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As Told by Ginger

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As Told by Ginger (also known as As Told by Ginger Foutley)[4] is an American animated preteen drama television series, produced by Klasky Csupo (which also produced Rugrats), and aired on Nickelodeon.[5] The series focuses on a junior high school (later high school) girl named Ginger Foutley who, with her friends, tries to become more than a social geek.[6][7][8] The series first aired on Nickelodeon on October 25, 2000.

As Told by Ginger
Genre
Created byEmily Kapnek[2]
Developed by
Directed byMark Risley
Voices of
Theme music composer
Opening theme"I'm in Between" performed by Macy Gray[3]
ComposerJared Faber
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes60 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Kate Boutilier (S1)
  • Maureen Iser (S1–2)
  • Susan Ward (S3)
  • Lora Lee (co)
Running time24 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNickelodeon
ReleaseOctober 25, 2000 (2000-10-25) –
July 4, 2004 (2004-07-04)
NetworkNicktoons
ReleaseNovember 24, 2004 (2004-11-24) –
November 14, 2006 (2006-11-14)

As Told by Ginger ended production in 2004, although some episodes were initially unaired on U.S. television; the remaining episodes would premiere at varying intervals on Nickelodeon-affiliated services through to 2021. It was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour). The series was praised and noted for having ongoing story arcs and characters who developed, aged, and changed their clothes throughout the show, a rare quality in an animated series at the time it came out.

Premise

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Characters

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Main article: List of As Told by Ginger characters

The series focuses mainly on the life of junior high school student Ginger Foutley (voiced by Melissa Disney).[9][10] Ginger and her friends Darren Patterson (voiced by Kenny Blank), Deirdre Hortense "Dodie" Bishop (voiced by Aspen Miller), and Macie Lightfoot (voiced by Jackie Harris), try to rise from the position of school geeks as they solve many conflicts that come their way.[9]

Luckily for Ginger, the most popular girl in school, Courtney Gripling (voiced by Liz Georges), has taken a liking to her and often includes her in her social plans.[11] She is intrigued by her "gingerisms", as Courtney calls them. However, Miranda Killgallen (voiced by Cree Summer), Courtney's right-hand woman, makes sure that she is not bumped down from her position thanks to Ginger. At home, Ginger writes her lively adventures in her diary.[12] Her younger brother, Carl (voiced by Jeannie Elias), is often scheming with Robert Joseph "Hoodsey" Bishop (voiced by Tress MacNeille) in his own side plots, and her mother, Lois (voiced by Laraine Newman), is always there for advice – to which Ginger is always able to listen.

Setting

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The series takes place in the fictional suburban town of Sheltered Shrubs, located in Connecticut.[13] Sheltered Shrubs is based on the real town of Larchmont, New York, where series creator Emily Kapnek moved to when she was in junior high.[8] She said the town became "sort of the basis for this show".[8] Other towns noted in the series are Protected Pines, a gated community in which Courtney lives, Brittle Branches, where Ginger's father resides, and Heathered Hills, the town of Ginger's summer camp crush, Sasha.

Continuity and themes

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As Told by Ginger has been recognized by fans and Nickelodeon alike for its character development, most of which was unusual for a cartoon in its time.[2][14][15]

In the first season, Ginger's age group is considered as being in seventh grade. By the second season, they move up to eighth grade rather than remaining the same age. In this season, Darren has the unwieldy orthodontic headgear that he has worn for the entire first season removed, which results in rising popularity. They graduate junior high in the middle of the third season and move on to become freshmen in high school. Carl's age group works in the same way, as they become junior high students by the third season. Many episodes make references to past episodes, giving the episodes a definite order.

One of the most notable developments is that most of the characters change clothes every episode and often within the same episode, a highly unusual characteristic of cartoons.[14] Most animated cartoons have their characters remain in the same outfits throughout the series to save time and money. This was most conspicuous amongst the girls in Ginger's age group (Dodie, Courtney, Macie, Miranda and Ginger herself) and some of the adults such as Ginger's mother. After Darren got his orthodontic headgear removed, he changed clothes as well. Carl's age group changes clothes only infrequently and with few changes. Hoodsey's coat rack has similar purple hoodies, satirizing cartoons whose characters always remain in the same outfits. Unlike most live-action shows whose characters only wear an outfit once, As Told by Ginger characters wear their outfits in rotation, and new outfits are added every few episodes.

