Fangface

Infobox Television
show_name = Fangface


caption =
genre = Animation
camera =
picture_format =
audio_format =
runtime = 30 minutes (1978-79)
15 minutes (1979-80)
creator =
director = Rudy Larriva
producer = Jerry Eisenberg
executive_producer = Joe Ruby
Ken Spears
starring =
voices = Frank Welker
Bart Braverman
Susan Blu
Jerry Dexter
narrated =
theme_music_composer =
opentheme =
endtheme =
country = flagcountry|USA
location =
language = English
network = ABC
first_aired = September 9, 1978
last_aired = September 27, 1980
num_series =
num_episodes = 32
list_episodes =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
related =
website =
imdb_id = 0144194
tv_com_id = 27089

"Fangface" was a 30-minute Saturday morning cartoon produced by Ruby-Spears Productions for ABC which aired from September 9, 1978 to September 8, 1979. The executive producers were Joe Ruby and Ken Spears.

Fangface

Highly derivative of "Scooby-Doo" (which was also created by Ruby and Spears), "Fangface" features four teenagers — Kim, Biff, Puggsy and Sherman "Fangs" Fangsworth who transforms into a werewolf named Fangface whenever he sees the moon or an image of the moon — who drive around in their convertible called the "Wolf Buggy" and solve spooky mysteries involving ghosts and ghouls. Fangface usually immediately attacks Puggsy upon transforming, before taking a moment to recognize his friend (he's not very bright in either form). Whenever Fangface hears a food-related word, or a word or phrase that sounds like one (e.g., "let us," which sounds like "lettuce"), he tries to eat Puggsy; when this happens, Biff and/or Kim rubs Fangface's foot to calm him out of his "feeding frenzy." Also, if Fangface happens to see his image in a mirror, he goes into a hyper frenzy, complete with running circles on the floor. The sight of the sun (or a picture of the sun) transforms Fangface back into Fangs.

Despite the temporary difficulty of Fangface attacking Puggsy, the gang never hesitate to initiate the transformation to take advantage of the werewolf's power to cope with any danger. Indeed, they often refer to Fangface as their "secret weapon".

Fangface and Fangs are unaware of each other, but Fangface lives in the moment, so he never seems to question why he's suddenly in a new place, whereas Fangs is always bewildered upon reversion.

The opening title narration for each episode consists of the following:

:"Every 400 years, a baby werewolf is born into the Fangsworth family, and so when the moon shined on little Sherman Fangsworth, he changed into Fangface, a werewolf! Only the sun can change him back to normal. And so little Fangs grew up and teamed up with three daring teenagers: Kim, Biff and Puggsy, and together they find danger, excitement and adventure! Who can save the day? Who can wrong the rights and right the wrongs? None other than Fangface!"

Sixteen 30-minute episodes of "Fangface" were produced for the 1978-79 season from 8:30-9:00 a.m.

Fangface and Fangpuss

In 1979, the second season titled "Fangface and Fangpuss" aired as a segment on "The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show" and introduced a new character: Baby Fangs, Fangs' infant cousin who turns into a baby werewolf called Fangpuss (which contradicts the opening narration stating that only one werewolf is born into the family every 400 years). The show remained in the same mystery-adventure style as the first season, but episodes were now shortened to 15-minute segments.

"Fangface and Fangpuss" ran from September 22, 1979 to September 27, 1980; it then became a separate series in 1981 and, like the original "Fangface", ran for just one season. After this series, Fangface and company faded into obscurity until reruns began to air on Cartoon Network and Boomerang.

Episodes

eason 1 (1978-79, "Fangface")

#A Heap of Trouble (September 9, 1978)
#A Creep from the Deep (September 16, 1978)
#The Shocking Creature Feature (September 23, 1978)
#Eastward Ho to the UFO (September 30, 1978)
#The Great Ape Escape (October 7, 1978)
#Dinosaur Daze (October 14, 1978)
#Don't Abra When You Cadabra (October 21, 1978)
#Space Monster Mishap (October 28, 1978)
#The Invisible Menace Mix-up (November 4, 1978)
#The Cuckoo Carnival Calamity (November 11, 1978)
#Begone, You Amazon (November 18, 1978)
#Snow Job Jitters (November 25, 1978)
#The Goofy Gargoyle Goof-Up (December 2, 1978)
#A Toothy Shark is No Lark (December 9, 1978)
#Where's the Wolf That's the Werewolf? (December 16, 1978)
#Don't Get Mean with the Cobra Queen (December 23, 1978)

eason 2 (1979-80, "Fangface and Fangpuss")

