempered alligator who wears a red wig. She and Floyd are always trying to capture the swamp cubs so they can eat them for dinner (though if the opportunity arises, they may sometimes go after the adults, as well). She would be considered the brains between the two, but not by much. She has a low tolerance for Floyd's dimwittedness, which usually results in her smacking him with her wig.
* Flo (voiced by
Marilyn Lightstone
Marilyn Lightstone (born 28 June 1940) is a Canadian stage, film and television actress and writer.
Biography Early life and education
Born in Montreal, Quebec, Marilyn Lightstone graduated from Baron Byng High School in 1957. She went on t ...
) — a smug
buzzard
Buzzard is the common name of several species of birds of prey.
''Buteo'' species
* Archer's buzzard (''Buteo archeri'')
* Augur buzzard (''Buteo augur'')
* Broad-winged hawk (''Buteo platypterus'')
* Common buzzard (''Buteo buteo'')
* Eastern ...
.
Swamp cubs
* Kissyfur (voiced by
R.J. Williams and later Max Meier) — Gus's son, the leader of the swamp cubs, and the title character of the series. He and his father used to work in a circus, along with Kissyfur's mother, who died in a performance accident. After the circus train, they were on crashed, Kissyfur and his father ran into Paddlecab County, and that's where they have been living since. He is an eight-year-old bear cub who loves to pretend and occasionally gets into trouble with the rest of the cubs. His name is a malapropism of the name Christopher as Phil Mendez named the character after his son.
* Stuckey (voiced by Stu Rosen) — an indigo
porcupine who is very gloomy. He talks slowly and is the quiet one of the group. He is also Duane's best friend and is the only swamp cub whose family is not seen. According to the revised writer's bible, Stuckey was an orphan found on a road, and adopted by an unseen family of possums. He is also the only swamp cub not to speak in the pilot.
* Beehonie (voiced by
Russi Taylor) — a white
bunny
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit sp ...
who has a crush on Kissyfur, on account of the fact that she is the same age as he is. She is the only female swamp cub and tends to act as the voice of reason at times.
* Duane (voiced by
Neil Ross
Neil David Ross is a British-American voice actor and announcer. Noted for his Trans-Atlantic accent, he has provided voices in many American cartoons, most notably ''Voltron'', '' G.I. Joe'', and ''Transformers'', as well as video games, incl ...
) — an eleven-year-old
pig
The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus ...
who loves to clean, similar to Felix Unger of ''
The Odd Couple Odd Couple may refer to:
Neil Simon play and its adaptations
* ''The Odd Couple'' (play), a 1965 stage play by Neil Simon
** ''The Odd Couple'' (film), a 1968 film based on the play
*** ''The Odd Couple'' (1970 TV series), a 1970–1975 televisi ...
'', with the manners and attitude of
Truman Capote
Truman Garcia Capote ( ; born Truman Streckfus Persons; September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics, ...
. He is Stuckey's best friend.
* Toot (voiced by Russi Taylor) — a three-year-old
beaver, Toot is the youngest of the swamp cubs. He looks up to and idolizes Kissyfur. He is Kissyfur's best friend. His nose changes from pink to black in season two.
* Lennie (voiced by
Lennie Weinrib
Leonard Weinrib (April 29, 1935 – June 28, 2006) was an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show '' H.R. Pufnstuf'', Grimace in McDonaldland commercials, the title role in ...
) — Charles's son, Lennie is ten years old and was the leader of the swamp cubs prior to Kissyfur's arrival (after which leadership transferred to him without much explanation). He enjoys being bossy and pushing the other cubs around, although despite this, he does like and care about his friends. He often refers to Kissyfur as "Sissyface".
* Ralph (voiced by
Susan Silo) — a young
packrat
A pack rat or packrat, also called a woodrat or trade rat, are any species in the North and Central American rodent genus ''Neotoma''. Pack rats have a rat-like appearance, with long tails, large ears, and large, black eyes. Pack rats are notice ...
, the same age as Kissyfur. sort of the rebel of the cubs.
* Flip (voiced by
Tress MacNeille
Teressa Claire MacNeille (née Payne; born June 20, 1951) is an American voice actress, whose credits include voicing Dot Warner on the animated television series '' Animaniacs'', Babs Bunny on ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Chip and Gadget Hackwrenc ...
) — a tricky
chameleon that can change colors. In season 1, he had a red color for the top of His body, yellow with red spots in the middle, and blue with a light-blue spot and in between. In season 2, he has a green body, with a yellow stomach, but can still change colors.
* Donna (voice by Russi Taylor) — Miss Emmy Lou's niece. Her only appearance is in the second special, "The Birds and the Bears".
Episodes
Specials (1985–1986)
Four specials aired between 1985 and 1986.
Season 1 (1986)
Season 2 (1988)
International release
The show also aired on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
(as part of its ''But First This'' lineup becoming the only cartoon made for the BBC during that block),
in Australia.
'' observed that "the lush backgrounds and some of the character designs owe a lot to
; all that's missing is the imagination, wit and draftsmanship". He criticized that "the directors time the comedy material so badly that the jokes land with a thud".