As Told by Ginger

As Told by Ginger
Title logo
Genre	Comedy Teen drama
Format	Animated series
Created by	Emily Kapnek
Directed by	Mark Risley
Starring	Melissa Disney Kenny Blank Jeannie Elias Liz Georges Jackie Harris Aspen Miller Tress MacNeille Cree Summer Laraine Newman Kath Soucie Adam Wylie Sandy Fox
Opening theme	"I'm in Between" performed by Macy Gray Written by Jared Faber and Emily Kapnek
Composer(s)	Jared Faber
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	60 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time	24 minutes
Production company(s)	Klasky-Csupo
Broadcast
Original channel	Nickelodeon Nicktoons Network The N[1]
Original run	October 25, 2000 (2000-10-25) – November 21, 2009 (2009-11-21)

As Told by Ginger is an American teen drama animated series that was produced by Klasky-Csupo and aired on Nickelodeon from 2000 to 2009. The series focuses on a middle schooler (and later high schooler) Ginger Foutley who, with her friends, tries to become more than a social geek.^[2] There are many subplots that focus on Carl Foutley, Ginger's brother and Ginger's mother, Lois. The series was noted for its storylines, character development and the fact that the characters change outfits each time a new day comes. As Told By Ginger was rated TV-Y7.

Synopsis

The show focuses mainly on the life of junior high school student Ginger Foutley. She, along with her friends, Darren Patterson, Dodie Bishop and Macie Lightfoot, all try to rise from the position of school geeks as they solve many conflicts that come their way. Luckily for Ginger, the most popular girl in school, Courtney Gripling, has taken a liking to her and often includes her in her social plans. She is intrigued by her 'gingerisms', as Courtney calls them. However, Miranda Killgallen, Courtney's right-hand woman, makes sure that she is not bumped down from her position thanks to Ginger. At home, Ginger records her lively adventures in her diary. Her little brother, Carl, is often scheming with Robert-Joseph ("Hoodsey") Bishop in his own side plots, and her mother, Lois, is always there for advice to which Ginger is always open to listen. The series takes place in the fictional town of Sheltered Shrubs, located in Connecticut. It is very rare for a children's program, especially an animated one, to be set in a specific area of the country. Sheltered Shrubs is actually based on the real town of Larchmont, New York. Other towns noted in the series are Protected Pines, a gated community in which Courtney lives, Brittle Branches, where Ginger's father resides, and Heathered Hills, the town of Ginger's summer camp crush, Sasha.

Characters

Main article: List of As Told by Ginger characters

Main characters

(in credits' order)

• Ginger Foutley (Melissa Disney)
• Darren Patterson (Kenny Blank) (credited as Kenn Michael starting with "Fair to Cloudy") (Seasons 2–3)
• Carl Foutley (Jeannie Elias)
• Courtney Gripling (Liz Georges)
• Macie Lightfoot (Jackie Harris)
• Deirdre "Dodie" Hortense Bishop (Aspen Miller)
• Robert Joseph "Hoodsey" Bishop (Tress MacNeille)
• Miranda Killgallen (Cree Summer)
• Lois Foutley (Laraine Newman)
• Blake Sophia Gripling (Kath Soucie)
• Ian Richton (Adam Wylie) (Season 1)
• Melissa "Mipsy" Mipson (Sandy Fox) (Seasons 2–3)
• Noelle Sussman (Emily Kapnek) (Seasons 2–3)

Notable others

(in order of actors' last name)

