Teen Wolf

***Teen Wolf***, known as ***The Cartoon Adventures of Teen Wolf*** in the United Kingdom, is an animated American television series broadcast from 1986 to 1987 that was produced by Southern Star Productions and Hanna-Barbera Australia in association with Clubhouse Pictures in the first season and Atlantic/Kushner-Locke in the second season. It was based on the 1985 live-action film, *Teen Wolf*.

## Summary

The series is about a teenage boy and his family who can transform into werewolves, focusing on themes of coming of age and fitting in. While generally keeping true to the main ideas, this version made some changes from the film.

Scott Howard and his family now live in the fictional town of Wolverton, a small town constantly drawing tourists because of its history of werewolf sightings. (In the film the town was called 'Beacontown'.) Scott was an only child who lived with his father in the film, the cartoon gave him a little sister and grandparents.

Despite the youth audience, the cartoon series delivered very powerful critiques of disability as civil rights. Freely invoking an asthma attack or seizure, the series centered on how Scott felt "weird" immediately before and during his werewolf transformation.

Although he never hurt anybody while he was a werewolf, Scott was conscious of his difference from other teenagers and had to make accommodations for himself. He also expressed frustration that the residents of this town had stereotyped "his people".

A jock named Mick who now also attends Wolverton High constantly picks on Scott for being the "outsider". Mick attended a different high school in the film. Pamela is a cheerleader in the cartoon while in the film she really did not have much school spirit.

## Characters

From left to right: Boof, Scott, Harold (above), Lupe (below) and Grandpa Howard.

* Scott Howard (Townsend Coleman), the main protagonist; he constantly chases local cheerleader and popular girl Pam, while being thwarted by Pam's boyfriend Mick McAllister, a mean jock. Scott spends much of his time worrying about social acceptance and the possibility of people finding out he's a werewolf.
* Harold Howard (James Hampton, the only actor that reprised his role from the live-action film), Scott's widower father; a laid-back hardware store owner, generally uninterested in the social problems of his son. He seldom transforms.
* Lupe Howard (June Foray), Scott's younger sister is one of the new characters added for the animated series. She is not old enough to know whether she is a werewolf or not, but she desperately wants to be one. In one episode, she is able to transform because of a magic spell, but since the spell turns anyone into a werewolf temporarily, she still does not know her true status.
* Grandpa Howard (Stacy Keach Sr.), Scott's grandfather is an immigrant from Transylvania. He spends most of his time in his werewolf form, only assuming a completely human appearance when he must. He is a constant source of embarrassment to Scott, because he is always running around on all fours, chasing cats, and getting into trouble with the neighbors. He is another new character added for the cartoon.
* Grandma Howard (June Foray), Scott's grandmother; also from Transylvania and, like Grandpa, she stays in werewolf form most of the time. She is not as embarrassing to Scott because she is better behaved than Grandpa. She becomes Scott's ally in his attempts to keep Grandpa's behavior under control. She is sometimes represented as a fortune teller similar to a stereotypical Gypsy, and has sometimes performed other magic, such as brewing potions, making her seem similar to a witch in some ways. She is another new Character added for the cartoon.
* Rupert "Stiles" Stilinski (Don Most), Scott's best friend; in on the werewolf secret, Stiles is supportive but often gets under-appreciated in Scott's quest to be "in" with the cool crowd. Like Lupe, he wishes to be a werewolf and is upset that Scott doesn't appreciate the "gift".
* Chubs (Will Ryan) Another friend of Scott's; who is in on the werewolf secret. Chubs is more trustworthy than Styles and says much less. Unlike the film version he is not on any sports team but still loves to eat.
* Lisa "Boof" Marconi (Jeannie Elias), a friend of Scott's, and is also in on his family's werewolf secret alongside Stiles. She is romantically interested in him, but he seems oblivious of this, chasing after Pam instead.
* Pamela Wells (Ellen Gerstell), the most popular girl in Wolverton High and serving as a cheerleader, she is Scott's romantic interest. She is the girlfriend of Mick McAllister, who sometimes thwarts Scott and picks on him for being an outsider. Pam is unaware that Scott is a werewolf like his family before him, like everybody in Wolverton who doesn't know the Howard family's secret.
* Mick McAllister (Craig Sheffer), a mean jock at Wolverton High, he is the boyfriend of Pamela Wells who thwarts Scott and picks on him for being an outsider in Wolverton. Mick, like Pam and everybody else in town, is unaware that Scott and his family are werewolves.
* Mrs. Seslick (June Foray), the Howard family's nosy neighbor who is always a step away from figuring out the family's secret and outing them to the community. She is the last new character added just for the cartoon.

## Cast

* Sheryl Bernstein – Frieda the Housekeeper
* Townsend Coleman – Scott Howard
* Brian Cummings
* Jeannie Elias – Lisa "Boof" Marconi
* June Foray – Grandma Howard, Mrs. Seslick
* Ellen Gerstell - Pamela Wells
* James Hampton – Harold Howard
* Stacy Keach, Sr. – Grandpa Howard
* Kenneth Mars – Mayor Marconi (first voice)
* Mona Marshall
* Don Most – Stiles
* Will Ryan – Chubs
* Craig Sheffer – Mick McAllister
* Frank Welker – Valor, Daisy, Mayor Marconi (second voice)

## History

Although the cartoon series ran for three years, the third year was entirely reruns. The main character dressed in similar clothing to the cartoon Scott Howard, the "wolfman" design was nearly identical, and the quests to hide the secret and fit in at high school are features of the cartoon and not the film.