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Voiced by Don Adams - better known as Agent Maxwell Smart from the
popular "Get Smart" TV series in the 60s, Inspector Gadget was an
android, and a bumbling fool of a detective whose hat coat, gloves
and shoes were rigged with a seemingly endless number of wacky tools.
Each episode began with Gadget's superior, Chief Quimby [Hadley
Kay, Maurice LaMarche] handing over a freshly typed letter with
his mission for the day. After reading the note, it self destructed
in a few short seconds (usually after Gadget carelessly throws it
somewhere without looking). Gadget typically travelled around the
world with his neice Penny [Cree Summer, Holly Berger] and red-nosed
dog Brain [Frank Welker]. Penny's computerized book had mechanical
pages with all sorts of lights and switches, which aided them throughout
each mission. Triggered by the exclamation "Go Go Gadget..." followed
by the gadget name, Inspector Gadget's tools typically went haywire
and caused more trouble than anything else. In the end, Penny and
Brain solved Gadget's case after his constant blunders, only for
him to get full credit for the success.
Gadget's
main nemesis was Dr. Claw [Frank Welker] - a bad guy who'se face
was never shown. He typically pet his snickering striped cat, M.A.D
Cat [voiced Frank Welker] while giving out orders in his deep, throaty
voice. After each defeat, he famously quoted "I'll get you
next time, Gadget...next time!"
The
initial airing of Inspector Gadget in 1983 featured Gadget with
a moustache. This prompted MCA to threaten a lawsuit against DiC
for infringement against their "Pink Panther" character,
"Inspector Clouseau."
Inspector
Gadget's quick lessons, for topics ranging from water conservation
to basic safety, were shown after episodes. They were later featured
between weekday afternoon cartoons in the mid to late 1980s, even
after "Inspector Gadget" ceased its airtime.
In
1986, the show re-ran in segments and was named "The Amazing Adventures
of Inspector Gadget," featuring a handful of new episodes from the
very end of the series, from September 1985 to February 1986.
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