| Taz-Mania | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Animated sitcom |
| Based on | Looney Tunes by Warner Bros. |
| Developed by | Jean MacCurdy Tom Ruegger |
| Voices of | Jim Cummings John Astin Dan Castellaneta Debi Derryberry Miriam Flynn Maurice LaMarche Rosalyn Landor Kellie Martin Rob Paulsen Philip Proctor |
| Theme music composer | Richard Stone |
| Opening theme | "Come to Taz-Mania" by Jess Harnell and Jim Cummings |
| Ending theme | "Come to Taz-Mania" (Instrumental) |
| Composers | J. Eric Schmidt Richard Stone Mark Watters Don Davis Steve Bernstein John Given Carl Johnson Harvey Cohen Jerry Grant |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 65 (121 segments) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Jean MacCurdy Tom Ruegger |
| Producer | Art Vitello |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | Warner Bros. Animation |
| Original release | |
| Network | Fox Kids |
| Release | September 7, 1991 (1991-09-07) – May 22, 1995 (1995-05-22) |
| Related | |
| |
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.
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. 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). 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. 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 a shorter and recolored version of Wile E. Coyote. When not being hunted by Taz, he usually drives him crazy in his efforts to befriend him. In his first appearance, 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 in a diaper-shaped loincloth 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 according to a book called "The Birds of Tazmania: Swimsuit Edition". 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
 | It has been suggested that this article be split into a new article titled List of Taz-Mania episodes. (discuss) (April 2020) |
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 | Segments | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 24 | 14 | September 7, 1991 (1991-09-07) | December 7, 1991 (1991-12-07) | |
| 2 | 26 | 13 | September 5, 1992 (1992-09-05) | November 28, 1992 (1992-11-28) | |
| 3 | 23 | 13 | September 4, 1993 (1993-09-04) | December 25, 1993 (1993-12-25) | |
| 4 | 48 | 25 | September 13, 1994 (1994-09-13) | May 22, 1995 (1995-05-22) | |
Season 1 (1991)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Storyboard by | Original air date | Prod. code | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Dog the Turtle Story" | Douglas McCarthy | Bill Kopp | Garrett Ho, Larry Scholl and Douglas McCarthy | September 7, 1991 (1991-09-07) | 406–401 | |||||
| Taz rescues a turtle, which acts like a dog, from a trap and adopts him as a pet, but then Bull Gator and Axl visit Taz's outback family and they all rescue him from the pair. | |||||||||||
| 2 | "Like Father, Like Son" | Keith Baxter | Mark Saraceni and Art Vitello | Garrett Ho and Larry Scholl | September 14, 1991 (1991-09-14) | 406–402 | |||||
| "Frights of Passage" | Keith Baxter and Bill Kopp | Douglas McCarthy | |||||||||
| Hugh takes Taz out for a father-son bonding experience./Francis X. Bushlad of the Mudpeople sets out to hunt a Tasmanian Devil as his proof of manhood. | |||||||||||
| 3 | "War and Pieces" | Lenord Robinson | Mark Saraceni | Warren Greenwood and Todd Kurosawa | September 21, 1991 (1991-09-21) | 406–403 | |||||
| "Airbourne Airhead" | Kirk Tingblad | ||||||||||
| Taz and his younger siblings Molly and Jake are left to run the house while their parents visit Grandma./With help from the Platypus Brothers Daniel and Timothy, Taz attempts to climb Pointy Peak and to obtain giant bird eggs with which to make a Taz-sized omelet. | |||||||||||
| 4 | "It's No Picnic" | Greg Duffell and Gary Hartle | Mark Saraceni and Art Vitello | Greg Duffell | September 28, 1991 (1991-09-28) | 406–404 | |||||
| "Kee-Wee ala King" | Henry T. Gilroy and Art Vitello | Ennis McNulty | |||||||||
