Dave the Barbarian

Last updated
Dave the Barbarian
Dave the barbarian Cover.jpg
Promotional poster
Created by Doug Langdale
Directed by Howy Parkins
Voices of
Narrated by Jeff Bennett
Composer Shawn Patterson
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes21 (42 segments)
Production
Executive producerDoug Langdale
Running time22 minutes
Production company Walt Disney Television Animation
Original release
Network Disney Channel
ReleaseJanuary 23, 2004 (2004-01-23) 
January 22, 2005 (2005-01-22)

Dave the Barbarian is an American animated television series created by Doug Langdale for Disney Channel. The show centers on a barbarian named Dave and his friends and family, who go on surreal Medieval-themed adventures. [1] The series premiered on January 23, 2004, [2] and ended on January 22, 2005, with a total of one season with 21 episodes.

Contents

Premise

The series takes place in the kingdom of Udrogoth during the Middle Ages. It centers on Dave (voiced by Danny Cooksey), a powerful yet cowardly barbarian who lives with his fashionable yet self-centered older sister Candy (voiced by Erica Luttrell) and feisty younger sister Fang (voiced by Tress MacNeille). His parents, Throktar and Glimia, are the King and Queen, but are away "fighting evil" across the world (though they sometimes communicate via a magic crystal ball or cauldron), and have left Candy in charge of the kingdom as Princess Regent while Dave is supposed to defend the kingdom (since he is the biggest). Together the three siblings, along with their gluttonous and mildly incompetent "wizard" uncle Oswidge, are left to run and protect the kingdom from the villainous yet dimwitted Dark Lord Chuckles the Silly Piggy (voiced by Paul Rugg).

There is a Narrator, referred to either as "the Narrator" or "the Storyteller", voiced by Jeff Bennett. He is able to talk to the characters of the show, and vice versa, which breaks the fourth wall to the extent where he was once captured by Dark Lord Chuckles the Silly Piggy and was forced to tell the story according to his kidnapper's commands.

Characters

Main

Supporting

Villains

Production

The show was created and written by Doug Langdale. After premiering on Disney in 2004, it began broadcasting on Toon Disney a year later. In Latin America, the show was broadcast on Jetix.

Dave the Barbarian juxtaposes both the ancient and modern. Candy, for example, shops in the local mall and uses the crystal ball for online shopping sprees.

Occasionally, the series breaks the fourth wall with a character complaining about a plot, directly addressing the audience, or communicating to the narrator. Characters can sometimes be offended by how the narrator describes them, including Oswidge in "Sorcerer Material". In "The Maddening Sprite of the Stump", the show's narrator skips over a fight scene, asking viewers to imagine an epic battle and explaining that "a low budget show" like Dave the Barbarian did not have the expenses to animate such a scene. In "A Pig's Story", the series antagonist realizes the show's narration leads to his losses, so he types favorable situations and hypnotizes the Storyteller into reading the voice-over, culminating in a theme song for the antagonist; ultimately, the narrator's laryngitis makes him lose his voice and foil the evil plan.

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byStoryboarded byOriginal air dateProd.
code
1"The Way of the Dave" Howy Parkins Doug Langdale David Feiss & Brad VandergriftFebruary 6, 2004 (2004-02-06)101
"Beauty and the Zit"John Behnke & Rob HumphreyChong Lee

Candy's quest for an ultra-trendy antler hat takes her outside of the kingdom and in direct conflict with Chuckles the Silly Piggy.


