| Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by | Craig McCracken |
| Developed by |
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| Directed by |
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| Voices of | |
| Theme music composer | James L. Venable |
| Composers |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 79[b](list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Running time | 21–65 minutes |
| Production company | Cartoon Network Studios |
| Original release | |
| Network | Cartoon Network |
| Release | August 13, 2004 (2004-08-13) – May 3, 2009 (2009-05-03) |
| Related | |
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends is an Americananimated television series created byCraig McCracken forCartoon Network. It was produced byCartoon Network Studios as the network's first show animated primarily withAdobe Flash, which was done both by Cartoon Network Studios in Burbank and in Ireland byBoulder Media. Set in a world in whichimaginary friends coexist with humans, the series centers on Mac, an eight-year-old boy pressured by his mother to abandon his imaginary friend Bloo. After the duo discover an orphanage dedicated to housing abandoned imaginary friends, Bloo moves into the home and is kept from adoption as long as Mac visits him every day. The episodes revolve around Mac and Bloo as they interact with other imaginary friends and house staff and live out their day-to-day adventures, often getting caught up in various predicaments.
McCracken conceived the series with his partnerLauren Faust after they adopted two dogs from ananimal shelter and applied the concept to imaginary friends. The series first premiered on Cartoon Network on August 13, 2004, as a 90-minutetelevision film. On August 20, it began its normal run of 22-minute episodes on theFridays block. The series finished its run on May 3, 2009, with a total of 6 seasons and 79 episodes. McCracken left Cartoon Network shortly after the series ended.
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends received numerousindustry accolades, including fiveAnnie Awards and sevenEmmy Awards, winning a total of 12 awards out of 35 nominations. It has since been named byEntertainment Weekly as one of the best Cartoon Network shows and byIGN in their list of best animated series at number 85.
Aspinoff,Foster's Funtime for Imaginary Friends, was announced as having begun development on July 18, 2022, and greenlit to series on June 12, 2024, produced byHanna-Barbera Studios Europe with Craig McCracken returning as the creator.[1] The spinoff, aimed at apreschool audience, features a new cast of young imaginary friends, along with Bloo and Madame Foster from the original series.[2]
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends is set in a universe in which childhoodimaginary friends take physical form and become real as soon as children imagine them. Once children outgrow them, friends are relocated to the titularorphanage, where they stay until other children adopt them. The home is run by the elderly Madame Foster, its lovable, kind founder; her rabbit imaginary friend Mr. Herriman, the strict rule-abider and business manager; and her granddaughter Frankie, who handles day-to-day operations.
Mac, an eight-year old boy, is pressured by his mother to abandon his imaginary friend, Bloo, because Mac's mother believes her son is too old for imaginary friends. When Mac takes Bloo to Foster's after seeing a television advertisement, they discover that if Bloo were to live there, he would be available to be adopted by another child. Mac then bargains with Frankie, Mr. Herriman, and Madame Foster until they agree to guard Bloo from adoption as long as Mac continues to visit him at the home every day after school. Episodes revolve around Mac experiencing the escapades of the mischievous Bloo and the array of eccentric, colorful characters inhabiting Foster's and the obstacles with which they are challenged.

Other recurring characters include Terrence (voiced byTara Strong), Mac's older brother who constantly bullies him; Duchess (also voiced by Grey DeLisle), a friend with aCubist-looking face[12] and a pompous, narcissistic personality; Cheese (also voiced by Candi Milo), a dim-witted and childish yellow friend who first appeared in season two; and Goo (also voiced by Grey DeLisle), a talkative young girl who is highly imaginative and constantly creates new friends, first appearing in season three.
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 13[nb 1] | August 13, 2004 (2004-08-13) | October 22, 2004 (2004-10-22) | |
| 2 | 13[nb 2] | January 21, 2005 (2005-01-21) | July 15, 2005 (2005-07-15) | |
| 3 | 14 | July 22, 2005 (2005-07-22) | March 24, 2006 (2006-03-24) | |
| 4 | 13 | April 28, 2006 (2006-04-28) | November 23, 2006 (2006-11-23) | |
| Shorts | 18 | June 14, 2006 (2006-06-14) | August 7, 2007 (2007-08-07) | |
| 5 | 13 | May 4, 2007 (2007-05-04) | March 6, 2008 (2008-03-06) | |
| 6 | 13 | March 13, 2008 (2008-03-13) | May 3, 2009 (2009-05-03) | |
"We wondered what their life was like before they came to us, and I thought, 'You could apply that to imaginary friends as well.'"
