ALF: The Animated Series (also known as ALF on Melmac) is a 30-minute Saturday morning animated series and a spin-off based on the live-action sitcomALF that aired for 26 episodes on NBC from September 26, 1987 to January 7, 1989. ALF Tales was a spin-off from the series that also ran on NBC on Saturdays from September 1988 to December 1989.
This show is a prequel to the live action sitcom ALF, depicting ALF's life back on his home planet of Melmac, much resembling a 1950s/1960s small town. Since the name "ALF" was an acronym short for Alien Life Form and only given to Gordon Shumway later on Earth, "ALF" is never used in the animated series except for its title. ALF would always be referred to as "Gordon", his true name, or "Gordo" by his friends Rick and Skip. In nearly every episode a live action ALF would appear at the introduction and conclusion of the episode; reading fan mail and saying that this show is a response to a huge demand of people wanting to know what his life was like on Melmac.
Much of the humor arises from the characters taking part in surrealistic activities while treating them as ordinary and unremarkable. For example, in order to prove their manhood and win their distinguished antlers, the sons of members of the Mayonnaise Lodge (formed of men who work in the mayonnaise mines) must wrestle a clam and make it sing. Other episodes had issues somewhat similar to Earth issues, such as when Gordon's parents take part in a free vacation, while failing to realize it is a time share scam: the scam artist literally steals the Shumway residence and transplants it to the time share plots, then uses brainwashing machines to convince Flo and Bob to buy a house they already own.
Another one which was a play on the original TV series was a TV show which ALF and his family loved about "the Earthling who crash landed on Melmac" where a human was shown saying "On my homeworld we keep cats as housepets" and a Melmacian telling him "Well, here we eat them!" Gordon/ALF from this series is one of the cartoon characters featured in Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue.
Characters
Augie Shumway – Gordon's little sister, voiced by Tabitha St. Germain (as Paulina Gillis)
Bob Shumway – Gordon's father, voiced by Thick Wilson
Sloop – Gordon's other friend, voiced by Dan Hennessey
Rick Fusterman – Gordon's other friend, voiced by Paul Fusco
Stella – the waitress, voiced by Ellen-Ray Hennessy
Spudder – Curtis' friend
Neep – The Shumway family's pet dog; officially called a "vespa"
Season 1 (1987–88)
1 Phantom Pilot – An unlikely ally helps Gordon defend Melmac when the evil Larson Petty returns to invade the planet.
2 Hair Today, Bald Tomorrow – After Harry uses Gordon's hair to build his nest, Gordon finds himself heading to Madame Pokipsi's shack for a baldness cure, only to insult her and leave while cursed with a "Baldness Touch".
3 Two for the Brig – Gordon and Sergeant Staff end up going to prison after mistaking their ship for a vacation cruise liner.
4 Gordon Ships Out – Gordon, Rick, and Skip decide to pool their savings for a sailing yacht, but end up marooned on an island thanks to a Pit Termite that Skip names Woody.
5 Birdman of Melmac – The Shumways' pet bird Harry is an extinct species and dubbed to be protected for reintroduction, but this comes at severe disruption of the Shumway residence, and Harry is letting the fame and power go to his head.
6 Pismo and the Orbit Gyro – The Orbit Gyro needs its regular maintenance, but it results in its main operator, a robot named Pismo, having a few screws loose.
7 20,000 Years in Driving School – After getting "Gooped" on the highway, Gordon Shumway has his driver's license revoked and must attend driving school to regain it.
8 Pride of the Shumways – Gordon plays "Bouillabaseball" (Melmacian baseball where fish are used instead of balls) for the Orbit Guard, and a scout offers him a chance for the big leagues. Curtis Shumway, a good little league player, realizes there is a shadowy purpose for his big brother's promotion to the majors.
9 Captain Bobaroo – A bump on the head has Bob Shumway thinking he is a "Captain Kangaroo"-esque TV show host.
10 Neep at the Races –Gordon enters his dog Neep in a race at Appliance, but Snake, the bikie, wants his cut. Neep wins the race, but they have to use the prizemoney to pay for the bikies' motorbikes which were trashed in the process.
