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Uncle Grandpa

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Uncle Grandpa
Genre
Created byPeter Browngardt
Creative directors
Voices of
Theme music composer
Composers
  • Mike Conte
  • Tommy Meehan
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes153 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Rossitza Likomanova
  • Audie Harrison
EditorTom Browngardt
Running time11 minutes
Production companyCartoon Network Studios
Original release
NetworkCartoon Network
ReleaseSeptember 2, 2013 (2013-09-02) –
June 30, 2017 (2017-06-30)
Related

Uncle Grandpa is an American animated television series created by Peter Browngardt for Cartoon Network that ran from September 2, 2013, to June 30, 2017.[1] It is based on Browngardt's animated short of the same name from The Cartoonstitute. Uncle Grandpa is also a spin-off of Secret Mountain Fort Awesome, which was in turn a spin-off of The Cartoonstitute short. It was produced by Cartoon Network Studios.[2]

The show is a surreal action-adventure comedy that relies extensively on visual gags and catchphrases. Creator Pete Browngardt has cited the work of cartoonists Don Martin, Gary Larson and Robert Crumb, as well as Golden Age–era animators such as Tex Avery and Max Fleischer when it came to developing the style of the show. Each 11-minute episode is presented in a unique format, consisting of a main seven to nine-minute story, some short bumpers typically composed of a quick visual joke, and an original short that focuses on the show's side characters.

Cartoon Network renewed the series for the fourth and fifth seasons:[3] first splitting the second season[4] (of 52 episodes) into two halves, which respectively became the second and third season, then dividing in half the already announced third season into the fourth and fifth season (of 26 and 23 episodes, respectively), which served as the final seasons.[5][6][7]

The series premiered on Cartoon Network on September 2, 2013. While the pilot was nominated in 2010 for a Primetime Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Short-Format Animated Program, the show itself was awarded in 2014 for the work of Nick Edwards in the category of Outstanding Individual in Animation. Kevin Michael Richardson was also nominated for a Annie Award in 2016 in the category of Best Voice Acting for an Animated TV/Broadcast Production for his work as Mr. Gus in the show. The show on itself received mixed reviews from critics by the time of its release, with praise toward the show's animation and visual humor, while also receiving criticism for its pacing. Retrospective reviews have been more positive, especially after the release of Browngardt's Looney Tunes Cartoons (which he developed), with critics and viewers alike praising its concept, humor, deranged animation and overall tone.

Plot

[edit]

Uncle Grandpa is a magical shapeshifting person that stops by children's houses every day to see how they are doing. The children he visits have a problem of their own and Uncle Grandpa tries to help them through a series of chaotic and surreal misadventures. He is a clowny sort of person who sometimes eats inedible objects (paper, and mostly books). He drives/lives in a UG-2000 model robotic RV known as the Perpetual Persistence and is accompanied by a talking red fanny pack named Belly Bag, a green dinosauroid named Mr. Gus, a static photographic cutout of a tiger named Giant Realistic Flying Tiger, and an anthropomorphic pepperoni pizza slice named Pizza Steve. He greets everybody using “Good Morning.”

Characters

[edit]
Main article: List of Secret Mountain Fort Awesome and Uncle Grandpa characters

Main

[edit]
Main characters from the series; from left to right: Uncle Grandpa and Belly Bag, Pizza Steve, Mr. Gus and Giant Realistic Flying Tiger (bottom)
  • Uncle Grandpa (voiced by Peter Browngardt, Pendleton Ward in "For Pete! Love, Pen"), a comically dumb character, yet also strong, magical, and shapeshifting. He loves helping kids with their problems.
  • Mr. Gus (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson), a calm collected dinosaur who usually serves as the voice of reason.
  • Pizza Steve (voiced by Adam DeVine, Pendleton Ward in "For Pete! Love, Pen"), an anthropomorphic prideful slice of pepperoni pizza with sunglasses and a member of Uncle Grandpa's crew of which Uncle Grandpa idolizes.
  • Giant Realistic Flying Tiger, a static photographic cutout of a live-action tiger that Uncle Grandpa rides on to get around and communicates by roaring.
  • Belly Bag (voiced by Eric Bauza), Uncle Grandpa's talking red magic fanny pack and best friend.

