The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (simply known as Billy and Mandy) is an American animated television series that originally aired as a segment series on August 24th, 2001 along with Evil Con Carne in the series, Grim and Evil. The show officially aired as a stand alone series on June 13, 2003 and ended on November 9th, 2007.
A film titled Underfist aired on October 12, 2008 and was originally intended to be the pilot of a planned spin-off to The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, but due to Atoms being fired by CN executives [3], the show was scrapped.
On August 2023, the series, along with Dexter's Laboratory, Ed, Edd n Eddy, and Courage the Cowardly Dog aired reruns on Adult Swim as part their new "Checkered Past" throwback block.
Premise[]
The series is about a dimwitted boy named Billy and his cynical, merciless friend, Mandy, who befriend a Grim Reaper after he lost in a limbo contest.
Series Overview[]
Article: The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy/Episodes
| Season | Episodes | series premiere | Series finale |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | August 24, 2001 | October 22nd, 2004 |
| 2 | 8 | June 11th, 2004 | July 30th, 2004 |
| 3 | 13 | October 1st, 2004 | June 17th, 2005 |
| 4 | 14 | June 24th, 2005 | December 2nd, 2005 |
| 5 | 13 | January 6th, 2006 | August 9th, 2006 |
| 6 | 11 | October 6th, 2006 | November 9th, 2007 |
| TV Movies | 3 | March 30th, 2007 | October 12th, 2008 |
Characters[]
- Billy - A dimwitted but yet happy go lucky boy.
- Mandy - A very grumpy girl who is also Billy's neighbor.
- Grim - Also known as The Grim Reaper, who unfortunately became Billy and Mandy's best friend after losing at a limbo contest.
- Irwin - Billy's closest friend, which also has a crush on Mandy.
- Gladys - Billy's mom.
- Harold - Billy's dad.
- Jeff the Spider - A giant spider who thinks Billy is his dad.
- Hoss Delgado - A 33 year old exterminator who wants to kill monsters.
- Eris - A goddess of Discord and Chaos who can do spells with her magic apple.
- Fred Fredburger - An elephant demon who likes Nachos and says "Yes" all the time.
- Sperg - The local bully who has a sensitive side and only bullies Billy because he's different.
- Pud'n - A fearless classmate of Billy who is pretty unlucky and he likes bunnies.
- Mindy - A typical girl in a cartoony fashion who is Mandy's new rival and is the queen bee of Billy and Mandy's school.
- Nergal - Billy's uncle.
- Nergal Jr. - Billy's cousin.
- General Skarr - Billy's rival.
- Boogeyman - Grim's rival.
- Dracula - Irwin's grandfather.
Video Game[]
A video game based on the series was released in 2006 for Nintendo GameCube, Playstation 2, Nintendo Wii, and GameBoy Advance. The PS2 and GameCube versions were released on September 25th, and the GameBoy Advance version was released on October 16th, before finally becoming a North American launch game for the Wii on November 19th. The game's gameplay is inspired by the Power Stone video game series.
Characters have also appeared in crossover games, FusionFall, Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion, and Cartoon Network: Match Land.
TV Movies[]
Billy and Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure[]
Originally premiered on March 30th, 2007, the movie revolves around Billy and Mandy helping Grim to get his job back.
Billy and Mandy: Wrath of the Spider Queen[]
Originally premiered on July 6th, 2007, the movie revolves the Spider Queen getting her revenge on Grim because she was supposed to be the Reaper
Underfist: Halloween Bash[]
Originally premiered of October 12th, 2008, the movie revolves Hoss Delgado, General Skarr, Fred FredBurger, Jeff the Spider, and Irwin teaming up with each other to defeat an evil army of chocolate bar monsters by an evil marshmallow bunny. The movie was meant to be the Pilot for a Billy and Mandy spin off series but never got off the ground when Maxwell Atoms expired his contract with Cartoon Network.
