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BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends is an adult-animated crossover sitcom co-created by Bloo J and Craig McCracken and developed by Matthew Chaudhary for The Bloo DeTour.
The series was pitched to The Bloo in 1997 as part of their then-recently created block The Bloo DeTour. The company had greenlit the series for production in 1998 after the demo was completed for The Bloo DeTour. The series was originally supposed to air later into the year on MTV but the show was held back until 2 years later due to behind-the-scenes issues with The Bloo, as well as delays and the pilot episode being reworked into a longer-length TV movie.
The show, which premiered on The Bloo DeTour, has gained mass popularity among teenagers and adults, and is one of the longest running animated television series.
The show is rated TV-14-DLSV for suggestive dialogue, use of mild strong language, sexual content, and violence. Uncensored episodes are rated TV-MA.
BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends is a joint production by Romite New York, 9 Story Media Group, Augenblick Studios, Klasky-Csupo, Alternative, Paramount Television Animation, Warner Bros. Animation, Games Animation Inc., and Krusty Krab Productions.
The show is set in the fictional town of Toonville and parodies American culture and society. Much like The Simpsons, South Park, Kim Possible, Family Guy, Futurama, and Rick and Morty, BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends was designed for mature audiences, featuring comical (and in some cases, bloody) violence, adult humor, coarse language (some swears are censored, though uncensored on Adult Swim, and DVD prints), running gags, and pop culture references.
Plot
BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends is an animated comedy that follows the adventures of three friends who reside in the town of Toonville (a city populated by famous cartoon characters) and own a large house for cartoon characters and imaginary friends. Episodes usually feature the central trio of Mac, Bloo, and Jenny, though occasional storylines revolve around the other main characters, However, their lives are occasionally interrupted by Bendy, Terrence, Chloe, Plankton, The Problem Solverz, and the Abandoned Cartoons so Bloo must team up with the imaginary friends to break the villains' plans.
At the end of most episodes, there are PSAs, which are named "Bloo's Tips". These are meant to be parodies, and take heavy inspiration from the "Sonic Says" segments of AOSTH fame.
Episodes
Characters and voice cast
The protagonists
These are the characters who commonly appear in the show.
- Mac (voiced by Sean Marquette) – A bright, and imaginative eight-year-old boy who is Bloo's creator and best friend. The two often spend a lot of their time hanging out together. His parents are divorced and his behavior wavers between kindness and aggravation. He also likes to play video games and be a master of it.
- Bloo (voiced by Keith Ferguson) – Mac's imaginary friend, as well as the main protagonist of the show and the mascot of The Bloo. He spends much of his time with his friends and trying to impress love interest and part-time girlfriend Jenny Wakeman. He also likes to think of good schemes, along with the rest of his friends. Out of all the characters, Bloo saw the most appearances and character development throughout the series. Bloo's love for Jenny is a recurring theme throughout the series.
- Jenny Wakeman (voiced by Janice Kawaye), - A teenage robot who is nice to everyone in the group. She is boy-crazy and when she has grown attracted to someone, she will fawn over him endlessly. She is also very good at cooking and cleaning. Jenny is also a fan of the Japanese anime Sailor Moon, as she is obsessed with anime and manga sometimes. She is Bloo’s girlfriend. They have broken up many times, but they make up sooner or later.
- Frankie Foster (voiced by Grey DeLisle) – Madame Foster's redheaded granddaughter, addressed as "Miss Frances" by Mr. Herriman. She is boy-crazy and when she has grown attracted to someone, she will fawn over him endlessly. She is also very good at cooking and cleaning. She is Mac's girlfriend. According to her driver's license, she was born on July 25, 1984.
- Eduardo (voiced by Tom Kenny) – A Latin American monster created by a young girl, Nina Valerosa, to protect her in a dangerous neighborhood.
- Wilt (voiced by Phil LaMarr) – A very tall, friendly and incredibly nice red-colored friend with only a right arm and a crooked left eye-stalk. His overtly passive demeanor is often taken advantage of by the other imaginary friends.
- Coco (voiced by Candi Milo) – A chicken-like bird with palm tree-like hair who can only say or write her name. A talent unique to her is her ability to lay colorful, plastic eggs containing a plethora of objects.. Other characters usually understand her when she speaks.
- Mr. Herriman (voiced by Tom Kane) – A gray and white elderly anthropomorphic lop ear rabbit friend imagined by Madame Foster who speaks with a stereotypical thick British accent.
- Madame Foster (voiced by June Foray from 2000-2017, Candi Milo from 2017-present) - The caring founder of Foster's and grandmother of Frankie. She is the creator of Mr. Herriman. Despite being old, she shows endless energy.
- SpongeBob SquarePants (voiced by Tom Kenny) – a sea sponge and the main protagonist of the Nickelodeon series of the same name. He is obsessed with Star Wars.
- Patrick Star (voiced by Bill Fagerbakke) – SpongeBob's best friend and one of the characters from SpongeBob SquarePants, who is a pink starfish that wears green shorts.
