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''Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids'' was an Animated Television Series created, produced, and hosted (in Live Action bookends) by comedian Bill Cosby , who also lent his voice to a number of characters, including the titular one. Filmation was the production company for the series. ORIGINS Fat Albert first appeared in Cosby's Stand-up Comedy routine "Buck Buck," as recorded on his 1967 album ''Revenge''. The stories were based upon Cosby's tales about growing up in the inner city of Philadelphia . In 1969 , Cosby and veteran animator Ken Mundie brought Fat Albert to animation in a one-shot prime-time television special ''Hey, Hey, Hey, It's Fat Albert''. The special, which aired on NBC , was a hybrid of live-action and animation. The music for the special (and later the series) was written and performed by jazz pianist/keyboardist Herbie Hancock in 1969 and was released on the Warner Bros. album ''Fat Albert Rotunda''. The producers anticipated NBC to bring Fat Albert to Saturday mornings, but they refused because the series was too educational {Link without Title} . So, Bill Cosby and a new production company, Filmation Associates, took the property to CBS . The series, now titled ''Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids'', premiered on September 9 , 1972 on CBS for a 12-year run. It also spent a few more months in first-run Syndication in 1984. Several prime-time holiday Specials featuring the characters were also produced. Like most animated series at the time, ''Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids'' contained a Laugh Track . The Fat Albert Gang's character images were primarily created by the artist Randy Hollar with the assistance of one-time Disney animator Michelle McKinney, under the direction of Ken Brown. EDUCATIONAL LESSONS AND SONGS Fat Albert was honored and noted for its educational content. During each episode, Fat Albert and his friends, collectively known as The Junkyard Gang, dealt with an issue or problem commonly faced by young children, ranging from stage fright, first loves ("puppy love"), medical operations, and skipping school to harder, more serious themes (toned down somewhat for young children) including smoking, stealing, racism, being scammed by con artists, child abuse, drug use, and gun violence. At the end of each episode, the gang would sing a song about the theme of the day. This sequence, often seen in numerous Filmation shows including '' The Archie Show '', has often been parodied and mocked for its style and lack of moral ambiguity. Despite the reputation of educational children television series for being unpopular on commercial television, the series enjoyed one of the longest runs in the history of the Saturday Morning Cartoon timeslot. REVAMPS AND RENAMES In crime fighter in outer space whose design resembled a caricature of Bill Cosby, who also performed vocal talents on the character) and "Legal Eagle" (involving a crime-fighting eagle and a pair of bumbling police squirrels). In 1984 , the show was syndicated and renamed ''The Adventures of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids''. It ended the same year. In 1989 , NBC aired reruns for a few months during that summer. CULTURAL INFLUENCES In the mid-90s to early 2000s, Fat Albert and the Junkyard Gang were prominently displayed on clothing from urban clothier FUBU as well as other T-shirt producers. Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids were featured in a parody on an episode of '' Animaniacs ''. In 1998 , a spoof of Fat Albert appeared on an Episode of '' South Park '' where he was referred to as "Fat Abbott". ), recalls the downfall of the junkyard gang. In ". In the following scene, Peter Griffin says Fat Albert's catchphrase 'Hey hey hey!'. A Live Action film based on the TV show, entitled '' Fat Albert '' was released on December 25 , 2004 . The series was released on DVD beginning in 2005 . A parody of Fat Albert made an appearance in 2006 on Comedy Central 's '' Drawn Together '' as the master of ceromonies for the Fat Camp Reunion Dance . CHARACTERS
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