"Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids" (1972) TV series 1972-1985

Creator:

Bill Cosby

Seasons:

unknown

Release Date:

9 September 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Animation | Comedy

Plot:

The educational adventures of a group of Afro-American inner city kids.

Plot Keywords:

Inner City | Educational | Part Live Action | Famous Opening Theme | Based On Standup Comedy

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Bill Cosby

...

Bill / ... (unknown episodes)

Also Known As:

The New Fat Albert Show (USA) (new title)

Runtime:

30 min (110 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G (some episodes) | Australia:PG (some episodes) | Canada:G (TV rating) | USA:TV-Y7

Company:

Filmation Associates

Trivia:

In 2002, Fat Albert ranked #12 on TV Guide's list of the 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: In episode #4, "Creativity", Rudy's voice comes out of Bill ("what 'choo talkin' about?") with Rudy even standing right next to Bill.

Quotes:

Fat Albert: Hey hey hey! It's Fat Albert! And I'm going to sing a song for you/ And Bill's going to show you a thing or two/We'll have a good time with me and all the gang/Learning from each other while we do our thing/Na na na gonna have a good time/Na na na gonna have a good time.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Phat Girlz (2006)

"Na, na, na, gonna have a good time..."

This is one of the iconic Saturday morning cartoons of the 70's. Based on Bill Cosby's stand-up routines about characters in his old neighborhood, the show featured a group of inner city African-American kids hanging out, singing a song, and learning a thing or two. The comedy was good and the show lively. I didn't get to see it often, as it was broadcast on a channel that we couldn't tune in well (this is in the stone age before cable), so I had trouble keeping up with who was who. It was Filmation, which meant lots of stock footage, but they were creative within their limitations. And unlike the 30 minute commercial cartoons of the 80's, they had real educational value.

With the Cartoon Network and Boomerang showcasing the old Hanna-Barbera cartoons, we could really use an outlet for some of Filmation's old work. The problem is, so many of their shows featured licensed characters that I don't think they owned much of their work. I wouldn't mind seeing these and other Filmation shows on dvd, like the Groovie Goolies, Star Trek, Flash Gordon, and Tarzan.