Taz-Mania Explained
Taz-Mania is an American animated sitcom produced by Warner Bros. Animation from 1991 to 1995, broadcast in the United States on Fox Kids where it stars the Tasmanian Devil.[1]
Similar to other Warner Bros. cartoons of its time, such as Animaniacs and Tiny Toon Adventures (both of which were created by Taz-Mania co-developer Tom Ruegger), Taz-Mania frequently broke the fourth wall, and often made jokes showing that Taz could actually speak perfectly normally when he wanted to.[2] The title song is performed by Jess Harnell and Jim Cummings.
Premise
The show follows the adventures of the Looney Tunes character Taz the Tasmanian Devil in the fictional land of Tazmania (based on Tasmania).[3] The intro indicates that in this rendering of Tasmania "the sky's always yellow, rain or shine".
Characters
Tazmanian Devil family
- Taz Tazmanian Devil (voiced by Jim Cummings) is the central character of the series and appears in every episode. Taz is the older brother of Molly and Jake. Taz is uncouth, feral, dirty, always hungry, and suffers aquaphobia, though he is less aggressive and more caring than his original incarnation.[4] He works as a bellhop at the Hotel Tazmania.
- Jean Tazmanian Devil (voiced by Miriam Flynn) is Taz, Molly, and Jake's loving, hard-working mother. Many episodes circle around her speaking on the phone and running through a long list of chores she has created for herself.
- Hugh Tazmanian Devil (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) is Taz, Molly, and Jake's suave, friendly, and logical father, whose voice and mannerisms are a parody of Bing Crosby. Hugh likes orange juice (a reference to Crosby being a famous pitch-man for orange juice), golf, and bowling and he will often over-explain things to the point where he will say "blah-blah-blah, yackity schmackity".
- Molly Tazmanian Devil (voiced by Kellie Martin) is Taz and Jake's 16-year-old sister. Despite being more composed than her brother, she often shares his wild and aggressive nature, though in a more sibling-rivalry sense.
- Jake Tazmanian Devil (voiced by Debi Derryberry) is Taz and Molly's crazy, hyperactive, cute, and imaginative little brother, who idolizes Taz.
- Dog the Turtle (vocal effects provided by Rob Paulsen) is Taz, Molly, and Jake's pet turtle, who acts like a dog.
- Drew Tazmanian Devil (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) is Taz, Molly, and Jake's good-humored, cool, zany, and lovable uncle who talks and acts like Bob Hope as a reference to Hugh's parody of Bing Crosby. Like Hugh, Drew enjoys golf, bowling, telling jokes, and heading out on road trips (often forcing Taz into joining them) in spoofs of Hope and Crosby's Road to... film series of the 1940s and 1950s.
Hotel Tazmania staff
- Bushwhacker Bob (voiced by Jim Cummings) is Taz's arrogant, incompetent, intimidating, and cranky boss who is Hotel Tazmania's hotel manager. As the owner of the Hotel Tazmania, he is a misanthropic snob, who rarely does any actual work, preferring to leave any and all tasks to his staff. His demeanor is inspired by that of Basil Fawlty, protagonist of the British sitcom Fawlty Towers.
- Mum (voiced by Rosalyn Landor) is Bushwhacker Bob's mother, who is much more patient and intelligent than her son. Despite her son being the hotel manager the Hotel Tazmania, Mum is the proprietor of the establishment. She is often quick to embarrass her son despite her comments typically being true.
- Constance Koala (voiced by Rosalyn Landor) is an enormous but gentle and humble koala who is the maid at the Hotel Tazmania. She is quite fond of singing and dancing, despite her dancing often causing unintentional destruction. She is in the same dance class that Molly takes when Taz tries ballet.
- Mr. Thickly (voiced by Dan Castellaneta) is an optimistic, genial, and fun-loving wallaby whose exact job title is unspecified. He considers himself a jack-of-all-trades, always prefacing the activities he does with Taz with an exclamation that he's "an expert". He enjoys doing favors for Taz, but his ineptitude usually results in chaos.
Outback characters
- Digeri Dingo (voiced by Rob Paulsen) is a conceited dingo. He and Taz share a mutual love for bottle cap collecting. A scavenger, treasure hunter, and chronic collector, he often takes advantage of Taz's strength and ferocious nature to hunt rare treasures. Typically after he gets what he wants, he still berates Taz for bringing it back in a tarnished condition. His name is a play on the digeridoo.
- Wendal T. Wolf (voiced by Jim Cummings) is a neurotic Tasmanian wolf who is desperate for any type of friendship. He resembles Wile E. Coyote. When not being hunted by Taz, he usually drives him crazy in his efforts to befriend him. In his first appears, it is revealed that Wendal doesn't taste good to Taz causing him to regurgitate Wendal. His personality closely resembles that of Woody Allen.
