The Bluffers - The 1986 animated series
The Bluffers is a 1986 children's cartoon series created by Frank Fehmers. The stories revolved around the inhabitants of the fictional land of "Bluffoonia" and their ongoing struggle against the evil tyrant "Clandestine" and his plans to destroy the forest they live in.
The series was based on an idea by Gene Deitch, who also wrote the lyrics. Michael Jupp, who also created The Dreamstone and Bimble's Bucket, served as the series' art director and created the characters.
The opening slogan of the show is:
Bluffoonia was once a beautiful country before the crazy maniac Clandestine took over. Clandestino turned that beautiful place into this one. Why? Because Clandestino is afraid that the Bluffers will get his secret: the secret to getting everything!
Characters
Eroi
Bale (short for Zocrates)
a wise old owl wearing a toga and a laurel wreath. Zok is a father figure and advisor to the Bluffers (i.e., the animal inhabitants of the last remaining forest in Bluffoonia), and the keeper of the encyclopedic Book of All Knowledge. His name is a Socrates takeoff (hence his Roman emperor appearance).
Zip
a fast-running blue squirrel with a love of adventure; he conducted numerous forays into the castle of Clandestino. When Zip isn't leading a castle raid he often finds himself in some activity involving dice.
Blossom
a pink mouse with a head of blond hair. She has romantic feelings for Zip, but he is reluctant to return them.
Honey Boy, a simple-minded brown bear with a strong passion for everything to do with honey, and whose pet bees always fly around his head.
Sharpy
a bipedal red fox who likes to outsmart others for his own gain. He feels that lying, cheating, and stealing are what "real foxes" do, although he tends not to do it very successfully.
Royal Eagle, an eagle (although it looks more like a buzzard) that speaks and thinks like a soldier. This character is the least characterized of the Bluffers and is often only called upon to perform a small task in whatever plane the animals may have.
Ginseng, an oriental-looking goose, specializing in the preparation of herbal remedies. It takes its name from the ginseng plant.
Prickly Pine, a hyperactive porcupine with red plumage always ready for action and combat. He is able to project his quills with pinpoint accuracy, although this inexhaustible supply of quills often ends up in Sharpy's or some other unsuspecting Bluffer's butt.
Psycho, a shy and lonely snake with limited psychic powers; for example, it was once used as a metal detector. When he speaks he adds an audible "P" to words that contain an "S" sound; “P'sad”, “P'cercerly”, etc.
Bad
Clandestine, a bloated, self-adoring human and hunchbacked; is the self-proclaimed totalitarian ruler of Bluffoonia. He lives in a fortress-like castle, whose prison contains his precious "Secret to Obtain All", which is the source of his power.
Sillycone
the robot butler of Clandestino; he is smarter than his master and appears to have no malice, but serves Clandestino faithfully. Its name is based on Silicon (the element of which most transistors and integrated circuits are made) and Silly.
Episodes
- Memory forever
- The present of time
- Things that bluff at night
- Where the hell are we?
- Archeology of the excavations
- Satellite status
- Is friendship sinking?
- Down with gravity
- Color Mix-up - Zip infiltrates Clandestino's castle to get some paint for Honeyboy.
- Follow the bio-bricks route
- Evolution is no longer what it used to be
- Above Bluffoonia in my balloon
- Mineralogy
Production
Each episode lasts approximately 25 minutes. Most of the stories center around Clandestino doing or plotting something that will destroy the last forest of Bluffoonia or otherwise disrupt the lives of the Bluffers, and the Bluffers' attempts to thwart him.
Some of the stories center around the Bluffers' plans to steal Clandestino's “Secret to Obtain Everything” so that they can use it to remove him from power. This secret, which plays an important role in most of the episodes, is never successfully stolen or even revealed throughout the series.
The closest thing you see is the door of the secret, locked and vaulted with chains, a skull and elegant lights around its frame. Only Clandestino can see him, and if someone tries and dares, even by his servants, he is killed. That's why he always carries the keys to the door locks with him.
In the final episode of the entire series, while digging his yard with his ore machines, he ended up destroying the moat, thus causing the entire castle to flood, and sinking the lower parts, taking the secret with him, despite his vain attempts to save him.
Each episode contains two musical numbers.
Technical data
Authors Gene Deitch (original idea), Frank Fehmers (concept)
Regia Frank Fehmers
Voices Allen Swift, Kees ter Bruggen, Richard Felgate, Gene Deitch, Eric Jan Harmsen, Narrated by Gene Deitch
Music Eric Jan Harmsen
country of origin Netherlands, United States
Original languages Dutch, English
No. of seasons 1
Number of episodes 13
Executive producer Frank Fehmers
The manufacturer Frank Fehmers
Duration 25 min.
Original network AVRO
Original release 7 October - 30 December 1986
