Head Writer, Lead Creative

Viva Piñata

Viva Pinata

Viva Piñata

Don’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!  Not just an animated comedy series, Viva Piñata is also the most fun I’ve ever had while doing hard candy.  The writing staff, led by master story editor Mike de Seve – under the watchful surveillance camera eye of Sheriff Lloyd Goldfine – included some seriously demented crack-ups: like Anne Bernstein (head writer, Daria) David Steven Cohen (story editor, Courage the Cowardly Dog), John Reynolds (writer, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson), me and more.  We’d meet each week to bat around story ideas, eat Pop Rocks mixed with shaken-up Fanta, and listen to ace piñata writer Michael Quinn regale us with stories about his “frequent luncheons at the Brown Derby with Milton Berle.”  I’m kidding.  (It was Montgomery Clift.)

Viva Piñata is about a group of piñata friends whose life passion is getting sent to kid’s parties to get the crap beaten outta them for their candy inside.  They’re totally gung-ho about it — love it —  except piñata Fergy, who’s a lazy fat slob who will do anything to dodge piñata duty.

Another piñata of note: Hudson, the prized celebrity piñata — so vain he probably thinks this blog is about him.

Based (loosely) on the Xbox 360 game of the same name, it aired to high ratings as part of the FOX 4Kids TV programming block, later moved to the CW4Kids, and has been seen all around the world.

My episodes:

  • “The Piñatas must be Crazy!”
  • “Les Saves the Day… Again!”
  • “Candibalism”
  • “I, Preztail”
  • “Mirror, Schmirror”
  • “A Match Made in Court” (read the script)
  • “To Catch A Pester”
  • “Hudson Tells All”
  • “Crimes of Passion Fruit”
  • “Sumo Tsunami”
  • “Mr. Unbustable”
  • “Her Royal Forgetfulness”
  • “The Talented Mr. Hack”
  • “The Wrong Stuff”
  • “High Plains Drafter” (read the script)

Check out some of my episodes on video:

“Crimes of Passion Fruit”

“The Talented Mr. Hack”

“Mr. Unbustable”

“The Wrong Stuff”

“Candibalism”