Rejected film pitch[]
In 2021, Maxwell Atoms pitched to Cartoon Network a new reboot film that would serve as the true series finale, titled Billy & Mandy Destroy Us All: A Cosmic Horror Musical. However, he then revealed in September that the network rejected the film becaused it felt the modern audience had no knowledge of the franchise, in spite of the series being avaliable on the HBO Max platform, excluding the fact that not the entirety of the franchise is avaliable there. [1]
Possible Revival[]
In April 2023, creator Maxwell Atoms had confirmed that he wanted to revive the series as soon as possible with a new project. [2] in May 2023, creator Maxwell Atoms announces a new project in the works with one of the cast members teasing the return of the series. [3] [4]
Content[]
The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy is one of the few pre-2010s Cartoon Network programs that is heavily subjected to graphic violence, involving Grim attempting to execute the two characters, Billy and Mandy. Several episodes have fantasized characters getting beheaded, which one character Jack was decapitated by Grim centuries ago. Grim is often seen giving victims "death threats" in several episodes. Due to regarding the show’s intense nature that is no longer in use for children’s programming today, this cartoon is included in Adult Swim's "Checkered Past".
Home Media[]
The Complete First Season of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy was released on DVD on September 18th, 2007.
All 6 seasons, with the exceptions of Billy and Mandy Save Christmas, Billy and Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure, and Underfist: Halloween Bash, are available on iTunes and Amazon Prime. Billy and Mandy Save Christmas and Big Boogey Adventure not being available on the two digital platforms is due to music licensing issues. As for Underfist, it is available on Amazon Prime itself in Latin America.
The series, along with other Cartoon Network shows, were formerly available on Netflix from 2013 to 2015.
The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy was released on HBO Max on January 1st, 2021. However, the Christmas episode, Billy and Mandy Save Christmas and the two TV movies, Billy and Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure and Underfist: Halloween Bash, are completely missing from the service.
The series was released on Max on May 23, 2023.
The TV movie spin-off, Underfist: Halloween Bash, was released on a YouTube livestream on the official Cartoon Network YouTube channel on October 2023.
Appearances in other works[]
Mandy appeared in the Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends episode, The Big Picture. Fred FredBurger made a brief cameo in the episode, Cheese a Go-Go.
In the Ben 10 (2005) episode, Ken 10, there was an alien character whose design resembles Billy. His species name (Maxatomar) is based off Grim and Evil's creator, Maxwell Atoms.
Grim was featured in the MAD episode, Once Upon a Toon.
In the Steven Universe crossover episode, Say Uncle, Billy and Mandy's names appeared on Uncle Grandpa's list.
Billy made a cameo appearance in the Uncle Grandpa episode, Pizza Eve.
Grim had a cameo appearance in the OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes episode, Crossover Nexus, where his two roles were to be one of the Cartoon Network heroes that were turned into stones by Strike and one of Ben 10's transformations to defeat Strike himself. He also had another cameo in the episode, Monster Party.
A Billy and Mandy skit was featured in the Robot Chicken episode, May Cause the Exact Thing You're Taking This to Avoid.
The series was acknowledged in the Cartoon Network 30th Anniversary video in October 2022.
Billy, Mandy, and Grim made appearances in the Teen Titans Go! crossover special, Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary.
Trivia[]
- As of now, the YouTube livestream of Underfist: Halloween Bash marks its only availability.
- However, the movie was briefly available on HBO Max in Latin America, though it has since been removed from the service.
- The Latin American Spanish dub of Underfist was considered lost before the movie was added to the service.
- The Christmas special Billy and Mandy Save Christmas and the TV movie Billy and Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure only survived on the DVDs from the 2000s due to their omissions from streaming services and digital purchases stores following the music licensing issues.
- However, Billy and Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure is at least available on HBO Max in Latin America.
- On iTunes and Amazon Prime, episodes 14-18 of Season 1 are listed as episodes 1-5 of Season 2.
- The show's first season is the only season in general to be released on DVD in the US, while Seasons 2-6 are only on streaming and digital purchases.
- While the first five seasons where produced in fullscreen, Season 6, Billy and Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure, and Underfist: Halloween Bash, were all produced in widescreen.
- Walking Nightmare, Beware of the Undertoad, Billy and Mandy Moon the Moon, and Part 1 of Wrath of the Spider Queen are the only episodes of the sixth season to be in widescreen on HBO Max, while the other episodes are cropped in fullscreen.
