Count Duckula is a British children's animated comedy horror television series created by British studio Cosgrove Hall Productions and produced by Thames Television as a spin-off of Danger Mouse, a series in which an early version of the Count Duckula character was a recurring villain.[1] Count Duckula aired from 6 September 1988 to 16 February 1993 across four series; in all, 65 episodes were made, each about 22 minutes long.[2] The series aired on Nickelodeon in the United States, who billed it as its original programming. All have been released on DVD in the UK, while only the first series has been released in North America.
| Count Duckula | |
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| Genre | |
| Created by | |
| Based on | |
| Directed by |
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| Voices of |
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| Narrated by | Barry Clayton |
| Opening theme | "Count Duckula" by Mike Harding |
| Ending theme | "Count Duckula" by Mike Harding |
| Composer | Mike Harding |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 65 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | John Hambley |
| Producers |
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| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV (CITV) |
| Release | 6 September 1988 – 16 February 1993 |
| Related | |
A new version of the original villainous Count Duckula appeared in the 2015 reboot series of Danger Mouse, but being a vegetarian like the good Duckula.
History
editCount Duckula was created by British studio Cosgrove Hall Productions as a spin-off from Danger Mouse. In 1984, Nickelodeon acquired the US broadcast rights to Danger Mouse, which became a hit for the channel. After a few years, the Nickelodeon management came to Cosgrove Hall wishing to co-produce a new series. After being shown a number of ideas, the then head of Nickelodeon, Gerry Laybourne, spotted a picture of Count Duckula in Brian Cosgrove's office, and said, "That's the one I want".[3][4] As the series went into production, one of the writers suggested he become a vegetarian, which added an even sillier concept to the series.
Plot
editCastle Duckula, home for many centuries to a dreadful dynasty of vicious vampire ducks – The Counts of Duckula. Legend has it that these 'fowl' beings can be destroyed by a stake through the heart or exposure to sunlight. This does not suffice however, for they may be brought back to life by means of a secret rite that can be performed once a century, when the moon is in the Eighth House of Aquarius... The latest reincarnation did not run according to plan....
— Opening narration
Several episodes explore the theme that each resurrection creates a new incarnation with little to no memory of its past life, the immediate past incarnation referred to as the current's "father". Thus, every incarnation is free to develop its own personality and pursue its own personal interests. The vampire is able to pose as a "dreadful dynasty, the counts of Duckula". The preceding generations included knights, sorcerers, scientists, artists, Egyptologists and even professional gamblers, all of whom are also secretly "vicious vampire ducks".
As the title sequence puts it, "the latest reincarnation did not run according to plan". The successful conclusion of the ritual, which was to be performed "once a century, when the moon is in the 8th house of Aquarius", requires blood, the source of sustenance for any vampire, but Nanny accidentally substitutes ketchup. Consequently, the newest version is not a blood-sucking vampire, but a vegetarian one. He is more interested in juicy carrots than hunting for victims. Igor is appalled. Even worse, his "new" master is obsessed with pursuing wealth and fame as an entertainer.
The stories often revolve around Duckula's adventures in search of riches and fame, assisted by the castle's ability to teleport around the world. Another regularly occurring theme is the repeated attempt by Igor to turn Duckula into a proper vampire. Some episodes feature Duckula's nemesis Doctor Von Goosewing (based on Dr. Abraham Van Helsing, the nemesis of Dracula), a vampire hunter who blindly refuses to believe the current incarnation of Duckula is harmless. There is also an array of bizarre, often supernatural foes, from zombies to mechanical werewolves. Another feature of the show is a cuckoo clock whose bat-like Borscht Belt comedian styled characters come out and make jokes about the current situation (or corny jokes in general). The clock is also a vital part of the castle's traveling mechanism, and it even has the ability to turn back time.
A series of annuals and monthly comics further detailing the adventures of Count Duckula and associated characters were released throughout the time that the series originally aired and for a short time afterwards.
Characters and voice cast
edit- Count Duckula, played by David Jason
- Igor, played by Jack May
- Nanny, played by Brian Trueman
- Dr. Von Goosewing, played by Jimmy Hibbert
- Dimitri, played by Trueman
- Sviatoslav, played by Hibbert
- Narrator, played by Barry Clayton
- Various other characters played by Clayton, Hibbert, Jason, May, Trueman and Ruby Wax
- Theme song vocalists were Doreen Edwards and Mike Harding
Episodes
editSpin-off
editIn a move mirroring Duckula's adaptation from Danger Mouse, the characters of Gaston and Pierre were reinvented and given a spinoff series as the now-human Victor & Hugo: Bunglers in Crime.[5]
Home media
editDVD releases
editThe Count Duckula discs are in Region 0, PAL format. The first series was released on Region 1 DVD on 4 October 2005. Series 2, 3, and 4 have, as of 2024, not been released in North America. A Spanish format for Latin America was released.[6][7]
The entire 65 episodes of the series are set to be released on UK DVD on June 3, 2024. [8] This appears to be the first time ever the whole series have been available on English-language DVD's.
