Jim and the Teenage Kickass

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Jim and the Teenage Kickass (JATTK) is an animated American sitcom created by Zorgin Hmorgin. The series follows the exploits of Jim Farleyborough, a high school student moonlighting at as a Bondesque secret agent, and his various associates. It is often considered the foundation of the modern prime-time animated sitcom, and for this reason is viewed by television producers as a milestone.

In the United States, the series aired from September 1981 to 2004 on Disney Channel. JATTK was also aired on Shalgrad, and more recently CRO-TV.


Contents

Cast and characters

Jim Oglethorp (Zorgin Hmorgin)
A somewhat nerdy high school student in suburban Pinnacle City, who harbors something of a crush on cheerleading captain Nora O'Malley. By night, he transforms into a suave and handsome spy named "Jay" and delivers vigilante justice to a number of well-known criminals, notably the Teenage Kickass. His best friend is Fred Lynn.
Nora O'Malley (Tastrati Kastrati)
The most popular girl in school, Nora is a stereotypical snobby rich person, who boasts "straight buggery", immense amounts of education, and great physical shape, and is considered the top of the high school food chain. By night she transforms into the Teenage Kickass, who is Jay's main rival and also secret crush. Unlike Jim, she is very nervous about her double life.
Fred Lynn (Zorgin Hmorgin)
Jim's best friend, Fred is an African American folk singer and vegan who frequently offers him advice on life, in a pseudo-philosophical manner. He is the only person who knows about Jim's double life, and has occasionally helped him on missions (in which he transforms himself into "The Fighting Environmentalist"). O joy, o joy. Unlike Jim, he has a steady girlfriend most of the time, Pamela Wentworth.
Pamela Wentworth (Tastrati Kastrati)
A very liberal punk/goth girl who is Fred's girlfriend and one of Jim's best friends. She does not understand his relationship with Nora, as she views Nora as part of the "establishment" that will be destroyed during the upcoming Communist revolution. She has often been described as "Fred, but way further to the left".
Chihiro "The Dragon" Nakashura (Zorgin Hmorgin)
A crime kingpin, ninja, and political leader from Hokkaido, who is possibly Jim's most persistent villain. He is the commander of the International Forces for Change and Hope, where the Teenage Kickass is employed. It is strongly implied that he is gay.
Slade Oglethorp (Zorgin Hmorgin)
A divorced, balding slob who claims to be Jim's biological father, although it is frequently implied that he may have been born illegitimate to an unknown father. Although he has the apperance of a stereotypical blue collar worker, he is in fact a highly paid professional. He is portrayed as an abusive, ill-tempered, misogynistic drunk.
Yvonne Oglethorp (Tastrati Kastrati)
Slade's ex-wife, who is believed to have custody of Jim. She divorced Slade after his rampant drunkard nature finally drove her away. She is portrayed as far more competent than Slade, although she does have a few quirks, such as an obsession with a local clothing store at the mall. She is often seen as a background character, usually at a rally for a feminist or other left-wing cause.
Senator Stitch (Zorgin Hmorgin)
A bizarre space alien creature who is seen as the main teacher and principal of the school. He is a major character in the first season, due to his association with a group of intergalactic villains, but became less important later (Hmorgin commented in an interview "What the hell can you do with an alien guy anyway?"). Stitch can not speak in ordinary language but rather in a bizarre series of somewhat unsettlingly gay sounds.
Yolanda Jackson (Tastrati Kastrati)
A very hip African American girl who Jim has a crush on. She appears more friendly in general than Nora. She is also part of the school's cheerleading team. It is strongly implied that she has a double life as well, although little is known about it. Yolanda began appearing in the second season and gradually replaced McPherson, a previous love interest.
Cosmo Flagstone (Zorgin Hmorgin)
The overly inquisitive nosy-neighbor type, Cosmo is a self-described "suburban family man" who apparently has much to hide about his personal life. His overblown Australian accent and frequent sparring with Yvonne (who lives next door) hide an essentially tragic figure, a man who must hide behind false claims and stories to hide his internal failures.
McPherson (Tastrati Kastrati)
A close friend of Jim and distant relative of Nora who often acts as mediator between the two. She has feelings for Jim, but he seems not to notice them. Due to a traumatic childhood experience, she has become extremely shy and introspective, keeping to herself and becoming extremely nervous around strangers. She appeared regularly in the first and second seasons but was later phased out.
Barbara McStacy (Tastrati Kastrati)
Nora's close friend, Barbara is an exagerrated stereotype of the "mall girl" mentality, with a valley girl accent and a shallow demeanor. Barbara is a purely comic character, rarely subject to the in-depth personalisation of most of the others. She follows a bizarre religious cult of the Shirt, the Pants, and the Holy Underpants, and also holds a superstitious belief in Das Boot and Tommy Tape.
Ez Dauchterliegens (Zorgin Hmorgin)
The local "Comestible Giraffe" grocery clerk, a "sexually experienced" young man as he calls himself, who frequently appears to give advice to lovelorn people like Jim. He is apparently college age, but his background is largely unknown. He came out as gay in one of the final episodes.
Erwin McCobb (Zorgin Hmorgin)
A mentally deranged elementary school kid who lionizes Jim to an extent he cannot understand. He seems to be very obscene, often shouting profanity (which he claims to have learned from Ez) and ethnic slurs (which encourages Fred to write a protest song about him). He is often seen in a mental hospital or psychiatrist's office. His parents are among several characters who are part of the stereotype.
Rad Ralph (Zorgin Hmorgin)
The local disc jockey, Ralph is a parody of the greedy music-mongering scounderl. He is involoved in a major plot in the third season as an accomplice of disgruntled country rocker Sandy Dallas, with whom he has an affair and promises to always serve. Much of his speech is bleeped profanity.

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Setting

JATTK is set in Pinnacle City in the USAGNAA, however it seems to be a very futuristic world. Politics is now dominated by a number of strange factions, and the major political units have been either amalgamated or broken down completely. Punk rock and heavy metal have taken over as America's "official" musical genres, and many prominent politicians cite membership in a rock band as qualifications for their office.

Religion is portrayed as very ecumenical, with churches being more a place of gathering and fellowship than for actual religious ceremony. It is implied that as far as the sense of the supernatural goes, a sort of New religion has taken root in America, which is a blend of elements of several world religions.

Esperanto is now spoken and understood by many people. In some episodes, which include considerable discourse with people of foreign countries, the language is featured heavily.

Humor

JATTK frequently utilized black comedy and surreal humor to its advantage, and was often considered one of the most "darkly funny" shows on television. The usage of stoner humor established a certain cult following, especially in very liberal and cosmopolitan areas. This would later become the standard for Zorgin Hmorgin's later productions, most notably Alamance Alfred and The Carlow Crab.

Episodes

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Production

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Impact

It could be argued that JATTK had greater influence than almost any other animated series in history. Not only was it one of the first mainstream American television series created by a croboy, but it also introduced the "animated sitcom" to the world (something that had been basically forgotten since The Flintstones). Many of the minor characters of the series eventually had their own TV shows, such as Henry J. Plodding or Kim Possible.

References in popular culture

eventually

Media

DVD releases

Several seasons are now available on DVD.

See also

References

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External links

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