#There is Nothing Worse Than a Stony Curse (September 22, 1979)
#Evil Guider of the Giant Spider (September 29, 1979)
#Dr. Lupiter and the Thing from Jupiter (October 6, 1979)
#Who Do the Voodoo (October 13, 1979)
#The Creepy Goon from the Spooky Lagoon (October 20, 1979)
#A Scary Affair in the Skullman's Lair (October 27, 1979)
#A Time-Machine Trip to the Pirate's Ship (November 3, 1979)
#The Ill-Will of Dr. Chill (November 10, 1979)
#The Romantic Plot of the She-Wolf Robot (November 17, 1979)
#The Sinister Plan of Lizard Man (November 24, 1979)
#Royal Trouble with the King's Double (December 1, 1979)
#The Stone-Cold Dragon of Gold (December 8, 1979)
#The Evil Design of Vulture-Man's Mind (December 15, 1979)
#The Defiant Casablanca Giant (December 22, 1979)
#The Film Fiasco of Director Disastro (December 29, 1979)
#A Goofy Bungle in the Filipino Jungle (January 5, 1980)

Voices

*Frank Welker - Fangs/Fangface, Baby Fangs/Fangpuss
*Susan Blu - Kim
*Bart Braverman - Puggsy
*Jerry Dexter - Biff

Production credits

*Executive Producers: Joe Ruby, Ken Spears
*Directed by: Rudy Larriva
*Produced by: Jerry Eisenberg
*Voices: Frank Welker, Bart Braverman, Susan Blu, John Stephenson, Allan Melvin, Michael Rye, Joan Gerber, Larry D. Mann, Hettie Lynne Hurtes, Lewis Bailey, Ted Cassidy
*Animation: Jim Davis, Ken O'Brien, Daniel De La Vega, Bill Pratt, John Freeman, Virgil Raddatz, John Howley, Bill Reed, John Kimball, Mike Stribling, Frank Nakielski, Bonita Versh, Xenia
*Animation Supervision: Ed Solomon
*Assistant Animation Supervision: Bill Exter
*Written by: Norman Maurer, Mark Jones, Cliff Ruby, Elana Lesser
*Edited by: Ron Fedele
*Music: Den Elliot
*Story Direction: Cullen Houghtaling, Gary Goldstein, Jan Green
*Character Design: Jerry Eisenberg
*Production Design: Lew Ott
*Layouts: Lin Larsen, Alex Ignatiev, Don Morgan, Jim Willoughby, Dave High, George Goode, Kirk Henderson, Phil Phillipson, Gordon Kent, Alan Huck, Gary Hoffman, Joel Seibel
*Background Styling: Eric Semones
*Background Painted by: Phil Lewis, Michelle Moen, Lorraine Andrina
*Color Key: Kit Harper
*Production Supervisor: Natalie Yates
*Xerox Supervision: Ralph Coffman
*Ink and Paint Supervision: Laura Craig
*Checking: Nikki Zelenka, My Bushman, Lisa Lydon, Steve Carr
*Musical Director: Dean Elliot
*Production Assistant: Jodi Berman
*Studio Manager: Jeff Cooke
*Unit Auditor: Henriette Pacile
*Stock: Sandy Benenati
*Supervising Film Editor: Ron Fedele
*Cel Service: Jerome Stocks, Jim Stocks
*Title Design: Bill Perez
*Titles: Robert Schaefer
*Camera: Take One
*Laboratory: C.F.I.
*Sound: Glen Glenn Sound
*© 1978 Ruby-Spears Productions, Inc.:A Filmways Company

Merchandising and video releases

In 1979-80, merchandising for "Fangface" included a Parker Brothers board game, two storybooks ("A Heap of Trouble" and "A Time Machine Trip to the Pirate's Ship"), 3-reel View-Master set, a 12-inch LP by Peter Pan Records, a Halloween costume and other toys.

In 1983, Worldvision Home Video released a videocassette of "Fangface" containing three episodes and a second videocassette ("Fangface: Spooky Spoofs") containing two episodes was released in 1986; these cassettes are currently out of print, and "Fangface" has not been released on DVD.

A Fangface plush toy was also made.

Trivia

*Puggsy and Fangs were modeled after Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall, respectively, of the Dead End Kids.

*Fangs/Fangface often used Joe E. Ross' trademark exclamation, "Ooh! Ooh!"

*The They Might Be Giants song "I've Got a Fang" was partly inspired by "Fangface".

*A picture of Fangface is seen in a book in the movie "Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King".

External links

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* [http://fangface.castlegrayskull.org/ "Fangface" Fan Site]
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* [http://www.wingnuttoons.com/Fangface.html "Fangface" according to Wingnut]
* [http://www.bcdb.com/pages/Other_Studios/R/Ruby-Spears_Productions/The_Plastic_Man_Comedy-Adventure_Show/Fangface/index.html Fangface @ The Big Cartoon DataBase]
* [http://www.toonarific.com/show.php?s_search=fangface&Button_Update=Search&show_id=1195 Fangface (Fangface and Fangpuss) @ Toonarific Cartoons]
* [http://www.retroland.com/pages/retropedia/tv/item/43 Retroland: Fangface]
* [http://www.tvacres.com/horror_werewolves_fangface.htm TV Acres Werewolves: Fangface]
* [http://www.geocities.com/television_themes/anima168.html TV Themes: Bicudo, O Lobisomem (Portuguese)]