Rotten Ralph
| Company type | Children's book series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing, Television |
| Founded | 1976 |
| Founder | Jack Gantos, Nicole Rubel |
| Products | Children's picture books, animated TV series |
Rotten Ralph is a children's picture book collection created by author Jack Gantos and illustrator Nicole Rubel. Between 1976 and 2011, nearly twenty titles featuring Rotten Ralph were released. The inaugural volume, also named Rotten Ralph, is a 32-page picture book published by Houghton Mifflin in 1976, marking the first published work for both Gantos and Rubel.
The narrative follows the main character, a vivid red house cat notorious for playing mischievous pranks on his human family members.
A television adaptation aimed at children was developed by Cosgrove Hall Films, Tooncan Productions, and Italtoons Corporation. It aired on CBBC from 1998 until 2001. Additionally, it was shown on Nickelodeon UK around the year 2000, with reruns concluding in 2005. In the United States, the series was broadcast on the Fox Family Channel from 1999 through 2001.
Books
Every Rotten Ralph book was penned by Jack Gantos with illustrations by Nicole Rubel.
- Rotten Ralph (Houghton Mifflin, 1976)
- Worse than rotten, Ralph (Houghton Mifflin, 1978)
- Rotten Ralph's rotten Christmas (Houghton Mifflin, 1984)
- Rotten Ralph's trick or treat (Houghton Mifflin, 1986)
- Rotten Ralph's show and tell (Houghton Mifflin, 1989)
- Happy birthday Rotten Ralph (Houghton Mifflin, 1990)
- Not so Rotten Ralph (Houghton Mifflin, 1994)
- Rotten Ralph's rotten romance (Houghton Mifflin, 1997)
- Back to school for Rotten Ralph (HarperCollins, 1998)
- The Christmas spirit strikes Rotten Ralph (HarperCollins, 1998)
- Rotten Ralph's Halloween Howl (HarperCollins, 1998)
- Rotten Ralph's Thanksgiving wish (HarperCollins, 1999)
- Wedding bells for Rotten Ralph (HarperCollins, 1999)
- Rotten Ralph helps out (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2001)
- Practice makes perfect for Rotten Ralph (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002)
- Rotten Ralph feels rotten (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004)
- Best in show for Rotten Ralph (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005)
- The nine lives of Rotten Ralph (Houghton Mifflin, 2009)
- Three strikes for Rotten Ralph (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011)
This compilation of nineteen books highlights collaborations with publishers Houghton Mifflin, HarperCollins, and Farrar, Straus and Giroux. The series features eight picture books released by Houghton Mifflin alongside four early reader editions published by Farrar. The 2009 release titled The Nine Lives of Rotten Ralph revisits earlier tales within the series.
Main characters
- Rick Jones – Rotten Ralph
- Jennifer Seguin – Mom
- Mark Camacho – Dad
- Brigid Tierney – Sarah
- Daniel Brochu – Percy
- Sonja Ball – Lulu / Additional Voices
- Terrence Scammell – Fleabag / Bones / Additional Voices
- Richard Dumont – Bongo Bob / Additional Voices
Guest roles
- Jaclyn Linetsky – Brenda / Additional Voices
- A.J. Henderson – Buddy / Additional Voices
- Justin Bradley – Kid / Additional Voices
- Helena Evangeliou – Linda / Additional Voices
- Arthur Holden – TV Announcer / Additional Voices
- Eleanor Noble – Additional Voices
- Liz MacRae – Lola / Reporter / Additional Voices
- Harry Standjofski – Naughty Nathan
- Susan Glover – Madame Olga / Additional Voices
United States
- Rotten Ralph Volume 1 (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 1999)
- Rotten Ralph Volume 2 (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 1999)
Episode list
| # | Title | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Taming of the Ralph | An evil circus clown captures Ralph. |
| 2 | Not so Rotten Ralph | Ralph faces challenges when Cousin Percy arrives. |
| 3 | Happy Birthday Rotten Ralph | Ralph believes his birthday has been overlooked. |
| 4 | Dead Man's Drop | Ralph participates in a daring bike stunt. |
| 5 | The Contest | Ralph competes in a contest. |
| 6 | The Bongo Bob Show | Bongo Bob pays a visit to Ralph. |
| 7 | Rotten Ralph's Robbery | Ralph is convinced to steal a doll for Sarah. |
| 8 | Purrfect Pet | Sarah considers bringing Ralph to school’s pet day. |
| 9 | Boogie Woogie Ralph | Ralph gets hold of his father's new stereo system. |
| 10 | Kung Fu Kitty | Ralph learns techniques to guard the house from intruders. |
| 11 | Ralph's Super Duper Bloopers | Ralph creates a home video for a bloopers program. |
| 12 | The Whole Rotten Truth | Ralph finds out that honesty can be enjoyable. |
| 13 | Feline Fad | Ralph spends grocery money on cereal to finish a sticker set. |
| 14 | Rotten to the Core | Misunderstanding his father's new job, Ralph causes chaos. |
| 15 | Ralph's Royal Treatment | As punishment, Ralph is denied television privileges. |
| 16 | One of Nine Lives | Ralph rescues Percy from danger. |
| 17 | Ralph's Kitten | Ralph takes care of a stray kitten. |
| 18 | Ralph's Nightmare | A frightening dream leads Ralph to vow never to sleep again. |
| 19 | Twinkle Toes | For Sarah’s dance recital, Ralph becomes her partner. |
| 20 | Science Contest | Sarah and Ralph team up for a school science competition. |
| 21 | Grandma's Visit | Ralph must behave properly during Grandma’s visit. |
| 22 | World Cup Ralph | Ralph learns valuable lessons about sportsmanship. |
| 23 | Ralph's Rival | Jealousy arises when Sarah makes a new friend. |