Wikipedia:Sandbox

Sandbox
File:MAIC1981.PNG
Created by	Tim Pallerko
Voices of	Lizzie Daniel Malory McLeod Chase Washling George Brinley Lindsey Darby Faye S. Lindwood Andie MacEachairn
Opening theme	"Mia's Adventures" instrumental by Lindor Thaigne
Ending theme	"Mia's Adventures"
Country of origin	Der an Liberalia
Original language	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	226
Production
Running time	48 minutes
Production company	Robins and Pallerko Enterprises.
Original release
Network	Town and Country Television (DAL), State Broadcasting (Pants), Shallgrad Network (Middle States), Duarmistan Public Television (Duarmistan)
Release	March 7, 1980 (1980-03-07) – March 6, 1987 (1987-03-06)

Mia's Adventures in College was a Der an Liberalian animated coming-of-age drama created and produced by Tim Pallerko originally for Town and Country Television, the official public television network of Der an Liberalia. The series was broadcast from March 1980 until March 1987 on various networks across the Middle of Nowhere. The show ran for four series averaging 55 episodes, as well as five specials for various holidays or events.

The series was based on the extremely popular 1979 animated TV movie Mia's Graduation, also created and produced by Pallerko.

Premise

Mia's Adventures in College picks up where Mia's Graduation had left off, finding the naive everygirl Mia Calloway attempting to acclimate herself to the difficulties and struggles of being a student at a large government school called "Delta State University" (based on real-life Woodrow State College located in Woodrow, Clamburg). Mia struggles in the shadow of her highly successful older brother Matt, who is finishing school during the first series and has become a well-to-do executive living in Calamine City by the fourth series. Mia's Adventures in College attempts to capture the atmosphere of insecurity and uncertainty faced by many young people coming of age during the height of the Cro Troubles and the early 1980s recession in Der an Liberalia, balancing social commentary with a strong element of the romantic and nostalgic escapism which had previously become Pallerko's trademark in series such as Ashe.

The series, with its gentle sentimentality and sensitive and empathic treatment of the experiences of youth, quickly became one of the most popular shows on television across the Middle of Nowhere, alongside Ashe and Pallerko's later series Dank Dungeons, both of which were fantasy-oriented.

Characters

• Mia Calloway (voiced by Lizzie Daniel): a sweet, naive and somewhat shy college student who is cast into a role of emulating her successful older brother while also facing the pressure of her own family's poverty. Mia is portrayed as resourceful and perseverant even despite frequent setbacks and frequent temptation to give up and despair. Her first year room-mate Lilly becomes her best friend and closest confidant, and she also navigates life with various friends and boyfriends during her university years. Mia has been considered by many to be an archetype of ideal Der an Liberalian female traits in that she is tough, stoical, resourceful and independent while also exuding an endearing shyness and vulnerability; modern feminists are divided as to whether her portrayal is empowering or demeaning.
• Matt Calloway (voiced by Chase Washling): Mia's older brother, who as the oldest sibling experiences a great deal of family pressure towards success. Matt is portrayed as the "golden child" of the family and Mia desperately tries to live up to his image. Despite his status as his parents' favourite, Matt experiences significant stress and dissatisfaction with the roles that are thrust upon him and dreams of retiring early so he can live an idyllic Arcadian life in the countryside.
• Lila Calloway (voiced by Lindsey Darby): Mia's single mother, a cynical chain smoking woman who is living in poverty with her two younger sisters in a public housing unit in Clamburg City. Lila is in many ways the opposite of Mia, being far more jaded and pessimistic. Lila is generally kind hearted and loving towards Mia, but her poor financial situation causes her to put a great deal of pressure upon Mia to succeed, with the result of lowering the girl's self esteem.
• Hannah and Antonette Calloway (voiced by Faye S Lindwood): Mia's young teenage twin sisters, both of whom are attending secondary school and graduate at the end of the series' run. The girls are portrayed as generally unambitious and immature compared to Mia, frequently bickering with each other or else pursuing hedonistic pleasures like sex and food. Hannah and Antonette are still portrayed as generally loving and kind people, however, and they and Mia enjoy a very warm relationship.
• David Sandhill (voiced by George Brinley):Mia's father who is divorced from Lila and is living in Croboyopolis where he manages a hotel. David is a ruthless businessman whose lifestyle and actions are completely unlike the traditional caring and responsible male ideal of traditional Der an Liberalian society. Rather, as a viciously competitive capitalist, David has little time for his children and ex-wife and is mostly critical and verbally abusive towards Mia during his appearances.
• Lilly Songster (voiced by Andie MacEachairn): Mia's sweet and cheerful roommate (and later best friend) from Oixmah, who speaks with a stereotypical Oixmah accent that both amuses and confuses many others at Delta State. Lilly is a stranger to the ways of Der an Liberalia but is very easygoing and relaxed winning her many friends; she is a major source of emotional comfort to the often anxious and insecure Mia.

Other (recurring) characters

• Zach Lynn (voiced by John Shannon): An upperclassman and star varsity badminton player who is Mia's secret crush and eventual boyfriend during the final series. Zach is warm, caring and has a high anxiety threshold, thus making him a perfect significant other for Mia as well as an ideal man in the sensitive, matriarchal culture of Der an Liberalia.
• Dr. Macey (voiced by Laurel Kingston Travells): Mia's university advisor on whom she develops an infatuation early on, which later matures into a warm platonic admiration. Macey is a professor of human behaviour and serves as a source of guidance and wisdom to many of her students, becoming almost a sort of guru figure.
• Alecia Nwanyeromo (voiced by Tay'a Nkilliowaqwaeru): Tomboyish soccer player and Mia's rival for Zach's affections. Alecia is of indigenous Malgran descent.
• Benji Christians (voiced by John Shannon): a somewhat geeky and awkward student whom Mia briefly dates. Benji is an aspiring musician singing contemporary folk songs at various coffee clubs in the Clamburg area.
• Dean Cystennin (voiced by Tim Pallerko): the dean of Delta State, an ancient croboy wizard and shaman healer of the Sexist religion. Like most contemporary portrayals of Sexist religious figures he is very hagiographized and idealized as a sort of all-wise guru by the student body.
• Cindy Cantrell (voiced by Charmaine Thatcher): punk rock skater girl who is one of Lilly's friends and Mia's acquaintances.
• Jennie Mathieson (voiced by Dorothy Skeate): shy and chubby country girl who is studying to become a librarian and has a intense crush on Benji.
• Irene Calloway (nee Pound) (voiced by Nora Alexander): Matt's girlfriend and eventual wife, a worldly wise Croboyopolitan.

Episodes

See article: List of Mia's Adventures in College episodes

Legacy

Mia's Adventures in College is widely regarded as one of the greatest TV series of all time, although it is little known outside of the Middle of Nowhere. In 2013, Crobugmangazine ranked it as the tenth greatest TV series in history, while Pallerko's earlier Ashe was ranked #3. Pallerko himself has described the series as one of the two contributions he is most proud of, alongside the 1973 documentary Gehnna, The Forgotten Paradise.