I Am Weasel

I Am Weasel is an American animated television series, created by David Feiss and broadcast on the Cartoon Network. Its basic premise is a somewhat twisted take on the classic nursery rhyme Pop Goes the Weasel; in fact, the theme song of the series, sung by April March, is based on the well-known musical version of the rhyme.
I Am Weasel was originally a part of the Cow and Chicken show, often airing as the middle of three segments, in between two Cow and Chicken segments. ("The Ugliest Weenie", a two-part Cow and Chicken story, even made reference to the I Am Weasel cartoon interrupting the storyline.) Eventually, I Am Weasel was spin-off into its own series, airing between 2000 and 2008, with both new episodes and the episodes that had aired on Cow and Chicken included in that series (much like how Pinky and the Brain was spun off from Animaniacs or how Evil Con Carne came from Grim and Evil). When aired on Boomerang in 2007 through 2014, only seasons 1-4 aired with Cow and Chicken segments, completely omitting season 5.
On December, 2023, the series, along with Cow and Chicken and Evil Con Carne aired reruns on Adult Swim as part their Checkered Past throwback block due to some adult humor and outdated depictions of bestiality.
== Characters ==
The series usually consists of two anthropomorphic animal characters: I.M. Weasel and I.R. Baboon. Both characters' species are as suggested by their names.
=== I Am Weasel ===
I Am Weasel is highly intelligent, and is skilled in most if not all known professions, anything from electronics and engineering to medicine and philosophy; he is also incredibly charming and well-versed in the social graces, and will often have characters such as Loulabelle at his side. Weasel's only real flaw is a secret desire to suck the yolk from eggs (though such behavior is actually a characteristic of the mongoose family). He is usually the only successful character in a given episode. The standard image of Weasel wears no clothing, though he will often don outfits appropriate to his activities (such as a lab coat when working as a doctor or scientist). Weasel will usually call I.R. "Mr. Baboon" instead of "Baboon"; however, in "I.R. Gentlemans," he called I.R. "Monsieur Baboon" and "I.R." in "The Hole". In "Happy Baboon Holidays" Weasel hurt I.R.'s feelings when he took I.R.'s family into his house to thaw out after they got left out in the cold. He is prone to declaring "I Am Weasel!" before leaping into a situation.
Voiced by: Michael Dorn
=== I.R. Baboon ===
In contrast, I.R. Baboon is considered dim-witted and slovenly, uses incorrect grammar when he speaks (for example, I.R. stands for "I are"), and is very envious of Weasel's success. He is often shown doing the opposite of what would be considered sensible, and sometimes displays obsessive-compulsive behavior (as in the episode, The Hole, when he was determined to plug up the largest hole in the world). I.R. Baboon has few skills (either social or practical), but was discovered unexpectedly to be a virtuoso on the theremin (apart from the fact that the theremin is faulty and causes earthquakes when it is played). Baboon wears only a T-shirt with a handwritten, upside-down "I. Я." (as suggested in the opening video); his protruding bright red buttocks are often highlighted (as in the episode I Am Terraformer when he wore a spacesuit and there were two separate bubbles on the helmet for his buttocks), and serves as a focus of others' ridicule. He attempts to outdo Weasel at everything, and when he believes he has succeeded, he performs a routine victory dance, placing his hands on his hips and jumping around in a circle while repeatedly chanting a declaration of his success. His antics and victory dances are often accompanied by off-screen frantic monkey noise. In some of the episodes, Weasel and Baboon are actually friends and work together. In the first season he spoke with a French accent, but later on changed his accent.
Voiced by: Charlie Adler
=== The Red Guy ===
As in Cow and Chicken, The Red Guy plays a devil-like character and Weasel and Baboon's arch-friend/nemesis, but I Am Weasel also grants him a new catch phrase: "Hello!! It's me!", usually followed by his identity in that particular episode. He didn't make his I Am Weasel debut until Series 2, in the episode, "I.R. Mommy." Red almost always confuses weasel for a squirrel or chipmunk. Red's dad is introduced in a particular episode.
Voiced by: Charlie Adler
=== Minor and One-off characters ===
* Loulabelle - Weasel's assistant, who usually dresses as a nurse. Her debut was in the Series 2 episode, "I.R. Mommy." Voiced by: Susan Blakeslee (season 2), Teresa Ganzel (season 3). She is gradually disfigured in "Time Weasel", which was caused from Cartoon Network's disapproval with the character as a blond stereotype. Loulabelle is expelled from the show as her portrait in her former state is briefly shown in "I Stand Corrected", as a result of her departure.
* Cow and Chicken characters - Besides the Red Guy, some other characters from Cow & Chicken have made their appearances in I am Weasel since Series 2. These include Cow (and Supercow), Chicken, Flem, Earl, Mom, Dad and Teacher.
