Timmy is a moron

KidScreen Magazine
Up Next – What’s Developing in Kids Production
April 2001
By: Mike Connell

Mark Simon, co-founder of Aargh! Animation, set off last November to start another animated venture called A&S Animation in Orlando, Florida. Right out of the gates, the toonco started production on a 13 x one-minute short series called Timmy’s Lessons in Nature. Budgeted at US $38,500 per episode, the comedic offering is tagged the following way: “See Timmy saddle a moose. Watch Timmy pet a porcupine. Timmy is a moron.” The property is co-owned with California-based House of Blaze Productions, and while there weren’t any TV rights secured at press time, Simon says that there is some European interest in Timmy, in addition to a theatrical and video deal finalized at the end of February with California’s Spike & Mike. Five eps of Timmy (slated for completion early this summer) will air in select U.S. Theaters in Spike & Mike’s Sick & Twisted Festival of Animation in June, with subsequent details regarding the video element pending at press time

An interesting aspect of Simon’s strategy with Timmy is that the shorts are also being used as an integral promotional tool for a half-hour series in development called The Troop. Like the stand-ups before each episode of Seinfeld, says Simon, Timmy will serve as a teaser and lead into each Troop ep.