- Shrek (voiced by Bill Murray) - An ogre from the 2001 DreamWorks film of the same name who is portrayed as Bloo's assistant and Mr. Herriman's half-brother. He is usually busy doing his job, but can help whenever he is asked.
- Ren Hoek (voiced by Billy West) - An intense, hyperactive, and short-tempered chihuahua, and one of the characters from Ren and Stimpy, TBA
- Stimpy (voiced by Eric Bauza) - a 3-year-old dim-witted and empty-brained cat and one of the characters from Ren and Stimpy, TBA
- Cheese (voiced by Candi Milo) - An annoying imaginary friend and Bloo's hyperactive yellow brother, who is shown constantly bothering people over and over. He is lactose-intolerant, which is ironic due to his namesake.
The supporting cast
These are characters whose appearances are more prominent than cameos.
- Thomas the Tank Engine (voiced by Edward Glen) - A fictional anthropomorphized steam locomotive in The Railway Series books.
- Devious Diesel (voiced by Jim Cummings) - A lazy train who doesn't bother to work, and instead sleeps on all of his jobs.
- Mario (voiced by Charles Martinet) - A short, pudgy, Italian plumber who resides in the Mushroom Kingdom.
- Luigi (also voiced by Charles Martinet) - Mario's younger but slightly taller brother.
- Homer Simpson (voiced by Dan Castellaneta) - one of the characters from The Simpsons, the husband of Marge Simpson, and the father of Bart, Lisa, and Maggie, TBA
- Marge Simpson (voiced by Julie Kavner) - one of the characters from The Simpsons, wife of Homer Simpson, and mother of Bart, Lisa, and Maggie, TBA
- Nancy Cartwright as the voice of the following characters:
- Bart Simpson, one of the characters from The Simpsons, and Homer Simpson's son, TBA and the youngest child of Marge and Homer's children, TBA
- Maggie Simpson, one of the characters from The Simpsons and the youngest child of Marge and Homer's children.
- Lisa Simpson (voiced by Yeardley Smith) - One of the characters from The Simpsons and the middle child of Marge and Homer's children.
- Sonic the Hedgehog (voiced by Jaleel White) - A speedy blue hedgehog who is the mascot of Sega.
- Mickey Mouse (voiced by Wayne Allwine from 2000-2009, Bret Iwan 2009-present) - the main titular protagonist of the Disney franchise of the same name and the mascot of Disney. As the Disney mascot, whether or not he actually is the Mickey Mouse from Disney, he is the long-time clown host of Bloo and Mac's favorite TV show, Getting Crap Past the Radar, a combination of kiddie variety television hijinks and cartoons.
- Goofy (voiced by Bill Farmer) - a character from the Mickey Mouse franchise. However, like Mickey, he is not the Goofy from Disney, as he likes to snort cocaine and sing a song called "Party Like a Goofy".
- Donald Duck (voiced by Tony Anselmo) - A character from the Mickey Mouse franchise. However, he doesn't act like the Donald from Disney, as he pisses, shits, and does hard drugs.
- Batman (voiced by Adam West from 2000-2017, Kevin Conroy 2017-present) - A DC Comics hero, TBA.
- Robin (voiced by Burt Ward) - Batman's sidekick, TBA.
- Eric Cartman (voiced by Trey Parker) - one of the characters from South Park and the most foul-mouthed of the four boys.
- Stan Marsh (also voiced by Trey Parker) - one of the characters from South Park and the most tender and sensitive of the four boys.
- Kyle Broflovski (voiced by Matt Stone) one of the characters from South Park and, like Stan, is also tender and sensitive. He is also the most honest and loyal of the four boys.
- Kenny McCormick (also voiced by Matt Stone) - one of the characters from South Park who covers his face (except his eyes) with his orange hood and muffles through his hood when he speaks. He is the most sexually knowledgeable of the four boys, and also the most experienced one.
- Peas (voiced by Phil LaMarr) - Peas is a tiny, pea-like imaginary friend who wears a thimble as a hat. Peas is very optimistic and motivated. He has a great work ethic and is always willing to do whatever he can to help out Foster's (despite his limited capabilities due to his small size.)
- World (voiced by Max Burkholder) - A friendly imaginary friend without a proper appearance, as he is just a face. He was misunderstood, and later improved his ways once he found a home at the Foster's.
- Bob (voiced by Phil Vischer) - The main protagonist of VeggieTales. Though he may be the protagonist of the aforementioned show, he acts differently in BFHFIF, as he is the member of a S.W.A.T. team. He is also known to believe in God.
- Larry (voiced by Mike Nawrocki) - Bob's best friend and partner who works with him at the aforementioned S.W.A.T. team. He is also the host of Viewer Mail Time, which is a running gag that occurs in the series.
- Goo (voiced by Candi Milo) - Mac's crazy girlfriend.
- More coming soon!
The side/minor characters
These characters are generally flat, stereotypical and usually not of central importance to the plot.
- Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) - The main protagonist of the Disney film, Toy Story. He is a pull-string cowboy ragdoll and one of the two leaders of the toys in the movies. His facial features are based on Tone Thyne, a former Disney animator. He is also a good friend of Mac.
- Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen) - A toy Space Ranger superhero who is Woody's best friend. He is usually out saving the world, but watches TV whenever he is not. He has also been known as the first person to land on Saturn.
- Ed (voiced by Matt Hill) - A strong, airheaded, and usually quite random dogsbody who has very short hair.
- Double D (voiced by Samuel Vincent) - The smartest of the Eds and the most polite, mature, and considerate of the three.
- Eddy (voiced by Tony Sampson) - The self-appointed leader of the Eds. He is arrogant, selfish, loud-mouthed, immature, greedy, and hot-tempered.
- Crazy Bus (voiced by Frank Welker) - A hyperactive bus who isn't afraid to take citizens for a ride. TBA.
- Chef Starburns (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) - A French-born Italian chef that works for Shrek. In addition to this, he also works as a slave for many of the characters in the house.
- Sylvester the Talking Kitty Cat (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui) - A black cat who is the main protagonist of the Talking Kitty Cat series. He is self-centered and addicted to wet food.
- Jeffy (voiced by Billy West) - A 14-year-old boy who acts somewhat different than the average teen, and is mostly an anti-hero. He also has a very strange choice of clothing.
- Winnie the Pooh (voiced by Jim Cummings) - An anthropomorphic, honey-loving teddy bear belonging to Christopher Robin.
- Sailor Moon (voiced by Grey Griffin) - The main protagonist of Jenny's favorite Japanese anime of the same name.
- Annoying Orange (voiced by Tom Kenny) - A very annoying orange who's main way of entertaining himself is to make fun of others.
- Scooby-Doo (voiced by Frank Welker) - A unique anthropomorphic Great Dane dog who is able to speak in broken English, unlike most other dogs in his reality, and usually puts the letter R in front of words spoken.
- Tom and Jerry (voiced by William Hanna (archival recordings)) - Tom is a cat who always wants to get revenge on his rival, Jerry. Tom is cocky, arrogant, and often very silly. Jerry is silly too, but he always has fun surviving.
- Alvin and the Chipmunks (voiced by Ross Badgasarian and Janice Karman) - A singing chipmunk trio that consists of Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual; and Theodore, the chubby, shy one.
- Garfield (voiced by Frank Welker) - An overweight anthropomorphic orange tabby noted for his laziness, smug sarcasm, and intense passion for food, particularly lasagna, pizza, and ice cream.
- Timmy Turner (voiced by Tara Strong) - An eight year old boy who has fairy godparents.
- Cosmo and Wanda (voiced by Daran Norris and Cheryl Hines) - Timmy's fairy godparents.
- More coming soon!
The antagonists
These are the villains of the show.
Main
- Bendy (voiced by Jim Cummings) - The main antagonist of the show; an evil yellow, black-striped imaginary friend who likes to be mean to the Foster's Gang and try to kill Bloo.
- Terrence (voiced by Tara Strong) - The second main antagonist, who is Mac's brother and likes to do nothing but assault and mortify Mac for his own amusement.
- Mr. Soares (voiced by TBA) - A thief who likes to steal concepts for TV shows, movies, and video games.
- Can't (voiced by Billy West) - A detective, spy and daredevil who can take over peoples' minds and imagination. His appearance resembles that of a fusion between a cat and a cactus, with only one eye. He is one of Jackie Khones' arch nemeses.
- Berry (voiced by Grey DeLisle) - A small female imaginary friend with two completely different sides to her, her first side being the cutest, sweetest girl in the world, and the other being an insane, love-addicted brat with razor-sharp teeth.
- World (voiced by Max Burkholder) - World can be best described as happy and rather enigmatic due to his many different bodies and is a bit of a prankster, but well meaning most of the time. However, if upset, he becomes quite monstrous and clingy, especially when he thinks he might be abandoned. He later improves his ways and becomes a supporting character.
- Chloe (also voiced by Candi Milo) - The main protagonist of Gnome Alone and Terrence's friend, TBA.
- Sheldon J. Plankton (voiced by Mr. Lawrence) - Bendy's sidekick, and the owner of the Chum Bucket, an unsuccessful restaurant located across the street from the Krusty Krab. His business is a commercial failure because they sell mostly inedible foods made from chum. Plankton is a small planktonic copepod and the self-proclaimed archenemy of Mr. Krabs.
- The Elite Flushed Toons - A horde of cartoon characters that have been stuck in the sewers after their shows were cancelled by their creators or for other reasons. Before the events of the show, they were discovered by Bendy in the sewer, and then taken to his lab where they were appointed as his minions. These consist of:
- The Problem Solverz (voiced by Ben Jones and Kyle Kaplan) - The Problem Solverz consist of Alfe, Roba, and Horace, with Alfe being the leader of the Abandoned Cartoons. They like to burn other characters' eyes.
- Angela Anaconda (also voiced by Tara Strong) - A sociopath who is the main protagonist of her own show who likes to scare other characters and has an obnoxiously shrill voice. She is also one of the Abandoned Cartoons.
