Planet Sketch is a British-Canadian Animated Series co-created by Aardman Animations and Decode Entertainment (now part of WildBrain).
The cartoon was basically a variety show, showing a wide variety of different sketches, each one having its own plot. The cartoons of the first season would begin with a "Nose Picker" segment, and end with a "June Spume and Melville" segment. However, this would change in the second season.
The series started running in November 10th, 2005 on Teletoon, and went on until September 16th, 2008. It also aired on CITV in the United Kingdom. It lasted 39 episodes over 2 seasons. However, Aardman and Decode would later cooperate again to produce another cartoon, Chop Socky Chooks. Additionally, Aardman would later create a third series for Teletoon, Counterfeit Cat, although this one was co-produced with Atomic Cartoons.
Not to be confused with Planet Sheen.
Planet Sketch contains examples of:
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Computer, the ship's A.I., would often make stupid decisions, or simply act uncooperative.
- Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Parodied with the "My Mother, The Armchair" segments, where the teenage girl protagonist often acted like her mother was doing something embarrassing despite being an inanimate armchair.
- Amazing Technicolor Population: Captain Gagtastic had green skin.
- Animation Bump: The sketches saw an improvement in animation in season 2, and the character designs were more Aardman-like.
- Blatant Lies: The "Ira and Lyra" segments were basically built around these.
- Butt-Monkey: Many to count:
- Any of the passersby who fall victim to the Gnaughty Gnomes' chaotic behaviour.
- The family who gets terrorized by Captain Gagtastic with his terrible jokes.
- Timbo getting relentlessly stalked by Mr. Hives no matter how much he wants him out of his life.
- Poor, poor Napkin Squirrel. All of his segments ended with him either being torn to shreds or turning into a pile of wet paper.
- The dinosaurs when getting killed through stupid means as part of an alternative historical take as to how dinosaur became extinct.
- The family in the Ninja Handyman Season 2 sketches who get really annoyed at his incompetence compared to his Season 1 self.
- Jake and the Captain having to deal with their computer's insufferable attitude.
- The Cat Came Back: The "Timbo & Mr. Hives" segments have Timbo outgrowing his teddy bear Mr. Hives and trying to get rid of him, only for Mr. Hives to inexplicably keep coming back somehow.
- Catchphrase: Ninja Handyman got one in Season 2:No job too big, no job too small! Ninja Handyman always on call!
- Every Episode Ending: Season one would end with June Spume playing a tune over the credits while Melville danced with her. They would disappear from season 2 and be replaced with a janitor cat dancing on stage.
- Expository Theme Tune: The theme to "My Mother, The Armchair", in which it explains that the teenage girl's mother, the armchair, is very embarrassing when she is near, likely due to the fact that she is an armchair and not a normal human mother like the other characters have.
- Failure Is the Only Option: Dr. Inosaur's attempts to eat his patients typically ended in failure.
- Gasshole: Horace the Horse had a tendency to get nervous whenever something surprised him, resulting in him releasing a massive, smelly fart.
- Gratuitous Ninja: The "Ninja Handyman" segments.
- I'm a Humanitarian: Dr. Inosaur is an anthropomorphic T-rex dinosaur, who always tries to eat his patients, but usually fails.
- In the Hood: One of the three rapping boys wears a green hoodie. There's also Captain Gagtastic, who had a purple hoodie draped over his head and down his back.
- Maurice Chevalier Accent: June Spume speaks with one.Ah am June Spume! Zis eez mah tune!
- Musical Anatomy: June Spume has the ability to use parts of her body as musical instruments (i.e. she stretches out her eyelashes and plays them like a guitar, or removes her teeth and uses them as a tamborine).
- Paper-Thin Disguise: None of the hospital staff or patients are able to tell that Dr. Inosaur is a dinosaur wearing glasses and a doctor's coat.
- Rule of Three: The "Ira and Lyra", "Only Joking", "Sara Swapsy", and "Phil and Bill" segments were usually presented as three segments per episode.
- Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Most sketches fall on the cynical side with very few falling on the idealistic side.
- Tsundere: Sally Van and Mike Today volley insults at the other's gender throughout their news show, only to sheepishly ask each other out or exchange compliments once the show is over.
- World of Jerkass: A majority of characters are invasive, short-sighted or incompetent while nicer characters usually get the short end of the stick.