Candy demands Oswidge come up with a magic spell to remove a pimple from her face on the night of the Barbarian Ball, but the zit turns into a zit monster and he's bent on taking her back. However, as it turns-out the monster only wants to be her date to the dance and then the two perform a song that strongly parodies the song Beauty and The Beast. Candy and the Zit's song is called Candy And The Zit.
2"Sorcerer Material"Howy ParkinsDoug LangdaleWendy GriebFebruary 20, 2004 (2004-02-20)102
"Sweep Dreams"John Behnke & Rob Humphrey Dave Filoni
Uncle Oswidge has the "hiccats" and the gang needs to go to Malsquando's for a cure, only to disccover that Malsquando knew Oswidge way back when. The villainous Malsquando tells Dave and Fang that Uncle Oswidge worked in a cafeteria and never went to sorcery school, hoping to break Oswidge's confidence and clear his path to world domination.
The rest of the family runs away from the castle to avoid Dave's spring cleaning. Dave uses Dusty, the magical cleaning broom, and sweeps the castle. After months of cleaning, Dave is in need of one more thing, Castle Polish, causing him to be lured into Chuckles' lair without Lula. Chuckles imprisons Dave, Fang, Oswidge, and Faffy, making them clean for him and leaving Candy and Lula as their only shaky hope.
3"Pet Threat"Howy Parkins Tom Minton Debra PughJanuary 23, 2004 (2004-01-23)103
"Lula's First Barbarian"Evan Gore & Heather LombardJim Shellhorn
Faffy is sad because the family forgot to get him anything during Dragon Appreciation Week, so Dave buys Faffy a diseased weasel for a pet. The diseased weasel gets all of Dave's attention, so Faffy runs away. The weasel turns out to be Chuckles The Silly Piggy, who wants to steal a magical fruit hidden in Faffy's room.
Lula's old owner, Argon The Ageless, comes to town and Lula wants to find some way of getting him to come back to her.
4"Civilization"Howy ParkinsKevin HoppsBrad VandergriftJanuary 30, 2004 (2004-01-30)104
"The Terror of Mecha-Dave" John P. McCann Chong Lee
Candy sets her sights on making Fang presentable in high society.
Dave fears he has been brainwashed to act like a bully by Chuckles the Silly Piggy when he hears rumors about himself ruining towns while on the way to the fabled 'Cliffs of Fabulous Shopping'.
5"King for a Day or Two"Howy ParkinsMark DropWendy GriebJanuary 23, 2004 (2004-01-23)105
"Slay What?"Ralph SollDave Filoni
Dave in his capacity as temporary ruler of Udrogoth forces the citizenry to attend his musical production, "Oh, Pastry!", allowing Chuckles the Silly Piggy to invade.
Fang's barbarian idol, Strom the Slayer, arrives in town to slay an unsuspecting Faffy, so the barbarians must do whatever it takes to keep Faffy safe.
6"Here There Be Dragons"Howy ParkinsDoug LangdaleDebra PughFebruary 27, 2004 (2004-02-27)106
"Pipe Down!"Larry SpencerDave Schwartz
Faffy's allegiance to his dragon brethren makes it tough for Dave to reverse the unnatural heat wave that has struck Udrogoth.
Dave's horrendous playing of "the Garglepipes", a bagpipe-like instrument, is enough to stir Quosmir from his subterranean resting place.
7"Termites of Endearment"Howy ParkinsKevin HoppsBrad VandergriftMarch 19, 2004 (2004-03-19)107
"Thor, Loser"Beth Fieger FalkensteinChong Lee
Vermites (termites that eat anything and everything) destroy Dave's boutique, causing Dave to embark on a quest to defeat them. He reaches the colony's mound, only to find out that they are being controlled by The Dark Lord Chuckles the Silly Piggy.
Lula tries to impress her sister Molly, who always looked down on her, by making Dave pretend to be a brave hero, dressing Fang up as an elf, etc. However, after Lula tells her sister the truth, Thor comes to reclaim his magical hammer, which turns out to be Molly.
8"The Maddening Sprite of the Stump"Howy ParkinsMark DropWendy GriebJanuary 23, 2004 (2004-01-23)108
"Shrink Rap"David Warick & Amy DeBatrolemis Dave Filoni
Lula gets stuck in a tree stump during Dave's attempt to guard the Enchanted Forest against a giant man-eating muffin. When the royal family is unable to free Lula, a tiny, winged sprite establishes himself as the ruler of Udrogoth.
Dave believes helping others is his whole purpose in life and starts giving out advice as a "psychofloobicologist", later giving advice to Quosmir.
9"Beef!"Howy ParkinsBrian PalermoDave SchwartzJanuary 23, 2004 (2004-01-23)109
"Rite of Pillage"Evan Gore & Heather LombardDebra Pugh
Candy seeks instant muscle gratification, but the magic broccoli she eats to strengthen her muscles makes her dumber and wanting to eat more.
Dave faces a dilemma, where he'll lose his barbarian title and disgrace his family if he cannot pass a pillaging test.
10"Band"Howy ParkinsDoug LangdaleBrad Vandergrift & Jim ShellhornFebruary 13, 2004 (2004-02-13)110
