Lucas the Spider
Lucas the Spider | |
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Lucas the Spider character | |
First appearance |
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Created by | Joshua Slice |
Voiced by | Lucas Slice (shorts and YouTube Rewind 2018) Simon Webster (series) |
In-universe information | |
Species | Jumping spider |
Gender | Male |
Lucas the Spider is an animated character created by animator Joshua Slice, named after and previously voiced by his nephew. Lucas is based on a jumping spider and has starred in multiple short YouTube videos between 2017 and 2019.
History
[edit]The first Lucas the Spider video was uploaded on November 5, 2017.[1][2] Lucas was met with a highly positive reception for his gentle and warm-hearted nature.[3][4]
In 2018, a plushie of Lucas the Spider was released for sale online. In May 2018, the series was acquired by Canadian production company Fresh TV.[5] In December 2018, Lucas the Spider appeared in YouTube Rewind 2018.
2020 saw no new YouTube episodes. In various replies within posts to comments on his Instagram, Slice has stated that they "haven't posted any new content for a while because the team is hard at work on the TV show!"[6] A short upload on YouTube on July 29, 2021 announced then-upcoming episodes on the Cartoonito programming block on Cartoon Network. This was followed by more short cartoons and excerpts from television episodes.
A species of jumping spiders, Salticus lucasi, has been named after this character.[7][8]
YouTube Episodes
[edit]YouTube episodes are between nineteen and eighty-five seconds in length.
No. | Title | YouTube premiere date |
---|---|---|
1 | First Time Meeting Him | November 5, 2017 |
2 | Cold Outside! | December 1, 2017 |
3 | Play | December 24, 2017 |
4 | Captured | January 20, 2018 |
5 | Musical | February 10, 2018 |
6 | Bear | March 4, 2018 |
7 | Encore! | March 30, 2018 |
8 | Giant | May 19, 2018 |
9 | Nap | June 19, 2018 |
10 | Man Band | August 31, 2018 |
11 | Webs | September 21, 2018 |
12 | Scary | October 12, 2018 |
13 | Friend | November 10, 2018 |
14 | Don't Eat | December 20, 2018 |
15 | Starving!
Starving! Starving! |
February 14, 2019 |
16 | What Is That? | April 20, 2019 |
17 | Where Did It Go? | June 3, 2019 |
18 | It Slipped | July 6, 2019 |
19 | It's Hot | August 2, 2019 |
20 | Anybody Home? | August 30, 2019 |
21 | The Sky is Falling | October 4, 2019 |
22 | The Imposter | October 25, 2019 |
23 | Jumping Spider | November 28, 2019 |
24 | Drawn Together | December 20, 2019 |
Following these, three compilation shorts were posted:
- All the Songs (March 5, 2021)
- Boop (April 16, 2021)
- How to be a Friend Like Lucas (May 21, 2021)
In February 2020, it was announced that a Lucas the Spider TV series has secured a global distribution deal with Cartoon Network and Boomerang. It is shown on Cartoon Network's Cartoonito block.[9] A 'first look' cartoon titled "Fun with Findley" was uploaded on YouTube on July 29, 2021. In the following months, this was followed by more new shorts (initially introducing supporting characters from the TV series) and excerpts from the TV show (not mentioned in this table).
No. | Title | YouTube premiere date |
---|---|---|
25 | Fun with Findley | July 29, 2021 |
26 | Arlo's Lullaby | August 13, 2021 |
27 | Extreme Bodhi | August 27, 2021 |
28 | Stand Up Dimples | September 12, 2021 |
29 | Marvelous Maizie | September 24, 2021 |
30 | Hey Avocado | October 8, 2021 |
31 | The Altogether Song | October 23, 2021 |
32 | Web Practice[a] | November 19, 2021 |
Characters
[edit]- Lucas is a powerful jumping spider. He lives in a big, bright Victorian house called House with all his friends. His alter egos Dr. Lucas first appeared in "The Big Squeak", Detective Lucas first appeared in "Farewell Sweet Ride", and The Mighty Boop first appeared in "The Mighty Boop and Fly Wonder".
- Findley (a.k.a. Bzzz) is a housefly and one of the main characters. He is Lucas' best friend and sidekick. He loves eating anything from the garbage. He first appeared in "New Friend".
- Bodhi is a chameleon and one of Lucas' friends. She loves doing different sports like snowboarding and sometimes enjoys meditating. Because she's a chameleon, Bodhi also has the ability to change colors and turn invisible. She first appeared in "Extreme Bodhi".[citation needed]
- Avocado is a French Bulldog puppy. She mostly wears pink pajamas with bones on them, but wears different clothing in some episodes. She first appeared in "Hey Avocado".
