Super Duper Sumos
Super Duper Sumos is a 2002-2003 Canadian-American animated series produced by DIC Entertainment, L.P. It was created by Kevin O'Donnell and Vincent Nguyen. The show first aired in the United Kingdom on the CBBC block on September 22, 2001 and then eventually aired in the United States in April 2002 on Nickelodeon in the United States. Super Duper Sumos later reran on This TV from September 27, 2011 to September 30, 2012.
Overview
Three crimefighting sumo wrestlers — the brothers Booma, Kimo and Mamoo — go on adventures and fight using their enormous size and gigantic hindquarters.A typical episode consisted of "Bad Inc" trying to destroy Generic City by numerously themed ways, although almost all of their plans involved giant monsters. The head of Bad Inc, Ms. Mister, usually assigned the in-house mad-scientist Stinger to create these evil monsters. At the end of each episode, Ms. Mister fires Stinger for failing to create an unstoppable monster. Every episode contained gratuitous use of the word "butt".
In every episode the three wrestlers use "Sumo Size". This makes them stronger, more muscular and considerably larger. Each sumo has a characteristic move they use when "Sumo Sized", usually the three sumos initiate their attack one after another in the same order. Often in times of trouble, the sumos undertake a flashback remembering something Wisdom San taught them. They also may get advice from Prima, who is the sumos' friend and encouraging sidekick who often follows them and acts the most sensibly. Throughout the whole series, each sumo fights for their own cause.
Characters
Heroes
- Mamoo: The Afro-Caribbean sumo who is their most sensible member and unofficial leader, fighting for Truth. He likes to cook as well as eat and was disheartened after losing a cooking challenge on a show sponsored by Bad Inc, regaining his confidence after realizing that the challenge was rigged. His special move is 'Sumo Squeeze', where he grabs an opponent from behind and gives them a powerful bear hug.
- Kimo: The Asian sumo who resembles a samurai and has a Zen-like attitude to life, fighting for Honor. He is apparently precognitive, as his younger self foresaw the Sumos' battles against Bad Inc. First evidenced in "Dance Of The Sugar Plumb Sumos", he also has a habit of making corny one-liners when claiming victory, much to his own amusement and Mamoo's chagrin. His special move is 'Honorable Thunderball', which involves him rolling into a ball and launching himself at an opponent.
- Booma: The Caucasian sumo who talks like a surfer and is the most enthusiastic and childlike, fighting for Peace. He is obsessed with his large butt and proudly talks about it in every episode. His special move is 'Gluteus Maximus', involving him landing on an opponent butt-first and squashing them.
- Prima: A small, thin girl who acts as the Sumos' sidekick and helps them out however she can, although their dim-witted and childish ways often annoy her. She has a Japanese accent and appearance.
- Wisdom San: The Sumos' yogi-like teacher, who raised them from infancy and taught them the ways of P.H.A.T. He is usually seen in flashbacks, but sometimes appears in contemporary sections of the episode. He resembles an Eastern mystic, seems to wear nothing apart from sandals and is often seen meditating, levitating, or both. He found raising the Sumos incredibly frustrating due to their greed and clumsiness.
- Shemo: The Sumos' long lost sister, she was separated from them as a baby when baby Booma accidentally knocked her down Wisdom San's mountain home. She was consequently raised by a herd of yaks and grew up to be the superheroic guardian of Kyoto and its yak population. When Bad Inc devastated the city and kidnapped the yaks and the mayor, Shemo travelled to Generic City to get them back. She turned out to be a better fighter than the boys and turned down their help, but they had to rescue her after Bad Inc captured her. The four Sumos then defeated Bad Inc together and Shemo, politely refusing the offer to stay with her 'brothers', returned to Kyoto.
- The Gyoji: A mute, goofy-looking Gyōji that appears in most episodes whenever the Sumos are about to fight. A running gag is him emerging from a nearby area to observe the battle.
Villains
- Ms. Mister: The CEO of Bad Inc, who is constantly infuriated by their inability to defeat the Sumos.
