Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends

The first original 90-minute TV Movie of Foster's Home for Imiginary Friends, titled “House of Bloo's” runs on a slightly different structure then the actual TV Show. Craig McCracken, the director and creator of the show, who also wrote the first episode, had always been somewhat of an oddball, pushing the limits of what he could and couldn't do on the newly emerged Cartoon Network. His previous work The Powerpuff Girls, for example, being a show that played around with traditional gender roles. But after the success of PPG, McCracken was given the green light for producing a new work, which would become Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. McCracken, knowing pushing some of the limits worked for him before, decided to take one step further with producing the first episode, the TV special “House of Bloo's”. He had some of the members the animation team draw up some of the scenes, use a few test voices, and pitch the script with a full viewing. The original version ran 120 minutes long featured many scenes which do not make it into the plot, thus altering it significantly. The executive's and editors at Cartoon Network, upon finishing the pitch meeting, were, to quote one anonymous employee “disgusted and deeply apalled” as to what they saw, and ordered McCracken to do a rework it. McCracken, offended at being snubbed from doing an idea he thought was great, reluctantly agreed, and rewrote the show and first episode to what you see and know it to be. However, many of the the critical plot elements in “House of Bloo's” still remain, and can be noticed with a sharp enough eye.

In the original Mac is living in an abusive and unstable household. His mother, a single mom of two, desperately works multiple jobs to keep the family afloat on welfare. Mac's father was a Mexican immigrant (It was never stated whether or not he is supposed to be living illegally), who despite his scary face was a loving father of Mac, and Terence is actually his step-brother, hence the difference in their complexions. Bloo is depicted as being the same, but in the original version there would be scenes shown from other people's point of view to show that he truly was an “imaginary” friend, nothing but a blue blanket in real life, living in Mac's head. If you watch the version shown on TV, you will still see that it is Bloo, while Mac is asleep, who discovers the ad for the “Foster's Home for Imignary Friends”. When Mac and Bloo first go to Foster's, it was to be first depicted as a vacant lot, with a scene then showing Mac “imagining” the house as it appears there. It is therefore implied that all friends (including Frankie Madam Foster, and the bratty girl and her family) living in the house have been imagined by Mac.

Now at first glance you might be scratching your heads here, since what would inspire Mac to invent all these people, and doesn't Terence interact with Duchess too? The answer lies most of the deleted scenes, many of which occur before Mac and Bloo go to Foster's which explains pretty much everything.

Wilt, of course is based upon Wilt Chamberlain. A deleted scene called for Mac at a young age to be given a Christmas present, the present being a hand-me-down Wilt Chamberlain poster. This proved to be the only thing his mother was able to afford or provide for the two for awhile, and Wilt the Stilt subsequently became Mac's hero.

Eduardo is based upon the young Mac's memories of his father. A scene was initially present were Mac's father would be playing peek-a-boo with him, but upon revealing his father's face Mac would cry, leaving the father to think Mac hated him and started crying too. This causes Mac to see that his father really isn't such a bad guy and warms up to him. There would be then another scene where it a subtly hinted that Mac's father had died some time later.

Coco is based upon Mac's first word. A scene was supposed to show that with his father gone, his mother would have no time to look after him and was too poor to hire a babysitter, so Mac would be on his own. He overheard his Mother saying “Cocoa” while pouring coffee during a phone call and sounded out the word to himself, which his Mother did not pay any attention to.

Frankie was to be based on a Social Worker that occasionally helps takes care of Mac, and his mother with her financial situation, who was to appear at Mac's house in the present time in a scene shortly after the fight with Terence. She is designed and acts just like Frankie, except she was a more formal attire. She appears to be the only person who seems to be attentive and understanding to Mac. Hence Mac includes a version of her in his “dream-world”.

Madame Foster is based of Mac's Grandmother, who, like his Father and Frankie was kind to him, but is unable to take care of him permanently because of her failing health. Mr. Herriman is also based on a toy rabbit his Grandmother let him play with.

Lastly, Duchess is based off a rich woman who is mom works for as a cleaning lady. Talking in the same voice as Duchess, she would always be rude to her mother, especially during a time when she took a slightly younger Mac and Terence to work with her since there is no one else to look after them. Though she liked Terence, falling for his good boy act, she hated Mac and his mother, and would constantly spout insults at them. Mac considers her the only person on earth meaner than Terence.

The bratty girl and her family are the only people who are not based off real people, instead likely just an idea Mac had of what the “rich” look like.

Now of course there is the second part of showing how this all fits, as aren't Terence and Duchess talking to each other? Surely Terence can't be imagined too, can he? The answer was that after every scene featuring Terence and Duchess it was to be shown that this is Mac's idea of what must have happened, not what really happened. For instance if Bloo is just a blanket lying in a vacant lot it's easy for Terence to go and grab him, but Mac is imagining that Terence only could have used a complex plan to get Bloo out of the house, and so he imagines that he meets Duchess, of coursed based off the real encounter of Terence and the rich woman. Any happenings like this would be explained as such.

In short, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends has a hidden them of a poor boy in a hopeless situation, left to use his own mind as an escape in this cold world. In making this movie, McCracken had wanted to show the triumph of imagination and creativity even when faced with adversity. The heads at Cartoon Network, however, saw it as a critical attack on Capitalist society and the rich like themselves, not mention portraying Mac as someone who is borderline autistic, and barred it from being released in it's original format. All subsequent episodes go on the basis that we know: That the imaginary friends live in interact with the real world, and are subsequently real people and not escapes. Whether or not you think the original version is better or not...well I'll leave that up to you.