| Genre: | Action/Adventure Science fiction comedy Slapstick |
| Creator: | Doug TenNapel |
| Developer: | Doug Langdale |
| Voices: | Dan Castellaneta Jeff Bennett Charlie Adler Jim Cummings Edward Hibbert John Kassir Andrea Martin Kath Soucie |
| Narrated: | Jeff Bennett |
| Theme Music Composer: | William Anderson |
| Opentheme: | "Earthworm Jim", performed by William Anderson, Jeff Bennett and Dan Castellaneta |
| Endtheme: | "Earthworm Jim" (instrumental) |
| Composer: | William Anderson Patrick Griffin |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 2 |
| Num Episodes: | 23 |
| Executive Producer: | David Perry Doug TenNapel |
| Producer: | Kathi Castillo Roy Allen Smith |
| Editor: | Jay Bixsen |
| Runtime: | 25 minutes |
| Company: | Universal Cartoon Studios Flextech Plc |
| Network: | The WB (Kids' WB) (United States) TCC (United Kingdom) |
Earthworm Jim is an American animated television series based on the video game series of the same name that aired on The WB (now The CW)'s Kids' WB block[1] [2] for two seasons from September 9, 1995, to December 13, 1996. A co-production between Universal Cartoon Studios and Flextech Plc and based on the video game series of the same name from Playmates and Shiny Entertainment[3] with characters created by Doug TenNapel,[4] the series follows the adventures of the titular character who battles the forces of evil using a robotic suit.[5]
Most episodes involve the series' numerous villains attempting to reclaim the super suit or conquer the universe. However, some episodes have Jim facing more mundane issues, which include returning his neighbor's eggbeater and finding a new power source after his suit's battery runs out. Also, the show breaks the fourth wall with characters often talking to the audience and the narrator.
Episodes begin with a cold opening of Earthworm Jim and Peter Puppy in some peril that has nothing to do with the main plot or the past episodes, with little statement of how they got into the mess. In between parts (generally before or after the commercial break), there is a short side-story, generally featuring one of the villains doing a more natural part of life, usually without any involvement from Jim. Both of these are changed in the second season, with the cold opens being more relevant to the plot and the side stories being dropped entirely. Most episodes end with a character being crushed by a cow, a homage to the original game's ending.
Most of the main characters from the show originated from characters introduced in the video game series. Peter Puppy becomes Jim's sidekick and friend and Princess What's-Her-Name is featured as his love interest. Several antagonists from the games such as Evil the Cat, Psy-Crow, Bob the Killer Goldfish, Queen Slug-for-a-Butt, and Professor Monkey-for-a-Head also appear in the series.
Additionally, some original characters were also created for the series before being integrated into future games in the series. These include Evil Jim and Evil the Cat's servant Henchrat, the former being the main antagonist in .
The voice director for the series was Ginny McSwain.
In 1995, Doug TenNapel and Will Meugniot created a pitch animation video for WB, in which TenNapel voiced Jim. On August 23, 2022, YouTube user gooberloll uploaded the pitch video.[6] However, Meugniot was not a producer for the final series, having left to work on .
Two seasons of the series were produced, for a total of 23 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 13 | ||||
| 2 | 10 | ||||
MCA/Universal Merchandising held consumer product rights for the series.[7]
Playmates Toys also released a line of action figures based on the show, which included several variants of Earthworm Jim, as well as Peter Puppy, Princess What's-Her-Name, Bob the Killer Goldfish, #4, Evil the Cat, Henchrat, Major Mucus, and Psy-Crow.[8] A mountable "pocket rocket" was also available as well as a rare mail-in repainted figure of Earthworm Jim in a green suit. Premium DNA Toys also made a line of action figures.[9]
In the United States, the show was aired on Kids' WB on The WB Television Network (now The CW Network) from 1995 to 1996.[10]
The show premiered in the United Kingdom on co-production partner Flextech's TCC network around the same time. The show was promoted with a country-wide roadshow campaign held at shopping centres.[11] Following this, the show later made its free TV debut on Channel 4.[12] In the 2000s, the show reran on Nickelodeon and Nicktoons TV.
In Ireland, the show was aired on RTÉ Two from 12 September 1996 to 1997. In Canada, the show was aired on YTV. In Mexico, the show was aired on TV Azteca. In Germany, the show was aired on RTL. In the Netherlands, the show was aired on Kindernet. In Poland, the show was aired on RTL 7. In Spain, the series was dubbed in different languages apart from Castilian Spanish, like the Basque language.
Four VHS volumes were released by MCA/Universal Home Video in September 1996, each containing two episodes.
The complete series was intended to receive a U.S. DVD release from Visual Entertainment (under license from NBCUniversal) on, but was delayed right before release to late October.[13] [14] The set includes all 23 episodes on 3 discs, and is currently available on Amazon.com.[15]
The complete series was formerly available on Tubi, but has since been removed.[16]
| Name | Release Date | Episodes | Region | Additional Information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vol. 1: Bring Me the Head of Earthworm Jim / Sword of Righteousness | 2 | VHS | Includes animation featurette. | ||
| Vol. 2: Conqueror Worm / Day of the Fish | 2 | VHS | Includes animation featurette. | ||
| Vol. 3: Assault & Battery / Trout! | 2 | VHS | Includes animation featurette. | ||
| Vol. 4: The Book of Doom / The Egg Beater | 2 | VHS | Includes animation featurette. | ||
| Earthworm Jim: The Complete Series | 23 | 4 | Includes no bonus features. | ||
| Earthworm Jim: Complete Series | 23 | 1 | Includes no bonus features. |
CIC Video released three VHS volumes of the series in the 1990s in the United Kingdom, each containing two episodes. These are now out of print and considered rare.
On June 1, 2011, Via Vision Entertainment, under license from Universal, released the complete series as a 5-disc set in Australia and New Zealand.[17]
Aspects of the show, such as newly created characters, or art style, were later implemented in future video games Earthworm Jim 3D and . Two Earthworm Jim comic book series, in the US and UK, were also created to tie into the animated series.[18]
On November 18, 2021, it was reported that a new animated television series titled Earthworm Jim: Beyond the Groovy was in development.[19] A year later, it was announced that Paris animation studio Circus Studios joined Passion Pictures as a partner on the show.[20] In November 2023, series writer Brent Friedman stated that production had been put on hold.[21]