Freaky Stories

Genre

Created bySteve Schnier

Developed bySteve Schnier
John A. Delmage

Starring

James Rankin
Dan Redican
Stephen Brathwaite
Jayne Eastwood (season 1)

Freaky Stories
Genre	Comedy thriller Dark fantasy Horror Science fiction Mystery Surrealism
Created by	Steve Schnier
Developed by	Steve Schnier John A. Delmage
Starring	James Rankin Dan Redican Stephen Brathwaite Jayne Eastwood (season 1)
Theme music composer	John McCarthy
Country of origin	Canada
Original languages	English French
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	35 (140 segments)
Production
Executive producers	John A. Delmage Neil Court (season 1) Steven DeNure (season 1) Neil Bregman (seasons 2–3) Curtis Crawford (seasons 2–3)
Producers	Steve Schnier Rick Morrison (seasons 2–3)
Running time	22 minutes
Production companies	Decode Entertainment^[a] Funbag Animation Studios Sound Venture Productions (seasons 2–3) Vujade Entertainment
Original release
Network	YTV (Canada) Canal Famille (French Canada)
Release	October 24, 1997 (1997-10-24)^[1] – December 17, 1999 (1999-12-17)

Freaky Stories is a Canadian animated anthology television series originally broadcast by YTV in English and Canal Famille in French (five-minute versions using the French title Frissons). It is an animated show about urban legends hosted by two animatronic puppets, Larry de Bug (voiced by James Rankin), a cockroach, and his gooey sidekick, Maurice (voiced by Dan Redican) the maggot in Ted's Diner - a 1940s-era diner setting staffed by Rosie the waitress (voiced by Jayne Eastwood, but never seen - season 1 only).

The series, described as "a Twilight Zone for kids", centers on the kind of myths and legends that are told as scary campfire or bedtime stories. Every episode always starts with and finishes with the phrase: "This is a true story, and it happened to a friend of a friend of mine." and by the words of Larry, "Just because they never happened, doesn't mean they ain't true." Animation styles and musical scoring varied within each half-hour episode, incorporating 20 different looks in the first season alone. The short stories and changing styles were specifically designed to keep viewers' attention span.

Production

Series creator Steve Schnier successfully pitched his concept of modern urban legends to YTV in 1991. In 1994, Steve teamed with executive producer John Delmage. The resulting Freaky Stories pilot premiered during YTV's "Dark Night 3" Halloween block on October 28, 1995,^[2] and the series itself premiered as a one-hour special as part of "Dark Night 5" on October 24, 1997.^[1] While most episodes were finished on digibeta,^[3] the pilot was shot on film using traditional animation techniques but completed on video. The subsequent series was digitally inked, painted and composited.^[4]

Cast

James Rankin - Larry de Bug
Dan Redican - Maurice the Maggot

Additional narrator cast

Episodes

Season 1 (1997–98)

Episode 1: The Big Queasy - October 24, 1997
- Prison Break/Cat Food/Weenie Wonderland/Mixed Nuts
Episode 2: Boys and Ghouls - October 31, 1997
- A Shot in the Dark/First Kiss/Blind Date/The Suspect
Episode 3: Animal Maggotism - November 7, 1997
- The Resurrection of Fluffy/Fifi to Go/Bug in the Ear/The Flying Kitten
Episode 4: Take This Job and Love It - November 14, 1997
- Pizza Guy/Carpet Man/Out of the Blue/Blunder Bed
Episode 5: Designer Tales - November 21, 1997
- Diet Pill/Spiders in the Hairdo/The Fly/Hanging by a Thread
Episode 6: Boo! - November 28, 1997
- Snatched/Graveyard Wager/Puddle and the Glow Monster/The Vampire
Episode 7: When You Gotta Go You Gotta Go - December 5, 1997
- Locked Out at 20,000/The $50 Porsche/The Bunker/A Concrete Cadillac
Episode 8: Law and Disorder - December 12, 1997
- The Rug Bug/Cat-Napping/Free Gas/The Hook
Episode 9: Not the Waltons - December 19, 1997
- Black Bean Soup/Bottle of Wine/To Pee or Not to Pee/Break a Leg
Episode 10: Oops! December 26, 1997
- The Moving Cactus/The Mystery Smell/Fetch the Ball/Accidental Cannibals
Episode 11: Gotcha! January 2, 1998
- Dumb Waiter/Luggage/Mama Mia/Jaxx in the Box
Episode 12: School Daze January 9, 1998
- Field Trip/The Story/Panty Raid/The Experiment
Episode 13: End of the Day January 16, 1998
- The Flower Lady/The Bookkeeper/Voice From Within/Pig Story

Season 2 (1998–99)

