Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends

Did You Know?

• A spinoff, Foster's Funtime for Imaginary Friends, was greenlit on June 12, 2024, produced by Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe.
• The 2008 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade float performance included a Rickroll of the audience.

Characters

Mac, voiced by Sean Marquette, is an imaginative eight-year-old who created Bloo and visits him daily at Foster's. He often acts as the voice of reason and becomes hyperactive after eating sugar. Bloo, voiced by Keith Ferguson, is Mac's self-centered and egotistical imaginary friend who frequently causes trouble but occasionally shows loyalty and remorse. Wilt, voiced by Phil LaMarr, is a tall, gentle imaginary friend with one arm and a crooked eye-stalk; he was formerly owned by Jordan Michaels and lost his arm saving him during a basketball game. Eduardo, voiced by Tom Kenny, is a large purple monster created for protection but is actually timid and easily frightened, though fierce when defending friends. Coco, voiced by Candi Milo, is a bird-like friend with a palm tree head who only says her name but communicates effectively and lays eggs containing objects; her origins are unknown. Frances "Frankie" Foster, voiced by Grey DeLisle, is Madame Foster's 22-year-old granddaughter and the home's caretaker, born July 25, 1984. She is friendly and hardworking but occasionally frustrated with Bloo and Mr. Herriman.

Production

Craig McCracken, creator of The Powerpuff Girls, developed Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends after adopting two dogs from an animal shelter with Lauren Faust and Mike Moon, adapting the concept of pet adoption to imaginary friends. The art style evokes late 1960s psychedelia with Victorian stylings. McCracken wanted the show to resemble The Muppet Show as a family-friendly character-driven series. McCracken directed, executive produced, and story edited the series. Most episodes were produced at Cartoon Network Studios in Burbank, with others animated at Boulder Media in Dublin. James L. Venable composed the theme song, described as "psychedelic ragtime," with additional music by Venable and Jennifer Kes Remington. Collette Sunderman served as casting and recording director. Voice actors included Sean Marquette as Mac, Keith Ferguson as Bloo, and several Powerpuff Girls alumni such as Tom Kane, Tom Kenny, and Tara Strong.

Reception

Anita Gates of The New York Times praised the premiere as an admirable tale of loyalty and adventure-based learning. Mike Pinsky of DVD Verdict commended the art design and characterizations, singling out Cheese as the quintessence of the show's surreal charm. David Cornelius of DVD Talk called the series one of the best shows on television and "flat-out perfect" in a Season 2 review. Joly Herman of Common Sense Media rated it 2 out of 5 stars, praising creativity and diversity but criticizing confusing messages for young children. IGN ranked it the 85th best animated series, calling it very funny and endearing. Entertainment Weekly named it the sixth best Cartoon Network show, praising its magical-realist setting and characters. The series won 12 awards from 35 nominations, including five Annie Awards and seven Emmy Awards. At the Annie Awards, it won Best Animated Television Production in 2007. At the 2005 Pulcinella Awards, it won Best TV Series for All Audiences, and Bloo was named Best Character of the Year.

Merchandising and media

Two video games were released based on the series. The first, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, was developed by Collision Studios and published by Crave Entertainment for the Game Boy Advance on October 17, 2006; IGN's Jack Devries rated it 5.5 out of 10, calling it skippable. The second, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Imagination Invaders, was developed by Sensory Sweep and published by Midway for the Nintendo DS on November 12, 2007; Devries rated it 4 out of 10, calling it terrible to play. Characters also appear in Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion and FusionFall. On May 15, 2006, Cartoon Network launched the online game Big Fat Awesome House Party, where players created an online friend from over 900,000 possible characters; over 13 million users registered, and the game continued through November 2007. From 2006 to 2008, a Foster's float appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, featuring performances of songs including "With a Little Help from My Friends" and "You're My Best Friend."