Freaky Stories

Synopsis

Freaky Stories is a Canadian television series, which was originally broadcast by YTV in English and Canal Famille in French. It is an animated show about urban legends hosted by two animatronic puppets, Larry de Bug, a cockroach, and his gooey sidekick, Maurice the maggot in Ted's Diner - a 1940's era diner setting staffed by Rosie the waitress. The series, described as "a Twilight Zone for kids", centers on the kind of myths and legends that are told as scary campfire or bedtime stories. Every episode always starts with and finishes with the phrase: "This is a true story, and it happened to a friend of a friend of mine." and by the words of Larry, "Just because they never happened, doesn't mean they ain't true." Animation styles and musical scoring varied within each half-hour episode, incorporating 20 different looks in the first season alone. The short stories and changing styles were specifically designed to keep viewers' attention span.

First Air Date: 1997-10-24

Last Air Date: 1999-12-17

Number of Seasons: 3

Number of Episodes: 35

Created By: Steve Schnier

Networks: VRAK, YTV

View Technical Specifications on IMDb

Top Cast

Dan Redican as Maurice the Maggot
James Rankin as Larry de Bug
Juan Chioran as N/A
Stephanie Morgenstern as N/A
Susan Roman as N/A
Jayne Eastwood as Rosie

Seasons

Season 1 (1997) - (13 Episodes)

Season 2 (1998) - (13 Episodes)

Season 3 (1999) - (9 Episodes)

Season 1 (1997)

No overview available for this season.

Episodes:

Ep. 1: The Big Queasy (1997-10-24)

1. 'Prison Break'- Fussy Rocco endures hunger strike for better food but eats science specimens. 2. 'Cat Food'- Possibly poisoned salmon ruins posh party. 3. 'Weenie Wonderland'- Hot-dogs at Maxi-Frank theme park made with garbage. 4. 'Mixed Nuts'- Grocery clerk eats nuts previously sucked by Granny.
Ep. 2: Boys and Ghouls (1997-10-31)

1. 'A Shot in the Dark'- The embarrassing ramifications of eating chili before a first date. 2. 'First Kiss'- Girl-shy tongue-tied guy transformed by a girl/ghost. 3. 'Blind Date'- A couple 'well suited'; First date at Halloween dance, costumes not necessary. 4. 'The Suspect'- Joe is fleeing in fear from cop, while cop is chasing Slasher in back seat of Joe's car.
Ep. 3: Animal Maggotism (1997-11-07)

1. 'The Resurrection of Fluffy'- Dead pet bunny makes reappearance with help of dog and baby-sitter. 2. 'Fifi to Go'- Foreign cuisine's secret ingredient translates to horror for Peterson family on vacation. 3. 'Bug in the Ear'- Big game hunter scared of bugs; gets earwigs on the brain. 4. 'The Flying Kitten'- Far flung kitty twice saved.
Ep. 4: Take This Job and Love It (1997-11-14)

1. 'Pizza Guy'- Pizza delivery guy encounters girl with an odd collection in her basement. 2. 'Carpet Man'- Carpet installer bonds with bird who then bonds with the carpet. 3. 'Out of the Blue'- A tabloid photographer chases an alien story and overturns spuds. 4. 'Blunder Bed'- Cockroach infested motel has magic finger beds.
Ep. 5: Designer Tales (1997-11-21)

1. 'Diet Pill'- A beauty pageant contestant tries to win through dehydration but ends up getting soaked. 2. 'Spiders in the Hairdo'- Spiders nest in beehive. 3. 'The Fly'- A zipper caught ruins snob's dinner. 4. 'Hanging by a Thread'- Two high school fashion 'plates' compete for best dressed honours but end up overexposed.
Ep. 6: Boo! (1997-11-28)

1. 'Snatched'- High school disco dummy transforms into astrophysics academic to reunite with lost Martian love 2. 'Graveyard Wager'- An army brat gets pinned down as he goes through graveyard-club initiation 3. 'Puddle and the Glow Monster'- A scout-master gets his own after scaring the piddle out of Puddle 4. 'The Vampire'- Vampire waiter brings house specialty from basement at home
Ep. 7: When You Gotta Go (1997-12-05)

1. 'Locked Out at 20,000'- Passenger plane has close call with a mountain as incompetent crew locked out of cockpit. 2. 'The $50 Porsche'- Matrimonial break-up creates buyers market. 3. 'The Bunker'- A security expert over secures his car but finds out that even the 'safest' place is not secure enough. 4. 'A Concrete Cadillac'- Infidelity or birthday surprise? Jealousy turns gift Cadillac into lawn ornament.
Ep. 8: Law and Disorder (1997-12-12)

1. 'The Rug Bug'- While debugging hotel room, chandelier is a 'hit' in the honeymoon suite below. 2. 'Cat-Napping'- 'Rats', for Sonny the Swipe...giftwrapped. 3. 'Free Gas'- Sewage sucks when 'moocher' out for gas. 4. 'The Hook'- A close call for young lovers; killer's hook found hanging onto car...the musical.
Ep. 9: Not the Waltons (1997-12-19)

1. 'Black Bean Soup'- Bad choice of soup does not blow tennis player's chance of making a love match. 2. 'Bottle of Wine'- Well preserved salty sea captain remains a constant in couples anniversary claret. 3. 'To Pee or Not to Pee'- Fortune results when 'nature calls' an old woman to a funeral. 4. 'Break a Leg'- A 'consummate' leap ends cousins feud over bride at wedding.
Ep. 10: Oops! (1997-12-26)

1. 'The Moving Cactus'- Haughty horticultural society horrified as specimen spews forth snakes. 2. 'The Mystery Smell'- Professional couple unknowingly emit foul odour during opening night at a theatrical performance. 3. 'Fetch the Ball'- School stud loses chance with sweetheart when he sends her dog out of 3rd floor window to fetch a ball. 4. 'Accidental Cannibals'- Uncle Dimitri is the 'spice' of life...literally!
Ep. 11: Gotcha! (1998-01-02)

1. 'Dumb Waiter'- Chef/waiter gobs in soup for surly customer unaware that his daughter is sharing the meal. 2. 'Luggage'- A 'guilty' baggage handler replaces a little girl's dead dog; she is shocked to see the dog arrive alive. 3. 'Mama Mia'- Con artist granny has her way with Frank in the grocery store. 4. 'Jaxx in the Box'- Ultra cool club kid experiences latest craze and loses body to a hot little blonde number.
Ep. 12: School Daze (1998-01-09)

1. 'Field Trip'- A little girl is put off her favourite juice upon seeing bad Billy 'hoark' into a vat of her favourite drink while at the factory. 2. 'The Story'- A boy and a girl express their feelings for each other through a written class exercise. 3. 'Panty Raid'- Frat boy downs woman's contacts while waiting for her panties. 4. 'The Experiment'- Dissected frog guts from science class end up in swim team's fundraiser chili.
Ep. 13: End of the Day (1998-01-16)

1. 'The Flower Lady'- Crossdressing once a year brings financial rewards to 'aging' film star. 2. 'The Bookkeeper'- Ernie would have become a bookkeeper had he been able to read/write, instead he becomes a millionaire. 3. 'Voice From Within'- Ghostbuster Dave locates family ghost trying to sabotage a move from the house. 4. 'Pig Story'- Only the pig's legs get eaten in exchange for heroic deeds performed for farm family.