RoboRoach explained

Genre:	Animated television series
Runtime:	22 minutes
Creator:	J.D. Smith Lila Rose Carolyn Hay
Developer:	Andy Knight
Director:	Drew Edwards
Theme Music Composer:	Paul Koffman Tim Foy
Composer:	Pure West
Producer:	Julie Stall
Executive Producer:	Lisa Olfman Joy Rosen
Company:	Portfolio Entertainment
Country:	Canada
Network:	Teletoon
Num Seasons:	3
Num Episodes:	52
First Aired:	^[1]

RoboRoach is a Canadian animated television series which ran on Teletoon in Canada, Animania HD in the United States,^[2] and Fox Kids internationally. The title song was sung by Big Rude Jake.^[3] It follows the story of a cockroach named Ruben and his brother Reginald. While scavenging for food, as seen in the opening, Ruben is caught and experimented on. His brother saves him, but when they jump into an electrical outlet, Ruben is transformed into a robot and cockroach cyborg called a roboroach. After that, he swears to use his powers only for the good of everyone and never for personal use, which is unfortunate for Reginald.

Characters

Main

• Ruben "Rube" Roach (Scott Thompson) is the second-born and younger of the Roach brothers' has been turned into a "super-bug" thanks to being captured and experimented on before he hopped into an electrical outlet and transformed into RoboRoach, gaining shapeshifting abilities and since that day serving as the superhero of Vexberg. He always thinks of the others before himself and never accepts gifts of gratitude, and that's the reason why he and his brother live in poverty. Ruben is also quite childish, naïve and believes almost everything anyone tells him.
• Reginald "Reg" Roach (Ted Dykstra) is the firstborn and eldest of the Roach brothers' who always tries to get rich but always fails. He is overambitious and cares only about himself. Reginald tries to use his brother's powers to obtain money but Ruben always turns down reward offers because, as he says: "A good deed is its own reward!". That infuriates Reginald and he is also quite selfish and bad-tempered/ill-tempered. This often causes him a lot of trouble. However he is still Ruben's big brother regardless and there are times he can cast out his own greed and anger aside just for his big younger brother whenever he believes he might lose his brother and more, showing us he truly cares for his brother and loves him as much as Ruben does for him. His catchphrase is "Why me? Why me? Why all the time me?" with slight variations according to the episode.
• Mayor Mierworm is the mayor of Vexburg. she does not like Ruben or Reginald and thinks of them as menaces. Once she even tried to blame them for a crime they never committed, just to get rid of them. As a politician she is not very good but seemingly Mayor Mierworm gets re-elected quite often.
• Skeeter Jettings is the main reporter in the series and can be found announcing the news on Reginald Ruben's TV. His name is a spoof on Peter Jennings.
• The Police Chief is Roboroach's friend and chief of the police station. Also known for his giggle.
• Doc is the Roach brothers' personal physician.
• Sterling Überbucks is CEO and owner of his company "Überbucks Dynamic Concerns". He and his helper Toadie are always trying to get richer at the cost of anything. Sterling has a nephew Stewie Jr., an evil twin brother named Carling and a great-great-great-grandfather named Sterling Überrucks The Very 1st.

Villains

• Mandible Lecter, a dangerous murderer, kidnaps innocent bugs and eats them.
• Widow Black, a black widow, who marries bugs.
• The Exterminator, a war-fanatic with a German accent is considered to be a mercenary.
• F. Lee Brain, a mad scientist that is bent on conquering the world with the help of his henchman Slug.
• The Disciplinarian/Ms.Conduct, a former teacher to Ruben and Reginald.

Episodes

The show Extermination! in the episode "Battling for Uberbucks / Death of a Salesbug" is a play of the reality show Survivor. The episode "Revenge of the Fleabrain" parodies Superman. The episode "Ghost Bunglers" is based on the Ghostbusters film series

The episode "The Fly Who Loved Me" is based on the 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me

With Teletoon original airdates in parentheses:^[4]

Season 1 (2001)

1. Reg Bugs Out / Little Big Mouth
2. Pains, Drains, and Robomobiles / Jungle Bugs
3. Fitness Bug / Runaway Roaches
4. Popsicle Pest / Weakened Gladiators
5. Sugar Mommy / X-Pet
6. Bedridden Bug / Robo Roach: The Movie
7. Two Bugs and a Baby / Überland
8. Santa's Bitter Helper / Flushed-Aways
9. Robo Watch / Sins of the Teacher
10. Rube Awakenings / Battling For Uberbucks
11. Bug Tusslers / Death of a Salesbug
12. Revenge of the Fleabrain / Ghost Bunglers
13. Mite Makes Wrong / Good Deed Day

