Ned's Newt

Ned's Newt was a cartoon frequently shown on Teletoon in the late '90's.

The series begins with Ned finally scraping up enough money to buy a pet. But upon reaching the pet store, the only thing he can actually afford is a newt. Dubbing his new pet Newton (obviously after Issac Newton, a pun which is referenced in a later episode), Ned quickly tired of it, since Newton just lies on the rock in his bowl. Complaining to the pet store owner that his new pet just lies around, the owner gives Ned a can of 'Zippo for Newt', a pet food, but warns Ned not to give his pet too much. Ned feeds Newton a little, but Newton does nothing. Ned leaves the can beside Newton's bowl and goes to bed.

That night, Newton crawls from his bowl and gulps down several mouthfuls of Zippo. Thus, the 'too much' warning comes true: Newton grows 6 feet tall, can talk (voiced by Harland Williams), and has the amazing power to shapeshift. After Ned realizes this, he and Newton become the best of friends, but sadly, the effects of Zippo don't last forever. In fact, Newton often gets Ned into trouble, at which point the Zippo runs out and Newton shifts back to his smaller form, leaving Ned alone to bear the wrath of his elders.

The show dictates the misadventures of the two as Ned lives an everyday life- or at least, as everyday a life as he can with a 6-foot talking newt as his best friend. Ned frequently deals with his crush on his neighbor, Linda Bliss (who, to Ned, is so beautiful, any attempt to talk with her nearby results in gibberish), his rivalry with Rusty McCay (who also likes Linda, and is talented in almost everything he does), and his general life.

The show also makes a habit of creating outrageous plots out of mundane tasks and settings. For example, after a joyful weekend of playing, Ned exclaims he can't wait for the next one. Newton then comes up with the idea that, rather than wait for next weekend, they can build a time machine and travel back to Friday, and relive the weekend over. After they build the time machine out of a bunch of household objects (including a blender for a power generator), they accidentally travel back to the age of the dinosaurs, and in a classic example of humorous time travel, end up changing the future in a wide variety of ways. In another episode, the company that makes Zippo changes the food formula. This somehow not only causes Newton to transform, but to loose control of his powers.

Newton is almost always with Ned, using his powers to help Ned any way he can. Ned takes Newton with him everywhere (even to school on occasion), and has a clump of Zippo food in his shirt pocket, just in case he needs Newton. Newton's powers almost invariably make things worse, mostly due to the fact he has a poor understanding of society. Thus, when Ned explains to him that Newton has made a terrible mistake (such as giving 3 million dollars to some passersby for safekeeping is not a good idea), Netwon and Ned must work together to put things right. And although they usually succeed (although not always) in doing so, Newton invariably changes back to newt form just in time to avoid being seen, and Ned must face the consequences of Newton's actions alone. But, as is the way of the hero, things (often by chance) work out for the better, and Ned comes out on top.

A classic example of this involves Ned on a field trip. When he is given a sheet of questions to answer, and is told to have them all done by 3 o'clock, Newton transforms, and proceeds to tell Ned all he knows (which isn't actually much). But when 3 o'clock rolls around, he admits that he made everything up. When Ned tells Newton he needs the correct answers, Newton shifts back before he can help. At this point, Rusty walks by and snatches Ned's paper, giving him his own. Rusty tells Ned that he just copied his answers off the exhibits, but Ned, as a teacher's pet, has much better answers.