| The Tasmanian Devil family heads out on a picnic, unaware that Bull Gator and Axl are looking to capture all of them./Taz and Buddy Boar go hunting for a Kee-Wee bird, which quickly turns into disaster for the pair. | |||||||||||
| 5 | "A Devil of a Job" | Douglas McCarthy | Gordon Kent | Garrett Ho, Larry Scholl and Charles Visser | October 5, 1991 (1991-10-05) | 406–405 | |||||
| Taz gets a job at the Hotel Tazmania to earn the money for a motorcycle. | |||||||||||
| 6 | "Battling Bushrats" | Keith Baxter | Bill Kopp | Filmarion Ferreira | October 12, 1991 (1991-10-12) | 406–406 | |||||
| "Devil in the Deep Blue Sea" | Bill Kopp, Chris Otsuki and Art Vitello | Chris Otsuki | |||||||||
| Taz must protect his mom's turkey dinner from both the Bushrats and an army of ants. Despite his hatred of water, Taz is manipulated by Digeri Dingo to scuba dive into the ocean and find a sunken treasure. | |||||||||||
| 7 | "Woeful Wolf" | Lenord Robinson | Gordon Kent | Humberto Delefuente, Warren Greenwood, Audu Paden and Al Zegler | October 19, 1991 (1991-10-19) | 406–407 | |||||
| The neurotic Wendal T. Wolf looks to Taz for friendship, but Taz just finds him to be an annoying and needy pest. | |||||||||||
| 8 | "Devil with the Violet Dress On" | Gary Hartle | Gordon Kent | Daniel Danglo | October 26, 1991 (1991-10-26) | 406–408 | |||||
| "Kidnapped Koala" | Mark Saraceni | Gary Hartle and Gabi Payn | |||||||||
|
Jean insists on spending the day with her son Taz, for better or for worse. Bull Gator and Axl attempt to capture Constance Koala. Note: This episode was excluded from the first DVD volume Taz on the Loose. | |||||||||||
| 9 | "Mishap in the Mist" | Douglas McCarthy | Bill Kopp and Art Vitello | Garrett Ho | November 2, 1991 (1991-11-02) | 406–409 | |||||
| "Toothache Taz" | Bill Kopp | Larry Scholl | |||||||||
| A woman studies the Tasmanian Devil family in their natural habitat. Taz gets a toothache and turns to the Platypus Brothers for help, but their cures end up being worse than the toothache. | |||||||||||
| 10 | "Here, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty" | Keith Baxter & Art Vitello | Chris Otsuki and Art Vitello | Keith Baxter and Flamarion Ferreira | November 9, 1991 (1991-11-09) | 406–410 | |||||
| "Enter the Devil" | Henry Gilroy and Art Vitello | Victoria Jenson, Chris Otsuki and Al Zegler | |||||||||
| Molly gets a cute cat for a pet, but this new addition to the family quickly becomes Taz's worst nightmare that he tries to eliminate. Mr. Thickly trains Taz to be a kung-fu master. | |||||||||||
| 11 | "Bewitched Bob" | Lenord Robinson | Gordon Kent | Warren Greenwood, Audu Paden, Lou Scarborough and Al Zegler | November 16, 1991 (1991-11-16) | 406–411 | |||||
| A new visitor to the Hotel Tazmania has Bushwhacker Bob wrapped around her finger. | |||||||||||
| 12 | "Instant Replay" | Jon McClenahan | Henry T. Gilroy and Art Vitello | Jon McClenahan | November 23, 1991 (1991-11-23) | 406–412 | |||||
| "Taz and the Pterodactyl" | Chris Otsuki and Art Vitello | Chris Otsuki | |||||||||
| Bull Gator and Axl film their exploits to learn the best way to capture Taz. Taz meets a living pterodactyl and is taken on a flight across the outback. | |||||||||||
| 13 | "Pup Goes the Wendal" | Douglas McCarthy | Gordon Kent and Art Vitello | Garrett Ho | November 30, 1991 (1991-11-30) | 406–413 | |||||
| "I'm Okay, You're Taz" | Mark Saraceni | Larry Scholl | |||||||||
| Wendal Wolf kicks Dog the Turtle out of Taz's house and inserts himself as the new family pet. Buddy Boar tries to improve Taz's personality. | |||||||||||
| 14 | "Comic Madness" | Keith Baxter | Henry Gilroy and Art Vitello | Flamarion Ferreira and Victoria Jenson | December 7, 1991 (1991-12-07) | 406–414 | |||||
| "Blunders Never Cease" | Bill Kopp | Chris Otsuki | |||||||||
