So I take it that we won’t have the pleasure of seeing Happy and Bessie team up with Spongebob?

disappointing (both the cancellation news and that ugly, ugly ratings list).

Well, that’s what corporate art is all about. Giving people what they want, and not what they need.

Judging from that list, its unanimous.
The kids LOVE iCarly.

Yay. Another doomsday report from Amid.

Man, unless things change at Nickelodeon, SpongeBob is all they got.

welp.

damnit. I really loved this show, despite it coming on at a horrible timeslot (like 10am or something).

That’s rather sad news if that is actually the case (will wait for official news from the source). Mighty B is a fun show!

Maybe it says more about the stagnant state of viewer tastes.

What will happen to nick when People get sick of sponge bob, shouldnt nick be preparing something to replace the sponge just in case
(still mad because they cancelled EL TIGRE, yES Im mexican and I like it)

It shows that kids like the same things over and over again. I don’t understand the iCarly popularity. Such a pity at my mind.

I actually thought this was a great show. The stories were funny to me without seeming forced, and I loved the drawing.
But I gotta say that I knew it was doomed when I would turn it on, and my 10 year old son would leave the room.

Man….that’s harsh news. My condolences to the crew on what was a great show.

Of that new lineup, Fanboy has actually turned out to be a pretty decent show so far. Some of the best cartoony cg for tv around. Much more creative than the 20th season of Spongebob and that Dreamworks spinoff.

If only there had been an iCarly/Mighty B crossover…

“Will wait for official news from the source” you might not get an official confirmation, Nick likes to kill shows silently and just forget they existed. They may advertise the finale as the season finale but not the series finale, and just replace it like it was nothing.

SpongeBob is only on ONCE maybe TWICE a day up here in Canada. I’ve seen Nick’s show line up in America, and it’s typically 80% SpongeBob a day.

Wow.

Sad News.

Whatever magic defines Spongebob, it cannot be duplicated. The industry has bankrupted itself on every level trying for a decade.

This was a stupid decision. It’s disgusting, given that Bessie is one of their top new shows, and they have done little to support or promote it.

Thing is, the shitty Dreamworks shows like the Madagascar Penguins (what a catchy name!) cost Nick nothing to produce, and yet they get a slice of the pie for airing them. The stupid goddamned suits are only concerned with cost versus short term bank. Never mind that when a show is nurtured, cared for and becomes a hit, like Spongebob, the network can make BILLIONS of dollars in merchandising. They’d rather cut jobs, cut costs, cut the network to ribbons.

Screw you, Nickelodeon.

Who would have guessed that the Disney channel would be the last man standing in TV cartoons?

Y’know, I’ve been getting pissed lately on how Nickelodeon and CN have been canceling such great animated shows and replacing them with live action bullocks. But if you look at Nick’s past, live action and cartoons both lived in harmony back in the early 90’s, (and CN never even had anything close to a reality show) but now’a'days, the statement that I just claimed made a 360 degree turn over. I feel bad for the animators, writers, and creative team that have so much potential in this industry but get laid off for shows like iCarly, Destroy, Build, Destroy, and The Troop. It seems to me like we’re going through an ‘animation recession’ my friends.

While I was never especially fond of that cartoon, it’s still a shame they boot anything out of the spotlight that isn’t SpongeBob.

Really, we need some variety. That is a SAD list there at the bottom. Nick might need more of a revival than Cartoon Network…

As a big fan of THE MIGHTY B!, I was absolutely stunned and dismayed. But not surprised.

I mean, have you considered Nickelodeon’s track record in the past decade?

Unless there’s a deeper reason than what we surmise (anything other than the current economy), I can only assume that Nickelodeon’s putting SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS on a pedestal is the cause for THE MIGHTY B!’s cancellation. I am absolutely outraged right now. This is the most heartbreaking Nick-related cartoon news since the firing of John Kricfalusi from REN & STIMPY.

