| My Gym Partner's a Monkey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre |
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| Created by | Julie McNally Cahill Timothy Cahill |
| Written by |
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| Directed by |
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| Voices of |
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| Theme music composer | Tom Sheppard Pat Irwin |
| Opening theme | "My Gym Partner's a Monkey" by Nika Futterman and Tom Kenny |
| Composer | Tom Sheppard (original songs) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 56 (102 segments) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Julie McNally-Cahill Timothy Cahill |
| Producers |
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| Animator | Saerom Animation |
| Running time | 22 minutes 11 minutes for normal segments 22 minutes for special segments 44 minutes for TV movies |
| Production company | Cartoon Network Studios |
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | December 26, 2005 (2005-12-26) – November 27, 2008 (2008-11-27) |
My Gym Partner's a Monkey is an American animated television series created by Tim Cahill and Julie McNally Cahill for Cartoon Network. It aired from December 26, 2005, to November 27, 2008, ending with a total of four seasons and 56 episodes.[1] The series follows Adam Lyon, a human who, after a clerical error listed his surname as "Lion", is forced to transfer to Charles Darwin Middle School, a school for local anthropomorphic zoo animals, where he is partnered with Jake Spidermonkey in gym, and quickly becomes best friends with him.
Saerom Animation, who also did animation work for Adventure Time, Regular Show, and The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, provided the animation. The series won an Emmy Award in 2007 and was nominated for four Annie Awards.
A 12-year-old student named Adam Lyon is transferred to a middle school established for anthropomorphic zoo animals due to a spelling error making his surname "Lion". There, he is befriended by a mischievous, eccentric spider monkey named Jake, hence the title of the series, along with a sassy toucan named Lupe, a giraffe named Ingrid, who is infatuated with Adam, the intelligent, wise gorilla Windsor, and Slips the easygoing python. In spite of his usual kindness and fondness for his friends, Adam despises being banished to Charles Darwin Middle School because of something beyond his control and longs for his previous human middle school.
Usually, the episodes are focused on Adam's experiences at Charles Darwin Middle School due to his inability to fit in with his anthropomorphic schoolmates, the challenges that he must face (such as the presumed stupidity of his peers, being schooled in subjects of use only to animals, the introductions of new students of odd, dangerous, or strange species to the school or the misadventures that Adam stumbles into with them, or the common effects of adolescence as they are experienced by zoo animals).
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| Pilot | 2003 (2003) | |||
| 1 | 13 | December 26, 2005 (2005-12-26) | May 26, 2006 (2006-05-26) | |
| 2 | 13 | June 8, 2006 (2006-06-08) | January 5, 2007 (2007-01-05) | |
| 3 | 15 | January 12, 2007 (2007-01-12) | August 31, 2007 (2007-08-31) | |
| 4 | 15 | September 17, 2007 (2007-09-17) | November 27, 2008 (2008-11-27) | |
| Shorts | 13 | September 9, 2006 (2006-09-09) | February 22, 2008 (2008-02-22) | |
The series aired its first episode on December 26, 2005 during Cartoon Network's “Sneak Peek Week” along with Cartoon Network original series Ben 10, Cartoon Network European co-production Robotboy and Canadian acquired series Zixx. The series began its regular run with a two-episode premiere on Cartoon Network's "Fridays" block on February 24, 2006.[2] The My Gym Partner's a Monkey-based television film The Big Field Trip aired on January 14, 2007, as part of season 3.[3] A special episode, "That Darn Platypus", aired on Cartoon Network on May 18, 2007,[4] as part of Cartoon Network Invaded, a mini-series that aired 5 specials of different series from May 4 to May 28, 2007.[5] The series ended its 4 season-run on November 27, 2008, with the episode "A Thanksgiving Carol".[4] In April 9, 2017, the show was added on the Boomerang app making it one of the few shows that premiered on the app in 2017. The series was also shown on the revived block Cartoon Planet from 2012 to 2014.[6] In Latin America, the series currently airs on Tooncast since 2013. In Ukraine, the series aired on Novyi Kanal. The show runs in India on channel Cartoon Network by the name "Samsher Sikander Chuddie Buddie".[7]
My Gym Partner's a Monkey was a ratings success for Cartoon Network. On the series' Cartoon Network "Fridays" block two-episode premiere at 9:00 and 9:30 P.M. EST, the first episode was seen by 1.2 million and the second by 1.3 million children ages 2–11, according to preliminary data from Nielsen Media Research.[2] The 9:30 P.M. telecast ranked as the #1 telecast on all television, broadcast and cable, with both boys 6–11 and boys 2–11 in the time period.[2] The series went on top the Fridays block ratings, gaining millions of viewers.[8]
William Barker of Web Wombat gave the King of the Jungle DVD a positive review, awarding it with a score of 70%, saying: "With an original – dare I say unique? – premise, My Gym Partner's a Monkey makes for a somewhat refreshing change from super heroes and mutants, and the cut-out animation style is captivating, though far from novel. It's not the most impressive cartoon show I've ever seen, but it's quite cute and fairly amusing – even for the older primates among us."[9] Larisa Wiseman of Common Sense Media awarded the series three out of five stars, saying: "It's difficult to tell what age group the show's producers were aiming at – the animation style and slapstick by themselves would seem to appeal mainly to grade-schoolers, while the jokes and life lessons are definitely aimed at the tween set. The sly humor may even give some adults the occasional laugh-out-loud moment. Overall, My Gym Partner's a Monkey is commendable for its effort to include a subtle message in each episode. Younger viewers will probably find Jake's sometimes-annoying goofiness amusing, and will definitely find the story lines entertaining."[10]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Annie Awards | Writing in an Animated Television Production[11] | Tom Sheppard for "Nice Moustache" |
Nominated |
| Production Design in an Animated Television Production[11] | Dan Krall for "Grub Drive" |
Nominated | ||
| 2007 | Emmy Awards | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation[12] | Narina Sokolova for The Big Field Trip |
Won |
| Annie Awards | Writing in an Animated Television Production[13] | Tom Sheppard for "The Butt of Jake" |
Nominated | |
| Best Animation Production Artist[13] | Jim Worthy for "Meet the Spidermonkeys" |
Nominated |
