Fred Figglehorn#Films

Lucas Cruikshank introduced the Fred character in a video on JKL Productions, a channel he started on YouTube with his cousins, Jon and Katie Smet on June 11, 2006. Cruikshank uploaded several videos testing out different characters. The first Fred video was uploaded on October 30, 2006, and a few more videos were uploaded throughout 2007.{{cite web|title=Lucas Cruikshank aka Fred Exclusive Interview: The Partners Project Episode 19|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLJ7CoXZwkM|publisher=YouTube|access-date=January 2, 2012|author=partnersproject|date=April 21, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130712152557/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLJ7CoXZwkM|archive-date=July 12, 2013|url-status=live}} On April 30, 2008, these videos were moved to the Fred (often stylized as FЯED) channel, and on May 1 the first official video of the series, titled "Fred on May Day" was released. By April 2009, it became the first YouTube channel to have over one million subscribers.{{cite web |url=http://www.batchbuzz.com/detailedStoryDefault.php?id=751 |title=BB Suggests: The Best of Web TV |author=Editorial Team |date=November 13, 2008 |access-date=August 7, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720020654/http://www.batchbuzz.com/detailedStoryDefault.php?id=751 |archive-date=July 20, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}{{Cite web |last=Sarno |first=David |date=April 8, 2009 |title=YouTube's Fred is first online video star to break 1M subscribers |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/technology-blog/story/2009-04-08/youtubes-fred-is-first-online-video-star-to-break-1m-subscribers |url-access=limited |access-date=July 23, 2023 |website=Los Angeles Times}}

Zipit Wireless Messenger (Z2) sponsored the first season of Fred, with several product placements. Walden Media hired Cruikshank to promote the film City of Ember, along with the sci-fi novel it was based on, cameos from the film's star Tim Robbins in Fred episodes, and a mock movie trailer.{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122169004968649685|title=Studios Hope YouTube Tie Sells Movie|last=Sanders|first=Pete|date=September 18, 2008|publisher=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=September 19, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150325020521/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122169004968649685|archive-date=March 25, 2015|url-status=live}}

Cruikshank made a cameo appearance as both Fred and himself on Nickelodeon's iCarly in "iMeet Fred", which originally aired on February 16, 2009.{{cite news|last=Albrecht|first=Chris|date=November 18, 2008|title='Fred' Cranks Up the YouTube Views and Ad Dollars|work=Business Week|url=http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2008/tc20081118_508970.htm|url-status=dead|access-date=July 7, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090512190914/http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2008/tc20081118_508970.htm|archive-date=May 12, 2009}} The episode has iCarly facing a huge loss of popularity after Freddie Benson criticizes Fred on-air, resulting in Cruikshank pretending to cancel his own show, and the characters organizing a crossover episode between the two web shows to regain popularity.

In December 2009, Cruikshank filmed Fred: The Movie, which aired on Nickelodeon on September 18, 2010. Nickelodeon created a franchise surrounding the character,{{cite news |url=http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/fred-the-movie-lands-on-nickelodeon/ |work=The New York Times |title='Fred: The Movie' Lands on Nickelodeon - Media Decoder Blog - NYTimes.com |first=Brooks |last=Barnes |date=March 24, 2010 |access-date=March 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325005358/http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/fred-the-movie-lands-on-nickelodeon/ |archive-date=March 25, 2010 |url-status=live }}{{cite web|last=Cruikshank|first=Lucas|title=Tweet 40139239941210112|url=https://www.twitter.com/LucasCruikshank/status/40139239941210112|publisher=Twitter|access-date=March 6, 2011|date=February 22, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922072502/https://twitter.com/LucasCruikshank/status/40139239941210112|archive-date=September 22, 2013|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Cruikshank|first=Lucas|title=Tweet 43282065155829760|url=https://www.twitter.com/LucasCruikshank/status/43282065155829760|publisher=Twitter|access-date=March 6, 2011|date=March 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922160357/https://twitter.com/LucasCruikshank/status/43282065155829760|archive-date=September 22, 2013|url-status=live}} with the sequel, Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred, airing on October 22, 2011. In 2012, Fred: The Show aired, consisting of 24 11-minute episodes; a third movie, Fred 3: Camp Fred, premiered that year.