| The family is worried that Taz is spending too much time with his comic books. Francis resorts to taking tribal potions in his quest to capture Taz. | |||||||||||
Season 2 (1992)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 1 | "Amazing Shrinking Taz and Co." | Keith Baxter | Bill Kopp, Art Vitello, Alan Swayze | September 5, 1992 (1992-09-05) | 406–418 | ||||||||
| The latest invention of the Platypus Brothers shrinks Taz, Bull Gator, and Axl to microscopic size. | ||||||||||||||
| 16 | 2 | "Oh, Brother" | Lenord Robinson | Henry Gilroy, Mark Saraceni, Art Vitello, Glenn Leopold | September 12, 1992 (1992-09-12) | 406–419 | ||||||||
| "Taz-Babies" | ||||||||||||||
| A giant gorilla is goaded by his little brother to attack Jake, but Taz does not take his attacks lightly. Taz-Mania is presented to the network vice-president, who has his own ideas on what Taz's show should be like. | ||||||||||||||
| 17 | 3 | "Jake's Big Date" | Douglas McCarthy | Henry Gilroy, Mark Saraceni, Art Vitello, Mary Jo Ludin | September 19, 1992 (1992-09-19) | 406–421 | ||||||||
| "Taz Live" | ||||||||||||||
| Jake is set up on a play date with his friend Heather. When Hotel Tazmania is unable to deliver its scheduled comedy act, Taz and his friends stall for time with their own acts. | ||||||||||||||
| 18 | 4 | "A Midsummer Night's Scream" | Douglas McCarthy | Mark Zaslove, Art Vitello, Mark Saraceni, Timothy Williams | September 26, 1992 (1992-09-26) | 406–434 | ||||||||
| "Astro Taz" | ||||||||||||||
| Lost in the mountains, Taz and Bushwhacker Bob are forced to spend the night in a creepy motel. Taz mistakes a space shuttle for an arcade game. | ||||||||||||||
| 19 | 5 | "Tazmanian Lullaby" | Keith Baxter, Art Vitello | Keith Baxter, Chris Otsuki, Art Vitello, Brenda Lilly, Kristina Mazzotti | October 3, 1992 (1992-10-03) | 406–437 | ||||||||
| "Deer Taz" | ||||||||||||||
| "A Taz-Manian Moment" | ||||||||||||||
| Francis discovers Taz's love of accordion music and uses it to capture him. Taz must compete with other predators over an adorable baby deer that he cannot bring himself to eat. In an "unused" scene from "Ticket Taker Taz", Molly uses her paddleball to scam Taz out of the concert tickets. | ||||||||||||||
| 20 | 6 | "The Outer Taz-Manian Zone" | Keith Baxter | Chris Otsuki, Gordon Kent, Art Vitello, George Atkins | October 10, 1992 (1992-10-10) | 406–422 | ||||||||
| "Here, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty - Part 2" | ||||||||||||||
| Taz and Molly switch bodies after an argument over their personal lives. Molly's cat returns, and the feline wastes no time in terrorizing Taz out of revenge. | ||||||||||||||
| 21 | 7 | "Taz-Mania's Funniest Home Videos" | Lenord Robinson | Bill Kopp, Henry Gilroy, Art Vitello, Bruce Howard | October 17, 1992 (1992-10-17) | 406–423 | ||||||||
| "Bottle Cap Blues" | ||||||||||||||
| To win a trip to the Bora Bora Islands, Taz attempts to film some candid videos of his family. Taz and Dingo pursue a Kee-Wee Bird for the rare bottle cap it is carrying. | ||||||||||||||
| 22 | 8 | "Hypnotazed" | Douglas McCarthy, Jon McClenahan | Henry Gilroy, Gordon Kent, Art Vitello, Earl Kress | October 24, 1992 (1992-10-24) | 406–438 | ||||||||
| "Mum's n' Taz's" | ||||||||||||||
| Bull Gator accidentally hypnotizes himself into thinking he is a Tasmanian Devil. Taz and Mum get trapped in an abandoned mine shaft. | ||||||||||||||
| 23 | 9 | "Boys Just Wanna Have Fun" | Douglas McCarthy | Mark Saraceni, Gordon Kent, Art Vitello, Mark Young | October 31, 1992 (1992-10-31) | 406–417 | ||||||||
| "Unhappy Together" | ||||||||||||||
| With Jean and Molly out at a swim meet, Hugh, Taz, and Jake have a guys' night at home. Taz's presence ends up driving a wedge between the Platypus Brothers. | ||||||||||||||
| 24 | 10 | "Food for Thought" | Keith Baxter | Gordon Kent, Chris Otsuki, Art Vitello, Gary Greenfield, George Atkins | November 7, 1992 (1992-11-07) | 406–433 | ||||||||