- Francis X. Bushlad (voiced by Rob Paulsen) is a white-skinned, red-haired aboriginal boy who unsuccessfully hunts Taz as a rite of manhood. Despite their tribal society, his entire tribe behave and speak like well-educated, posh businessmen. His name recalls silent movie star Francis X. Bushman.
- Chief Felton (voiced by Jim Cummings) is the leader of an aboriginal tribe and Francis' father who talks and acts like Jim Backus.
- Bull Gator and Axl (voiced by John Astin and Rob Paulsen respectively) are two alligators who unsuccessfully try to trap Taz for the enjoyment of zoo-going children around the world (as a rather weak pretense to the massive financial gain the endeavor will grant them). Bull is the leader of the duo, always acting in a happy and upbeat attitude even while reprimanding Axl. Axl is Bull's hunter-in-training, constantly naïve, though often subject to Bull's "corrections" (typically in the form of a mallet smashing). They vaguely resemble Laurel and Hardy.
- Buddy Boar (voiced by Jim Cummings) is a wild boar who acts like a yuppie. He is often seen talking on his mobile phone to anyone who calls him up and is best friends with Taz. Though Buddy tends to take advantage of Taz at times, he does not seem to treat him nearly as badly as Digeri Dingo, Mr. Thickley, and the Platypus Brothers do. He was established early in the show, but was seemingly ill-received, reflected in several fourth wall-breaking moments by the show's characters. As such, Buddy's appearances were uncommon. His later appearances suggest he was promoted to the show's producer after he was considered to be an unliked character on the show proper and he later attempts to direct an episode featuring Bull and Axl – with catastrophic results.
- Daniel and Timothy (voiced by Maurice LaMarche and Rob Paulsen) are twin platypus brothers. Timothy is the only one who wears glasses. Their love of do-it-yourself projects usually ends up causing trouble for Taz and occasionally for Buckwacker Bob when they help out at Hotel Tazmania. They closely resemble Daffy Duck in appearance and manner of speech. A pair of episodes deals with their obsession with the primetime cartoon "The McKimsons", a Simpsons parody featuring a character who constantly shouts "No way, I'm out of here, man!"
- The Kee-Wee is a silent kiwi. It can run as fast as the Road Runner, often being chased down by Taz in search of his lunch in the same manner as Wile E. Coyote. At different points, other characters have helped Taz hunt the Kee-Wee. In its debut episode "Kee-Wee Ala King", Buddy Boar helps Taz hunt the Kee-Wee due to the fact that wild boars also prey off of Kee-Wee. In "Bottle Cap Blues", Digeri Dingo helps Taz when the Kee-Wee is wearing a rare bottle cap that it is wearing. In "Bird Brained Beast", the Platypus Brothers help Taz catch the Kee-Wee when they assume that he wants to keep it for a pet.
- The Bushrats are a group of bush rats in tribal costume that are led by a chief (voiced by Phil Proctor). They speak in an odd mix of real and nonsense languages that are appended by mismatched, humorous subtitles. Their favorite phrase is "Spanfirkel!", which is similar to the German word Spanferkel which translates to "small, young pig, which still gets suckled". On occasion, the Bushrats would run afoul of the other characters. In "Of Bushrats and Hugh", the Bushrats fight Taz and Hugh over their orange harvests. In "The Pied Piper of Taz-Mania", the Bushrats make their home in Hotel Tazmania causing Bushwacker Bob to order the Platypus Brothers to exterminate them.
- Willie Wombat (voiced by Phil Proctor), originally cast in a Bugs Bunny-like role against Taz, resents this typecasting and greatly admires Taz and his career. His determination to remain pacifistic and polite usually reverts to frustration and rage by the end of his episodes. Ironically, his friendly nature was previously used by Bugs in 1980's "Spaced Out Bunny".
- The Spies (variously voiced by Jim Cummings, Maurice LaMarche, and Rob Paulsen) are a group of unnamed spies with obscured faces who Taz, Hugh, and Drew run into in the "Road to Tazmania" episodes. As seen in two of the "Road to Tazmania" episodes, the Spies would go after the Tazmanian Devils when they obtain an item from a spy location's proprietor that another spy was planning to obtain.
Looney Tunes characters
- Bugs Bunny (voiced by Greg Burson), in "A Devil of a Job", appears as a deus ex machina, driving a souped-up jeep out of a quicksand pit, saving Bushwhacker Bob and Mr. Thickley. In Willie Wombat's debut episode "Wacky Wombat, Willie phones Bugs for advice about how to handle Taz.
- Daffy Duck (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) is seen riding along with Bugs in the jeep in "A Devil of a Job" as their souped-up jeep emerges from the quicksand pit. He tells him "I told you this was the left at Albuquerque".
- Yosemite Sam (voiced by Maurice LaMarche), after Willie phones Bugs for advice, is called by Taz in "Wacky Wombat". He is never actually seen and expresses surprise that Taz has his own show by asking "Ain't you retired yet?"