- The Mega Babies (voiced by Sonja Ball, Eric Bauza, and E.G. Daily) - The protagonists of the show of the same name who use bodily fluids to defeat characters. They are also members of the Abandoned Cartoons.
- 12 oz. Mouse/Mouse Fitzgerald (voiced by Matt Maiellaro) - A mouse that is obsessed with the essence of alcohol, as well as one of the Abandoned Cartoons.
- Mr. Pickles (vocals by Dee Bradley Baker, voiced by Zac Efron) - A demonic stray border collie, one of the antagonists of the show, and one of the Abandoned Cartoons. He was disowned by his owner due to his behavior
- Johnny Test (voiced by James Arnold Taylor) - A troublesome, unpredictable, and widely iconic 11-year-old boy and one of the Abandoned Cartoons.
- The Brothers Flub (voiced by Jerry Sroka and Scott Menville) - A pair of blue-furred alien brothers named Guapo and Fraz Flub. Guapo is shorter and fatter than his brother, and is a lighter shade of blue. Both wear bodysuits, shoes and caps.
- Pickle (voiced by Jon Heder) - A friendly pickle. Often causing mischief, Pickle is the best friend of Peanut. Despite his adulthood, Pickle can be shy and sometimes a nerd, and cowardly.
- Peanut (voiced by Johnny Pemberton) - Pickle's best friend, a peanut who wants to be cool and popular. Peanut is a freewheeling, peanut-looking man. Besides the goal of popularity, he also tries to attract ladies. Peanut drives a van and wears a headband. Peanut is cooler and a bit smarter than Pickle.
- Allen Gregory (voiced by Jonah Hill) - A snooty 7-year-old jerk who is a celebrity, attracted to his principal, and one of the Abandoned Cartoons.
- Coconut Fred (voiced by Rob Paulsen) - An anthropomorphic coconut who is the star of his own show. SpongeBob loathes him due to Fred being a carbon copy of him.
- Gela Samsonadze (voiced by Matt Hill) - A yellow fatherly-figure that resembles a certain dad from a certain yellow family, and one of The Abandoned Cartoons.
- Swifty (voiced by Billy West) - A thick-headed and arrogant white-fur polar dog who is terrible at his job and fails to understand what it is, and one of the Abandoned Cartoons.
- Moxy (also voiced by Tara Strong) - A mutated ragdoll thing who is loathed by most of society and was considered bland for her "subliminal" message of "be yourself" and one of the Abandoned Cartoons.
- Anti-Tex Avery (also voiced by Billy West) - The main protagonist of The Wacky World of Tex Avery, an imposter, and one of the Abandoned Cartoons. He is also Woody's rival.
- The Brothers Grunt (voiced by Doug Parker) - An ensemble cast of pale humanoids with prominent varicose veins often leaking various noxious bodily fluids.
- Paddy the Pelican (voiced by TBA) - TBA.
- Legends of Chamberlain Heights (voiced by Josiah Johnson and Quinn Hawking) - They are three teenagers Jamal, Milk, and Grover. They're benchwarmers on the high school basketball team, but legends in their own minds.
- Biatches (voiced by TBA) - Two friends who wreak havoc.
- Scare Squad and Heart Heroes (voiced by Frank Welker and Tara Strong) - A group of monsters, animals and anthromorphic hearts whose agendas annoy the friends and cartoons as well as limit them undeservingly and one of The Abandoned Cartoons.
- The Silly Bandz (voiced by Frank Welker) - Coming soon! one of The Abandoned Cartoons.
- The Real Team - A team who hate all good toons.
- Stuart Snyder (voiced by TBA) - TBA.
- TBA.
- More coming soon!
The supporting antagonists
- Sideshow Bob (voiced by Kelsey Grammer) - TBA.
- Teen Titans Go! Robin (voiced by Scott Menville), TBA
- Teen Titans Go! Cyborg (voiced by Khary Payton), TBA
- Teen Titans Go! Beast Boy (voiced by Greg Cipes), TBA
- Teen Titans Go! Starfire (voiced by Hynden Walch), TBA
- Teen Titans Go! Raven (also voiced by Tara Strong), TBA
- TBA.
Others
These are characters that don't have much personality, but still appear in the show.
- The Sinister Slashers - A horde of horror icons who don't work for Bendy but appear in the nightmares of characters, where they try to kill them or scare them. The nightmares are a running gag in the series.