The series also deals with several deeper themes.[14][16] In "Wicked Game", Ginger's two best friends betray her after feeling jealousy toward her new boyfriend, Darren.[17][18] In "And She Was Gone", the staff and students at school think Ginger is suicidally depressed after she writes a disturbing poem that worries them.[14][19] In the episode "No Hope for Courtney", Carl's pranks cause his teacher to retire. After she agrees to come back, Mrs. Gordon passes on.[20] In actuality, Mrs. Gordon's voice actress, Kathleen Freeman, died before the episode's completion, and the script was rewritten in dedication to her. "A Lesson in Tightropes" has Ginger going through an emotional breakup with Darren while she must undergo surgery for appendicitis.[14][21] Furthermore, the episode "Stuff'll Kill Ya" shows Ginger dealing with a coffee and caffeine drug addiction.[14]

  • In the TV film The Wedding Frame, when the Foutleys are driving to their soon-to-be home, they pass a cemetery park. One tombstone reads "ATBG" while another reads "RIP". ATBG is short for As Told by Ginger and RIP is short for "Rest in Peace". This is a nod to the fact that the film is the series finale.
  • A girl named Leandra, who had a bone marrow illness and was a Make-A-Wish patient, was a fan of the series and watched it during her treatments. Her wish was to be a character on the show, so she appeared and voiced a character named after herself in a scene of the episode "Butterflies are Free", in which Ginger, Macie and Dodie greet her by name.[22]

Unlike most other Nicktoons, the series was aired on the TEENick block.[23]

Episodes

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Main article: List of As Told by Ginger episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
PilotOctober 9, 1999 (1999-10-09)TeenNick
120October 25, 2000 (2000-10-25)December 10, 2001 (2001-12-10)Nickelodeon
220February 11, 2002 (2002-02-11)June 29, 2003 (2003-06-29)
32012August 9, 2003 (2003-08-09)July 4, 2004 (2004-07-04)
2November 24, 2004 (2004-11-24)November 14, 2006 (2006-11-14)Nicktoons
4October 22, 2016 (2016-10-22)October 23, 2016 (2016-10-23)TeenNick
2January 12, 2021 (2021-01-12)Paramount+


Television films

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There were four television films that aired during the series' run.

  • Summer of Camp Caprice (also titled Season of Caprice) had Ginger, Dodie, Macie and Courtney heading to summer camp, with Darren and Miranda going to military camp (where, as it happens, Miranda's father works) and Carl and Hoodsey on the trail of dog nappers.[24]
  • Foutleys on Ice (aired in the US as Far from Home), following up on the Emmy-nominated episode "And She Was Gone", dealt with Ginger winning a scholarship to an arts school, and Carl and Hoodsey making friends with a new character, the telekinetic Noelle Sussman (voiced by series creator Emily Kapnek).[8][25] This episode was released on DVD.[26]
  • Butterflies are Free follows Ginger and her friends graduating from junior high.[27]
  • The Wedding Frame closed out the third season and the series as a whole, and features Lois marrying one of the doctors at her hospital.[28]

Nickelodeon had originally asked for the ending of The Wedding Frame to be changed to something less conclusive in case they wished to order more episodes, however, perhaps due to that situation being very unlikely, the original ending was eventually retained.[citation needed] It was released directly to DVD in the United States in November 2004,[29] but it would not be otherwise available in the U.S. until 2021, when it and one of the episodes leading up to the film ("Battle of the Bands") premiered on CBS All Access.

In international airings, the films were divided into two (for Butterflies are Free) and three parts (for the other three films) in reruns.

Production

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The pilot for the show was completed in September 1999. The show premiered in October 2000 on Nickelodeon.[30] The show was greatly popular at first, making its way into the teenager-aimed block TEENick.[23] After the second season, the show's popularity began to decline, partially due to constant scheduling changes. Nickelodeon then pulled the show off the air after airing less than half the episodes of the third and final season. The show was a part of the Nicktoons channel since its inception in 2002,[31] and began airing the remaining third-season episodes in November 2004, when "Ten Chairs" premiered. The "high school" episodes were slated to premiere during November 2006, but only one, "Stuff'll Kill Ya", premiered. Of the remaining Season 3 episodes, 4 ultimately premiered on TeenNick's The Splat in 2016, and the last 2 (including "The Wedding Frame", which had previously been released on DVD in the US in 2004) premiered on CBS All Access in 2021.

