Pet Alien

Pet Alien (also known in France as Alien Bazar) is a Cuboxian-French-American animated television series created by Jeff Muncy, that aired on CTN Kids in Cuboxia (as well as many other syndicated channels), TF1 and Télétoon in France, and Cartoon Network and Animania HD (and later Kabillion) in the United States. It was produced by Splash Entertainment (or Mike Young Productions at the time) and Moonscoop.
== Plot ==
A group of five aliens land on Earth on an island called DeSpray Bay. They fall right into the house of Tommy Cadle, a lonely 13-year-old boy who has no friends living alone in a lighthouse. From then on the aliens, Dinko, Gumpers, Swanky, Flip and Scruffy, live with Tommy and will mess up his daily life with their silly wacky antics. Over the course of the show, Dinko and Tommy become best friends despite the foolishness of the aliens.
== Characters ==
=== Main characters ===
* Tommy Cadle (voiced by Charlie Schlatter) - He was once a normal kid who had no cares in the world and did well in school, at least until the aliens came along. Tommy is often bullied by some of the other kids because of the aliens' actions and is annoyed by them, but generally accepts them as part of his life and sees Dinko as his best friend. Dinko always refers to him as "Tommy of Earth".
* Dinko (voiced by Charlie Adler) - A silly green alien that is the leader and biggest troublemaker of the alien gang, and Tommy's best friend. He always tries to help Tommy, but often misunderstands everything and messes things up. This leads to Tommy getting punished and/or blamed for everything and the aliens get off scot-free. He is also fascinated by lots of things on Earth.
* Gumpers (voiced by Jess Harnell) - A strong, but easily scared pink gorilla-like alien with a big appetite. He appears to be extremely dumb most of the time, but he is capable of intelligent thoughts if he strains his brain hard enough. He and Dinko try to help Tommy with his problems, but they always mess things up and cause a bigger issue. Sometimes, Gumpers will point out the flaws in Dinko's plans, but Dinko never listens to him and does what he wants instead.
* Swanky (voiced by Jess Harnell) - Swanky is a British-accented blue alien that is the most refined of the gang. He is rude, lazy, elegant and very self-centered. He rarely accompanies Tommy and the aliens on their wacky adventures. He enjoys fancy things and massages and wants to steal Tommy's room for himself.
* Flip (voiced by Charlie Adler) - An energetic parrot-like alien whose speech is often unintelligible.
* Scruffy (no voice actor) - Dinko's pet dog-alien who jumps around like a bunny and whose tongue supposedly is smarter than himself.
=== Major characters ===
* Melba Manners (voiced by Candi Milo) - A spoiled brat who is the arch-enemy of Tommy. She enjoys forcing him to do tedious or tiresome tasks and has a loud and shrill voice. She is also an exceptionally clever opponent in staring competitions. Like the other humans, she is too stupid to tell that the aliens are aliens. She just calls them Tommy's "things".
* Granville DeSpray (voiced by Jess Harnell) - a very British kid and a direct descendant of DeSpray Bay's founders, and as such he values old English traditions like teatime. Oddly, all the characters think he is Norwegian. Granville is hopelessly in love with Melba and has numerous times, to no avail, attempted to win her heart. He hates Tommy and always blames him for anything bad that happens. He only has one friend; the statue Admiral Puff. He has another dog statue named Jean Claude.
* Gabby (voiced by Candi Milo) - a girl who is in love with Tommy, but he doesn't feel the same way. In several episodes it is revealed that she can smell when Tommy is in trouble.
* Clinton Fillmore Jefferson XIII (voiced by Charlie Schlatter) - Clinton competes in any kind of sports available and usually wins. He is also a bully who likes to annoy others including Tommy. He has a strong Canadian accent and his catchphrase is "Losah!" which he refers to people as.
* Cap'n Spangley (voiced b Charlie Adler) - An old sailor who is a little crazy. He is afraid of water and crustaceans and he runs the local taffy shop which Tommy and the aliens visit often.
=== Minor characters ===
* Tommy's Mom (voiced by Candi Milo) - An unseen woman who keeps contact with her son solely through a speaker installed in Tommy's bedroom.
* Old Man Bitters - Cap'n Spangley's archenemy.
* Emperor Breet - An evil emperor who now and then journeys to Earth to kidnap the aliens living with Tommy. Unfortunately, he always loses the right to take them in a game he isn't very clever at, and therefore despises: musical chairs.
* Doctor Daffodil (voiced by Charlie Adler) - An octopus-like alien that Dinko and his friends consults whenever Tommy needs a doctor. Unfortunately, his methods can be highly dangerous and Tommy therefore tries to evade him as much as possible.
* Tommy's Teacher (voiced by Candi Milo) - She usually appears in some episodes that revolve in school. In one episode, she gave Tommy his first B− for his inflated hand and degraded it to a C+ when the hand shrunk and to a C− when his leg inflated.
* Mom-sicle and Popsicle - Swanky's parents who are red-necked unlike their son.
* The Mime - A mime that tries to enter the lighthouse but is always stopped by Flip.
