Action League Now!

infobox Television
bgcolour = orange
show_name = Action League Now!


caption = The main characters of the animated series.
rating = TV-Y
format = Stop-motion Animated Adventure/Comedy
runtime =
creator = Will McRobb, Robert Mittenthal, Albie Hecht
starring =
country = USA
network = Nickelodeon
production house =
network = Nickelodeon
first_aired = October 1, 1995
last_aired = December 31, 2001
num_episodes = 52 shorts / 11 full
list_episodes = List of Action League Now! episodes
imdb_id = 0475182
tv_com_id = 20498|

"Action League Now!" is a stop motion children's television series that was originally part of "All That" and "KaBlam!" on Nickelodeon, and was later spun off into its own short-lived show. It was made using "chuckimation" (a combination of stop-frame animation and live-action shots where things are simply thrown or dropped into frame or wiggled around to simulate talking). The series follows the adventures of a superhero league, composed of various action figures, toys, and dolls. The show was created by Will McRobb, Robert Mittenthal, and Albie Hecht.

Every figure, toy, and doll seen on the show was modified from its original look in order to give originality to the respective characters. Some of these changes were drastic (such as Meltman), while others simply required some repainting (Stinky Diver). All the episodes took place in a house (owned by somebody who lived there a long time ago).

A large majority of the characters on the shorts were voiced by personalities from radio station WDVE in Pittsburgh.

Characters

* The Flesh — "He's super strong and super naked!" - A blonde, muscular, dim-witted bodybuilder who never wears clothes. His catch phrases include simple, immature terms such as "ouchies", "oopsies", and "yummers". Flesh usually gets in the way of the Action League when they're trying to save the day (by injuring them), but does not mean any harm. Undoubtedly the dumbest member of the team. His name is likely a parody of The Flash and is a reference to his constant nudity. The mold used for Flesh was a modified Conan the Adventurer action figure. Voiced by Jim Krenn.

* Thundergirl — "She flies—like thunder!" - The only female member of the team, as well as the only one with the ability to fly. She usually accompanies her flight with a song similar to the tune of John Williams' Star Wars theme. Thundergirl does not appreciate Meltman's crush on her, and usually ignores him completely following his professions of love. She does not seem to think of herself as an equal to the rest of the League, thinking of herself as superior, instead. It seems as though the figure used for Thundergirl was a Barbie doll, although it is possible that Barbie's British equivalent, Sindy, may also have been used. Voiced by Cris Winter.

* Stinky Diver — "A former navy commando with an attitude as bad as his odor!" - A mustachioed diver who is often seen in or around toilets. He speaks with an Australian-type accent, even though an episode title ("Mad Dogs and Englishmen") suggested him being English. As his name makes obvious, Stinky has a foul odor, but the Action League seems to have gotten used to it and don't mind it most of the time. Owns a beach house (in reality, a life-size portable toilet) and a vast collection of toilet paper, which come in many different colors. He is the most frequent driver of the Action Mobile, the League's official transportation device (a big, red remote-control car). Stinky is a barely-altered 1994 G.I. Joe Shipwreck action figure. Voiced by Jim Krenn.

* Meltman — "With the power to...melt!" - Meltman has the "power" to melt, and is the smallest and weakest member of the Action League. He has a long-running crush on Thundergirl, but she does not return his feelings for her. Since melting is his only ability, Meltman is very unhelpful and a borderline burden. Is considered by the rest of the League to be their personal servant, often fulfilling such chores as getting them sodas and donuts. For this reason, Meltman is always looking for ways to get the League to appreciate him. In two different episodes, it is revealed that his full name is Barry Meltfarb, although he claims to have changed the surname to his superhero name. The toy used for Meltman was a specific mold of an unknown (or custom-made) figure. Voiced by Scott Paulsen.

* The Chief — The boss of the Action League, The Chief is an angry, frustrated man who frequently yells at the Action League for their mistakes and unintended back-talking. Once got a heart transplant from Bill the Lab Guy, most likely due to his constant stress. He also once successfully awoke from a coma (induced by The Flesh's carelessness) after having to listen to all of the incidents in which the League had injured him during his extended sleep. Voiced by Collin M. McGee for a majority of the short's run, even though Victor Hart provided the voice in the first few episodes.