Recurring

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  • Tiny Miracle the Robot Boy (voiced by Tom Kenny), Uncle Grandpa's hand built sergeant that does tasks around the van.
  • Beary Nice (voiced by Audie Harrison) and Hot Dog Person (voiced by Eric Bauza) – These two are the stars of their own recurring segment, "New Experiences".
  • Charlie Burgers the Ball-Loving Dog Next Door (voiced by Brian Posehn), a talking dog that befriends Uncle Grandpa and his friends.
  • Santa Claus (voiced by Bob Joles), the famous figure for Christmas and is revealed to be Uncle Grandpa's brother in the Christmas special. They have had a troubled relationship since 1983.
  • Frankenstein (voiced by Mark Hamill), a tag-along with Uncle Grandpa in his adventures.
  • Xarna, She-Warrior of the Apocalypse (voiced by Eric Bauza) is a cyborg warrior. She is on a mission to get gas for her Mad Motorcycle.
  • Ule Gapa (voiced by Tom Kenny), an unfriendly blue big mouthed alien with 4 sharp teeth who is constantly yelling at people. He appears first in an intermission when Uncle Grandpa tells Mr. Gus that his own logo is an imposter and destroys it using magic, and he comes out saying “Hey! YOU’RE NOT ULE GAPA, I’M ULE GAPA!”
  • Evil Wizard (voiced by Rob Schrab), a wizard who goes around trying to make everyone's day horrible by humiliating them but he actually makes their lives better and his worse.
  • Priscilla Jones (voiced by Lena Headey), Uncle Grandpa's nemesis with a British accent and the main antagonist of the series under the pseudonym “Aunt Grandma”. She wants revenge on him for ruining her science project and to usurp him as Aunt Grandma.
  • Crispin Mulcahy (voiced by Michael Dorn), a miniature strongman who gets preserved in gold and becomes the RV's lamp. He later reports on the RV presidential election in "Uncle Grandpa Runs for President".

Human children and adults

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  • Belly Kid (voiced by Zachary Gordon), a kid who has a big belly. He was first ashamed of it, but Uncle Grandpa taught him the best features of having a big belly. He appeared in "Belly Bros".
  • Caleb (voiced by Jonathan Adams), a boy that Uncle Grandpa takes out of a math test to go battle Evil Wizard in outer space. He appeared in "Tiger Trails".
  • Melvin (voiced by Jarid Root), a bossy kid who likes to play Space Emperor, with him being the emperor. When Uncle Grandpa accidentally sent him into another dimension, he was sent to a planet where he's the emperor. He discovered what it's like being a servant, and learns his lesson after Emperor Krell bosses him around. He loves dinner sandwiches, and hates mayonnaise. He appeared in "Space Emperor". His catchphrase is "I decide who does what!"
  • Melvin's Babysitter (voiced by Grey DeLisle), an attractive teenage girl with braces who babysits Melvin in the episode "Space Emperor".
  • Eric (voiced by Eric Bauza), a kid who doesn't have a nickname, so Uncle Grandpa helps him be legendary to get his nickname. In the process of becoming legendary he becomes tall and muscular. In the end he gets the nickname, "Cupcake", because he loves cupcakes. He appears in "Nickname".
  • Mary (voiced by Pamela Adlon), a nervous girl. She takes her driver's test, but fails. Uncle Grandpa takes her on a test and helps her pass. Uncle Grandpa gives her her own "Freedom and Independence USA" truck for passing her test. She appears in "Driver's Test".
  • Dennis (voiced by Tom Kenny), a kid who wanted to finally pass his teacher's hard class and avoid going to summer school, until Uncle Grandpa comes and eats his homework and putting Dennis in danger of going to summer school. So Dennis and Uncle Grandpa go to Egypt to get a real pyramid to make sure Dennis gets an A++++++ on his project. Dennis appears in "Uncle Grandpa Ate My Homework!".
  • “Dr. Ice Cream” (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker), is a licensed medical doctor who gets tricked by Mr Gus into telling Uncle Grandpa he is at an ice cream parlor, that way, because Uncle Grandpa is afraid of doctors and shots and blows up hospitals because of this, he won't cause any trouble.
  • Mrs. Numty (voiced by Grey DeLisle), Dennis' teacher. She appears in "Uncle Grandpa Ate My Homework!" and "1992 Called"'.
  • Guillermo (voiced by Eric Bauza) – Guillermo is a kid who had an awesome new bike until the Perpetual Persistence crushed it. In Uncle Grandpa and Belly Bag's absence, Mr. Gus and Pizza Steve help Guillermo by giving him a trashcan and saying it was a "Magical Uncle Grandpa Bike". Guillermo appears in "Uncle Grandpa for a Day".
  • Susie (voiced by Grey DeLisle), a little girl who was afraid of the dark, but learned how to combat her fears by imagining herself as a scary monster. She appears in "Afraid of the Dark".
  • Adam (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) – Adam is a kid who couldn't become the master of a very hard video game, until Uncle Grandpa and Pizza Steve shrink to get inside his brain to become better at video games. He would always have his eyes barely open showing that he's been playing videogames too much, and his eyes are sore from playing too much. Adam appears in "Brain Game".
  • Angry Man Johnson (voiced by Roger Craig Smith) – Angry Man Johnson is a grumpy old man who hates Charlie Burgers. Judging by his name, he is always angry at everyone, including Uncle Grandpa. Angry Man Johnson appears in "Charlie Burgers".
  • Austin (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui) – Austin is a kid who had a lot of imperfections so he asked Uncle Grandpa to turn him into a robot to become the most perfect kid, and to eliminate all imperfections. Austin appears in "Perfect Kid".
  • Shaquille O'Neal (voiced by himself) – The former professional basketball player who is an old friend of Uncle Grandpa. In the past, Uncle Grandpa helped Shaq realize his dream of being a stand-up comedian. He appears in "Perfect Kid" after Uncle Grandpa is chased into a comedy club that Shaq was performing at, where he helps Uncle Grandpa fight against Austin 2.0 by combining with the audience in a manner similar to a giant robot. Uncle Grandpa finds the jokes Shaq makes to be very funny.
  • Akira (voiced by Jessika Van), a Japanese kid who wanted to make the best action packed monster movie of all time. Akira appears in "Big in Japan".
  • Riley (voiced by Scott Menville), a teenage boy who fails a test, his father grounds him and demands him to fold laundry all weekend instead of going to a party.
  • Josie (voiced by Grey DeLisle) – Josie is a girl who was trying to make duck lips for a social media site and tries to get a lot of followers and likes. Josie appears in "Duck Lips".
  • Emily (voiced by Susanne Blakeslee) – Emily is a girl scout.
  • Isabella (voiced by Nika Futterman) – Isabella is a girl who is an aspiring inventor but her inventions are useless. Isabella appears in "Inventor Mentor".