Witness the sudden deaths of shows like INVADER ZIM, MY LIFE AS A TEENAGE ROBOT, THE X’s, EL TIGRE: THE ADVENTURES OF MANNY RIVERA, etc. And I’m surprised that Nick is keeping THE FAIRLY ODDPARENTS from time to time, even though that jumped the shark long ago. (It’s become Nickelodeon’s own FAMILY GUY.) It just proves the point that if it’s a good show (anything other than SPONGEBOB), Nickelodeon will cancel it after one or two seasons.

That said, I have a feeling that FANBOY & CHUM-CHUM and PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR may not last past the first season or two. So if Amid’s list is any indication, it’ll be SPONGEBOB, SPONGEBOB, more SPONGEBOB, *MORE* SPONGEBOB, even *MORE* SPONGEBOB, and undoubtedly more SPONGEBOB to come. Cartoon-wise, Nickelodeon has gotten beyond boring.

So I found it really unfortunate that THE MIGHTY B! got canceled, and it’ll take nothing short of a miracle to save the show…

Kyle Maloney : I have friends who work at Nick and who can (hopefully) give more details than just a few lines taken from Facebook.

Thomas: Nick pays a lot of money actually for the Penguins show, seeing as they have a full crew of board artists, directors, 3D modellers, designers, voice actors, etc. working in house. This is not like, say, buying the rights to air an anime and at the production cost level, having to pay only for the dubbing.

My understanding was that a lot of the cost of production of the DW shows is underwritten by DW. If it isn’t, Nick’s decision to throw in with them seems even more meatheaded than I’d originally thought it to be.

Why haven’t they called it the “SpongeBob Network” already?

“I feel bad for the animators, writers, and creative team that have so much potential in this industry but get laid off for shows like iCarly, Destroy, Build, Destroy, and The Troop.”

Actually I gotta defend the Troop. while Ive only seen a handful of episodes, and some really missed the mark that show has potential and I enjoy the concept. Its Men in Black for kids, its got action, comedy, everything I would have dug as a kid. Maybe I’m wrong but Nick hasn’t really seen shows like this since the days of Alex mac. Its not Sponge Bob, and its not some lame pretend sitcom like Icarly. I cant stick up for much else on Nick though these days.

Jmatte, ahh okay. well let us know if you hear anything. I personally haven’t seen much of this show, mostly because the voice cast ruins it for me, but I cant deny the animation has a Spumco esk appeal with talented artists on board.

That is a damn shame! Great show!

In my opinion, Nickelodeon went downhill ever since they took “Rocko’s Modern Life” on the air. I’m also curious to know what happened to “Hey Arnold” and “CatDog”.

Sad. My daughter loves this show - and it’s pretty funny for the grown-ups as well.

I blame the bad ratings on Nick not SHOWING IT ON TV. It’s only on once on the weekends, how in the hell is it expected to get good ratings if it’s never on long enough to compete?
Even on Nicktoons channel it’s all Spongebob. I think the only thing I saw worth while on Nicktoon network, when I was at a house that had the network, was My life as a teenage Robot. I don’t know why Nick thinks they can’t survive without 6 hours of spongebob a day, with Penguins and iCarly thrown in there every now and then.

On a side note Pengiuns isn’t bad and Fanboy has some neat animated moments…but neither are as good as El Tigre or Mighty B…ever!

…wow.

Another show I love is leaving me?

Why is Nick doing this to me!

For some reason, I think the only “network” that respects its shows anymore is [adult swim]

I wanted to like the show. But I didn’t. Something about it was “off”… maybe the Amy Pohler “Rick, Rick” voice, or something.

For whatever reasons, Spongebob still delivers, even while going into its second decade. Sometimes I program the DirecTV box so it plays Spongebob all day while I’m working for eight or twelve hours. I’ve seen most of the damn things a hundred times each, but it’s oddly comforting to hear the reruns. They still make me laugh.

Annie-Mae, not sure what you’re talking about because me and the kids would watch Mighty B all the time throughout the week. They would play it generously after the kids would come home from school, and we LOVED IT. Both my kids (ages 9 & 5) loved the show - Mighty B was one of the funniest, most creative, best animated shows out there. And they cancel it? Sheesh. Doesn’t make sense. Just let the show have a life of its own, Nick. A shame.

