Butt-Ugly Martians is an animated television series co-produced by Mike Young Productions, Digital Content Development Corporation Limited and Just Entertainment. It was sold to ITV on October 2, 2000, for the original television pilot and premiered on CITV in the UK on February 19, 2001. It also premiered on Nickelodeon in the United States on November 9, 2001, and aired on Nicktoons until 2003.
The series was produced using Alias Wavefront Maya 3D software.
Premise The plot of the series begins when the Butt-Ugly Martians (B.U.M.) are forced to invade planets for the evil Emperor Bog. When they are sent to Earth, they become addicted to American culture. Deciding not to hurt Earth, they simply pretend to be occupying the planet for Bog. They are shown around by their Earthling friends: Mike, Cedric, and Angela. The Butt-Ugly Martians continue to hang out on Earth as long as Emperor Bog never finds out.
Characters Main B-Bop A-Luna (voiced by Charlie Schlatter) – The diplomat and leader of the Butt-Ugly Martians. Brave, comedic, showy, and a little big headed, B-Bop can always be trusted to think up a good cover story and look convincing doing it. He wears a yellow uniform and a Yellow BKM suit. 2T Fru-T (voiced by Rob Paulsen) – The mechanic and comic relief of the Butt-Uglies and inventor of BKM. A mechanical prodigy, 2T is able to construct anything from invisibility rays to the BKM (Butt Kicking Mode) suits using parts that are immediately available. He wears a blue uniform and a Blue BKM suit. Do-Wah Diddy (voiced by Jess Harnell) – The fun-loving Martian of the trio, who has a huge appetite and loves to eat junk food. He wears a red uniform and a Red BKM suit. Shaboom Shaboom (voiced by Kath Soucie) – A female Martian secret agent. She is aware of the trio's defection, but keeps it a secret, and it is often implied that the Butt-Uglies have crushes on her. Michael "Mike" Ellis (voiced by Rob Paulsen) – A redheaded, green-eyed 13-year-old boy, Mike is the unofficial and sometimes debatable leader of the human friends of the Martians. A typical teenager, Mike enjoys watching TV, eating junk food, hoverboarding, and listening to the newest music. Angela Young (voiced by Kath Soucie) – Angela is level-headed and smart, often the voice of reason to the more reckless male characters in the series. Much to Mike's dismay, she is also very good at playing video games and once saved the world with her skills with a joystick. Angela acknowledges that Do-Wah has a crush on her; whether she likes him back romantically is debatable. Cedric Cyles (voiced by Ogie Banks) – A 12-year-old bespectacled African-American boy, Cedric hangs out with Mike and Angela. Cedric is a technical wizard akin to 2T, although he is more of a computer hacker than a mechanic. Stoat Muldoon (voiced by Robert Stack) – A well-meaning but overly zealous alien hunter who discovers the Martians on Earth several times throughout the series, but every time he does, the Martians outwit him and erase his memory. Dog – Their robot pet dog that can fly and seems to always find a way to get the Martians out of trouble.
Enemies Emperor Bog (voiced by S. Scott Bullock) – The evil but foolish ruler of the Martian populace, Bog is often fooled by the Butt-Ugly Martians' fake progress reports. He has little tolerance for imperfection; his idea of perfection being everything going according to what he wants. Dr. Damage (voiced by S. Scott Bullock) – Bog's more intelligent right-hand-man, Damage constantly suspects that the Butt-Uglies are up to something. He is usually right, but rarely noticed. Damage develops many instruments, machines and mutant creatures to conquer Earth, but these are usually destroyed by the Butt-Uglies. Jax – A warlord who despises Martians. After being defeated and imprisoned by B-Bop and the others, pretends to be willing to help them invade Earth to get a chance for revenge. He pilots a ship called the Doom Jax, which is impervious to Martian weaponry. Humanga – A giant alien villain who is the only player of an alien game called Toget. Infi-Knight – A four-armed robotic warrior created by Damage to speed the Earth invasion along. Koo Foo – The last surviving member of an alien race that attempted to conquer the universe 2,000 years prior before mysteriously vanishing. His crashed ship was submerged in the desert and believed to be a pyramid due to its shape. After Koo Foo is freed by Muldoon, it is revealed that he is not evil like the rest of his kind and had left the swarm of ships before crashing on Earth. Gorgon – A fire-breathing lizard-like alien with shapeshifting abilities. Klaktor – A Reconabot (portmanteau for "reconnaissance robot") that the Butt-Uglies defeated in the first episode. He can fall apart and reassemble himself at will.