- Arlo is a blue and white baby owl who lives outside in a tree along with his mother and Maizie. He sometimes visits Lucas and his other friends in House. He first appeared in "Arlo's Lullaby".
- Maizie is a bumblebee who lives outside along with Arlo, his mother, and her family. Maizie has a pink flower on her head. She often crashes somewhere, then calls it "landing". Maizie also visits Lucas and his other friends in House sometimes. She first appeared in "Marvelous Maizie".
- Dimples is a purple goldfish who lives in a tank with Weebiscuit and Hans. She first appeared in "Stand Up Dimples".
- Weebiscuit is a yellow seahorse who is one of the characters in Lucas the Spider. He is one of Lucas' friends who lives in a tank with Dimples and Hans. Unlike the other characters, he can't talk. He first appeared in "Stand Up Dimples".
- Ant is a recurring character. It is one of Lucas' friends. It first appeared in "Extreme Bodhi".
- Bird is a recurring character. She is Lucas' primary rival. She first appeared in "Encore".
- Moth is a minor character and antagonist. He has only appeared in "Ghost Camp", in which he flies around the slide which scares Lucas, and Lucas thinks he's Whitebone.
- Skunk is a minor character. She first appeared in "Skunked".
- Jump-Jump is a caterpillar who is a minor character. She is one of Lucas' friends. She has only appeared in "Jumping Pal".
- Robot is a minor character. He is known as the Beep Beep Beast in "Never Boop a Robot". He is one of Lucas' rivals (possibly led by Bird).
Television series
[edit]Lucas the Spider | |
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Genre | |
Created by | Joshua Slice |
Directed by | Paul Brown |
Voices of |
|
Theme music composer | Voodoo Highway Music |
Composer | Voodoo Highway Music |
Country of origin | Canada |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 77 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Producers |
|
Editors |
|
Running time | 6-7 minutes |
Production companies | Wexworks Media Fresh TV |
Original release | |
Network | Family Channel |
Release | September 18, 2021 December 1, 2023 | –
In March 2018, following the purchase of the series by Fresh TV, the company announced to produce a long-form series based on the web series.[5]
In February 2020, Cartoon Network acquired the US broadcast rights to the series for a broadcast in early 2021 on the main channel and on Boomerang.[10] However, the series instead became a launch series for the Cartoonito block, and began airing on the block on September 18, 2021.[11] The series left Cartoonito on September 23, 2022, and later HBO Max on September 30, leaving three episodes unaired in the US, however they would air in Canada. On August 31, 2023, the series returned to Max, with all episodes of Season 1. Season 1 began streaming on Netflix on October 30, 2023.[12] Unlike other broadcasts of it, the Netflix releases[citation needed] and Israeli airings are in PAL pitch.[13]
The series returned to the Cartoonito lineup on December 1, 2023 to air its last three episodes, but left the lineup again on April 5, 2024. In October 2024, the series began airing on Discovery Family.
Episodes
[edit]No. | Title [14][15] | Written by | Original air date [15] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Too Hot to Handle" | Amanda McNeice | September 18, 2021[b] | 0.08[16] |
2 | "The Big Squeak" | Bec Hill | September 18, 2021[17][b] | 0.08[16] |
3 | "Big Jumping Spider" | Matt Baker | September 18, 2021[b] | 0.08[16] |
4 | "Ghost Camp" | Kristen McGregor | September 25, 2021 | 0.06[18] |
5 | "Boo!" | Dave Ingham | September 25, 2021 | 0.06[18] |
6 | "Never Boop a Robot" | Dave Ingham | September 25, 2021 | 0.06[18] |
7 | "Lonesome Lucas" | Josh Gal | October 2, 2021 | 0.12[19] |
8 | "I Can't See You" | Josh Gal | October 9, 2021[c] | N/A |
9 | "To Catch A Fly" | Dave Ingham | October 16, 2021[c] | N/A |
10 | "Sliding" | Matt Baker | October 23, 2021 | N/A |
11 | "Spinning Webs" | Amanda McNeice | October 30, 2021 | N/A |
12 | "I'm Taking You In" | Josh Gal | November 6, 2021 | N/A |
13 | "Something Up There" | Kristen McGregor | November 13, 2021 | N/A |
14 | "Home Sweet Home" | Amanda McNeice | November 20, 2021 | N/A |
15 | "Bye Bye Bee" | Amanda McGregor | November 27, 2021 | N/A |
16 | "Jeepers Peepers" | Dave Ingham | December 4, 2021 | N/A |