What a major blunder. Unless the point is there is no interest in anything remotely connected with a mostly female cast at the age where the point is not super-powers or boys (Sorry “Kimpossible”, “Teenage Robot”) when it is possible to substitute non-human male characters (also Sandy Cheeks went noticeably missing … or was she re-cast in “Penguins”, only to also be absented there?) crib notes from Pee Wee’s Playhouse, centering it on a naive permissiveness associated with vaguely pre-adolescence, so cross-dressing, nascent homo-erotic “buddy” characters - and self-concious camp or irony in the packaging. I really appreciate the good Spongebob (the first year was crap animation and had no fixed style-sheet it seemed) but it belongs more to pop culture packaging, often a series of gags hinged on a main character- Spongebob - like Mickey before him - which allows for all kinds of cut-and-paste use in Nick’s commercial needs, and themeparks and so on.

“MightyB” could never be that, and it started off as really well written stories as well as animation - from the first episode.

I guess I knew the gig was up, when B. plays in a band that unabashedly took its cue from RiotGrrrls culture. Compare that to the iCarly craptastic music that comes out of Carlys singing career, or anything in the tween market.

On a digital culture note - it seems also odd some cartoons - The MightyB and Brandy and Mr.Whiskers for example, are impossible to find in download, while others are all over the place.

/rant

Arthur F,

I know it’s costly, but all of Season 1 of THE MIGHTY B! is available for download on iTunes for $14. Sounds reasonable, even though I’m surprised it’s not getting the same treatment as, say, HEY, ARNOLD! or TOTAL DRAMA ISLAND/ACTION.

But even though the one DVD release for TMB! is great (love the sing-along extra for “Running With The Rainbow Unicorn” and the animatics for “Bat Mitzvah Crashers”!), I wish they could release a season set on DVD. This series deserves much more.

Speaking of which, how many shows did Nickelodeon come out with in full seasons, in comparison to some Cartoon Network shows? So far, off the top of my head, we’ve got:

-REN & STIMPY (complete)
-SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS (of course)
-AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER (complete)
-INVADER ZIM (complete; but was done through Media Blasters, not Nick itself)

Other shows (including RUGRATS, THE WILD THORNBERRYS, and THE FAIRLY ODDPARENTS) may have had special DVD releases with select episodes, but no season set, AFAIK (though FOP starts with Season 6, of all things). You also have the “CreateSpace” DVD releases on Amazon.com, which is good! Though it’s not the same as finding them at a store like Best Buy or Target.

Nickelodeon’s setup really baffles me. Meanwhile, Cartoon Network, releasing even their newer shows on DVD (usually by volume), are far more rational by comparison!

ArthurF, you can get a lot of Mighty B episodes on TurboNick: http://www.nick.com/turbonick/video_list.jhtml?category=mig

The show had very little exposure, that’s true, but I think it’s time to let it go and look for new shows.

Honestly I wasn’t surprised. The theme song was terrible and the show was like Spongebob but more annoying and without any of the charm. I don’t see what the big deal is, you should be happy that Spongebob, a children’s television show, has entered the public minds and hearts without being edgy, controversial and rude. All I can say is congrats Spongebob.

To be perfectly honest, I’d never heard of the “Mighty B” till now and had never seen the show..And I dont generally care for the “new wave” type cartoons coming out on Nick and CN..All that being said, It is really sad that any network has to rise and fall on one show (Spongebob) for so long..But there needs to be an outlet for new things to come out and have a chance to catch on..

We are, indeed going through an ‘animation recession’. ‘ICarly’, ‘Hanna Montana’, and CNReal have been killing the animation industry for the past few years, and not even another scandalous act by Miley Cyrus will turn things around for the creative types in the field. I also find it interesting how Nick is dependent on ‘Spongebob’ just like they were with ‘Rugrats’. God forbid Nick take a chance on something new with a glimmer of potential. Makes me concerned about how they handle the Ninja Turtles.