- Pennywise (voiced by Mark Hamill) - TBA
- Freddy Fazbear (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) - TBA
- Jason Voorhees (voiced by Jim Cummings) - TBA
- Gordon Brody (voiced by Kyle Hebert) - TBA
Like The Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park and Futurama, many episodes of BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends feature guest voices from a wide range of professions, including actors, entertainers, bands, musicians, and scientists. Many guest-stars voiced supporting characters, although many voiced themselves. Recurring guest stars include Carlos Alazraqui, Billy West, Jodi Benson, Mark Hamill, Sarah Silverman, Corey Burton, Wayne Knight, John Goodman, Cam Clarke, Debra Messing, Phil Proctor, Elijah Wood, Amy Hill, Maurice LaMarche, George Takei, Phil LaMarr, Harland Williams, Ryan Reynolds, Patrick Stewart, Pharrell Williams, Snoop Dogg, and Dan Fogler. Jess Harnell and Fred Tatasciore have also appeared in minor roles, but do not voice any recurring characters. Harnell left the show in 2006, and since then Brian T. Delaney has appeared regularly to voice minor characters. John Cygan voiced the majority of other minor characters until his death on May 13, 2017. Other current additional voices also include Kari Wahlgren, Roger Craig Smith, Lex Lang, Bryce Papenbrook, Yuri Lowenthal, Jamie Marchi, Kevin Michael Richardson, and Joe Whyte.
Reception
Response from critics and fans
BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends has received overwhelming critical acclaim, specifically for its animation, voice acting, characterization, and its off-color humor. It currently holds a 8.7 rating on TV.com, and 8.9 rating from 10,222 users on IMDb.com. The first season holds a perfect 100% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The series continued to garner universal acclaim throughout its run, earning praise for its dialogue, humor, animation, as well as its appeal to both teenage and older viewers.
From critics, the show has received generally positive reviews. Brian Lowry of Variety stated, "The show has a breezy quality that should play to teens, and tickle some twinges of nostalgia among their parents." While the Los Angeles Times Robert Lloyd referred to the program as "gently twisted", with some Bloofied action and heart-warming folded in". In his review, David Hinckley of New York Daily News called BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, "quirky and endearing", and offered praise for the character of Bloo. Matt Blum, writing for Wired, favorably compared the show to Cartoon Network's animated program Regular Show and Fox's animated program Family Guy, hailing BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends as "clever, strange, and somewhat poignant".
Catherine Seipp of National Review Online described it as a "nasty but extremely funny" cartoon. Caryn James of The New York Times called it a show with an "outrageously satirical house" that "includes plenty of comic possibilities and parodies". The Sydney Morning Herald named BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends the "Show of the Week" on April 21, 2009, hailing it a "pop culture-heavy masterpiece". Frazier Moore from The Seattle Times called it an "endless craving for humor about bodily emissions". He thought it was "breathtakingly smart" and said a "blend of the ingenious with the raw helps account for its much broader appeal". He summarized it as "rude, crude and deliciously wrong". The New Yorker's Nancy Franklin said that BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends is becoming one of the best animated shows; she commented on its ribaldry and popularity. The show has become a hit on Hulu; it is the second-highest viewed show after Saturday Night Live. IGN called BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends a great show, and commented that it has gotten better since its revival. They stated that they cannot imagine another half-hour sitcom that provides as many laughs as BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. Empire praised the show and its writers for creating really hilarious moments with unlikely material. They commented that one of the reasons they love the show is because nothing is sacred—it makes jokes and gags of almost everything. Robin Pierson of The TV Critic praised the series as "a different kind of animated comedy which clearly sets out to do jokes which other cartoons can't do." BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends has proven popular in the United Kingdom, regularly obtaining between 700,000 and 1 million viewers for re-runs on Fox.
The series has attracted many celebrities. Robert Downey Jr. telephoned the show production staff and asked if he could produce or assist in an episode's creation, as his son is a fan of the show; the producers subsequently created a character for Downey. Lauren Conrad met Bloo J while recording a Laguna Beach clip for the episode "Jaws" (season 3, 2003). She has watched BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends for years and considers Stewie her favorite character. Actor Dwayne Johnson stated that he was a "big fan" of BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. Johnson befriended Bloo J after he had a minor role in Johnson's 2010 film Tooth Fairy. R&B singer Rihanna has admitted to being a fan of BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, as has pop singer Britney Spears. Spears, who was mocked for her personal problems in the South Park episode "Britney's New Look" in 2008, offered to appear in a cameo to hit back at the similar animated show, but Bloo J declined, stating that he did not want to start a feud with the series.
Being The Bloo DeTour's most popular and successful show, BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends remains the project for which Bloo J is best known. BlooJ's FHFIF would become as successful as it ultimately did, proving popular among both male and female audiences. A poll conducted by The Bloo revealed that BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends viewers voted for Season 1's "Band Blues" as their favorite episode of the series.
The series has been referenced on various other media, such as The Simpsons and That Yoshi Guy (TehYoshiGuy's comic series).
Recognition and awards
TBA.
Criticism and controversy
TBA.
In March 2018, Robyn Byrd and Katie Rice disclosed to BuzzFeed that John Kricfalusi sexually harassed and groomed them for sexual abuse while they were underage. As a result, Kricfalusi and his production company were fired and Titmouse, Inc.'s in-house team were sworn in as a replacement.
