''Atomic Puppet'' is a Canadian-French animated television series created by Jerry Leibowitz and Mark Drop and produced by Mercury Filmworks, Technicolor Animation Productions and

Gaumont Animation Gaumont Animation (formerly known as Alphanim) is a French animation studio. It was acquired by Gaumont Film Company in 2008 as a return to television production, and an entry into English-language productions, after Gaumont Television was sold ...

. The series aired on Teletoon in Canada, on

France 4 France 4 () is a French free-to-air television channel owned by France Télévisions, focused on children's programming. The colour of France 4 is purple. Originally launched as Festival in 1996, the channel took its current name in 2005 when it ...

in France and on

Disney XD Disney XD is an American pay television channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven yea ...

worldwide. The series revolves around the adventures of 7th grader Joey Felt and his partner AP, a world-renowned superhero who's been reduced to life as a powerless

sock puppet A sock puppet or sockpuppet is a puppet made from a sock or a similar garment. The puppeteer wears the sock on a hand and lower arm as if it were a glove, with the puppet's mouth being formed by the region between the sock's heel and toe, and ...

, until he's placed on Joey's hand. Together, they transform into Mega City's newest superhero duo, Atomic Puppet and Nuclear Boy.

Plot

Mega City's superhero Captain Atomic suffers a setback when, as he is shaking hands with 12-year-old fanboy Joey Felt, his disgruntled sidekick Mookie (or Sergeant Subatomic) transforms him into a living sock puppet. The suddenly powerless superhero quickly realizes that the only way he can regain his former powers is to team up with the boy—a dream come true for Joey, but not so much for Captain Atomic. Together, the two form an unlikely and awkward partnership that allows them to become the city's newest superhero duo — Atomic Puppet and Nuclear Boy.

Characters

Main

* Joseph "Joey" Felt/Nuclear Boy (voiced by

Eric Bauza Eric Bauza (born December 7, 1979) is a Canadian-American voice actor and comedian. His most-known roles include Stimpy on '' Ren and Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon"'', Foop on '' The Fairly OddParents'' and its reboot '' Fairly Odder'', Thunderbol ...

) – The main protagonist of the series, a 12-year-old middle-school student and comic book fan. Through a chance turn of events, he develops the ability to combine with his superhero idol and together they form a new hero, Atomic Puppet and Nuclear Boy. * Captain Atomic/Atomic Puppet/AP (voiced by

) – Captain Atomic was a world-renowned superhero who lived his life being able to handle situations with his brute strength and endless charm. Blinded by success and fame, he's suddenly transformed into a powerless living sock puppet by his jealous sidekick Mookie. Now he goes by the name AP and, due to his massive ego and short temper, struggles with adjusting to his new life as a puppet and the fact that he can only access his former powers when Joey places him on his hand, turning them into Atomic Puppet and Nuclear Boy.

Supporting

* Pauline Bell (voiced by Lisa Norton) – A sassy middle school girl who is Joey's best friend and the only person other than Mookie and the other superheroes that knows of Joey's secret identity. Pauline occasionally covers for Joey when he needs an excuse to become Atomic Puppet and has fought alongside Atomic Puppet if the situation called for it. She has a job at a comic book shop owned by her uncle. * Philip "Phil" Felt (voiced by Carlos Díaz) – Joey's burly, rugged, no-nonsense father. He's impatient, opinionated and does everything he can to counteract his wife's babying of the kids. * Vivian Felt (voiced by Kristina Nicoll) – Joey's sweet but overly caring mother. She worries far too much about her children and is always concerned about what kind of trouble they could get into. * Abigail Felt (voiced by

Katie Griffin Katie Griffin (born January 14, 1973) is a Canadian actress and singer. She has had roles in several television movies and feature films. In cartoons, her best-known roles include the voices of Sailor Mars in the original English Canadian dub ...

) – Joey's energetic 8-year-old sister who goes by the nickname "Abs" or "Abbie" * Bubbles – The family's slow-witted, overweight, and flatulent

tabby cat A tabby is any domestic cat (''Felis catus'') with a distinctive 'M'-shaped marking on its forehead; stripes by its eyes and across its cheeks, along its back, and around its legs and tail; and (differing by tabby type), characteristic striped, d ...

. AP refers to him as Disastro and is convinced that Bubbles is an undercover villain plotting to take down Atomic Puppet from the inside, while Phil completely adores Bubbles, describing him as "the most adorable kitty-kat in the world". * Rex Bordeaux (voiced by David Huband) – The egotistical host of Mega City news. As the city's #1 newsman, he climbed his way to celebrity status by reporting on the feats of Captain Atomic, but his reputation is in danger of slipping with Captain Atomic's "disappearance".

Antagonists

* Sergeant Subatomic (Mookie) (voiced by

Peter Oldring Peter James Edward Oldring (born August 25, 1971) is a Canadian actor and comedian. Early life Oldring was born on August 25, 1971, in Drayton Valley, Alberta. He graduated from Sir Winston Churchill High School in 1989 in Calgary, Alberta, ...

