24. Doug - 8 pointsDoug is an American animated sitcom that was created by Jim Jinkins and produced by Jumbo Pictures for the Nickelodeon network, as the first of their successful line of Nicktoons Later on, the series was also produced for Disney for airing on ABC's One Saturday Morning block. Doug stars 6th grader Douglas Yancey Funnie.
The series takes place in the fictitious town of Bluffington (where Doug and his family had moved from Bloatsburg) and deals with the life and imagination of title character, grade-schooler and diarist Doug Funnie, his dog Porkchop, and good friends Skeeter Valentine and Patti Mayonnaise.
Doug premiered on Nickelodeon on August 11, 1991, where it continued until December 16, 1994 and in reruns until 2002, being the first Nicktoon. As of 2009, Nickelodeon's Doug airs reruns on MTV Tr3́s affiliates KBEH and KMOH-TV (as a E/I program) in the USA and on Nicktoonsters in the UK.
In the pilot episode, we find young Douglas Yancey Funnie and his family (Phil, Theda and sister Judy), having just moved away from their former residence in Bloatsburg, coming to a new town called Bluffington. There he meets Skeeter, Patti, Roger and Beebe, and his new life in a new town begins.
In 1996 Disney ordered new episodes of Doug to be produced (renamed Brand Spanking New! Doug and then later Disney's Doug) which was in production from 1996–1999.
Several differences between the original and Disney versions exist. The Disney episodes featured a new theme song and added a younger sister, named Cleopatra Dirtbike Funnie, into the Funnie family. Perhaps to account for time, Doug's age was changed to 12½ years old. Several other minor character changes were added, including a new haircut for Patti Mayonnaise, and Connie Benge's weight reduction. Less noticeable than Patti's new hairdo was the change in Doug's haircut, due perhaps to approaching puberty, perhaps to trademark considerations. The original Doug has eight hairs; Disney's Doug has nine. Other changes include Roger Klotz becoming rich, having lived poorly in a trailer park previously, the closing of the Honker Burger, Mrs. Dink becoming the mayor, and the Beets breaking up.
* Douglas Yancey "Doug" Funnie: The protagonist and title character in Doug (1991-1999). A shy 11 1/2 year old daydreamer with a good heart and talent for art and love of writing and music (specifically his favorite band "The Beets"). Doug is an avid banjo player, and can often be found writing songs underneath trees about his secret affection for Patti Mayonnaise. At some point in every episode, Doug is seen writing (and dictating via voice-over) his thoughts in his personal journal, with "Dear Journal, It's me. Doug." In some episodes, his naivete is expressed. An example is in the first episode, where he took his father's expression "I'm starving" literally, when it simply meant "very hungry". He has several alter egos: a superhero named Quailman, explorer Race Canyon (parody of Indiana Jones), crime-stopper the Chameleon, cowboy Durango Doug, outlaw Jack Bandit (parody of Zorro), Wafflestomper (seemingly a parody of Steven Segal) and Secret Agent 000 Smash Adams (a parody of 007 James Bond). Doug was voiced by Billy West (1991-1994: Nickelodeon's Doug), and Tom McHugh (1996-1999: Disney's Doug).
* Theda Funnie: Doug and Judy's mother. She is generally portrayed as a housewife, but is also a working mother on some occasions. She has pink skin, blue hair and tends to be very meek-mannered. However, in one episode, she upbraids Mayor White at a town meeting regarding litter and trash pollution in Bluffington. Theda was voiced by Becca Lish.
* Phillip "Phil" Funnie: Doug and Judy's father. He is a department store photographer. He's outgoing and friendly, and a bit of a shmoe. He has orange skin, and is famous for giving advice and other lines throughout the series, one of which is "The Ol' Funnie Fireball". He is also known for getting to play with (the best band ever) "The Beets". Phil was voiced by Doug Preis.