- Some episodes of the sixth season aired on cable TV in widescreen despite being cropped to fullscreen on iTunes, Amazon Prime, and Max.
- The Show That Dare Not Speak Its Name aired in widescreen on October 1st, 2022 (the day of Cartoon Network's 30th anniversary)
- The Secret Snake Club VS. P.E. and King Tooten Pooten aired on Adult Swim's Checkered Past block in widescreen on September 2023.
Broadcast History[]
- Cartoon Network (original run: 2001-2007; re-runs: 2007-2013, 2017, 2022)
- Boomerang (re-runs: 2013-2015, 2016, 2017, 2018-2019, 2020-2021)
- Adult Swim (re-runs: 2023-present)
Gallery[]
| 2000 | Johnny Bravo |
| 2001 | The Powerpuff Girls • Time Squad • Samurai Jack • Grim & Evil |
| 2002 | Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law • Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones? |
| 2003 | The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy • Evil Con Carne • Star Wars: Clone Wars |
| 2004 | Megas XLR • Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends • Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi |
| 2005 | The Life and Times of Juniper Lee • Camp Lazlo • My Gym Partner's a Monkey • Ben 10 |
| 2006 | Squirrel Boy • Class of 3000 |
| 2007 | Out of Jimmy's Head • Chowder • Transformers: Animated |
| 2008 | Ben 10: Alien Force • The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack |
| 2010 | Adventure Time • Ben 10: Ultimate Alien • Generator Rex • The Cartoonstitute • Regular Show • Tower Prep • Sym-Bionic Titan • Robotomy |
| 2011 | The Problem Solverz • Secret Mountain Fort Awesome |
| 2012 | Level Up • Ben 10: Omniverse |
| 2013 | Incredible Crew • Uncle Grandpa • Steven Universe |
| 2014 | Clarence • Black Dynamite • Over the Garden Wall |
| 2015 | We Bare Bears • Long Live the Royals |
| 2016 | The Powerpuff Girls • Mighty Magiswords |
| 2017 | Ben 10 • OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes |
| 2018 | Apple & Onion • Craig of the Creek • Summer Camp Island |
| 2019 | Victor and Valentino • Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart • Infinity Train • Primal • Steven Universe Future |
| 2020 | JJ Villard's Fairy Tales • Adventure Time: Distant Lands • Close Enough • Tig n' Seek • The Fungies! |
| 2022 | We Baby Bears |
| 2023 | Unicorn: Warriors Eternal • Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake • Jessica's Big Little World |
| 2024 | Invincible Fight Girl |
| TBA | Battu • Gross Girls • Unnamed Ben 10 Series • |
| 1993 | The Moxy Show |
| 1994 | Space Ghost Coast to Coast |
| 1995 | What a Cartoon! |
| 1996 | Dexter's Laboratory • Big Bag |
| 1997 | Johnny Bravo • Cow and Chicken • I Am Weasel |
| 1998 | The Powerpuff Girls |
| 1999 | Ed, Edd n Eddy • Mike, Lu & Og • Courage the Cowardly Dog |
| 2000 | Sheep in the Big City |
| 2001 | Time Squad • Samurai Jack • Grim & Evil |
| 2002 | Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones? • Codename: Kids Next Door |
| 2003 | The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy • Evil Con Carne • Star Wars: Clone Wars |
| 2004 | Megas XLR • Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends • Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi |
| 2005 | The Life and Times of Juniper Lee • Camp Lazlo • Sunday Pants • My Gym Partner's a Monkey • Ben 10 |
| 2006 | Squirrel Boy • Class of 3000 |
| 2007 | Out of Jimmy's Head • Chowder • Transformers: Animated |
| 2008 | Ben 10: Alien Force • The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack • The Secret Saturdays |
| 2009 | Destroy Build Destroy • The Othersiders • BrainRush • Dude, What Would Happen • Bobb'e Says |
| 2021 | Elliott from Earth • The Fungies! • Tig n' Seek |
| 2022 | We Baby Bears |
| 2023 | Jessica's Big Little World • The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe |
| 2024 | Invincible Fight Girl |
| TBA | Battu • Gross Girls • The Amazing World of Gumball: The Series • Unnamed Ben 10 Series |