Problem Child (TV series)

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Problem Child
GenreComedy
Based onProblem Child
by Scott Alexander
Larry Karaszewski
Developed by
  • Scott Alexander
  • Larry Karaszewski
Directed by
  • Antoni D'Ocon (season 1)
  • Lee Williams (season 2)
Voices of
Composers
Country of origin
  • United States
  • Spain (season 1)
  • Canada (season 2)
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes26 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Robert Simonds
  • Scott Alexander
  • Larry Karaszewski
  • Sheldon Wiseman (season 2)
Producers
  • Arthur Leonardi (season 1)
  • Kathi Castillo (season 2)
  • Weldon Poapst (season 2)
  • Antoni D'Ocon (supervising producer, season 1)
Running time21 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkUSA Network
ReleaseOctober 31, 1993 (1993-10-31) –
December 4, 1994 (1994-12-04)

Problem Child is an animated television series co-produced by Universal Cartoon Studios, D'Ocon Films Productions for season 1 and Lacewood Productions for season 2, and based on the Problem Child films.[1] The series was first premiered on USA Network (part of USA Cartoon Express block) in October 31, 1993 until the final episode's airing in December 4, 1994. A significant feature has Gilbert Gottfried reprising his role of Igor Peabody from the films; this makes him the only actor in every film in the series and the cartoon.

Synopsis[edit]

10-year-old Junior continues his not-so-evil adventures with his father Little Ben Healy (who is now a police officer) and his new friend, Cyndi in Toe Valley. Junior continues to make life miserable for those who get in his way like his principal Igor Peabody and Junior's grandfather Big Ben Healy with pranks and mischievous ideas.

Characters[edit]

  • Junior Healy (voiced by Ben Diskin) – the main protagonist and a mischievous young boy who causes retributive trouble against the uncaring adults that get in his way.
  • Ben Healy (voiced by Mark Taylor) – Junior's kindhearted adoptive father and the sheriff of Toe Valley.
  • Big Ben Healy (voiced by Jonathan Harris) – one of the main antagonists; Ben's father and Junior's grandfather, Big Ben is the mayor of Toe Valley.
  • Igor Peabody (voiced by Gilbert Gottfried) – one of the main antagonists; Mr. Peabody is the principal of the local elementary school, and one of Junior's main rivals.
  • Murph (voiced by John Kassir) – one of Junior's classmates, a former bully turned accomplice.
  • Cyndi Kerrigan (voiced by E. G. Daily) – one of Junior's classmates, Cyndi is a pretty, popular girl whose name is a reference to figure skater Nancy Kerrigan.

Television airing and home media[edit]

USA Network aired the series as part of their USA Cartoon Express programming block.[2] In the mid-to-late 2000s, Spanish-speaking TeleFutura (now UniMas) aired reruns of the series.

Four tapes (containing two episodes each) were released in 1995 containing episodes from seasons 1 and 2. Currently, the series is now streaming on Tubi.

Episodes[edit]

Season 1: 1993–94[edit]

