| Alt Name: | Brand Spanking New! Doug (seasons 5–6), Disney's Doug (season 7, reruns of Seasons 5-7) |
| Genre: | Sitcom |
| Creator: | Jim Jinkins |
| Theme Music Composer: | Fred Newman |
| Composer: | Dan Sawyer Fred Newman |
| Country: | United States France (seasons 2–4) |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 7 |
| Num Episodes: | 117 (166 segments) |
| List Episodes: | List of Doug episodes |
| Runtime: | 22–23 minutes |
| Network: | Nickelodeon |
| Network2: | ABC |
Doug is an animated series and sitcom created by Jim Jinkins and produced by Jumbo Pictures, airing from August 11, 1991 to June 26, 1999 on Nickelodeon and ABC. The show focuses on the early adolescent life and zany hijinks of its title character, Douglas "Doug" Funnie, who experiences common predicaments while attending school in his new hometown of Bluffington. Doug narrates each story in his journal, and the show incorporates many imagination sequences. The series addresses numerous topics, including trying to fit in, platonic and romantic relationships, self-esteem, bullying, and rumors. Many episodes center on Doug's attempts to impress his classmate and crush, Patti Mayonnaise.
Jinkins developed Doug from drawings in his sketchbook that he created over the course of the 1980s. Doug, a mostly autobiographical creation, was largely inspired by Jinkins's childhood growing up in Virginia, with most characters in the series being based on real individuals. He first pitched Doug as a children's book to uninterested publishers before Nickelodeon purchased the show. Following this, the series underwent further development, in which Jinkins meticulously detailed every aspect of the show's setting. Jinkins was insistent that the series would have a purpose and instructed writers to annotate each script with a moral. The show's unusual soundtrack consists largely of scat singing and mouth noises.
The series premiered on the cable network Nickelodeon, as the first of the original three Nicktoons alongside two other original animated series, Rugrats (which premiered directly after Doug) and The Ren & Stimpy Show (which premiered directly after Rugrats). The original run consisted of 52 episodes over four seasons that were broadcast from 1991 to 1994, being co-produced by Games Animation with Ellipse Programmé by the second season. Nickelodeon opted against renewing the show for a fifth season,[1] so in 1996, Disney would acquire Jumbo Pictures and greenlit a 26-episode fifth season and was renewed for two additional seasons. Jinkins made several creative changes during this time. The show moved to ABC's Saturday morning lineup, co-produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. In 1998, the series also aired on television syndication. It became a top-rated show, inspiring various books, merchandise, a live musical stage show, and a theatrical feature, Doug's 1st Movie, released as the series' conclusion in 1999. The series has seen multiple home video releases during its run; the initial four seasons of Doug are available on Paramount+, while the latter three, along with the film, are available on Disney+, although not in every region.
The series revolves around Douglas "Doug" Funnie, an 11 (later 12)-year-old boy who wants to be another face in the crowd, but by possessing a vivid imagination and a strong sense of right and wrong, he is more likely to stand out. He keeps a journal, which he treats as an autobiography, as he records numerous experiences over the series, which range from learning to dance to getting a bad haircut. Doug Funnie and his family (which consists of his parents Theda and Phil, sister Judy, and dog Porkchop) move from the town of Bloatsburg to Bluffington after his dad receives a job promotion. Bluffington is in the United States but not in any specific U.S. state. However, Bluffington is loosely based on the city of Richmond, Virginia, where creator Jim Jinkins was born and raised.[2]
See main article: List of Doug episodes.
See main article: List of Doug characters. Beyond the title character, Doug features a large ensemble cast of characters. Many of the series' ancillary characters, among them Ms. Wingo and Mr. Spitz, are based on authority figures from Jinkins' childhood.
Doug was created by animator Jim Jinkins.[5] He was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1953, and grew up fascinated by drawing. He went on to animation and filmmaking at Ohio State University, and upon graduation, got a job working at PBS in their children's programming unit. Jinkins first sketched the character of Doug while doodling without thought, not aiming to create a character based on himself. In the 1980s, he began working on an autobiographical character named "Brian", which he later changed to "Doug", as it was a very general, common name. He began to view the character as his "alter-ego", drawing him in variously cynical and silly scenarios in his sketchbook.