• Mr. Cilla - Lewis Arquette
• Sasha - J. Evan Bonifant
• Fred - Toran Caudell
• Brandon Higsby - Grey Delisle
• Dr. Weinstein - Larry Drake
• Mrs. Patterson - Ja'net Dubois
• George Magroity - Quinton Flynn
• Operator's Voice - Adrienne Frantz
• Mrs. Gordon - Kathleen Freeman
• Bobbie Lightfoot - Mary Gross
• Hall Monitor - Olivia Hack
• Ms. Zorski - Elizabeth Halpern
• Dr. Leventhal - Beth Howland
• David Dave - David Jeremiah
• Winston - John Kassir
• Noelle Sussman - Emily Kapnek
• Buzz Harris - Tom Kenny
• Joann Bishop - Susan Krebs
• Chet Zipper - Hope Levy
• Bobby Lightfoot - Michael McKean
• Claire Gripling - Candi Milo
• Gio Delacruz - Gio Delacruz
• Mr. Bowers, Math Teacher - Stuart Pankin
• Carl's Art Teacher - Christina Pickles
• Steven Applebaum - Robbie Rist
• Jimmy - Kevin Michael Richardson
• Radio Voice, Student #2 - Rino Romano
• Ralphie - Mike Simone
• Mr. Briggs - Brian Tochi
• Mrs. Grimley - Billy West

Development and continuity

As Told by Ginger has been recognized by fans and Nickelodeon alike for its character development, most of which is unusual for a cartoon.

In the first season, Ginger's age group is hinted as being in seventh grade. By the second season, they move up to eight grade rather than remaining the same age. They graduate Jr. high in the third season and move on to becoming freshmen in high school. Carl's age group works in a similar way, as they become Jr. high students by the third season. As the episode with the Jr. high graduation aired in 2004, even the show was aired in 2000, Ginger is most likely part of the class of 2006. Also in the second season, Darren had his unwieldy orthodontia that he had been wearing for the entire first season removed, which resulted in rising popularity. Also, many episodes (mostly seasons two-three, although season one did this too) have references to previous episodes, giving the episodes a definite order.

One of the more noticeable developments is the fact that the characters change clothes each time a new day comes. Many cartoons have their characters remain in the same outfits to save time and money. The girls in Ginger's age group (Dodie, Courtney, Macie, Miranda, and Ginger herself) and some of the adults were the only ones to do this at first. But after Darren got his orthodontia removed, he changed clothes as well. Carl's age group only changes clothes so often, most of the time with little changes. Hoodsey's coat rack has identical purple hooded-sweatshirts, mocking cartoons that always remain in the same outfits. Also, unlike live-action shows whose characters only wear an outfit once, As Told By Ginger characters wear their outfits in rotation, and new outfits are added every few episodes.

The show also deals with several deeper themes. In "Wicked Game", Ginger's two best friends betray her after feeling jealousy toward her new boyfriend, Darren. In "And She Was Gone", the staff and students at school think Ginger is depressed after she writes a disturbing poem. In the episode "No Hope for Courtney", Carl's pranks cause his teacher to retire. After she agrees to come back, Mrs. Gordon passes on. In actuality, the voice actress, Kathleen Freeman died and the episode was dedicated to her. "A Lesson in Tightropes" has Ginger going through an emotional break-up with Darren while, at the same time, having to get surgery for acute appendicitis. Furthermore, the episode "Stuff'll Kill Ya" shows Ginger dealing with what could be conceived as a caffeine addiction.

• In the TV film The Wedding Frame, when the Foutleys are driving to their soon-to-be home, they pass a cemetery park. One tombstone reads "ATBG" while the other reads "RIP". ATBG is short for As Told By Ginger and RIP is short for Rest In Peace. This is a nod to the fact that this film is the series finale.
• Piece of My Heart aired in the month of December, but since then has been known as a Valentine's Day special.
• In the episode "No Hope for Courtney", Mrs. Gordon retires after having enough of Carl and Hoodsey. Carl begs her to return. The script was originally written to have Mrs. Gordon return to her teaching job. Kathleen Freeman died in 2001 before the episode's first airing and the script was re-written to have Mrs. Gordon die as well and the newly-scripted episode aired some years later.
• A girl who had cancer and was also a Make-A-Wish patient watched this show during treatment. Her wish was to be a character on the show, and she was a character in one episode.
• ATBG was a rare exception that a Nicktoon was aired on Teenick, rather than during the day like most other Nicktoons. This was because the show was aimed at young teenagers.