"Web"John Behnke & Rob HumphreyChong Lee & Kenny Thompkins
Fang unknowingly invents rock n' roll, leading to her, along with Dave, Candy, Oswidge, Lula, Faffy and a donkey, forming the wildly successful band "The Barbarian Six + Donkey". However, Chuckles the Silly Piggy disguises himself as a music producer and fools the band as part of a plan to destroy them for good.
Candy has difficulty paying off an expensive spending spree after she discovers that online shopping is possible. She later finds out that Chuckles the SIlly Piggy and the Queen of the Mole People are also in debt for the same reason.
11"Girlfriend"Howy ParkinsRalph SollWendy GriebJanuary 23, 2004 (2004-01-23)111
"Ned Frischman: Man of Tomorrow"Evan Gore & Heather LombardDave Filoni
Dave begins dating Princess Irmaplotz, but breaks up with her when he learns that she is evil. Irmaplotz is upset about the breakup and sends an army of filthy pixies to attack Udrogoth.
A nerd named Ned Frischman travels back in time and tries to take over the ancient world using video games. When everyone is hooked on the video games, Faffy, Lula, and Twinkle The Marvel Horse (being the only ones without thumbs) must face off against Ned.
12"The Princess and the Peabrains"Howy ParkinsEarl KressDebra PughMarch 26, 2004 (2004-03-26)112
"Horders and Sorcery"Billiam CoronelDave Schwartz
Candy makes her friends princesses while she leaves to have fun. Meanwhile, Chuckles the Silly Piggy and his dim-witted but kind nephew Knuckles are planning to take over Udrogoth, despite the fact that Knuckles really wants to be the Harvest Hog.
Fang tricks Dave into thinking he's going to a hat show, only for him to realize that he's really in warrior boot camp. Fang wants to be a warrior, but she's too small. After he fails tests like sword fights and amoeba wrestling, she lures Malsquando to the Mongrel Hordes Boot Camp with his army of giant potato bugs, in order to show the camp leader her talent for bug-squashing.
13"The Brutish Are Coming"Howy ParkinsKevin HoppsWendy GriebApril 30, 2004 (2004-04-30)113
"The Lost Race of Reeber"John P. McCannDave Filoni
Dave and Fang try to protect Udrogoth from invading monsters by turning Faffy into a monstrous guard dragon using Oswidge's magic, but they didn't specify what Faffy should guard, so he goes on a rampage guarding everyone from everyone else.
Princess Candy must help the Lost Race of Reeber reclaim its land from Invisigoth invaders.
14"Lederhosen of Doom"Howy ParkinsRalph SollDebra PughOctober 2, 2004 (2004-10-02)114
"Floral Derangement"Earl KressDave Schwartz
Fang gets some pants sent by her parents, but doesn't bother to read the note that came with them. This is problematic, because the note explains that the pants are the evil trouser beast and will take control of anyone who wears them. Fang loves the pants at first because they give her fantastic strength — at last she's as strong as Dave, but soon the pants take her over, using her as a tool to get revenge on their hated foe Oswidge.
When Fang messes with Dave's life once too often, he threatens to send her to Ms. Bluelung's School for Really Cute Little Girls, an educationally evil punishment which Princess Candy suggested. In order to avoid being sent to Ms. Bluelung's, Fang must promise to stop messing with Dave's life, but she breaks her promise. She swipes some of Oswidge's magic and makes some of Dave's flowers — his prized Purple Winkies — grow huge. The resulting gigantic, ravenous flowers cause a few problems, which Fang struggles to conceal from Dave.
15"Fiends and Family"Howy ParkinsDoug LangdaleDebra PughJanuary 21, 2005 (2005-01-21)115
"Plunderball"Evan Gore & Heather LombardBrad Vandergrift & Dave Schwartz
When her parents announce that they have to start their quest all over again, Fang is crushed and cheering her up is a Herculean task. Meanwhile, the Dark Lord Chuckles the Silly Piggy disguises himself as Fang's father as part of a plot to steal a magical artifact.
Dave finds himself coaching Udrogoth's Plunderball team in the big annual game, a job he knows nothing about. Things gets worse when the opposing team's coach is Dave's ex-girlfriend, Princess Irmaplotz.
16"A Pig's Story"Howy Parkins Paul Rugg & Doug LangdaleWendy Grieb & Dave FiloniDecember 27, 2004 (2004-12-27)116
The Dark Lord Chuckles the Silly Piggy has a plan that can't fail: he coerces the Storyteller (the series narrator) into reading a script in which Dave loses. Chuckles soon finds himself not only Master of the World, but also the new star of the show, which has been renamed "The Dark Lord Chuckles the Silly Piggy Will Destroy You All Variety Hour". When the Storyteller gets laryngitis, it looks like the winner will be whoever can find the best new narrator.
17"Not a Monkey"Howy ParkinsEvan Gore & Heather LombardWendy GriebJanuary 22, 2005 (2005-01-22)117