While I do think it’s a shame that there’s a lack of variety on Nick these days, I’m not entirely sure why Spongebob being the huge success that it is is such a bad thing (I don’t think that’s what the original post was insinuating, but there’s a definite lack of Spongebob love in the comments).

Some people may feel oversaturated now, but that was one heck of a quirky & original cartoon when it came out (plus Tom Kenny, who plays SB, is a genius), and to see it pick up so much steam and be wildly popular with people in every age group—I mean isn’t that an animation victory of the highest order? Resenting a show for its success seems silly—I’m sure Nick would be more than happy to share the spotlight if something just as promising cropped up. Rather than bemoan its popularity, we, the champions of animation (not to be all dramatic), should be happy that Nick has something to keep it afloat & keep the general public interested while they try to find their next creative tentpole.

I hate to say it, but I never found the Mighty B to be terribly appealing and can easily see why, especially on a network like Nick which still, I think, relies mostly on kids (vs CN) it didn’t do well. It has a much harsher style of animation IMO, the characters can all be very grating and it just doesn’t have that same undefinable magic & giddy, fun feeling that SB does.

It IS sad that nothing as inspired as Spongebob has come around in quite some time, but you can’t exactly blame Nick for promoting a good show that people love and that brings in money.

You bring up a good point. ‘Spongebob’ does have some of the qualities that make a cartoon enjoyable, and i do enjoy Tom Kenny’s work as a voice actor. I can understand why he gets alot of flack due to his overexposure, but i would put the blame on the other companies for not trying to give their properties just as much exposure. Otherwise, good point.

Kids watch that stupid penguins show?

One thing about Mighty B I didn’t like was the characters - I’d seen them all before. The idiot buddy, the mute pet who’s smarter than everybody else on the show, and the snobby valley girl.

But the designs, backgrounds, and animation are all top-notch.

My kids love it!…shame to see it go so soon.

To clarify, I don’t hate the series SPONGEBOB itself. It’s just not my cup of tea. I watched it, but I never really got into it. But, I’m not attacking the show, just Nickelodeon’s blatant favoritism towards it. It’s all too evident.

To me, REN & STIMPY is still the King of Nicktoons. THE MIGHTY B! came very close to being right up there, capturing its raw energy and style. But then, R&S was overshadowed by RUGRATS, which was the SPONGEBOB of yesteryear, only not as ridiculous as it’s gotten today. At least there was a healthy variety and balance in Nick’s schedule then. RUGRATS is long over, however. You have to wonder how long SPONGEBOB will last, because it’s not going to be around forever. Only in reruns…

I agree that Nick can move on to new shows, but how long will they last? See, this is exactly my point. Considering the lack of balance and variety in the overall schedule, how many other shows will manage to hold their own against SPONGEBOB? The only show that unseated it for a time was AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER, but that show *ended* (and gracefully, even!), and wasn’t canceled. Even DANNY PHANTOM was able to have a very strong following, mostly by the teen crowd, but Nickelodeon decided to cancel it, leading to a major fan outrage. Their entreaties fell on Nick’s deaf ears.

So in summary, it’s not SPONGEBOB we’re attacking, but Nickelodeon. Get my point?

What people seem to forget is that Spongebob was not always a hit for Nick. It was actually cancelled at one point and was brought back due to the popularity of it’s re-reuns.

Truth be told, the only reasons Spongebob and Fairly Odd Parents are the ratings gold they are, is simply because they were created during a time when the network gave ample time for a show to develop an audience.

Now, unless a new show is a bonanza in the ratings right from the premiere, and it’s reruns continue to score high….the show is dead within a year. The short lives of Mighty B and El Tigre are sadly evidence to that fact.