Episode List

Mars Dilemma
One Flu Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Newton Falls in Love
Can't See The Forest For The Tree Fort
Broken Record
Help Me, I'm Bald
Home Alone With Frank
New Improved Zippo
Live and Let Dad
Citizen Ned
Climb Every Newton
Voyage to The Bottom of The Dump
Nightmare on Friendly Street
Out With The Old, in With The Newt
Regattadamerang
The Tooth is Out There
Summer Gone, Summer Not
312 Angry Women
Rear Bus Window
Jurassic Joyride
Fantastic Neddage
Nedding Bells Are Ringing
Cyranewt De Bergerac
Summer Rental
Never Never Ned
Xylophone Camp
Carnival Knowledge
Diary of a Nedman
One Flu Over The Cuckoos' Nest
Newt York, Newt York
The Boy Who Newt Too Much
If The Shoe Give You Fits
Norman's Newt
Abode to Ruin
Take Your Picnic
Back to The Futile
Draw Your Own Concussion
Lights, Camera, Newton
Weekend at Bernice
Frankenvine
Take A Hike
Love is a Many Salamandered Thing
Toys Will Be Toys
Sealed with a Newt
Ned and Edna, and Ed 'n' Aden
What Rock Through Yonder Window Breaks
A Snitch in Time
Happy Blood Alter Ring to You
The Man Who Would be Flemking
The Most Grating Show on Earth
To Have and Have Newt
What Big Rewrite Notes You Have
The Lucky Penny
Planes, Trains, and Newtmobiles
Newton's Day Out
Saving Lummox
Show Me the Money
Mall Good Things Come to an End
Ned's Army
Saturday Night Fervour
Educating Reeger
Remote Possibility
Newt's Ned
All's Well That Hens Well
Et Tu, Newte?
New Year's Ned
When in Drought
Tis Follicle to be Wise
Trouble Indemnity
Crop in the Name of Love
Go Nest Young Man
The Show Must Go Off
Ned and Edna, and Ed 'n Aden
A Mother Day, A Mother Dollar
Lummox of the Baskervilles
Nedapalooza
Last Fraction Hero Go Fetch
The Friendly Triangle
Motley Cruise

Credits

Season 1

Executive Producers: Clive A. Smith, Patrick Loubert, Michael Hirsch, Andy Knight, Andrew Nicholls, Darrell Vickers, Peter Volkle
Produced by: Vince Commisso
Directed by: Rick Marshall
Line Producers: Hasmi Giakoumis, Randi Yaffa
Coordinating Producer: Jocelyn Hamilton
Supervising Producers: Stephen Hodgins, Patricia R. Burns
Assistant Directors: Steve Whitehouse, Paul Riley
Associate Producer: Neil Court
Production Manager: Ruta Cube
Production Supervisor: Steve Chadwick
Story Editors: Hugh Duffy, Peter Sauder, John Pellatt, Alan Daniels
Voice Director: Ron Rubin
Casting: Karen Goora
Coordinators: Michael A. Dalton (production), Alan Parker (storyboard), Jordan Oliwa (design), Shelley Morrow (layout), Erik Strobel (script)
Designers: Peter Giliberti, Todd Kauffman, Christopher D. Williams, Leif Norheim, Scott Bennett, Blayne Burnside, Joe Gosselin, Pedram Goshtasbpour
Key Animators: Robert Walton, Pat Rowsome, Trevor Davies, Gavin Boyle, Gary Paul Terry, Milton Knight, Jordan Reichek, Gerry Fournier, David Boudreau, Carey Yost, Jan Tillcock, Fred Crippen, Arron Crippen, Stephen Lee
Posers: Lynn Reist, Michael Higgins, Evan Purcell
Design Supervisor: Steve Daye
Layout Artists: Paul Bouchard, Gord McBride, Greg Brown, Rebecca Dart, Eric Henze, Frank Ramierz, Kevin Klis, Niall Johnston, Alan Knappett, Brad Graham, Dennis Gonzales, Scott Glynn
Layout Supervisor: Lyndon Ruddy
Video Technician: James Jacobs
Music by: Jack Procher, Daniel Fernandez
Supervising Sound Editor: Steve Cole
Picture Editors: Richard Bond, Karen Saunders
Supervising Pre-Production Editor: Darrell MacDonald
Supervising Breakdown Editor: Rick Dubiel
Technicians: Mike Reid, Brad Zoern
Additional Production Facilities: Wang Film Production Co. Ltd, The Filmhouse Group, Hanho Heung Up Co. Ltd