Production
Development
In 1982, Bloo J created a concept for a home populated by imaginary friends while he was at college. He would later use this concept in an animated television series 14 years later. He would pitch this idea to several companies. However, the companies rejected it for their own reasons. Finally, there was The Bloo Productions, who was not-so-sharp, and allowed Bloo J to pitch to the channel's then-recent late-night block, The Bloo DeTour, consisting of an 11-minute animation of a few of the main characters fighting over who gets to the bathroom first and Mr. Herriman pointing a knife at them at the end of the animation, as he orders them to form a line. The Bloo DeTour accepted it and gave the greenlight to the show 2 months later. The series was originally supposed to air in 1998 on Comedy Central but the show was pushed back to 2000 due to behind-the-scenes issues with The Bloo, as well as delays.
Phil Hartman and Mary Kay Bergman were initially hired to voice both Bloo and Jenny and had recorded nearly all of the dialogue for the character, but Hartman died in 1998 and Berman in 1999 before completing the project so Bloo J then re-casted the voice roles to Keith Ferguson and Janice Kawaye insisted on a complete script rewrite, to leave no traces of Hartman Berman's version of the show. According to Ferguson Janice Kawaye, they wanted to voice the characters "for two reasons: we wanted the opportunity to work with Bloo J as Ferguson and Kawaye's where voicing them in the 1998 film House Of Bloo.
A story reel featuring a sample of Phil Hartman and Mary Kay Bergman's recorded dialogue was leaked to the public in June 2015.
BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends officially aired its first episode on August 11, 2000 as part of the 15th anniversary of The Bloo, and was sold to 62 broadcasters worldwide. Also, the show was among the first of The Bloo DeTour's original series.
Animation
The 11-minute animation was animated at Wang Film Productions in Taiwan and AKOM in South Korea. Ink-and-paint services were provided by Bardel Entertainment.
BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends has been farmed out to several different animation studios. These companies include Film Roman, Yowza! Animation, Wang Film Productions, Rough Draft Korea and Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS Entertainment), with animation directed by veteran animator Eric Goldberg during the first five seasons. Animation from season 7-10 was later directed by animation directors Robert Alvarez, Bill Knoll and Gwen A. Wetzler.
Much like Animaniacs, BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends is made with a higher production value than standard television animation. It has a digitally-colored drawing count that was more than double that of most television animation. The series have about 25,000 digitally-colored drawings per episode instead of the standard 10,000, making it unique in that characters move more fluidly. All characters seen in the show often move fluidly and do not regularly stand still and speak, as in other television cartoons.
The show used high-resolution raster character layers and vector backgrounds from the third season to the switch to HD so earlier episodes could be displayed in widescreen. These prints were exclusive to the UK until America made the aspect ratio switch on television networks. Earlier seasons were exclusively animated using rasters, but were remade in 2014 in HD so the episodes from earlier seasons could fit in when broadcast on networks. The same remaking process was done for episodes after The Bloo made budget cuts to the animation around Season 7. Episodes from season 3 to the HD switch are currently displayed in their 16:9 versions, but the 4:3 versions seen on original airings are available on streaming services as well as the 16:9 versions.
As the show progressed, The Bloo made network budget cuts on the animation, but not on the writing. And as a result, the seventh season's animation went into a downgrading quality. In an interview by Bloo J, he clearly states that he was not satisfied with The Bloo's animation budget cuts and the use of DFE-styled limited animation (of which he did not use exclusively in most of his animated TV shows).
The other companies, Film Roman, Wang Film Productions, Yowza! Animation and Tokyo Movie Shinsha had left entirely at the second half of the seventh season and were replaced with new companies Toon City Animation (despite their animation's rubbery and cartoony nature), Digital eMation, Yearim Productions and Yeson Entertainment. This makes Rough Draft Korea the only studio to be leftover from the second season and the new main animation studio starting with Season 7.
In the tenth season, Toon City Animation, Digital eMation and Yeson Entertainment left the show as well, making Rough Draft Korea and Yearim Productions, as well as the returner Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS Entertainment) and the newcomer Bardel Entertainment the remaining overseas studios to animate the episodes for not only this season, but for the rest of the series. The animation budget cuts were dropped, allowing Eric Goldberg to come back and direct the animation for the series, returning its animation style from seasons 1-7.
In an interview, Bloo J says that it normally takes 6-8 days to produce an episode, because the show uses very fluid hand-drawn animation. However, for specials, it takes about 21 days.