* Judith Annastasia "Judy" Funnie: Doug's tan-skinned older sister, and the oddball of the family. She is obsessed with the workings of William Shakespeare, and is a wanna-be actor and artist who attends a special art school (Moody School for the Gifted) for gifted individuals. She is a rather intelligent person, but at times is embarrassed by the banality of her family, even going as far as to having her entire family act out a performance piece to impress a boy she once liked. She and Doug have normal bouts of sibling rivalry, but usually team together when faced with a problem. Her usual attire consists of her signature red hair, purple beret, an over-sized purple sweater with no sleeves, black shirt and pants, black boots, and black sunglasses. She is the stereotype of what is known as beatnik. Judy was voiced by Becca Lish.
* Cleopatra "Dirtbike" Funnie: Doug's baby sister. Born in the Disney version. She has Caucasian-toned "skin", like Doug. Her name comes from a humorous series of events in the Christmas episode that she was born in. Doug was checking his Christmas list, and Judy questioned what he was looking at. He says they are name suggestions for the baby, but Judy snatches the list, and makes fun of the "names" (one of which was "dirt bike"), then sarcastically makes theatrically relevant suggestions (one of which was "Cleopatra"). At the end of the episode, after the baby was born, Theda (who was present during the argument) tells the siblings that she took a name suggestion from each of them. Dirtbike's vocal effects were provided by Fred Newman.
* Grandma Funnie: Doug's paternal grandmother, who also appears to be either divorced or widowed. She is a stereotypical kind grandmother, who often spoils Doug with excessive amounts of junk food. She lives by the philosophy that "simple is best", and stitching a sample of it on the mantle, though her exact phrasing of this belief is absurdly convoluted. She owned a craft store in a Disney episode, which Doug turned into a popular coffee shop to make some money for a Beets concert, only to be forced to spend all his earnings at the end to pay off the store's debt amassed from a humorous incident involving Skunky, and return the store to the way it was.
* Porkchop: Doug's anthropomorphic dog who, while not able to talk, helps Doug in certain situations, and has several human-like characteristics. He lives in an igloo in the Funnie family's backyard. Porkchop's typical dog sounds were provided by Fred Newman (actor).
* Grandma Opal: Doug's extroverted maternal grandmother, who seems to be either divorced or widowed. She owns a motorcycle, and is into disco. She is remembered for introducing her grandson to the Japanese delicacy sushi, of which he was originally skeptical. She also indicates that at one time she was quite popular. Doug's father, Phil, points out to Doug that she "doesn't believe" in watches.
* Mosquito "Skeeter" Valentine: Doug's -blue skinned best friend, he is famous in both versions of the series for the "honk honk" sound he frequently makes. Skeeter comes from another family who has lived in Bluffington for quite some time. His father has a foul temper and has a slow vocabulary. His mother is kind-hearted and rather meek. He also has a mischievous two-year old brother, Dale, who once gave Doug a hard time when Doug babysat for him. He also has an on-again/off-again relationship with rich girl Beebe Bluff. Skeeter initially helps Doug order food from the popular Bluffington restaurant "Honker Burger" (which was later demolished) in the series premiere (resulting in their friendship), and later helps Doug learn how to dance. He has a superhero alter-ego, whom he calls "Silver Skeeter", based on The Silver Surfer from Marvel, and is the equal of Quailman, Doug's superhero alter-ego. It is revealed that Skeeter is a genius, later gaining the respect of geeky twin brothers Al and Moo Sleech. He is very laid-back, and willing to take any situation in stride. His hobbies include: playing air guitar, listening to "The Beets", and hanging out at "Honker Burger". It is often speculated by fans and critics that, because of his style and the fact that he is part of the only blue family, that Skeeter is African American. Skeeter was voiced by Fred Newman.