* Admiral Bullets - Admiral Bullets is a superior in the Navy, who often relies on Weasel. He made appearances in the episodes, "This Bridge, Not Weasel Bridge", "I.R. On Sun", and "I.R. Mommy". He reappeared with dark tone skin in season 3’s "He Said, He Said" before Cartoon Network retire him from the show completely for being a lesser character.
* Baby Grampa - In the episode, "I.R. Mommy," I.R. adopts a child, which he affectionally names "Grampa," after his grandfather. By the end of the episode, he is seen as a grown man donning a t-shirt similar to I.R's, in the way that his name is handwriten upside down.
* Jolly Roger - Jolly Roger is an obese guy in a short-sized sailor suit as he debuted in the episode "Unsinkable I.R.". He appeared officially in season 5.
== List of episodes ==
Note: this only includes the episodes made for the stand-alone series.
No. in series:	name: 	original airdate:
1 	I Are Terraformer! 	August 6th, 1999
1 	I Am Viking 	August 6th, 1999
1 	The Drinking Fountain of Youth 	
2 	Leave it to Weasel 	
2 	The Fairy Godfather 	
2 	I Are Robin Hood 	
3 	The Incredible Shrinking Weasel	October 8th, 1999
3 	Baboon Man and Boy Weasel 	
3 	I.M.N. Weasel 	August 6th, 1999
4 	I.R.'s First Bike 	
4 	The Sorcerer's a Dentist 	October 8th, 1999
4 	The Wrong Bros. 	October 8th, 1999
5 	I Am Cave Weasel 	September 17th, 1999
5 	My Blue Hiney 	October 1st, 1999
5 	Mission: Stupid 	September 17th, 1999
6 	Back to School 	
6 	I Are a Artiste 	September 17th, 1999
6 	Fred: Last of the Idiots 	October 1st, 1999
7 	I Are BellHop 	November 26th, 1999
7 	Take I.R. Out to the Ballgame 	November 26th, 1999
7 	I Bee Weasel 	November 26th, 1999
8 	I Am Franken-Weasel 	
8 	A Troo Storee 	
8 	Rodeo Weasel 	October 1st, 1999
9 	The Legend of Big-Butt 	
9 	I Am Dragon Slayer 	
9 	I Are Legend 	
== Appearances in other media ==
=== In other works ===
Weasel made a quick cameo in the Johnny Bravo episode, In Your Dreams.
I.M. Weasel appeared in the Villainous special, The Lost Cases of The Park.
Weasel made an appearance in the OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes episode, Crossover Nexus.
The series was acknowledged in Cartoon Network’s 30th Anniversary video in October 2022.
=== Video games ===
Weasel, Baboon, and The Red Guy were playable in the 2006 crossover video game, Cartoon Network Racing.
In the Cartoon Network MMO online game, FusionFall, there were a pair of pants featuring I.R. Baboon's red buttocks as an item.
== Availability ==
As of 2021, there are no official release of the entire series on DVD in North America. However, some of the segments are available on the Cartoon Network holiday DVDs in the 2000s. Season 1 made its DVD debut in Australia in 2011. The first two seasons are available on DVD in the Middle East in the early 2010s.
In the United Kingdom, bootlegged DVD copies of the entire show were sold on the DVDRare website since 2009, as some episodes are in high-pitched PAL format and some are in regular NTSC format.
The series was entirely released on HBO Max in Latin America on March 2022.
== Censorships ==
=== Broadcast ===
There was a small case of censorship in the episode "I.R. Mommy", in which the letter "N", present on an American football helmet used by I.R. Baboon (a reference to the Nebraska Cornhuskers), had to be digitally removed in 1999 after Cartoon Network was sued by the University of Nebraska, who alleged the reference was derogatory for their institution. No other episode suffered broadcast censorship so far.Collioud, Luz. "¡Recordamos Soy la Comadreja!". VIX (in Spanish). Archived from the original on December 10, 2017. Retrieved December 10,2017. "Platypus Comix Interviews David Feiss". Platypus Comix. Archived from the original on October 8, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
=== Episodic ===
I.M. Weasel is well-regarded for his sex symbolism in the earlier seasons in spite of his smarts."I Are Big Star" Unlike its sister series Cow and Chicken, I Am Weasel had a number of attractive women. However, Cartoon Network had some tendency against their negative portrayals being showcased to the attended audiences as these types are subsequently dropped to be either cameoed,The Judge in "I.R.'s Phantom Foot"; originally appeared prominently in "Law of Gravity" improperly animated, or completely dissolved from the show. One female of interest, Loulabelle, only stayed as a secondary character in season 2."I.R. Mommy" Unfortunately, Cartoon Network was disapproved with the character depicting a seductive nurse as she flirted with Weasel in a secluded Canadian cabin then was traded over to I.R. Baboon in one episode."I.R. Ice Fisher" She was condemned as a blonde stereotype as Cartoon Network gradually disfigured her with all instances of her attractiveness eliminated for her shortcomings in the beginning of season 3."Time Weasel" Weasel continues to pursue other women after her departure, Loulabelle's departure portrait in "I Stand Corrected" but his sex symbolism is toned down in season 4. After a one season break, Weasel becomes a reject as he develops an unrequited crush on Cow and Chicken's teacher for a comic relief."I.M.N. Love"
There are hints that some of the inappropriate characters are assumed replaced. For instance, I.R. Baboon became Weasel's assistant in some episodes since season 4,"Dream Weasel" replacing Loulabelle.