Don Adams,

That’s another good point, but Nickelodeon has been very capricious with reruns of shows other than SPONGEBOB. THE MIGHTY B! only airs once a week now (and, at other times, skips a week!). While SPONGEBOB airs throughout the week. Things look okay for PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR for now, but how often will we see FANBOY AND CHUM-CHUM? They’re minuscule in comparison, and look like they could share the same fate as THE MIGHTY B!. And even in their prime, these shows get waaaay more reruns on Nicktoons Network than they do on Nickelodeon! That should tell you something.

HHuuuuuuMMM. Interesting how everything in this world is so Temporal,no matter what it is? Very Talented guy none the less.

“I also find it interesting how Nick is dependent on ‘Spongebob’ just like they were with ‘Rugrats’.”

At least with SpongeBob, nobody is embarrassed of its success.

“Kids watch that stupid penguins show?”

It’s not stupid, but yes, kids watch it. In fact, “The Penguins Of Madagascar” actually BEATS “SpongeBob SquarePants” fairly often. The only reason such isn’t represented in that list of top-rated shows is that list was from the week that the highly publicized “Truth Or Square” special premiered. “Fanboy & Chum Chum” benefited from that special as well, since it aired right after the special on several occasions.

Here is a similar list from earlier this year, March 30th to June 28th, and “The Penguins Of Madagascar” beat “SpongeBob SquarePants” at nearly every demographic.

http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/3052/ratings.gif

I don’t get all of this hate towards “The Penguins Of Madagascar”. It’s a great show.

Polls don’t lie. Maybe this show isn’t fit for Nick. I personally thought that it was too “edgy” for Nick.. and these polls are basicly agreeing.

Maybe Mighty B should move on to another network? Or is it good enough for “any” network?

Rumour as fact? Where’s the real evidence…

Just in case, better go and buy me the DVD now. Like 50 of them.
Is El Tigre going DVD?

*REMEMBER - FAMILY GUY GOT CANNED, THEN RESURRECTED AFTER DVD SALES WENT THROUGH THE ROOF. IT CAN BE DONE, FANS!*

at least Nick makes cartoons unlike some other studios that we will not name

DarylT: “The theme song was terrible…”

Incorrect. You may not LIKE the theme song - but that in no way means it’s “terrible.”

Personally, I loved the theme song, especially the use of the waltz time signature near the end. In my ears, it was a very creative, well-written song.

Sorry, to hear this news. I enjoyed the “Mighty B” a lot.

So we’re supposed to expect hundreds of laid off employees for a canceled show everytime a new Spongebob episode airs?!? ONE new episode?! Come on, Nick.

That’s a real shame.
I wish they would take more risks with their shows, but when things like this happen it’s really hard to tell where they’d be going.

Sketchees,

I *wish* THE MIGHTY B! could move to Cartoon Network. (Similar to how DOUG moved from Nick to Disney.) I think it could do quite well there. I know many of you hate the Canadian cartoon 6TEEN (which I enjoy), but when it came to the US on Nickelodeon in 2005, it was canceled after about 8 episodes. As though Nickelodeon had no faith in the show to begin with. (But then, I was beginning to doubt whether Viacom and cartoons really mix; I mean, how many cartoons besides BEAVIS & BUTT-HEAD and DARIA were able to last beyond one season on MTV?) But when 6TEEN re-premiered on CN last year (due to the success of TDI), it did WAAAAAY better! If that doesn’t say anything about Nick, I don’t know what does.

But then, there’s also the issue of CN and the advent of reality shows. I dunno, maybe THE MIGHTY B! should be on Adult Swim? :)

Warren,

Well, I guess that’s not a bad idea. Or, maybe, we could also start a write-in campaign (write polite snail-mail letters to Nick) or some petition for the show. I don’t know if it’ll make a difference (it failed for DANNY PHANTOM), but hey, if we don’t do it, who will?

Don Adams, what is your source on Spongebob being canceled? There was a period of no episodes being produced between seasons three and four, but that was only because of production switched to the movie. Was there another break in production?

Maybe you’re thinking of Rugrats? Rugrats ended production after season three but resumed because of high-rated reruns.