* Patricia "Patti" Mayonnaise: An orange-skinned blonde athlete and Doug's love interest much like Popeye's Olive Oyl. Her physical talents include: basketball, baseball, ballet, bowling, and weightlifting, among others. She seemed to like Doug to a certain degree throughout the series, but it was previously unclear whether she fully reciprocated his feelings (though in one episode, she did reveal that, of all the friends she has, she considers Doug the one she likes spending time with most). Her father, Chad, uses a wheelchair to get around, and her mother is deceased, as we learn in one particular episode after Doug causes her old house to cave in by throwing rocks at it. In some episodes of Disney's Doug, she has a super heroic persona named "Supersport". In the Disney episode "Night of the Living Dougs", she was dressed as the titular genie from I Dream of Jeannie. She is voiced by Constance Shulman.
* Beebe Bluff : A purple-skinned rich girl. She is a friend of Patti, Doug, and Skeeter, with whom she has an on-again/off-again relationship. She is the daughter of Bill Bluff, a rich businessman and descendant of Bluffington's founder, Thaddeus Bluff. Her mother owns the town's ballet school. Her rich family background makes her somewhat spoiled, and therefore, a bit of a snob and constant whiner. In the Disney version, the kids go to Beebe Bluff Middle School, named after Beebe and built in the shape of her head. Beebe was voiced by Alice Playten.
* Buddy "Bud" Dink: Next-door neighbor of Doug who constantly invests in new inventions that are "very expensive", and end up malfunctioning. Generally, he is a goofy but benevolent character to whom Doug looks for advice. His surname "Dink" stands for Dual Income, No Kids, which explains his wealth and ability to purchase so many expensive things. He also has purple skin. Mr. Dink was voiced by Fred Newman.
* Tippingdale "Tippy" Dink: Mr. Dink's wife, and later the mayor of Bluffington. She is a slow talker, known for her sarcasm and deadpan reactions to her husband's stupidity and naiveté. However, when Doug aired on ABC, her attitude changed. She is more active, having defeated Robert "Bob" White in an election for Mayor of Bluffington, and her deadpan reactions are far less frequent. Like her husband, Mrs. Dink has purple skin. She was voiced by Doris Belack.
* Chalky Studebaker: A friend of virtually every student at Bluffington School. He is a good-natured and all-around talented student. Incredible athlete and natural-born leader, excels at every sport or activity he participates in (except drawing). He is a "super-jock" with light green skin. He was under tremendous pressure to match the accomplishments of his older brother Cliff, who had amassed a very large trophy collection. Due to this, he often took on more than he could handle in order to live up to his father's expectations. This led to Chalky cheating off Doug's test in order to get a good grade because of his time consuming extracurricular activities. He later admitted to Mrs. Wingo that he had cheated, and retook it at a later time which showcased his good character and morals. During the class' graduation from Beebe Bluff Middle School Chalky performed Pomp and Circumstance. Chalky was voiced by Doug Preis.
* Connie Benge: Connie is a sweet, naive, heavy-set girl in the Nick version, while she is a slimmer singer and songwriter in the Disney version. She seems to have a small crush on Doug. In the Disney version, she develops a crush on Roger. Connie was voiced by Becca Lish.
* Mrs. Wingo: Doug's green-skinned grandmotherly elementary school teacher. Mrs. Wingo was voiced by Doris Belack.
* William "Bill" Bluff III: The richest man in town, father of Beebe, and descendant of the town's founder. Very much a pompous stuffed-shirt, he refuses to believe anyone but his family could have founded Bluffington, but at the end of a Nickelodeon episode, when the remains of an ancient man were found in Bluffington, it was implied that they were actually that of Mr. Dink's ancestor, not Bluff's. He talks with a Virginia Piedmont accent, and, with Jim Jenkins being a Richmond native, could be based on Richmonders who boast of their family's history. Mr. Bluff was voiced by Doug Preis.
* Barbara "Betty" Bluff: Bill Bluff's wife and Beebe's mother. She has green hair and purple skin.
* Robert "Bob" White: The former Mayor of Bluffington, who later becomes the middle school principal. He is constantly asserting everyone he sees to "Vote for Me!", even elementary school students. For a brief while he was a radio personality. Bob was voiced by Greg Lee.
