# KaBlam!
**KaBlam!** is an American animated sketch-comedy anthology television series that ran on [Nickelodeon](https://www.edgepedia.org/nickelodeon) from October 1996 to January 2000, with repeats until November 2, 2001. Created by Robert Mittenthal, Will McRobb, and Chris Viscardi, it was developed as a fully animated showcase for alternative forms of animation more common in indie films and commercials, and it was billed as TV's first animated sketch comedy series.[1](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/KaBlam?hl=en_US&id=45F8089D45CDAE57SH) • [2](https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/kablam-1200447387/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Half-hour animated sketch comedy combining cel, paper-cut, clay, computer, pixilated live-action, and stop-motion animation[2](https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/kablam-1200447387/) |
| Hosts | Henry (Noah Segan) and June (Julia McIlvaine), two kids who live in a comic book and introduce each skit from atop or within comic-book frames[3](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/kablam) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122353/) |
| Creators | Robert Mittenthal, Will McRobb, and Chris Viscardi[1](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/KaBlam?hl=en_US&id=45F8089D45CDAE57SH) |
| Run | October 1996 to January 22, 2000, with repeats until November 2, 2001; the only Nicktoon created for the SNICK block[1](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/KaBlam?hl=en_US&id=45F8089D45CDAE57SH) |
| Recurring shorts | Sniz & Fondue, Action League Now!, Life with Loopy, and Prometheus and Bob; Surprising Shorts was a slot for one-off pieces[5](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/kablam/1030231089/) • [3](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/kablam) |
| Signature technique | Action League Now! filmed in "chuck-a-mation," with unseen kid hands heaving action figures into destructive situations[2](https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/kablam-1200447387/) |
| Availability | Listed by TV Guide as unavailable to stream; last aired in Nickelodeon's The Splat block on October 8 and 9, 2016[5](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/kablam/1030231089/) • [1](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/KaBlam?hl=en_US&id=45F8089D45CDAE57SH) |
## Format and structure
The series combined cel, paper-cut, clay, computer, pixilated live-action, and stop-motion animation.[2](https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/kablam-1200447387/) Conceived entirely of animation, the series was meant to display alternative animation styles of the kind seen more often in independent films and advertising work.[1](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/KaBlam?hl=en_US&id=45F8089D45CDAE57SH)
**Comic-book framing.** The hosts, Henry and June, are two kids who live in a comic book.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122353/) Henry and June, whose voices are provided by [Noah Segan](https://www.edgepedia.org/noah-segan) and Julia McIlvaine, present every skit while standing on top of or inside the comic-book panels, and frequently recount adventures of their own in the process.[3](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/kablam)
**Scheduling.** KaBlam! was the only Nicktoon created for SNICK; although SNICK aired many [Nicktoons](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicktoons) not part of its block, KaBlam! alone was made for it.[1](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/KaBlam?hl=en_US&id=45F8089D45CDAE57SH)
## Component shorts
Four shorts recurred through the run, each in a distinct technique:[5](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/kablam/1030231089/)
- **Sniz and Fondue**: two hyperactive preadolescent "wombat thingies," presented in cel animation as one of the premiere's weekly anchor segments.[5](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/kablam/1030231089/) • [2](https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/kablam-1200447387/)
- **Action League Now!**: the adventures of a bunch of stop-animated toys.[5](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/kablam/1030231089/)
- **Life with Loopy**: a boy tells tall tales about his eccentric sister Loopy.[5](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/kablam/1030231089/)
- **Prometheus and Bob**: claymation stories about alien [Prometheus](https://www.edgepedia.org/prometheus)' attempts to educate caveman Bob.[5](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/kablam/1030231089/)
The show also folded stop-motion, Claymation, and cutout animation into recurring skits including "Surprising Shorts," a slot for one-off pieces alongside the recurring titles.[3](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/kablam)