Noooooooooooo!!! I really hope some other studio picks this up, with Amy Poehler’s weight behind it, it just might have a chance. Here’s hoping!

After seeing some of the recent comments, it occurs to me that a lot of people would like to see The Mighty B! on a different channel. With Disney now picking up recently fired CN animators and writers, maybe they’ll pick up The Mighty B! as well. It wouldn’t be the first time Disney bought something from Viacom (*cough* Doug *cough*). But I do have to agree with them, I’d like to see it on another channel as well.

And to Don Adams, I think the cartoon you were referring was Family Guy. Family Guy got canceled at one point, but got rebooted into production after successful dvd sales and reruns on [adult swim]. Spongebob was never canceled.

DAMN!!! Its an outrage ill miss bessie and her wierd and wonderful show

B-B-B-BUT!?!

I’m in denial, there is no way this can be true…

That list doesn’t surprise me one bit. But Mighty B’s cancellation sure does. I think something is seriously wrong when I’m channel surfing and I see Spongebob being shown on 3 Nick channels at the same time. It’s like a form of brainwashing. With that kind of exposure no wonder the show has popped up on the list that many times! No offense against Spongebob, I really like that cartoon, just not in such large doses!

I’m really going to miss Bessie Kajolica Higgenbottom and her friends!

I’ve seen quite a bit of The Mighty B, mainly because it’s usually sandwiched between superior shows like Spongebob and Penguins. It’s decent, but nothing spectacular and I can’t believe there are people who are outraged that it’s on the chopping block. It’s a throwback to the old school Ren and Stimpy style but it’s really nothing special. Bessie isn’t a very endearing character at all, and if you don’t like the main character then it’s not really much of a show.

I’m not surprised the show never caught on. And I don’t get the Penguins hate. It’s a very good show. I think people just have a hard time getting past the Dreamworks/CGI bias. I’ll bet if it was a 3D show getting the axe no one would be complaining. And there are more Nicktoons on the horizon, so I think this whole doom and gloom attitude I’m seeing so often is just a lot of pessimism.

But I’d have no problem if that Fanboy and ChumChum show was canceled. That show is idiotic for the sake of being idiotic. It’s like Spongbob on speed, with none of the endearing qualities or soul.

Mike Russo,

Look, it’s only fair that if some of you don’t get THE MIGHTY B!, some of us don’t get SPONGEBOB, either. Nothing personal.

The real surprise is that THE MIGHTY B! made it past Season 1! That’s one hell of an accomplishment. Its predecessors, THE X’s and EL TIGRE, never did that. The show was a success! And yet, despite greenlighting Season 2, Nick still handled it so capriciously. It had a pretty steady schedule in Season 1, but by the time they got to Season 2, the schedule diminished. They give them once a week to once every two weeks! I strongly doubt ratings alone would have to do with it. Nick ALWAYS does this to all their non-SPONGEBOB shows, and it’s getting on my last nerve. They’re getting to be a bunch of douchebags. Their recent attitude towards YO GABBA GABBA! (despite giving them a Thanksgiving float) is also telling.

While just plain scarce on Nickelodeon itself (a very BAAAAD idea), THE MIGHTY B! gets more reruns on Nicktoons Network (where the most run show is not SPONGEBOB, but AVATAR!). Does this help current or canceled Nick shows? Didn’t think so.

PENGUINS is an okay show. Not great, but just okay. FANBOY AND CHUM-CHUM *looks* good, but that’s about it.

Aw ma, I love THE MIGHTY B. It’s a cartoon full nutty drawings that’s fun to watch, what kind of sadistic monster cancels that?

I’m surprised that people care so much about the fate of, what really just boiled down to just yet another generic, imagnationless, watered down, Ren and Stimpy clone.

Shouldn’t the fact that another one of these got canned be something to celebrate over? I don’t get you guys. Then again, I never really have.

I truly feel sorry for all the people out there that are HUGE fans of Mighty B and used to watch the show. I am a HUGE fan of Mighty B as well.
I should have known the day they showed the last episode and aired Fanboy and Chum Chum that Mighty B probably not going to last long on TV.
I just tried to ignore that fact, hoping it wasn’t true.

