Cow and Chicken is an American animated comedy television series created by David Feiss for Cartoon Network, and the 3rd of the network's Cartoon Cartoons. It follows the surreal adventures of two funny animal siblings, Cow and Chicken. They are often antagonized by the Red Guy, who poses as various characters to scam them.
The original pilot appeared as an episode of the animation showcase series What a Cartoon!. The popularity of the original short allowed Hanna-Barbera to give it the greenlight for a full series, which premiered on July 15, 1997. Originally, Cow and Chicken was attached to another segment called I Am Weasel, which was later spun off into its own half-hour series on June 10, 1999. It is one of only two Cartoon Cartoons original series that was owned by Warner Bros. Animation, the other one is I Am Weasel.
It was nominated for two Emmy Awards. Reruns have aired on Cartoon Network's blocks The Cartoon Cartoon Show until 2008 and Cartoon Planet until 2013, as well as the network's retro animation sister channel Boomerang until June 1, 2014.
The program focuses on the misadventures of two unlikely yet somehow biological siblings: the sweet-natured, dim, ecstatic anthropomorphic Cow and her cynical older brother Chicken (both voiced by Charlie Adler). The two are often caught in escapades with their flamboyant enemy, the Red Guy (Adler), who disguises himself under various personas to attempt to scam the two.
Supporting characters include Chicken and Cow's delirious human parents (Dee Bradley Baker, Candi Milo) that are only seen from the legs down, Chicken's two best friends Flem (Howard Morris; Maurice LaMarche) and Earl (Dan Castellaneta), and his appropriately-named cousin, Boneless Chicken (Adler).
The series draws on eccentric, surreal, grotesque, and repulsive humor. For example, Cow and Chicken always order "pork butts and taters" when in the cafeteria, and characters often pepper their speech with malapropisms and sarcasm. The humor and storylines depicted in the series are sometimes based around traditional childhood worries, anxieties, or phobias such as cooties or venturing into the girls' restroom, but enhanced comically.
Many of the slapstick antics involve Cow getting physically abused. Because Hinduism considers the cow a sacred animal, the series was largely ignored in India.
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| Image | Character | USA | Mex | Jap | Bra | Ger | Fra | Ita | Pol | Swe | Nor | Den | Spa(Catalan) | Taiw |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Chicken | Charlie Adler | Raúl Carballeda | Clécio Souto | Michael Pan | Emmanuel Jacomy | Wojciech Paszkowski | Kim Fangen |