Show airings

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Network Time In effect
Nickelodeon Wednesdays at 8 pm October 2000 – January 2001
Sundays 7:30 pm January 2001 – June 2003
Nick on CBS Saturday mornings (Sunday mornings on some stations) September 14, 2002 – January 25, 2003
Nickelodeon Weekday mornings November 2005
Nicktoons Network November 2006 – May 2007
The N Saturday nights January 2007
Nicktoons Network Sunday and Monday mornings May 2007 – July 2007
Nickelodeon Monday mornings August 2007
Nicktoons Network Tuesday and Saturday mornings October 2007 – March 2008
Nickelodeon 6am Tuesdays March 2008
Nicktoons Network 4:00am Tuesday and Saturday mornings March 2008 – January 2009
The Splat Fridays at 12am October 9, 2015 – April 1, 2017
Four (New Zealand TV Channel) Every morning 7.30am and later weekday and Sunday mornings 7.30am February 7, 2011 – April 13, 2011
Indus Vision Daily 5.30pm August 2003 – November 2004
Spacetoon Weekday mornings March 2005 – January 2014
Spacetoon English Tuesday mornings April 2005 – January 2011
YTV Daily 2000 – 2005
Nickelodeon Canada Weekdays at 4 & 4:30pm 2014 – 2017
  • The episodes "I Spy a Witch", "Déjà Who?", "An 'Even Steven' Holiday Special" and "Piece of My Heart" were all made for the first season lineup, but aired during the second season in the United States.
  • "Never Can Say Goodbye", "Gym Class Confidential", "Fast Reputation" and "The Nurses' Strike" all premiered in the same week during the TEENick block. They aired February 11–14, 2002 (which were the days between Monday and Thursday).
  • The episodes "Detention", "Kiss Today Goodbye", "A Lesson in Tightropes", "Dodie's Big Break" and "Battle of the Bands" are all high school episodes that were initially unaired in the United States. They were at one time scheduled to air during the second week of November 2006, but were immediately removed from the schedule after the first high school episode, "Stuff'll Kill Ya", was aired. "Detention", "Kiss Today Goodbye", "A Lesson in Tightropes" and "Dodie's Big Break" would premiere in the United States on TeenNick's The Splat in 2016, and "Battle of the Bands" would premiere on CBS All Access in 2021. In several other countries, especially in the United Kingdom, they are part of regular reruns.

DVD and streaming releases

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  • The TV films Far from Home and The Wedding Frame are available on DVD in the United States and Canada (Region 1). Far from Home comes with the bonus episodes "Ginger the Juvey" and the pilot episode "The Party".[26] The Wedding Frame includes "Stealing First" and "Dare I, Darren".[32]
  • The complete series used to be available on iTunes;[33] the 60 episodes were divided into six volumes. As of January 2015, the episodes are no longer available for download.
  • As of January 2021, the series is available to stream on Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access).[34]
  • The episodes 1 through 45 are available on Russian DVD sets with each DVD containing 5 episodes. The As Speaks Ginger DVDs, as they are known in Russia (Cyrillic: Как говорит Джинджер), are produced and distributed by Russobit-M and are only available with a Russian soundtrack.
Region 1
Title Season(s) Episode count Release date Episodes
The Wedding Frame 1, 3 5 November 23, 2004 3 ("Stealing First"), 6 ("Dare I, Darren") and 58–60 ("The Wedding Frame")
Far from Home April 5, 2005 1 "(Ginger the Juvey"), 41–43 ("Far from Home") and Pilot ("The Party")

Theme song

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The opening theme, titled "I'm in Between", was written for the show by American rapper Ray Raymond.[35] The song was first recorded with vocals by Melissa Disney, in character as Ginger. But this version was replaced before initial North American broadcasts with another version performed by Cree Summer. This would be used for half of the first season before a third version, featuring vocals by R&B artist Macy Gray,[3] which was used for the rest of the series' run.

In the UK broadcasts, the Melissa Disney and Cree Summer versions were used for the first two seasons, while the Macy Gray version was used for season three. Internationally, the Macy Gray version is the most recognizable version.

Closing credits

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The closing credits are typically-designed backgrounds with the show's signature font. These backgrounds include the ice cream cones from Ginger's bedroom walls, ladybugs from Dodie's bedroom walls, pencils, lizards and more. In several episodes, the ending theme is a rock-based instrumental, although there have been exceptions. "Piece of My Heart" ends with a different and softer instrumental melody. The episode "Never Can Say Goodbye" ended with a song called "Wrong", sung by voice actor Kenny Blank as Darren Patterson, and "And She Was Gone" ended with a musical version of Ginger's poem during the credits. The episode "Come Back, Little Seal Girl" featured the songs "Courtney's World" and "The Little Seal Girl" blended together. In "About Face", a song called "Diamonds Are Expensive", presumably sung by the engaged Lois and Dr. Dave, is played over the credits. "Next Question" ended with "The Teen Seal Girl" song. Finally, the episode "No Hope for Courtney" had no music during the credits, being dedicated to the memory of Kathleen Freeman.

Awards

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  • Three Emmy nominations for "Hello Stranger" (in 2001), "Lunatic Lake" (in 2002), and "And She Was Gone" (in 2003). All three were nominated in the Outstanding Animated Program (Less than One Hour) category.[36]
  • "Best Cartoon" at Nickelodeon Netherlands Kids Choice Awards in 2005.
  • Two episodes of As Told by Ginger were ranked in Nickelodeon's "100 Greatest Moments in Nicktoons History", a special presented by Nickelodeon in November 2007. The episodes "Gym Class Confidential" and "Stealing First" were ranked at 97 and 95.