Episodes

Main article: List of As Told by Ginger episodes

Sixty episodes plus one pilot episode were produced for the show.

The pilot was produced in 1999 and officially completed on September 10 of that year.

Season one was produced from November 1999-June 2000.

Season two was produced from August 2000 - November 2001.

Season three was produced from August 2002-November 2003.

Television films

There were four television films during the series' run.

• Summer of Camp Caprice had Ginger, Dodie, Macie and Courtney heading to summer camp, with Darren and Miranda going to military camp (where, as it happens, Miranda's father works) and Carl and Hoodsey on the trail of dog nappers.
• Foutleys on Ice (seen in the US as Far From Home), following up on the Emmy-nominated episode "And She Was Gone", dealt with Ginger winning a scholarship to an arts school, and Carl and Hoodsey making friends with a new character, the telekinetic Noelle Sussman (voiced by Emily Kapnek). This episode was released on DVD.
• Butterflies are Free Ginger and her friends graduate junior high.
• The Wedding Frame, which closed out the 3rd season and the series as a whole, and features Lois marrying one of the doctors at her hospital. Nickelodeon originally asked for the ending of that telefilm to be changed to something less conclusive in case they wished to make future TV episodes, however, perhaps due to that situation being very unlikely, the original ending was eventually retained. It was released directly to DVD in the United States in November 2004, but it wasn't broadcast in the US until November 21, 2009; also, the six episodes leading up to the film were not seen on US television until 2009, resulting in some continuity problems.

Production

The pilot for the show was completed in September 1999. The show premiered the following October on Nickelodeon. The show was greatly popular at first, even making its way into the teenager-aimed block TEENick. After the second season, the show's popularity began to decline, partially due to constant scheduling changes. Nickelodeon then took the show off the air after airing less than half the episodes of the third and final season. The show was a part of the Nicktoons channel since its inception in 2002, and started airing the remaining third season episodes in November 2004, when "Ten Chairs" premiered. The "high school" episodes were slated to premiere during November 2006, but only one, "Stuff'll Kill Ya" aired. The remaining episodes eventually premiered on Nicktoons during 2008-2009, but the series is no longer aired on the channel.

Show Airings

Network	Time	In effect
Nickelodeon	Wednesdays at 8 pm	October 2000-January 2001
Nickelodeon	Sundays 7:30 pm	January 2001-June 2003
Nick on CBS	Saturday mornings	September 2002-January 2003
Nickelodeon	Selected Weekday Mornings	November 2005
Nicktoons	Weekday mornings	November 2006-May 2007
Nicktoons	Sunday and Monday mornings	May 2007-July 2007
Nickelodeon	Monday mornings	August 2007
Nicktoons	Monday - Saturday mornings	October 2007- March 2008
Nickelodeon	6am Tuesdays	March 2008
Nicktoons	4:00am Monday - Friday mornings	March 2008 - January or February 2009
Four (New Zealand TV Channel)	Every Morning 7.30am and later Sunday - Friday Mornings 7.30am	7 February 2011 - 13 April 2011
Indus Vision	Daily 5.30pm	August 2003-November 2004

• The episodes "I Spy a Witch", "Déjà Who?", "An "Even Steven" Holiday Special", and "Piece of My Heart" were all made for the first season line-up, but aired during the second season.
• "Never Can Say Goodbye", "Gym Class Confidential", "Fast Reputation", and "The Nurses' Strike" all premiered in the same week during the teen nick block. They aired February 11-February 14, 2002 (which were the days between Monday and Thursday.)
• The episodes "Detention", "Kiss Today Good-bye", "A Lesson In Tightropes", "Dodie's Big Break", and "Battle of the Bands" are all high school episodes that aired in 2008-2009 in the United States. They were at one time scheduled to air during the second week of November 2006, but were immediately removed from the schedule after the first high school episode, "Stuff'll Kill Ya" was aired. In most other countries, especially in the United Kingdom, they are part of the common re-runs. The series finale The Wedding Frame has also aired on November 21, 2009 in the USA, but it is shown sometimes in other countries.
• The episode specials that run over 30 minutes with commercials are not seen in the United States.
• Nicktoons Network has been showing more and more episodes including ones they wouldn't show in the past such as "The Right Stuff". They have also been showing specials such as "Even Stevens Holiday", "Far From Home" and "No Turning Back" (January 2008).