- Sam Sheepdog (voiced by Jim Cummings), in one episode, was working as a sheepdog. Taz, working as a temporary agent for carnivorous predators, substitutes for Ralph Wolf and attempts to steal sheep from Sam's pen (a bit of character confusion was at play here, as at one point Sam suggests "I thought I was a bit too hard on that coyote last week").
- Foghorn Leghorn (voiced by Greg Burson), because of his name, was mistaken for hotel critic F.H. Leghorn by Bushwhacker Bob in "Gone with the Windbag".
- Beaky Buzzard makes a cameo in the show where he's seen relaxing on his nest.
- Marvin the Martian (voiced by Rob Paulsen) once comes to Earth on vacation in "The Man from M.A.R.S.", glad his plans to destroy it failed. His attempts at relaxation are thwarted by Taz's noisy behavior, cajoling him into wanting to destroy Earth again, and his actions indeed cause Earth to explode due to a temporal anomaly.
- Road Runner makes a cameo appearance in the show and is caught by Taz. Taz is then about to eat him, but lets the bird go after Axl and Bull try to kidnap Taz.
- Wile E. Coyote makes a cameo appearance in the show when he's being seen at the Boulder Museum.
Episodes
Episodes are copyright 1991 (1–15), 1992 (16–47), or 1993 (48–65); note that this does not always correspond with when they originally aired. The series premiered on September 7, 1991, and ended on May 22, 1995.
Season 4 (1994–95)
Video games
See main article: Taz-Mania (video game) and Taz in Escape from Mars.
Five video games based on the show were made, two by Sega for the Mega Drive/Genesis, Master System, and Game Gear, and three by Sunsoft: one for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and two for the Game Boy.
Home media
Three VHS tapes were released in 1993. After the show ceased running on Fox Kids, it was rerun on TNT, for a short time on TBS in 1996–1997 (before and after the Time Warner/Turner merger) as part of their Disaster Area block, and has also been rerun on Cartoon Network, making it the first Warner Bros. Animation series to air on that network.
A DVD containing the first four episodes of the series was released in Europe in April 2010, whilst later released in the UK in 2011 under the title "Taz and Friends" as part of the Kids' WB "Big Faces" series.
A DVD containing the 5 to 8 episodes of the series was released in Europe in July 2019, whilst later released in the UK in 2019 under the title "Taz and Friends, Volume 2" as part of the Cartoon Network "Big Faces" series.
On May 14, 2013, Warner Home Video released Taz Mania – Season 1, Part 1: Taz on the Loose on DVD in Region 1 for the first time.[5] Season 1, Part 2 was released on August 6, 2013.[6] On June 19, 2020, the third season was announced for a DVD release on August 25 under the company's Warner Archive Collection division.[7]
| +Taz-Mania home video releases | Season | Episodes | Release dates |
|---|
| Region 1 |
|---|
| 1 | 1991 | 13 | May 14, 2013 |
|---|
| 2 | 1992 | 13 | August 6, 2013 | |
|---|
Other appearances
- In the Duck Dodgers episode "M.M.O.R.P.D.", one of the forms that Duck Dodgers turns himself into is Axl Gator. In this brief appearance, Axl Gator's vocal effects are reprised by Rob Paulsen. Taz himself appears with Dodgers in the episode "Deathmatch Duck".
- Molly makes cameo appearances as a student of ACME Looniversity in the Tiny Toons Looniversity episodes "Skulls and Sillybones" and "Twin-Con".
External links
Notes and References
- Book: Perlmutter . David . The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows . 2018 . Rowman & Littlefield . 978-1538103739 . 627.
- Book: Hyatt . Wesley . The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television . 1997 . Watson-Guptill Publications . 978-0823083152 . March 22, 2020. 423.
- News: Trusdell. Brian. Focus : Warner's Toon Factory for the '90s. May 10, 2011. The Los Angeles Times. May 28, 1995. USA.
- Book: Erickson . Hal . Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 . 2005 . 2nd . McFarland & Co . 978-1476665993 . 829–830.
- Web site: Taz-Mania DVD news: Announcement for Taz-Mania - Season 1, Part 1: Taz On The Loose - TVShowsOnDVD.com. tvshowsondvd.com. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130120232831/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Taz-Mania-Season-1-Part-1/17968. January 20, 2013.
- Web site: Taz-Mania DVD news: Announcement for Taz-Mania - Season 1, Pt 2: Who Let the Taz Out?! - TVShowsOnDVD.com. tvshowsondvd.com. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130504004012/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Taz-Mania-Season-1-Part-2/18390. May 4, 2013.
- Web site: TV Shows On DVD. https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/116070036062/10158223814391063 . 2022-02-26 . limited. www.facebook.com.
