Cow and Chicken is an American animated slapstick comedy TV series produced by Hanna-Barbera for Cartoon Network. It ran from 1997 to 1999, airing 52 episodes. When the series ended, its secondary segment, I Am Weasel, was spun off into its own full-fledged TV series in 1999.
An adolescent cow and chicken named Cow and Chicken live together as siblings with two human parents (whose upper halves are never shown). They also attend school and deal with the Red Guy, a spoof on the Devil.
Production
Development
David Feiss brought the series to life after coming up with a bedtime story for his then six-year-old daughter. The morning after he remembered it, and drew a 25-page children's book out of it. When Hanna-Barbera called him for their 52-episode What a Cartoon! idea, he pitched them Cow and Chicken. They started off as life-long friends with a romantic interest, but they were changed to siblings. The parents and the Red Guy were also added; Feiss saw the Red Guy as the key to the show, "adding that extra element of chaos."[1]
Casting
A hundred people were auditioned for the different parts, with Charlie Adler auditioning separately for Cow, Chicken, and the Red Guy. There was a "little pushback" from Cartoon Network who believed that each character should be played by a different actor, but Feiss reminded them of Mel Blanc.[1]
Aftermath
"Buffalo Gals" was banned after being aired once because a female biker group implied to be lesbians using sexual innuendos. In reruns, it was replaced with "Orthodontic Police."
When the series finished, Cartoon Network tasked Feiss with writing a movie, who then did an outline with Michael Ryan, which involved them traveling and looking for something.[1]
Segments
- Cow and Chicken
- I Am Weasel
Music
The theme song and score were composed by Guy Moon. The opening theme featured lyrics written by David Feiss. Bodie Chandler was the director of music production.
Theme song lyrics
Chicken: Mama had a chicken.
Cow: and Mama had a cow.
Both: Dad was proud, he didn't care how.
Cow: Cow!
Chicken: Chicken!
Both: Cow and Chicken!
Episodes
| Title
|
Number
|
Original air date
|
| "No Smoking"
|
0x01
|
November 12, 1995
|
| "Field Trip to Folsom Prison" / "The Girl's Bathroom" / I Am Weasel: "This Bridge, Not Weasel Bridge"
|
1x01
|
July 15, 1997
|
| "Supermodel Cow" / "Part Time Job" / I Am Weasel: "I.R. on Sun"
|
1x02
|
July 22, 1997
|
| "Alive!" / "Who is Super Cow?" / I Am Weasel: "Deep Sea Tour"
|
1x03
|
July 29, 1997
|
| "Confused" / "The Molten Fairy" / I Am Weasel: "I.R. Gentlemans"
|
1x04
|
August 5, 1997
|
| "The Ugliest Weenie Part One" / I Am Weasel: "I Are Big Star" / "The Ugliest Weenie Epilogue"
|
1x05
|
August 12, 1997
|
| "Crash Dive!" / "Power of Meat" / I Am Weasel: "Power of Odor"
|
1x06
|
August 19, 1997
|
| "School Bully" / "Time Machine" / I Am Weasel: "Ping Pong at Sea"
|
1x07
|
August 26, 1997
|
| "Orthodontic Police" / "The Cow with Four Eyes" / I Am Weasel: "Disease Fiesta"
|
1x08
|
September 2, 1997
|
| "Cow's Instincts... Don't It?" / "Ballerina Cow" / I Am Weasel: "I.R. Plant Life"
|
1x09
|
September 9, 1997
|
| "Chicken's First Kiss" / "Squirt the Daisies" / I Am Weasel: "I.M. Abassador"
|
1x10
|
September 16, 1997
|
| "Lawnmower Chicken" / "Cow Loves Piles" / I Am Weasel: "Law of Gravity"
|
1x11
|
September 23, 1997
|
| "Lawnmower Chicken" / "Cow Loves Piles" / I Am Weasel: "Law of Gravity"
|
1x12
|
September 23, 1997
|
| "Space Cow" / "The Legend of Sailcat" / I Am Weasel: "Happy Baboon Holidays"
|
1x13
|
September 30, 1997
|
| "Fluffy the Anaconda" / "The Laughing Puddle" / I Am Weasel: "I.R. Mommy"
|
2x01
|
May 16, 1998
|
| "Pirate Lessons" / "Halloween with Dead Ghost, Coast to Coast" / I Am Weasel: "I Am Deity"
|
2x02
|
May 23, 1998
|
| "Tongue Sandwich" / "Dream Date Chicken" / I Am Weasel: "I Am Crybaby"
|
2x03
|
May 30, 1998
|
| "Sumo Cow" / "Comet!" / I Am Weasel: "I.R.'s Phantom Foot"
|
2x04
|
June 6, 1998
|
| "Dirty Laundry" / "Grizzly Beaver Safari" / I Am Weasel: "Queen of Denile"
|
2x05
|
June 13, 1998
|
| "Boneless Kite" / "Which Came First?" / I Am Weasel: "I Are Music Man"
|
2x06
|
June 20, 1998
|
| "Boneless Kite" / "Cow and Chicken Reclining" / I Am Weasel: "I Am My Lifetime"
|
2x07
|
June 27, 1998
|
| "Free Inside!" / "Journey to the Center of Cow" / I Am Weasel: "I.R. Pixie Fairie"
|
2x08
|
July 4, 1998
|
| "The Karate Chick" / "Yard Sale" / I Am Weasel: "I.R. Ice Fisher"
|
2x09
|
July 11, 1998
|
| "Meet Lance Sackless" / "Who's Afraid of the Dark?" / I Am Weasel: "I.R. Role Model"
|
2x10
|
July 18, 1998
|
| "The Bad News Plastic Surgeons" / "The Exchange Student" / I Am Weasel: "I.R. in Wrong Cartoon"
|
2x11
|
July 25, 1998
|
| "Child Star" / "Perpetual Energy" / I Am Weasel: "My Friend, the Smart Banana"
|
2x12
|
August 1, 1998
|
| "Bad Chicken" / "Stay Awake" / I Am Weasel: "I.R. Wild Baboon"
|
2x13
|
August 8, 1998
|
| "Can Cow Come Out and Play?" / "Horn Envy" / I Am Weasel: "Time Weasel"
|
3x01
|
August 15, 1998
|
| "Can Cow Come Out and Play?" / "The Babysitter" / I Am Weasel: "The Hole"
|
3x02
|
August 22, 1998
|
| "Cow Fly" / "Where Am I?" / I Am Weasel: "I Stand Corrected"
|
3x02
|
August 29, 1998
|
| "Sergeant Weenie Arms" / "Sow and Chicken" / I Am Weasel: "I Am Bush Pilot"
|
3x03
|
September 5, 1998
|
| "Me an' My Dog" / "Cow's Dream Catcher" / I Am Weasel: "Dessert Island"
|
3x04
|
September 12, 1998
|
| "Grandma at the Mall" / "Chicken in the Bathroom" / I Am Weasel: "Unsinkable I.R."