No Ep Title Original air date
11"Toys Will Be Toys"October 31, 1993 (1993-10-31)
Junior wants the Li'l Trooper Missile so badly that he earns money to buy one himself and takes revenge on the manufacturer when it does not work.
22"Junior and the Grammy Bombs"November 7, 1993 (1993-11-07)
Principal Peabody forces the kids of Toe Valley Elementary School to sell Grammy Bombs for a chance to get a new swimming pool for the school and a free day off.
33"Junior and the Jail Break"November 14, 1993 (1993-11-14)
44"Junior and the Babysitter"November 21, 1993 (1993-11-21)
Junior is excited to go on a trip to Atlantic City, but finds out he cannot go as he plans to have a party, but his plan is ruined after he is stuck with a babysitter as Junior tries to find a way to get rid of her to have his party.
55"Junior and the Z Guys"November 28, 1993 (1993-11-28)
Junior fights back when media watchdog groups declare that his favorite TV show is inappropriate for children.
66"Junior and the Dictator"December 5, 1993 (1993-12-05)
In order to evade trouble, Junior is sent on a field trip to Faragua where its dictator General Pierre Habib-Johnson is visiting Toe Valley. While in Faragua, Junior gets the child laborers in a revolt of the government by posing as General Pierre Habib-Johnson.
77"Junior's Doomsday Debacle"December 12, 1993 (1993-12-12)
88"Junior and the Clown"December 19, 1993 (1993-12-19)
Junior is being stalked by a creepy clown.
99"Junior and the Bathroom Door"December 26, 1993 (1993-12-26)
Junior is trapped in the bathroom after locking himself in after not wanting to go to an annual barbecue since Big Ben is there since they always get back at each other. Then Big Ben comes and he is trapped with Junior. In the end, Junior finds a way out, but Big Ben is still trapped in the bathroom.
1010"Junior Dies Hard"January 2, 1994 (1994-01-02)
Peabody plans to get Junior back as he threatens to blackmail Junior and get his friends into trouble and make them suffer. As Junior agrees to obey Peabody as Junior is accused of putting glue on Peabody's chair as he claims he didn't do it, Peabody makes every student stay in the auditorium and watch a boring movie. As it seems it was Peabody's secretary whom mistaken it for wax. Junior then makes a deal with Peabody to apologize to Junior and the students, but Junior tricks him and Peabody falls off the stage and removing him from the chair.
1111"Junior and the Camp"January 9, 1994 (1994-01-09)
1212"Governing Principal"January 23, 1994 (1994-01-23)
Junior runs for mayor after his comments on why kids have it harder than adults become popular.
1313"Junior and the Science Fair"February 13, 1994 (1994-02-13)
Principal Peabody steals Junior and Cindy's idea for an invention that helps kids clean their rooms.

Season 2: 1994[edit]

No Ep Title Original air date
141"Junior Healy, Superstar"September 12, 1994 (1994-09-12)
Junior, Cyndi, Murph, Betsy, Ross, and Spencer get scammed by a Hollywood producer hired by Big Ben Healy to dupe the parents into thinking their child will be the next big movie star.
152"My Fair Cyndi"September 19, 1994 (1994-09-19)
Junior helps Cyndi become a problem child, but the transformation turns her into a bully. Meanwhile, Principal Peabody uses hypnotism to brainwash people and has his sights set on Junior.
163"The Wilderness Healys"September 26, 1994 (1994-09-26)
Junior and Little Bob Healy go on a father/son camping trip, but it soon becomes a grandfather/father/son trip after Big Bob Healy runs away to escape people who want a refund from him for selling them toxic land.
174"The Weird Olympics"October 2, 1994 (1994-10-02)
Toe Valley competes in the Weird Olympics, but Big Bob Healy and Principal Peabody are forced by a Mafia don to fix the games so Toe Valley loses.
185"Sawdust, Tinsel, and Junior"October 9, 1994 (1994-10-09)
Junior runs away and joins the circus when he is tired of Little Ben's rules.
196"Junior Meets Tiny Ben"October 16, 1994 (1994-10-16)
Junior meets a kid even more destructive than him: his younger cousin.
207"Junior and the Big Kids"October 23, 1994 (1994-10-23)
Junior tries to get in good with a group of sixth grade boys.
218"The Legend of Big Bob Healy"October 30, 1994 (1994-10-30)
While on a trip to Fort Healy, Junior and Cyndi discover an old storeroom that holds evidence that one of Junior's ancestors cheated the Native Americans out of their land.
229"Junior and the Big House"November 6, 1994 (1994-11-06)
Junior finds himself in prison after police mistake him for an escaped convict.
2310"Teacher of the Year"November 13, 1994 (1994-11-13)
Ms. Hill, Junior's second grade teacher, gets fired by Mr. Peabody and gets a job at a construction site. But when Peabody's secretary, Miss Brook, announces that Ms. Hill has won Teacher of the Year, the kids must find a way to get Ms. Hill back to her old job to accept the award.
2411"Junior Vanilli"November 20, 1994 (1994-11-20)
Big Bob Healy and a music producer trick Junior and the kids into starting their own band.
2512"The Cyndi Kerrigan Story"November 27, 1994 (1994-11-27)
On the day of a big ice-skating competition, Cyndi misses out when someone locks her in a closet and Junior plays detective to find the culprit.
2613"Grease My Palm"December 4, 1994 (1994-12-04)
The kids put on a telethon to save the school when Peabody tries to embezzle the school's funds.

Credits[edit]

Cast[edit]

Additional voices[edit]

Crew[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 480–481. ISBN 978-1-5381-0373-9.
  2. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 643–644. ISBN 978-1-4766-6599-3.

External links[edit]

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