Warner Bros. Entertainment Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Warner Bros. Entertainment Wiki

Histeria! is an American animated series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Unlike other animated series produced by Warner Bros. in the 1990s, Histeria! stood out as the most explicitly educational program in order to meet FCC requirements for educational/informational content for children.

Histeria! was aired on Kids' WB from 1998 to 2000, which continued to air reruns until August 30, 2001. It was presented as a Saturday Night Live-style sketch comedy, with its cast often filling the roles of historical figures. It was to be WB's most ambitious project since Animaniacs. Like the aforementioned, 65 episodes were originally going to be made, but due to being $10 million over budget, only 52 episodes were completed before production of the series was canceled in March 2000. Due to the high production costs, some later episodes reused footage from previous episodes, re-timed to match newly recorded audio, as well as several non-educational segments being used as filler.

Unlike its predecessors, Histeria! was oddly never aired in reruns on any cable network. It was, however, streamed on In2TV, first from March to July 2006, and again in October of that year until January 2009. The full series was released on DVD by Warner Archive Collection in July 2016, though it has yet to be added to iTunes or Amazon Video as of August 2020.

Summary[]

Like other animated series produced at the time by the Warner Bros. animation, Histeria! derived most of humor from its slapstick comedy and satire, with the distinction of combining historical figures and events. Episodes would commonly feature a large cast of children and typecast adults in comedic skits and song parodies, e.g. the cause of the American Civil War sung to the tune of The Brady Bunch theme.

Characters[]

The hosts[]

  • Father Time (Frank Welker) is the main "host" of Histeria!, allowing the cast to "travel" through time. He is dark-skinned, has a long beard and is shown to get quite irritated by the Kid Chorus when they fail to get their facts right. This tends to irritate Loud Kiddington who often screams "SHEESH, WHAT A GROUCH!" after he is out of sight.
  • Big Fat Baby (Luke Ruegger) is the egg-shaped sidekick to Father Time, frequently accompanying him as he introduces the sketches. He is known for the foul odor he carries, caused by his constant defecation in his diaper, which is constantly stated to have been unchanged since ancient times. Big Fat Baby is also accident prone, often falling down steps or off of high places. There seems to be multiple Big Fat Babies, including some female versions with a single strand of hair and bow.
  • Miss Information (Laraine Newman) is an aptly named ditzy tour guide who leads a group of tourists through various moments in history, as if the world is her own personal museum. As her name suggests, she is constantly getting her facts wrong and sometimes coming up with some demented logic to justify her statement (for example, she believes the Washington Monument is not named after George Washington because it is not called the George Monument).
  • World's Oldest Woman (Tress MacNeille) is a very old woman who claims to remember when air was invented. She also claims to have dated every historical male in history. She seems to have a particular romantic interest in Bill Straitman. She is known to romantically hound every male host of an episode as well.

The Kid Chorus[]