|
3x05
|
September 19, 1998
|
| "Chickens Don't Fly" / "P.E." / I Am Weasel: "I Am Vampire"
|
3x06
|
September 26, 1998
|
| "Plaing' Hookie" / "Chicken Lips" / I Am Weasel: "Honey, I Are Home"
|
3x07
|
October 3, 1998
|
| "The Day I Was Born" / "Factory Follies" / I Am Weasel: "Driver's Sped"
|
3x08
|
October 10, 1998
|
| "101 Uses for Cow and Chicken" / "Intelligent Life" / I Am Weasel: "A Tree Story"
|
3x09
|
October 17, 1998
|
| "Be Careful What You Wish For" / "Lost at Sea" / I Am Weasel: "I.R. Do"
|
3x10
|
October 24, 1998
|
| "Night of the Ed!" / "Cow's Pie" / I Am Weasel: "I Are Good Dog"
|
3x11
|
October 31, 1998
|
| "Invisble Cow" / "Monster in the Closet" / I Am Weasel: "I Am Hairstylist"
|
3x12
|
November 7, 1998
|
| "Chachi, the Chewing Gum Seal" / "Black Sheep of the Family" / I Am Weasel: "Enemy Camp"
|
4x01
|
April 26, 1999
|
| "The Big Move" / "Cow's Magic Blanket" / I Am Weasel: "I Are Ghost"
|
4x02
|
April 27, 1999
|
| "Cow's Toys" / "I Scream, Man" / I Am Weasel: "I Am Gladiator"
|
4x03
|
April 28, 1999
|
| "Cloud Nine" / "Send in the Clowns" / I Am Weasel: "Revolutionary Weasel"
|
4x04
|
April 29, 1999
|
| "Major Wedgie" / "The Loneliest Cow" / I Am Weasel: "Dream Weasel"
|
4x05
|
April 30, 1999
|
| "Professor Longhorn Steer" / "A Couple of Skating Fools" / I Am Weasel: "He Said, He Said"
|
4x06
|
May 3, 1999
|
| "The Full Mounty" / "Mall Cop" / I Am Weasel: "I Am Cliched"
|
4x07
|
May 4, 1999
|
| "Snail Boy" / "The Penalty Wheel" / I Am Weasel: "The Magnificent Motorbikini"
|
4x08
|
May 5, 1999
|
| "Chicken's Fairy Tale" / "Magic Chicken" / I Am Weasel: "I Am Whale Captain"
|
4x09
|
May 6, 1999
|
| "Cow's Horse" / "Red Butler" / I Am Weasel: "The Baboon's Paw"
|
4x10
|
June 11, 1999
|
| "Cow's a Beauty" / "Piano Lessons" / I Am Weasel: "The Sackless Games"
|
4x11
|
June 18, 1999
|
| "Duck, Duck, Chicken!" / "The Great Pantzini" / I Am Weasel: "Who Rubbed Out Cow and Chicken"
|
4x12
|
June 25, 1999
|
| "The Cow and Chicken Blues" / "The Ballard of Cow and Chicken" / I Am Weasel: "I.R. Good Salesman"
|
4x13
|
July 24, 1999
|
Cast
In popular culture
- In "Once Upon a Toon", a segment of the MAD episode "Taking Nemo/Once Upon a Toon," Cow and Chicken have lost their memories and think they're actually animals. They join Henry Swan in restoring all the classic cartoons' memories.
- In the Ben 10 Omniverse episode "Store 23," alien versions of Cow and Chicken can be seen waiting in line at Mr. Smoothy's. They leave after no one is at the register. Charlie Alder reprises both characters.
- In the OK KO Let's be Heroes Crossover "Crossover Nexus," Chicken is one of Cartoon Network characters turned into stone and Cow (as Super Cow) is one of the characters Ben 10 transforms into.
- In the 2022 Disney+ film Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers, a bootleg version of Cow is saved.
References
