Inspector Gadget
Inspector Gadget was inspired by a live action show from
the 1960's called 'Get Smart'. It starred Don Adams as
Maxwell Smart and seems to have a similar storyline -
spies, gadgets that don't work and things working out in the
end. It was so inspired, that they used Don Adams to voice
Gadget! It seems that this was the thing to do in those
days, as a similar thing happened with Sergeant Bilko / Top
Cat (but for this series, they used Private Doberman to
voice Benny the Ball).
This wasn't the only thing that they borrowed, does the Dr
Claw remind you of anyone? Think Spy Film and only
seeing the baddie from the back and stroking a cat. Sound
too much like Ernst Blofeld, who starred in a number of
James Bond Films. Would they get away with this
inspiration/borrowing now days? Who knows?
I have read that the second season of Inspector Gadget wasn't a
patch on the first and that the quality of the shows
plummeted, plus the format of the show was
changed. I have never seen these shows, but if what
I
read is true, then I'm glad that I've never witnessed
them. My heart and mind stay true to the original
Inspector Gadget Series.
Over the years Gadget has been wheeled out in a
number of other forms, but I have yet to see them in
full to give an informed opinion.
- Inspector Gadgets Field Trip
- Gadget and the Gadgetinis
- Gadget Boy and Heather
Gadget has proved so popular that 2 live action movies have been made about him by Disney.
So keep an eye out, you never know when another new series might start.
Story
Inspector Gadget works for the US Government. He injured himself by slipping on a banana skin,
but luckily the Government put him back together. They surgically enhanced him, with special
gadgets, which gave him super abilities. But one thing it didn't give him was
the ability to stop being accident prone. Poor Gadget is
not a natural crime fighter and instead bumbles his
way through life accidentally avoiding danger.
Luckily his niece Penny keeps an eye on her Uncle
by looking after him. She is the real hero of the group.
If Uncle Gadget is in trouble, she uses her electronic
book and her brains to get him out of it. But you would
think that Gadget would notice that she is helping him,
but No, he is so wrapped up in his own self importance,
that he thinks that it is his own skill that is getting him
out of dangerous situation.
That's exactly how Penny likes it, as she loves her uncle dearly and would never dream of telling
him that she is the one solving the crimes and getting him out of danger. If Gadget knew, he would
be gutted, but I don't think he would believe her anyway.
Luckily Penny is helped by their extremely smart dog called Brains, who can even communicate
with Penny in a strange dog like way.
This was another cartoon that came up with some general advice to kids, to keep safe (don't swim
out to far etc). Most of these things were well known to most kids out there, but they rammed it
down your neck for good measure. But it seemed that cartoon explosions and violence was ok?
Go figure!
Inspector Gadget (voiced by Don Adams)
Gadget could be classed as a menace, he's so accident prone, he's
dangerous.
Just when he is about to use one of his gadget, he shouts "Go! Go!
Gadget <insert gadget name>", but I think that the Government didn't
wire him correctly, as they don't work like he wanted or he'll get a
different gadget, that doesn't help him initially. But again luck seems to
be on his side and normally the wrong/broken gadget ends up being the
best thing to deal with the MAD Agents.
He has a car that can transform from a People Carrier (MPV or whatever you want to call a 6
seater car) to a Police Car when needed. It's imaginatively named the Gadget Mobile and is
virtually indestructible, not to mention that it can go underwater, plus do other things which I forget.
Penny (voiced by Mona Marshal (Pilot)
Cree Summer-Francks (Series 1)
Holly Berger (Series 2))
Penny is the niece of Inspector Gadget and she also likes to use
gadgets. She has a host of them to help her battle against Dr Claw and
his MAD Agency. These include such cool devices as a watch and a
book! I kid you not, but they aren't any old watch and book, but are
instead computer devices that have access to an enormous amount of
reference data and they can be used to communicate/control other
electrical devices and can talk to Brains via his electronic dog collar.
Brains (voiced by Frank Welker)
This super pooch has a communications collar, which allows him to hear
and speak with Penny. Most of the time he is trying to divert the MAD
agents away from Gadget, using one of his many disguises. But whilst
doing this, Gadget gets a few glimpses of him and thinks he is a MAD
Agent, so poor Brains is then chased by a determined gadget. It's
strange, but Gadget never works out who the real MAD Agents are and
normally thinks that they are normal law abiding citizens!
