Trivia / The Proud Family

• Breaking News Interruption: Towards the end of one broadcast of this show on ABC Kids in 2004, an ABC News Special Report on Hurricane Charley interrupted the end of show. This is to the point George Stephanopoulos actually tells the children watching to get their parents to come into the room because of the subject matter of the report (it probably didn't work, as most kids probably changed the channel in anger). After the Special Report ended, the network joined Power Rangers: Dino Thunder already in progress.
• Celebrity Voice Actor: The show had its share of guest voices: fellow Disney Channel stars Raven-Symoné and Shia LaBeouf; musicians Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys and Solange; personalities Randy Jackson and Brian Dunkelman; actors Samuel L. Jackson, Vivica A. Fox, Steve Harvey, Anthony Anderson, David Alan Grier, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jenifer Lewis, Mo'Nique, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Ted McGinley, and, in The Proud Family Movie, Arsenio Hall, along with a number of other known voice actors, such as Tim Curry, Dante Basco and Michael Clarke Duncan.
• Channel Hop: The show was initially pitched to Nickelodeon.
• Completely Different Title: In France, Belgium and French-speaking Switzerland, it was titled Cool Attitude.
• Cowboy BeBop at His Computer; A summary for "Twins to Tweens" describes Penny as having "twin sisters". One of the twins, BeBe, is a boy.
• Cross-Dressing Voices:
  • BeBe, a boy, is voiced by Tara Strong.
  • Peabo is voiced by Cree Summer.
• He Also Did:
  • A decade before the show debuted, creator Bruce Smith was director and production designer for Bébé's Kids, notable for being the first animated feature to star a predominantly Black cast.
  • After Proud ended, Smith and his production studio, Jambalaya, moved onto Kids' WB! to make Da Boom Crew. Unfortunately, the company couldn't keep up the momentum after the previous show as the ratings weren't nearly as good and the show was cancelled with only 4 out of 13 episodes aired(with the rest only airing overseas) however in 2020 it was announced that Disney was producing a sequel series called The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder featuring all of the original cast and Smith returning.
• Keep Circulating the Tapes: For years, The Proud Family Movie was only available on a cropped 4:3 DVD and only some of the first season was available on iTunes. However, in July 2017, 51 out of 52 episodes that aired on TV were made available for streaming on Watch Disney Channel and for purchase on places like iTunes, which also began selling the movie in widescreen; Disney+ added the movie on launch day and the same 51 episodes on New Year's 2020. ("Don't Leave Home Without It" was conspicuously missing due to music licensing issues with its use of "[[Music/Destiny'sChild Independent Women (Part 1)]]".) In belated honor of the show's 20th anniversary, Disney announced a March 2022 DVD release for all 52 episodes and the widescreen version of the movie.
• Marth Debuted in "Smash Bros.": The crossover with Lilo & Stitch: The Series has aired in countries where this show was not airing at the time, such as Scandinavia, Japan, Poland, Turkey, and Russia. Some of these countries would eventually get other media of the show at a later time. A way later time...
• Meaningful Release Date: Disney+ posted the first two seasons (save the Missing Episodes) on January 1, 2020, the seventh and final day of Kwanzaa.^note "Seven Days of Kwanzaa" has Oscar recite the seventh principle, Imani (faith), then recall that he and Trudy almost gave that name to Penny.
• Missing Episode:
  • Until 2022, "Don't Leave Home Without It" was the only one from the show's original run that Disney didn't release in any form. This likely had to do with music licensing issues involving the Destiny's Child song "Independent Women (Part 1)", but the DVD and Disney+ fortunately retain it. The episode also resurfaced on iTunes shortly before the DVD's release.
  • "One in a Million" was temporarily pulled from reruns after guest star Kobe Bryant was charged with sexual assault. Once the case was dropped, it returned to the airwaves.
  • The original pilot. It was rarely shown and it is very hard to find images of it online. The only clips of it available online come from commercials that aired around the show's debut.
• Late Export for You: The show made its Nordic debut on Disney+ in 2020, complete with Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, and Finnish dubbing. That's 19 years after the show originally released, but at least this means Louder and Prouder won't take anywhere near as long.
• Out of Order:
  • For the most part, Disney+ has the episodes in order but some are placed elsewhere.
  • IMDb incorrectly lists the series for three seasons.
• Playing Against Type:
  • Paula Jai Parker voices Penny's responsible, caring mother Trudy, which is a far cry from the more trashy characters she played in Friday, Hustle & Flow and My Baby's Daddy.
  • Al Roker, best known as the sociable Today weatherman, is instead portrayed as a Jerkass Genie devil-like character who antagonizes Penny twice. The 2nd time was to make up for his first wish by higher powers but typically, he turns an unintentional wish Penny makes into a literal one. Both times, he's defeated through Loophole Abuse.
  • "Seven Days of Kwanzaa" had Samuel L. Jackson take a break from playing angry black men to voice the angelic Joseph.
• Sequel First: The series never aired in Russia, but the movie did... around 10 years after it originally aired in the United States.
• What Could Have Been:
  • The unaired 1999 pilot originally meant for Nickelodeon featured numerous differences. Aside from most of them being design related, Dijonay's name was changed from "Delinquinetta'' to her current name.
  • The first pass on the show was as pure Tom and Jerry-style slapstick, with BeBe and CeCe constantly tormenting Puff. Once Bruce Smith started adding more characters, it evolved more and more into a sitcom. The show's original concept would later live on as The Proud Family Shorties.
• Word of Gay: Yes and no. By way of Trolling Creator, this is what Bruce Smith had to say on the subject of LGBTQ+ characters.
• Write What You Know: Smith based Oscar and Penny on his own experiences as a father.

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