Earthworm Jim (TV series)

Earthworm Jim is an American animated television series based on the video game series of the same name and created by series creator, Doug TenNapel.^[1] The series aired on the Kids' WB^[2][3] for two seasons from September 9, 1995, to December 13, 1996. It follows the adventures of the titular character who battles the forces of evil using a robotic suit.^[4]

Earthworm Jim
A screenshot from the series' opening sequence showcasing its logo next to the protagonists.
Genre	Action/Adventure Science fiction comedy Slapstick
Created by	Doug TenNapel
Based on	Earthworm Jim by Shiny Entertainment
Developed by	Doug Langdale
Voices of	Dan Castellaneta Jeff Bennett Charlie Adler Jim Cummings Edward Hibbert John Kassir Andrea Martin Kath Soucie
Narrated by	Jeff Bennett
Theme music composer	William Anderson
Opening theme	"Earthworm Jim", performed by William Anderson, Jeff Bennett and Dan Castellaneta
Ending theme	"Earthworm Jim" (instrumental)
Composer	William Anderson / Patrick Griffin
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	23
Production
Executive producers	David Perry Doug TenNapel
Producers	Kathi Castillo Roy Allen Smith
Editor	Jay Bixsen
Running time	25 minutes
Production companies	AKOM Flextech Shiny Entertainment Universal Cartoon Studios The Children's Channel (TCC)
Original release
Network	Kids' WB
Release	September 9, 1995 – December 13, 1996

Most episodes involve the series' numerous villains attempting to reclaim the super suit or conquer the universe. However, some episodes have Jim facing more mundane issues, which include returning his neighbor's eggbeater and finding a new power source after his suit's battery runs out. Also, the show breaks the fourth wall with characters often talking to the audience and the narrator.

Episodes begin with a cold opening of Earthworm Jim and Peter Puppy in some peril that has nothing to do with the main plot or the past episodes, with little statement of how they got into the mess. In between parts (generally before or after the commercial break), there is a short side-story, generally featuring one of the villains doing a more natural part of life, usually without any involvement from Jim. Both of these are changed in season 2, with the cold opens being more relevant to the plot and the side stories being dropped entirely. Most episodes end with a character being crushed by a cow, a homage to the original game's ending.

Most of the main characters from the show originated from characters introduced in the video game series. Peter Puppy becomes Jim's sidekick and friend and Princess What's-Her-Name is featured as his love interest. Several antagonists from the games such as Evil the Cat, Psy-Crow, Bob the Killer Goldfish, Queen Slug-for-a-Butt, and Professor Monkey-for-a-Head also appear in the series.

Additionally, some original characters were also created for the series, and were then in turn integrated into future games in the series. For example, Evil Jim, an evil doppelgänger of Jim created for the series, went on to be the main antagonist in Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy.

The voice director for the series was Ginny McSwain.

Main

• Dan Castellaneta as Earthworm Jim, Evil Jim, Jim's Four Brains, Turns-His-Eyelids-Inside-Out Boy, Grim Reaper, Jaepius: God of Puns (in "Assault and Battery"), Abraham Lincoln (in "Sword of Righteousness")
• Jeff Bennett as Peter Puppy, Narrator, The Hamsternator, President of the United States, Puce Dynamo, The Great Worm Spirit (in "The Anti-Fish"), Evil Peter (in "Opposites Attack!")
• Charlie Adler as Professor Monkey-for-a-Head, Doorman of the Gods (in "Assault and Battery"), Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (in "For Whom the Jingle Bell Tolls")
• Jim Cummings as Psy-Crow, Bob the Killer Goldfish, Whooping Cough Boy, Zantor: Master of the Flying Toupée, Walter, The Sword of Righteousness, Maggot, Cuban Band Leader, Lower Back Pain Man, Johnny Dactyl and Phlegmaphus: God of Nasal Discharge (in "Assault and Battery"), Giant Fur-Bearing Trout (in "The Anti-Fish"), Santa Claus (in "For Whom the Jingle Bell Tolls")
• Edward Hibbert as Evil the Cat
• John Kassir as Snott, Henchrat, Grayson (in "Upholstered Peril")
• Andrea Martin as Queen Slug-for-a-Butt, Torch Singer
• Kath Soucie as Princess What's-Her-Name, Evil Princess (in "Opposites Attack!"), Johnny Dactyl's Mom (in "The Exile of Lucy"), Perpsichore: Goddess of Disco (in "Assault and Battery"), Cody (in "Peanut of the Apes")