## Action League Now!
The segment was built from toys rather than drawn or sculpted animation. It was filmed in "chuck-a-mation," and the joke is that unseen kid hands are always heaving the characters into destructive situations.[2](https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/kablam-1200447387/) The four action figures were the Flesh (Jim Krenn), Stinky Diver (Krenn), Thundergirl (Cris Winter), and Meltman (Scott Paulsen).[3](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/kablam) Scott Paulsen, Jim Krenn, and Cris Winter Ramsey also supplied the segment's voices in the premiere.[2](https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/kablam-1200447387/) Tim Hill directed the Action League Now! segments for 21 episodes.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122353/)
## Production and creators
The series was created by Robert Mittenthal, Will McRobb, and Chris Viscardi.[1](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/KaBlam?hl=en_US&id=45F8089D45CDAE57SH) Variety's premiere review credited the series' creation to Mittenthal, McRobb, Viscardi, Michael Pearlstein, and Cota Zellers, a wider list than the three-name credit used on later listings.[2](https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/kablam-1200447387/) Executive producers were Robert Mittenthal, Will McRobb, Chris Viscardi, Brian O'Connell, and Albie Hecht, with Kevin Kay as co-executive producer.[2](https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/kablam-1200447387/) The show was filmed in New York, New Jersey, Los Angeles, and San Francisco by Nickelodeon Prods.[2](https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/kablam-1200447387/) Stephen Holman and Cote Zellers each directed 35 episodes across the run.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122353/)
## Broadcast history and spinoffs
KaBlam! ran on Nickelodeon from October 11, 1996 to January 22, 2000, with repeats until November 2, 2001.[1](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/KaBlam?hl=en_US&id=45F8089D45CDAE57SH) IMDb's episode listing dates the first-season premiere "All Purpose Kablam!" to Monday, October 7, 1996, four days earlier than the October 11 start date in the [Google Play](https://www.edgepedia.org/google-play) listing.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122353/) • [1](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/KaBlam?hl=en_US&id=45F8089D45CDAE57SH)
Two segments outlived the anthology. "Action League Now!" and another segment called "[Angela Anaconda](https://www.edgepedia.org/angela-anaconda)" inspired spin-off series after KaBlam!'s conclusion in 2000.[3](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/kablam)
## By the numbers
- Run on Nickelodeon: October 1996 to January 22, 2000, with repeats to November 2, 2001.[1](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/KaBlam?hl=en_US&id=45F8089D45CDAE57SH)
- Episodes credited to lead directors: 35 each for Stephen Holman (1996–2000) and Cote Zellers (1996–1999).[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122353/)
- Action League Now! segments directed by Tim Hill: 21 episodes.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122353/)
- [Animation](https://www.edgepedia.org/animation) techniques combined per half-hour: six, from cel to pixilated live-action.[2](https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/kablam-1200447387/)
## Reception and availability
Variety's 1996 review of the premiere called the underlying idea revolutionary: the idea of a kids show using cel, paper-cut, clay, computer, pixilated live-action, and stop-motion animation to fill a half-hour is "in itself revolutionary." The same review found the premiere itself uneven, combining the sensibilities of "Ren & Stimpy" and "The Mr. Bill Show" with moments of both sublime loopiness and strained predictability, and described Henry and June as "a sort of Beavis and Butt-head for the pre-adolescent set."[2](https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/kablam-1200447387/)
**Where it can be seen.** [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide)'s listing describes the series as unavailable to stream.[5](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/kablam/1030231089/) Its last broadcast was as part of Nickelodeon's "The Splat" programming block on October 8 and 9, 2016.[1](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/KaBlam?hl=en_US&id=45F8089D45CDAE57SH) A full-series recording of 58.0 GB was uploaded to the [Internet Archive](https://www.edgepedia.org/internet-archive) in August 2021.[6](https://archive.org/details/kablam1996)
## References
1. [KaBlam! – TV on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/KaBlam?hl=en_US&id=45F8089D45CDAE57SH)
2. [Kablam! (TV Review), Variety, 1996](https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/kablam-1200447387/)
3. [KaBlam! – Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/kablam)
4. [KaBlam! (TV Series 1996–2000) – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122353/)
5. [KaBlam! – TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/kablam/1030231089/)
6. [KaBlam! – Full Series (PMTP WEB-DL), Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/kablam1996)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Animated television series (individual series) › Children's animated adventure and fantasy series › Comedy and slice-of-life series › Premiered 1961 to 2019*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license