"Happy Glasses"Doug LangdaleDave Filoni
Fang gets an illness, so Uncle Oswidge and Dave take her to the doctor. The doctor says that Fang gets the illness that only monkeys get. Fang can only get the cure from the island far far away. The cure is berries. After a long cruise, they reached the island. Fang sets out to find the berries but she is taken away by a pack of monkeys that coincidentally look just like her, and Fang begins to wonder if she actually IS a monkey. They accept her at first but when she eats the berries and isn't cured, Fang realizes she is not a monkey. She is in trouble when she gets chased by monkeys, Dave is chased by gorillas, and Faffy is chased by lemons. Lula, meanwhile, stays at the hotel.
Chuckles sets to defeat Dave once again, he gives the gang fabled 'rose-colored' glasses that make whoever is wearing it see the world the way they really want it to be like. Chaos is started when the glasses are worn by Fang, Oswidge, Candy, Faffy, and Dave.
18"That Darn Ghost!"Howy ParkinsEvan Gore & Heather LombardChong LeeDecember 28, 2004 (2004-12-28)118
"The Cow Says Moon"Doug LangdaleBrad Vandergrift
Candy discovers that she is the only person in Udrogoth who does not have a ghost haunting her house. Caring for their sister, Dave and Fang go down to the local ghost shop and hire a ghost. The ghost throws a huge ghost party, and everyone's ghost attends. After Candy tries to kick them all out, the ghosts get angry, and chase the gang around Udrogoth.
Evil Princess Irmaplotz summons forth a cow-like something to bite Dave, thus a month later when the moon is full, Dave turns into a Were-Cow. Oswidge tries to cure him by having something else bite him, and various were-hijinks ensue.
19"Night of the Living Plush"Howy ParkinsMark DropBrad Vandergrift & Shane ZalvinDecember 29, 2004 (2004-12-29)119
"I Love Neddy"Evan Gore & Heather LombardChong Lee
Candy has bought too many plush animals. When her room explodes from being stuffed with too much fluff, she finally realizes that she needs to buy more. Chuckles discovers that Candy needs plush toys, and disguises himself as a piggy doll. After Candy buys him and takes him home, she immediately leaves to buy more. Chuckles, using his amulet, creates an army of her plushies in an attempt to conquer Udrogoth.
Ned Frischman returns to the past, attempting to conquer the world using jokes. He becomes the most beloved man in the world, and creates a sitcom called "I Love Neddy". In order to stop Ned's conquest of the planet, Dave and the gang create the world's first reality program, "Real Life Barbarians", which soon becomes more popular than "I Love Neddy". Ned comes to stop Dave and the gang with his jokes. All seems lost when Dave grabs "Convenient Feathers", and tickles Ned back to the future.
20"Red Sweater of Courage"Howy ParkinsBrian PalermoBrad VandergriftJanuary 17, 2005 (2005-01-17)120
"Dog of the Titans"Evan Gore & Heather LombardChong Lee
To make Dave brave, Fang makes him wear the Red Sweater of Courage, but Dave becomes so brave that he insults Chuckles, Malsquando, and Quosmir, so the three villains team up to destroy Udragoth.
Dave feels unappreciated at home, so he goes to Titan Meadows where he becomes the pet of a giant. Dave likes being a pet, so Fang competes against Dave in a pet show so the family can get him back.
21"Shake, Rattle, & Roll Over"Howy ParkinsJohn Behnke & Rob HumphreyDave SchwartzDecember 30, 2004 (2004-12-30)121
"Bad Food"Thomas HartDebra Pugh
While retrieving the magical Combat Rattle from an ancient temple, Faffy causes a statue to come to life and attack Dave and the others. When Dave decides to get Faffy trained, Chuckles disguises himself as a dragon trainer in order to steal the Combat Rattle.
Dave gets an ingrown toenail, so he quits being a barbarian and starts a restaurant. When the rest of family tries to ruin Dave's restaurant by stealing his cookbook, Dave starts making recipes from an evil cookbook, causing all of his cooking to come to life and attack.

Broadcast

The series was broadcast internationally, including on the Family Channel in Canada, on STS in Russia, on Disney Cinemagic in the United Kingdom, on Jetix in Latin America, on MBC 3 in Arabia, on SIC in Portugal, and on Super RTL in Germany.

Awards and nominations

2005 – Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production – Wendy Grieb for episode "The Maddening Sprite of the Stump" (Won)
2005 – Writing in an Animated Television Production – Evan Gore & Heather Lombard for episode "Ned Frischman: Man of Tomorrow" (Nominated)

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References

  1. Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 148. ISBN   978-1538103739.
  2. "Dave The Barbarian". www.bcdb.com, May 13, 2012