CHOWDER MOOWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

"Chowder"

This is one of Cartoon Networks newer programs and from watching it I believe that the show holds great promise. “Chowder” was created by Carl H. Greenblatt who has worked on other Cartoon Network originals such as “The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy” and “Evil con Carne,” as well as Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants.” The animation style is a mixture of the traditional hand drawn with snippets of stop-motion and puppetry.

Chowder has a different feel about it - from the Moroccan-esque architecture of Marzipan City to the bizarre assortment of creatures that coexist there. Oh yeah, and then there is the bizarre dishes that Master Chef Mung Daal whips up – “bon appetit!”

Marzipan City

Loosely based upon Greenblatt’s experiences in New York City, Marzipan is also a vibrant melting pot of various cultures, but coupled with a surreal landscape of weird beings and exotic structures. Marzipan City has a magical feel to it, as if you have stepped into another dimension.

Main Characters

Chowder

Chowder is the young apprentice to Master Chef Mung Daal and hopes to become a great chef too one day. The main challenge however, is that Chowder has a short attention span and lacks discipline. Given to whimsy and following his impulses, Chowder means well but often gets sidetracked from the main task at hand.

One of Chowder’s quirks is that he is perpetually hungry and this often hampers the cooking lessons that Mung Daal tries to give him, as he will often eat the dish that is being prepared! Also, you may be wondering - “just what is Chowder” - a cat, a rabbit, or a bear? The answer is simple – he is an amalgamation of all three animals!

Mung Daal

The master chef who owns the catering business where Chowder apprentices, Mung Daal believes himself to also be quite the ladies man despite being married to his wife Truffles for centuries now. This eccentric mentor considers himself the best at what he does, though his rival Ms. Endive would say otherwise. Mung Daal spends most of his time in the kitchen creating exotic dishes such as the “Not Fruit” and “Burple Nurples.”

Although he may be the boss in the kitchen, rest assured that his wife Truffles is running the show everywhere else. He employs a grumpy rock monster by the name of Shnitzel, who is tasked with most of the grunt work of the business.

Truffles

She is a fairy with an attitude and tolerates little foolishness from anyone, especially Chowder and her husband Mung Daal. Truffles runs the business aspect of the catering service, such as handling customer orders and taking care of the book-keeping.

Truffles can kind of be seen as a mother figure to Chowder, keeping him in line when he needs it. She is also fiercely competitive, and to interrupt her Mahjong game is to risk life and limb, or goatee as Mung Daal found out one time!

Shnitzel

This menacing looking rock monster is Mung Daal’s assistant and he is given all sorts of menial chores to do. Shnitzel speaks in a manner of “radda radda radda” that the others seem to understand just fine. He is also a rather no-nonsense personality and has little patience for Chowder and his antics, even going so far as to suggest throwing Chowder into the furnace once. Nevertheless, Shnitzel is a “rock-solid” and reliable employee who gets the job done.

Kimchi

What can be said about Chowder’s pet Kimchi? Let’s see, Chowder keeps him in a cage next to his bed, he communicates by “blowing raspberries,” oh yeah, and he’s a living fart! Yep, “living fart” – nuff said!

Panini

Like Chowder, she is also an apprentice who is learning her way around the kitchen. She is studying under the rigid Ms. Endive and appears to be making better progress than Chowder, whom she has a crush on. These feelings are not reciprocated, and she is frequently told by Chowder “I’m not your boyfriend!” Also, she is the same species as Chowder.

Ms. Endive

A rather large woman who looks like an overgrown "Oompa-Loompa," she is mentor to Panini and rival to Mung Daal. While Mung Daal’s cooking style is eccentric and free-flowing. Ms. Endive’s is strictly text book as she is a meticulous perfectionist. Endive is an imposing presence and the antithesis of the unorthodox Mung Daal.

Gazpacho

He is a mammoth store keeper and aspiring stand-up comic who Chowder has frequent contact with. Gazpacho is socially impaired as he still lives at home with his mother, and her influence on him can be readily apprehended through his many references to her in casual conversation. Chowder is probably the only friend that Gazpacho has, aside from “mom” that is.

Also, if Gazpacho’s voice sounds familiar, that’s because it’s done by none other than Dana Snyder – who is also the voice of “Master Shake” on Adult Swim’s “Aqua Teen Hunger Force!”