| "Gone to Pieces" | ||||||||||||||
| Taz attempts to cross a piranha-filled lake to grab an egg for lunch. Taz's game of bottlecap tiddlywinks ends up breaking his mother's valuable vase. He tries to hide the accident from Mom. | ||||||||||||||
| 25 | 11 | "Kee-Wee Cornered" | Lenord Robinson | Gordon Kent, Art Vitello, Bill Kopp, Wayne Kaatz | November 14, 1992 (1992-11-14) | 406–439 | ||||||||
| "But Is It Taz?" | ||||||||||||||
| Fed up with Taz eating all of her pet birds, Molly goes out and gets a Kee-Wee Bird. Taz quits the show out of anger for all of the abuse he takes every episode and gets a fast-food job, instead. | ||||||||||||||
| 26 | 12 | "Mall Wrecked" | Lenord Robinson | Henry Gilroy, Mark Saraceni, Art Vitello, Tony Benedict | November 21, 1992 (1992-11-21) | 406–415 | ||||||||
| "A Dingo's Guide to Magic" | ||||||||||||||
| When the car breaks down, Taz, Jean, and Molly are left stranded in an empty mall parking lot. Dingo uses a magic kit to trick the gullible Taz out of a giant gold nugget he found. | ||||||||||||||
| 27 | 13 | "The Man from M.A.R.S." | Doug McCarthy | Bill Kopp, Art Vitello, Sindy McKay, Evelyn A-R Gabai, Betty Birney | November 28, 1992 (1992-11-28) | 406–442 | ||||||||
| "Friends for Strife" | ||||||||||||||
| After hearing a scary sci-fi program on the radio, Taz attacks a vacationing Marvin the Martian out of fear that he wants to conquer the Earth. Dingo shares with Taz all of the adventures they have shared since they first met. | ||||||||||||||
Season 3 (1993)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | 1 | "Wacky Wombat" | Gary Hartle | Sindy McKay, Mark Zaslove, Art Vitello, Jim Ryan, Glenn Leopold | September 4, 1993 (1993-09-04) | 406–440 | ||||||||
| "Molly's Folly" | ||||||||||||||
| Willie Wombat is cast as Taz's foil in a semiparody of the original Taz cartoons. Guest starring Greg Burson as Bugs Bunny & Maurice LaMarche as Yosemite Sam. Taz gets roped into taking ballet classes with Molly. | ||||||||||||||
| 29 | 2 | "A Flea for Me" | Keith Baxter | Chris Otsuki, Art Vitello, Keith Baxter, Mary Jo Ludin, Tony Benedict | September 11, 1993 (1993-09-11) | 406–445 | ||||||||
| "A Young Taz's Fancy" | ||||||||||||||
| Taz gets an unwelcome guest in his fur, a flea, which he tries to get rid of. Taz falls for a Tasmanian Shedevil, but is unaware that she is really Francis in disguise. | ||||||||||||||
| 30 | 3 | "Never Cry Taz" | Lenord Robinson | Bill Kopp, Art Vitello, Larry Markes, Bruce Howard | September 18, 1993 (1993-09-18) | 406–451 | ||||||||
| "Bully for Bull" | ||||||||||||||
| The Platypus Brothers find the entrance to a new world in their attic during spring cleaning. Bull Gator falls into depression over his constant failures, leaving Axl to try to cheer him up. | ||||||||||||||
| 31 | 4 | "Of Bushrats and Hugh" | Doug McCarthy | Henry Gilroy, Art Vitello, Arthur Alsberg, Don Nelson | September 25, 1993 (1993-09-25) | 406–450 | ||||||||
| Taz and Hugh protect their precious orange tree from a hoard of hungry Bushrats. | ||||||||||||||
| 32 | 5 | "Merit Badgered" | Lenord Robinson | Henry Gilroy, Art Vitello, Barry E. Blitzer | October 2, 1993 (1993-10-02) | 406–443 | ||||||||
| Taz accompanies Jake on a camping trip. | ||||||||||||||
| 33 | 6 | "Devil Indemnity" | Gary Hartle | Gordon Kent, Art Vitello, Bill Matheny, Lane Raichert, Laren Bright | October 16, 1993 (1993-10-16) | 406–460 | ||||||||
| Taz is at home and stuck in a full-body cast. While he struggles to answer the phone and win a TV contest, Jean fills in for his bellhop job at Hotel Tazmania and struggles with Bushwhacker Bob's abuse. | ||||||||||||||
| 34 | 7 | "Willie Wombat's Deja Boo-Boo" | Lenord Robinson | Sindy McKay, Art Vitello, Gordon Kent, Barry E. Blitzer, Paul Dini | October 23, 1993 (1993-10-23) | 406–455 | ||||||||
| "To Catch a Taz" | ||||||||||||||
