This is my own idea for an animated series. I don’t expect it to be a reality anytime soon, but I wanted to just throw my ideas out there to prove I came up with some.
Premise:
As the title suggests, this series wouldn’t be afraid to admit it’s a cartoon. All of the characters would be self aware, because the premise demands it. It would be about a bunch of Toons be given access to their own animated series. One of the higher-ups at the streaming service employing them (called “Yukkemup”) has a fondness for cartoons, having grown up on them. He knows they aren’t treated with the respect they deserve, and unfortunately, therein lies the caveat.
His bosses have granted him permission to green light this series, but it has to be successful. If ratings slip, it’s getting canned. (And probably getting replaced by something AI. to boot.) The Toons thus, are tasked with putting together a sensational show. Think “The Muppet Show” mixed with “Disney’s House of Mouse”. Every episode would have a topic (Birds, Art, Stupidity, etc.) that would be hosted by a different character. And as long as I’m dreaming, there would be guest stars. They’d be characters from other animated series. (No, it’s not just an excuse to get to meet some of my idols.)
Now, I’d like you to meet the characters. There are too many of them to feature in every episode, so many would only appear when needed. They’re not the most fleshed out ideas, as their main purpose would to be to entertain. Some of them won’t work anyway, but I’ll mention them for completion’s sake. We’ll do one a week until I run out. Maybe I’ll delete this new page before that even happens!
Characters:
Alex– The first character I’ve ever made, and yes, a self-insert. Come back! See, I thought of something: in a world where Toons exist, wouldn’t it stand to reason that fanmade characters would too? And wouldn’t they hate their lot in life? Alex, being an animated version of me, would have a direct pipeline to his world’s god. All of his peers would treat him differently. You think its impossible enough being friends with your boss?
As the main character, Alex also has to keep things running smoothly. Everyone looks to him as their leader. Puts a lot of pressure on the guy. He’d also be the only character that would be absolutely voiced by me. I’ve also toyed around with the idea of giving him a love interest, but it feels a bit desperate and sad. Not to mention it would get in the way of him supposed to be feeling separate from everyone else.
The Four who Explore– As is stated, a group of explorers. Husband and wife, Addison and Emily; Emily’s older brother, Max; Addison’s close friend, John. Exploring is what they like to do. If its on the planet or beyond, they’d just like to say they’ve been there. Haven’t really ever fleshed them out. I’ve always pictured Addison as a comical sort, Max is a genius who only tags along to see the inventions he invents put to use, Emily is a daredevil sort who doesn’t look before she leaps, and John is kind of a loser. But one that doesn’t let that get him down.
I’ve also considered a villain for them to face. Her name would be Julie, but I never really figured out what kind of motivation she should have. I liked the idea of them knowing her from childhood, but changed that when I decided to have the married couple meet as adults. Both are from wealthy families who also disowned both of them upon seeing who they married. These guys came from a game I used to play with my childhood friends. Back then, we just called ourselves “The Famous Explorers.” A little too egocentric for me nowadays.
Glorx– An alien known as a Glore. Glores come from the planet Glo, which has two suns that orbit it putting the planet in perpetual day. There’s basically no free water. Glores had to adapt just like anything does. Their green skin contains chloroplasts to help generate a food supply. Most of their face is taken by a single eye that isn’t rooted in place like ours. Rolling freely around, means they can scan any horizon with no difficulty. And a lack of eyelids means blinking is done by strong muscles contracting tightly around the ocular region.
Pointy ears for catching sounds and pointy teeth that allow them to bite through anything edible round out the physical appearance. Their humanoid bodies wear suits that reflect some of the excess sunlight and helps keep muscles moving. Their biggest survival tactic though, was using interstellar travel to visit other worlds and bleed them dry of resources. Guilt was never had as none of the dominant species were sentient enough to cry. Glorx is one of the scouts whose job is finding new worlds to mutilate.
He is joined by his ship’s computer, Genesis model E, or Gen-e for short. She’s advanced enough to have a crush on her clueless commander. He also has a pet named Glurp. A slimy little wad of goo with a single eye stalk protruding out. Probably the smartest of the three, but not able to talk and is content to eat all day. They found Earth and were shocked to find “intelligent” life on it. They’ve decided to stay and analyze the people and see if they’re worth keeping around. Gen-e is capable of uploading her conscience into a robot body to accomplish this.
Jack– A toy. Specifically, a toy that looks like a Lego minifigure, but is legally distinct from them. His brand of playsets is known as Stickbricks. Kinda run by Toy Story rules. They enjoy being played with, and don’t show any sign they’re alive to the humans. The sets also have a sort of hive mind going on. The “people” can control the pieces to reshape themselves into whatever they want or need at the moment. As the figure that comes with the most sets, Jack is always seen as the leader by the more-simple minded figures. Don’t be too hard on them though, their heads are literally hollow.
Professor Cooliay– A man of science. Doesn’t hold any kind of degree; he just gave himself the ‘professor’ title to sound credible. A recluse who mostly kept to himself in order to tinker with the natural world. He didn’t bother anyone so they didn’t bother him. His character arc began when he had developed a beet/meat hybrid he called ‘meets’. His theory was: if it grows out of the ground, it’s healthy to eat. To really speed things along, he made sure to use radioactive tools in his gardening.
What a surprise he would receive the next morning. The meets had failed to grow, but his D.N.A. that he left on the tools mutated with the aid of the radioactivity and gave rise to a larger than normal flower. Nestled in the petals: a baby girl. He was very excited as he had always wanted to dissect a human, but couldn’t find a way to do it without potential witnesses. (It’s around here that I should mention I have no idea what age-range audience this stuff would be for.) You shouldn’t worry though, when the baby woke up, his heart melted as any good parent would, and he adopted her on the spot.
He named her Joy. Coming from a unique background, she was always a bit sickly and malnourished looking. Cooliay does his best though! And she loves him as any child would a parent. Once she got over the shock and horror she developed after hearing what her dad’s first intentions with her were, of course.
Host– If you tune your TV (at all) to the animal channel, or chanimal, you’ll find the only program airing is a wildlife documentary about all the creatures that roam the Tooniverse. Starring Host, your host. A man who loves animals, often to his own detriment. He’s the kind of guy who would give a leopard a hug then ask you to marvel at how it eviscerates his bowels.
Wherever he goes, he carries along what looks like a pet carrier. It’s not, of course. If you open the door and walk towards it, you’ll find yourself transported to the most amazing wildlife reserve you can or can’t imagine. With every kind of biome available to keep every species he finds happy. I’d also like it known that I came up with this idea as early as 2002, long before any “fantastic” movies were released. I’m not mad I was beaten to the punch, but don’t want people thinking I had to steal for this idea.