Pilot

[edit]
  • Ham Sandwich Jones (voiced by Steven Blum), a rotund nerdy teenager who started out hating Uncle Grandpa, but later grew to like him. In the Secret Mountain Fort Awesome episode "5 Disgustoids and a Baby", he appeared as less responsive, and more stingy while intensely playing a portable gaming system. He can be seen in the show's intro and has a very brief role in "Big Trouble for Tiny Miracle".
  • Little Judy Jones (voiced by Grey DeLisle), Ham Sandwich's fat mother.
  • Remo (voiced by Tom Kenny), a destructive popular kid who similarly started off hating Uncle Grandpa, but ends up warming up to his antics. He appears in Secret Mountain Fort Awesome episode "Secret Mountain Uncle Grandpa".
  • Remo's Friends (voiced by Steve Little and Tom Kenny).
    • Kev (voiced by Jon Heder), a destructive teenager who thought art was dumb until Uncle Grandpa convinced him that art is pretty fun. Kev appears in "Viewer Special". The character originally appeared in a live-action film starring Browngardt called The Last American.[8]
  • Crazy Driving Man (voiced by Paul Rugg, Wallace Shawn), a man who wears framed glasses, and is the somewhat "uncool" father of his son Remo. He reappears as a driving instructor in Uncle Grandpa's 7th episode, "Driver's Test", and claims to be the father of a crazy driving baby from another universe and voiced by Wallace Shawn.

Episodes

[edit]
Main article: List of Uncle Grandpa episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
Pilot32008March 15, 2012 (2012-03-15)
152September 2, 2013 (2013-09-02)February 26, 2015 (2015-02-26)
226March 5, 2015 (2015-03-05)December 15, 2015 (2015-12-15)
CrossoverApril 2, 2015 (2015-04-02)
Shorts14July 9, 2015 (2015-07-09)July 21, 2017 (2017-07-21)
326December 16, 2015 (2015-12-16)July 1, 2016 (2016-07-01)
426July 1, 2016 (2016-07-01)December 15, 2016 (2016-12-15)
523December 16, 2016 (2016-12-16)June 30, 2017 (2017-06-30)

Specials

[edit]

Christmas Special

[edit]

The first-season episode "Christmas Special" was aired in December 2014. A double-length Christmas special, it centers on Uncle Grandpa who reluctantly agrees to disguise himself as his brother Santa Claus, after the latter character injures a leg. The episode received mostly praise in international publications, and in the United States it was viewed by 1.5 million. Cartoon Network developed a browser game adaptation named Sneakin' Santa to promote the episode. The episode was well received by the critics during its respective Christmas season.