| Willie Wombat tries to get roles in other cartoons, but cannot escape being typecast as Taz's foil. Taz is framed for the consumption of a birthday cake, and Wendal T. Wolf is the police officer determined to catch him. | ||||||||||||||
| 35 | 8 | "The Thing that Ate the Outback" | Keith Baxter | Chris Otsuki, Art Vitello, Mark Zaslove, David Schwartz | October 30, 1993 (1993-10-30) | 406–449 | ||||||||
| "Because It's There" | ||||||||||||||
| Taz creates a blob monster with his new chemistry set, one that just keeps eating and growing. Taz and Dingo attempt to climb a mountain. | ||||||||||||||
| 36 | 9 | "Antenna Dilemma" | Gary Hartle | Gordon Kent, Art Vitello, Sindy McKay, Mark Seidenberg, Laura Numeroff | November 6, 1993 (1993-11-06) | 406–444 | ||||||||
| "Autograph Pound" | ||||||||||||||
| Taz visits the Platypus Brothers for some TV time when a thunderstorm cuts his cable. Constance is smitten with a wrestling champion staying at the hotel, but Taz is simply terrorized. | ||||||||||||||
| 37 | 10 | "Taz and the Emu Egg" | Keith Baxter | Chris Otsuki, Art Vitello, Sindy McKay, John Semper, Bill Allen | November 13, 1993 (1993-11-13) | 406–461 | ||||||||
| "Willy Wombat's Last Stand" | ||||||||||||||
| "K-Taz Commercial" | ||||||||||||||
| Taz hunts a surprisingly swift unhatched emu egg. Finally fed up with his typecasting, Willie Wombat takes his case to the network itself./Taz's "unique" singing talents are advertised as part of a CD collection. | ||||||||||||||
| 38 | 11 | "Doubting Dingo" | Gary Hartle | Henry T. Gilroy, Art Vitello, Alan Katz, Earl Kress, Mark Evanier | November 20, 1993 (1993-11-20) | 406–464 | ||||||||
| "Sub Commander Taz" | ||||||||||||||
| Dingo suspects that Taz is plotting to get rid of him. Taz places a mail order for a submarine, but the wait for its arrival tests his patience. | ||||||||||||||
| 39 | 12 | "Feed a Cold" | Doug McCarthy | Henry Gilroy, Art Vitello, Fred Freiberger, Jack Mendelsohn | November 27, 1993 (1993-11-27) | 406–462 | ||||||||
| "Sidekick for a Day" | ||||||||||||||
| Taz is sick with a cold, and his sneezes become overwhelmingly powerful. However, the Platypus Brothers suffer the abuse of his illness even more when they try to find a cure for it. Bull Gator fires Axl and hires Taz as his new sidekick. | ||||||||||||||
| 40 | 13 | "No Time for Christmas" | Doug McCarthy | Mark Zaslove and Art Vitello | December 25, 1993 (1993-12-25) | 406–446 | ||||||||
| With everybody in Tazmania getting ready for Christmas, Taz makes a trip across the outback to deliver gifts to his friends. | ||||||||||||||
Season 4 (1994–95)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 1 | "Road to Tazmania" | Gary Hartle | Mark Saraceni, Kerry Ehrin, Ali Marie Matheson | September 13, 1994 (1994-09-13) | 406–416 | ||||||||
| Taz's Uncle Drew comes to visit, and Hugh and he take Taz along on a trip to pick up some orange juice. However, only Taz seems to notice the spies that apparently want the juice they bought. | ||||||||||||||
| 42 | 2 | "Taz-Manian Theatre" | Gary Hartle | Gordon Kent, Art Vitello, Bill Kopp, Mike Dirham, Cliff Roberts | September 14, 1994 (1994-09-14) | 406–420 | ||||||||
| "The Bushrats Must Be Crazy" | ||||||||||||||
| Taz and Wendal are stranded on a desert island in Mr. Thickly's thrilling tale of Taz-Manian Theatre. The Bushrats embark on a journey to retrieve their idol of worship – Jake's rubber duck. | ||||||||||||||
| 43 | 3 | "Return of the Road to Taz-Mania Strikes Back" | Keith Baxter | Mark Saraceni, Art Vitello, Barbara Levy, Marc Paykuss | September 15, 1994 (1994-09-15) | 406–426 | ||||||||
| With Taz as their caddy, Hugh and Uncle Drew head out to the golf course to play against a pair of old golfing rivals, whose own caddy is another sneaky spy who is out to get them. | ||||||||||||||
| 44 | 4 | "Taz Like Dingo" | Lenord Robinson | Henry Gilroy, Art Vitello, Harvey Bullock | September 16, 1994 (1994-09-16) | 406–427 | ||||||||