  • Loud Kiddington is a young boy so named for the extremely loud volume in which he talks. He often performs "dramatic reenactments" of loud moments in history, such as the Big Bang and the creation of dynamite; with each of this, the viewer is told to turn up the TV volume "for maximum effect." Sometimes, he also keeps watch of something by almost silently muttering "I see it, I see it..." when it is in sight and then switching to screaming "DON'T SEE IT! DON'T SEE IT!" when he loses sight of it. He is voiced by Tom Ruegger's son, Cody Ruegger, and the character's personality is based on Cody because he "has the tendency to be the loudest kid on Earth".
  • Charity Bazaar (Laraine Newman) is the female lead of the Histeria! Kid Chorus, and her main personality trait is that she is usually depicted as being very depressed, as shown by her catch phrase, "I'm not happy." When not singing, she tends to speak in a monotone unless excited. She is willing to take a stand for animal rights, can be easily tempted with promises of being given cookies, and hates doing math homework.
  • Froggo (Nathan Ruegger) is a short blonde-haired boy in the Kid Chorus with a low, frog-like voice, hence his name. He often asks historical figures for two seemingly useless items that he can actually make an invention out of, though he does not always receive the requested items. He is also shown to have a large appetite, but dislikes turnips, and in "Americana", it is shown that he is a big fan of Batman.
  • Aka Pella (Cree Summer) is an African American member of the Kid Chorus who uses sassy lingo, often delivering comedically timed insults to whoever she is currently hanging out with. Unlike most of the other girls in the Kid Chorus, she is a tomboy and tends to be able to be a voice of reason to the group.
  • Pepper Mills (Tress MacNeille) is a hyperactive teenager driven to adoration for any and all celebrities. Virtually everything she says is followed by enthusiastic scream. She constantly gets historical figures to give her autographs, and is then shocked to learn they are not the pop cultural celebrities she has mistaken them for. She also occasionally hosts an interview show titled Pepper's Pep Rally. She seems to be incredibly fast and will pop up and scream until the person she is pestering agrees to give an autograph.
  • Toast (Tress MacNeille) is a clueless surfer teenager, so named from the idea that his brain is fried like toast. His name is also due to the fact that his skin is perpetually sunburnt. He hosts a talk show titled Ask Me If I Care, in which he invites historical celebrities to tell him what they are famous for, only for him to eventually eject them into the sky (sometimes even into space), because he never does care about what they are telling him. He also once mentions having a rock band, which he names Nasty Head Wound, and also mentions that he has an uncle named Melba.
  • Cho-Cho (Tress MacNeille) is a little Chinese girl who is more devious than she looks. Always accompanied by Lucky Bob, she likes to follow people around, refusing to leave them alone until they buy what she is selling. Her dialogue is almost always accompanied by "Chopsticks" as the background music.
  • Lucky Bob (Rob Paulsen Episodes 1–7 Jeff Bennett Episodes 8–52) is a boy with a very noticeable overbite. He tends to speak with a dim-witted drawl. He usually only speaks when agreeing with something another character has said (regardless of whatever they said), using Ed McMahon catchphrases such as "You are correct, sir," "Yes now," and "Hi-yo!"
  • Pule Houser (Frank Welker) is an overweight kid in the show's cast who tends to take abuse and is prone to pitching fits.
  • Susanna Susquahanna (Tress MacNeille) is a little Native American girl with beady eyes and a large gap in her front teeth that gave her a gigantic, Sylvester-like lisp.
  • Kip Ling, Chipper the Crooked Mouth Boy, and the Bow-Haired Girl are three additional Kid Chorus members who usually only show up in the songs or in crowd shots. They do not seem to have any distinguishing characteristics like the rest of the group.

Others[]

  • Bill Straitman (James Wickline) is the straight man to the rest of the characters. He typically winds up interviewing both historical figures and the World's Oldest Woman, the latter of which he struggles to fight off the advances of.
  • Mr. Smartypants (Rob Paulsen) is a shy genius who wears exceedingly large pants and spouts various tidbits of knowledge. The only part of his upper body ever seen are the top of his head and his hands. Ironically, he harbors romantic feelings for Miss Information. Mr. Smartypants often explains historical facts of crude nature, such as the invention of the toilet, which exasperates Lydia Karaoke as the network censor.
  • Chit Chatterson (Billy West) is an eccentric commercial salesman, often attempting to swindle his customers.
  • Fetch (Frank Welker) is Loud's aptly named talking dog, who loves chasing tennis balls and frequently asks the historical figures if they want to play catch with him. He always appears with Loud whenever the latter is attempting to sell something, with Loud claiming he will make Fetch eat something unpleasant should he fail to make a sale, which Fetch is never prepared for. He appears to be of the same breed of dog as Hunter from Road Rovers.
  • Lydia Karaoke (Nora Dunn) is an employee for Kids' WB who has been assigned as network censor for the show, and given the show's nature, this can be quite a hassle for her. Often, she interrupts the sketches to complain that what is about to be or has just been shown is inappropriate for children's television (usually violence, foul language, nudity, and anything considered gross or rude). Infrequently, her attempts to moderate the show results in physical harm for her, resulting in her conceding to the original point. Lydia is also the host of "What's My Job?", a game show in which the contestants must guess the job of the historical figure featured, which, to her frustration, they can never come close to doing. According to the episode "Histeria Goes to the Moon," Karaoke used to work for The Weather Channel.
  • Sammy Melman (Rob Paulsen) is a spoof of the smarmy and desperate television executives, constantly belittling and demeaning the Histeria! cast for the sake of ratings.
  • Molly Pitcher (Tress MacNeille) constantly offers refreshments in the form of water with a wide grin, saucer-sized eyes and overly cheery disposition, modelled after Martha Stewart.
  • Nostradamus (Paul Rugg) claims to be able to "predictiate" the future, though is proven wrong on occasion. He often acts erratically and impatiently, and will constantly yell "shutup" in the middle of a sentence, usually to quiet any sort of audience.

