Fred Figglehorn, folk hero of the tween beat
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
If you are older than 12, you may not have heard of Lucas Cruikshank, but the cheerful, ambitious 17-year-old from the Midwest is a folk hero of tween culture; his devoted followers a pint-sized answer to Lady Gaga’s little monsters.
For the last few years, he has been posting homemade videos to YouTube as his alter ego, an insane (and insanely shrill) 6-year-old named Fred Figglehorn. Via a digitally sped-up voice and a manic persona, Fred repels adults while delighting kids with his high-pitched lunacy. His YouTube channel has nearly 2 million subscribers and his videos have been watched nearly 600 million times in the last five years.
On the strength of his online fan base, Nickelodeon has snapped up Cruikshank and given him his very own multi-camera, multi-actor TV movie, ‘Fred’ (premiering Saturday), as well as a Mork-and-Mindy-esque sitcom called ‘Marvin, Marvin,’ scheduled for 2011.
Cruikshank discusses his character and his plans in this profile of the YouTube auteur-turned-Nickelodeon-star. And while you’re at it, check out this guide to fall kids TV highlights.
— Joy Press
RELATED:
Fred’s Lucas Cruikshank building a tween empire
Fred’s YouTube channel is programming for kids by kids
