Perfect Hair Forever
Encyclopedia
Perfect Hair Forever is an American
comedy animated television series which is largely a parody of anime
. It was created and produced by Williams Street
, and aired on Adult Swim
and The Detour in the US and Canada respectively. Perfect Hair Forever premiered with "Perfect Hair Forever" on November 7, 2004, and ended with "Return to Balding Victory" on April 1, 2007; with a total of seven episodes.
cliché
s combined with Williams Street
's now well-established style of absurdist humor first developed in series such as Space Ghost Coast to Coast
, Aqua Teen Hunger Force
and Sealab 2021
. The series blends frenetic visual montages and anime subculture references.
The series concerns a young boy named Gerald who is on a quest to find the perfect hair to remedy his premature baldness. He is joined on his wanderings by an array of strange companions. Gerald is opposed by the evil Coiffio and his minions for reasons which are never stated in the series.
Perfect Hair Forever employs an ongoing serial format, a style that had been uncommon to previous Williams Street projects, due to their lack of emphasis on continuity. Each episode of the series featured different opening sequence music and visuals. The style and music of the end credits also varied from episode to episode.
Following the first six episodes, members of the Perfect Hair Forever creative team posted on the official Adult Swim message board that they weren't interested in continuing the show to a second season, and at the Adult Swim panel at Comic-Con
2006, the cancellation of the series was announced.
In October 2006, Adultswim.com confirmed that Perfect Hair Forever was back in production with 16 episodes to be aired on its online streaming network The Fix. However, this was apparently incorrect, since after episode seven aired, the series was never continued.
Episode 7 was aired April 1, 2007, as part of Adult Swim's April Fool's Day joke. It is also available on Adult Swim's "The Fix" website. In 2007 the Japanese noise rock band Melt-Banana
recorded the song "Hair-Cat (Cause the Wolf Is a Cat!)" for Perfect Hair Forever.
first aired on November 7, 2004, in the time slot that had been advertised as the premiere of the Squidbillies
pilot. Unknown to the audience at the time, the existing Squidbillies pilot had fallen behind and wasn't ready to air. Williams Street
continued advertising the Squidbillies premiere up to and including the bump directly preceding the show, which talked about wanting to make the show "perfect" for you and your "hair" "forever", revealing the title "Perfect Hair Forever." The night's confusion continued when, instead of seeing the opening titles for Squidbillies, viewers were confronted with a title card for an episode of Space Ghost
called "Perfect Hair Forever", thus starting the pilot episode.
After the ending credits ran, a bumper card appeared, apologizing for the apparent scheduling mixup only for it to fade out to a fake "Technical Difficulties" card featuring a selection of Perfect Hair Forever's characters. This was shown on screen for several seconds, accompanied by typical music before the card faded to static whilst the Action Hot Dog
's "Do da la la la la!" echoed. The card returned and the music was replaced with a techno
remix
of Action Hot Dog's chant.
shows.
and distributor Warner Home Video
released Adult Swim in a Box, a seven disc DVD
box set of a variety of different Adult Swim shows, the pilot episode of Perfect Hair Forever is featured on this box set on a special DVD along with Welcome to Eltingville
, Korgoth of Barbaria
, Totally for Teens
, and Cheyenne Cinnamon and the Fantabulous Unicorn of Sugar Town Candy Fudge
; in June 2010, the bonus DVD, from "Adult Swim in a Box", was made available for separate purchase through the store on the Adult Swim website. The entire series is available on the "Build Your Own DVD" feature on the Adult Swim website.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedy animated television series which is largely a parody of anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
. It was created and produced by Williams Street
Williams Street
Williams Street Productions, LLC, operating under the name Williams Street, is a division of Cartoon Network, which is owned by Turner Broadcasting, an operational unit of Time Warner...
, and aired on Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
and The Detour in the US and Canada respectively. Perfect Hair Forever premiered with "Perfect Hair Forever" on November 7, 2004, and ended with "Return to Balding Victory" on April 1, 2007; with a total of seven episodes.
Overview
Perfect Hair Forever is a parody of stereotypical animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
cliché
Cliché
A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning,...
s combined with Williams Street
Williams Street
Williams Street Productions, LLC, operating under the name Williams Street, is a division of Cartoon Network, which is owned by Turner Broadcasting, an operational unit of Time Warner...
