Uncle Gus (partially lost Cartoon Network animated pilots; 2000-2001)
The title card for the first pilot.
Status: Partially Lost
Uncle Gus is the name of two cartoon pilots created by Lincoln Peirce (creator of Big Nate) for Cartoon Network. The first pilot, titled "For the Love of Monkeys," aired on Cartoon Network in 2000, and a second pilot, "Not So Fast!," aired in 2001.
The character Uncle Gus appears as a playable character alongside three other Big Pick characters in the online Shockwave game Cartoon Cartoon Summer Resort on CartoonNetwork.com.[1]
English dubs of both pilots were uploaded to YouTube in 2023 and 2024 from VHS recordings of their original broadcasts. The existence of a potentially lost third short, which Peirce mentioned in a 2014 interview, is unconfirmed.
Pilots
For the Love of Monkeys
Status: Found
The first Uncle Gus cartoon, "For the Love of Monkeys," premiered on July 14, 2000, on Cartoon Network's Cartoon Cartoon Fridays (CCF) programming block as part of a special event titled The Big Pick. The event, which ran from June 9 to August 11, 2000, showcased a new cartoon pilot every Friday night on CCF, and viewers were encouraged to go to CartoonNetwork.com to vote for their favorite cartoons. The viewer poll's expected winner was to be granted a full series.
The short's premiere marked the second time that the Cartoon Cartoon character Eustace from Courage the Cowardly Dog hosted CCF. Eustace's first night hosting was on June 9, 2000, which was the first time CCF featured a cartoon host. From August 25 to August 27, the ten featured pilots re-aired as part of a 53-hour marathon titled Cartoon Cartoon Weekend. The winning pilot was "Meet the Reaper," which would be turned into Grim & Evil and later The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy. The pilot ended up re-airing on December 14, 2002, as part of The Cartoon Cartoon Show.
A Cartoon Cartoon Fridays promo for the CCF broadcast is available on YouTube along with an undated CCF promo from 2000 featuring Uncle Gus. At some point a Latin Spanish dub of the pilot resurfaced online.
On August 1, 2023, YouTuber GroverKent uploaded the original Cartoon Cartoon Fridays airing of "For the Love of Monkeys" to their channel.
Not So Fast!
Status: Found
Another pilot, "Not So Fast!," aired on Cartoon Network's Cartoon Cartoon Fridays block the following year on November 23, 2001. That night's block was hosted by Mojo Jojo of The Powerpuff Girls (with Blossom and Courage from Courage the Cowardly Dog as co-hosts). This pilot's Latin Spanish dub also resurfaced online.
On September 11, 2021, YouTuber The Random Dude Guy uploaded an HD clip of the pilot's English version, where this clip originally comes from is currently unknown.
On May 18, 2024, YouTuber Jimmy Spraul uploaded the full English version of the pilot.
Third pilot
Status: Existence Unconfirmed
Peirce stated in a 2014 interview: "I wrote three shorts under the title "Uncle Gus" featuring a cast of eccentric characters: a middle-aged loser, his loyal horse, his overly theatrical nephew, and a mysterious tiny con man named Ali Ali. In retrospect, I think they worked much better as long-format comic books than as animation."[2] No further information has been found regarding a third Uncle Gus short aside from an unverified claim that a Greek dub is available on YouTube, which has not been located.
Gallery
Concept art
Character production art for the pilots.
Pilots
Other footage
See also
Big Pick
- Captain Sturdy (found Cartoon Network animated pilots; 2001/2003)
- Imp Inc. (found Cartoon Network animated pilot; 2001)
- Major Flake in "Soggy Sales" (found Cartoon Network animated pilot; 2001)
Anthology and Short Series
- Big Bag (partially found Cartoon Network live-action animated puppet series; 1996-1998)
- The Moxy Show (partially found Cartoon Network CGI animated anthology series; 1993-1995)
- Sunday Pants (partially lost Cartoon Network animated anthology series; 2005)
- ToonHeads (partially lost Cartoon Network animation anthology series; 1992-2003)
- ToonHeads "A Night of Independent Animation" (found special of Cartoon Network animation anthology series; 1996)
- Villainous (partially found Cartoon Network Mexico online animated short series; 2012-2013)
- What a Cartoon! (found Cartoon Network animated anthology series; 1995-1997)
- Youri, the Spaceman (found Cartoon Network France CGI animated short series; 2002)
Audio
- Adventure Time (lost uncensored episode commentaries from Cartoon Network animated series DVDs; 2012-2014)
- Akazukin Chacha (partially found Cartoon Network Asia English dub of anime; 1998)
- Ani-Yoko: My Next Door Neighbor (lost Cartoon Network Philippines English dub of anime; 2008)
- Class of 3000 (found original English audio of Cartoon Network animated musical series; 2006-2008)
- The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy "Matinee Mandy" (lost original English audio of Cartoon Network animated short; 2007)
- Heidi, Girl of the Alps (partially found Cartoon Network India English dub of anime; 2001)
- Mojacko (lost Cartoon Network Asia English dub of anime; 2013)
- My Melody (lost Cartoon Network Asia English dub of anime; mid-2000s)
- Out of Jimmy's Head (found Cartoon Network live-action/animated teen sitcom; 2007-2008)
- Spaced Out (partially found Cartoon Network UK English dub of French animated series; 2000s)
- Sugar Sugar Rune (lost Cartoon Network Philippines English dub of anime; 2011)
- Yatterman (lost Cartoon Network Asia English dub of anime; 2011)
- Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones? (partially lost unreleased original voice audio and unfinished/unknown Cartoon Network animated series episodes; 2002-2003)
- Zoids Genesis (partially found Cartoon Network Asia English dub of anime; 2007)