In 1984, Jinkins's career took a turn for the worse, as well as his personal life: he had a rough breakup and suffered injuries in a biking accident. During this time, he gained a new outlook on life.[4] Desiring to "create a place where there was no overdue rent and no delinquent phone bills," he began doodling and formed the basis for Bluffington, the central location in Doug. The character's early designs were solidified alongside friend David Campbell at a small Mexican restaurant in New York. He later credited the character's odd coloring choices from being in a "margarita stupor".[4] Campbell suggested he make Doug into a children's book, titled Doug Got a New Pair of Shoes, which was rejected by all of the city's publishing houses. Simon & Schuster was interested, but management changed before it purchased the pitch.[3] The character made its first animated appearance in a 1988 Florida Grapefruit Growers commercial, and it was also used for a 1989 promotional bumper for the USA Network.
Meanwhile, cable network Nickelodeon, aiming to expand its content and find creative auteurs, began a search for animators to develop their first original animated series. This was very unusual for the time period, which often consisted of pre-licensed characters, such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Where's Waldo?. Jinkins had actually worked at the network before it was renamed Nickelodeon; he was employed in the late 1970s, on their first show Pinwheel. Jinkins set up a meeting with executive Vanessa Coffey to show her the book prototype. Coffey ran out of the room ("which is, you know, disturbing," Jinkins would recall), but only to inform her boss that "This [Jinkins] guy is the real deal, and we're taking him to pilot." Employing voice artists and writers from New York, Jinkins created a pilot for Doug, titled Doug Can't Dance.[3] It was one of three six-minute pilots chosen out of eight to premiere as Nickelodeon's debut animated series, or Nicktoons. It also tested the highest out of eight that were shown to test audiences, scoring the highest of eight points.[6] The long contract development took nearly a year to complete. Jinkins made sure that his contract allowed him to take the series to another network if Nickelodeon did not complete the show's order.
In another unusual move, Nickelodeon allowed their purchased pilots to be animated at independent studios. Jinkins and Campbell founded Jumbo Pictures in July 1990 to produce Doug. He would later recall the oddity of the deal, remarking, "that was a moment in time where we were able to be an independent production company and deliver those shows." Coffey was the main executive in charge of the series' production, and Jinkins would later give her credit in bringing the show to air. Following the success of its first season, Nickelodeon renewed the series for its second and third season in November 1991.[7]
Jinkins characterized the series as not entirely autobiographical, but emotionally accurate to his childhood experiences. The show was designed and based on his experiences growing up in Virginia, designing it as such to give the viewers "a roller coaster of emotions."[8] Each character in the series was based on people from Jinkins' life, with some exaggerations. Prior to the show's premiere, Jinkins sent messages to each subject of inspiration, notifying them of their inclusion. Jinkins' religious upbringing also made its way into the series, albeit without direct reference. For example, if an episode is set on Sunday, Doug's family is dressed in their church clothes. Jinkins felt it was important to not insert overly religious themes into the series, but he viewed it essential that each episode contain a moral. The series was also inspired by Peanuts.[9]
The show's design was labor-intensive, intended to convey a certain logic to the show's universe. In the show's pitch bible, which Jinkins described as "huge", contain floor plans for each main character's homes, as well as maps of each street. In addition, Jinkins and the series' developers paid particular attention to more hidden elements within the series, such as the founding fathers of the show's central town. In writing the series, the production schedule was built around spending several weeks writing the series' scripts. Jinkins asked each writer to place a central theme at the top of each script — what issue Doug is dealing with, and what he learns.[9] Jinkins often told staff that he wanted the show to remain relevant "in 30 years," aiming for a timeless effect. While developing the series, Jinkins wanted to change its name from Doug to The Funnies, but the network encouraged him to stick with the original name.[9] There was a "cross-pollination" among the network's writing staff. This involved story editors being assigned to the show, among them Mitchell Kriegman of Clarissa Explains It All and Will McRobb of The Adventures of Pete & Pete. "There was definitely camaraderie and a quirkiness about who they were hiring," Jinkins later said. "Sometimes it didn't work quite so well, but working with McRobb was awesome!"