References

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  1. ^ "As Told By Ginger". TV.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2011. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
  2. ^ a b Villarreal, Yvonne (February 17, 2012). "Creative Minds: Emily Kapnek, Mayor of 'Suburgatory'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 22, 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  3. ^ a b Rutenberg, Jim (February 14, 2001). "Nickelodeon's Tweens". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 15, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  4. ^ Beck, Jerry, Not Just Cartoons: Nicktoons!
  5. ^ Solarin, Ayoola (2018-09-20). "'As Told By Ginger' Was a Feminist Masterpiece About the Trials of Girlhood". Vice. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
  6. ^ Weiss, Tara (March 12, 2001). "Tween Scene". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on October 3, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  7. ^ "Nickelodeon's 'Ginger' Spices Up Tonight's Lineup". Orlando Sentinel. October 25, 2000. Archived from the original on February 4, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  8. ^ a b c d Shattuck, Kathryn (August 3, 2003). "Leaving Larchmont, Again". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  9. ^ a b Levine, Evan (March 6, 2001). "Junior high angst told by Ginger". Rome News-Tribune. Archived from the original on September 24, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  10. ^ "Family Fare". The Tuscaloosa News. November 1, 2000. Archived from the original on September 24, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  11. ^ Jaafar, Julia (September 4, 2001). "TV News". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on September 24, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  12. ^ Lemish, Dafna (2010). Screening Gender on Children's Television: The Views of Producers around the World. Routledge. p. 259. ISBN 978-1-136-99732-7. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  13. ^ Ryan, Lidia (February 24, 2015). "TV shows set in Connecticut". Connecticut Post. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  14. ^ a b c d e f Serrao, Nivea (November 14, 2016). "As Told By Ginger: Why the show still feels so real 10 years later". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 15, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  15. ^ Hoyte, Nikeita; Aster Perlman, Rachel; Balkaran, Racquel; Marine, Brooke (October 2, 2017). "The 20 Best Nickelodeon Cartoons". Complex. Archived from the original on September 24, 2024. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  16. ^ Salamon, Julie (February 15, 2002). "Grabbing Viewers 'Tween 8 and 14". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 3, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  17. ^ "Wicked Game". As Told by Ginger. Season 3. Episode 2. August 30, 2003. Nickelodeon.
  18. ^ Oppliger, Patrice A. (2013). Bullies and Mean Girls in Popular Culture. McFarland. p. 197. ISBN 978-0-7864-6865-2. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  19. ^ Banet-Weiser, Sarah (2007). Kids Rule!: Nickelodeon and Consumer Citizenship. Duke University Press. p. 130. ISBN 978-0-8223-3993-9. Archived from the original on September 24, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  20. ^ "No Hope for Courtney". As Told by Ginger. Season 2. Episode 8. June 23, 2002. Nickelodeon.
  21. ^ "A Lesson in Tightropes". As Told by Ginger. Season 3. Nickelodeon.
  22. ^ Waite, Matthew (June 1, 2002). "Girl gains health, other wishes". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  23. ^ a b "Sunday Bests". The New York Times. March 4, 2001. Archived from the original on September 24, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  24. ^ "Campers' Crush". The New York Times. July 1, 2001. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  25. ^ "Saturday & Sunday on TV". Deseret News. August 9, 2003. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  26. ^ a b Lacey, Gord (July 17, 2005). "As Told by Ginger – Vol 2: Far From Home Review". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2017. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  27. ^ "No Turning Back AKA Butterflies are Free". TV Guide. Archived from the original on March 22, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  28. ^ "The Wedding Frame". TV Guide. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  29. ^ "As Told by Ginger – Vol 1: The Wedding Frame". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018. Release Date: 11/23/2004
  30. ^ "Life After 'Rugrats': It's Not Easy Being Cool". The New York Times. October 22, 2000. Archived from the original on October 3, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  31. ^ Mason, Tiana (June 6, 2002). "Branding: Nicktoons to target younger audience". Campaign. Archived from the original on July 15, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  32. ^ Lacey, Gord (July 9, 2005). "As Told by Ginger – Vol 1: The Wedding Frame Review". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  33. ^ Weprin, Alex (July 29, 2008). "Nickelodeon Adding Classics to iTunes". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on September 24, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  34. ^ "As Told By Ginger". Paramount+. 24 October 2000. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  35. ^ "Ginger the Juvey". As Told by Ginger. Season 1. Episode 1. October 25, 2000. Nickelodeon.
  36. ^ "As Told By Ginger". Emmys. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2013.

Further reading

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