| Digeri Dingo finds a lamp that holds a genie. With his first wish, Dingo wishes for Taz to like him, no matter what, but this turns out to be a bad idea later. | ||||||||||||||
| 45 | 5 | "The Pied Piper of Taz-Mania" | Gary Hartle | Mark Saraceni, Gordon Kent, Harvey Bullock, Earl Kress | September 19, 1994 (1994-09-19) | 406–428 | ||||||||
| "The Treasure of the Burnt Sienna" | ||||||||||||||
| Hotel Tazmania faces a Bushrat infestation. Bushwhacker Bob drags Taz on a treasure hunt. | ||||||||||||||
| 46 | 6 | "Not a Shadow of a Doubt" | Keith Baxter | Chris Otsuki, Art Vitello, Sindy McKay, Alan Burnett, Jeff Hall | September 20, 1994 (1994-09-20) | 406–429 | ||||||||
| "Nursemaid Taz" | ||||||||||||||
| Taz's shadow comes to life for a day. Dingo fakes a broken leg to get sympathy (and free food) from Taz and his family. | ||||||||||||||
| 47 | 7 | "Home Despair" | Doug McCarthy | Bill Kopp, Gordon Kent, Mark Saraceni, Earl Kress | September 21, 1994 (1994-09-21) | 406–430 | ||||||||
| "Take All of Me" | ||||||||||||||
| Taz gets the Platypus Brothers to repair the house, but they only make things worse. Wendal pesters Bull Gator and Axl into capturing him so that he can relish the zoo life. | ||||||||||||||
| 48 | 8 | "Bird-Brained Beast" | Lenord Robinson | Henry Gilroy, Bruce M. Morris, Tony Marino, Rowby Goren | September 22, 1994 (1994-09-22) | 406–431 | ||||||||
| "Ready, Willing, Unable" | ||||||||||||||
| Taz and the Platypus Brothers hit the road to catch a Kee-Wee Bird. Unaware of their true goal to capture Taz, Mr. Thickly lends his advice to Bull Gator and Axl. | ||||||||||||||
| 49 | 9 | "We'll Always Have Taz-Mania" | Gary Hartle | Henry Gilroy, Art Vitello, Bill Kopp, Mark Saraceni, Tom Ruegger, Barry O'Brien | September 23, 1994 (1994-09-23) | 406–432 | ||||||||
| "Moments You've Missed" | ||||||||||||||
| With the TV broken, Hugh and Jean entertains the kids with the story of how they first met. Bull Gator and Axl host a show featuring "removed" segments from previous episodes. | ||||||||||||||
| 50 | 10 | "Sidekicked" | Douglas McCarthy | Mark Saraceni, Art Vitello, Bill Kopp, Gordon Kent, Barry O'Brien, Gary Greenfield | November 7, 1994 (1994-11-07) | 406–425 | ||||||||
| "Gone with the Windbag" | ||||||||||||||
| Axl is forced to hunt Taz on his own when Bull Gator leaves for the Tazmania Hula-Hooping Championship finals. Hotel critic F.H. Leghorn has come to the Hotel Tazmania, and Bushwhacker Bob is determined to get a passing review from him. | ||||||||||||||
| 51 | 11 | "Driving Mr. Taz" | Lenord Robinson | Gordon Kent, Bill Kopp, Art Vitello, Richard Merwin, Mark Young | November 8, 1994 (1994-11-08) | 406–435 | ||||||||
| "Mean Bear" | ||||||||||||||
| "Taz Museum" | ||||||||||||||
| Taz is taken out for a driving lesson. The Bushrats call upon Taz to defeat a cruel bear. The show advertises the Boulder Museum. | ||||||||||||||
| 52 | 12 | "Ticket Taker Taz" | Gary Hartle | Sindy McKay, Mark Zaslove, Bruce Howard | November 14, 1994 (1994-11-14) | 406–436 | ||||||||
| "Taz" | ||||||||||||||
| Taz wins a pair of concert tickets, of which Molly wants to relieve him. The Platypus Brothers develop a cloning machine and use it on Taz, creating an army of Tasmanian Devils that are all hungry for platypus. | ||||||||||||||
| 53 | 13 | "Mutton for Nothing" | Keith Baxter | Chris Otsuki, Art Vitello, Keith Baxter, Bob Smith, Barry O'Brien, David Schwartz | November 15, 1994 (1994-11-15) | 406–441 | ||||||||
| "Dr. Wendal and Mr. Taz" | ||||||||||||||
| Taz arrives at the sheep meadow to fill in for Ralph Wolf, where Sam Sheepdog performs his usual predator-pounding job on him. Wendal Wolf mistakes a gamma-radiation chamber for a tanning booth, causing him to transform into a violent monster whenever Taz gets him upset. | ||||||||||||||
