"Fanboy & Chum Chum" Theme Song (HQ) Episode Opening Credits Nick Animation
Fanboy & Chum Chum is an American computer-animated television series, and the twenty-seventh major Nicktoon produced by Frederator Studios. It is inspired by the first episode/short of Frederator's Random! Cartoons called Fanboy, which premiered on August 14, 2009, the same year as the series, and it was created by Eric Robles and directed by Brian Sheesley and Jim Schumann. It premiered on November 6, 2009 on Nickelodeon after the SpongeBob SquarePants special "Truth or Square". A sneak peek of the show was shown on October 12, 2009. The series surrounds Fanboy and Chum Chum, two energetic "super fans" of science fiction and fantasy. They have super hero costumes with underwear outside the costumes and their world is full of comic adventures and misadventures.
The series premiere drew 5.8 million viewers. The second episode was watched by 5.4 million viewers.
The show continued to air in reruns on NickToons until January 23, 2017.
Plot
- Main article: List of Fanboy and Chum Chum characters
Animated short
The animated short "Fanboy" aired as part of Frederator Studio's Random! Cartoons, and then led to the creation of the animated series, as mentioned previously, just after the infamous SpongeBob SquarePants episode, Truth or Square.
Worldwide release
| Country | Network | Premiere Date |
|---|---|---|
| USA | Nickelodeon / Nick Too | October 12, 2009 (sneak peek) November 6, 2009 (series premiere) |
| NickToons | October 23, 2009 | |
| Latin America | Nickelodeon | April 10, 2010 |
| Brazil | Nickelodeon | April 4, 2010 |
| Canada | YTV | September 1, 2010 |
| Nickelodeon | November 2, 2009 | |
| Netherlands | Nickelodeon | April 5, 2010 |
| UK Ireland |
Nickelodeon | February 16, 2010 (Sneak Preview) April 2, 2010 (Series Premiere) |
Reception
Reviews
Critical reception was normally mixed while audience and fan reception was largely negative. However, Aaron H. Bynum of Animation Insider praised it, calling Fanboy & Chum Chum "a fun show that deserves a good look. The quality animation helps counterbalance the immense amount of dialogue from the series' chatty characters, and the sheer comedy of marginally competent comic-loving kids helps outweigh what might otherwise be a binge of geeky annoyance. But overall, Fanboy and Chum Chum is a lot of fun." Variety praised the series' "bright, energetic look and even an appealing premise in theory". David Hinckley of NY Daily News gave the series three stars out of five, and said that "it's good, but it might not be the next SpongeBob".
A criticized review came from KJ Dell'Antonia of Slate who found the main characters irritating, and thought the whole concept was unoriginal, with "many tired jokes and not enough of hat kind of mild satire to make this play in our house".
Legacy
Despite the overwhelming negativity that the show has faced, the series eventually garnered a much better fanbase and cult over the years. The show has even redeemed itself after the infamous "but awesome" memes that has spread over the internet for a while. The show's legacy will be cherished by fans and its creator alike.
Ratings
The series premiered on November 6, 2009, after the SpongeBob SquarePants special "Truth or Square". The broadcast ranked number three of cable programs that week and number two of the night. The premiere was watched by a total of 5.8 million viewers. The second episode was broadcast on November 7, 2009 and garnered 5.4 million viewers, ranking fifth of all cable broadcasts that week.
The third episode was broadcast a week later, on November 14, 2009, with 3.8 million viewers. A broadcast on November 28, 2009 was viewed by 3.9 million viewers. In February 2010, the episode "Moppy Dearest" was viewed by 4.27 million viewers, an improvement over the last bunch of episodes.
Awards
| Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Directing in an Animated Program | Jim Schumann Brian Sheesley Ginny McSwain |
Won |
| Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation | Caesar Martinez For "Chimp Chomp Chumps" |
Nominated | |
| Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation | Steve Lambe For "The Janitor Strikes Back" |
Nominated | |
| Outstanding Achievement in Main Title and Graphic Design | Nominated |
Home media
Paramount Home Media Distribution released two DVDs of the series in 2011: one simply titled Fanboy and Chum Chum on May 24th, and the second one, Brain Freeze, on August 16th. The first season received a manufacture-on-demand DVD set on August 7, 2012.
The series is available on iTunes, Amazon Prime, and Paramount+.
Gallery
External links
- Nickstory Archives: Fanboy & Chum Chum
- NickToons: G.L.O.B.E. Archives: Fanboy & Chum Chum
- Fanboy & Chum Chum at TV Tropes
- Fanboy & Chum Chum at Behind the Voice Actors
The topic of this page has a wiki of its own: Fanboy & Chum Chum Wiki.