Season 2 (2002)

1. The Flying Roachinis / Cowbugs
2. Political Partying / Bugfoot Tetish
3. Bugs With Gas / Insectizoids
4. Vexburg 500 / Guilty Please
5. Family Feud / Robo Reg
6. Under The Rainbow / Bed Bug Walking
7. Sluggies / Delivery Bugs
8. Jockey Shorts / The RoboRoach Show
9. The Big Bug Sleep / Prehistoric Pest
10. Ruby's Slippers / The President's Brain Is Missing
11. Club Dead / Omega Mites
12. The Great Reginini / Dustmites Come Home
13. The High Cost Of Laughing / Loco Hero

Season 3 (2003–2004)

1. Shuttle Bugs / Rememberizing Rube
2. Ship Of Foods / Pipe Reams
3. CopRoach Academy / Tooth For A Tooth
4. Überpops / Ballwashers Championship
5. Office Hours / Miss Vexburg
6. The Dapper Dandies Of Dusty Gulch / Of Lice And A Men
7. Spelunkheads / Giggling Island
8. Reggie's Hero / Gourmet Rude
9. Mystic Warbugs / X Hits The Spot
10. The Miracle Of Girth / The Purse Of The Mummy
11. A Pair Au Pairs / Shocking Tales
12. Reality Bytes / Debonairhead
13. Elves' Night Off / Loose Sleuths
14. Death Takes A Half Day / Übertrain
15. The Sacrificial Ham / Bug Brother Is Watching
16. Space Cadets / Love Bugs
17. WereRoach / Remote Control Roach
18. No Pain No Weight Gain / El Regidente
19. Sins Of The Teacher II / Robo Reunion
20. Opposites Detract / Robo Nurse
21. Night Of The Living Beds / Superhero Sampler
22. Reggie's Eleven / Easter Charade
23. It's A Mad Mad Mad Reg / Gold Fever
24. Spitting Images / Youth Juice
25. The Living Bro / The Fly Who Loved Me
26. Road To Ubugme / Ticking Time Bug

Production

The series is based on true stories about Japanese scientists who implanted cameras and mini-computers in cockroaches and sent them into disaster zones to look for life signs.^{[5] [6]}

A fourth 26-episode season of the show was planned as of early 2003 but was never produced.^[7] Disney Media Distribution own the show's international rights.

Notes and References

1. Web site: www.teletoon.com . 2 February 2002 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20020202062825/http://www.teletoon.com/cgi-local/program.cgi?value=RoboRoach&type=title&match=exact . February 2, 2002 .
2. Web site: VOOM's Animania HD Acquires Original HD Series Produced by Portfolio Entertainment - AMC Networks Inc.. 7 March 2007 . 2016-06-06. 2016-08-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20160806050120/http://www.amcnetworks.com/press-releases/vooms-animania-hd-acquires-original-hd-series-produced-by-portfolio-entertainment. live.
3. Web site: Meza . Ed . 16 April 2002 . Fox Kids Europe nabs 'Roboroach' . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20180910061301/https://variety.com/2002/tv/features/fox-kids-europe-nabs-roboroach-1117865530/ . 10 September 2018 . 22 October 2022.
4. Web site: [ftp://support.crtc.gc.ca/logs/ Television Program Logs]. 2016-03-02. Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. Alt URL
5. Web site: Export Development Canada (EDC) -- ExportWise (Spring 2004) -- From Roaches to Riches . 20 June 2004 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20040620222409/http://www.edc.ca/docs/exportwise/spring04/p08_e.htm . June 20, 2004 .
6. Web site: Talmadge . Eric . Ultimate Bugging Device Small Step For Roach Is Next Giant Leap For Science | The Spokesman-Review . Spokesman.com . 2019-11-12 . 2019-11-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191112101423/https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/jan/10/ultimate-bugging-device-small-step-for-roach-is/ . live .
7. Web site: Portfolio Displays Carl Squared For NATPE | Animation World Network . Awn.com . 2003-01-17 . 2020-03-19 . 2022-02-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220225194749/https://www.awn.com/news/portfolio-displays-carl-squared-natpe . live .