DVD and iTunes releases

• The TV-films Far From Home and The Wedding Frame are available in the USA on Region 1 DVDs. Far From Home comes with the bonus episodes "Ginger The Juvey" and "The Pilot". The Wedding Frame includes "Stealing First" and "Dare I, Darren".
• The first 13 episodes became available on iTunes on Tuesday, July 29, 2008, but were eventually removed. The episode "I Spy A Witch" is listed as "Blizzard Conditions" as an error. Blizzard Conditions is not available as an error. The first episode Ginger the Juvey was already available on Nick Rewind Volume 2.
• The episode "An Even Steven Holiday Special" is available on Holly Jolly Specials '07.
• The episodes 1 through 45 are available on Russian DVD sets with each DVD containing 5 episodes. The As Speaks Ginger-DVDs as they are known in Russia (Cyrillic: Как говорит Джинджер) are produced and distributed by Russobit-M and are only available with a Russian soundtrack.

Theme song

Originally, Melissa Disney, who voices Ginger, sang the theme song. Before the show's first airing, the theme song was switched to a version sung by Cree Summer, the voice of Miranda. The first half of the first season used this theme song version. After that, all episodes used a new version sung by R&B artist Macy Gray. Although the Melissa Disney version has never been used in American airings, all three versions are featured regularly in other English-speaking countries.

Closing credits

The closing credits are generally designed backgrounds with the show's signature font. These backgrounds include the ice cream cones from Ginger's bedroom walls, ladybugs from Dodie's bedroom walls, pencils, lizards and more. The ending theme is most often an instrumental version of the theme, although there have been exceptions.The episode "Never Can Say Goodbye" ended with a song called "Wrong", sung by voice actor Kenny Blank as Darren Patterson and "And She Was Gone" ended with a musical version of Ginger's poem during the credits. The episode "Come Back Little Seal Girl" featured the songs "Courtney's World" and "The Little Seal Girl" blended together. In "About Face", a song called "Diamonds Are Expensive", presumably sung by the engaged Lois and Dr. Dave is played over the credits. "Next Question" ended with "The Teen Seal Girl" song. Finally, the episode "No Hope For Courtney", had no music during the credits, being dedicated to the memory of Kathleen Freeman.

Awards

• Three Emmy nominations for "Hello Stranger" (in 2001), "Lunatic Lake" (in 2002), and "And She Was Gone" (in 2003) (all three times As Told By Ginger were beaten by Fox shows). They were all three nominated in the Outstanding Animated Program (Less than One Hour).
• "Best Cartoon" at Nickelodeon Netherlands' Kids Choice Awards in 2005.
• Two episodes of As Told By Ginger were ranked in Nickelodeon's 100 Greatest Moments in Nicktoons History. The episodes are "Gym Class Confidential" and "Stealing First" and ranked in positions 97 and 95.

References

1. ^ "Rugrats Duo Draws on Shared Vision". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2000/nov/17/business/fi-53187. Retrieved 2010-11-10. 
2. ^ "NICKELODEON'S `GINGER' SPICES UP TONIGHT'S LINEUP THE `IN-BETWEEN' ANIMATED HEROINE NAVIGATES THE SCARY WATERS OF ADOLESCENCE.". Orlando Sentinel. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2000-10-25/lifestyle/0010250091_1_ginger-popular-jeannie-elias. Retrieved 2010-11-11. 

External links

• As Told by Ginger at the Internet Movie Database
• Official website from Klasky-Csupo
• As Told by Ginger at the Big Cartoon DataBase
• As Told by Ginger at TV.com
• As Told By Ginger in The New York Times