17 | "House is Breathing" | Josh Gal | December 11, 2021 | N/A |
18 | "Boingo" | Bec Hill | December 18, 2021 | N/A |
19 | "Findley’s Bad Day" | Matt Baker | December 25, 2021[d] | N/A |
20 | "You Rang?" | Dave Ingham | January 9, 2022 | N/A |
21 | "Do You Speak Dance?" | Bec Hill | January 16, 2022 | N/A |
22 | "A New Spider in Town" | Josh Gal | January 16, 2022 | N/A |
23 | "Dollhouse Mates" | Josh Gal | January 16, 2022 | N/A |
24 | "Lucas We Have a Problem" | Matt Baker | January 23, 2022 | N/A |
25 | "Egg-Scuse Me" | Bec Hill | January 23, 2022 | N/A |
26 | "Pokey Dokey" | Amanda McNeice | January 23, 2022 | N/A |
27 | "Boot Castle" | Josh Gal | February 3, 2022 | N/A |
28 | "Avocado’s Looooong Time Out" | Dave Ingham | February 3, 2022 | N/A |
29 | "Tanks Giving" | Josh Gal | February 3, 2022 | N/A |
30 | "Flying" | Dave Ingham | February 4, 2022 | N/A |
31 | "Dr. Lucas Is in the House" | Josh Gal | February 4, 2022 | N/A |
32 | "Arlo's Portrait" | Dave Ingham | February 4, 2022 | N/A |
33 | "House Flies Don't Dance" | Josh Gal | February 11, 2022 | N/A |
34 | "Flying the Nest" | Dave Ingham | February 11, 2022 | N/A |
35 | "The Insult" | Unknown | February 11, 2022 | N/A |
36 | "I'll Do it in a Minute" | Dave Ingham | February 18, 2022 | N/A |
37 | "Cloud Gazing" | Josh Gal | February 18, 2022 | N/A |
38 | "Don't Do That Arlo" | Dave Ingham | February 18, 2022 | N/A |
39 | "Prickly Pals" | Josh Gal | April 29, 2022 | N/A |
40 | "A Sting in the Tale" | Dave Ingham | April 29, 2022 | N/A |
41 | "Tongue Twister" | Josh Gal | April 29, 2022 | N/A |
42 | "Sleeping Dogs" | Josh Gal | May 6, 2022 | N/A |
43 | "Skunked" | Dave Ingham | May 6, 2022 | N/A |
44 | "Arlo And The Snake" | Dave Ingham | May 6, 2022 | N/A |
45 | "Crack In the Tank" | Dave Ingham | May 13, 2022 | N/A |
46 | "Big Mouth" | Dave Ingham | May 13, 2022 | N/A |
47 | "Art From the Heart" | Josh Gal | May 13, 2022 | N/A |
48 | "Lucas and His Friends" | Dave Ingham | May 20, 2022 | N/A |
49 | "The Owl That Said Why" | Amanda McNeice | May 20, 2022 | N/A |
50 | "Happy Burpday" | Josh Gal | May 20, 2022 | N/A |
51 | "The Legend of Big Butt" | Dave Ingham | May 27, 2022 | N/A |
52 | "Arlo Needs a Nap" | Amanda McNeice | May 27, 2022 | N/A |
53 | "Everyone's a Critic" | Josh Gal | May 27, 2022 | N/A |
54 | "Flash and Boom" | Josh Gal | June 3, 2022 | N/A |
55 | "House Sitting" | Amanda McNeice | June 3, 2022 | N/A |
56 | "Findley is Sick" | Dave Ingham | June 3, 2022 | N/A |
57 | "A Song for Wimble" | Josh Gal | June 10, 2022[e] | N/A |
58 | "I Want My Baby Acorn Back" | Amanda McNeice | June 10, 2022[e] | N/A |
59 | "The Giggles" | Dave Ingham | June 10, 2022[e] | N/A |
60 | "Puppy Love" | Dave Ingham | September 6, 2022 | N/A |
61 | "House Grand Prix" | Amanda McNeice | September 6, 2022 | N/A |
62 | "Farewell Sweet Ride" | Dave Ingham | September 6, 2022 | N/A |
63 | "The Mighty Boop and Fly Wonder" | Amanda McNeice | September 12, 2022 | N/A |
64 | "Lucas and Findley Get Antsy" | Amanda McNeice | September 12, 2022 | N/A |
65 | "Mock Me Not" | Josh Gal | September 12, 2022 | N/A |
66 | "Jumping Pal" | Unknown | September 19, 2022 | N/A |
67 | "Trouble at the Top" | Unknown | September 19, 2022 | N/A |
68 | "Avacado's Fan" | Unknown | September 19, 2022 | N/A |
69 | "The Scent of a Dog" | Unknown | September 21, 2022[f] | N/A |
70 | "The Need for Seed" | Unknown | September 21, 2022[f] | N/A |
71 | "Bloom Patrol" | Unknown | September 21, 2022[f] | N/A |
72 | "Behind the Door" | Unknown | September 22, 2022[g] | N/A |
73 | "Findley the Brave" | Unknown | September 22, 2022[g] | N/A |
74 | "Fixing Up the Tree" | Unknown | September 22, 2022[g] | N/A |
75 | "Waiting for Maizie" | Unknown | December 1, 2023[h][i] | N/A |
76 | "Boops in the Night" | Unknown | December 1, 2023[h][i] | N/A |
77 | "Lucas the Pirate" | Unknown | December 1, 2023[h][i] | N/A |
Ratings
[edit]Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired | Avg. viewers (millions) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Viewers (millions) |
Date | Viewers (millions) | |||
1 | 74 | September 18, 2021 | 0.08[16] | December 1, 2023 | TBD | 0.08 |
References
[edit]- ^ Beggs, Scott. "The Adorable Lucas The Spider Is Cold And Wants To Come Inside". Nerdist. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
