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All 53 Episodes of a Classic Fox Kids Animated Series are Returning to Streaming
If there is one truly great thing about the streaming age of entertainment, it’s that streaming has made it possible for fans old and new to experience and enjoy not just beloved favorites but shows and movies they may never have had a chance to experience otherwise. It’s also helped bring harder to find classics to larger audiences. This is especially true when it comes to beloved animated treasures that, for many, had been relegated to memories of Saturday mornings and after school blocks of the past and now, a late ‘90s animated kids favorite is not only returning to streaming, but doing so for free.
Hitting Tubi on June 1st are all 53 episodes of The New Woody Woodpecker Show. The New Woody Woodpecker show first debuted on May 8, 1999, and ran until July 27, 2002, as part of Fox’s Fox Kids programming block. The series, an updated version of the iconic The Woody Woodpecker Show from the ‘70s, followed the adventures of the mischievous titular Woody Woodpecker. Each episode was divided into two segments, one starring Woody and various supporting characters such as Winnie Woodpecker and Knothead & Splinter, with the other starring Chilly Willy, a mute penguin in Antarctica who also gets into various hijinks, usually when trying to get food or escape the cold.
The New Woody Woodpecker Show Is a Late ‘90s Classic (And Features Some Familiar Voice Talent)
The New Woody Woodpecker Show is not only a late ‘90s classic when it comes to kids animation, but it also encapsulates the somewhat subversive, and edgy humor elements of the era. One of the things that makes animation from this era so interesting—and contributes to his lasting nostalgia—is that while it was firmly for kids, its revival of vintage characters made the program approachable and enjoyable for all ages. The series also incorporated a bit of more rebellious humor in its modernization of Woody Woodpecker and other characters, which made it as enjoyable for the adults as the kids. Both ages got something from watching the show.
The series also featured some truly impressive and noteworthy vocal cast, something that both lends to the nostalgia of it all today but also speaks to the quality of the show. Billy West, well known for work on Ren & Stimpy and Futurama, voiced Woody, while the always iconic Mark Hamill brought is impressive vocal talent to the sketchy Buzz Buzzard. E.G. Daily, the voice of Buttercup from The Powerpuff Girls and Tommy Pickles on Rugrats gave Knothead, Woody Woodpecker’s nephew, his own distinctive voice.
While the series didn’t necessarily have the longest run during its time as part of Fox’s Fox Kid programming, the series’ return to streaming this June will give older fans a chance to enjoy this delightful piece of their own childhood all over again, and also do what streaming does best: introduce a whole new generation to an all-time classic.
All episodes of The New Woody Woodpecker show hit Tubi on June 1st.
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