Action League Now! (advertised as Action League Now!: The Series when packaged into a half-hour block) is a series of stop motion shorts that aired as part of both All That and KaBlam! on Nickelodeon. It was made using "chuckimation", a combination of stop-frame animation and live-action shots where things are simply thrown ("chucked") or dropped into frame to simulate movement, and wiggled around to simulate talking. The series follows the adventures of a superhero league, composed of various action figures, toys, and dolls. The show was created by Robert Mittenthal, Will McRobb, and Albie Hecht.
Most episodes took place in the house of an unseen resident. Many of the characters were voiced by radio personalities from Pittsburgh.
From November 25, 2001 until February 10, 2002, Nickelodeon briefly ran Action League Now! shorts on their own, combined to fill a half-hour timeslot.
Characters
- The Flesh (voiced by Jim Krenn): A blonde, dimwitted, muscular bodybuilder with superhuman strength. The Flesh is sometimes clumsy, but he does not get in the way of the other Action Leaguers when they're trying to save the day. The figure used for Flesh was a modified Conan the Adventurer action figure.
- Thundergirl (voiced by Cris Winter): The only female member of the team, as well as the only one with the ability to fly. A running gag is Thunder Girl stating that she will use her super strength only to remember too late that she doesn't have super strength. The figure used for Thundergirl was a Sindy doll's head on a Wonder Woman-esque figure body.
- Stinky Diver (voiced by Jim Krenn): A mustachioed diver who is often seen in or around toilets. Stinky has a foul odor, but the Action League seems to have gotten used to it and do not mind it most of the time. Although he lacks any superpowers, he has the ability to pull a spear gun out of thin air and can fire a seemingly endless amount of plastic missiles. Stinky is an altered 1994 G.I. Joe Shipwreck action figure.
- Meltman (voiced by Scott Paulsen): Meltman has the "power" to melt and is the smallest and weakest member of the Action League. He has a long-running crush on Thundergirl, who does not reciprocate his feelings for her. As melting is his only ability, Meltman is quite unhelpful and a borderline burden and is considered by the rest of the League to be their personal servant, often fulfilling such chores as getting them sodas, donuts, and other things. In two different episodes, it is revealed that his full name is Barry Meltfarb, although he claims to have changed the surname to his superhero name. Meltman is a Robin Hood figure that was melted with a blow torch.
- The Chief (voiced by Collin M. McGee; initially voiced by Victor Hart): The head of the Action League, the Chief is an angry, frustrated man who frequently yells at the Action League for their mistakes and unintended backtalk. The Chief was made by putting together and modifying parts from Playskool "Play People" dollhouse figures.
- Justice (voiced by Alyssa Grahm): The Chief's beloved Golden Retriever and best friend. Technically a member of the Action League, Justice serves as the Lassie of the show, warning fellow members of the League of dangers that they were otherwise unaware of.
- The Mayor (voiced by Jim Krenn): The Action League's archenemy. Many of his schemes revolve around making money. In the episode "A Star is Torn", he uses the alias Louis D. Mayor (a reference to Louis B. Mayer). The Mayor was pieced together from various Playskool dollhouse figures. the rock band Kiss, musician-actor Harry Connick, Jr., pop singer Robyn, and musician Lou Rawls. All voiced themselves on the program (with the exception of Robyn and Connick, who voiced Blandi and Big Baby, respectively, in the episode "Rock-a-big Baby" which was paired theatrically with Good Burger).
Banned episodes
Some episodes of Action League Now! are banned in the United States. The KaBlam! episode titled "I Just Don't Get It", which featured an Action League Now! short that involved an attack on the U.S. capitol, was put under a ban after the September 11 attacks. The Action League Now!: The Series episode "Thunder Girl: Tracking the Storm" which also contained the short was put on a ban after its initial broadcast in 2002, only being re-shown in 2016 on the late night TV block "The Splat" on TeenNick. The episode can still be watched on Paramount+. One specific episode, "ThunderFlesh", was intended to appear in season 2 of KaBlam!, but was shelved due to its adult content as another episode was created to replace it.
Reception
In a Chicago Tribune article, Jennifer Mangan complimented the series' originality, calling it "the most innovative entrant in KaBlam!s cartoon catalog." Jane Hall of the Los Angeles Times wrote that Action League Now! "has the weird, aggressive humor of the old 'Mr. Bill' pieces on Saturday Night Live." Naming the show among other KaBlam! segments, Deadline Hollywoods Mike Fleming wrote positively of its "absurdly unforgettable characters."