International broadcast
United States
- The Bloo DeTour (2000-present)
- Nick@Nite (2000-present)
- UPN (2000-2003)
- The WB (2003)
- MTV (2000-present)
- MTV2 (2001-present)
- Adult Swim (2001-present) (part of main block and Toonami)
- Nickelodeon (outside of Nick@Nite) (2008-2009, 2013, 2019)
- TBS (2011-present)
- Toonami (2013-present)
- Syfy (2018-present)
- FXX (2019-present)
Canada
- The Bloo DeTour (2000-present)
- Nick@Nite (2000-present)
- MTV (2000-present)
- CBC Television (2000-present)
- Teletoon (2000-present)
- YTV (plus Other) (2000-2007, 2020-present)
- VisionTV (2005-2015)
- Adult Swim (2019-present)
- CTV Comedy Channel (2003-2013, 2019-present)
- Much (2013-present)
Mexico
- Canal 5 (2001-present)
United Kingdom and Ireland
- The Bloo DeTour (2000-present)
- Nick@Nite (2000-present)
- MTV (2000-present)
- Sky One (2000-present)
- Channel 4 (2002-present)
- Channel 7 (2020-present, as part of The Bloo DeTour block)
Russia
- Channel One (2002-present)
- 2x2 (2007-present)
Italy
- Canale 5 (2001-present)
- Italia 2 (2012-present)
Spain
- Telecinco (2004-present)
- Cuatro (2007-present)
- Energy (2015-present)
- Factoria de Ficcion (2016-present)
France
- M6 (2001-2010)
- Canal+ (2010-2014)
- Canal+ Decale (2013-2014)
- TF1 (2014-present)
- TFX (2018-present)
Japan
- NHK Educational TV (2001-2010)
- TV Tokyo (2010-2013)
- MBS (2013-2016, part of Animeism block)
- Tokyo MX (2016-present)
Australia
- Channel 10 (2001-2018, 2019-present)
- 9Go! (2017-2020)
- Seven Network (2018-2019)
- 7mate (2019)
- SBS (Three Network) (2020-present)
New Zealand
- Three (2000-2008)
- TVNZ 2 (2008-present)
Singapore
- Channel 5 (2001-present)
Fictional broadcast
El Kadsre
- Banushen Television (2000-2008, 2019-present)
- RGN (2008-2017)
- El TV Kadsre 3 (2017-2019)
- CPN (2019-present)
Alexonia
- Prime (2001-2013)
- ATS Two (2013-2020)
- Twelve (2018-present)
- TV Three (2020-present)
- Alexia MX1 (2020-present)
- Alexia MX+ (2020-present)
Vicnora
- VBC (2000-2009)
- Vicnora One (2009-2018)
- TWO2 (2018-present)
Mahri
- TV1 (2001-2017)
- 2k (2017-present)
Sentan
- STN1 (2001-present)
Euro Republics
- TV3 (2000-present)
- Fox (2001-present)
- Go (2004-2020)
- TV11 (SBS) (2020-present)
Sakaria
- NBN 2 (2000-2020)
- SBS 2 (2020-present)
Conlandia
- CBC (2000-present)
Fabella
- Rediffusion Three (2004-present)
Streaming
- Netflix
- Paramount+ (2021-present)
- Hulu
- VRV
- HBO Max
Titles in different countries
European countries
- France – La famille d'accueil de BlooJ pour des amis imaginaires
- Germany – BlooJs Pflegeheim für imaginäre Freunde
- Hungary – A BlooJ Foster otthona képzeletbeli barátok számára
- Italy – La casa di BlooJ's Foster per amici immaginari
- Poland - BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
- Romania – Căminul lui BlooJ pentru prietenii imaginari
- Russia – Дом Фостера BlooJ для воображаемых друзей
- Sweden – BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
Asian countries
- Japan - ド想像上の友達のためのBlooJの里の家
- China - BlooJ的Foster的虚构朋友之家
- South Korea – 상상의 친구들을위한 BlooJ의 포스터
Spanish-speaking countries
- Latin America - Mansion Foster De BlooJ
- Spain - La casa de acogida de BlooJ para amigos imaginarios
Other countries
- TehYoshia: BlooJ Mähsone-Foster Imaginaerifrend
Ratings
Most episodes are rated TV-14-DLSV (some episodes with a TV-PG-DLSV rating) with Adult Swim cuts of the episodes and some episodes being rated TV-MA. In the UK, earlier seasons were rated 12, but as the seasons went up, so did the adult humor, so later seasons are rated 15.
Running gags
- I Believe I Can Fly: This usually happens once or twice per season. This is where the Foster's gang will get a warning which says "ALERT: JETPACK (villain) APPROACHING". A villain will then fly into the air and shout "I BELIEVE I CAN FLY!" and then laugh evilly.
- Talking to the Audience: A character talks to the audience.
- Commercials - Episodes usually have a parody advertisement for an absurd product. Some examples include Toybay.com, an eBay.com-type website where people sold their toys.
- Nearby house getting destroyed while the person who lives in it is taking a shower gag (Shower Gag) - This is an occasional gag. The victim of this gag is usually the houses nearest to the Foster’s building.
- Bendyfriendz Media Conglomerate Inc. Jingle - jingle heard the first time Bendy’s building appears in each episode. Many variations exist; usually, a variation is used when first changing the scene to Bendy's' location.
- Cutaway Gags (Sketches) - Cutaway Gags are commonly used in most episodes. They are used after a sentence or conversation, usually starting with "This is even worse/better than the time..." and are one of the main comedy parts of the show.
- Kool-Aid - in a court episode, After each Foster member screams "Oh no!", the Kool-Aid Man runs through the courtroom wall screaming "OH YEAH!", then backs away awkwardly.
- Woody's Toonville News - TBA
- My Leg! - A gag that involves Fred getting his leg hurt by a random object getting destroyed.
