The fancy rat is the domesticated form of Rattus norvegicus, the brown rat, and the most common species of rat kept as a pet. The name fancy rat derives from the use of the adjective fancy for a hobby, also seen in "animal fancy", a hobby involving the appreciation, promotion, or breeding of pet or domestic animals. The offspring of wild-caught specimens, having become docile after having been bred for many generations, fall under the fancy type.
John Robinson Pierce, was an American engineer and author. He did extensive work concerning radio communication, microwave technology, computer music, psychoacoustics, and science fiction. Additionally to his professional career he wrote science fiction for many years using the names John Pierce, John R. Pierce, and J. J. Coupling. Born in Des Moines, Iowa, he earned his PhD from Caltech, and died in Sunnyvale, California, from complications of Parkinson's Disease.
The Brave Little Toaster is a 1987 American animated musical fantasy film directed by Jerry Rees. It is based on the 1980 novella of the same name by Thomas M. Disch. The film stars Deanna Oliver, Timothy E. Day, Jon Lovitz, Tim Stack, and Thurl Ravenscroft, with Wayne Kaatz, Colette Savage, Phil Hartman, Joe Ranft, and Jim Jackman in supporting roles. It is set in a world where domestic appliances and other consumer electronics come to life, pretending to be lifeless in the presence of humans. The story focuses on five anthropomorphic household appliances—a toaster, gooseneck lamp, electric blanket, radio and vacuum cleaner—who go on a quest to search for their owner.
Jerry W. Rees is an American film director and animator, best known for the Emmy-nominated animated feature film The Brave Little Toaster (1987) and creating many of the visual effects for the cult classic Tron (1982).
Ludwig Wittgenstein was an Austrian-British philosopher.
Robert Ralph Minkoff is an American director, animator, and producer. He is best known for co-directing The Lion King, and live-action films including Stuart Little (1999), Stuart Little 2 (2002), The Haunted Mansion (2003), and The Forbidden Kingdom (2008). In recent decades, he returned to feature animation with Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014) and Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (2022). His wife, Crystal Kung Minkoff, was a cast member on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Joseph Henry Ranft was an American animator, screenwriter, and voice actor. He worked for Pixar Animation Studios and Disney at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Disney Television Animation. His younger brother Jerome Ranft is a sculptor who also worked on several Pixar films.
Midnight Cowboy is a 1965 novel by James Leo Herlihy that chronicles the naïve Texan Joe Buck's odyssey from Texas to New York City, where he plans on realizing his dream of becoming a male prostitute servicing rich women.
The Brave Little Toaster is a 1980 novella by American writer Thomas M. Disch intended for children or, as put by the author, a "bedtime story for small appliances". The story centers on a group of five household appliances—a tensor lamp stand, an electric blanket, an AM radio alarm clock, a vacuum cleaner and a toaster—on their quest to find their original owner referred to as the Master.
Chris Young is an American retired actor, best known for portraying child prodigy computer hacker Bryce Lynch in the Max Headroom series (1987–1988), and Buckley "Buck" Ripley in She's Having a Baby and The Great Outdoors, and voicing Rob in The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue (1997) and The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars (1998).
Jonathan Benair was an American actor who did the voice of the Black and White TV in the animated film The Brave Little Toaster and Jim Bob in The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue, the latter of which was released posthumously.
The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars is a 1998 American animated direct-to-video musical film based on the 1988 novella of the same name by Thomas M. Disch. It is the sequel to The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue (1997), as well as the third and final installment in The Brave Little Toaster film series. The film was released direct-to-video on May 19, 1998, in the United States by Walt Disney Home Video. In the film, the five appliances of their Master head off on a trip to the red planet Mars after finding out that his infant son was sent there.
Randy Cartwright is an American animator.
"White Hole" is the fourth episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf Series IV and the twenty-second episode in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 7 March 1991. Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye and Paul Jackson, the episode features the crew's attempt to escape the influence of a white hole.
"I'm into Something Good" is a song composed by Gerry Goffin (lyrics) and Carole King (music) and made famous by Herman's Hermits. The song was originally recorded by Cookies member Earl-Jean on Colpix Records in 1964. Her version entered the U.S. Cash Box Top 100 charts in the US on 4 July 1964 and spent eight weeks there, reaching a high of number 42 on 15 August 1964, and number 38 Billboard.
The Ugly Duckling and Me! is a 2006 animated film directed by Michael Hegner and Karsten Kiilerich. Intended for a family audience, it is a modern adaptation of the 1843 fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling" by Hans Christian Andersen. The Yorkshire Post described it as a "feel good" film for family audiences. The film follows over a rat named Ratso who has a dream about having his own family. The life changes when an egg falls out of its nest revealing an ugly duckling with brushy wings, and he soon becomes a father. It also won an award at the China International Cartoon and Digital Art Festival. The film initially premiered in Denmark on 6 April 2006.
Willard F. Carroll is an American producer, writer, director, and animator.
"Bread and Butter" is a 1964 song by American pop vocal trio the Newbeats. Written by Larry Parks and Jay Turnbow, "Bread and Butter" was the group's first and most popular hit.
