AS TOLD BY GINGER

AS TOLD BY GINGER
(Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, October 25, 2000-November 14, 2006)
 
Klasky-Csupo, Nickelodeon Animation Studios
 
 

            As Told by Ginger was created by Emily Kapnek and produced by Klasky-Csupo. The series followed junior high school student Ginger Foutley (Melissa Disney) and her friends Darren Patterson (Kenny Blank), Deidre Hortense “Dodie” Bishop (Aspen Miller) and Macie Lightfoot (Jackie Harris) as they tried to improve their geeky social standings in school while dealing with typical life drama. Ginger’s standing was slightly helped by the fact that the most popular girl in school, Courtney Gripling (Liz Georges), took a liking to her based on her quirky “Gingerisms”, as she called them, and often invited Ginger along on social functions. Courtney’s right-hand-woman, Miranda Killgallen (Cree Summer), makes sure to keep Ginger in check and from replacing her. Ginger’s younger brother, Carl (Jeannie Elias), often got up to his own mischief with his best friend Robert Joseph “Hoodsey” Bishop (Tress MacNeille). Always available for guidance and advice was their divorced mother, Lois (Laraine Newman). Ginger documented her daily activities in her diary.

Ginger and (mostly) her friends.

            As Told by Ginger debuted on Nickelodeon on October 25, 2000, airing on the TEENick programming block. The show’s theme was “I’m in Between” written by series composer Jared Faber and Kapnek, and performed by Macy Gray. The series became notable for its unusual approach compared to other animated productions at the time. The characters were allowed to age, ending up in high school by the middle of the third season, and changed clothes every episode (sometimes several times in an episode, depending how many days it spanned). It also dealt with heavy topics, such as the school believing Ginger was suicidal after she wrote a creepy poem, Ginger becoming addicted to caffeine, and the death of a teacher (prompted by the untimely death of her voice actor, Kathleen Freeman). In 2002, the series became part of the Saturday morning Nick on CBS programming block; however, it was dropped after two months to make room for NFL coverage. As Told by Ginger was allowed to air fully in international markets, but was taken off the Nick schedule with several episodes left to air as its popularity had declined (largely due to constant schedule shifts). Two additional episodes would make their American debut on sister channel Nicktoons in 2004 and 2006, and the three-episode series finale was released as a direct to video film in 2004. In 2016, four additional episodes finally aired on TeenNick’s NickRewind block, “The Splat”. In 2021, the entire series was made available to stream on Paramount+.