Brats of the Lost Nebula is a Canadian science fiction puppet computer-animated television series for kids. The series follows five orphaned children from different war-torn planets. As they search for their surviving family members, they must also band together to fight an evil invading force known as "The Shock". The series was created by Dan Clark, who was also an executive producer along with Brian Henson and Margaret Loesch. The puppet characters mixed both traditional hand puppetry and animatronics. These puppets were built by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. The computer graphics were created by C.O.R.E. Digital Effects. It was removed from the channel after airing its third episode. The remaining episodes were shown on Canada's YTV channel.

The Brats

The Brats, sometimes referred to as orphans, each have a different set of skills in addition to their otherworldly uniqueness. After the escape of Zadam and Triply from the Shock attack on their home world, the five kids meet on a living planetoid to start their rebellion against The Shock and find their lost parents. They are aided in their quest by a long-eared animal named Splook, who has a missile-laden suit of armor, and by SMARTS, the smartest computer in the universe. The Brats themselves ride into battle on modified space cruisers.

Episodes

Cast

Puppeteers

Voices

Broadcast

In the United States, the series premiered on the Kids' WB block on October 10, 1998. It was removed from the schedule after airing its third episode on October 24. At the time, a publicist from the WB network said, "We're trying to figure out what works best in our lineup and when. The show has not been cancelled. It should eventually return, we just don't know when and where." In Canada, all thirteen episodes aired on YTV from November 1998 onward. The last episode debuted January 20, 1999. In April 2020, hundreds of hours of Jim Henson Company productions were released on Roku, including Brats of the Lost Nebula.

Unproduced follow-ups

In early 1999, a Playback article reported that "another thirteen [episodes] are on the way," but these new episodes were never produced. In September 2002, Kidscreen mentioned that the Dan Clark Company was "currently working on a Brats of the Lost Nebula direct-to-video title with Henson."