* Alex Tang: Appeared in one episode, in which he helped Doug pass a tough geometry test. Voiced by Andrew Cusick.
* Fentruck Stimmel: He is a dark green-skinned foreign exchange student from the fictional country of Yakistonia. He is not prominent in the show until the Disney version. In the Disney Christmas episode, he thinks Christmas is Halloween, and Halloween is Easter. He was known for his bizarre cultural greetings and other traditions. For instance, when greeting someone he would place his hand under his armpit and make "fart noise" gestures, while continually saying, "Shwooba, shwooba, shwooba!" At one point, he gave Doug a jar of fresh Yakistonesian air as a gift.
* Mr. Swirly: The local ice cream and candy salesman in the original series. Mr. Swirly is often seen in his uniform. He also has a head shaped like an ice cream cone. Doug saved Student Government Day by suggesting that Mr. Swirly let the chocolate chips, which were about to hit the ice cream factory cooling fans, hit the fan, thus turning them into Chocolate Swirlies (Doug's favorite). This comes from an old phrase, which Doug mentions later in the episode: "Sometimes you just have to let the chips hit the fan". In the Disney version, Mr. Swirly opens his own restaurant called Swirly's, where the kids all hang out, since, at this time, "Honker Burger" no longer exists (It was replaced by the classier "Chez Honque").
* Judge Peterson: Judge Peterson is a judge who appears in the Nickelodeon's Doug episode "Doug's Christmas Story". He is voiced by Billy West.
* Guy Graham: He is a self-motivating eighth-grader, who first appeared in Disney's Doug. He had a crush on Patti, and was Doug's new arch-enemy. While he was a supporting character, he played a major role in Doug's 1st Movie, being Bill Bluff's right-hand man, unknowingly. He also is another of Quailman's nemeses, called the Golden Salmon.
* Skunky Beaumont: Often mentioned in the Nick version as a troublemaker, but never appeared in the series, though he did appear off-screen once and exchanged greetings with Doug. He first appeared in the Disney version, where he is portrayed as a Jeff Spicolli-esque "Dude".
* Roger Klotz: Doug's green-skinned antagonist. He once lived in a trailer park with his divorced mother but Disney had Roger's family become suddenly wealthy, and living in a mansion. Doug uses Roger as a villain in most of his fantasies, including "Klotzilla" and "Dr. Klotzenstien". Roger has a crush on Doug's sister Judy, and owns a cat named Stinky that rivals Porkchop. Roger plays lead electric guitar for his band. In the Disney episodes, while still technically a bully, he is also portrayed as being closer to Doug than the Nickelodeon episodes, sometimes acting more as a friend. It is also showed that while Doug is a fairly creative artist, his drawing skill and painting ability pales in comparison to Roger's who was able to draw a highly detailed picture of a sunset, without looking at the paper and using only blue paint. His voice is reminiscent of Dave Mustaine, lead singer of the thrash metal group Megadeth. He is voiced by Billy West (1991-1994) and Chris Phillips (1996-1999).
* Buddy "Bud" Dink: Next-door neighbor of Doug who constantly invests in new inventions that are "very expensive", and end up malfunctioning. Generally, he is a goofy but benevolent character to whom Doug looks for advice. His surname "Dink" stands for Dual Income, No Kids, which explains his wealth and ability to purchase so many expensive things. He also has purple skin. Mr. Dink was voiced by Fred Newman.
* William "Willy" White: The former Mayor's son, and a member of Roger's gang. Willy plays drums in Roger's band, plays the tambourine in band class and takes piano lessons. Politically enthusiastic and such a daddy's boy, Willy is sure to express his feelings for such an involved parent and voices his opinion more often in Roger's gang alongside Ned Cauphee. Ironically because of his father's position in the series, first as Mayor of Bluffington and then as Principal of Bebe Bluff Middle School, Willy should be the leader of Roger's gang. However, because he is the stupidest member of Roger's gang, he lets Roger boss him around. Willy was voiced by Doug Preis.
