Sidekick is a Canadian animated television series created by Todd Kauffman, who directed of the first season of Total Drama, and Joey So, it was originally 5 shorts for Funpak. (Essentially Nelvana's answer to What A Cartoon or Oh Yeah! Cartoons) before it was made into a television series 5 years after Funpak premiered. A second series has already been ordered.It tells the story of Eric Needles, the sidekick of missing superhero Maxum Man and his adventures in Splitsboro, a town divided between heroes and villains.You can watch the Funpak shorts here.Can be seen on YTV in Canada and Cartoon Network in the States.
Sidekick provides examples of:
The Ace: Vana is a deconstruction. While in terms of skills, she's this trope, personality-wise she's an arrogant, selfish, uncaring jerk with absolutely no redeeming qualities. Same with Maxum Man.
Arch-Enemy: Mr. Troublemeyer/Master XOX for Professor Pampelmoose and Maxum Man (though due to the latter being missing, you hardly ever see this)
Archnemesis Dad: Trevor's grandfather is this for Mr. Troublemeyer. If the pictures on the wall are any indication, he definitely qualifies as abusive. Plus he is constantly trying to turn Trevor evil despite Mr. Troublemeyer's continued efforts to get him to be a good boy.
Art Evolution: The Funpak shorts differ from the TV series in this way.
Betty and Veronica: Kitty Ko as the Betty and Vana Glama as the Veronica. Only this Veronica doesn't want Archie. Then Mandy Strcution comes in as the Cheryl Blossom.
Bindle Stick: In "Ye Old Sidekick Village" the villain uses his anti-technology ray to turn Kitty's bag into one of these, filled with cans of beans.
Bilingual Bonus: "Pampelmoose" is French for 'Grapefruit'. Lampshaded when Eric tastes some of Pampelmoose-turned-evil-plant and notes that it tastes 'Pampelmoosey, with a hint of citrus'.
Bollywood Nerd: Maxum Man's Super Computer, Maxum Brain, has an Indian Accent.
Can't Spit It Out: Or, more accurately, spits it out all the time. Kitty has a not-so-secret crush on Eric, and reveals it all the time, but whenever she gets a little too lovey-dovey, Eric asks "What?", with Kitty responding with her own "What?" If Eric is aware at all of Kitty's feelings, he doesn't show it and definitely does not return them.
Create Your Own Villain: The supervillains who hate Maxum Man are villains because Maxum Man was a real jerk to them, or were the reason why they became villains in the first place.
Dating Catwoman: Eric and Mandy Struction, Member of the Splitsboro Crime Syndicate, The Mass Destructions
Deconstruction: The in-world universe treats sidekicks as if they were objects, punching bags, etc., which can lead to making every student masochistic.
Department of Redundancy Department: This one doubles as a genius bonus. In "Ain't No Party Like a Maxum Brain Party", Eric suggests pulling out some of Maxum Brain's RAM Memory to lighten him up a bit. RAM stands for Random Access Memory. So he suggested pulling out some Random Access Memory Memory.
Depending on the Writer: Characters can either become charming and playful and can be friendly to each other (with only slight insults) and become jerks for the sake of humor sometimes. Eric gets the worst out of this. He's either the Only Sane Man and/or Closer to Earth or tuns just as stupid as Trevor, or an even worse example, he either is shy or unaware of Kitty's crush on him, or treats her like an absolute Jerkass like if her crushing on him is the worst thing ever. Doesn't help that he has a crush on Vana, who's treats him like utter crap. Headdesk moment, anyone?
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Mr. Troublemeyer/Master XOX tries constantly to be a good father. But Trevor makes it very hard to do so.
Evil Parents Want Good Kids: Mr. Troublemeyer tries to keep Trevor from turning evil and even put him in the Sidekick Academy despite reacting in disgust when that school is even mentioned. Of course, Master XOX is always proud that Trevor inherited his evilness.
Friend Versus Lover: According to their biographies on the YTV website, Trevor and Kitty both hate each other's guts, this could be the reason why.
Although this seems to be an Informed Attribute since they get along pretty well.
Genre Blindness: In "Endless Summer" Eric notices how Trevor's dad and Master XOX bear a striking resemblance to each other and how their RV is full of menacing inventions. He puts two and two together... and figures that the former is building the inventions for the latter.
Honor Before Reason: In the episode "The Henchman Challenge," Eric does not want to cheat even though it's ostensibly the only way their team can win. Eventually, he gives in, but Kitty is not happy.
Mondegreen: A non-lyric example: Eric tells Trevor that his old orphanage pal has "abandonment issues", and that you should never say "Goodbye" to him. Trevor, however, mishears it for "Banana Mint Shoes". This goes on to be a Running Gag and finally a Brick Joke.
Morality Chain: Kitty for Eric in "The Henchman Challenge".
Eric is completely oblivious to the fact that Kitty has a crush on him, although this is depending on the episode. In some episodes he IS aware of this but he's not interested in her.
Subverted with Vana; she knows Eric has a crush on her, but doesn't return to feeling. Eric is either unaware of this, or is trying hard to change her mind.
Split Personality: Mr. Troublemeyer, Trevor's effeminate father and Master XOX, The closest thing the show has to a Big Bad. Trevor idolizes Master XOX, unaware he's really his father.
Kitty in general. When a famous teen movie star appears she near-completely forgets about Eric during the duration of the star's visit and goes to much greater lengths for her stalker-dom.
The aforementioned "roostabaga" gag is followed by a rooster with a rutabaga for a torso.
"The dust bunnies are starting to multiply". Cut to a scene of bunnies doing multiplication on a chalk board.
Splitsboro's good and evil sides are separated by a railroad, meaning that the people who live on the evil side are literally born on the wrong side of the tracks.
Can be seen on YTV in Canada and Cartoon Network in the States.
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