And as Spongebob is funny to a point, it will NEVER be the same as Bessie; and i probably have several people backing me on this one.

I’ll dearly miss Bessie and all her friends, but at least there are DVDs!

Feh,

I never said you would “get us.”

If the show is as “watered down” as you say it is, how come I still hear a lot of uptight, bourgeois sissies whine and complain about how gross, scary, creepy, and disturbing it is? And how Bessie is too loud, abrasive, unhinged, etc., to be likable? The people who made this series (many of whom are John Kricfalusi alumni) are doing something right, and it got accepted on kids’ TV for about a whole 2 seasons! John K should be proud of this show. If it was “watered down,” Nickelodeon would *totally* trust it, and I probably wouldn’t watch it. Believe me. I know shows, Nick or not, that are faaaaaar more “watered down” than THE MIGHTY B! (which actually got better and more refined with Season 2).

I mean, I’m sorry you didn’t like the show, but nobody said you had to watch it. I didn’t have to watch both RUGRATS and SPONGEBOB (shows that have become the Nick Establishment), even though I did watch them, and didn’t really “get” them. But even though I never “got” the fans, I never wished any ill will towards them, either. Just on Nickelodeon. Let the fans enjoy their shows! They can have their RUGRATS and SPONGEBOBs, I’ll have my MIGHTY B!s.

Incidentally, awesome Spumco-style aside, the following review from Geekanerd (from New York Comic Con ‘08, shortly before the show premiered) describes several reasons I love the show so much.

http://www.geekanerdblog.com/2008/04/nycc-08-mighty-b-panel.html

Choice quotes:

“Mighty B! is set in San Francisco, and creators Wiese and True mentioned wanting to set the show outside of the generic suburbia so many kids cartoons seem to exist in. They projected several of the show’s outstandingly beautiful hand-painted backgrounds during the panel, and though these photos hardly do them justice, you can see the amount of care and artistry the Mighty B team is putting into the show. As an East Bay native who has spent my share of time in San Francisco, I’m impressed with how these painting capture the unique architecture and angularity of SF through the vibrant filter of a child’s perspective. The panel also projected a still from an episode called “Bat Mitzvah Crashers” (noted as a favorite by True and Wiese), certainly not something you’d expect to see in a typical nicktoon (okay, fine, Rugrats) so it seems like the diversity of living in a big city will also be reflected.”

“…the prospect of seeing a girl protagonist in a cartoon that is not “a girl’s show” is really exciting. Growing up as both an obsessive fan of cartoons and a goofy, nerdy girl, I was aware from a very young age that all the cartoon characters that made me laugh were boys. Girl protagonists were, as aptly put by Cynthia True, “straight-men and sidekicks”. As much as I love female characters like Sandy from Spongebob and Wanda from Oddparents, their roles are generally to pull back the action, to worry and advise against things. Even girls who have their own shows in this brave new millennium such as Kim Possible and Jenny from Teenage Robot tend to have almost model minority personalities; level headed, strong, smart, pretty, and bland. These are cartoon characters with no extremes; where’s the fun in that? The most silly, strange girls in modern cartoons may be Bubbles of the Powerpuffs and Starfire of Teen Titans, and both of these characters must share the stage with others. The Mighty B! is Bessie’s show, and I can’t recall ever seeing an animated character like her before. Wacky to the point of unhinged, energetic to the point of hyperactive, Bessie is made of extremes.”

John, you sound like me when I defend Family Guy. LOL do I really act like that?

I seriously think people would not be THIS defensive about this show if it was a CGI show that was on the chopping block. But that’s just me.

Well, I don’t know, Mike, do you? :)

What can I say? Sometimes you just gotta’ stick up for the little guy. And I admit to being crazy to do so, but I love THE MIGHTY B!.

FYI, despite my mixed feelings towards FAMILY GUY, I can at least agree that it’s better than Seth McFarlane’s other shows (which are just FAMILY GUY in all but name, which brings us to another recent Brew post).