* Boomer Bledsoe: He is a member of Roger's gang. He has orange skin and green hair. He is the only gang member, in both the Nick and Disney versions, who is nice to Doug. Boomer plays keyboard in Roger's band. His name is a reference to two (at the time not) former NFL quarterbacks, Boomer Esiason and Drew Bledsoe. He is voiced by Chris Phillips.
* Ned Cauphee: He is a member of Roger's gang. He has 10 brothers, and has twin sisters. He once lived with the Funnie family for a brief time when his house burned down. He has been known to play classical music very well on a piano and plays bass guitar in Roger's band. Ned is the most vocal of Roger's gang and the most intelligent of his friends. He is usually the one who complains about Roger's bad ideas.
* Stinky: Roger's spoiled fuscha female cat. Originally thought to be male, but eventually had kittens. Stinky's typical cat sounds were provided by Fred Newman.
* Percy Femur: He is Mr. Bone's nephew. Percy is a tall, mean, and tough student. He is known to sport a rat-tail hairstyle, camouflage pants, and army boots. He once bullied Roger until he was sent back to his old school (with the help of Doug). He makes small roles in the series, and seems to be somewhat of a decent athlete, but is incredibly stupid and gullible.
* Mr. Lamar Bone: Assistant principal of both Bluffington Elementary and junior high. He is a strict and stern disciplinarian who doesn't put up with childish shenanigans or anything that the kids find interesting unless convinced or work around for his approval. He is very square, as he rather accepts polka and yodeling. Doug makes him into a couple villains in his Quailman fantasy: one called Robobone, a robotic space alien with the same mannerisms as the real Bone; the other called Rulemeister, a strict rule-maker who imposes silly and pointless rules on everything, which was the plot of Doug's story when he and his class had to serve a Saturday detention for breaking a small rule in the school rulebook (which Bone always keeps with him). He loves foods that the other kids find unsatisfying and puts it on live television in school. One of his favorites are prunes. He relives his childhood when he takes Doug's skateboard instead of get-well cards from the students when he goes to the hospital for a procedure. He comes back acting like a kid performs childish pranks, but goes back to his adult self after an accident which another round of required hospitalization. He has a nephew who bullied Roger, then turned his attentions to Doug until Roger told Bone about it and sent him back to his old school. He is based on Barney Fife from The Andy Griffith Show. Voiced by Doug Preis.
* Mr. Buttsavitch: the "never-seen" elementary school principal. He was seen as a giant floating head (spoof of The Wizard of Oz) in one episode during one of Doug's imagination sequences. He was known to be much kinder in the sequence than his subordinate, Mr. Bone, it is said at one point he single-handedly pulled a student from a burning science lab. Although Doug claims to have never seen the principal before in the "graduation" episode, he does go to see the principal when he thinks he has burned down the science lab. Doug ends up receiving a second place ribbon.
* Coach Spitz: The foul-tempered coach at Bluffington School. He only appeared in a few episodes as a baseball and football coach. He is sexist and typically unconcerned with the well-being of his students. Coach Spitz was voiced by Jeff Bergman.
* Mr. Shelacki: The protectionist and overly childish guidance counselor at Doug's school in the original series, who constantly seems to be stuck in the 1970s. Often wears a sweater that says "Hug Me". He once associated Doug's middle name, Yancey, with "the good Doug". He uses a lot of sociological phrases. For example, in the "Career Day" episode, he tells Doug that he received an unstable career because "The only people who have job security are orthodontists, dentists, surgeons, physicians, and trial lawyers". He also uses some childish phrases like "Mr. Computer had a little tummy ache."
* Ms. Kristal: Doug's junior high school teacher, introduced in the Disney adaptation. She eventually gets engaged to Patti's father. She is an exciting and happy teacher.
