Ren and Stimpy
Ren and Stimpy is the crowning achievement of Canadian animator John Kricfalusi. Ren Hoek, a neurotic hispanic Chihuahua, and Stimpy, a fat stupid cat wander around in nonsensical adventures reminiscent of the golden age of cartoons.While a product of the children's cable network Nickelodeon, the cartoon had a reputation for subversiveness. In fact, the show pushed the bounds of good taste further than any cartoon had to its day; its level of gross-out humor was only exceeded by the antics of South Park after it. And though sometimes seen as low-brow, the series also cleverly lampooned culture and made many viewers and studio executives uncomfortable. Nickelodeon eventually fired Kricfalusi from his own creation and systematically censored the cartoon down to little more than a remnant of its former self. Eventually, several episodes were deemed unairable and have never been broadcast by Nickelodeon again.
Recurring characters:
- Ren Hoek
- Stimpy (full name - Stimpson J. Cat)
- George American (originally written as George Liquor, changed at Nickelodeon's insistence)
- Powdered Toast Man
- Muddy Mudskipper
- Haggis McHaggis
After his separation from Nickelodeon, Kricfalusi retained ownership of George Liquor and has used him extensively in projects by Spümcø, his animation studio. Of note: One of the conditions of retaining ownership of George Liquor was that he couldn't become "a child molestor or mass murderer." Kricfalusi responded with something like "how many murders consist of mass murder?"
In June, 2003, the show returned to U.S. television as "The Ren and Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon" on Viacom's Spike TV (formerly TNN - The National Network), which bills itself as "the first network for men," with decidedly more adult content.
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