Bobby's World
Series, 1990, Fox Kids, Set in Bobby's imagination
Bobby's World is #9 of 28 in release order and #9 of 28 in chronological order in the Saturday Morning Cartoons.
The story
Bobby Generic lives in a typical suburban neighborhood and uses his overactive imagination to discover a world of daring adventure, incredible wonder and lots of laughs — all in pint-sized perspective.
Bobby's World recap
Bobby Generic is a four-year-old with a huge imagination, and every ordinary moment in his life turns into a fantasy. A trip to the dentist, a new babysitter or a day at the beach becomes an adventure in his head, often built from taking grown-up sayings literally. Howie Mandel created the show, voices Bobby and his father Howard, and appears in live-action segments at the start and end of each episode. Bobby lives with his parents, his older sister Kelly, his older brother Derek, who torments him, and his dog Roger, and he talks to his stuffed spider Webbly. Uncle Ted, Aunt Ruth and his best friend Jackie are regulars, and he idolises a TV superhero called Captain Squash. The show ran on Fox Kids for seven seasons and 81 episodes from 1990 to 1998. The format stayed the same throughout, though the family grew: twin baby brothers, Jake and Alex, arrive in the third season.
Bobby's World ending explained
Bobby's World has no story finale. Each episode stands alone, and Fox Kids stopped making new ones after the seventh season, with the last episode airing in February 1998. Reruns continued on Fox Family until 2001. Bobby is still four years old in the last episode, and nothing in his family changes for good beyond the arrival of the twins. Howie Mandel talked several times about a revival, most recently around 2018, but none has been made.
Ratings
IMDb 7.2/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after Garfield and Friends, before Captain Planet and the Planeteers.
- Chronological order: after Garfield and Friends, before Captain Planet and the Planeteers.
Cast
- Howie Mandel as Bobby / Howard (voice)
- Gail Matthius as Martha (voice)
- Charity James as Kelly (voice)
- Tino Insana as Uncle Ted (voice)
- Frank Welker as Roger (voice)
- Debi Derryberry as Jackie (voice)
- Kevin Smets as Derek (voice)
- Pamela Adlon as Derek (voice)
- Benny Luciano as Derek (voice)
- Gary Owens as Captain Squash (voice)
- Susan Tolsky
- Rob Paulsen
Created by Howie Mandel.