Complete set
edit| Title | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Count Duckula: The Complete Collection | Not yet released in region 1 | 27 October 2008 | 1 May 2013 |
Individual series
edit| Series | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Series 1 | 4 October 2005 (as "The complete first season") |
17 July 2006 (as "The complete first series") |
11 October 2007 (as "From Duck Til Dawn", containing the first 18 episodes only) |
| Series 2 | Not yet released in region 1 | 26 March 2007 (as "The complete second series") |
Not yet released in region 4 but is released via Complete set DVD set |
| Series 3 & 4 | Not yet released in region 1 | 3 September 2007 (as "The complete third series") |
Not yet released in region 4 but is released via Complete set DVD set |
Individual episodes
edit| Title | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Count Duckula: Vampire Vacation | Not yet released in region 1 | 14 October 2002 | Not yet released in region 4 |
| Count Duckula: The Vampire Strikes Back! | Not yet released in region 1 | 11 August 2008 | Not yet released in region 4 |
VHS releases
editDuring the show's original run, Count Duckula episodes were released on numerous VHS titles from Thames Video collection, often in a different sequence than what was shown in the TV.
| VHS Title | Release Date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| Count Duckula (TV8036) | 7 November 1988 | No Sax Please, We're Egyptian, The Mutinous Penguins, One Stormy Night |
| Count Duckula: The Vampire Strikes Back! (TV8038) | 7 November 1988 | The Vampire Strikes Back!, Hardluck Hotel, Dear Diary |
| Count Duckula: A Fright at the Opera (TV8045) | 7 November 1988 | A Fright at the Opera, Hunchbudgie of Notre Dame, Dr. Goosewing and Mr Duck |
| Count Duckula: Jungle Duck (TV8050) | 24 April 1989 | Jungle Duck, Vampire Vacation, Igor's Busy Day |
| Count Duckula: Autoduck | 1 May 1989 | Autoduck, Rent a Butler, Mobile Home |
| Count Duckula: Transylvanian Homesick Blues | 1 May 1989 | Transylvanian Homesick Blues, Restoration Comedy, All in a Fog |
| Children's Favourites Vol.1 | 1 May 1989 | The Duck and the Broccoli Stalk (Compilation VHS with Danger Mouse, and The Wind in the Willows) |
| Children's Favourites Vol.2 | 1 May 1989 | Castle Duckula: Open to the Public (Compilation VHS with Danger Mouse, and The Wind in the Willows) |
| More Children's Summer Stories (TV8062) | 5 June 1989 | Down Under Duckula (Compilation VHS with Danger Mouse, and The Wind in the Willows) |
| The Count Duckula Bumper Special (TV8079) | 2 October 1989 | Ghostly Gold, Prime Time Duck, The Incredible Shrinking Duck, Ducknapped!, Bloodsucking Bats of the Lower Amazon |
| Count Duckula: The Ghost of McCastle McDuckula (WP0020) | 2 October 1989 | The Ghost of McCastle McDuckula |
| Count Duckula: Mysteries of the Wax Museum (TV8083) | 5 February 1990 | Mysteries of the Wax Museum, The Lost Valley, Return of the Curse of the Secret of the Mummy's Tomb Frankenduckula's Monster... |
| More Children's Holiday Favourites (TV8094) | 4 June 1990 | Beau Duckula (Compilation VHS with Danger Mouse, and The Wind in the Willows) |
| Count Duckula: The Great Ducktective (TV8102) | 10 September 1990 | The Great Ducktective, Private Beak, Whodunnit? |
| Count Duckula: Bombay Duck (TV8103) | 10 September 1990 | Bombay Duck, Mississippi Duck, Mystery Cruise |
| Count Duckula: O.O. Duck (TV8105) | 10 September 1990 | O.O. Duck, A Mountie Always Gets His Duck!, Manhattan Duck |
| Count Duckula: Bumper Special Volume 2 (TV8113) | 10 September 1990 | Xmas Quacker, Alps a Daisy, Unreal Estate, There Are Werewolves at the Bottom of the Garden, In Arctic Circles |
| Children's Picture House (NCH3000) | 1 October 1990 | Transylvanian Homesick Blues (Compilation VHS with The Huckleberry Hound Show, Fireman Sam, Paddington Bear, and Barney) |
| Count Duckula: Astro Duck (TV8111) | 1 October 1990 | Astro Duck, The Rest is History!, Around the World in a Total Daze!, The Zombie Awakes! |
| Count Duckula: Lost City of Atlantis (WP0026) | 1 October 1990 | Lost City of Atlantis |
| My Little Count Duckula (ML0025) | 1 July 1996 | The Great Ducktective |
| Cult Kids Classics | 2001 | The Ghost of Castle McDuckula (Compilation VHS with Chorlton and the Wheelies, Danger Mouse, Jamie and the Magic Torch, Rainbow, and Button Moon) |
| Cult Kids Classics 2 | 5 March 2001 | Venice a Duck Not a Duck (Compilation VHS with Jamie and the Magic Torch, Danger Mouse, Chorlton and the Wheelies, Rainbow, and The Sooty Show) |
| I Love Cult Kids | 2002 | The Great Ducktective (Compilation VHS with Danger Mouse, Chorlton and the Wheelies, Jamie and the Magic Torch, Rainbow, Cockleshell Bay, and Button Moon) |
| Classic Kids Collection | 2002 | Ducknapped (Compilation VHS with Chorlton and the Wheelies, Button Moon, Jamie and the Magic Torch, Danger Mouse, and Rainbow) |
This[which?] VHS title appeared in 1990 but, at the time, the episodes contained were somewhat exclusive to video (the first was not televised until 1991, neither was the latter until 1993).