- ^ Hadley, Glenn (11 February 2018). "Lucas The Spider Movie: Fans Ask Disney Pixar For Film With Adorable Animated Arachnid, Viral YouTube Star". Inquisitr. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
- ^ McLean, Tom. "Fresh TV to Expand 'Lucas the Spider' Web Videos". Animation World Network. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
- ^ Rittmeyer, Brian. "YouTube sensation 'Lucas the Spider' challenges fears of arachnids". Tribune-Review. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
- ^ a b Milligan, Mercedes (22 March 2018). "'Lucas the Spider' Snares Fresh TV in Its Adorable Web". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
- ^ "Joshua Slice on Instagram: "A few of my studio friends started an animation podcast and the latest episode (out today!) talks about my journey in creating Lucas the…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-25. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
- ^ Zamani, Alireza; Hosseini, Marzieh Sadat; Moradmand, Majid (March 2020). "New data on jumping spiders of Iran, with a new species of Salticus (Araneae: Salticidae)". Arachnologische Mitteilungen: Arachnology Letters. 59 (1): 63–66. doi:10.30963/aramit5908.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (27 March 2020). "News Bytes: Awards Season Shifts, Real-Life Lucas the Spider, Community Resources & More". Animation Magazine.
- ^ "Cake Q&A C21Kids Summer Special 2021". C21media. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
- ^ "'Lucas the Spider' Strikes Distribution Deal for Long-Form Series at Cartoon Network". 10 February 2020.
- ^ "Cartoonito Pre-K Block Debuts Sept. 13 on HBO Max & Cartoon Network". 16 August 2021.
- ^ "Netflix Teases 'CoComelon Lane' with Preschool Toon Slate for 2024". 28 September 2023.
- ^ "ערוץ הופ! - לגדול בידיים טובות - לוקאס העכביש פרק 2 - הציוץ הגדול". 1 November 2022.
- ^ "Lucas the Spider". Zap2it. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ a b "Lucas the Spider". The Futon Critic. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Saturday 9.18.2021 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals UPDATED". Showbuzz Daily. Mitch Metcalf. September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ "Cartoonito Full Episodes Cartoon Network". Cartoon Network. Archived from the original on September 25, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ a b c "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Saturday 9.25.2021 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals UPDATED". Showbuzz Daily. Mitch Metcalf. September 28, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Saturday 10.2.2021 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Mitch Metcalf. October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ An 'anniversary original episode repost' with a new animated leader. Available for one day only.
- ^ a b c This episode was first released on the Cartoon Network app and video-on-demand services on September 13, 2021.
- ^ a b This episode was first released on the Cartoon Network app and video-on-demand services on October 2, 2021.
- ^ This episode was first released on the Cartoon Network app and video-on-demand services on December 18, 2021.
- ^ a b c This episode was first released on the Cartoon Network app and video-on-demand services on June 3, 2022.
- ^ a b c This episode was originally scheduled for September 26, 2022, but was pushed forward at the last minute
- ^ a b c This episode was originally scheduled for October 3, 2022, but was pushed forward at the last minute
- ^ a b c This episode was originally scheduled for October 10, 2022
- ^ a b c This episode was first available to stream on Max on August 31, 2023 and Netflix on October 30, 2023.
External links
[edit]- 2017 web series debuts
- 2020s Canadian animated television series
- 2020s Canadian children's television series
- 2021 Canadian television series debuts
- 2023 Canadian television series endings
- Canadian children's animated comedy television series
- Canadian computer-animated television series
- Canadian preschool education television series
- Animated preschool education television series
- 2020s preschool education television series
- British English-language television shows
- Television series about spiders
- Anthropomorphic spiders
- Fictional spiders
- Internet characters introduced in 2017
- American animated web series
- YouTube original programming
- Cartoonito original programming