11 Salad Wars –Gordon's family goes to Salad Dressing Town in their mobile home, where the boss wants a salad seed monopoly. The title is a parody of the movie by George Lucas. Cameo: JOHN WAYNE.
12 Tough Shrimp Don't Dance – Gordon Shumway must rescue an alien shrimp race called the Muklukians from Larson Petty – with some unlikely help from one of their own.
13 Home Away from Home – When his parents go to Polyester city for holidays, Gordon loses the house to a sleazy estate agent.
Season 2 (1988–89)
14 Flodust Memories – After being taken for granted at home, Flo Shumway is entered for Mom of the Millennium contest by Gordon and his siblings as atonement. Flo wins, but is her popularity becoming more important than her family?
15 Family Feud – After losing to the Shumways on a noted game show, the Fustermans declare war on their former friends, and Gordon and Rick end up caught in the crossfire.
16 Clams Never Sang for My Father – The traditional Mayonnaise Lodge rite of passage has Bob Shumway and Frank Fusterman pitted against each other in the clam-wrestling contest – but their sons want no part of it.
17 A Mid-Goomer Night's Dream – The holiday of Goomer is upon Melmac, and Larson Petty is intent on getting his gift of foam – but while trying to kidnap the real Goomer, he ends up capturing Bob Shumway in a Goomer suit. Gordon and his sister Augie must then journey to find the real Goomer and rescue their dad.
18 The Bone Losers – All of Melmac, including Rhonda, is smitten with palaeontologist Prof. Egovurger and his Thesaurus. Gordon discovers dinosaur bones in his yard, and constructs a Tunadacyl, not realising Neep stole the bones from the museum. Egovurger can't stand the competition and plans to steal the bones.
19 Thank Gordon for Little Girls – Gordon invents an all-purpose object named the "Shumwidget", but Augie and her scout troupe end up with the bragging rights.
20 Hooray for Mellywood – A movie crew has come to East Velcro to film the life of Gordon Shumway – but will Gordon himself end up a huge star, or on the cutting room floor?
21 The Spy from East Velcro – Gordon is mistaken for agent James Bonzo and captured by looney, evil Ernst Stavro Blofish who talks to his squeaky toy, Mickey. Blofish wants a winning cereal card to win a trip to Spy Land competition, which Gordon has. Parody of Sean Connery and the James Bond movies.
22 He Ain't Seafood, He's My Brother – Renegade Muklukians kidnap Curtis Shumway and return him to their planet as part of a scheme to claim the throne of Mukluk. Fescue returns to Melmac to ask Gordon for help in dethroning the renegades and finding the true king of Mukluk.
23 Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places – Gordon tries to fix Rick up with a girl named Elaine – but a misunderstanding leads her to fall in love with Gordon.
24 The Slugs of Wrath – The Shumway Family move to an abandoned farm to try their hands at raising giant slugs for a living during a severe mayonnaise shortage.
25 Housesitting for Pokipsi – Gordon, Rick and Skip, are stuck housesitting for fortune-smeller Madame Pokipsi while she is out of town at a 'medium's' conference. Gordon uses her crystal ball against her advice creating a chaotic series of events.
26 Skipper's Got a Brand New Dad – Larson Petty discovers that his family has left behind a huge fortune, but it can only be turned over to the rightful heir – Larson Petty's son. The only problem is, he has no children. Meanwhile, Gordon and Rick find out that Skip was orphaned as a youth and try to find his birth parents.
DVD release
On May 30, 2006, Lions Gate Home Entertainment released both the first nine episodes of ALF: The Animated Series as ALF Animated Adventures – 20,000 Years in Driving School and Other Stories; and the first seven episodes of ALF Tales entitled ALF and The Beanstalk and Other Classic Fairy Tales on DVD in Region 1.
Currently, the Complete Series of both shows are available for viewing on Hulu Plus.
