Cow and Chicken

Cow and Chicken
"Momma had a chicken. Momma had a cow. Dad was proud, but he didn't care how!"
Genre: Comedy Slapstick Surreal humor Running Time: 14 minutes Country: United States Release Date: July 15, 1997 – July 24, 1999 Network(s): Cartoon Network Created by: David Feiss Distributed by: Warner Bros. Television Distribution Starring: Charlie Adler Dee Bradley Baker Candi Milo Howard Morris Dan Castellaneta Seasons: 3 Episodes: 52

Cow and Chicken is a comedy animated series created by David Feiss that aired on Cartoon Network during the 90’s.

Plot

A scrawny 11-year-old chicken reluctantly watches out for his beefy "little" sister, a 7-year-old cow. The unconventional offspring of two human parents, the two young animals navigate their way through suburbia, encountering problems not only at school, but with the devilish schemes of the Red Guy, a crimson-colored antagonist of many guises whose singular intent is to make the siblings' lives miserable. If the character designs and offbeat humor cause viewers to recall The Ren & Stimpy Show, there's a good reason: creator David Feiss worked on that irreverent animated series as well.

Why It Rocks

1. Smooth, detailed and wacky slapstick animation that perfectly reassembles The Ren & Stimpy Show style, as well as very funny Tex Avery-esque character designs.
2. Amazing voice acting, from Charles Adler, Dee Bradley Baker (Klaus from American Dad!), Candi Milo (The titular character of Dexter's Laboratory (seasons 3 & 4), Howard Morris and Dan Castellaneta (the titular character of Earthworm Jim: The Animated Series and Homer Simpson from The Simpsons).
3. Wonderfully odd storylines, such as Chicken wondering if he is a female after supposedly laying an egg.
4. Incredibly hilarious characters, such as Cow, Chicken, Their parents and ESPECIALLY the devil Red Guy, who, a lot like Dr. Robotnik from Adventures Of Sonic The Hedgehog, made the show even better in every appearance and brought the show alive, he even appears in the spin-off I Am Weasel.
5. The show is famous for its great innuendos much like The Ren & Stimpy Show and other cartoons from the '90s. A good example would be the Red Guy "waxing the dinghy".
6. Awesome rockin' theme music, especially since the composer Guy Moon, the same composer behind The Fairly OddParents and the 2021 reboot of Johnny Test, is behind the soundtrack.
7. The creative, and original concept of the brother chicken and his sister cow.
8. There are some relatable moments such as Chicken's irritation with his life and his love-hate relationship with his sister.
9. Colorful and detailed background design.
10. Just like other 1990s and 2000s cartoons, it made use of dark themes, such as Chicken going to hell for smoking.
11. There are some funny moments such as Cow's Spanish alter-ego and Supercow.
12. Artistic title cards, which is typical for a Cartoon Cartoon.
13. Just like The Ren & Stimpy show, the slapstick humor is done well.
14. The Spin off I Am Weasel is also very good and can even be considered better than Cow and Chicken.

Bad Qualities

1. Some of its comedy primarily focuses on physically abusing Chicken too much, which isn't that funny and makes him a giant butt-monkey.
2. There are excessive amount of butt jokes, and although they are actually quite funny, they can sometimes become very gross and uncomfortable.
3. Sometimes Cow's voice can sound like a male voice which is very weird and nonsensical especially since cows are female cattle.
4. There are some bad episodes:
   • The Girl's Bathroom
   • Confused
   • Orthodontic Police
   • The King and Queen of Cheese (a mediocre way to end Season 1)
   • Comet!
   • Buffalo Gals (which got banned for sexual humor)
   • Stay Awake (a terrible way to end Season 2)
   • P.E.
   • Be Careful What You Wish For
   • Mall Cop

Trivia

• Teiyū Ichiryūsai, the voice of Sumire Sakura from Chibi Maruko-chan and Becky from WMT version of Princess Sara, has voiced Cow in the Japanese dub of the series.
• When making the second season, Cartoon Network wanted David Feiss to keep on making "I. M. Weasel" shorts. David Feiss didn't want to make anymore, but he only agreed if he could start using the Red Guy in the "I. M. Weasel" shorts. Since then, the Red Guy was a regular character in Weasel.
• Charlie Adler based the voices of Cow after Ellen Greene, and Chicken after himself at the age of fourteen.
• Like several of Cartoon Network's early shows, such as Dexter's Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, and The Powerpuff Girls (1998), it began as a pilot shown in the "What a Cartoon Show".
• Two episodes were written by members of David Feisse's family. "Me an' My Dog" was written by his wife, Pillar. "Black Sheep of the Family" was written by his son, David Feiss, Jr., though he was uncredited.
• It was David Feiss' ex-wife Pillar's idea to have Cow's alter-ego, Supercow speak only in Spanish.

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