Retro Scans: 1995 Fox Kids Network by Fleer

For anyone who has read more than one article on this site, you'll know that I watched a lot of television growing up.  One of the cool things growing up during the time I did, was that I got to see a ton of memorable programming blocks and channels made just for kids.  Disney Afternoons or TGIF comes to mind, but FOX Kids was one of my favorites during the mid to early 90s.

The story behind Fox Kids is for another article another day (coming soon, I promise!).  Still, I felt this one would be appropriate with the recent passing of comedian Louie Anderson.  

Unfortunately, there weren't any "Life with Louie" cards in this pack, so I'll admit this whole thing is a bust... but I still wanted to pay some sort of tribute to the life of Louie Anderson anyway.  I'll have to honor Life with Louie in an article of its own, but for now, I'll add an episode of Life with Louie or two to the Video Drive-in for you to enjoy.  

"Life with Louie" was an animated series based on the childhood of well-known stand-up comic Louie Anderson.  Viewers watched along as he grew up with his family in Cedar Knoll, Wisconsin, during the early 1960s, even though Anderson himself is from Saint Paul, Minnesota.  

Anderson provided the voice for the child version of himself as well as his father.  Legendary character actor Edie McClurg voiced his mother.

The first two episodes aired in primetime on Fox in late 1994, before moving to Saturday morning on Fox Kids.  The show ran from 1995 to 1998, where it achieved little critical success but developed a large fan base from its mostly child audience.  After Louie's passing, despite his extensive body of work, one of the most mentioned on social media by fans was "Life with Louie."

Various merchandise was released based on the show's popularity, including apparel, VHS tapes of multiple episodes, a comic book, and a book series for children.  The book series was based on various show episodes and contained six books in total. 

Kids' meal toys were also produced for several fast-food restaurant chains, including Taco Bell (1996), Hardee's (1997), Jack in the Box (1997), and Dairy Queen (1999).

For a time, Life with Louie-branded Spaghetti-O's, in character shapes, were available.

There have not been any DVD sets released in the United States of these shows, but some episodes are available on YouTube and Daily Motion.  

In tribute to this show, I figured I'd open up a pack of these Fleer 1995 Fox Kids Network trading cards, but unfortunately, a "Life with Louie" card was not included, so it's a bit of a bust.  This pack did have some great cards from memorable tv shows like "X-Men," "Bobby's World," "The Tick," and "Spider-man!"

Click "Keep Reading" to be blasted with some nostalgia from 1995 and the Fox Kids Network!