Not too surprising. This show just didn’t work well. None of the characters were very likable or appealling, and Bessie was just really irritating and hard to root for.

On a sadder note, former MAD and Cracked artist Bill Wray is now out of work.

Ah man! I love the Mighty B!

It’s one of those shows the keeps your interest throughout the whole thing. Get poses, awesome animation, and wacky. I like wacky.

I will say, when I first heard of it…I though it was going to be bad. One of those quick one season cash-ins for Nick. I was VERY wrong. I wish it would stay >_<!

I know this is an old thread, but just adding to it for the archives.
After finally managing to talk to some of my friends over at Nick, they said the current season being produced will be the last and the show then won’t be picked up.

So not really a cancellation. Just an ending, sadly enough.

Seems sad that they canceled mighty b. Bessie was really cute and the show was so innocent. nowadays it seems as though everyone is trying to make another big hit to compete with Harry Potter by making a wizard as one of the charachters and adding other satanic charachters onto the show, Fanboy and Chum Chum is an example of this. I am not saying that Fanboy and Chum Chum is bad, as i like the show. I just don’t agree with wizards an other satanic charachters. That is just my POV. no matter what show comes up, it will never be like Bessie.
Oh well, i guess all good things come to an end nowadays in a world where people think good is bad and bad is good.

On the plus side, Nick gave a new episode this past weekend! It seems they’re pulling out the stops with Season 2. (They’re giving another one on the 16th, so keep your eyes peeled, and spread the word!)

I, too, thought Bessie Higgenbottom was absolutely adorable. Even if you don’t agree with every single thing she did (and sometimes she really pays for it; “Dang, It Feels Good to Be a Gamester” is a perfect example)! Unlike most cartoon heroines, she was just plain made to make you laugh, in both appearance and personality! And at the same time, she’s really adorable for it. She’s a real breakthrough character for me. I doubt I’ll see any other female cartoon character like her.

Characters like the Powerpuff Girls (still among my favorites) do indeed come close in personality, but the foundation of their very appearances are strongly based upon cuteness, rather than Bessie’s goofiness, so appearance-wise, they seldom lend themselves to that kind of insane, versatile comedy, and are rather static. But then, they’re more action heroes than goofy comedy reliefs, so I respect that.

Other than that, it seems girls have to be stuck being a teenage Barbie doll/Little Miss Perfect, or a cynical straight-man. Bessie Higgenbottom thankfully broke that mold, and I love her to pieces for it. I couldn’t be more proud of being a fan.

There are a lot of very good opinions I’ve read here, and I mostly agree with everything that John Paul has said. I cannot stand the common “Ren & Stimpy Knock-off” bias present with The Mighty B, nor can I get my head around Nickelodeon’s inability to give their new concepts some time to grow. This cartoon was very good and original in my opinion; it made me mad that I was destined never to see some of the episodes in season 2 as they were shown one time each with little or no forewarning by the network. I would say that Bessie has become one of my favorite female animated characters (second only to Toph from Avatar) and that will most likely never change.

Admittedly I had to wonder ever since 2008, how long will she last? As I recall, Nick tried to brush Avatar off their shoulders in 2008 as season 3 episodes were only shown once or twice each, and the first & second halves of 3 were shown about half a year apart with a few released on DVD months prior to being aired. Yet they were and still are able to make plenty of time for daily Spongebob marathons and their new relatively crappy sitcoms, along with some time for the mediocre movie spin-offs. For a while, I was practically looking for some hints of weakness in The Mighty B to support my theory that Nick has a recent desire to give their mediocre/crappy shows and Spongebob the spotlight, and make an inference as to how long it would last. But the more I watched it, and saw how good it really was, the more I began to think in accordance with my theory that it would soon be cancelled, which was backed by the disappearance of air times last year. It makes me glad that I recorded most of the show so I can continue to enjoy it, and hopefully more DVD releases will appear. (Wow, I could write an essay about this.)