''The Amazing Live Sea Monkeys'' is a live action

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

that aired for eleven episodes from September 19 to November 28, 1992. It focuses on three microscopic

Sea-Monkeys Sea-Monkeys is a marketing term for brine shrimp (''Artemia'') sold as novelty aquarium pets. Developed in the United States in 1957 by Harold von Braunhut, they are sold as eggs intended to be added to water, and almost always come bundled in a ...

— Dave (Rob LaBelle), Bill ( Peter Pitofsky) and Aquarius (

Sean Whalen Sean Whalen (born May 19, 1964) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his work in numerous TV shows, including ''Shannon's Deal'' and ''Grace Under Fire'', as well as movies, including ''The People Under the Stairs'' and ''Twister''. H ...

) — who have been enlarged to human size by their benefactor, the Professor ( Howie Mandel). Special guests include Stephen Furst,

Gilbert Gottfried Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried (February 28, 1955 – April 12, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian and actor, known for his exaggerated shrill voice, strong New York accent, and his edgy, often controversial, sense of humor. His numerous r ...

, Larry Melman, and

Vernon Wells Vernon Michael Wells III (born December 8, 1978) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and the New York Yankees. Wells ...

Creation

The concept of the show derived from the Sea Monkeys product, created in 1957 by

Harold von Braunhut Harold Nathan Braunhut (March 31, 1926 – November 28, 2003), also known as Harold von Braunhut, was an American mail-order marketer and inventor most famous as the creator and seller of both the Sea-Monkeys, Amazing Sea-Monkeys and the X-Ray Sp ...

and marketed in the 1970s with a series of comic book ads designed and illustrated by

Joe Orlando Joseph Orlando (April 4, 1927 – December 23, 1998) was an Italian American illustrator, writer, editor and cartoonist during a lengthy career spanning six decades. He was the associate publisher of '' Mad'' and the vice president of DC Comics, ...

, later Vice President of

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

and Associate Publisher of '' Mad''. Howie Mandel got the idea for the show after his daughter wanted to get some

brine shrimp ''Artemia'' is a genus of aquatic crustaceans also known as brine shrimp. It is the only genus in the family Artemiidae. The first historical record of the existence of ''Artemia'' dates back to the first half of the 10th century AD from Urmia L ...

pets known as ''Sea Monkeys'', which he also had as a child. Mandel then decided that "This could be bigger than the Ninja Turtles." He then contacted

The Chiodo Brothers The Chiodo Brothers (Stephen, Charles & Edward Chiodo; ; born in Bronx, New York) are an American trio of sibling special effects artists, specializing in clay modeling, creature creation, stop motion and animatronics. Known for their film ''K ...

; the show was then picked up, and produced as a series by

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

. The series aired in the United States and Australia. The character designs derive from the fantasy characters in the ads that Orlando drew for

, creator of the product.

Plot

The plot revolved around the notion that the Professor had accidentally enlarged three sea monkeys to human size, and plotlines followed their ensuing comical ineptness in the world. Each Sea Monkey displayed a certain odd character trait: Aquarius could not keep a secret, Bill was afraid of Imperial style beards, and Dave would grow excited at the sound of polka music. They occasionally come into contact with their next door neighbours, the Brentwoods, whose daughter Sheila (

Eliza Schneider Eliza Jane Schneider is an American actress, voice actress, singer, playwright, dialect coach and dialectologist. She has appeared on television and as a voice over actress on video games and animations. She also performs various musical and ...

) becomes the Sea-Monkeys' best friend. After the show's cancellation, it was replaced by ''

Beakman's World ''Beakman's World'' is an American educational children's television program. The program is based on the Universal Press Syndicate syndicated comic strip ''You Can with Beakman and Jax'' created by Jok Church. The series premiered on Wednesday, ...

'', with Schneider playing the lead female role in that series as well.

Episode list

Broadcasts

* United States **

(1992–1993) * Canada ** YTV (1992–1996)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amazing Live Sea Monkeys, The 1990s American children's comedy television series 1992 American television series debuts 1992 American television series endings American children's fantasy television series American television shows featuring puppetry CBS original programming YTV (Canadian TV channel) original programming