Block 13

Block 13
Genre	Comedy Educational entertainment Slapstick
Created by	Sami Al-Khars
Directed by	Nawaf Salem Al-Shammari
Voices of	(See characters)
Opening theme	Block 13
Country of origin	Arab world
Original language	Arabic
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	46
Production
Running time	6-20 minutes
Production companies	Farooha Media Productions Al Nazaer
Release
Original network	Kuwait TV
Original release	November 27, 2000 (2000-11-27) – 2003 (2003)
External links
[www.block13.net (archived) Website]

Block 13 (Arabic: قطعة 13‎) is a Kuwaiti animated television series that serves as the Arabic adaptation of the popular American adult animated television series South Park. It was created by Sami Al-Khars and aired on Kuwait TV in 2000, running until 2003. It is the first animated TV series to be produced in the Persian Gulf region.

The series follows Hammoud, Azzouz, Saloom, Abboud and his sister Farooha, who all often go on wacky and strange misadventures. Similar to South Park in the United States, the series dealt with many issues that concerned the Kuwaiti population in a smooth and humorous way but avoided talking about potentially offensive subjects such as sexuality or political issues.^[1] Unlike South Park, which was adult-oriented, this show is meant for families and children of all ages.

Characters[]

• Abboud

Voiced by: Nawaf Salem Al-Shammari

A chubby boy who always likes to be the center of attention, he wears a white taqiyah and is the show's version of Eric Cartman.

• Hammoud

Voiced by: Mohammed Maseeb Najm

A boy who well behaved for the most part and is often known to be a teacher's pet by his classmates, his name means "Much praising" and is the show's version of Stan Marsh.

• Azzouz

Voiced by: Mohammed Maseeb Najm

A boy who likes to agree with his friend's plans and tells them they are right (mostly to Hammoud), in the first season, he wore a black and brown ushanka, but in season 2 and 3, he wore a baseball cap with an A on it with the same colors. His name means "Much praising" and is the show's version of Kyle Broflovski.

• Saloom

Voiced by: Nawaf Salem Al-Shammari

A poor and unlucky boy who gets into accidents constantly. He wears his father's red keffiyeh that muffles completely his speech. He is known for his creativity with papers and wastes and is the show's version of Kenny McCormick.

• Honey

Voiced by: Hani Sulaiman

An American kid who moved to Block 13 to live with his grandmother, he first appeared in the second season.

• Faroouha

Voiced by: Herself

Abboud's baby sister who often accompanies the gang on their adventures. Her catchphrase is "Dig-iday!"

• Miss Attiyat

Voiced by: Nizar Al-Qandi (uncredited)

The portly Egyptian female principal and teacher of the boys' school. She has a tendency to mispronounce Kuwaiti words and wears a bright orange and yellow abaya.

History[]

After South Park was banned in the Middle East due to its various poking fun of various religions,^[2] it was decided to create a show to take its place, thus leading into the show's creation. The show aired during every year's Ramadan.

The show was successful, resulting in many different forms of merchandise, including toys, food products, home media and various others. Reruns of the series have also been aired on various other Arab networks like Funoon TV, Al-Watan TV, KTV Al-Qurain, and Comedy Central. Outside of the Arabic speaking world however, the show was heavily criticized for its animation, writing, and its attempt to mimic South Park.

Spin-off[]

Due to the show's success, after the show ended, a spin-off titled Qatouta and Kaloob (قطوطة وكلوب) was released in 2003 by the adapted version of U-Turn show on Kuwait TV, the next Ramadan in 2004 was aired on Al-Rai TV starring Qatouta, a female purple cat along with Kaloob, Honey's pet dog.

References[]

External links[]

• Block 13 at IMDb
• Block 13's official website (archived)