* Quailman: Doug's primary superhero and alter-ego. Quailman (along with sidekick, Quaildog [aka Porkchop]), "saved the world" on numerous occasions. Often seen wearing a cape, clean underwear over his pants, and a belt around his head, Quailman was a match for any evil-doer using his three 'powers' -- patience, intelligence, and speed. If those didn't work, there was always the "Quail Eye", a ray fired from his eyes, which would render his enemies "helpless and stupified". Quailman's villains are often based on Roger, with "Klotz" always being part of their name, for example "Dr. Klotzenstein", "Klotzilla", "Baron Von Klotz", "The Cyklotz", and Dr. Rubbersuit. Mr. Bone was also a villain twice ("Robo-Bone" and "The Rulemeister"). His dark side pays homage to the evil Superman in Superman III. He is a native of "the planet Bob", based on the planet Krypton where Superman lives in.
* Durango Doug: A Clint Eastwood/John Wayne-spoofed cowboy who "has a rock-hard head, and eats stale bread". He wears a live rattlesnake for a belt. Only appeared in one episode, in which Doug tried to ride a horse for the first time.
* Smash Adams: Doug's favorite action-movie hero. He is clearly based on James Bond. In the Disney series, his franchise was massively re-tooled into a comedy series, much to Doug's displeasure.
* Neematoad: A mythical creature that supposedly lives in Lucky Duck Lake (in the pilot, the Neematoad is said to have lived in Stinson's Pond), it is the official mascot of Bluffington. Roger told Doug that "the Neematoad call" was "Calukacoo", and Doug spent hours calling for one, while Roger and his gang hid, watching and laughing at him.
* Herman Melville: Possibly spawned from the Neematoad, the lake monster of Lucky Duck Lake, he was first mentioned in Disney's Doug. Skeeter spent much of the series trying to prove the monster's existence. This became the genesis of the plot of Doug's 1st Movie, where the lake monster was revealed to be real. Doug and Skeeter name the monster Herman Melville after the monster tried to eat Skeeter's copy of Moby-Dick.
* Race Canyon: Doug's second-favorite action hero, based on Indiana Jones (but possibly named in homage to Race Bannon from Jonny Quest), wearing the fedora hat; leather sack on his side; etc., Skeeter was the sidekick "Skeetari", and, of course, Roger occasionally was the villain. Doug dressed as him in the Nickelodeon-era Halloween episode called "Doug's Halloween Adventure".
* The Waffle Stomper: Doug's Steven Seagal character, who is known for his waffle-iron shoes, which he uses to stomp the bad guys and save Patti. Like Seagal, Waffle Stomper is very tall, has a ponytail, uses one liners, and speaks in a very soft, quiet voice.
* The Silver Skeeter: One of Quailman's sidekicks, and obviously Skeeter's creation. He is clearly based on The Silver Surfer. He's notable, in that he's what Doug refers to as "too powerful" -- his stock of superpowers seems endless, to include transforming his body's shape, flight, or really anything that Skeeter believed needed to be done to resolve a problem as easily as possible. The Silver Skeeter hails from the planet "popdiddalyumpwaooga" (stated using sound effects).
* Jack Bandit: In one particular episode, Doug felt rebellious, and tried to run away. He had to live "on the lam" as this character, camping out in the woods near his school. Appears to be a parody of Zorro. Catchphrase - "Wanana, Jack Bandit!"
* Quaildog: Quailman's sidekick, based on Porkchop. Has all of the powers of Quailman, but also has the "Quail Tail", which is capable of such powers as lock-picking by physically altering Quaildog's tail into a new shape.
Source: Wikipedia
Second opening to Doug, not as good as the first IMO.
Once again, another fun show. Doug was a great show that had somewhat of a moral to each episode, but it didn't push it right in our faces like most shows with a moral did.
I kinda saw Durango Doug as a spoof of Indiana Jones over John Wayne, though.
But, IMO, the first series of Doug was a lot better before Disney took it over and changed things. It just didn't seem as awesome as it was before. But then, that's the evil empire of Disney for ya. Change it to the way they want it.
Anyways, it was a good show that ended properly before it got stale.