Episodes
Merchandise There were Scholastic chapter books, a Hasbro toy line and 3 videogames based on the series named Butt Ugly Martians: Zoom or Doom for PlayStation 2 and GameCube, Butt-Ugly Martians: B.K.M. Battles for Game Boy Advance, and Butt-Ugly Martians: Martian Boot Camp for PC.
Broadcast and home media Butt-Ugly Martians was sold to ITV on October 2, 2000, for the original television pilot and premiered on CITV on February 19, 2001.
Butt-Ugly Martians also premiered on both Nickelodeon and Nicktoons (until 2003) in the United States. It continued to air in reruns until June 30, 2005.
In Canada, the series also aired on Teletoon beginning September 4, 2001 until 2003.
VHS and DVD As part of Universal's broad arrangement for the franchise, Universal Pictures Video obtained worldwide home video rights to the series in October 2001, with the exclusion of two European countries: the UK and Germany, where Just Entertainment (Abbey Home Media post-2002, following Just's bankruptcy) and BMG each held the rights.
UK NameFormatEpisodesRelease DateDistributorAdditional Information Volume Zero VHS Promotional Video about the series Early-2001 Just Entertainment Promotional Release Playback/Payback VHS "Playback/Payback""Jax the Conqueror" March 5, 2001 Just Entertainment Meet Gorgon VHS "Meet Gorgon""You Bet Your Planet" March 5, 2001 Just Entertainment The Martians Have Landed! DVD "Playback/Payback""Jax the Conqueror""Meet Gorgon""You Bet Your Planet" March 12, 2001 Just Entertainment DVD version of the above VHS releases. Also includes several Special Features: Interactive Games Photo Gallery Comic Strip Behind-the-scenes Interviews Promo Trailers Special Edition VHS Behind-the-Scenes Featurette Spring 2001 Just Entertainment Promotional release Big Bang Theory VHS "Big Bang Theory""Introducing... the Ultimate Infi-Knight" May 28, 2001 Just Entertainment Mike in Space VHS "Mike in Space" Summer 2001 Just Entertainment Promotional release that was included with a Figure Set KooFoo VHS "KooFoo"Mike in Space" September 17, 2001 Just Entertainment Brothers From Another Planet VHS "Brothers From Another Planet""That's No Puddle, That's Angela" October 22, 2001 Just Entertainment Out of Sync VHS "Out of Sync""If the Suit Fits" Unknown 2001 Just Entertainment Marks & Spencer Exclusive release Bog's Not So Dumb After All VHS Bog's Not So Dumb After All""Bog in Charge" April 29, 2002 Just Entertainment Emperor Damage VHS "Emperor Damage""Bog's Missing Trophy" May 27, 2002 Abbey Home Media Muldoon's Big Catch VHS "Muldoon's Big Catch""Damage's Little Girl" June 24, 2002 Abbey Home Media 3 Episodes DVD"KooFoo""Mike in Space""Bog in Charge" April 14, 2003 Prism Leisure The Martians Have Landed! DVD "Playback/Payback""Meet Gorgon""You Bet Your Planet" 2004 Abbey Home MediaDisc is labeled as "You Bet Your Planet".This reissue removes the second episode and the extra features.Same product number as the original release. Triple Set DVD "Big Bang Theory""Introducing... the Ultimate Infi-Knight""Brothers From Another Planet""That's No Puddle, That's Angela""Emperor Damage""Bog's Missing Trophy" October 31, 2005 Abbey Home Media Includes DVD versions of: "Big Bang Theory" "Brothers From Another Planet" "Emperor Damage"
United States NameFormatEpisodesRelease DateAdditional Information Best of the Bad Guys VHS/DVD "Bog's Not So Dumb After All""Bog in Charge""Jax the Conqueror" (Bonus Episode) July 30, 2002 Martian Boot Camp PC Demo (DVD) Hoverboard Heroes VHS/DVD "Damage's Little Girl""Playback/Payback""Everybody Loves Angie" July 30, 2002 Martian Boot Camp PC Demo (DVD) Boyz to Martians VHS/DVD "Alien Games""Out Of Sync""This Is... the Butt-Uglies" July 30, 2002 Martian Boot Camp PC Demo (DVD)
Germany NameFormatEpisodesRelease DateAdditional Information Band 1 VHS "Playback/Payback""Jax the Conqueror"August 1, 2002 Band 2 VHS "Meet Gorgon""You Bet Your Planet"August 1, 2002 Band 3 VHS "Mike in Space""Meet Koo Foo"August 1, 2002 Band 4 VHS "The Big Bang Theory on Mars""Damage's Little Girl"August 1, 2002
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