's now well-established style of absurdist humor first developed in series such as Space Ghost Coast to Coast
Space Ghost Coast to Coast
Space Ghost Coast to Coast is an American animated parody talk show hosted by the 60s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Space Ghost. The show premiered on April 15, 1994 on Cartoon Network...
, Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Aqua Teen Hunger Force , retitled Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1 in 2011, is an American animated television series on Cartoon Network late night programing block, Adult Swim, as well as Teletoon's Teletoon at Night block and later G4 Canada's ADd block in Canada...
and Sealab 2021
Sealab 2021
Sealab 2021 is an American animated television series. It was shown on Cartoon Network's adult-oriented programming block, Adult Swim. It premiered on November 23, 2000 and the final episode aired on April 25, 2005...
. The series blends frenetic visual montages and anime subculture references.
The series concerns a young boy named Gerald who is on a quest to find the perfect hair to remedy his premature baldness. He is joined on his wanderings by an array of strange companions. Gerald is opposed by the evil Coiffio and his minions for reasons which are never stated in the series.
Perfect Hair Forever employs an ongoing serial format, a style that had been uncommon to previous Williams Street projects, due to their lack of emphasis on continuity. Each episode of the series featured different opening sequence music and visuals. The style and music of the end credits also varied from episode to episode.
Following the first six episodes, members of the Perfect Hair Forever creative team posted on the official Adult Swim message board that they weren't interested in continuing the show to a second season, and at the Adult Swim panel at Comic-Con
Comic-Con
Comic-Con, Comic Con or ComiCon may refer to any of the following Comic book conventions, none of them affiliated to any other:*San Diego Comic-Con International, annual fan convention in San Diego held since 1970, also known as Comic-Con or San Diego Comic-Con*Dallas Comic Con, annual fan...
2006, the cancellation of the series was announced.
In October 2006, Adultswim.com confirmed that Perfect Hair Forever was back in production with 16 episodes to be aired on its online streaming network The Fix. However, this was apparently incorrect, since after episode seven aired, the series was never continued.
Episode 7 was aired April 1, 2007, as part of Adult Swim's April Fool's Day joke. It is also available on Adult Swim's "The Fix" website. In 2007 the Japanese noise rock band Melt-Banana
Melt-Banana
Melt-Banana is a Japanese punk band that is known for playing extremely fast noise music mixed with experimental electronica and pop-based song structures. They have worked with artists as diverse as Merzbow, John Zorn, Mike Patton, and Discordance Axis...
recorded the song "Hair-Cat (Cause the Wolf Is a Cat!)" for Perfect Hair Forever.
Pilot episode
The Perfect Hair Forever pilotTelevision pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
first aired on November 7, 2004, in the time slot that had been advertised as the premiere of the Squidbillies
Squidbillies
Squidbillies is an animated television series about the Cuylers, an impoverished family of anthropomorphic hillbilly squids living in the Appalachian region of North Carolina's mountains. The show is produced by Williams Street Studios for the Adult Swim programming block of Cartoon Network and...
pilot. Unknown to the audience at the time, the existing Squidbillies pilot had fallen behind and wasn't ready to air. Williams Street
Williams Street
Williams Street Productions, LLC, operating under the name Williams Street, is a division of Cartoon Network, which is owned by Turner Broadcasting, an operational unit of Time Warner...
continued advertising the Squidbillies premiere up to and including the bump directly preceding the show, which talked about wanting to make the show "perfect" for you and your "hair" "forever", revealing the title "Perfect Hair Forever." The night's confusion continued when, instead of seeing the opening titles for Squidbillies, viewers were confronted with a title card for an episode of Space Ghost
Space Ghost
Space Ghost is a fictional superhero created by Hanna-Barbera Productions and designed by Alex Toth for CBS in the 1960s. In his original incarnation, he was a superhero who, with his sidekick teen helpers Jan, Jace, and Blip the monkey, fought supervillains in outer space...
called "Perfect Hair Forever", thus starting the pilot episode.
