Inspector Gadget

Inspector Gadget is a cartoon which originally aired in the 1980s for 22 Minutes and shown later on Nickelodeon in reruns. It was a combination of the Six Million Dollar Man and Get Smart. Gadget was voiced by Don Adams, who also played Maxwell Smart in Get Smart.
The show revolved around Inspector Gadget as he tried to protect the world from the evil forces of MAD and the notorious Dr. Claw.
== Characters ==
Gadget- The bumbling half Six Million Dollar Man, half Maxwell Smart protagonist of the show.
Penny- Gadget's intelligent niece and sidekick. She could communicate with Brain via her wristwatch. Her textbook always acted as an ex machina to help Gadget solve crimes and get him out of trouble.
Brain- Gadget's anthropomorphic dog. Despite being anthropomorphic, he cannot speak and no one is alarmed by his ability to act human.
Chief Quimby- The Chief of Police who gives gadget his assignments in the form of self-destructing letters. They always explode when Gadget tosses them toward Quimby. The messages are a parody of the Mission Impossible cassettes which would self-destruct after being played.
Dr. Claw- The notorious, evil leader of MAD. He is never seen aside from his right arm (although his left arm was seen once). He is known for his menacing, gravely voice.
MAD- The evil association Gadget protects the world from. It is never revealed what "MAD" stands for.
Mad Cat- Dr. Claw's equally-evil cat. It is a parody of the cliche of notorious villains having a cat to pet while they watch their monitors.
== Controversy ==
* In one episode Gadget falls in love with a pretty lady, especially by looking at her breasts.
* In one episode, Gadget appears to be giving the finger. This is likely an error.
== Gadget Boy ==
A later show called "Gadget Boy" was created to capitalize on "junior" versions of popular cartoons, featuring Gadget as a child. It was never shown on Nickelodeon.
== Specials ==
There was a special entitled Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas, in which Dr. Claw disguises himself as Santa Claus and tries to ruin Christmas. It is up to Gadget and his gang to stop him and save Christmas. Nostalgia Critic did an episode based around the special as a part of his annual review of Christmas specials over December. He points out how Claw looks short when disguised as Santa, and how the word "Elfen" sounds like "effin".
== Film ==
Many years later a live action film was created to capitalize on the eighties revival craze, but was viewed as terrible and was the subject of a Nostalgia Critic episode. A major criticism is the depiction of Dr. Claw. He is seen in full, his personality is far less menacing, and his voice is more mock-suave than gravely.
Another criticism of the film is that the Gadgetmobile was changed from a sports car to a 1960s Lincoln Continental.
== Video Game ==
A video game was released to the Super Nintendo in 1993. While praised for its visuals, the game still got bad ratings.
== DVD ==
The original show is available on DVD
== Trivia ==
* There were Inspector Gadget action figures. The Dr. Claw action figure had his face covered with a sticker so you would have to purchase the toy to finally see his real face. It was revealed that the figure has a rather cartoonish look to his face.
* The theme song was inspired by the operatic piece In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg
*In one episode, it's revealed that he was apparently born with his gadgets rather than having them installed later in life. However, in another episode it is mentioned that a doctor gave him his gadgets.
*In another episode, Gadget travels to prehistoric times and meets cavemen with gadgets just like his.
*Among the toys made was a greatly-hyped Dr. Claw action figure due to the ability to "finally see his face". The grotesque depiction of Claw's face received a negative reception.
Category:Cartoons