Episode 14/1: Dog From Mexico/The Mortician's Daughter/Pigeon Dave/Hair Today, Gone... - October 23, 1998
Episode 15/2: Murray and the Rats/Safe at Home/The Gift/Maple Syrup - October 30, 1998
Episode 16/3: Last Cab Fare/Nude in the RV/Alligator in the Sewer/Do Unto Others - November 6, 1998
Episode 17/4: Stolen Lunchbox/Front Row Seats/The Vanishing/Dead Man Walking- November 13, 1998
Episode 18/5: Radar Benny/Battleship/Severed Digit/Photo Op - November 20, 1998
Episode 19/6: Last Call/Identical Twins/Bat Girl/The Nosy Maid- November 27, 1998
Episode 20/7: Apologies to Steinbeck/The Creeping Curse of the Mummy's Tomb/A Fishy Story/Dumped in the Outback - December 4, 1998
Episode 21/8: Traders/Court in the Act/Furd and the Veep/Mooching Roommate - December 11, 1998
Episode 22/9: The Iron Fist Principal/Field of Seeds/Last Laugh/The Immortal Osgood Toadworthy - December 18, 1998
Episode 23/10: The Need For Speed/Zit's A Horrible Life/The Girl With the Hoarky Cough/The Smell of Fear - December 25, 1998
Episode 24/11: Pirates/Choc-Roaches/Femme Fatale/Dear Mother and Father - January 1, 1999
Episode 25/12: The Boy Who Cried Alien/Did You Have Fun At The Party?/The Rich Fart/Sewer Swimming Hole - January 8, 1999
Episode 26/13: The Man Who Picked His Brain/The Big Question/Smelly Kelly/Go Find Something To Do, Kid! - January 15, 1999

Season 3 (1999)

Episode 27/1: Deep Forest Diver/Double Your Pleasure/Prize/Hokus Pokus - October 22, 1999
Episode 28/2: Long Long Distance Call/Sweet Dreams/Duelling Sisters/Stuck Face - October 29, 1999
Episode 29/3: The 13th Floor/Fishing Hole/Bean Boy/Rugs R Us - November 5, 1999
Episode 30/4: Mark IV/Invisible Shirley/Chatty Monk/Mouse in the House - November 12, 1999
Episode 31/5: So Long Sing Sing/Fountain of Youth/Ouija Board/Houston, We Have a Problem - November 19, 1999
Episode 32/6: At the Circus/The Genius/Which Witch is Which?/Loch Ness Incident - November 26, 1999
Episode 33/7: Sour Puss/Monkey's Paw/First Anniversary/Bagel Boy - December 3, 1999
Episode 34/8: The Getaway/The Babysitter/The Meal/Wax Museum - December 10, 1999
Episode 35/9: Mouse Trap/Monkey Shines/A Little Push/The Lodger - December 17, 1999

v t e Cockroaches
Families	Blaberidae Blattidae Corydiidae Cryptocercidae Ectobiidae Lamproblattidae Nocticolidae Tryonicidae
In popular culture	Archy and Mehitabel Bad Mojo Bug Cockroach Cooties Cockroach (novel) Creepshow Damnation Alley (film) Freaky Stories Iran newspaper cockroach cartoon controversy Joe's Apartment "La Cucaracha" Oggy and the Cockroaches Oggy and the Cockroaches: The Movie RoboRoach Shinbone Alley Shinbone Alley The Cockroach The Exterminators The Monster Cockroach The Passion According to G.H. The Revolt of the Cockroach People Twilight of the Cockroaches "War of the Coprophages"
Other	Cockroach farming Kangfuxin Ye Cockroach racing Depopulation in post-Soviet states Nadezhda