Most of the recurring real-life historical figures in Histeria! were portrayed as caricatures of real-life celebrities from the modern era. The intent was to make analogies to contemporary individuals in terms of personalities and attitudes.

Episodes[]

Main article: Histeria! episode list

Gallery[]

References[]

External links[]

v - e - d
Histeria logo
Media
Media: Histeria! (Episodes)

Recurring segments: Ask Me If I CarePepper's Pep RallyWhat's My Job?

Characters
Hosts: Father TimeBig Fat BabyMiss InformationWorld's Oldest Woman

The Kid Chorus: Loud KiddingtonFroggoCharity BazaarAka PellaPepper MillsToastCho-Cho and Lucky BobPule HouserSusanna SusquahannaKip LingChipperBow-Haired Girl
Other regulars: FetchMr. SmartypantsBill StraitmanChit ChattersonLydia KaraokeSammy Melman
Recurring historical figures: NostradamusMolly PitcherGeorge WashingtonThomas JeffersonBenjamin FranklinNapoleon BonaparteAbraham Lincoln

Episodes
"Inventors Hall of Fame, Part 1" • "The U.S. Civil War, Part 1" • "The Attack of the Vikings" • "The Wild West" • "The American Revolution, Part 1" • "The Know-It-Alls" • "The Renaissance" • "The U.S. Civil War, Part 2" • "Really Oldies but Goodies" • "The American Revolution, Part 2" • "A Blast in the Past" • "China" • "Tribute to Tyrants" • "The Montezuma Show" • "Great Heroes of France" • "The Terrible Tudors" • "The Wheel of History" • "When Time Collides" • "Around the World in a Daze" • "Histeria Satellite TV" • "General Sherman's Campsite" • "Return to Rome" • "The Russian Revolution" • "Inventors" • "Megalomaniacs" • "Hooray for Presidents" • "The Thomas Jefferson Program" • "More Explorers" • "Return to China" • "Loud Kiddington's Ancient History" • "Super Writers" • "History of Flight" • "Presidential People" • "Writers of the Purple Prose" • "Histeria! Around the World" • "When America Was Young" • "Super Amazing Constitutions" • "Better Living Through Science" • "The Dawn of Time" • "Music" • "World War II" • "The Teddy Roosevelt Show" • "Communuts" • "Americana" • "20th Century Presidents" • "Histeria! Around the World II" • "Histeria! Goes to the Moon" • "The French Revolution" • "North America" • "Heroes of Truth and Justice" • "Euro-Mania" • "Big Fat Baby Theater"
Locations
The Histeria! TheaterWilliam Howard Taft Big Around the Middle School
Songs
Theme songs: It's Called Histeria!The Histeria! MarchPlease Watch Our Show

Character jingles: The Ballad of Father TimeBig Fat Road BabyBig Fat Baby TwinsWorld's Oldest Woman JingleLoud Kiddington JinglePepper Mills Jingle
Selected historical songs: Philo FarnsworthEaster IslandThe Invasion SongJefferson and Franklin RapYou'll Be Leader of the United StatesPeople Wanted Pepper on Their Food