* Justice — The Chief's beloved Golden Retriever and best friend. Technically a member of the Action League, Justice serves as the Lassie of the show, warning fellow members of the League of dangers that they were otherwise unaware of. The canine in the show's history that was a toy and not a real-life dog. Featured in almost every episode as a background character, with its only starring role being in "Dog Day Afterschool". Justice's barks were done by Alyssa Grahm.

* The Mayor — The show's main and most commonly seen villain. The reasons for his dislike of the Action League are unknown, but his hatred is obvious. Instances in which Mayor has attempted to rid of the League include sucking them up with a massive vacuum cleaner, blowing them away with a giant fan and various other schemes, a lot of which revolve around making money. In one episode, his pseudonym was revealed to be "Louis D. Mayor", a possible reference of his real name. He also appears to have a fixation with becoming a celebrity, trying to become a successful musician and a part of the National Football League. Voiced by Jim Krenn.

* Bill the Lab Guy — A scientist who often messes up his experiments and predicaments. During every appearance, he is guaranteed to be heard saying, "There's nothing I can do," or, "I was afraid of this!" Bill has a monotone voice and takes himself very seriously as a scientist, even though his experiments almost always go awry. Has a teenage daughter named Quarky who helps him around the lab. He seems to be the one who jump-started Hodge Podge's career as a villain. Bill's name is possibly a takeoff on the title character on "Bill Nye the Science Guy". Appears to have a love for oldies music and is a personal friend of late musician Lou Rawls. Voiced by Jim Krenn.

* Hodge Podge — The Action League's former accountant, Hodge Podge was accidentally thrown into and chopped up in a blender (thanks to The Flesh's stupidity), then horribly rebuilt by Bill the Lab Guy against his will, making him a freak with parts of random toys and household objects making up most of his body (such as a claw for a hand taken from a crab toy and the top portion of a fork attached to his chest). The second most frequent villain in "Action League Now!" history, Hodge Podge appears to be more hands-on and successful than The Mayor with his initial tactics, even though neither of them ever get their way. He specifically works with mechanics to get his way (brainwashing radio station, custom-built remote control, modified voicebox, etc.).

The Action League have had various other villains throughout the show's run, including (but not limited to) a gigantic baby simply named "Big Baby", a Mesozoic monster (in reality, a dog) called Spotzilla, a rival superhero league known as the Danger Society, a bald genius known as Smarty Pants, an enemy of Stinky's past called Red Ninja, a group of evil aliens, a gypsy who cursed The Chief, and a mummy brought to life by The Mayor. Sometimes, even the League themselves can be the main cause of a problem, mainly because of how stupid they collectively are.

Episodes

* There were a total of forty-seven (47) episodes of the short that aired on "KaBlam!", making it the only short in that show's history to air once with each new episode.
* However, before "KaBlam!", two different, drastically shorter and different-quality episodes were shown on the kids' television show "All That". These noticeably cheaper episodes contained some different voices and a laugh track.
* Once "KaBlam!" came to an end, "Action League Now!" became its own show for a short amount of time, showing four old episodes as one programming block, with little shorts and quizzes thrown in-between (though the answer was always c). Each episode would have a theme, such as showing four episodes that were movie spin-offs in one programming block. Near the end of this run, three brand-new episodes were shown, making the grand total of "Action League Now!" episodes fifty-two (52).
* For a detailed, summarized listing of every single episode, please see this comprehensive list of episodes.

Guest appearances

* There have been numerous guest appearances during the history of the show, including superstars from the National Football League, the rock band Kiss, musician/actor Harry Connick, Jr., pop singer Robyn, and late musician Lou Rawls. All of these personnel voiced themselves on the program (with the exception of Robyn and Connick, Jr., who voiced Blandi and Big Baby in the episode "Rock-a-big Baby", respectively).
* However, "Action League Now!" has sometimes had real celebrities (in action figure form, of course) on the show, with a sound-alike doing the voices. Such instances include Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. Certain real people have also been parodied, such as the character "Lola", whose TV show was made to parody programs that deal with family issues, such as "Maury" or "The Oprah Winfrey Show".

External links

* [http://www.nicksvideo.com/aln/dl.html Action League Now! episodes]
*Tv.com show|id=20498|title=Action League Now!
*imdb title|id=0475182|title=Action League Now!
* [http://www.nickelodeon.com.au/toonroom/kablam/action.html Action League Now! on Nickelodeon.com.au]