In translating the show into animation, the characters' designs were solidified. "Jim Jinkins is an illustrator and not an animator, so his initial drawings were a little bit more of a wiggly line," said Yvette Kaplan. The designs were inspired by Jinkins' period working for R. O. Blechman at the Ink Tank, incorporating Blechman's nervous line quality.
Jinkins was also very involved in the show's music. One of the show's most notable elements is its unique soundtrack, which consists of various mouth sounds by voice actor Fred Newman. "Fred showed me how you could take out a guitar and use a tuna can filled with water that you'd thump with your finger," said Jinkins. The concept of making music out of anything, or making something good out of nothing, is explored in "Doug's Garage Band" (episode 38, part 2), which ends in Doug performing the song "Bangin’ on a Trashcan".
In the series, Doug's favorite rock group is The Beets, a play on the Beatles—the band's members also visually resemble caricatures of Ringo Starr (of the Beatles) and Robert Plant (of Led Zeppelin), and their penchant for endless reunion tours owes to the Who. Jinkins viewed the series' music as an accent to the storytelling.[10]
Creating the music for the series was a deliberate attempt to deviate from the standard for animated cartoons, which traditionally followed the works of Carl Stalling. The most complicated piece of music created for the series was for the opening sequence, which was recorded preceding animation, rather than the typical method of composing it afterward. The series' theme song is largely composed of simple sounds, mostly "doo-doo" and "na-na", performed in a scat singing style with increasing intensity, and culminating in a crescendo of several harmonies. Newman's scat singing also plays over transitions in the series. The show also incorporated many homemade sound effects.
In the closing credits for the first season of Nickelodeon's Doug, two different pieces of music would play: the first piece would be taken from the second story in the episode, and during the last third, Porkchop would don headphones and listen to music from the first story, immediately drowning out the original background music angering Doug, sweats from his reaction, and runs off to the left with Doug following him. Subsequent seasons, however, use a single piece of music for their closing credits (despite using the same animation). Starting with the Disney series, the credits have used Doug chasing Porkchop to the left and right only for Porkchop to chase Doug to the left while the credits play.
The original deal required Jumbo to produce 65 episodes of Doug, which Nickelodeon would air in blocks of 13 per season. After four seasons and 52 episodes of Doug, Nickelodeon declined to order the additional 13, citing the show's expensive budget during a budget freeze. The network had a two-year window in which it could reverse the decision. The duo received strong interest from several networks, among them ABC. Each time they received interest, they would notify Nickelodeon in order to speed up ordering the series' fifth season. In February 1996, The Walt Disney Company, having closed on its purchase of ABC earlier in the year, purchased Doug in a multimillion-dollar deal with Jinkins and Campbell. The deal involved buying Jumbo Pictures and "signing them to five-year contracts, with stock options, to be Disney executives." The company also purchased the Doug trademark and its rights to all future merchandising. Nickelodeon was allowed to retain the rights to the episodes produced from 1991 to 1994.
Due to the length of time between the series' run on Nickelodeon and its beginning on ABC, there were several creative changes. Production of the series relocated from New York City to Los Angeles. This meant the voice actors recorded their lines remotely instead of together in the studio. Billy West was replaced by Tom McHugh as the voice of Doug, while the role of Roger was taken over by Chris Phillips. Disney could not afford West, as his fame had grown from voicing characters in Ren & Stimpy and other animated properties.[11] Jinkins argues that he worked hard to keep West on the series, claiming that the deal the company offered him was breaking their budget.[3] In 2013, despite not returning to the Disney version, West mentioned that he would be open to returning as the role/character.[12]
Several original staff members of Doug have openly regarded the Disney run as inferior to the Nickelodeon run. Jinkins was less hands-on regarding the production of the show's Disney episodes due to other responsibilities. "I mostly agree with Doug fans who think the original 104 eleven-minute Doug stories made for Nick were the best", Jinkins later said. David Campbell felt the Nickelodeon episodes were "quirkier" and better, while Constance Shulman, Patti Mayonnaise's voice actress, felt voice recording sessions were not the same in the show's newer incarnation: "I missed all the gang crammed in the studio, waiting for their turn for the big group scene. Someone just dimmed the magic a bit."[13]
Another factor in Doug going to Disney might have been Nickelodeon's high expectations for the series not being met, something that has been acknowledged by Jinkins as well as Ren & Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi. Among Nickelodeon's three original Nicktoons, executives were banking on Doug to be the network's breakout hit. While Doug proved to be popular, it was by far Nickelodeon's least popular original Nicktoon, as Ren & Stimpy would (alongside The Simpsons and Beavis and Butt-Head) help revive the adult animation genre that had been largely dormant since The Flintstones ended in 1966. Meanwhile, Nickelodeon's other original Nicktoon, Rugrats, would instead be the network's breakout hit and would remain in production until 2004, long after the other two series ended production.
