Tutenstein
Year:
2003-2008
Running time:
22 mn
Number of Seasons:
3
Episodes:
39
Genre:
Adventure, Comedy, Historical
Nationality:
USA
Language:
English
Platform:
Yippee TV
Director:
Jay Stephens, Rob LaDuca, Bob Richardson, Bruce D. Johnson
Producer:
PorchLight Entertainment, Discovery Kids, Telegael
Screenwriter/s:
Brooks Wachtel, Anne D. Bernstein, Jay Stephens, John Behnke, and others
Cast:
Other websites:
Trailer:
Summary
Based on a comic book series by Jay Stephens, this program follows the 10-year-old pharaoh Tutankhensetamun (inspired by King Tutankhamun), who is accidentally brought back to life 3,000 years after his death in a natural history museum. From that point on, the series focuses on his adventures in learning about life in the modern world (Rotoscopers Review).
Tutenstein’s main cast: Cleo, Tutankhensetamun, and Luxor (Source: https://epguides.com/Tutenstein/)
The room at the museum where Tutenstein’ sarcophagus rests. Hieroglyphic inscriptions with the epithets “King” and “Son of Ra” and cartouches can be seen in the background. The character is holding Tutenstein’s was sceptre (Screenshot by author)
Egyptian gods: Anubis, Ma’at, Osiris, Thoth, and Seth (Screenshot by author)
Egyptian goddesses: Sekhmet drinking a red ointment, alluding to the story The Destruction of Humanity, and Isis and Tutenstein playing senet (Screenshot by author)
Egyptomania narratives or motifs
Tutenstein is filled with many motifs from Ancient Egypt and uses many aspects from Egyptian culture and Egyptomania as narrative devices for every episode. The main character, a mummified and fictional king Tutankhensetamun (called Tutenstein due to his resemblance to Frankenstein), is represented with many bandages, rotten flesh, hollow eyes, and wears a shenti and nemes headdress with the uraeus. From the beginning of the series, the importance of his was-scepter is emphasized as a symbol of power that gives legitimation to Tutenstein’s kingship over the entire world and allows him to summon gods. For that reason, the god Seth, the main antagonist of the series, who is depicted as an evil monster resembling the Seth-animal with red eyes and a worn-out tunic, covets the scepter. Numerous episodes are based on his attempts to get it.
Aside from Seth, many other gods from Egyptian mythology appear or are summoned by Tutenstein or other characters. They tend to play secondary roles, which allude to Egyptian mythology and stories (such as Ammyt in the trial of Osiris, Ra in an episode where Tut asks him to stop the sunrise, Sekhmet wanting to take revenge against humanity, Thoth being secretive about his magic scrolls, Hathor or Bes trying to arouse love or beauty in specific characters, etc.).
Another main character, Cleo, the 12-year-old girl who wants to be an Egyptologist and accidentally resurrects Tutenstein, alludes to Cleopatra. Her talking cat is called Luxor and is depicted as a black Egyptian cat with a turquoise and gold collar.
Many other aspects of the Egyptian civilisation are features in several episodes as main plot devices, such as canopic jars, the ushebti, the wadjet eye, the Amduat, the game senet, the ka, the shadow and the ba, snakes and scorpions, the Sed festival, etc. Similarly, several Egyptomania elements also appear in the episodes, such as the use of a resurrected mummy, ghosts, ancient and hidden magic, etc.
Last, but not least, the room where Tutenstein’ sarcophagus dwells is decorated with Egyptian motifs (such as the ankh, royal sitting statues, an Anubis statue, and a winged, golden scarab) and hieroglyphic inscriptions (some of them accurately representing the epithets ‘king’ and ‘son of Ra’ —see screenshot beneath—) or wall reliefs resembling Ramesses II battle reliefs at Abu Simbel.
Aside from Seth, many other gods from Egyptian mythology appear or are summoned by Tutenstein or other characters. They tend to play secondary roles, which allude to Egyptian mythology and stories (such as Ammyt in the trial of Osiris, Ra in an episode where Tut asks him to stop the sunrise, Sekhmet wanting to take revenge against humanity, Thoth being secretive about his magic scrolls, Hathor or Bes trying to arouse love or beauty in specific characters, etc.).
Another main character, Cleo, the 12-year-old girl who wants to be an Egyptologist and accidentally resurrects Tutenstein, alludes to Cleopatra. Her talking cat is called Luxor and is depicted as a black Egyptian cat with a turquoise and gold collar.
Many other aspects of the Egyptian civilisation are features in several episodes as main plot devices, such as canopic jars, the ushebti, the wadjet eye, the Amduat, the game senet, the ka, the shadow and the ba, snakes and scorpions, the Sed festival, etc. Similarly, several Egyptomania elements also appear in the episodes, such as the use of a resurrected mummy, ghosts, ancient and hidden magic, etc.
Last, but not least, the room where Tutenstein’ sarcophagus dwells is decorated with Egyptian motifs (such as the ankh, royal sitting statues, an Anubis statue, and a winged, golden scarab) and hieroglyphic inscriptions (some of them accurately representing the epithets ‘king’ and ‘son of Ra’ —see screenshot beneath—) or wall reliefs resembling Ramesses II battle reliefs at Abu Simbel.
Author: Esperanza Macarena Ródenas Perea
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