| 54 | 14 | "Taz-Mania Confidential" | Lenord Robinson | Alan Katz, Art Vitello, Sindy McKay, George Atkins, Mark Young | November 21, 1994 (1994-11-21) | 406–447 | ||||||||
| "The Platypi Psonic Psensation Psimulator" | ||||||||||||||
| A film crew has arrived to expose every humiliating detail of the Tasmanian Devil family, even those that they make up. The Platypus Brothers use their new invention to probe Taz's memories for "unused" episode segments. | ||||||||||||||
| 55 | 15 | "The Not-So-Gladiators" | Gary Hartle | Gordon Kent, Art Vitello, Sindy McKay, Carol Corwin, Kim Campbell | November 22, 1994 (1994-11-22) | 406–448 | ||||||||
| "One Ring Taz" | ||||||||||||||
| Taz and Jean go on "Grub Gladiators" (a food-themed spoof of American Gladiators). Taz wants to join the circus, so Mr. Thickly "helps" him find an act. | ||||||||||||||
| 56 | 16 | "Retakes Not Included" | Gary Hartle | Sindy McKay, Art Vitello, Gordon Kent, Christopher Brough, Jim Ryan | February 6, 1995 (1995-02-06) | 406–452 | ||||||||
| "Pledge Dredge" | ||||||||||||||
| The latest episode is filled with animation errors, and director Buddy Boar does not seem to grasp the concept of retakes. Mr. Thickly hosts a telethon to raise money for the show. | ||||||||||||||
| 57 | 17 | "Bushlad's Lament" | Keith Baxter | Keith Baxter, David Schwartz | February 13, 1995 (1995-02-13) | 406–453 | ||||||||
| "Taz-Mania Comedy Institute" | ||||||||||||||
| An elderly Francis, still having not achieved his manhood, is forced to pursue an equally elderly Taz. A documentary on 16-ton weights is featured. | ||||||||||||||
| 58 | 18 | "Heartbreak Taz" | Gary Hartle | Gordon Kent, Bill Kopp, Glenn Leopold, Timothy Williams | February 14, 1995 (1995-02-14) | 406–424 | ||||||||
| "Just Be 'Cuz" | ||||||||||||||
| Constance Koala develops a very one-sided infatuation with Taz. Francis is stuck watching his little cousin Edgar, so he takes him along on his hunt for Taz. | ||||||||||||||
| 59 | 19 | "The Taz Story Primer" | Douglas McCarthy | Alan Katz, Art Vitello, Mark Zaslove, Gary Marks, Brenda Lilly | February 20, 1995 (1995-02-20) | 406–454 | ||||||||
| "Ask Taz" | ||||||||||||||
| Molly is called on by the network to provide the plot for the week's episode. Everybody seems to find great wisdom in Taz's frequent line "Taz hate water", so Bushwhacker Bob exploits it as a way to make money. | ||||||||||||||
| 60 | 20 | "It's a Taz's Life" | Gary Hartle | Gordon Kent, Art Vitello" | February 27, 1995 (1995-02-27) | 406–456 | ||||||||
| "Gee Bull!" | "Mark Zaslove, Rich Fogel, Fred Freiberger | |||||||||||||
| Taz gets chosen by a TV host to have his life examined in retrospect. Bull Gator resorts to extreme teaching methods to knock some sense into Axl. | ||||||||||||||
| 61 | 21 | "Taz in Keeweeland" | Keith Baxter | Chris Otsuki, Art Vitello, Gary Warne, Ron Friedman | May 1, 1995 (1995-05-01) | 406–457 | ||||||||
| "Stuck for Bucks" | ||||||||||||||
| "A Philosophical Taz Moment" | ||||||||||||||
| Taz finds himself in a world filled with Kee-Wee birds, though it proves more dangerous than it looks. The need for immediate funds brings Taz into battle with his seemingly indestructible piggy bank. Taz contemplates nature and his enslavement for food. | ||||||||||||||
| 62 | 22 | "The Origin of the Beginning of the Incredible Taz-Man" | Keith Baxter | Keith Baxter, Henry T. Gilroy, Chris Otsuki, Gary Greenfield, Rich Fogel | May 2, 1995 (1995-05-02) | 406–465 | ||||||||
| "Francis Takes a Stand" | ||||||||||||||
| Taz takes advice from Mr. Thickly on how to become a real-life superhero. Taz and Francis set up competing lemonade stands in hopes of making big money. | ||||||||||||||
| 63 | 23 | "Yet Another Road to Taz-Mania" | Douglas McCarthy | Henry Gilroy, Art Vitello, Charles M. Howell IV | May 8, 1995 (1995-05-08) | 406–458 | ||||||||
