101 Dalmatians: The Series

101 Dalmatians: The Series is an animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation in association with Jumbo Pictures based on the 1961 Disney animated feature of the same name and its 1996 live-action remake. The show spanned two seasons, with the first episode airing on September 13, 1997, and the last episode airing on March 4, 1998.

Premise
Set on a farm, the show focuses primarily on three particular puppies: Lucky, TV expert, leader, and unconventional hero; Rolly, his fat, loyal, scholarly, and always-hungry brother; and Cadpig, their sister, runt of the family. The three siblings are often joined by Spot, a chicken who wants to be a dog and a member of the "Bark Brigade." Early promotional material had listed "dictatorial Penny and mischievous Patch" as two other puppy cast members, but the highlighted puppies were whittled down to three.

Other puppies appearing in the show have included the brave, three-legged Tripod; the well-meaning but clueless Dipstick; the constantly urinating Wizzer and the indecisive, fashion-conscious Two-Tone. Penny and Patch also make occasional appearances, though with different personalities than originally promoted. The show seems to be a blending of both the original animated film and the live action feature.

Production
101 Dalmatians: The Series debuted in syndication on September 1, 1997, running new episodes five days a week. Two weeks later, the show came to ABC's One Saturday Morning lineup, airing original episodes that could only be seen on the network. Sixty-five episodes were produced: Twelve episodes with 18 segments on ABC and 53 shows containing 62 in syndication. By March 1998 the show played its last episode in Season 2.

Reruns continued to play on ABC until 2000, when the show was moved to the Disney Channel and then later to Toon Disney. On January 30, 2006, Toon Disney aired the show for the final time regularly, while four episodes were shown in March 2007 for the final time. As of that day, 101 Dalmatians: The Series has been off the air in most countries with a Disney Channel franchise. It is currently being syndicated on the United Kingdom channel Disney Cinemagic and was also aired on the Latin American version of Disney Channel during 2008, then on January 2, 2010, Season 2 moved to RTE Two in Ireland. It aired a few times in early 2011 Fridays at 4 a.m. on Disney Junior, but after four airings, its airing has been discontinued. As of March 23, 2012, 101 Dalmatians returned to the Disney Junior Channel, Disney XD but on September 3, 2013 and June 28, 2014 respectively, it was removed from both channels.

Main characters

 * Lucky (voiced by Pamela Adlon): The most adventurous of the puppies and is unique in having his only spots in the shape of a horseshoe on his back.
 * Cadpig (voiced by Kath Soucie): Cadpig is the runt of the litter and the smallest of the puppies but quite possibly the most intelligent, if not deluded. She is unique in having long floppy ears, a big head, a kind personality, and she's also quite strong for her size.
 * Rolly (voiced by Kath Soucie): Rolly is the very hungry one. Almost all his decisions are based on food and this, at times, gets him and the pups into trouble. He is, however, a loyal and helpful sibling, especially when it comes to his incredible sense of smell.
 * Spot (voiced by Tara Strong): Spot is a chicken who wants to become a Dalmatian. She is a voice of reason for the foursome but, more often than not, is ignored. She is easily frightened and is prone to literally bouncing off the walls. She is, however, a good dancer (which has to count for something, according to her) and appears to be good at math. She is also able to fly.
 * Roger and Anita Dearly (voiced by Jeff Bennett and Kath Soucie, respectively): Owners of the 101 Dalmatians and Dearly Farm.
 * Cruella de Vil (voiced by April Winchell): Now a corporate criminal and most of her plans revolve around getting richer, tormenting the Dalmatians, and plotting to steal the Dearly Farm.
 * Horace and Jasper: Cruella's henchmen. They are usually hired to perform her plans, usually failing.

Supporting characters

 * Nanny (voiced by Charlotte Rae):
 * Pongo: (voiced by Kevin Schon) The father of the dalmatians, and the husband and mate of Perdita.
 * Perdita: (voiced by Pam Dawber) The mother of the dalmatians, and the wife and mate of Pongo.
 * The Colonel:
 * Thunderbolt:
 * Sergeant Tibbs:
 * Lt. Pug:
 * Lucy
 * Mooch:
 * Scorch, Cruella's pet ferret:
 * Swamp Rat
 * Steven the alligator
 * Cydne the snake
 * Captain:
 * Dumpling: (voiced by Christine Cavanaugh)

Merchandise
Not much merchandise has been made of this series unlike other Disney series, the only ones being:
 * "A Christmas Cruella" VHS
 * "Dalmatian Vacation" Video CD
 * "Dalmatian Vacation" VHS and LaserDisc (Japan only)
 * "Surf Puppies" CD
 * "The Big Dig" (book)
 * "Cruella Returns" (book)
 * Rare episode cels
 * Car toys for McDonald's Happy Meals (sold in January 1998)
 * Curly straws from McDonald's restaurants located in Wal-Mart stores

Continuity issues
The series does not take place in the same continuity as the movies; an example of which being the fact that everyone in the series (except Cruella) has American accents while the movie is set in London and its surroundings. The original animated movie is set in the early 1960s, while the live-action films and the series are set in a modern day world (1996 at the time). Also, Roger and Anita the dog owners' last name has been changed to "Dearly" instead of "Radcliffe," as it is in the other movies and novels.