- TBA
Other media
Books
As of 2009, six books have been released about the BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends universe, all published by HarperCollins since 2005. The first, BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Official Character Guide (ISBN 978-0-06-077321-2) by series creator Bloo J, was released on April 26, 2002. The book contains information about the characters. Other books include BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: The Rip-Off Artist (ISBN 978-0-7528-7593-4), which covers the events of the episode of the same name.
Novel
Main Article: Foster's Rewritten Imaginary Friends
TBA
Comic books
Main article: BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends Comics
The 32-page bimonthly comic book series, BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends Comics, was announced in November 2010 and debuted the following February. The comics were seen in Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan, following the popularity of the show in Japan, and were published by Slave Labor Graphics in North America.
Films
Coming soon!
Video games
The success of BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends spawned various video games; a total of twenty-one video games were released, supported by various gaming consoles and platforms:
- BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Invasion of the Cartoon Snatchers (2000) (Rated: T) ( For Game Boy Color) ( Developer(s): Vicarious Visions /Publisher(s): Activision, Krusty Krab Games, and The Bloo Games) – released, October 23, 2000
- BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Taxi Rage (PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Microsoft Windows) – released, November 30, 2002
- BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends Fighters (PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Microsoft Windows) – released, September 3, 2003
- BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends 2 (PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Microsoft Windows) - released, October 22, 2003
- BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Party Craze (PlayStation 2, Xbox, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo GameCube) - released July 18, 2004
- BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Hit & Run (Game Boy Advance, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox) – released, October 15, 2004
- BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Crazy Kart Racing! (PlayStation 2, Xbox, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Nintendo DS) – released, October 17, 2005
- BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Attack of the Evil Robot Clones (PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable) - released May 16, 2006
- BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Imagination Invaders (Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox 360) - released November 12, 2007
- BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Let's Go Tower Defense Play! (Xbox Live Arcade) - released October 12, 2009
- BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Uncensored (iOS) - released November 1, 2009
- BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends Go! (iPhone, iPod Touch) - released November 22, 2011
- BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Terrence's Revenge (Xbox Live Arcade) - released March 30, 2012
- BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Back to the Multiverse (Microsoft Windows PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS) - released November 20, 2012
- BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: The Stick of Truth (Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch) - released March 4, 2014, February 13, 2018 (PS4 and Xbox One), and September 25, 2018 (Nintendo Switch)
- BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: The Quest for Stuff (iOS, Android, Kindle Fire) - released April 10, 2014
- BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends Puzzle Blast (iOS, Android) - released May 15, 2015
- BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Another Freakin' Mobile Game (iOS, Android) - released April 28, 2017
- BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: The Fractured but Whole (Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch) - released October 20, 2017
- BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Phone Destroyer (iOS, Android) - released November 9, 2017
- BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: On a Roll (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows) - released October 23, 2018
Merchandise
Main article: List of BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends home video releases
Since the show's premiere, various forms of merchandise based on the show have been released, such as home media releases, action figures, clothing, and more.
VHS and DVD releases of the show are released by Paramount Home Media Distribution and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment in all territories.
The only exception was in 2000, where Channel 4 Video acquired the license to release BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends VHSs and DVDs in the UK. These issues were distributed by Video Collection International. The license lasted for 3 years; 9 home media releases were released during this time period.
Merchandising related to the show is an industry which generates several million dollars a year. In 2002, the top-selling specialty T-shirt in the United States was based on BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and US$30 million in T-shirt sales was reached.
The companies Fun 4 All, Mezco Toyz, and Mirage have produced various BlooJ's FHFIF action figures, collectibles, and plush dolls. In 2001, the first series of BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends toy figurines was released by Mezco Toyz; each character had their own toy, with the exception of Mac, of whom two different figures were made. Over the course of two years, four more series of toy figures were released, with various forms of Bloo.
Jazwares has produced an assortment of 2-, 6-, 7-, and 10-inch licensed action figures and plush toys for the series. "Collectable Figures" have also been released along with other themed merchandise, such as "80's Bobbleheads" "Pullback Custom Cruisers" and "Wrestling Buddies". There have been many graphic T-shirts officially licensed through clothing retailers Hot Topic, We Love Fine, and Threadless.
In October 2002, The Bloo announced a line of toys based on BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, which would be sold by specialty retailers. For the 2015 holiday season, Funko made "Pop!" vinyl figures and Just Toys offered "blind bag" novelty products. PhatMojo sold plush figures and foam weapons, and Zag Toys released collectible bobbleheads and other mini-figures in early 2016. The following year, Toy Factory planned to sell a line of plush and novelty items. The Bloo sells a variety of products, including mugs, blankets and clothing, based on the show's episodes and characters.
Live-Action Adaptation
Main Article: BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (2020 film)
TBA
Trivia
- Unlike SpongeBob SquarePants and The Simpsons, BlooJ's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends uses proper continuity.
- This is Cartoon Network Studios' first Nick@Nite show.
- TBA.