The Bluffers

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"In the immense map of the heavens, among the billions of stars and planets, there is only one globe expensive enough to show Bluffonia, homeworld of The Bluffers!"

Has absolutely nothing to do with cliff faces or people who are good at card games.

The Bluffers is a short-lived animated series from the mid-late 1980s that originated from the Netherlands. It received a wide distribution, and the English dub has surprisingly good lip synch.

It follows some Woodland Creatures who live in the only patch of forest left in a desolate land known as Bluffonia, which is ruled by the nasty dictator Clandestino. The Bluffers, as these critters are called, are obsessed with stealing Clandestino's "Secret to Getting It All," which they hope will save their forest.

This Cartoon Provides Examples Of:

• Amazing Technicolor Wildlife: The pink mouse. (Who also has a heart-shaped tail-tip!) The squirrel is blue, although he could be meant to be actually grey. And why has the bear yellow stripes on his chest?
• An Aesop: While certain episodes may have an Anvilicious message or two, this is mostly subverted in that the entire series had an aesop about the danger of greed that was surprisingly subtle. Until you're told about it, that is.
• Ax Crazy: Prickly Pine, a hyperactive and grouchy porcupine who'd as soon launch a volley of quills than look at you, can be considered a rare heroic version of this trope (scaled down for kids, of course).
• Beleaguered Assistant: Clandestino's butler Sillycone, who is a robot. A cheerful British Robot.
• Crapsack World: With the exception of the one part of the forest that's still standing.
• Cunning Like a Fox: Sharpey.
• Cut Short: The series was canceled before they could reveal what Clandestino's secret was.
• Deadpan Snarker: Sharpey the Fox, who tries to lie, cheat, and steal like a "real fox," but never seems to do it right.
• Five-Man Band:
  • The Hero: Zipper the Squirrel
  • The Lancer: Sharpey the Fox
  • The Smart Guy: Zock (short for "Zocrates") the Owl, also The Obi-Wan
  • The Big Guy: Honey Boy the Bear
  • The Chick: Blossom the Mouse, who even has a heart-shaped tail.
  • Sixth Ranger: Ginsing the Goose, Psycho the Snake, Prickly Pine the Porcupine, Regal Eagle, and two rabbits who are always in the opening credits but never seem to show up other than in random musical numbers.
• Gang of Critters
• Heel Face Turn: Glum, Clandestino's mistreated watchdog, though due to distrust on the part of the Bluffers and a desire for a warm bed he never gets to act on it aside from a few complaints.
• Jerk With a Heart of Gold: Sharpey again. Also Prickly Pine, being a hero as well.
• Lyrical Dissonance: That bouncy, friendly main theme song is calling you names. In the English version, at least.
• Names to Run Away From Really Fast: Clandestino. Subverted with shy Psycho the Snake whose name comes from his (very) minor psychic abilities.
• The Narrator: Gene Deitch (of Tom and Jerry fame) on the English dub.
• Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: Blossom in the English dub has a Southern Drawl. When she feels like it.
• The Owl-Knowing One: Zocrates is not only named after an ancient Greek philosopher, he is even dressed like a stereotypical ancient Greek, complete with laurel wreath on his head.
• Significant Birth Date: Clandestino was born on February 29th. One episode deals with him trying to stop time in order to make up for his "missed" birthdays and shoot fireworks all night long (which is what sends The Bluffers into action).
• The Smurfette Principle: Blossom the Mouse's sole purpose on the show seems to be "be a girl" and "flirt with obviously annoyed Zipper," though she is the only one who takes Glum's Heel Face Turn as genuine.
• Sssssnaketalk: Subverted with Psycho the Snake in that his speech impediment is putting silent "P"s in front of s-words and then pronouncing them. He still has a slight lisp, though.
• Woodland Creatures: Quoth the Snape, "Obviously".