== Gallery ==
File:I Am Weasel - HBO Max vertical image.jpg|HBO Max cover
File:I Am Weasel - HBO Max horizontal image.jpg|horizontal HBO Max cover
File:IAmWeaselCollection1DVD.jpeg|Collection 1 DVD from Australia
File:IAmWeaselCheckeredPastpromoimage.jpg|Checkered Past social media promo
File:IAmWeaselCheckeredPastPromoXversion.jpeg|X version of the show's Checkered Past social media promo
File:IAmWeaseIAreTerraformerrerunNovember3rd2000.jpeg|A re-run of the episode, I Are Terraformer, on November 3rd, 2000
File:IMWeaselCartoonNetworkRacing.jpeg|I.M. Weasel in Cartoon Network Racing
File:IRBaboonCartoonNetworkRacing.jpeg|I.R. Baboon in Cartoon Network Racing
File:TheRedGuyCartoonNetworkRacing.jpeg|Red Guy in Cartoon Network Racing
File:JohnnyBravoIAmWeasel.jpeg|I.M. Weasel's cameo in the Johnny Bravo episode, In Your Dreams
File:IAmWeaselDecember1st2023CheckeredPastbroadcast.jpeg|An airing of I.R.'s First Bike/The Sorcerer's a Dentist/The Wrong Bros. on Checkered Past on December 1st, 2023
File:IMWeaselCrossoverNexus.jpeg|Weasel as stone in Crossover Nexus
File:IMWeaselCrossoverNexusanimated.jpeg|Weasel after being restored by Strike's pen in Crossover Nexus
File:IAmWeaselFebruary9th2024CheckeredPastairing.jpeg|An airing of I Are Terraformer/I.M. Viking/The Drinking Fountain of Youth on Checkered Past on February 9th, 2024
File:IAmWeaselEpisode2CheckeredPastairing.jpeg|An airing of Leave it to Weasel/Fairy Godfather/I Are Robin Hood on Checkered Past on February 9th, 2024
File:IAmWeaselEpisode3CheckeredPastairing.jpeg|An airing of The Incredible Shrinking Weasel/Baboon Man and Weasel Boy/I.M.N. Love on Checkered Past on February 9th, 2024
File:CheckeredPastEpisode5CheckeredPastairing.jpeg|A broadcast of I Am Cave Weasel/My Blue Hiney/Mission: Stupid on Checkered Past on February 9th, 2024
File:IAmWeaselAmazonPrimeLatinAmericasquarecover.jpeg
File:IAmWeaselopeningintroYouTubethumbnail.jpeg|Thumbnail of the show's opening intro on the official Cartoon Network YouTube channel
File:IAmWeaselDecember2nd2005episodeairing.jpeg|An airing of Happy Baboon Holidays on The Cartoon Cartoon Show on December 2nd, 2005
File:IAmWeaselDecember23rd2005episodeairing.jpeg|An airing of I.R.'s First Bike on The Cartoon Cartoon Show on December 23rd, 2005
File:Cartoon Cartoons - I.M. Weasel.jpg|Cartoon Cartoons opening intro featuring Weasel
File:IAmWeaselscrappedcereal.jpeg|Planned I Am Weasel cereal
File:I Am Weasel.png|Now/Then of Weasel from the City era in Latin America/Brazil
== Trivia ==
*There is a turnaround in season 5. Notably I.M. Weasel has always been loved by people over I.R. Baboon during the first four seasons. But in season 5, people are showing more favor in Baboon than Weasel. Perhaps this was due to the audiences’ favorable interest in Baboon as he appears to be very humorous compared to Weasel.
*This was the second-to-last series to be produced by Hanna-Barbera, the overall last being The Powerpuff Girls.
== See also ==
* Cow and Chicken
== References ==
== External links ==
* I Am Weasel at the Big Cartoon DataBase
* I Am Weasel music composer Bill Fulton
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