The series was created byCraig McCracken, who had also createdThe Powerpuff Girls forCartoon Network. McCracken developed the idea for the series after adopting two dogs from ananimal shelter with his then-fiancéeLauren Faust and Mike Moon; he adapted the concept ofpet adoption to that ofimaginary friends.[14] The show has an art style which is meant to evoke, according to McCracken, "that period of late 60'spsychedelia whenVictorian stylings were coming into trippy poster designs". McCracken wantedFoster's to be similar toThe Muppet Show, which he believed was a "fun, character driven show that the whole family could enjoy".[14][15][16]

Animation for the show was done using a process involvingAdobe softwareIllustrator,Flash andAfter Effects.[17] McCracken directed, executive produced and story edited the series. Most of the episodes were produced at theCartoon Network Studios inBurbank, California, while the rest were produced atBoulder Media Limited inDublin, Ireland.[17][18] The theme song was composed byJames L. Venable, who had originally collaborated with McCracken onThe Powerpuff Girls.[17] Craig described the music as "psychedelicragtime".[14] Additional music was composed by Venable andJennifer Kes Remington.[19]
Collette Sunderman was the casting and recording director for the show.[17][19]Sean Marquette was cast as Mac, andKeith Ferguson was cast as Bloo.The Powerpuff Girls voice actorsTom Kane,Tom Kenny andTara Strong were cast inFoster's as Mr. Herriman, Eduardo and Terrence, respectively.Grey DeLisle was cast as Frankie Foster,Phil LaMarr was cast as Wilt, andCandi Milo was cast as Coco and Madame Foster. From season two onwards, Milo also lent her voice to Cheese. DeLisle also voiced Goo after the character's debut in season three.[19]
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends premiered on August 13, 2004, as a 90-minutespecial titled "House of Bloo's". The series' run began on August 20 on its normal timeslot of Fridays at 7:00 PM.[14] The special was Cartoon Network's highest-rated premiere at the time.[18] 18 shorts were produced from 2006 to 2007. In addition to the premiere episode, two other specials were produced: "Good Wilt Hunting", which premiered on November 23, 2006,[20] and "Destination: Imagination", which premiered on November 27, 2008.[15] The final episode, titled "Goodbye to Bloo", aired on May 3, 2009, preceded by a 6-hour marathon of other episodes from the series. McCracken expressed a certain sadness at the series' end, but stated that he was "crazy proud of the work" that he and the production team had done "on Foster's and the fact that it worked just the way [they] wanted it to".[21] During its original run,Foster's was one of Cartoon Network's highest-rated shows.[22][23][24][25] The show proved to be popular among both younger and older audiences.[16]
Anita Gates ofThe New York Times praised the series' premiere1+1⁄2-hour episode and stated that the series would promise to be an "admirable tale of loyalty and adventure-based learning with a contagious sense of fun".[12] Mike Pinsky, in a review onDVD Verdict, praised the art design and the characterizations,[26] particularly singling out Cheese as possibly "the quintessence of Foster's surreal charm" in his Season 2 review.[27] David Cornelius ofDVD Talk called the series "one of the best shows of any kind [then] on television, a winner for viewers of any age" and "a wildly inventive mix of creative wonder, comic genius, and well-crafted chaos". In a Season 2 review, also onDVD Talk, Cornelius called the show "flat-out perfect".[28][29] Joly Herman ofCommon Sense Media, an advocacy group focused on appropriate technology and media for children, was less enthusiastic about the show, rating it 2 stars out of 5. Herman praised the creativity and diversity of the characters and the show's premise, but criticized the storyline and writing, which presented "confusing messages" for young children.[30]
The series was named the 85th best animated series of all time in a list of the top 100 animated series byIGN, which called it very funny and endearing.[31]Entertainment Weekly named the show the sixth best Cartoon Network show in their top 10 list, praising its "catchy magical-realist setting" and the characters "you genuinely learned to care about".[32]
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends received many industry accolades. The series received 12 awards out of a total of 35 nominations. At theAnnie Awards, the show received a total of 20 nominations from 2004 to 2009, and won 5, including Best Animated Television Production in 2007.[33][34][35][36][37][38] At theEmmy Awards, the show received nine nominations, and won seven awards, including five Outstanding Individual Achievements in Animation and one Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or More) award.[39][40][41][42][43] At the 2005 Pulcinella Awards,Foster's received the award for Best TV Series for All Audiences and Bloo was named "Best Character of the Year."[44] At the22nd TCA Awards, the show received a nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming.[45] At the 2007Ottawa International Animation Festival, the series won Best Television Animation for Children.[46]
