The Cat with the Fiddle

from my other blog.

what’s a bloo? beats me, but whatever he is, i could certainly use something like him.

i’ve always been crazy about cartoon network, but i think they outdid themselves with foster’s home for imaginary friends. created and produced by craig mccracken (creator of the powerpuff girls), it premiered in august 2004 and ran its final episode in may this year.

in foster’s home, imaginary friends take on physical form as soon as children create them. sadly though, children outgrow imaginary friends at around seven or eight years old, leaving many of them without a home nor a child to accompany. so elderly madame foster put up a home for abandoned imaginary friends. their motto: “where good ideas are never forgotten.”

just like an orphanage, imaginary friends are up for adoption to good homes, one episode even showing the procedure and documentation involved through “adopt-a-thought saturday”.

bloo, however, is not up for adoption, as his creator, mac, holds a special arrangement with foster’s. he visits the home every single day after school, thereby making him persist as bloo’s “child”. mr. herriman, on the other hand, who functions as an administrator for the house, is madame foster’s own imaginary friend from way back when she was a little girl.

foster’s fills me with an amazing, though misplaced, sense of belongingness. no matter how strange or how eccentric you are, there will always be a place for you in this world. you will find here your own childhood fantasies: a stable of unicorns (but they’re bad ass thuggish here!), numerous santa clauses during the holidays, and even a prince charming on a noble steed!

filled with both slapstick and dead pan humor and sarcasm, mind-blowing art and a fabulous cast of characters, foster’s will frequently amuse you. but it will warm your heart too, with stories about friends like an “old” imaginary friend (foster’s first resident!) who has been a companion to generations of lonely children. or a weird one with numerous eyes, being a “seeing-eye” friend for a blind little boy.

winner of five (5) emmy awards, five (5) annie awards (animation awards) and nominated for several more, foster’s was named 85th best animated series by ign, calling it “very funny and endearing”. critics praise its characterization and art design, one making special mention of the character “cheese”, saying he is the “quintessence of foster’s surreal charm.”

you know who else i would like to see in foster’s home?

wouldn’t that just be awesome?