"Mama had a chicken. Mama had a cow. Dad was proud, he didn't care how." In the opening lines of the catchy theme song, Cartoon Network made this insane statement true. Pulling from its resources of the "What A Cartoon!" show, the network produced its third original cartoon, titled "Cow and Chicken". The series comes from the mind of David Fiess, an animator that has a resume that would impress anyone. With credits ranging from "Tom and Jerry" to "Jetsons: The Movie",  and more than 20 years experience as an animator at Hanna Barbera, David was able to explore the inner workings of an average family that just happens to have bovine and poultry for children. Based off of a story he made for his daughter, Cow and Chicken came to the forefront in 1997 as an animated series that aired prime-time on Cartoon Network.

     Accompanied by their schoolmates, Earl and Flem, the brother (Chicken) and sister (Cow) duo tackle the daily trials and tribulations of any average kid, such as school, relationships, and friends. They always seem to be followed around by a shady character that has more personality than brains. Without a real name, he has been coined "Red Guy". To add to the chaos, Cow has a secret identity, the all Spanish-speaking Super Cow (evil quivers at the sound of her name). Add to this Chicken's cousin, Boneless, as in a chicken with no bones, this sitcom just gets more and more strange. Strang is a good thing though. The edgy, gross, and delightful animation of Cow and Chicken earned an Emmy nomination for outstanding animated program. 

    Within the half hour, "I.M. Weasel" cartoons were added to break up the stories. They follow the adventures of an over achieving weasel, and the jealous I.R. Baboon. These shorts later spun off into their own series titled "I Am Weasel", which went into production after Cow and Chicken ended in 2001, after a four season run.