* The Frog - A banjo-playing frog that appears in some episodes often as intermission for a new scene or a gag.
== Episodes ==
Main article: List of Pet Alien episodes
Season	Episodes	Release date 	End date
1 	26 	January 21,2005 	July 15,2005
2 	26 	November 11,2005	May 5,2006
3 	40 	September 1,2006	July 27,2007
4 	12 	August 15,2008 	October 31,2008
== Production ==
The show was originally pitched to Disney, but they eventually decided not to go with them, because Disney exclusively wanted it to be a preschool show, and wouldn't budge on its intended all ages demographic (although, the show was syndicated on Disney Channels in Cuboxia, and aired on Disney Channel in Spain). It was eventually decided to be with CTN Kids in Cuboxia and TF1 in France. The show was first confirmed to be in production as early as April 2002. In October 2002, the show's production partners were announced.
The original draft for the series was meant to be more serialized and accurate to the toyline. Dinko, Gumpers, and Swanky would have landed in Tommy's backyard and took refuge in his treehouse, forcing Tommy to keep them a secret for fear of attracting the Big Union of Galaxies. The show would later get reworked into an episodic comedy with more simplistic storylines, Tommy's treehouse becoming a lighthouse, Flip and Scruffy being added to the cast, and the secret-keeping arc being cut altogether.
The series first premiered internationally in the United States on Animania HD in November 2004, and TF1 in France on January 5,2005, before premiering in Cuboxia on January 21,2005, and 2 days later on January 23 on Cartoon Network US.
Similar to other low-budget shows, the series uses only four main voice actors; Charlie Schlatter (Tommy Cadle, Clinton), Charlie Adler (Dinko, Flip, Cap'n Spangley), Jess Harnell (Gumpers, Swanky, Granville), and Candi Milo (Gabby, Melba). Harnell was also the voice director.
The show's theme song was different in every season of the English version. In the first season it was an instrumental with original animations, in the second it was a big band jazz song with lyrics, in the third it was an english cover of the alternative French season 2 intro, and in the fourth just brought back the one from the second season. Most dubs of the show don't do this and just use the season 1 intro.
== Reception ==
The show got mixed reviews in most countries, but it was more liked in France and Cuboxia, where its popular and beloved in the latter and a cult classic in the former.
The show was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in the category "Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program", which was Jess Harnell (Swanky), at the 33rd Daytime Emmy Awards, and was nominated for multiple CTN Kids Awards.
== Broadcast ==
The show has aired on ALOT of channels in Cuboxia. It has aired on CTN Kids from its beginning to end and has had frequent reruns since its end, and premiered on CTN Kids Retro in 2020. It's also on Boomerang as of 2009.
Formerly however, it aired on Animania from 2005 to 2010, Cartoon Network from 2005 to 2014, Tooncast from 2005 to 2021, Nicktoons from 2007 to 2009, Toon Disney and Jetix from 2007 to 2009, Disney XD from 2009 to 2014, Disney Channel from 2010 to 2011, Ricochet from 2012 to 2015, CTN Jr for a month in 2013, Kidzone from 2015 to 2017, and Adult Swim's CTN Kids nostalgia block for 2 days in 2023.
In its other two origin countries, The United States actually premiered internationally first on the channel Animania HD in November 2004, and then on Cartoon Network in January 2005. It aired on both until around 2007. It then moved to the Kabillion service for a while, before returning to TV on Qubo, which aired it from 2017 to 2019, and then again from 2020 to 2021. In France, Alien Bazar started airing on TF1 on January 5,2005, and has since been syndicated on Teletoon+, Gulli and Taffy Kids in France, and 2M in Morocco. It was also on Netflix in all available English speaking countries, France, Spain and Germany sometime around 2013-2017.