Dr Claw (voiced by Frank Welker)
He is the head of the MAD Agency, whose main aim is to take over the
world (their emblem is a demons face). You never see Dr Claw, but
instead you only get glimpses of the gauntlet he wears. It is amazing
how much resource Dr Claw can call on, weaponry, personnel etc. But
there is one thorn in his side - Inspector Gadget. He has tried every trick
in the book to get rid of him, but luck (+ Penny and Brains) is on his side.
He also has the MAD Jet, that can convert to a number of things, such
as a submarine, a car etc.
Each time Gadget foils another of Dr Claw's evil scheme, he says his catchphrase - "I'll get you
next time Gadget!, Next Time!"
Also he has a cat as a companion (Mad Cat), who likes to make smart-aleck gestures, but he
doesn't always time these right and ends up on the wrong side of Dr Claw (watch that gauntlet
pussy cat!).
Chief Quimby (voiced by John Stephenson (Pilot)
Hadley Kay (Series 1)
Maurice LaMarche (Series 2))
He is Inspector Gadget's direct (and long suffering) Boss. He is a master
of disguise and uses this to help him deliver the written instructions for
his next assignment. But the trouble with this is that once read they self
destruct. It doesn't spell trouble for Gadget, but for Chief Quimby it does.
Gadget reads them, crumples them up and tosses them away, which is
normally in Quimby's direction, which blows him up! You would have
thought by now that Quimby would get out of the way ASAP, but no,
Boom!! each time!
Quimby is also oblivious to Gadget's incompetence and just congratulates him at the end of each
successfully completed mission (sucker!).
Inspector Gadget T-Shirts
T-Shirts (Europe)
Inspector Gadget DVDs
Region 2 (Europe)
Region 1 (USA)
Flashback
Episodes
Series 1 (1983)
1. Gadget in Winterland (pilot)
2. Monster Lake
3. Down at the Farm
4. Gadget at the Circus
5. The Amazon
6. Health Spa
7. The Boat
8. Haunted Castle
9. Race to the Finish
10. The Ruby
11. A Star is Lost
12. All That Glitters
13. Movie Set
14. Amusement Park
15. Art Heist
16. Volcano Island
17. The Invasion
18. The Infiltration
19. The Curse of the Pharaoh
20. M.A.D Trap
21. Basic Training
22. Sleeping Gas
23. Gadget's Replacement
24. Greenfinger
25. Gadget Goes West
26. Launch Time
27. Photo Safari
28. The Coo Coo Clock Caper
29. Bermuda Triangle
30. The Japanese Connection
31. Arabian Nights
32. A Clear Case
33. Dutch Treat
34. The Great Divide
35. Eye of the Dragon
36. Doubled Agent
37. Plantform of the Opera
38. Don't Hold Your Breath
39. Gone Went the Wind
40. King Wrong
41. Pirate Island
42. M.A.D Academy
43. No Flies on Us
44. Luck of the Irish
45. Prince of the Gypsies
46. Old Man of the Mountain
47. The Emerald Duck
48. Do Unto Udders
49. Did You Myth Me?
50. A Bad Altitude
51. Funny Money
52. Follow That Jet
53. Dry Spell
54. Smeldorado
55. Quimby Exchange
56. Weather In Tibet
57. Unhenged
58. Snakin' All Over
59. In Seine
60. Tree Guesses
61. Birds of a Feather
62. So it is Written
63. Fang the Wonder Dog
64. School for Pickpockets
65. Quizz Master
Series 2 (1985)
1. Magic Gadget
2. The Great Wambini's Séance
3. Wambini Predicts
4. The Capeman Cometh
5. Crashcourse in Crime
6. Gadget's Gadgets
7. Gadget in Minimadness
8. The Incredible Shrinking Gadget
9. Gadget Meets the Grappler
10. Ghost Catchers
11. Busy Signal
12. Bad Dreams are Made of This
13. Focus on Gadget
14. Mad in the Moon
15. N.S.F. Gadget
16. Tyrannosaurus Gadget
17. Gadget's Roma
18. Gadget's Clean Sweep
19. Gadget Meets the Clan
20. Gadget and Old Lace
21. Gadget and the Red Rose
TV Movies
1. Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas
(1992)
2. Inspector Gadget's Last Case -
Claw's Revenge (2002)
Movies
1. Inspector Gadget (1999)
2. Inspector Gadget II: IG-2 (2003)
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