L'ispettore Gadget

When I think of my childhood heroes, I immediately think of what a legend ‘Inspector Gadget' was. With all of his amazing Gadgets, he really was a bumbling fool, who with the help of his niece and pet dog, gets to be the world's greatest police detective. I am certain that this is one of the greatest cartoon's the world has ever seen.

The world needs a stop to crime, and to do so they need the world's greatest police detective. So after he gets the mission of Chief Quimby, ‘Inspector Gadget' goes to save the day. He is fighting against the forces of MAD and their leader, Dr. Claw. While Gadget is on the case, the real crime fighters are his niece Penny, who does the true detective work, while his pet dog Brain, helps save Gadget from MAD and sometimes even himself.

Again I am looking at series that was on TV, so I am going to try and not be so critical of it, rather be thankful that we had such a show. Whoever was the masterminds behind this cartoon deserve a great amount of praise, as it is brilliant to have a man with great gadgets, but with no intelligence to put them to good use. Instead he has a niece and pet dog to help stop Dr Claw and MAD from being a world leader in crime. While I know Gadget is a complete idiot, he is also extremely funny to watch. Stuff up his driving in the Gadget Mobile, losing his helicopter blades or his not-so-trusty umbrella, it certain entertains, (well did for this kid anyway).

I now want to take a look at the characters and talent used in the voice-overs of this truly remarkable cartoon:

Inspector Gadget: The voice of the good inspector belongs to acting legend Don Adams. Don was perfectly suited to the role, from his days as the police detective Maxwell Smart on the TV show `Get Smart'. In fact the resemblance that his character on the TV show and in the cartoon is so close, that it is no wonder he was chosen for the voice of Inspector Gadget. When I come to think about it, I can not think of anyone else voice would have matched the bumbling character of ‘the world's greatest police detective'.

Penny: The person who really saves the day, Penny was voiced by Cree Summers. She did a good job as Penny. Without Penny I am sure MAD and Dr Claw would have been more successful in their pursuits of crime and misdemeanors.

Dr Claw/Brain/ MAD Cat: The voice-overs of all these characters was taken on by Frank Weller. He did a remarkable job in all of them. Claw is a menacing character, who needed a truly sinister voice, and Frank had such a voice. Taking on the additional characters of Brain and MAD cat, to this man would have been a breeze. Brain is again another character, that without him, it would have been curtains for Gadget.

Chief Quimby: This character was voiced by Maurice LaMarche, who did a good job as the Chief. Yet I am not so sure I would want to be the boss of the great ‘Inspector Gadget', as all of his assignments seem to ‘blowup in his face'.

Can I say one thing about all the voice-over talents. They have truly had wonderful careers, with them all doing a huge amount of work, either on screen or behind the microphone. They were all good choices as voice-overs for Inspector Gadget.

Now I would would like to say what my favourite Gadget Episodes are: Race To The Finish, The Japanese Connection, Down On The Farm, Quimby Exchange. Look many of the Gadget episodes are brilliant, but these four standout to me.

In 1999, the world got to see this cartoon character, come to life, as Walt Disney finally had the rights to the movie ‘Inspector Gadget'. Now from where I sit, I found the movie to not be what I wanted Inspector Gadget to be. It was not as funny as the cartoon was, though it did try to be. For me Inspector Gadget will forever remain a cartoon legend until till I die. While I am now in my mid 20's, would you believe I can still sit and watch Gadget strut his stuff and not be in the slightest bit bored. In fact he sometimes brings out a laugh that I know I need. Inspector Gadget you still have a fan here!

A bumbling police inspector from Metro City who was given several mechanical gadgets by a brilliant engineering professor after an accident always manages to hash up his investigative work while his niece Penny and her dog called Brain solve the cases for him yet he always gets the credit. Gadget's chief adversary was Dr Claw who ran a large crime syndicate known as MAD and was always out to control the world.

A childhood favourite of this reviewer, despite being rather skimpy on the animation at times, this was a fun cartoon show that managed to lay down a convincing sinister atmosphere. Inspector Gadget was an animated version of Inspector Clouseau with mechanical gadgetry and more fun than the latter. When I was little most programmes for kids were so shoddy, but this was one of the better ones.

Shows like Inspector Gadget, Dangermouse, Scooby Doo, Looney Tunes, Pink Panther Show, Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones, Darkwing Duck, Talespin, DuckTales, Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain and Tiny Toons make me realise how much I miss my childhood. Whenever I see an episode of either of those shows all those warm, nostalgic memories come flooding back.

Inspector Gadget is a classic. Forget the movies, which were both quite poor, this show is the real thing. The animation has a great look to it, I loved the designs of the characters and backgrounds and the colours are visually pleasant too. The music alone gives the show its classic status, the theme tune is wonderful. The writing is very consistent in a good way, the stories are always exciting and well-thought out and the pace is spot on.

The characters add a huge amount to the show. Gadget himself is bumbling yet very lovable, Penny is not irritating instead she is very likable and smart and Dr Claw(who you never see other than his claw) is a great villain. The voice acting also adds a lot, Don Adams, Cree Summer and Frank Welker are all top notch. Overall, this childhood favourite is a classic and worth looking out for. 10/10 Bethany Cox

I used to watch this show when I was growing up. When I think about it, I remember it very well. If you ask me, it was a good show. In addition, I especially remember the opening sequence and theme song very well. One thing I must say is that everyone was ideally cast. Also, the writing was very strong. The performances were top-grade, too. I hope some network brings it back so I can see every episode. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say that I'll always remember this show in my memory forever, even though I'm not sure if I've seen every episode. Now, in conclusion, if some network ever brings it back, I hope that you catch it one day before it goes off the air for good.

If there is anyone out there who enjoyed 1980's cartoon shows then I recommend you head for the nearest convention and get some old tapes because the 80's were brilliant for cartoons.

Each episode Inspector Gadget would receive his instructions from Police Chief Quimby who would usually be hiding in the oven or a wastebin. Gadget would then go off to fight crime with the aid of countless gadgets such as an umbrella which came out of his head and springs in his feet. In fact, Gadget had loads and loads of gadgets; how they ever got them all into the human body is a mystery.

Gadget would go out to solve the crime but he was actually a bumbling detective. It was actually his niece Penny and his dog Brain who would solve the crime but of course Gadget took all the credit.

The villains were good. The organisation was M.A.D. (I cannot remember what M.A.D. stood for)which was headed by the unseen Dr. Claw whose face was never revealed throughout the show (I could be wrong). Claw was one of those typical wicked 80's villains.

Gadget had it all-comedy and action. It was brilliant.