October 17, 1997 (1997-10-17) – December 31, 1999 (1999-12-31)
Ned's Newt is an animated television series created by Andy Knight and Mike Burgess and is co-produced by Nelvana and German company TMO Film GmbH (later renamed as "TMO-Loonland Film GmbH" in seasons 2-3) in conjunction with Studio B Productions. It aired on Teletoon in Canada from October 17, 1997, to December 31, 1999. In the United States, the series aired on Fox Kids starting on February 7, 1998, on Saturday mornings, but later changed to weekday mornings on October 5, 1998, to January 1, 1999. However, only the first season aired on Fox Kids in the U.S. while the series was never rebroadcast for many years. The show features celebrity Harland Williams as the voice of Newton.
The series also aired on the now-defunct Qubo (with seasons 2-3) from March 28, 2016, to July 27, 2018, and again starting from March 30, 2020, to July 24, 2020. Teletoon Retro aired reruns of all 39 half-hour episodes on September 5, 2011, until it pulled off the air in early 2012.
Synopsis
The series begins with 9-year-old Ned Flemkin finally scraping up enough money to buy a pet. However, upon reaching the pet store, the only thing he can afford is a newt. Ned names his new pet Newton, but is quickly tired of it since Newton constantly lies on the rock in his bowl. Complaining to the pet store owner that his new pet is not very active, the owner gives Ned a can of Zippo for Newt pet food, but warns Ned not to give his pet too much. Ned feeds Newton a little, but Newton does nothing. Ned leaves the can beside Newton's bowl and goes to bed.
That night, Newton crawls from his bowl and gulps down several mouthfuls of Zippo. Thus, the eats too much warning comes true, Newton grows 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) tall, can talk (voiced by Harland Williams), and has the power to shape-shift. After Ned realizes this, he and Newton become the best of friends, but unfortunately, the effects of Zippo do not last forever. Newton often gets Ned into trouble, at which point the Zippo dissolves off. Newton shifts back to his small form, leaving Ned alone to convey the wrath of his parents.
The series recounts the misadventures of Ned attempting to live life normally while trying to keep Newton from being discovered.
Each episode makes a habit of creating outrageous plots out of mundane tasks and settings. For example, after a fun weekend of playing, Ned exclaims he cannot wait for the next, but Newton suggests that they can build a time machine to relive the weekend. The idea soon leads to them accidentally being sent to the age of dinosaurs and altering the future. In another episode, to raise money for charity, Ned's friend Doogle digs a hole and stumbles across a race of subterranean trolls secretly planning domination of the world's metropolises-es.
Ned takes Newton everywhere and makes sure to keep some Zippo food with him at all times, just in case Newton turns back into a normal newt. Newton's powers almost always make things worse, mostly due to his poor understanding of society. Thus, when Ned explains that he's made a terrible mistake such as giving 3 and a half million dollars to some passersby, Newton and Ned must work together to put things right. And although they usually succeed in doing so, Newton invariably changes back to newt form just in time to avoid being seen and Ned to get into trouble.
The series made extensive references to famous faces and popular culture at the time, relying heavily on Harland Williams' experience as a comedian and impressionist. Newton shifts into newt versions of many celebrities in each episode, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, etc. for comic effect, similar to Robin Williams' portrayal of the Genie from Disney's Aladdin. Newton also frequently breaks the fourth wall, especially in season 3, even going so far as to comment upon how poorly drawn his belly-button was at one point or whether newts should have belly-buttons at all.
For the final four episodes of season 3, Harland Williams was replaced by Ron Pardo as the voice of Newton.
In the third season episode ("Rear Bus Window"), Newton proclaims his exact species name vittercensis, which is not a cataloged member of the genus.
The series aired on Teletoon from its launch day to December 31, 1999, with reruns until the early 2000s. In the United States, the series aired on Fox Kids starting on February 7, 1998, on Saturday mornings, but later changed to weekday mornings on October 5, 1998, to January 1, 1999. However, only the first season aired on Fox Kids in the U.S. while the series was never rebroadcast for many years. Reruns of episodes dubbed in Spanish language were also broadcast on the Cartoon Network Latin America channel from 2000 until 2004.
The series also aired on the now-defunct Qubo (with seasons 2-3) from March 28, 2016, to July 27, 2018, and again starting from March 30, 2020, to July 24, 2020. Teletoon Retro aired reruns of all 39 half-hour episodes on September 5, 2011, until it pulled off the air in early 2012.
Each VHS tape had two pairs of episodes. The first three VHS tapes, entitled "Home Alone with Newt", "Jurassic Joyride" and "Saturday Night Fervor" were released in the United States by Paramount Home Entertainment on March 23, 1999.[1][2][3] The videos were duplicated in EP/SLP mode. In Canada, the series was also released on VHS by Telegenic Entertainment.[4][5]
As of 2023, the series is currently streaming on Tubi and Pluto TV.
Reception
Mainstream reviews of Ned's Newt were mostly positive. Author and cartoonist Edward Gorey was a fan of the show, identifying Ned's Newt as the "greatest" animated show in a 1998 Newsday interview.
