Block 13 is a show from Kuwait which aired from 2000-2002. Set in the Kuwait street of Block 13, it features the exploits of four young boys, Abboud Hammoud, Azzouz and Saloom, along with Abboud's sister Farooha as they experience wacky misadventures in their small hometown in Kuwait. Season 2 would introduce Honey, an American who becomes a Sixth Ranger in the boys' adventures. All of this takes place with the use of a paper-cut-out style which may look familiar to a certain American cartoon...
By the way, the show's similarities to South Park were intentional - this show was created to fill the gap left by South Park after it was banned from Kuwaiti TV for poking fun at Islam. However, unlike South Park, Block 13 was made for all ages, so don't expect any swearing or much violence.
Although it was canceled after 2002, this show did receive a brief spin-off, Qatouta and Kaloob, in 2004, which features Honey's dog Kaloob alongside a purple cat called Qatouta.
Tropes in this series:
- Bandage Mummy: Mr. Saleh in "Teacher's Day" is covered in bandages due to slipping on a bar of soap in the shower.
- Berserk Button: Much like his American counterpart Cartman, you should not ever call Abboud a "fatass", or you'll regret it.
- Big Brother Bully: Abboud to his sister Farooha - a minor Running Gag has him kicking her around like a football.
- Big Fun: Atiyat is quite pudgy, but she's one of the kinder characters of Block 13 and she usually helps in counseling others through their problems.
- Cast of Expies: Essentially being the Kuwaiti version of South Park, this show's cast is heavily based on the aforementioned show's cast:
- Saloom is closest to Kenny, having a parka-esque keffiyeh that makes him The Unintelligible, and for being the poorest and the one most likely to receive physical injury of the four.
- Abboud is closest to Cartman, having looser morals, being fat, and hating being called a fatass.
- Azzouz's trapper hat makes him closest to Kyle.
- Hammoud being the most well-behaved one and having black hair makes him closest to Stan.
- Farooha is closest to Ike, being the Annoying Younger Sibling of one of the characters and her Running Gag of being kicked about being similar to Kyle using Ike as a football in early episodes.
- Mr Saleh's Sadist Teacher tendencies and bitterness at his job make him closest to Mr. Garrison, although he lacks his American counterpart's more depraved tendencies.
- Cheaters Never Prosper: In "The Cheat Sheet/Caught Red Handed", Abboud tries to cheat through an exam with a cheat sheet, but is caught by Saleh, who has looked down on cheating ever since a fellow classmate of his managed to achieve better success than him through cheating.
- Concert Episode: The plot of "Four Years" is about the boys trying to go to a concert hosted by Nawal. Abboud manages to convince her to let them in without paying for tickets.
- Deliberately Monochrome: The episode "My Bad Luck!" briefly shifts into monochrome during the scene when Saleh is sent to the mental hospital.
- Denser and Wackier: Early episodes were very grounded considering its inspiration, dealing with plots like cheating in exams, fasting, and learning that Drugs Are Bad simply through a talk. Later episodes involve Whole Plot References to Batman and Star Wars, time machines, and freakish creatures.
- Drugs Are Bad: The topic of the episode "Come on... let's be honest!" focuses on a "No to Drugs" week, with the kids learning about how bad drugs are. Bonus points for Atiyat alluding to the famous "This is Your Brain on Drugs" ad campaign in her demonstration to the kids.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Although Honey isn't formally introduced until "The Fifth Element", he makes a cameo during a song sequence in the episode "My Bad Luck".
- Early Installment Character-Design Difference: Azzouz wore a trapper hat in the first season before changing to a baseball cap later on, which makes him look less like his American counterpart Kyle.
- Election Day Episode: In "Everyone's Candidate", Saleh decides to nominate himself as a candidate after learning that the canteen he was hoping to rent out is being used by the school to host the elections. He ends up winning with 99.99% of the vote, only for the elections to be repeated.
- Ironic Name: Saloom's name can be translated in English to mean "Without Injury" or "Safe and Sound". It should be noted that Saloom is the Kenny stand-in of the series, and has had his fair share of accidents over the course of the show.
- Lampshade Hanging: The show's status as a copy of South Park is actually acknowledged in an episode when an American woman refers to Abboud as "Mr. South Park".
- Lighter and Softer: Compared to its inspiration, this show is rather tame - Abboud isn't nearly as sociopathic as his counterpart and there is very little violence.
- The Mockbuster: Intended as a replacement for South Park, it takes its animation style and the appearances and personalities of the boys from its parent series, albeit in a Lighter and Softer style.
- The Moral Substitute: Subverted, while the show does feature a lot of native Muslims as characters and teaches good values at times due to being aimed for all ages audiences, it primarily focused on entertaining instead of educating.
- Musical Episode: An interesting example with "My Bad Luck!" - whilst it only has one song in it, that song takes up so much of the run time that the episode is essentially a music video with a brief plot around it.
- Perpetual Poverty: Like Kenny and his family, Saloom and his family are poor, living in a run-down house. They are poor enough that their clothing have patches and they cannot even afford tea.
- Put on a Bus: Saleh is sent to the mental hospital in "My Bad Luck!" and is promptly replaced, although he briefly returns as a one-episode villain in the third season.
- Related in the Adaptation: Ike's stand-in, Farooha, is not the brother of Kyle's stand-in here, but rather Cartman's stand-in.
- Sadist Teacher: Mr. Saleh is a very angry teacher who doesn't show much interest in the students, outright admitting that he considers the role to be beneath him. No wonder he is eventually sent to the mental hospital.
- Sixth Ranger: Season 1 only featured Abboud, Hammoud, Azzouz, and Saloom as the gang. However, Season 2 introduced Honey, who quickly becomes part of their gang.
- Totem Pole Trench: Three of the boys form a human totem in "The Buffet" whilst impersonating Saloom's father.