Since the acquisition, Disney has owned the rights to produce any future material in the Doug franchise. In 2016, Jinkins stated that Disney had "no interest" in revamping the show.[14]
Doug and Porkchop appear on a billboard in the Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers movie, released on Disney+ in May 2022.[15]
In 2023, Jinkins revealed concept art he had drawn for a potential revival titled Doug Kids that would focus on the children of Doug and his friends. While no movement has been made, he has stated that he hopes to pitch it to Disney in the future.[16]
The series covers aspects of desiring to be different while coming of age.[3] According to Jinkins, honesty is the series' main theme:
For example, the episode "Doug's in the Money" finds the titular character coming across an envelope of cash and returning it to its elderly owner. It created a heated debate among the series' writers regarding honesty. In the episode, Doug is rewarded with a stick of gum. "It comes down to how we think about who is involved in a story. In that case, I wanted Doug to do something that hurt where there was no tangible reward," said Jinkins.[3]
The series also made frequent use of cutaways, frequently showing Doug daydreaming certain scenarios. The use of cutaways declined during the Disney run, but was never eliminated. The technique would become much more frequently used on Family Guy, which debuted five months before the series concluded.[17]
After the series' completion, much of the online debate ensued over the race of Doug's best friend, Skeeter, who some viewers felt exhibited traits stereotypical of African Americans, and who subsequently drew conclusions that the character was intended to be African American. Jinkins did not envision this discourse on the series' colors. When creating the show, he came across his 200 design markers and employed an array of bright, wild colors for the characters.[11] Jinkins later told The Huffington Post in 2014 that the series' colors "came to symbolize the irrelevance of race."[3]
Sony Wonder released a series of Doug videos between 1993 and 1996. Walt Disney Home Video released four videos of the Disney episodes in 1997; each collection featured two episodes.
Nickelodeon and Amazon.com teamed up to release Doug and other Nick shows on manufacture-on-demand DVD-R discs available exclusively through Amazon.com's CreateSpace arm.[18] Seasons 3 and 4 of Doug were released on DVD on December 8, 2009, and December 22, 2009, respectively.
Season 4 was supposed to be released as a complete season, but Nickelodeon was unable to secure two episodes from the season and opted to rename the DVD release Doug: The Best of Season 4.[19] Doug: The Complete Nickelodeon Series was released on June 26, 2014.