After the ending credits ran, a bumper card appeared, apologizing for the apparent scheduling mixup only for it to fade out to a fake "Technical Difficulties" card featuring a selection of Perfect Hair Forever's characters. This was shown on screen for several seconds, accompanied by typical music before the card faded to static whilst the Action Hot Dog
Hot dog
A hot dog is a sausage served in a sliced bun. It is very often garnished with mustard, ketchup, onions, mayonnaise, relish and/or sauerkraut.-History:...
's "Do da la la la la!" echoed. The card returned and the music was replaced with a techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
of Action Hot Dog's chant.
Characters
- Gerald Bald Z (Kim Manning) - The main protagonist of the story, Gerald is a young boy suffering from extremely premature hair loss. Because of this, he goes off on a journey to acquire "Perfect Hair Forever" (a reference to the golden Super Saiyan hair, found in Dragon Ball Z, which also lends Gerald his name). He is portrayed as a sometimes melancholy, yet optimistic young lad who believes that his goal is possible.
- Uncle Grandfather (Matt MaiellaroMatt MaiellaroMatthew Gerard Maiellaro is the co-creator and writer of the cult television animated Adult Swim shows, Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1 and Perfect Hair Forever, and creator of 12 Oz. Mouse...
) - Described by producer Matt HarriganMatt HarriganMatt Harrigan is an American television writer, producer, and voice actor who is best known for his work on shows like the Late Show with David Letterman and Celebrity Deathmatch. He has also worked as a producer on several shows for Williams Street and was the founder of the short lived studio...
as a "bald, pot-bellied, dirty old man", Uncle Grandfather is Gerald's father figure of sorts. He spends almost all of his time snacking, watching Brenda put on lewd displays, or reading pornographyPornographyPornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
. He also exhibits a stereotypical Asian speech impediment, where he pronounces English 'r' sounds as 'l' sounds.
- Action Hotdog - The first character to join Gerald's journey. Action Hotdog is a hot dogHot dogA hot dog is a sausage served in a sliced bun. It is very often garnished with mustard, ketchup, onions, mayonnaise, relish and/or sauerkraut.-History:...
which flies around and is only capable of uttering the words "Doo da la-la-la-la-la-la la la-la-laaaaa-la-la!".
- Coiffio (Dave WillisDave WillisDavid "Dave" Willis is an American voice actor, writer, and producer mostly known as one of the creators, writers, directors, and actors of the adult humored animated series Aqua Teen Hunger Force....
) - The main villain of the series, Coiffio is a self-centered old man with an enormous, multi-colored "coif" atop his head, who otherwise looks like a more fit version of Uncle Grandfather with a slightly different beard. He speaks in an odd, indeterminable accent, and possesses a unique censorCensorshipthumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
sound, wherein all his uses of the word "fuckFuck"Fuck" is an English word that is generally considered obscene which, in its most literal meaning, refers to the act of sexual intercourse. By extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed."Fuck" can be used as a verb, adverb,...
" are censored by the sound of Coiffio yelling "EFF!"
- Brenda - A silent girl in an outfit spoofing those of anime females. Her only means of dialogue is a non English language and she is kept by Uncle Grandfather to bring him trays of hamburgers and satisfy his lewd needs.
- Catman (Dennis Moloney) - A grumpy, fat man in a cat suit who is Coiffio's main henchman. Catman lives in a large, litterbox-shaped house, and is shown working at a convenience store in several episodes.
- Norman Douglas - A talking treeTreeA tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
, also known as the Inappropriate Comedy Tree. Originally an agent of Coiffio, his task was to follow Gerald and watch him. The character talks loudly and shares the same facial animations as Terry/Twisty.
- Terry/Twisty - A sapient tornado that appears to suffer from dissociative identity disorderDissociative identity disorderDissociative identity disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis and describes a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities , each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment....
.
- Young Man (C. Martin CrokerC. Martin CrokerClay Martin Croker is an animator and voice actor on various Adult Swim programs. He's best known for voicing the Space Ghost characters Zorak and Moltar on Space Ghost Coast to Coast. It was his idea to have Zorak and Moltar to be Space Ghost's sidekicks-Voice Acting:-External links:...
) - A young, enthusiastic man in a bright purple suit that claims to be from the "Ministry of Planning" and calls himself the "King of All Animals".
