"The Amazing Live Sea-Monkeys" (1992) TV series

Directors:

Sean McNamara
Chuck Cirino

Cast

Howie Mandel	...	The Professor
Rob LaBelle	...	Dave
Peter Pitofsky	...	Bill
Sean Whalen	...	Aquarius
Eliza Schneider
Leah Lail	...	Marilyn (1992)
Gilbert Gottfried	...	The Director (1992)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Patch Mackenzie	...	Mrs. Beauford
Brendan O'Brien	...	Milkman / Award Presenter

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Trivia:

Although uncredited, famed comic book artist Joe Orlando (1927-1998), the associate publisher of Mad magazine, figures into the development of this TV series. The unusual designs of the live-action characters in "The Amazing Live Sea-Monkeys" are based on fantasy characters created by Orlando for a series of well-remembered 1960s/1970s comic book ads. Sea monkeys are a variety of Artemia (crustaceans such as Brine Shrimp or Seed Shrimps), successfully marketed as a "pet" product due to the appealing underwater fantasies depicted by Orlando in his cartoon ad illustrations. Photos of actress-model Yolanda Signorelli, wearing her crystal "Sea-Bubble", were packaged with Sea Monkey products during the 1960s, and her image was a partial inspiration for Orlando's rendering of the female Sea Monkeys. Orlando's ad art has been reprinted in Susan Barclay's book, "The Ultimate Guide to Sea Monkeys" (2001).

The Three Underwater Stooges

This show was a lot of fun, pity it only lasted about eight or nine episodes. The premise was that Howie Mandel, a foreign-accented scientist, accidentally brought three microscopic sea monkeys into the human world, enlarging them to human size as well. The sea monkeys looked exactly the way they did in all those old comic-book ads.

The scripts basically played like some long-lost Three Stooges shorts, with the three sea monkey brothers getting into various kinds of trouble due to their unfamiliarity with the surface world (and their natural ineptness). Guest stars included Gilbert Gottfried, Stephen Furst, Larry "Bud" Melman, Vernon Wells and others. There was also a fellow who did great imitations (Robert DeNiro, Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin). Eliza Schneider (who now does voices for South Park) played their friend and confidant. Her father was always trying to get rid of the sea monkeys but always ended up foiled.

Curly, Larry and Moe--excuse me, Bill, Aquarius and Dave--ought to be re-shown on Nick at Night or something. Or perhaps a deluxe collector's issue DVD!