Internationally, it aired in English in:
* Australia on Cartoon Network and Network Ten
* Canada on Teletoon and Toon-A-Vision
* Central and Eastern Europe on Cartoon Network
* Middle East on e-Junior
* Southeast Asia on Cartoon Network
* United Kingdom on ITV1, CITV, GMTV, Cartoon Network, Nicktoons and BFBS 1
And dubbed versions:
Country 	Language 	Dub name 	Channels 	Notes
Albania 	Albanian 	Kafshë Shtëpiake i Huaj 	Bang Bang, Cufo 	
Angola 	Portuguese	Mascotes Extraterrestres 	Cartoon TV 	
Arab World 	Arabic 	Unknown 	e-Junior 	
Arab World 	Arabic 	رامي والفضائيون 	Basma, Al-Majd, HADIF.TV 	
Argentina 	Spanish 	Mascotas extraterrestres 	Televisión Pública 	
Belgium 	Dutch 	Tommy's Troep 	Ketnet 	
Brazil 	Portuguese	Mascotes Extraterrestres 	Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Canal Futura 	
Bulgaria 	Bulgarian 	Планетянчетата 	GTV 	Voice-over
Chile 	Spanish 	Mascotas extraterrestres 	Funbox 	
Croatia 	Croatian 	Kucni Svemirci 	HRT 2, Mini TV, Federalna Televizija 	
Denmark 	Danish 	Pet Alien 	Cartoon Network, CTN Kids 	
Ecuador 	Spanish 	Mascotas extraterrestres 	Ecuador TV, TC Televisión 	
Finland 	Finnish 	Lemmikki ulkomaalainen 	CTN Kids 	
Germany 	German 	Pet Alien 	KiKa, Das Erste, SWR Fernsehen 	
Greece 	Greek 	Επισκέπτες από το Διάστημα 	Prisma+ 	
Hungary 	Hungarian 	Űrkedvencek 	Cartoon Network 	
Iceland 	Icelandic 	Gæludýr Framandi 	RUV, Stoo 2 	
India 	Tamil 	Unknown 	Chutti TV 	
Indonesia 	Indonesian	Pet Alien 	Cartoon Network 	
Iran 	Persian 	تومی و رفقا 	DVDs, Digitoon, Filimo 	
Ireland 	Irish 	Pet Alien 	TG4 	
Israel 	Hebrew 	חייזר מחמד 	Arutz HaYeladim 	
Italy 	Italian 	Alieni Pazzeschi 	Cartoon Network, Boing, Boomerang 	
Japan 	Japanese 	ペット・エイリアン 	Cartoon Network 	
Latin America 	Spanish 	Mascotas extraterrestres 	Cartoon Network, Boomerang, CTN Kids 	
Malaysia 	Malay 	Pet Alien 	Cartoon Network 	
Mexico 	Spanish 	Mascotas extraterrestres 	Canal Once 	
Mozambique 	Portuguese	Mascotes Extraterrestres 	Cartoon TV 	
Norway 	Norwegian 	Tommy's Ville Venner 	Cartoon Network, NRK 1, CTN Kids 	
Panama 	Spanish 	Mascotas extraterrestres 	RPC 	
Poland 	Polish 	Ufolagi 	Cartoon Network 	
Portugal 	Portuguese	Pet Alien, Amigos do Outro Mundo	RTP2, Panda Biggs, RTP1 	
Romania 	Romanian 	Prietenii mei Extraterestri 	Cartoon Network, Pro TV 	
Russia 	Russian 	Любимчик-инопланетянин 	Gulli, Karusel 	
Serbia 	Serbian 	Leteći ljubimci 	Ultra, Pink Super Kids 	
Spain 	Spanish 	Maxcotas 	Cartoon Network, La 2, Canal Panda, Clan TV, Disney Channel, Neox	
Spain (Basque country)	Basque 	Maskota Estralurtarra 	ETB 3 	
Spain (Catalonia) 	Catalan 	Mascota Extraterrestre 	SX3, TV3 	
Spain (Galicia) 	Galician 	Alieníxenas Mascotas 	tvG2 	
South Korea 	Korean 	토미와 외계인 친구들 	Cartoon Network 	
Sweden 	Swedish 	Pet Alien 	Cartoon Network, CTN Kids 	
Taiwan 	Mandarin 	Unknown 	Cartoon Network 	
Thailand 	Thai 	Unknown 	Cartoon Network 	
Ukraine 	Ukrainian 	Домашні прибульці 	Pixel TV 	Voice-over
Venezuela 	Spanish 	Mascotas extraterrestres 	TVes 	
Vietnam 	Vietnamese	Pet Alien 	ANT - BPTV3, SAM - BTV11 	Voice-over
== Merchandise ==
In Cuboxia, various episodes were released on various DVDs throughout 2005-2009, appeared in many CTN Kids collection dvds, and the full series was released on October 18,2015. In the United States, it got four compilation DVDs throughout late 2005. It also had alot of other DVDs internationally.
A video game based on the series called Pet Alien: An Intergalactic Puzzlepalooza was released on July 30, 2007, for the Nintendo DS. It is a puzzle game developed by Shin'en Multimedia and published by The Game Factory. There were also very silly plushies release in 2006. For the CTN Kids 50th Anniversary Figure Pack, there was a Dinko figure. Burger King in the United Kingdom had toys in 2007.
== Trivia ==
* The show is actually an adaptation of Jeff Muncy's 1990s toyline/book/webseries of the same name. However, the show has very little in common with the others beyond the rough concept of aliens living with humans, and some of the characters themselves.
* Various characters appear in CTN Kids: Toontown.
* When the series aired on Qubo, the episode "Day of the Naked Aliens" was cut and replaced with another airing of "Race with the Clinton". This is speculated to be a result of all the nudity-themed jokes and innuendos, such as Tommy gesturing to his crotch while saying "naked stuff", Gumpers singing about being naked, and the ending where the entire human cast gets stripped nude.
* The Croatian dub of the show added lyrics to the originally instrumental intro.
* In the late 2000s, it was announced that this show, along with three other shows, would get direct-to-video movies in the early 2010s. Most were cancelled because they didn't think Blazing Dragons and Worms were popular enough, but no one knows why Pet Alien's movie was cancelled. The only one that came out was The Cool Chicken Movie.