Additional

• Gregg Berger as various (Season 1)
• S. Scott Bullock as various (Season 1)
• Miriam Flynn as Malice the Dog (in "Evil in Love")
• Brad Garrett as The Lord of Nightmares (in "Evil in Love")
• Lisa Kaplan as various (Season 2)
• Danny Mann as Archbug (in "Queen What's-Her-Name", "For Whom the Jingle Bell Tolls")
• Edie McClurg as various (Season 1)
• Dee Dee Rescher as Galamour the Destroyer (in "The Great Secret of the Universe")
• Kevin Michael Richardson as the Anti-Fish (in "The Anti-Fish")
• Roger Rose as various (Season 1)
• Ben Stein as Rosebud the Nameless Beast (in "The Great Secret of the Universe"), Dr. Houston (in "The Origin of Peter Puppy")
• Billy West as Morty and Surgeon (in "Lounge Day's Journey into Night")
• April Winchell as Mrs. Bleverage, Ilene (in "Lounge Day's Journey into Night")

The series was created by Doug TenNapel and produced by Universal Cartoon Studios along with AKOM, Flextech Television Limited, and Shiny Entertainment.^[5] In 1995, TenNapel and Will Meugniot created a pitch animation video for WB, which showcased a different animation style and Jim not speaking (voice was done by TenNapel). On August 23rd of 2022, a YouTube user named gooberloll uploaded the pitch video.^[6] However, while Meugniot left to supervise season 4 of X-Men, the Graz Entertainment produced first season of Street Fighter and consulting on G.I. Joe Extreme, someone at the network decided that Jim had to talk.

Two seasons of the series were produced, for a total of 23 episodes.

Series overview

Season 1 (1995–1996)

Season 2 (1996)

In the United States, the show was aired on Kids' WB on The WB Television Network from 1995 to 1996.^[3][8] Internationally, in the United Kingdom, it was shown on Channel 4 and TCC (The Children's Channel) in the 1990s. In the 2000s, the show has seen occasional reruns on Nickelodeon. In Ireland, the show was aired on RTÉ Two from 12 September 1996 to 1997.^[9] In Canada, the show was aired on YTV. In Mexico, the show was aired on TV Azteca. In Germany, the show was aired on RTL. In the Netherlands, the show was aired on Kindernet. In Poland, the show was aired on RTL 7. In Spain, the series was dubbed in different languages apart from Castilian Spanish, like the Basque language.

The show was released in the UK onto three VHS tapes in three volumes covering two episodes on each video in the 1990s but these are now out of print and considered rare.

On June 1, 2011, Via Vision Entertainment released the complete series as a 5-disc set in Australia and New Zealand.^[10]

The complete series was intended to receive a U.S. DVD release from Visual Entertainment on July 10, 2012, but was delayed right before release to late October.^[11][12] The set includes all 23 episodes on 3 discs, and is currently available on Amazon.com.^[13]

Digitally, the complete series was formerly available on Fox Corporation's Tubi, but was taken off the service and the show is yet to be made available.^[14]

Aspects of the show, such as newly created characters, or art style, were later implemented in future video games Earthworm Jim 3D and Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy. Two Earthworm Jim comic book series, in the US and UK, were also created to tie into the animated series.^[15]

A line of action figures based on the show was released by Playmates Toys. The series included several variants of Earthworm Jim, as well as Peter Puppy, Princess What's-Her-Name, Bob the Killer Goldfish, #4, Evil the Cat, Henchrat, Major Mucus and Psy-Crow.^[16] A mountable "pocket rocket" was also available as well as a rare mail-in repainted figure of Earthworm Jim in a green suit. Premium DNA made a new line of action figures (Wave 1) set to ship this month.^[17]

On November 18, 2021, it was reported that a new animated television series titled Earthworm Jim: Beyond the Groovy is in development.^[18] A year later, it was announced that Paris animation studio Circus Studios joined Passion Pictures as a partner on the show.^[19] One of the writers on the show, Brent Friedman, said on X (formerly Twitter) that the project is on hold.^[20]

• Earthworm Jim at IMDb
• Earthworm Jim at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on June 4, 2016.