Parents' Guide to

Making Fiends

By KJ Dell Antonia, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Edgy, wickedly funny 'toon based on Web series.

TV Nicktoons Kids' Animation 2008
Making Fiends Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 8+

Based on 7 parent reviews

ParamoreFan09
ParamoreFan09 Adult
December 16, 2014
age 11+

Repetitive, dark, yet oddly charming

I watched this as a tween back when it aired on Nickelodeon and had long forgotten about it until recently! At age 11, I thought this show was really odd and wasn't sure what the target audience was because of the childlike animation. Like someone else said, I think it's hard for younger audiences to appreciate it. I still found it very entertaining back then but it wasn't as cool to me then as it is now. I have to say, though, I've just rewatched the entire show and as an 18 year old I thoroughly enjoyed it. The plot is very simplistic, and for the majority of the episodes the premise is essentially the same, but every episode is very entertaining to me. Although this was played on Nickelodeon and works for kids, I think the original target audience of the original online web show is all ages. I don't know what it is that makes this show so addictive, but its dark themes and blatantly evil character are refreshing in the sea of kids' shows that try to force messages down kids' throats. The simple animation and colors are also very aesthetically pleasing. It's just a fun little thing, bummer it's so obscure. It's unfortunate that Nickelodeon cancelled it so promptly because the newfound budget was a definite improvement from the web cartoon. Still, I would definitely recommend looking for it on the Making Fiends website or elsewhere to watch it if you're into more alternative, dark, imaginative cartoons. Also, I would like to point out, Vendetta has a heavy Bulgarian accent, which isn't even REMOTELY similar to a German one. So no, the show isn't using German as a 'stand-in for evil', whatever that means. Just a bit of fact checking can improve the validity of these reviews...

This title has:

Too much violence
Antithesis
Antithesis Adult
June 3, 2012
age 6+

Making Fiends, Making Fiends, Vendetta's always Making Fiends...

First of all I love this cartoon, although short lived It is one of the best examples of minimalist storytelling and animation aimed at children. Based on a webtoon series of the same name by Amy Winfrey, Making Fiends stars two little girls. Vendetta; an evil little green girl with a Bulgarian accent who hates anything that has to do with kindness and makes creatures called fiends to torment the townspeople and children at her school. And Charlotte; a friendly little blue girl from Maine who just wants to make friends with everybody, Including Vendetta who has an extreme dislike for the perky upbeat Charlotte and always tries (and fails) to have her fiends destroy her. Making fiends is one of those cartoons that both parent or child can really enjoy because of the kid-friendly antics. I recommend letting your child watch the webseries if they enjoy Making Fiends as much as I did.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much violence
See all 7 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Vendetta (voiced by Aglaia Mortcheva) rules Clamburg in the way that the small boy from the old Twilight Zone episode ruled his town: fear, intimidation, and really weird powers. In Vendetta's case, she can mix up "fiends" in a pot using ingredients found around the house, a pack of Insta-Fiend, and an extrememly useful recipe book. The fiends are endowed with whatever powers she chooses -- touching them might make you bigger or smaller or cause a shock -- and most are ready to chow on other Clamburg inhabitants. Vendetta particularly wants to "destroy" Charlotte (Amy Winfrey), an annoyingly sunny, oblivious girl who can charm even the worst fiends that Vendetta cooks up.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (7):
Kids say (33):

The dialogue is simple, the animation is intentionally scribbly and dark, and the color palette is limited. The whole thing looks like a kid's flip book. And yet it's funny -- funny for the kind of parents who think Dexter's Laboratory is funny, and funny for any kid old enough to handle the weirdness of rooting for a patently bad girl who will never win and with nothing but a secret, lingering fear of monsters under the bed.

The humor is mainly just the goofiness of watching the fiends fail -- they're too slow to catch their prey, or they accidently eat one another -- and the wobbly artwork (the show is based on a Web series created by Winfrey). It's not gross or political or even gory, and although it's dark -- and looks dark -- it's a beginner's sort of dark. Because no matter how cynical Vendetta's outlook or how random the results of her machinations seem, she'll never ever actually win.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why "bad guys" are sometimes more likable and sympathetic characters than "good guys." Is it wrong to hope that a "villain" will win? How often does that actually end up happening in most TV shows and movies? What about in real life? Families can also discuss the show's sheer absurdity. How do the show's art and animation make the fiends even funnier -- and the humor more universal? There aren't many shows that both a parent and a kid laugh at for the same reasons. What makes this one work?

TV Details

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