In June 2010, Fred appeared on the Annoying Orange web series. In October and November 2011, Ari Gold cameos in Fred as Power, from the film Adventures of Power.{{cite web|title=Lucas Gets Kidnapped!|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB2OEKn7i-Y|publisher=YouTube|access-date=January 2, 2012|author=lucas|date=October 27, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120123211956/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB2OEKn7i-Y|archive-date=January 23, 2012|url-status=live}}

Leading up to the second films' release, a new series Figgle Chat premiered on the channel in which Fred interviewed various stars such as Alphacat, Wilmer Valderrama, and iJustine among others. Additionally, an animated series titled, It's Fred!, joined the channel. Each episode followed Fred's various schemes to win Judy's affection while attending School. While unrelated to the film series, Jake Weary reprised his role as Kevin. Both series ended in 2011 and 2012 respectively.

The last video in the Fred franchise was an appearance by Cruikshank in the video “Lucas Defeats Yuksung”, an episode of “The New Fred”. Cruikshank made one final appearance in a promo for the new era of the channel in which users could send in their own videos before selling off the channel, making few appearances from then on. The channel made its final upload in 2015.

In 2020, Cruikshank created a TikTok channel based on Fred named HeyItsFred, reviving the character,{{Cite web |title=TikTok |url=https://www.tiktok.com/@heyitsfred?_t=8XrJ2UXIl2o&_r=1 |access-date=2022-12-03 |website=www.tiktok.com}} although it has been inactive since 2021.

Fred lives with his mother who is a recovering drug-addict, and as a result, has been the victim of child abuse. His father is a former rock musician, and currently on death row in the state penitentiary. Fred has medication that he needs to take in order to act like a "normal kid", it also alluded that he will die from not taking it. In the video "Fred's Mom is Missing", Fred discovers that his mom is suddenly gone, prompting his grandma to move in and watch over him until she returns. Fred's mom would eventually return to the series, having gone to rehab, two months later in "Fred's Mom Returns".

The series uses a floating timeline, meaning it is always taking place in the current year, and Fred is perpetually six years old and in kindergarten. The videos primarily consist of the character speaking to the audience about what is happening in his life. Fred has a high-pitched voice and is hyperactive, achieved by speeding up the footage. Cruikshank has described the channel as "programming for kids by kids" as a parody of people who "think that everyone is so interested in them". He believes that viewers either "automatically love Fred or automatically hate Fred, there is no in-between".{{cite news|last=Brook|first=Anderson|title=The Teen Behind Fred.|work=YouTube|publisher=CNN|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi57YE9jon4|url-status=dead|access-date=August 7, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912233840/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi57YE9jon4|archive-date=September 12, 2008}}

Fred is the only character physically seen in the series. In the event that Fred ever interacted with another person, Cruickshank would voice them off-screen. Some of the characters included Kevin; a bully in his neighborhood who he frequently described as overweight, Judy; a snobbish girl that he has a crush on despite being in a relationship with Kevin, his Mom and Dad, Bertha; a local girl who he is friends with, and his Grandma. Kevin, Judy, Bertha, and his parents would eventually make their physical debuts in Fred: The Movie, portrayed by Jake Weary, Pixie Lott, Jennette McCurdy, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, and John Cena respectively. In 2010, the format of the videos changed in which Fred filmed in a public environment and interacted a larger amount of people. Some notable guests during this time included Annoying Orange, and Weezer.

An arc that persisted through the series was a feud that Fred had with the original owner of his YouTube channel. In the episode "Fred on May Day", Fred stated that he acquired his YouTube channel by pestering their HQ. In subsequent videos, Fred would update his viewers with messages he would be receiving from the original channel owner, in which they threatened to hurt him and that they knew his location. This would culminate with the episode "Fred Gets Kidnapped by Claudio" in which a man named Claudio Gregory (also portrayed by Cruikshank), imprisons Fred in a Dog crate while he temporarily took over the channel. In the episode "Lucas Defeats Yuksung", it is revealed that Claudio was the original channel owner, and as an act of revenge towards Fred for stealing his fame, he partnered with Yuksang to produce Fred videos worse than the originals so the channel would lose its popularity. However, he reforms after Fred and Lucas offer to be his friend.

