Beetlejuice (TV series)
| Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Beetlejuice The Animated Series |
| Abbreviation(s): | BTAS |
| Creator: | Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson, Warren Skaaren and Tim Burton |
| Date(s): | September 9, 1989 – December 6, 1991 |
| Medium: | Animated Series |
| Country of Origin: | United States / Canada |
| External Links: | IMDB |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Beetlejuice: The Animated Series is based on the 1988 film created by Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson, and Warren Skaaren. This was a classic Tim Burton Film and Halloween Time Classic. This series ran from September 9, 1989 – December 6, 1991, with four seasons.
There were 94 episodes with 109 segments.
This project was developed by Tim Burton. Nelvana Limited, The Geffen Film Company, Warner Bros. Television, and Tim Burton Inc. were all involved with the production.
Canon
Canon Overview
This series is loosely based on the 1988 film of the same name. There were some drastic changes not only to the tone and rating of the show but to the characters as well.
This time Beetlejuice is the star of the show with his living human best friend Lydia Deetz. In this universe, Beetlejuice and Lydia share adventures in both her town of Peaceful Pines (Not Winter River) and the Neitherworld.
It was a successful series airing on ABC’s Sunday Morning Line Up and later moving to Fox’s Weekday Afternoon Lineup. This quirky show was ahead of its time with a strange and unusual female lead and a gross prankster as the hero.
The Story
Lydia Deetz is just a middle school girl going to Miss Shannon’s school for girls. She has only two friends, both of whom are outcasts just like Lydia, but her REAL best friend is a centuries-old dead guy with a taste for bugs and all things slimy.
Lydia and Beetlejuice have adventures in both worlds filled with puns and pop culture references that were all the rage in the early ’90s.
Other Media
- Beetlejuice 1988
- Betelgeuse's Rock 'n' Roll Graveyard Revue
- Beetlejuice The Musical. The Musical. The Musical.
Video games
- Adventures of Beetlejuice: Skeletons in the Closet
- Beetlejuice NES 1991
- Beetlejuice: Horrific Hijinx from the Neitherworld!
Characters
Main Characters
- Lydia Deetz - Alyson Court
- Beetlejuice (character)- Stephen Ouimette
Side Characters Living
- Miss Shannon
- Bertha
- Prudence
- Claire Brewster
Lydia’s Family
- Delia Deetz
- Charles Deetz
- Uncle Clyde
- Aunt Zephora
- Percy
Side Characters Neitherworld
- Ginger The Tap Dancing Spider
- Jacques LaLean
- Dragster of Doom/ Doom
- The Monster Across the Street
- Poopsie
- Prince Vince
Beetlejuice’s Family
- Mr. Gnat Juice
- Bea Juice
- Donny Juice
Minor Characters
Many of the minor characters are a play of puns. Some are based on real people while others are a play on words. Sometimes OC's will be confused for minor characters like LadyNorberts "Fairy Godfather".
Villains/ Antagonists
Lipscum, Little Miss Warden, Scuzzo the Clown, Fuzzo the Clown, Jesse Germs, Captain Kidder, Bully the Crud, Judge Mental, Mayor Maynot, I.M. Smallhead, Mr. Monitor, Bartholomew Batt, Deady Eddy, Count Mein, Mr. Big, Wyatt Burp
Minor Characters
Hopalong Casualty, Barry MeNot, Flubbo, Armhold Musclehugger, Chester Slime, Dr. Zigmund Void, Wyatt Burp
Beetlejuice Alter Ego’s
Betty Juice, Grimdiana Bones, Mr. Beetleman, Cousin BJ, Sherlock Homely, Snugglejuice, Posijuice, Negajuice, UltraBeetleMan
Fandom
Fandom Overview
In the early days of the fandom, there was a fan page known as [The Neitherworld] created by fandom veteran Sparky. This was the first fansite for the cartoon. Initially, the website was a subdirectory of the creator’s University of Southern California web account in 1997 but in April 1999, the owner purchased the web domain and the fandom found a way to finally connect.
It became the hub for the fans.
Many of the fandom pioneer artists and writers from this website are still active today though many have adopted new pen-names.
The fandom flourished with a small tight-knit community on Tumblr until Beetlejuice The Musical. The Musical. The Musical. came to the scene. Initially, it was well-received by the fans and for many, it still is a great added contribution to the fanlore for Beetlejuice.
However, with a new resurgence of popularity in 2018 and 2019, a flood of purity police and anti-shippers have taken up a loud stance against the older community leaving many of the more silent, strange, and unusual folks in a ship war.
Reboot/FanReboot Discussions
A recent call for an animated Reboot began to rumor after Teen Titans Go introduced Beetlejuice during the episode Ghost with the Most [1]. He was voice by Alex Brightman of Beetlejuice the Musical fame for his time on Broadway.
There are also fanmade Reboots being rumored and in progress, one notably by SuztheSnooze and Boileroo on Tumblr with their blog DeadlyVuTwo
- Animatic for Reboot featuring BJ and his son [2]
Ships
- Jaques Lalean and Ginger The Tap Dancing Spider
Both Jaques and Ginger share the living spaces of the Roadhouse with Beetlejuice. They have their own rooms which at times look like little apartments.
In a couple of flashback episodes, we see Jaques and Ginger in High School with Beetlejuice, indicating that they were friends for a long time. The two even went to a Prom together.
In the Fandom it has become Fanon that these two characters are together. Regardless of the fact that Ginger is an arachnid and Jacques is a skeleton.
Fanworks
Fanfiction
Fanart
There are over 30 years of fanarts within this community. The animated series fanart was not limited to just the fans but to the animators as well. They participated in competitions of NSFW and gross-out competitions. The art of which is not available to the general public due to Non-Disclosure Agreements however several veteran fans have had access to them through personal contact with the artists.
Tumblr Art
DeviantArt
Meta
- Freshly Squeezed Juice Blog
- History Lesson on Beetlejuice The Animated Series by Sooze the Snooze on Tumblr
Archives
- Turn Up The Juice Pinterest
- Beetlejuice Animated on Tumblr