The Wacky World of Tex Avery is a French–American–Canadian animated comedy television series produced by DIC Entertainment and created by Robby London in 1997. The series was named after Tex Avery, a cartoonist who is known for his work at Warner Bros. and MGM. The creator describes the show as "homage to the brilliant, hilarious and groundbreaking animator Tex Avery and the wonderful squash-and-stretch cartoons of his era". The series was broadcast as a syndicated series in the United States and was also broadcast in Canada on YTV and Canal Famille, and in France on M6.
The cartoon stars a goat-riding cowboy named Tex Avery (voiced by Billy West) who saves the day and his girl Chastity Knott (voiced by Kathleen Barr) from his outlaw nemesis Sagebrush Sid (voiced by Billy West). Based on Bob Clampett's (a fellow animator at Warner Bros.Studios in the 1930s) "Red Hot Ryder" from "Buckaroo Bugs" (WB 1944).
Freddy the Fly
An obnoxious fly named Freddy (voiced by Billy West) bugs an obese billionaire named Amanda Banshee (voiced by Scott McNeil), whose continuous attempts to get rid of him often involve the most extreme of ways. Freddy is loosely based on one of Tex Avery's earlier characters, Homer the Homeless Flea from "What Price Fleadom" (MGM 1948).
Power Pooch
A normal dog (voiced by Phil Hayes) gained superpowers after licking a superhero's shoe and became a superhero himself. Along with his blue cat sidekick Little Buddy (voiced by Lee Tockar), Power Pooch fights the crime in his town which usually involved him fighting Dr. Hydrant (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) and his bone-shaped henchman Boney.
Maurice & Mooch
Maurice the Chicken (voiced by Terry Klassen) outwits Mooch the Fox (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) who constantly tries to eat him. Maurice is based on the canary character from "King-Size Canary", and acts rather like the pig boy in "One Ham's Family".
Genghis and Khannie
Genghis the lion (voiced by Lee Tockar) is a warlord who leads his barbarian army across the world to conquer in the name of his Emperor (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) and meets a female panda cub named Khannie (voiced by Cree Summer) who tends to ruin his conquering plans. A play on the name Genghis Khan. Genghis is based on the lion from "Slap Happy Lion" (MGM 1947).
Einstone
The cartoon stars the brilliant caveman Ughbert Einstone (voiced by Ian James Corlett) who is the world's first inventor. He tries to teach the other cave people how to be civilized with his inventions. A play on the name Einstein. Loosely based on Tex Avery's "The First Bad Man" (1955 MGM).
Pompeii Pete
Pete (voiced by Ian James Corlett) short bumbling Roman centurion with italian accent from Pompeii who was buried in lava and 2,000 years later is free to live in the modern world. His behavior annoys a man named Dan (voiced by Alec Willows).
Episodes
1. Tex Avery: Rodeo, Rodeo, Where for Art Thou Rodeo?/Pompeii Pete: The Dis-Orderly/Einstone: A Bird in the Brain Is Worth Two in the Bush
2. Tex Avery: The Not-So-Great Train Robbery/Genghis & Khannie: Humpty Dumpty Had a Great Wall/Freddy the Fly: Marital Blitz
3. Tex Avery: Cabin Fever/Freddy the Fly: Cruisin' for a Bruisin'/Maurice & Mooch: Breakfast in Bedlam
Maurice LaMarche - Mooch, Emperor, Mr. Squab, Narrator, Dr. Hydrant
Scott McNeil - Amanda Banshee
Cree Summer - Khannie
Lee Tockar - Ghengis, Little Buddy
Alec Willows - Dan
DVD releases and current-day syndication
The series is not available in the form of the original episodes, although there are individual DVD releases of Power Pooch, Pompeii Pete, and Tex Rides Again, each containing bonus episodes with other characters from the show like Freddy the Fly.
In 2010, the program was a part of the weekday morning Cookie Jar Toons programming block for the digital subchannelThis TV network. The show was removed from the lineup on September 26, 2011.
On February 19, 2013, Mill Creek Entertainment released The Wacky World of Tex Avery- Volume 1 on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time. The 4-disc set features the first 40 episodes of the series. However, there is no word if the rest of the episodes would be released in another DVD ever again.
Most episodes of the show were seen on Hulu and Jaroo.com.
