Channel Umptee-3

Ogden Ostrich, Holey Moley (a mole), and Sheldon S. Cargo (a snail) drive around the world in a van with their own underground pirate television station.{{cite book |last1=Erickson |first1=Hal |title=Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 |date=2005 |edition=2nd |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=978-1476665993 |page=199}} Channel Umptee-3, which exists between other channels and is broadcast from a mobile station, tries to focus on a specific topic in each episode, but is normally diverted from it and shifted onto another topic; e.g., one episode started out discussing cats, but quickly segued into the subject of ownership (which was the real topic of that show). Meanwhile, "The Frumps" (i.e., Stickley Rickets and his henchmen) would try to shut the station down or increase their own power, but whatever plan they came up with would fail.

The show made great use of stock footage, as did the earlier WB show Freakazoid! Also, the show sometimes made references to well-known films and TV shows; e.g., the episode "Yours, Mine, and Ours" included references to Cats, Harvey, Star Wars, Dragnet, and The People's Court, and the title was that of a classic film.

• Ogden O. Ostrich (Rob Paulsen) – An excitable yellow ostrich who first came up with the idea for a television program to show everyone that "the world is a magical place" after pulling his head out of the ground one day and looking at the world around him. At the start of every episode, Ogden comes running up the camera yelling "Hey!" over and over.
• Holey Moley – A pantomime character. He is a large mole who carries a number of portable holes that allow him and his friends to go anywhere.
• Sheldon S. Cargo (David Paymer) – A large pink snail whose shell is fitted with a unicycle-like wheel to help him get around. Sheldon is the serious, professional member of the team; he tries his best to hold the show together, despite Ogden's almost hyperactive behavior. His name is derived from the French word "escargot".
• Professor Edwin I. Relevant (Greg Burson) – The station's resident expert on everything. Ogden and the others turn to Professor Relevant for information on the day's topic in almost every episode.
• Test and Polly (Neil Ross and Susan Silo) – two newscasters who work for Channel Umptee-3.

• Stickley Rickets (voiced by Jonathan Harris) – The elderly president of a corporation that produces boxes. Because the "Umptee-doodies" (as he calls them) encourage people to take things out of boxes and look at them in a new way, he sees them as a threat to his business. So he constantly plots to shut them down and "put them in a box, where they belong."
• Pandora Rickets (voiced by Alice Ghostley) – Stickley's wife. She isn't nearly as obsessed as her husband where the Umptees are concerned. Pandora even likes to watch some of the shows, although she does not want Stickley to find out. Her name is derived from "Pandora's box".
• Ed and Bud (voiced by Neil Ross and Gregg Berger) – Two black-suited henchmen who carry out Stickley's orders and are almost never successful. Ed is the taller one, and Bud is the shorter, balding one.

Other voice actors who appeared on the show included:

{{div col}}

• Charlie Adler
• Susanne Blakeslee
• Jeff Bennett
• Liz Georges
• Jason Graae
• Maurice LaMarche
• Pat Musick
• Julie Payne
• Patrick Pinney
• Roger Rose
• Tara Charendoff
• Laura Summer
• Ron Taylor
• Frank Welker

{{div col end}}

• Mark Evanier – Voice Director

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{{Episode table

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|title=

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|aux3T=Topic(s)

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 1

| Title = The Music Show

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|10|25}}

| Aux3 = Music

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = D28358

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 2

| Title = Umptee Sunrise

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|01}}

| Aux3 = The sun

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = D28358

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 3

| Title = The U.F.O. Show

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|08}}

| Aux3 = UFOs and extraterrestrial life

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = D28358

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 4

| Title = What's So Funny

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|15}}

| Aux3 = Laughter and humor

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = D28358

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 5

| Title = The Now Voyagers

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|22}}

| Aux3 = Time

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = D28358

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 6

| Title = Just Add Water

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|12|06}}

| Aux3 = Water

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = D28358

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 7

| Title = Perchance to Dream

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|12|19}}

| Aux3 = Sleep and dreams

| ShortSummary = Ogden is determined never to sleep again because of a nightmare he'd had, and his friends try to explain to him that everyone needs to sleep.

| LineColor = D28358

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 8

| Title = Sale of the Century

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|01|02}}

| Aux3 = Money

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = D28358

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 9

| Title = The Fear Show

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|01|09}}

| Aux3 = Fear

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = D28358

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 10

| Title = The Weather Show

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|01|16}}

| Aux3 = Weather

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = D28358

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 11

| Title = Yours, Mine, and Ours

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|02|06}}

| Aux3 = Ownership

| ShortSummary = The Umptees win an award in the form of a huge chocolate bunny, and Ogden and Sheldon argue over whether to eat it or display it; this leads to some information about ownership from Professor Relevant. Meanwhile, Stickley's men steal Holey Moley's portable hole, because Stickley believes that there's a fortune inside of it.

| LineColor = D28358

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 12

| Title = The Lying Show

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|02|13}}

| Aux3 = Truth and lies

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = D28358

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 13

| Title = Words Are Weird

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|02|20}}

| Aux3 = Words

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = D28358

}}

}}

Due to the short run and general obscurity of Channel Umptee-3, only four episodes and the intro music were initially preserved after its initial airing.{{Cite web|url=https://lostmediawiki.com/Channel_Umptee-3_(partially_found_Kids%27_WB!_educational_animated_series;_1997)|title=Channel Umptee-3 (partially found Kids' WB! educational animated series; 1997) - The Lost Media Wiki|website=lostmediawiki.com}} Originally, the second, third, tenth and twelfth episodes were posted to YouTube, but they were blocked worldwide by Sony Pictures, leading them to be posted elsewhere, ultimately on the Internet Archive.

Currently, Sony Pictures Television has the full rights to Channel Umptee-3, and has the option to provide the series for streaming content providers. {{As of|2025}}, the full series (with the exception of one episode, The Fear Show) is now available to watch on-demand for free via the streaming platform Roku Channel, marking the first time Channel Umptee-3 has been available to watch after it's initial network run.

{{Reflist}}

• {{IMDb title|id=0179715|title=Channel Umptee-3}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/19980526072354/http://www.spe.sony.com/tv/kids/umptee3/ Official website (via Internet Archive)]
• [https://archive.today/20131018182940/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Columbia_Pictures/Adelaide_Productions/Channel_Umptee-3/index.html Big Cartoon DataBase: Channel Umptee-3 index]
• [http://www.toonarific.com/show.php?s_search=umptee&Button_Update=Search&show_id=738 Toonarific Cartoons: Channel Umptee-3]

{{Norman Lear Shows}}

{{Kids' WB}}

{{Adelaide Productions}}

Category:1990s American animated comedy television series

Category:1990s American children's comedy television series

Category:1997 American animated television series debuts

Category:1998 American television series endings

Category:American children's animated comedy television series

Category:American children's animated education television series

Category:American English-language television shows

Category:Fictional television stations

Category:The WB animated television series

Category:Kids' WB original shows

Category:Television series about television

Category:Television series by Adelaide Productions

Category:Television series by Sony Pictures Television

Category:Children's television series about talking animals

Category:Works by Norman Lear