Pepper Ann

When I first heard of Pepper Ann, I wrote it off as another stupid Disney series. In fact, I wouldn't give it a chance until I saw the Musical (I was too tired to change channels). I collapsed laughing, as it highlighted EVERY irritating musical cliche far better than any other I've seen so far (I haven't seen the Buffy one yet, though). So I decided to give the series a chance. Sometimes it's not too entertaining, but a lot of the time it has a great off-beat humor style that frequently leaves me with at least a satisfied smirk on my face. "Pepper Ann" captures middle school well (Believe me, I know, I'm in the eighth grade), with a funny cast of characters from the title character (The slightly nuts, awkward, scheming P.A.) to the smaller, more obscure ones (Wayne Macabre, Pink-Eye Pete, Vera the Secretary). If you get Toon Disney or have the luck of seeing it on the Disney Channel (It's one of two decent shows on that channel, too!), give this cartoon a chance, because it could really surprise you.

I really think this was a cute show, the animation was good, and it was pretty original. Pepper ann was a regular 7th grade girl going through life's ups and downs with her best friends, the perfect nicki little, and the original artist milo kamalani......along with them there was lydia, Pepper ann's single working mother, pepper ann's sister Moose *margaret* who sounded and acted like a boy and fooled many until we realized what she was. Then there was aunt janie the hippie cool aunt and her husband jojo, the all around good guy cop. There was also pepper ann's father who you never saw much of and had an accent that you really could never figure out where he was from... and of course there were grandma and grandpa, the old fashioned yet fun grandparents of the girls, all together it really was a fun show if you were into that kind of thing, considering other crumby cartoons that were around then, Pepper Ann and Recess really weren't half bad. Definitley worth a look!

There are a few cartoons that I used to watch even in my late teens, as I always thought they were some of the greatest shows left on television. Stuff like 'Mad Jack the Pirate,' a short-lived Fox cartoon, 'Eek the Cat', and 'Bobby's World' (I assure you, it's only coincidental that these are all Fox cartoons).

But Pepper Ann was gold for me. This little Disney diddie is about 7th grade red-head, Pepper Anne, and her adventures involving her friends, Nikki (Von Oy) the obsessive compulsive brain, and Milo (Cooksey), Pepper Ann's artistic friend. And, there's the rest of the gang like Ober, the fat german kid, the twins, Pepper Anne's sister Moose (it took me a while to figure out that Moose was her sister and not her brother), and the kid with the braces, who Pepper Ann likes.

I think this Pepper Ann was based on the Pepper Ann character that Lily Tomlin used to do where she used to sit in that huge rocking chair. I know that previously, ABC tried to do a mix live-action and animation version of the show in a Paddington Bear type of style. But I seem to remember that version lasting only a few episodes. But this Pepper Ann is fully animated, and one of the best cartoons I've ever seen.

I think I really admired this cartoon because it was so packed with humor (especially subtle super-humor) and intelligence even when the characters were involved in the most outrageous situations. I just wish Disney hadn't done away with the show. It was simply fantastic.

Absolutely light-hearted, fun and imaginative! I love Peppie, Milo, Nicky, Moose! Unlike other Disney shows, the one-parent family is realistically portrayed and the kids are actually funny. I especially like the real-life aspects of the show... the divorced parents, Jewish mom and Catholic dad, the over-achieving best friend, the sexually ambiguous little sister... These elements combined with the cartoonish comedy make for some hilarious situations. Not to mention, Pepper Ann's theme song is great, great, great! It never succumbed to crazy gimmicks, spin-offs or new "very special" characters. Maybe it's not as sophisticated as Doug, but Pepper Ann is a heart-warming and uplifting show, great for younger and older kids... and much older kids. I'm glad Disney still keeps it in rotation. This is one of those kids' shows that actually leaves you entertained after a half hour.

Pepper Ann is a really good show, and it saddens me to see people write it of as some stupid crappy kiddy show, although you can't blame them since it airs between two crap-o-ramas, (the unoriginal Recess and the utterly boring and stupid Sabrina: The Animated Series). This show is funny, smart, and entertaining. Watch it now!! Make sure to see The Bra Episode, ("The only Miracle here is that somebody would by this." says Pepper Ann's little sister Moose, who is trying on a Miracle Bra for Pepper Ann). Watch and enjoy.