Say Uncle

[edit]
Main article: Say Uncle (Steven Universe)

A crossover special between Uncle Grandpa and Steven Universe was aired as an episode of the latter series' second season in April 2015.[9] Conceived of by the creator of the latter series, Rebecca Sugar,[10] the episode has Uncle Grandpa teach Steven how to bear a shield from his gemstone. Nearly two million viewed the episode,[11] which received acclaim from critics.[12][13]

Guest Directed Shorts

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The second-season episode "Guest Directed Shorts" was aired in June 2015 and consists of three animated shorts. The first short, directed by M. Wartella, has Uncle Grandpa using time travel in order to find the best hamburger; the second, by Pendleton Ward, has Pizza Steve beatboxing with Uncle Grandpa in the park; and the third, by Max Winston, has the RV gang getting trapped in Uncle Grandpa's claymation mind after their television set breaks down. Wartella is known for his work on the animated series Superjail! and Mad, while Ward is the creator of Adventure Time; Winston is a professional stop-motion artist.[14][15] The episode was viewed by 1.3 million.[16] The episode was very well received by the critics, while Winston's short was nominated for best television production at the 2015 edition of the Annecy Film Festival.[17]

Uncle Grandpa Babies

[edit]

Uncle Grandpa Babies first appeared as a short in the 2014 episode "Grounded" as a faux Cartoon Network ad that presents a series called "Uncle Grandpa Babies" and claims to be made by the same creators of Adventure Time (Pendleton Ward) and Steven Universe (Rebecca Sugar). One year later, a full episode based on the babies saving America from a foreign country's missile launch aired on August 20, 2015.

In light of the special premiering, reruns of Baby Looney Tunes returned to Cartoon Network.

Production

[edit]

The Uncle Grandpa pilot was created by former Chowder storyboard artist Peter Browngardt, who first pitched the idea to Cartoon Network in 2006. Browngardt, who grew up the youngest in a large family of eight children (his eldest brother Tom would go on to work as the show's film editor), based the character upon the various and often eccentric relatives who would often drop by and visit them, as well as aspects of his own personality. The style of the show was inspired by his love of comics and Warner Bros. Cartoons. The pilot was produced in 2008, then aired online in 2009 on Cartoon Network Video as part of The Cartoonstitute.[18] Akin to the Regular Show pilot, the Uncle Grandpa pilot was successful, but it too have been green-lit into its own series.[18]

In 2011, the TV series Secret Mountain Fort Awesome (based on the creatures that appear in the original short) aired on Cartoon Network, but was not as well-received as the other Cartoon Network shows at the time, and was eventually put on hiatus in February 2012.[19] Despite the failure, Secret Mountain Fort Awesome went on to win several awards, including the coveted Crystal Award for "Best Television Production" at Annecy International Animated Film Festival, the first United States–based production to do so.[19] This helped boost Browngardt's profile in getting Uncle Grandpa greenlit as a series.[19] Another factor that contributed to the launch of the show was the redesign of the character by John Kricfalusi, The Ren & Stimpy Show's creator.[20]

On July 27 and 28, 2013, Cartoon Network aired a sneak peek of the series as part of Big Fan Weekend, along with Clarence and Steven Universe.[21]

On August 17, 2022, it was announced that HBO Max would be removing several series, including Uncle Grandpa.[22]

International broadcast

[edit]

In India, it aired in 2015 on Cartoon Network India and it airs still now on Cartoon Network HD+. In Canada, it premiered on September 2, 2013, on Cartoon Network.[23] It also premiered on Cartoon Network channels in the United Kingdom and Ireland on April 14, 2014,[24] and in Australia on May 5, 2014.[25] In the Middle East, it premiered on July 6, 2014, on Cartoon Network Arabic.

Home media

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DVD releases

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Region 1
DVD title Season(s) Aspect ratio Episode count Total running time Release dates
Tiger Trails 1 16:9 12 132 minutes December 16, 2014
Good Mornin'[26] 1 16:9 12 132 minutes April 7, 2015

Accolades

[edit]
Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result
2010 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Short-format Animated Program[27] Peter Browngardt, Janet Dimon, Robert Alvarez, Rob Renzetti, Craig McCracken, Brian A. Miller, Jennifer Pelphrey, and Rob Sorcher (for the "Uncle Grandpa" pilot from The Cartoonstitute) Nominated
2014 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Individual in Animation[27] Nick Edwards (for episode "Afraid of the Dark") Won
2015 Annecy International Animated Film Festival TV series Max Winston and Peter Browngardt (for "Total Reality" from Guest Directed Shorts)[28] Nominated
2016 Annie Awards Voice Acting in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production Kevin Michael Richardson (as Mr. Gus, for episode "Uncle Grandpa at the Movies")[29] Nominated

