House of Bloo's

House of Bloo's is the first episode of the animated television series Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. The episode's plot follows Mac, an eight-year-old boy who is pressured by his mother to abandon his imaginary friend Blooregard Q. Kazoo, on the grounds that he is too old for him. Upon seeing an ad on television for an orphanage for imaginary friends, Bloo convinces Mac to let him reside in the house so then Mac can visit him everyday. Various intrigues and troubles arise with Mac's brother Terrence and imaginary friend Duchess.

"House of Bloo's"
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends episode
Title card for Part 1
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 1-2-3
Directed by
Written byCraig McCracken
Story by
Produced by
  • Craig McCracken (executive producer)
  • Mike Moon (co-producer)
  • Victoria McCollum (line producer)
Original air dateAugust 13, 2004 (2004-08-13)
Running time65 minutes

It premiered on August 13, 2004, at 7:30 pm E/P on Cartoon Network as a 90-minute movie. The episode was written and directed by the show's creator Craig McCracken, with further story work by his then-fiancée Lauren Faust and screenwriters Craig Lewis and Amy Keating Rogers. The episode debuted to positive reviews and high ratings.[1][2]

Plot

Eight-year-old Mac and his imaginary friend Blooregard Q. Kazoo (or "Bloo" for short) often get into fights with his 13-year-old brother Terrence. When Mac's mother tires of this behavior, she tells him that he has outgrown his age to have an imaginary friend and must get rid of him. Crushed by overhearing their argument, except for Terrence, who is rather pleased, Bloo later comes across a TV commercial for "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends"--"where good ideas are not forgotten," according to the motto.

The next day, Mac and Bloo stop in at the sprawling mansion and are met by Mr. Herriman, the strict business manager. After Bloo explains the situation in comically exaggerated detail, they are given a tour of the house. Frankie, the caregiver, is about to show Mac and Bloo around; however, she is soon called away by the ill-tempered, high-maintenance resident Duchess. Basketball-loving Wilt takes over the tour and introduces Mac and Bloo to the wide variety of imaginary friends that live in the house. Along the way, they meet Coco, who lays plastic eggs when she gets excited and only says "Coco" when she speaks, and the fearsome-looking but soft-hearted Eduardo. Mac and Bloo both think Foster's will be a good place for Bloo to live. However, Frankie tells them that if he stays there, he will be eligible for adoption whenever Mac is not around. Mac promises to stop by after school and departs, taking Coco's eggs with him, leaving Bloo alone with his new housemates who show him their bedroom where he will be sleeping at. Seeing Bloo about sleep on the floor, Wilt lets him take his bunk in exchange for sleeping on the floor and they all fall asleep for the night.

The next day, a wealthy rich couple stops by Foster's to find a friend for their spoiled daughter. They only want the best for her, and Frankie sees a perfect chance to get Duchess out of the house for good. The married couple agrees. Just as Mr. Herriman is getting ready to do the paperwork for the adoption, though, their daughter catches sight of Bloo and starts chasing him. Wilt, Coco, and Eduardo race all over the house to keep Bloo out of reach, but the married couple's daughter finally snatches him away and shows him to her mom and father. They agree, but only Mac's last-minute arrival saves him. The millionaires leave empty-handed, while Duchess becomes even angrier at not being able to leave Foster's, which she refers to as a dump, due to Bloo's interference.

Terrence, meanwhile, has been watching from behind the bushes across the street and realizes that Mac has not gotten rid of Bloo. He and Duchess join forces to do away with their common enemy. As Mac is on his way to Foster's the next day, Terrence keeps him from reaching Foster's, carries him back home, and locks him in the bedroom closet. Terrence then pays a visit of his own, dressed to make a good impression. Duchess creates a diversion by provoking one of the Extremeasauruses (dangerous monster friends created by teenagers), leaving Bloo alone with Terrence.

Mac finds Coco's eggs in the closet and gets some tools from them needed to make his escape. He is too late to stop the adoption from going through, but he and the others soon realize that Terrence and Duchess are working together. That evening, Terrence takes Bloo to a junkyard and meets Duchess, who plans to feed Bloo to an Extremeasaurus she freed earlier as revenge for foiling her chance of being adopted. They are foiled by the arrival of Mac and company, who manage to save Bloo and trick the monster into turning on its masters.

Once everyone is back at Foster's, Mac and Bloo are surprised by the arrival of its founder, Madame Foster herself. She announces that Bloo can live there permanently and never be put up for adoption, as long as Mac visits him every day after school, although Mr. Herriman is not happy with this as it defies the house rules, but Foster dismisses this. As for Duchess, her punishment is to be forced to stay at Foster's, the place she hates so much, while Terrence finds himself at the mercy of a herd of annoyed pegasi, whom he had taunted earlier during the junkyard fight.

Production

Craig McCracken created the series and the episode, serving as writer and director. McCracken conceived the series upon adopting two dogs from an animal shelter with his then-fiancée Lauren Faust; he wondered what their life was like before adoption and applied the concept to that of imaginary friends.[2] Animation for the show was done on Adobe Flash after hand-drawn artwork was processed on Illustrator. Character composition was done on After Effects.[3]

Reception

Anita Gates of The New York Times praised the 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".[2]

Awards
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends

McCracken and Mike Moon won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Animation in 2005 for their work in the episode.[4][5] The show also received an Annie Award nomination for Best Character Design in an Animated Television Production.[6]

References
  1. Baisley, Sarah. "McCracken's Imaginary Friends Premieres Aug. 13". AWN.com. Animation World Network. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  2. Gates, Anitas. "TELEVISION REVIEW; Where Imaginary Friends Wait for Real Love". NYTimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  3. "Imagine That! The Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends Fanlisting". Imaginary-friends.net. Thefanlistings.org. Archived from the original on 6 November 2007. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  4. Baisley, Sarah (17 August 2005). "TV Academy Announces Individual Achievement in Animation Emmy Award Winners". Animation World Network. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
  5. Baisley, Sarah (12 September 2009). "South Park, Clone Wars and Lost Win Animation and VFX Primetime Emmy Awards". Animation World Network. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
  6. International Animated Film Society. "Legacy: 32nd Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (2004)". AnnieAwards.org. Archived from the original on 2009-09-07. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
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