) – The main antagonist of the series. Mookie is Captain Atomic's bitter and envious former sidekick and is responsible for his transformation into a puppet, done in an attempt to replace him as Mega City's protector. While Mookie does have a wide assortment of gadgets to use, by himself, he's nothing more than a glory hound that lives in his mother's basement. He frequently tries to force the citizens of Mega City to accept him as their hero, but his incompetence and lack of superpowers fail to win them over. * Professor Tite-Gripp (voiced by Rick Miller) – A cunning and ruthless criminal with massive mechanical hands that give him superhuman strength. He was originally Captain Atomic's archenemy and is now Atomic Puppet's most dangerous foe. * Naughty Kitty (voiced by Heather Bambrick) – A female thief who wears a black cat costume and steals cats. She is a parody of Catwoman. * Zorp (voiced by

Robert Tinkler Robert Tinkler is a Canadian voice actor who provides voices for a number of cartoons and anime shows. He voiced Max in '' The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police'', Delete in the children's animated series '' Cyberchase'', Pelswick Eggert ...

) – A green-skinned alien invader who intends to capture the citizens of Mega City and eat them. He is often accompanied by a smaller alien of his species known as Flert. * Mudman (voiced by

) – A humanoid creature made entirely of mud who can change his shape and possess others by smothering himself over them. He has a cousin named Dirtbag, a large sack-like creature able to breathe blasts of soil who has also tangled with Joey and AP. * Ms. Erlenmeyer/Queen Mindbender (voiced by Kristina Nicoll) – Joey's bitter science teacher who is driven to madness by AP when he attempts to stop her from putting Joey in detention. Afterwards, she marries a mysterious alien and is transformed into a green-skinned telepath named Queen Mindbender.

Heroes

* Justice Alliance – A superhero team that protects the galaxy at large. Prior to his transformation, Captain Atomic was a member, and he has rejoined as Atomic Puppet. ** Commander Cavalier (voiced by

) – A Superman-like hero with heat vision powers. He is extremely obsessed with his appearance to the point where showing him a mirror will always cause him to stop and admire himself. ** Robo-Ron (voiced by Martin Roach) – A

cyborg A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.

superhero who only speaks in

beatbox Beatboxing (also beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (typically a TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice.

and printed messages. Although he possesses a wide range of gadgetry and is incredibly intelligent, he is considered the least powerful member of the alliance. ** Crimson Beacon – A mute superhero with flaming hair, similar to

Firestorm A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been used ...

. He has the ability to create almost anything, similar to

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

. * Princess War Tickle (voiced by Kristina Nicoll) – A superheroine similar to Wonder Woman who dwells in a magical castle in the sky. She has an ongoing rivalry with Captain Atomic as she is the only hero who rivals Captain Atomic in power and fame.

Others

* Rudolph Mintenberg (voiced by

Scott McCord William Scott McCord is a Canadian actor. He is known for his versatility and character work in film, television, animation and on stage. He is a Lifetime Member of ''The Actors Studio''. On television he has appeared in series regular, recurri ...

) – An eccentric billionaire who lives in a hilltop mansion outside of Mega City. He is constantly bored and entertains himself by with a variety of dangerous gadgets and experiments, forcing Joey and AP to step in and save the day. * Warren Beasley (voiced by Mark Edwards) – A nosy nerd who lives next door to Joey. His hobby is spying on his neighbors and classmates. * The Mayor (voiced by

Kevin Hanchard Kevin Hanchard (born July 4, 1974) is a Canadian actor, best known for his roles as Det. Arthur Bell in ''Orphan Black'' and Inspector Sematimba in ''The Expanse''. Hanchard currently appears as Superintendent Joseph Donovan in ''Hudson and Rex. ...

) – The mayor of Mega City. He often tries to replace Atomic Puppet because he dislikes the collateral damage they cause in their battles against their various foes.

Episodes

Music

Music composed and performed by Amaury Bernier and David Gana of D&A Factory

Broadcast

The first season is designed as 52 11-minute segments with 2 two-part specials. ''Atomic Puppet'' have its world premiere on

in France on March 13, 2016. The series later debuted on

in the United States on July 18, 2016. The series aired on Teletoon in Canada on September 11, 2016, and

ABC ME ABC Me (stylised as ABC ME) is an Australian English language children's free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was officially launched by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on 4 December 2009 as ABC3. Hist ...

in Australia. In Latin America, it began airing on

on October 27, 2016.

Reception

The series was nominated in 2017 for two Annie Awards: Outstanding Achievement in Character Animation in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production and Outstanding Achievement in Storyboarding in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production. It was also nominated for a

Reuben Award The National Cartoonists Society (NCS) is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the ...

in the category of Television Animation, alongside ''

The Loud House ''The Loud House'' is an American animated television series created by Chris Savino that premiered on Nickelodeon on May 2, 2016. The series revolves around the chaotic everyday life of a boy named Lincoln Loud, who is the middle child and only s ...

'' and '' The Simpsons'', in 2016 by the National Cartoonists Society. Dawn M. Burkes of

The Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the '' Galvest ...

spoke positively on the series, calling it "a hoot of a superhero show". She praised its premise as fresh, unique, and entertaining, and its execution as making for a fun, humorous, and interesting take on the "old-school" superhero dynamic of the hero and his young sidekick.

References

External links

* *
Page on Gaumont Animation
{{Teletoon 2010s Canadian animated television series 2016 Canadian television series debuts 2010s French animated television series 2016 French television series debuts 2017 Canadian television series endings French children's animated action television series French children's animated adventure television series French children's animated comic science fiction television series French children's animated superhero television series Canadian children's animated action television series Canadian children's animated adventure television series Canadian children's animated comic science fiction television series Canadian children's animated superhero television series Anime-influenced Western animated television series Gaumont Animation Teletoon original programming Disney XD original programming Animated television series about children English-language television shows