- Billy "BS" Swift: Invariably clad in a black polo neck and sunglasses, he seems to be the administration of Bad Inc. Dr. Stinger seems to view him as a love rival, but BS has no interest in Ms. Mister.
- Dr. Stinger: A green-skinned, hunchbacked mad scientist who is employed to create the various giant monsters and robots used in Bad Inc's plans. He is romantically obsessed with Ms. Mister and a bit too childish to be an effective villain. A running gag is Ms. Mister firing him, usually very loudly.
- Ghengis: A ghostly entity who constantly lectures the other villains, insisting that evil was more effective in his day. He tried to conquer the world long ago, but was opposed and thwarted by Wisdom San. He claims to have been close friends with Napoleon Bonaparte and Attila the Hun in his youth.
- The Evil Sumos: Originally created to oppose the Super Duper Sumos, they occasionally make reappearances acting as Bad Inc's 'muscle'. They consist of He of the Extra Arms, He of the Big Iron Chest and He of the Third Butt Cheek.
Episode list
Running gags
- Booma always talks about his butt.
- Stinger keeps getting fired by Ms. Mister in every ending episode.
- The sumos keep doing flashbacks to their time of training with Wisdom San.
- The gag monster "Coathanger" Dr. Stinger created appears in several episodes
Voice Cast
- Matt Hill as Booma
- Ben Hurston as Kimo
- Cusse Mankuma as Mamoo
- Chantal Strand as Prima
- Richard Newman as Wisdom San
- Deborah DeMille as Ms. Mister
- Michael Dobson as Genghis Fangus/Billy Swift
- Peter Kelamis as Dr. Stinger
Additional Voice cast
- Kathleen Barr -
- Ian James Corlett -
- Brenda Crichlow -
- Gail Fabrey -
- Jason Michas -
- Brent Miller -
- Shirley Millner -
- Colin Murdock -
Guest stars
- Danny Mann -
- Babz Chula -
- Cam Clarke -
- Kevin Schon -
International Airings
The series also aired in Germany on KiKA, and re-aired in the UK on Pop.
Home Media releases
On November 15, 2002 ADV Films announced they had acquired the distribution rights to the series on VHS and DVD, and in February 2003, released "They've got Guts!" on VHS and DVD, consisting of the first 5 episodes of the series. ADV would later release 5 more volumes throughout 2003.Later, on July 27, 2010, Mill Creek Entertainment released a 10 episode best-of collection entitled Super Duper Sumos: They've Got Guts! on DVD in Region 1.
| DVD/VHS name | Episodes | Distributor | Release date |
| They Got GUTS! | "Binky Did a Bad Bad Thing" "The Seven Sumorai" "Basho Crasho Sumos" "The Incredible Shrinking Butt" "Dance of the Sugar Plum Sumos" | ADV Films | February 4, 2003 |
| Absolutely Fabulous | "Eviction Conviction" "Beach Blanket Sumos" "Handle with Care" "Rest Area 51" "Car Yak'd" | ADV Films | March 18, 2003 |
| Deep Sushi | "Sumos on Ice" "Back to School" "Phat to the Future" "Honor Thy Phather" | ADV Films | April 29, 2003 |
| Way of the Phat | "Sumos on a Hot Tin Roof" "No Lie Pie" "Pinch Me I'm Steaming" "To Serve and Neglect" | ADV Films | June 10, 2003 |
| Sumo Squeezo | "Santa's a Big Fat Sumo" "The Girth of Cool" "A Clock Work Sumo" "Mini Golf Madness" | ADV Films | July 22, 2003 |
| Big Bottom Bros | "I'm Too Sexy for my Butt" "Yak Derby" "Shemo the Fourth Sumoteer" "That was Zen This is Tao" | ADV Films | September 2, 2003 |
| They've Got GUTS! | "Binky Did a Bad Bad Thing" "The Seven Sumorai" "Basho Crasho Sumos" "The Incredible Shrinking Butt" "Dance of the Sugar Plum Sumos" "Eviction Conviction" "Beach Blanket Sumos" "Handle with Care" "Rest Area 51" "Car Yak'd" Bonus World of Quest episode | Mill Creek Entertainment | July 27, 2010 |