There are 2 video games based onFoster's Home for Imaginary Friends. The first has the same name as the show and was developed by Collision Studios andpublished byCrave Entertainment for theGame Boy Advance. It was released on October 17, 2006.[47] In the game, players control Mac or Bloo while collecting items to complete objectives.[48] Jack Devries ofIGN rated it a 5 1/2 out of 10, stating that it "falls short" and is "skippable".[48] The second game, titledFoster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Imagination Invaders, was developed bySensory Sweep and published byMidway on November 12, 2007, for theNintendo DS. In the game, the player controls Bloo, who performs tasks and completes quests while fighting against "Space Nut Boogies".[49] Devries rated it 4 out of 10, calling it "terrible to play" and "completely worthless".[49] Characters from the show also appear on the gamesCartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion andFusionFall.[50][51]
On May 15, 2006,Cartoon Network introduced an online game,Big Fat Awesome House Party, which allowed players to create an online friend to join Bloo and the others in a one-year game online, earning points that would give them gifts, cards and other online "merchandise" for their albums. A player's friend, made from one of over 900,000 possible characters, could wind up in a future episode ofFoster's.[23][24] Over 13 million users were registered to play the game after its launch in May 2006. Because of its success and popularity, Cartoon Network announced in May 2007 that the game would continue for six more months, into November of that year.[24][52]
From 2006 to 2008, Cartoon Network made aFoster's Home for Imaginary Friends float as part of theMacy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The float was fashioned as a replica of the home.[53] On Thanksgiving Day, 2006, characters from the show performedthe Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends". In 2007, the characters performed "You're My Best Friend" by Queen. In 2008, the characters' performance ofHarry Nilsson's theme song toThe Courtship of Eddie's Father later reused forRob & Big[54] was interrupted byRick Astley singing "Never Gonna Give You Up", reproducing the Internet phenomenon ofRickrolling.[55][56][57]
In 2006, the network promoted the show with billboards that read "I pooted" and "I'm a hot toe picker" (as said by Cheese and Bloo, respectively) in about 25 cities within the United States, one being placed next to Interstate 40/85 throughGreensboro, North Carolina.[58][59] Some time later, one of the "I pooted" billboards (alongU.S. Route 29) was taken down due to concerns by theNorth Carolina A&T State University. One of their associates, who claimed the advertisement did not represent their purpose and mission, said that "some people didn't understand if this was something in connection with the university." Both parties came to an agreement, and the billboard was replaced with one that read "Shiny, shiny. Pretty, pretty", a line from the cartoonMy Gym Partner's a Monkey.[60]
In March 2006, toys of characters from the show were featured inBurger King's Kids Meals.[53][61] In December 2007, Cartoon Network andHot Topic retail stores in the United States set up a boutique for a product line based on the series, with over 693 locations featuring products such as clothing, accessories andDVD releases byWarner Home Video.[25]
The episodes from the series are available for digital purchase oniTunes andAmazon Video, with the exception ofthe Christmas special. The show's second season was available onNetflix until March 2015.[62][63] All 6 seasons were added to Hulu in May 2015[64] until its removal from the service on October 1, 2022.[citation needed] The show was available to watch onHBO Max from May 2020 until it was removed in May 2023.[65][66]
| DVD title | Season(s) | Episode count | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Codename: Kids Next Door: Sooper Hugest Missions: File 1 | 1 | 3 | October 26, 2004 (Region 1) |
| Features "House of Bloo's" as a bonus feature. | |||
| Cartoon Network Halloween 3: Sweet Sweet Fear! | 1 | 1 | September 12, 2006 (Region 1) |
| Features "Bloooo". | |||
| Cartoon Network Fridays | 2 | 1 | September 19, 2006 (Region 1) |
| Features "Bloo's Brothers". | |||
| Cartoon Network Christmas 3 | 1 | 1 | October 3, 2006 (Region 1) |
| Features "Store Wars". | |||
| The Complete 1st Season | 1 | 13 | March 6, 2007 (Regions 1 and 4) |
| This two-disc release contained the entire first season in production code order. | |||
| The Complete 2nd Season | 2 | 13 | September 11, 2007 (Regions 1 and 4) |
| This two-disc release contained the entire second season in production code order. | |||
| Cartoon Network: Mash-Up | 1 | 1 | August 10, 2009 (Region 2) |
| Features "Store Wars". | |||
| The Complete 3rd Season | 3 | 13 or 14 | May 5, 2010 (Region 4) November 12, 2014 (manufacture on demand in Region 1) |
| This two-disc release contained the entire third season. | |||
| 4 Kid Favorites: The Hall of Fame Collection Volume 2 | 1 | 8 | March 12, 2013 (Region 1) |
| Features "House of Bloo's" (included inCodename: Kids Next Door: Sooper Hugest Missions: File 1), andFoster's Home for Imaginary Friends: The Complete Season 1, Disc 2. | |||
| 4 Kid Favorites: The Hall of Fame Collection Volume 3 | 1 | 3 | June 23, 2015 |
| Features "House of Bloo's" (included inCodename: Kids Next Door: Sooper Hugest Missions: File 1). | |||
| The Complete Series | 1-6 | 79 | October 18, 2022[67] |
| 11-disc release containing the complete series. | |||