- Rod: the Anime God (Matt Maiellaro) - An entity made of fire, who calls himself the god of animeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
. Rod is introduced early in the series, and pops in at seemingly random intervals. Rod is the focus of a secondary plot in the series involving Coffio attempting to sell him a house.
Adult Swim References
In addition to various references to other anime series, PHF has included several visual references to other Adult SwimAdult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
shows.
- Clown Planet - Several PHF episodes have references to Clown Planet, which is a reference to an episode of Aqua Teen Hunger ForceAqua Teen Hunger ForceAqua Teen Hunger Force , retitled Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1 in 2011, is an American animated television series on Cartoon Network late night programing block, Adult Swim, as well as Teletoon's Teletoon at Night block and later G4 Canada's ADd block in Canada...
, "The Clowning".
- 12 Oz. Mouse12 oz. Mouse12 oz. Mouse is an animated television series that aired on the American channel Cartoon Network as part of the Adult Swim late night programming block. The show centers on the antisocial actions of an alcoholic mouse known as "Mouse Fitzgerald", "Fitz," "Butch," or simply "Mouse"...
- Pictures of Mouse Fitzgerald (protagonist of 12 Oz. Mouse) and Skillet (Fitz's sidekick) are found in episodes 5 and 6.
- Aqua Teen Hunger ForceAqua Teen Hunger ForceAqua Teen Hunger Force , retitled Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1 in 2011, is an American animated television series on Cartoon Network late night programing block, Adult Swim, as well as Teletoon's Teletoon at Night block and later G4 Canada's ADd block in Canada...
- A special airing of the episodes on April 1, 2007 had subtitles which were actually lines from ATHF episodes. Additionally, images of Master ShakeMaster ShakeMaster Shake is a fictional character on the Adult Swim animated television series, Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1, which was originally titled Aqua Teen Hunger Force since its premiere in 2000 until 2011...
are visible at various points in the series.
- Space Ghost Coast to CoastSpace Ghost Coast to CoastSpace Ghost Coast to Coast is an American animated parody talk show hosted by the 60s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Space Ghost. The show premiered on April 15, 1994 on Cartoon Network...
- Space GhostSpace GhostSpace Ghost is a fictional superhero created by Hanna-Barbera Productions and designed by Alex Toth for CBS in the 1960s. In his original incarnation, he was a superhero who, with his sidekick teen helpers Jan, Jace, and Blip the monkey, fought supervillains in outer space...
appears in every episode, either as a character with an actual role, or in the background.
DVD release
On October 27, 2009, Adult SwimAdult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
and distributor Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979...
released Adult Swim in a Box, a seven disc DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
box set of a variety of different Adult Swim shows, the pilot episode of Perfect Hair Forever is featured on this box set on a special DVD along with Welcome to Eltingville
Welcome to Eltingville
Welcome to Eltingville is an animated comedy pilot based on Evan Dorkin Eisner Award winning comic book, Dork!; which takes place in Eltingville, Staten Island. The pilot episode, titled "Bring Me the Head of Boba Fett", in the premiered in the United States on March 3, 2002, on Cartoon Network's...
, Korgoth of Barbaria
Korgoth of Barbaria
Korgoth of Barbaria is a pilot episode for what was originally planned as an American animated television series created by Aaron Springer, storyboard writer and director for Dexter's Laboratory, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and SpongeBob SquarePants. The pilot episode first aired in the...
, Totally for Teens
Totally for Teens
Totally for Teens is an American television series created by and starring Derrick Beckles for Cartoon Network's late night programing block, Adult Swim....
, and Cheyenne Cinnamon and the Fantabulous Unicorn of Sugar Town Candy Fudge
Cheyenne Cinnamon and the Fantabulous Unicorn of Sugar Town Candy Fudge
Cheyenne Cinnamon and the Fantabulous Unicorn of Sugar Town Candy Fudge , is an American animated television series created by Dave Willis and computer animated by Radical Axis. The pilot episode aired in the United States on Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim on March 29,...
; in June 2010, the bonus DVD, from "Adult Swim in a Box", was made available for separate purchase through the store on the Adult Swim website. The entire series is available on the "Build Your Own DVD" feature on the Adult Swim website.
External links
- Adult Swim
- AdultSwim.co.uk
- Perfect Hair Central
- Perfect Hair Forever review from The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterFormerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
- Perfect Hair Forever review from TV Squad