{{Main|Fred (franchise)}}

{{Main|Fred: The Movie}}

Fred: The Movie is a 2010 film based on the YouTube series about Fred Figglehorn. It features Lucas Cruikshank as Fred, Pixie Lott as Judy, Jennette McCurdy as Bertha, Jake Weary as Kevin Cen, John Cena as Fred's imaginary dad, and Siobhan Fallon Hogan as Fred's mom. It follows the character as he tries to track down his crush, Judy after she moves away. It is written by David A. Goodman, directed by Clay Weiner, and produced by Brian Robbins.{{cite news|last=Barnes|first=Brooks|date=December 7, 2009|title=A High-Pitched Whine Brings to the Movies: Bigger Screen for a High-Pitched Whine|work=The New York Times|url=https://nytimes.com/2009/12/08/movies/08fred.html|url-status=live|access-date=January 21, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927204551/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/movies/08fred.html|archive-date=September 27, 2012}} Filming began November 9, 2009, and wrapped up December 20, 2009.{{cite news |url=http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/yb/139368128 |title=Cruikshank's YouTube character to hit silver screen |last=Sanchez |first=Adrian |date=December 28, 2009 |publisher=Columbus Telegram |access-date=December 28, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120327084718/http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/yb/139368128 |archive-date=March 27, 2012 |url-status=dead }} The movie premiered on Nickelodeon on September 18, 2010, and the DVD was released October 5, 2010 as well as streaming media such as Netflix.

{{Main|Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred}}

Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred is a 2011 Halloween-themed sequel to Fred: The Movie. It first aired on October 22, 2011. After Fred has broken up with Judy, he meets Kevin Cen's sister Talia, and becomes convinced that his new neighbor is a vampire. The Judy character does not appear, and Jennette McCurdy was replaced by Daniella Monet in the role of Bertha.

{{Main|Fred 3: Camp Fred}}

In late 2011, a third Fred movie was announced. Fred 3: Camp Fred premiered July 28, 2012, on Nickelodeon,{{cite news|title="Fred 3: Camp Fred," Premieres|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2012/07/12/fred-3-camp-fred-premieres-on-saturday-july-28-at-8-pm-et-pt-on-nickelodeon-742013/20120712nickelodeon01/|access-date=August 7, 2012|newspaper=The Futon Critic|date=July 12, 2012}} which also aired Fred: The Show, a series of 24 11-minute-long episodes,{{cite web|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|title=Nickelodeon Greenlights Third 'Fred' Movie, Picks Up 20-Episode 'Fred' Series|url=https://deadline.com/2011/12/nickelodeon-greenlights-third-fred-movie-picks-up-20-episode-fred-series-200079/|publisher=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=December 2, 2011|date=December 1, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111203031926/http://www.deadline.com/2011/12/nickelodeon-greenlights-third-fred-movie-picks-up-20-episode-fred-series/|archive-date=December 3, 2011|url-status=live}} in 2012. For summer, Fred attends Camp Iwannapeepee, where he meets several different characters, and must compete against Kevin Cen's camp.

{{Main|Fred: The Show}}

In 2012, Fred became the protagonist in his own TV series, which ran between January and August 2012. The series received dismal reviews, particularly for Fred's childish attitude and annoying voice, and ratings continued to plummet until the show was axed, after which Cruikshank severed ties with Nickelodeon, and Fred was retired.

{{Reflist}}

• {{IMDb title|1234506|Fred}}
• {{YouTube|user=Fred|FRED}}
• {{Official website|http://fredfigglehorn.com/|Fred's official website}}
• {{YouTube|user=jklproduction|jklproduction}}

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{{Fred (film series)}}

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Category:2006 web series debuts

Category:2011 web series endings

Figglehorn, Fred

Category:Fictional characters from Nebraska

Figglehorn, Fred

Category:Viral videos

Category:YouTube channels closed in 2015

Category:YouTube channels launched in 2006

Category:YouTube original programming

Category:Internet characters introduced in 2006