Comics

[edit]

On April 30, 2014, Kaboom! and Cartoon Network announced that Uncle Grandpa comics were in the works. Issue 1 was released on October 15, 2014.[30]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 669–670. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  2. ^ McLean, Thomas (September 11, 2012). "CN Greenlights 'Steven Universe,' 'Uncle Grandpa' Series". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on November 2, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  3. ^ "Exclusive: Cartoon Network renews 'Steven Universe' and 'Uncle Grandpa' through season 5". ew.com. Archived from the original on April 23, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  4. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (July 25, 2014). "Comic-Con Exclusive: Cartoon Network Renews 'Adventure Time,' 'Regular Show,' 3 More". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  5. ^ "Pete Browngardt on Twitter". twitter.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  6. ^ "'Adventure Time,' 'Regular Show,' 3 More Renewed at Cartoon Network". The Hollywood Reporter. July 7, 2015. Archived from the original on July 10, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  7. ^ "Cartoon Network Lied To Us: 'Uncle Grandpa' Is Ending Production". cartoonbrew.com. April 5, 2016. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  8. ^ "The Last American". vimeo.com. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  9. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (April 1, 2015). "Uncle Grandpa and Steven Universe Crossover Premieres April 2". Animation. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
  10. ^ Amidi, Amid (April 2, 2015). "Steven Universe and Uncle Grandpa Crossover Special Airs Today". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015.
  11. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (April 3, 2015). "Top 25 Thursday Cable Originals: April 2, 2015". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 8, 2015.
  12. ^ Thurm, Eric (April 1, 2015). "Exclusive Steven Universe Clip: Uncle Grandpa Comes to Town". The A. V. Club. Onion. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
  13. ^ Kaiser, Vrai (April 3, 2015). "Steven Universe Recap: 'Say Uncle'". The Mary Sue. Abrams Media. Archived from the original on September 22, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  14. ^ Mercedes, Milligan (May 20, 2015). "Uncle Grandpa Welcomes Guest Directors". Animation. Archived from the original on May 22, 2015.
  15. ^ Amidi, Amid (May 20, 2015). "Pen Ward, Max Winston, and Others Guest-Direct Uncle Grandpa". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on May 21, 2015.
  16. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (May 22, 2015). "Top 100 Thursday Cable Originals (& Network Update): May 21, 2015". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on June 6, 2015.
  17. ^ "Uncle Grandpa – 'Total Reality'". Annecy International Animated Film Festival. Archived from the original on June 6, 2015.
  18. ^ a b Amidi, Amid (June 15, 2010). "Uncle Grandpa by Peter Browngardt". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on September 4, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  19. ^ a b c Amidi, Amid (October 3, 2011). ""Secret Mountain Fort Awesome" Talkback". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  20. ^ "John K. Draws Uncle Grandpa – Cartoon Brew". Cartoon Brew. January 11, 2013. Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  21. ^ Arrant, Chris (July 12, 2011). "Cartoon Network's Series Panels and Events Lineup for Comic-Con International in San Diego". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on October 12, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  22. ^ White, Peter (August 17, 2022). "'Ellen's Next Great Designer', 'The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo' & 'My Mom, Your Dad' Among Unscripted & Animated Titles Pulled From HBO Max". Deadline. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  23. ^ Wolfe, Jennifer (August 15, 2013). "TELETOON Announces Fall Lineup". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on October 31, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  24. ^ Munn, Patrick (March 10, 2014). "Turner UK Unveils 2014 Programming Slate: 4 New Shows For Cartoon Network, New 'Tom & Jerry' Series & More". TV Wise. Archived from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  25. ^ Higgins, D. (May 5, 2014). "New this week: Continuum, Secret Meat Business, House of Cards finale & Powerpuff Girls 15th anniversary". The Green Room. Foxtel. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  26. ^ [citation needed]
  27. ^ a b "Uncle Grandpa: Academy of Television Arts & Sciences – Emmy". Emmys.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  28. ^ © CITIA. "Annecy > Programme > Index". annecy.org. Archived from the original on June 6, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  29. ^ "Annie Awards Nominees". annieawards.org. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  30. ^ "Preview: Uncle Grandpa #1 - Comic Book Resources". comicbookresources.com. Archived from the original on May 14, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  31. ^ "CNSP 豪華！日米お爺ちゃん大活躍！でんぢゃらすじーさん邪/アンクル・グランパ". Cartoon Network (Japan). Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
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