v t e Former YTV original programming
1980s/1990s debuts	YTV Rocks (1988–97) Generation Gap (1989) Maniac Mansion (1990–93) Dog House (1990–91) Hit List (1991–2005) Video & Arcade Top 10 (1991–2006) Rupert (1991–97) Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1992–2000) The Big Comfy Couch (1992–96) Catwalk (1992–94) Clips (1992–96) Rock 'n Talk (1992–95) It's Alive (1993–97) Short Circutz (1994–96) Squawk Box (1994) ReBoot (1994–2001) The Anti-Gravity Room (1995–97) YTV News (1995–2000) Wimzie's House (1995–96) Groundling Marsh (1995–97) Goosebumps (1995–98) My Hometown (1996–2000) Stickin' Around (1996–98) Beast Wars: Transformers (1996–99) Monster by Mistake (1996–2003) The Adventures of Shirley Holmes (1997–2000) Uh Oh! (1997–2003) The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon (1997) Incredible Story Studios (1997–2002) Breaker High (1997–98) Student Bodies (1997–99) The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police (1997–98) Freaky Stories (1997–2000) Ants in Your Pants (1997–2004) Crazy Quilt (1997–99) The Country Mouse and the City Mouse Adventures (1998–2004) Radio Active (1998–2001) The Fuzzpaws (1998–99) Panda Bear Daycare (1998–99) Ruffus the Dog (1998–99) St. Bear's Dolls Hospital (1998–2000) Shadow Raiders (1998–99) The New Addams Family (1998–99) Charley and Mimmo (1999–2002) Gamerz (1998–2000) System Crash (1999–2001) George and Martha (1999–2000) Big Wolf on Campus (1999–2002) I Was a Sixth Grade Alien! (1999–2001) Mona the Vampire (1999–2006) Watership Down (1999–2001) Weird-Ohs (1999–2002) Beast Machines: Transformers (1999–2000) Daring & Grace: Teen Detectives (1999–2000)
2000s debuts	Nanalan' (2000–06) Caitlin's Way (2000–02) Screech Owls (2000–02) Treasure (2000) Yvon of the Yukon (2000–04) The Zack Files (2000–02) Wee 3 (2001–11) Xcalibur (2001–02) Vampire High (2001–02) The Saddle Club (2001–03) Ultimate Book of Spells (2001–02) Galidor: Defenders of the Outer Dimension (2002) Guinevere Jones (2002) The Bittles (2002–03) 2030 CE (2002–03) Girlstuff/Boystuff (2002–03) Seriously Weird (2002) Moville Mysteries (2002) Mystery Hunters (2002–09) Mental Block (2003) Timeblazers (2003–06) Jacob Two-Two (2003–06) Martin Mystery (2003–06) The Boy (2004–05) Fries with That? (2004) 15/Love (2004–06) Dark Oracle (2004–06) Zixx (2004–09) Ralf the Record Rat (2004) Spy Academy (2004–05) Mischief City (2005) Being Ian (2005–08) Brady's Beasts (2005–06) Funpak (2005) Prank Patrol (2005–10) Jane and the Dragon (2005–06) If the World Were a Village (2005) Ghost Trackers (2005–08) Captain Flamingo (2006–10) Monster Warriors (2006–08) Viva Piñata (2006–09) Erky Perky (2006–09) Grossology (2006–09) Team Galaxy (2006–07) Ruby Gloom (2006–08) Game Gurus (2006–07) Weird Years (2006) The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers (2007) Storm Hawks (2007–09) Game Gurus (2007–08) Jibber Jabber (2007) Clang Invasion (2007–08) Will and Dewitt (2007–08) The Adrenaline Project (2007–09) Edgar & Ellen (2007–08) Urban Vermin (2007–08) Monster Buster Club (2007–09) Three Delivery (2008–09) The Next Star (2008–14) Kid vs. Kat (2008–11) Willa's Wild Life (2008–09) RollBots (2009) In Real Life (2009–11) Karaoke Star Jr. (2009) Family Biz (2009) League of Super Evil (2009–12) Survive This (2009–10) That's So Weird! (2009–12) Pearlie (2009–11) How to Be Indie (2009–11)
2010s debuts	Zeke's Pad (2010) Sidekick (2010–13) Babar and the Adventures of Badou (2010–15) Almost Naked Animals (2011–13) Mr. Young (2011–13) Splatalot! (2011–13) Scaredy Squirrel (2011–13) Redakai: Conquer the Kairu (2011–13) Rated A for Awesome (2011–12) Life with Boys (2011–13) Zoink'd (2012–13) BeyWheelz (2013) Extreme Babysitting (2013–14) Cache Craze (2013–14) Oh No! It's an Alien Invasion (2013–15) Japanizi: Going, Going, Gong! (2013–14) BeyWarriors: BeyRaiderz (2014) Mission: 4Count (2014) Some Assembly Required (2014–16) Numb Chucks (2014–16) Nerds and Monsters (2014–16) Cook'd (2014–15) Max & Shred (2014–16) Undercover High (2014–15) Open Heart (2015) The Stanley Dynamic (2015–16) Make It Pop (2015–16) Game On (2015–16) Ride (2016) Tricked (2016) Driving Me Crazy (2016) Made Up (2016–17) 3 Amigonauts (2017) Chuck's Choice (2017) The ZhuZhus (2017) Mysticons (2017–18) Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2017–18) ReBoot: The Guardian Code (2018) Star Falls (2018) Go Away, Unicorn! (2018–19)
2020s debuts	Ollie's Pack (2020–21) The Hardy Boys (2021–23) Super Wish (2022–23) Best & Bester (2022–23)
See also	Current original series Corus Entertainment Nelvana The Zone Treehouse TV Teletoon StackTV