Bumpers and Interstitials
- The Big Game XXVI: Tom vs. Jerry (found Cartoon Network marathon special; 1998)
- Cartoon Network (partially found "High Noon Toons" bumpers from TV channel block; 1994-1996)
- Cartoon Network (partially lost "Nood" bumpers from TV channel; 2008-2010)
- Cartoon Network "Cartoon Network Responds!" (partially lost interstitials from TV channel; 1997-1999)
- Cartoon Network Mayors' Awards of Excellence (partially found interstitials of Cartoon Network Philippines civic campaign; 2000s)
- Cartoon Network NBA All-Star Slam (found interviews of marathon; 2003)
- Cartoon Planet (partially found bumpers of revival block of Cartoon Network animated variety series; 2012)
- Codename: Kids Next Door Mission Weekend (partially found marathon bumpers for Cartoon Network animated series; 2003)
- Fridays aka "Cartoon Cartoon Fridays" (partially found interstitials from Cartoon Network channel block; 1999–2007)
- Hotdog TV (partially found Cartoon Network interstitial series; 2010)
- Ice King Steals Christmas (partially found Cartoon Network UK Christmas themed bumpers starring "Adventure Time" character; 2015-2018)
- JBVO, Toon FM & Viva Las Bravo (partially found interstitials from Cartoon Network channel blocks; early-mid 2000s)
- Tickle-U (partially found Cartoon Network preschool block; 2005-2006)
- VBirds: Perfect (lost Cartoon Network UK interstitial series of British virtual girl group; 2003)
Pilots
- Ben 10 (partially found pitch pilot of Cartoon Network animated series; early-mid 2000s)
- Billy and Mandy in Trepanation of the Skull and You (found prototype short of "The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy" Cartoon Network animated series; 1995)
- Camp Lazlo "Monkey See, Camping Doo" (lost pitch pilot of Cartoon Network animated series; 2004)
- Cartoon Network Development Studio Europe (partially lost pitch pilots from British animation studio; 2008-2011)
- Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi (found pitch pilot of Cartoon Network animated series; 2003)
- Jeffrey Cat: Claw and Order "All Dogs Don't Go to Heaven" (found Cartoon Network animated pilot; 2002)
- A Kitty Bobo Show (found storyboard of cancelled second animated pilot for Cartoon Network; 2002)
- The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack (partially lost unaired "Wedgies" pilot and short of Cartoon Network animated series; 2007)
- Mess O' Blues (partially found prototype short of "Johnny Bravo" Cartoon Network animated series; 1993)
- My Gym Partner's a Monkey (lost pitch pilots of Cartoon Network animated series; 2003/2004)
- The Powerpuff Girls (lost pitch pilot of Cartoon Network animated series reboot; early-mid 2010s)
- Project Gilroy (lost Cartoon Network animated pilot; 2007)
- Regular Show (non-existent Flash pilot of Cartoon Network animated series; late 2000s-2010)
- Space Ghost Coast to Coast (partially found pitch pilots of Cartoon Network adult animated comedy series; 1993)
- Squirrel Boy "Kite Makes Right" (partially found pitch pilot of Cartoon Network animated series; 2004)
- What's Wrong With Ruth? (found Cartoon Network animated pilot; 2007)
Live-Action
- Bobb'e Says (partially found Cartoon Network live-action clip series; 2009)
- BrainRush (partially lost Cartoon Network live-action game show; 2009)
- Track Rats (partially found Cartoon Network reality short series; 2010)
- The Othersiders (found Cartoon Network paranormal reality series; 2009)
Other Cartoon Network Series
- The Amazing World of Gumball (partially lost deleted scenes of Cartoon Network animated series; 2011-2019)
- The Amazing World of Gumball "The Downer" (lost original draft of Cartoon Network animated series episode; existence unconfirmed; 2012-2014)
- The Amazing World of Gumball "The Rex" (partially found production material of cancelled Cartoon Network animated series episode; 2012)
- Ben 10 (partially found pop-up trivia version of Cartoon Network animated series episodes; 2008)
- Chowder (lost pop-up trivia version of Cartoon Network animated series episodes; 2010)
- Chowder (lost production material of cancelled Cartoon Network TV film; 2009)
- Codename: Kids Next Door (lost production material of cancelled Cartoon Network animated series episodes; 2002-2008)
- Dexter's Laboratory "Rude Removal" (found unaired Cartoon Network animated series episode; 1997)
- Droopy's Guide to the Cartoon Network (found launch preview of TV channel special; 1992)
- Ed, Edd n Eddy "Luck Be an Ed Tonight"/"A Room with an Ed" (rumored/lost unfinished Cartoon Network animated series episodes; existence unconfirmed; 2005)
- Ed, Edd n Eddy "Special Ed" (non-existent unproduced Cartoon Network animated series episode; late 1990s/early 2000s)
- Hall of Game Awards (partially found Cartoon Network award show; 2011-2014)
- I Heart Tuesdays (lost production material of cancelled Cartoon Network animated series; 2011-2012)
- I-10: The Ben 10 User Generated Experience (found Cartoon Network TV special; 2008)
- Mixels (partially found unaired/unproduced episodes of Cartoon Network animated comedy series based on LEGO toy line; 2014-2016)
- OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes "Crossover Nexus" (partially found original 22-minute version of Cartoon Network animated series episode; 2010s)
- Skatoony (found original British version of Cartoon Network quiz show; 2006-2008)
- Space Ghost Coast to Coast (partially lost Gametap episodes of Cartoon Network adult animated comedy series; 2006-2008)
- Space Ghost Coast to Coast "Snatch" (lost script of ending of Cartoon Network adult animated comedy series episode; 1999)
- Sym-Bionic Titan (lost production material of cancelled Cartoon Network animated series episodes; early 2010s)