| Once more, Taz is stuck on a road trip with Hugh and Uncle Drew. This time, they are going bowling, and the spies are after their new bowling ball. | ||||||||||||||
| 64 | 24 | "Bad Luck Bottlecap" | Lenord Robinson | Sindy McKay, Art Vitello, Alan Katz, Steve Brasfield, Glenn Leopold | May 15, 1995 (1995-05-15) | 406–459 | ||||||||
| "A Story with a Moral" | ||||||||||||||
| Dingo tries to get rid of a cursed bottlecap by passing it on to Taz, but his attempts continue to backfire. An injured Taz is being nursed back to health by an overbearing (and clumsy) Scotsman. | ||||||||||||||
| 65 | 25 | "One Saturday in Taz-Mania" | Lenord Robinson | Sindy McKay, Art Vitello, Mark Zaslove, Steve Brasfield, Timothy Williams | May 22, 1995 (1995-05-22) | 406–463 | ||||||||
| "Platypi on Film" | ||||||||||||||
| Taz's lazy Saturday is continuously interrupted by Jake. The Platypus Brothers critique their favorite movies (all of them Taz-themed parodies of famous films). | ||||||||||||||
Video games
Main articles: Taz-Mania (video game) and Taz in Escape from MarsFive 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. Season 1, Part 2 was released on August 6, 2013. On June 19, 2020, the third season was announced for a DVD release on August 25 under the company's Warner Archive Collection division.
| Season | Episodes | Release dates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | ||||
| 1 | 1991 | 13 (excluded "Devil with the Violet Dress On" / "Kidnapped Koala") | 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".
References
- Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 627. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 423. ISBN 978-0823083152. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
- Trusdell, Brian (May 28, 1995). "Focus : Warner's Toon Factory for the '90s". The Los Angeles Times. USA. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
- Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 829–830. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- "Taz-Mania DVD news: Announcement for Taz-Mania - Season 1, Part 1: Taz On The Loose - TVShowsOnDVD.com". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013.
- "Taz-Mania DVD news: Announcement for Taz-Mania - Season 1, Pt 2: Who Let the Taz Out?! - TVShowsOnDVD.com". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2013.
- "TV Shows On DVD". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022.
External links
| Tasmanian Devil (Taz) in animation | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short films |
| ||||
| Feature films |
| ||||
| TV series |
| ||||
| TV specials | |||||
| Warner Bros. Animation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fox Kids original programming | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fox Kids (U.S.) |
| ||||||||
| Fox Kids Europe |
| ||||||||
| See also | |||||||||
- 1990s American animated comedy television series
- 1990s American children's comedy television series
- 1991 American television series debuts
- 1991 animated television series debuts
- 1995 American television series endings
- 1990s American sitcoms
- American animated sitcoms
- American animated television spin-offs
- American children's animated comedy television series
- American children's television sitcoms
- American English-language television shows
- Fox Broadcasting Company sitcoms
- Fox Kids
- Looney Tunes television series
- Bugs Bunny
- Daffy Duck
- Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner
- Animated television series about mammals
- Animated television series about siblings
- Children's television series about talking animals
- Television series by Warner Bros. Animation
- Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios
- Television series created by Tom Ruegger
- Television shows adapted into video games
- Television shows set in Tasmania
- Animated television series set in Oceania
- Fox Broadcasting Company animated television series