Toonsylvania

Toonsylvania was an animated show that lasted for two seasons on FOX's Saturday morning cartoon block. It was created by Bill Kopp (the creator and voice of Eek the Cat) and Jeff DeGrandis and produced by Steven Spielberg, each episode was split into four parts:


 * The first part would be one of the adventures of Dr. Vic Frankenstein; his assistant, Igor, a Ted Baxter who thought he was the brains of the outfit, and their Frankensteins Monster, Phil.
 * The second part, called "Night of the Living Fred", was about the adventures of a family of zombies, created by Mike Peters, Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist and creator of Mother Goose and Grimm. On most episodes (particularly in season one), this segment would be replaced with an animated parody of a B horror movie.
 * The third segment was the shortest, called "Igor's Science Minute", where Igor gives a science lesson. Hilarity and disaster ensue, especially in the ones where Igor doesn't sing the lesson.
 * The fourth and final segment, called "Melissa Screetch's Morbid Morals"', had Phil do something bad. As punishment, Igor reads him a tale involving a bratty girl named Melissa Screetch, who doesn't heed the warnings of adults (usually given by her mother) and gets punished one way or the other for it.

Toonsylvania provides examples of:

 * Animated Anthology: In the same vein as Animaniacs and Tiny Toon Adventures.
 * Big Eater: The baby human on the episode of the same name
 * Body Horror: Quite a bit. The Deadmans' rotting body parts frequently fell, flew, or were ripped off. Also, Phil was badly put together and literally fell apart if one of his stitches was pulled, as Igor demonstrated in his lesson on gravity. His brain was also removed from his head at least twice, and once was even shown to be sentient.
 * On "Baby Human," when the baby chomps down on Igor's head, one would expect Igor's head to be tucked into his body when Phil pulled the baby off him, right?.
 * Couch Gag: The part in between the first cartoon and the second cartoon had a small animated piece where Igor flicks on the remote and each episode, something weird happens (the remote produces a fly that turns on the TV, a mallet hits Phil on the head and Phil dazedly staggers from the couch to turn on the TV, Igor uses the remote to turn Phil into Dr. Vic, who turns Igor into a ghost woman named Natalie Nightshade, who turns Dr. Vic into Phil, who turns Natalie into a clone of Phil, and the two watch TV together, etc)
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar: Like any 1990s kids' cartoon, this show had its share of sexually suggestive jokes (the first episode included Dr. Vic reading a book of pick-up lines to use on women and a scene of Igor, Dr. Vic, and Phil drooling over a Sexy Silhouette of a woman showering...until they draw back the curtain and find the Darla Doiley doll ready to kill him). Unlike any 1990s kids' cartoon, this cartoon also had a lot of dark humor and jokes about Amusing Injuries (again, the first episode had a scene of a previous customer wanting to return his Darla Doiley doll because she had put an axe through his head. Igor and the clerk laugh at the man before he angrily tosses the doll and leaves).
 * Lampshaded in the episode with Doc's werewolf grandmother. Phil suggests that they simply deal with her via the trademark silver bullet, and Igor sharply reminds him this is a kids show.
 * Gross Out Show
 * Hey Its That Voice - Brad Garrett as Phil, Wayne Knight as Igor, and Nancy Cartwright (using the voice she now uses for Nelson Muntz on The Simpsons) as Melissa Screetch
 * On the episode, "Darla Doiley: Demon Doll," the voice of the toy store clerk is the always-cast and always-versatile Billy West -- whose character sounds EXACTLY like Professor Farnsworth (even though "Futurama" didn't premiere until 1999 and Toonsylvania came out in 1998).
 * Keep Circulating the Tapes: Unlike Steven Spielberg's other cartoons (Animaniacs, Tiny Toon Adventures, etc) this (and Histeria) haven't been put on DVD nor have they appeared in reruns on cable TV or online on any video sites.
 * Loophole Abuse: In "Phil's Brain", Dr. Vic ordered Igor to take the garbage out but Igor replied that his union doesn't allow him to do it. (In fact, it's the only thing the union forbids him from doing) Dr. Vic then ordered Igor to make sure Phil takes the garbage out otherwise Igor will be punished.
 * Real Men Wear Pink (with some shades of Camp Straight): Dr. Vic.
 * On "Built for Speed," he was seen painting his toenails.
 * On "Love Hurts," the game show announcer mentions that Dr. Vic enjoys bubble baths.
 * On "Love Potion Number Nein!" Dr. Vic has his body and hair wrapped up in towels the way a woman would have it.
 * Right Behind Me: From "Baby Human," Dr. Vic, Igor, and Phil are searching for the cannibal baby Igor created in the basement. The baby lands on Dr. Vic's head as Dr. Vic is yelling at Igor, then Dr. Vic panics until he realizes "The baby's on my head, isn't it?"
 * Shout Out - Igor once greets a rival mad scientist's assistant with a disgusted "Hello, Renfield." A very familiar guitar strain plays. Wayne "Newman" Knight, of course, voiced Igor.
 * Space Whale Aesop - The entire point of the Melissa Screech segments. Stay out past curfew? You get abducted and eaten by a monster! Make funny faces all the time? Your face will fuse permanetly into the funny face and you're forced to star in B horror flicks to get by! Disobey an instruction? You spark a cataclysmic war between Earth and an alien race! Spoil your appetite with sweets? You'll waste away to an atom or get blown like paper in the wind.
 * Trademark Favorite Food - Phil Likes chili.
 * Whole Plot Reference: "Built For Speed"
 * Yandere and Love Makes You Crazy: Natalie Nightshade (a dead actress who now haunts the castle as a ghost) under the influence of Igor's love potion on "Love Potion Number Nein" was so crazy in love with Igor that she tries to kill him so the two can be together forever.