Melanie (TV series)

Melanie is a Kuboian traditionally animated children's television series produced by obscure cartoon studio Twinkle. The show focuses on the titular character, an ignorant and naughty seven year-old.

Melanie spawned a total of eighteen 17-minute episodes (although some episodes consist of two 8-minute segments), which were all premiered on KT in 2006. The show was notorious during its original run due to the behaviours present in the main protagonist.

Since the mid 2010s, the show has been subject to several internet memes.

Premise and characters
Melanie, the show's main protagonist and titular character, is a bratty seven year-old, who frequently gets up to mischief. She frequently gets herself in trouble due to her frequently misbehaving, but always ends up getting away with it in the end, either due to her sneakiness, charm, or help from her family or friends.

As a person, Melanie is shown to be very egotistical, with her mind usually completely set to what she desires. She is also shown to have fairly low manners, as she chews with her mouth open, burps and farts loudly, and frequently picks her nose. Melanie really enjoys sweets, crisps and cola, but dislikes food which is considered healthier.

Melanie lives with her mother (whose name is never revealed on the show) and her stepdad, Edward. Her mother spoils Melanie badly, and is often the one to defend Melanie's bad behaviour, but also shows concern for her daughter's behaviour. Edward is depicted as having a knowledge in computers and technology, and allows Melanie to occasionally try his new gadgets. Melanie's biological father is never seen on the show, but is occasionally mentioned in a negative way by her mother.

Melanie has a total of three best friends, Gabrielle, Ussuf and Ny. All of them are shown to be a lot more mature than Melanie, and they often get angry at her due to her self-centred and wreckless behaviour. However, they are usually the ones who help Melanie when she is in trouble, usually by snapping her out of her silliness. Melanie enjoys her friends' company, and appears to be in love with all three of them, as she enjoys hugging them, and even kisses them on a few occasions.

One of the shows most recurring antagonists include Dannii, a classmate of Melanie and her friends who, whilst generally well behaved, is very snobby and has a low opinion on Melanie. Another recurring antagonist is Mr. Crook, the amoral and corrupt of Melanie's school.

Although Melanie is generally self-centred and mischievous, there are lines that she will not cross, and has occasionally been rewarded for legitimately heroic deeds.

Cast

 * Suzie Hersham as Melanie
 * Dorothy McLaughlin as Gabrielle and Melanie's mother
 * TBA as Ny
 * Alpha Ipsum as Ussuf
 * Arnold J. Davies as Edward and Mr. Crook
 * TBA as Dannii and additional voices

Episodes

 * Main article: List of Melanie (TV series) episodes

Original reaction
During its initial airing, Melanie was criticised in the media and by several parents. Criticism mostly drew to the idea that the show encouraged and positively represented misbehaviour in children. in particular mentioned how the show appears to be a satire, exposing the consequences of lazy and/or pampering parenting, as well as seemingly mocking adults with stricter standards.

Older audiences were ambivalent towards the seemingly bisexual behaviour Melanie and her friends occasionally show, with some accusing the show of stereotyping or exaggerating the LGBT community. However, the show's creator, Alpha Ipsum, denied any intentions of doing so, stating that Melanie and her friends "love each other for who they are, not the gender they are".

According to several primary sources, Melanie was under a lot of scrutiny in Kuboian schools in late 2006 and early 2007, with students studying the possible impact of young children watching the show. Different schools gave different results, but most claimed that children who watched the show were usually more assertive than those who didn't, but also generally more conscious.

Web popularity
During the mid 2010s, the show started to become the subject of several internet memes.

Popularity in Internet
The show has a cult following in Internet. The show is even the basis for Interniot social networking site MelanieWeb.

Kuboia

 * KT (2006-2008)
 * Tooncast (2018-present)

Canada

 * TVOKids (2007-2010)

Central and Eastern Europe

 * JimJam (2006-2011)
 * KidsCo (2007-2013)

Internet

 * Nickelodeon (2007-present)

Italy

 * JimJam (2006-2011)

United Kingdom

 * CITV (2006-2009)
 * Cartoonito (2007-2008)

United States
The show premiered on Cartoon Network in the United States in June 2006 as part of its block. The American dub had a variety of differences to the original version, such as the introduction if a narrator, a different cast of American actors. Unusually, the dialogue in the American dub used British and Kuboian terms over American ones.

Qubo broadcasts the original Kuboian version, rather than the Americanised version aired on Cartoon Network.
 * Cartoon Network (2006-2008, 2010)
 * Qubo (2015-2016, 2019-present)

Theatrical film

 * Main article: Melanie's Mega Movie

Tropes

 * Main article: List of Melanie (TV series) tropes