| VHS and DVD name | Release date | Discs | Episodes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How Did I Get into This Mess? | August 31, 1993 | 0 | 3 Segments and 2 music videos | |
| Patti, You're the Mayonnaise for Me | August 31, 1993 | 0 | 3 Segments and 2 music videos | |
| Cool in School | July 26, 1994 | 0 | 3 Segments and 2 music videos | |
| Doug's Christmas Story | August 30, 1994 | 0 | 2 (Paramount version only, Sony contains 1 segment.) | |
| Doug's Birthday Blues | July 15, 1997 | 0 | 2 | |
| Slam Dunk Doug | July 15, 1997 | 0 | 2 | |
| The Vampire Caper | August 26, 1997 | 0 | 2 | |
| Doug's Secret Christmas | October 7, 1997 | 0 | 2 | |
| Season 1 (1991) | August 29, 2008 (Amazon exclusive) | 3 | 13 | |
| Season 2 (1992) | August 29, 2008 (Amazon exclusive) | 3 | 13 | |
| Season 3 (1993) | December 8, 2009 (Amazon exclusive) | 3 | 13 | |
| The Best of Season 4 (1993–94) | December 22, 2009 (Amazon exclusive) | 3 | 12 | |
| Doug: The Complete Nickelodeon Series | June 26, 2014 (Amazon exclusive) | 6 | 52 |
Currently, all of the original run episodes, including the two that are missing from the season 4 DVD, are available from video on demand services such as iTunes Store, PlayStation Network, Amazon Prime Video and Paramount+, while the Disney run episodes and Doug's First Movie are on Disney+.[20]
Reruns of the Nickelodeon series aired on Noggin until 2002, Nicktoons until 2007, and on TeenNick's NickRewind block from 2011 to 2021. Reruns also air on Pluto TV's "90s Kids" channel as of October 2023.[21]
The Disney series aired reruns on UPN’s Disney's One Too until 2000, Disney Channel until 2002, and on Toon Disney until 2004.
The series premiered alongside Rugrats and The Ren & Stimpy Show on August 11, 1991, being scheduled first among the three series.[8] [22] The show was not as immediately popular as its counterparts, and Jinkins lamented to Coffey this fact. "Ren and Stimpy is getting so much attention because of [the show's creator] John Kricfalusi. I feel like the squeaky wheel gets the grease". Nickelodeon was largely attempting to push the limits of children's programming, while Doug was a much gentler, quiet show.[13] While the original Nickelodeon series received mostly positive reviews, the Disney series received a more mixed reception, and became notable for negative reception from fans.[23]
The new Nicktoons block on Nickelodeon raised the network's ratings instantly. Doug constantly achieved over 2.0 in the network's most desirable demographics.[13]
When the show moved to ABC in 1997, Doug became the most popular program on ABC's Saturday morning lineup, attracting the highest ratings of any cartoon on the network. Its high-rated second season on the network contributed to its position as the number one network in Saturday morning ratings.[24]
The Disney episodes later reran in broadcast syndication and on the Disney's One Too block on UPN.[24]
Doug received numerous domestic and international awards and nominations. It won two Parents' Choice Awards, two Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, and was nominated for three CableACE Awards and four Daytime Emmy Awards. It was also nominated for the Prix Jeunesse International Award.
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | ASIFA-East Animation Festival | Best Direction | ||
| 1992 | Young Artist Awards | Outstanding New Animation Series | ||
| Emmy Award | Outstanding Animated Program | |||
| 1993 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Animated Children's Program | ||
| Ollie Awards | ??? | [25] | ||
| CableACE Awards | Animated Programming Special or Series | [26] | ||
| Parents' Choice Awards | ??? | [27] | ||
| 1994 | ??? | |||
| CableACE Awards | Animated Programming Special or Series | [28] | ||
| Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Cartoon | [29] | ||
| 1995 | [30] | |||
| 1996 | ||||
| Young Artists Awards | Best Family Animation Production | |||
| 1999 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Children's Animated Program | [31] | |
| 2000 | ||||
| Annenberg Public Policy Center Awards | Outstanding Educational Program on a Commercial Broadcast Station |
On March 15, 1999, Disney premiered a new musical stage show, Doug Live!, at Disney's Hollywood Studios (at the time known as Disney-MGM Studios) at the Walt Disney World Resort.[32] The show ran until May 12, 2001.
See main article: Doug's 1st Movie. A theatrical feature-length film, Doug's 1st Movie, was released on March 26, 1999, before production on the television show ceased.[33] During this time, meet-and-greet costumed versions of Doug and Patti were seen in Walt Disney World.
A video game for Game Boy Color was released in 2000, titled Doug's Big Game.[34] [35]
While Doug had never received his own self-titled print media outside of books that retold events of the TV series' episodes, comics that entailed original stories were published in the magazine Disney Adventures, from Volume 7 #5 in February 1997,[36] to Volume 12 #1 in February 2002.[37] To date, the one-page comic "Neckerchief Grief" is the last official material that features Doug in any major capacity.