See also
Tiny Toon AdventuresAnimaniacsPinky and the BrainFreakazoid!Road RoversPinky, Elmyra & the Brain


v - e - d
Warner Bros. Animation Logo (Template-only)
Looney Tunes/Spielberg universe
Animated series: The Bugs Bunny ShowTiny Toon AdventuresTaz-ManiaAnimaniacsThe Sylvester & Tweety MysteriesPinky and the BrainFreakazoid!Road RoversHisteria!Pinky, Elmyra and the BrainThe Cat&Birdy Warneroonie PinkyBrainy Big Cartoonie ShowBaby Looney TunesDuck DodgersLoonatics UnleashedThe Looney Tunes ShowNew Looney Tunes

Films: Bugs Bunny: SuperstarThe Bugs Bunny/Road Runner MovieThe Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny MovieBugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit TalesDaffy Duck's Fantastic IslandDaffy Duck's QuackbustersSpace JamWakko's WishTweety's High-Flying AdventureLooney Tunes: Back in ActionBah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes ChristmasLooney Tunes: Rabbits Run

DC Comics
Animated series: Batman: The Animated SeriesSuperman: The Animated SeriesBatman BeyondStatic ShockThe Zeta ProjectJustice LeagueTeen TitansJustice League UnlimitedThe BatmanKrypto the SuperdogLegion of Super HeroesBatman: The Brave and the BoldYoung JusticeGreen Lantern: The Animated SeriesTeen Titans Go!Beware the BatmanDC Super Hero Girls

Animated films: Batman: Mask of the PhantasmBatman & Mr. Freeze: SubZeroThe Lego Batman MovieBatman: Return of the Caped CrusadersBatman vs. Two-Face

Hanna-Barbera
Animated series: What's New, Scooby-Doo?Tom and Jerry TalesShaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!Scooby-Doo! Mystery IncorporatedThe Tom and Jerry ShowBe Cool, Scooby-Doo!Yabba-Dabba Dinosaurs!

Direct-to-video film series: Scooby-Doo on Zombie IslandScooby-Doo! and the Witch's GhostTom and Jerry: The Magic RingTom and Jerry: Blast Off to MarsThe Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age SmackDown!The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-WrestleMania!

Other TV series
Detention¡Mucha Lucha!Xiaolin ShowdownCoconut Fred's Fruit Salad IslandBaby BluesRight Now KapowDorothy and the Wizard of OzBunniculaGreen Eggs and HamUnikitty!WayneheadOzzy & DrixMike Tyson Mysteries3 SouthMadJohnny TestFirehouse TalesThunderCatsThunderCats Roar
Other original films
Theatrical: Quest for CamelotThe Iron GiantOsmosis JonesThe Lego MovieStorksThe Lego Ninjago Movie

Direct-to-video: Kangaroo Jack: G'Day U.S.A.!¡Mucha Lucha!: The Return of El MaléficoHappiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown

Films, distribution only
Gay Purr-eeThe Incredible Mr. LimpetTreasure IslandOliver TwistThe Nutcracker PrinceRover DangerfieldThumbelinaA Troll in Central ParkThe Pebble and the PenguinCats Don't DanceThe Fearless FourThe King and IThe Scarecrow


v - e - d
Warner Bros. Television 2019
1950s
1960s
1970s
1977: Bugs Bunny's Howl-oween Special

1978: Bugs Bunny in King Arthur's Court
1979: Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet

1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s


v - e - d
Warner bros family entertainment
Theatrical films
The Magic Voyage (UK distribution) • Dennis the MenaceFree WillyTom and Jerry: The Movie (home video distribution) • George Balanchine's The NutcrackerBatman: Mask of the PhantasmThumbelinaBlack BeautyA Troll in Central ParkLittle GiantsThe NeverEnding Story IIIRichie RichBorn to Be WildThe Pebble and the Penguin (international) • A Little PrincessFree Willy 2: The Adventure HomeThe Amazing Panda AdventureIt Takes Two • Gumby: The Movie (German distribution) • The Adventures of Pinocchio (German distribution) • Space JamShilohCats Don't DanceA Rat's TaleThe Fearless Four • Air Bud (UK distribution) • Wild America • The Swan Princess II: Escape from Castle Mountain (home video distribution) • Free Willy 3: The Rescue • Pippi Longstocking (home video distribution) • Quest for Camelot • Little Men • The King and IThe Iron GiantShiloh 2: Shiloh SeasonPokémon: The First MovieMy Dog SkipPokémon: The Movie 2000The ScarecrowPokémon 3: The MovieCats & DogsOsmosis JonesThe Little Polar BearScooby-DooThe Powerpuff Girls MovieKangaroo JackLooney Tunes: Back in ActionScooby-Doo 2: Monsters UnleashedClifford's Really Big MovieYu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of LightLaura's StarThe Polar ExpressRacing StripesCharlie and the Chocolate FactoryCorpse BrideThe Little Polar Bear 2 – The Mysterious IslandThe Thief LordSaving ShilohThe Ant BullyHappy FeetTMNTSpeed RacerStar Wars: The Clone WarsShorts: The Adventures of the Wishing RockLaura's Star and the Mysterious Dragon NianCats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty GaloreLegend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'HooleYogi BearTop Cat: The MovieDolphin TaleHappy Feet TwoLaura's Star and the Dream MonstersThe Lego MovieDolphin Tale 2MaxStorksThe Lego Batman Movie
Direct-to-video films
Live-Action films: Dennis the Menace Strikes AgainAddams Family ReunionRichie Rich's Christmas WishAce Ventura Jr.: Pet DetectiveScooby-Doo! The Mystery BeginsScooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake MonsterFree Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove

Scooby-Doo films: Scooby-Doo on Zombie IslandScooby-Doo! and the Witch's GhostScooby-Doo and the Alien InvadersScooby-Doo and the Cyber ChaseScooby-Doo! and the Legend of the VampireScooby-Doo! and the Monster of MexicoScooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness MonsterAloha, Scooby-Doo!Scooby-Doo! in Where's My Mummy?Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy!Chill Out, Scooby-Doo!Scooby-Doo! Legend of the PhantosaurScooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery
Looney Tunes films: Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My VacationTweety's High-Flying AdventureBah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes ChristmasLooney Tunes: Rabbits Run
Other films: The Snow Queen • The Snow Queen's Revenge • The Mighty KongBatman & Mr. Freeze: SubZeroWakko's WishDexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip • Millionaire Dogs • The ScarecrowBatman Beyond: Return of the JokerPokémon: Mewtwo ReturnsThe Little Polar Bear: Lars and the Little TigerThe Little Polar Bear: The Dream of FlyingThe Little Polar Bear: Nanouk's RescueBatman: Mystery of the Batwoman¡Mucha Lucha!: The Return of El MaléficoThe Little Polar Bear: A Visitor from the South Pole • Nine Dog Christmas • Kangaroo Jack: G'Day U.S.A.!Laura's Christmas Star

Notable television shows
Tiny Toon AdventuresTaz-ManiaBatman: The Animated SeriesThe Plucky Duck ShowThe Little Polar BearAnimaniacsFree WillyFreakazoid!Pinky and the Brain

The Sylvester and Tweety MysteriesRoad RoversSuperman: The Animated SeriesWayneheadThe Legend of Calamity JaneThe New Batman AdventuresThe New Batman/Superman AdventuresHisteria!Pinky, Elmyra & the BrainBatman BeyondDetentionStatic ShockJustice LeagueThe Zeta ProjectBaby Looney TunesLaura's Star¡Mucha Lucha!Ozzy & DrixWhat's New, Scooby-Doo?The Little Polar BearDuck DodgersTeen TitansXiaolin ShowdownThe BatmanJustice League UnlimitedCoconut Fred's Fruit Salad IslandJohnny TestFirehouse TalesKrypto the SuperdogLoonatics UnleashedLegion of Super HeroesShaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!Tom and Jerry Tales

Advertisement