Count Duckula episodes were also released on special VHS compilations with episodes of other series. In 1989, the episode "Down under Duckula" was released on Thames' VHS title More Children's Summer Stories, with episodes from Danger Mouse and The Wind in the Willows. In 2001, in the twilight years of VHS, the episodes "The Ghost of Castle McDuckula" and "Venice a Duck, Not a Duck!" were featured on two Cult Kids collection tapes, with episodes of Rainbow, Chorlton and the Wheelies, Button Moon, Jamie and the Magic Torch and The Sooty Show.
Comics
editBetween 1988 and 1991 Marvel Comics distributed 15 issues of Count Duckula comics.[9]
Count Duckula appeared in North American comics under Star Comics (an imprint of Marvel Comics) and introduced an additional difference between this incarnation of Duckula which separated him from his predecessors. Due to ketchup being used in the resurrection ceremony, this version of Duckula has ketchup, rather than blood, flowing through his veins. This was discovered when Duckula was given a blood test in order to get a passport into a fictional country which produced a salad which Duckula was obsessed with getting to eat. In the same issue, Duckula, Nanny, and Igor were photographed as a means of formal ID for said country; however, due to the classic stereotype of vampires not appearing in film, Duckula did not appear in the photo which was taken. Duckula also gained a romantic interest in the Star Comics run; Vanna Von Goosewing, who turned out to be the niece of his long time adversary Dr. Von Goosewing. The attraction was mutual, and the two continued their relationship through the majority of the series after their introduction, though Vanna didn't always appear in every issue of the book.[10]
In Germany, a separate adaptation was produced under license as Graf Duckula, with script by Peter Mennigen and artwork by Miroslava Pollmer and Rüdiger Pareike.
Audiobooks
editIn the early 1990s at least two episodes were released in audiobook format on cassette tape with accompanying illustrated hardcover book featuring artwork from the original television episodes. They featured the original cast in new performances as they were edited considerably from the original television scripts for a shorter duration, removal of visual gags and the addition of new narration and character exposition where necessary. The "Restoration Comedy" episode was packaged with a small plastic Count Duckula figure in some territories.
- No Sax Please, We're Egyptian
- Restoration Comedy
- The Ghost of Castle McDuckula
Computer games
editAlternative Software released a computer game based on Count Duckula called "No Sax Please, We're Egyptian!". In the game, Igor, Nanny and Count Duckula have decided to search the tomb of the great Pharaoh Upanatem (a pun on "up and at 'em") to find the mystic saxophone. What they do not know is that they have brought along some unwanted guests in the form of the Crow brothers.
The game was a basic jump and run platform-type game. At the start, the castle was transported to an ancient pyramid. Then, players had a set amount of time to go through the pyramid, evading the various baddies inside the pyramid, to retrieve the mystic sax before the Count's castle automatically returns to Transylvania, leaving the player stranded in Egypt.
The title of the game was a parody on the title of a British comedy play No Sex Please, We're British!.
The game was available for various 8-bit computers such as the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, & Amstrad CPC, and was also released as a "Kid's Pack" with other TV shows that Alternative Software turned into games, including Postman Pat, Sooty and Sweep, Popeye 2, The Wombles, and SuperTed. Alternative Software was one of the few software companies of the 1980s that still survives today as an independent software producer.
There was also a Count Duckula 2 sequel in 1992.
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ Rovin, Jeff (1991). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals. Prentice Hall Press. pp. 55–57. ISBN 0-13-275561-0. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 64. ISBN 9781476672939.
- ^ Interview with Brian Cosgrove.
- ^ "21 charming things to know about Cosgrove Hall Films". 3 August 2018.
- ^ Victor and Hugo, bunglers in crime Archived 13 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "El Conde Patula – Primera Temporada Completa 4 DVDs Box" (in Spanish). Amazon. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ "El Conde Patula – Segunda Temporada 4DVDs Box" (in Spanish). Amazon. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ "Count Duckula: The Complete Collection (7-disc) (DVD) - Laserdisken.dk - salg af DVD og Blu-ray film".
- ^ "Count Duckula (1989) comic books".
- ^ "Count Duckula (Volume)".
External links
edit
- Count Duckula at IMDb
- "Count Duckula". Cosgrove Hall Ate My Brain. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
