Editing The Proud Family (section)

=== Origin and development ===
{{Quote box
| quote = "Growing in [[Los Angeles|L.A.]] in a family of six kids, we had some crazy episodes, and I thought it would be a cool idea to bring all that stuff to the screen. I wouldn't say it's edgy the way ''[[South Park]]'' is edgy–it's edgy but it has a heart."
| author = [[Bruce W. Smith]] on his interview with Charles Solomon, ''[[The Los Angeles Times]]''<ref name="losangelestimes"/>
| width = 35%
}}
American animator and character designer [[Bruce W. Smith]] had previously directed the animated film ''[[Bebe's Kids]]''.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Duffy |first=Mike |date=September 10, 2001 |title=Disney animates a black 'Family' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/361433062/ |access-date=January 9, 2024 |work=[[Detroit Free Press]] |pages=52, 55}}</ref> Based on comedian [[Robin Harris (comedian)|Robin Harris]]' [[stand-up comedy]] act of the same name,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lenburg |first1=Jeff |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816038312/page/168/mode/2up |title=The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons |date=1999 |publisher=Checkmark Books |isbn=0-8160-3831-7 |pages=168–169 |access-date=June 6, 2020}}</ref> it was the first animated film to be targeted at a [[Black people|Black]] audience.<ref name="losangelestimes">{{Cite news |last=Charles |first=Solomon |date=January 1, 2000 |title=Jambalaya Studio Planning to Put More Color in Animation |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/161534615/ |access-date=January 9, 2024 |work=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |pages=61, 64}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> Released on July 31, 1992, by [[Paramount Pictures]], it was a [[box-office flop]], and it received negative reviews from critics.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bebe's Kids |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bebes_kids |access-date=January 9, 2024 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]]}}</ref> Since the 1970s, only a few animated series had an [[African Americans|African-American]] focus, including ''[[Little Bill]]'' in 1999.<ref name=":1" />

In 1999, Smith co-founded [[Jambalaya Studios]] with [[Hyperion Pictures]] to bring more "racially and ethnically" diverse animated projects to television, movies, and the internet.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="adalian19992">{{Cite web |last=Adalian |first=Josef |date=October 5, 1999 |title=Jambalaya cooks up multi-ethnic toons |url=https://variety.com/1999/tv/news/jambalaya-cooks-up-multi-ethnic-toons-1117756300/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220110000846/https://variety.com/1999/tv/news/jambalaya-cooks-up-multi-ethnic-toons-1117756300/ |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |access-date=January 9, 2024 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Byrne |first=Bridget |date=June 6, 2003 |title=Animator draws on diversity |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/177920681/?terms=the%20proud%20family&match=1 |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=[[Florida Today]] |pages=37}}</ref><ref name=":11">{{Cite news |last=Canemaker |first=John |date=September 2001 |title=In living color |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/231030868 |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=[[Print (magazine)|Print]] |pages=18 |volume=55 |issue=5 |issn=0032-8510 |id={{ProQuest|231030868}}}}</ref> ''The Proud Family'' was the first project created for the company.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":11" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Washburn |first=Mark |date=September 20, 2001 |title='Proud Family' diversifies Disney |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/630259553/?terms=the%20proud%20family&match=1 |access-date=January 11, 2024 |work=[[The Charlotte Observer]] |pages=65}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> The series started development in 1998.<ref name="losangelestimes" /> Smith was inspired to create the series because he did not see the characters of color represented in animation.<ref name=":10">{{Cite news |date=February 9, 2004 |title=ANIMATOR BRUCE SMITH GIVES BLACKS SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/199967591 |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=[[Jet (magazine)|Jet]] |publisher=CVG Group LLC |pages=19 |volume=105 |issue=6 |issn=0021-5996 |id={{ProQuest|199967591}}}}</ref> Upon creating the series, Smith drew his experiences with a middle-class African-American family in [[Los Angeles]].<ref name="losangelestimes" /><ref name=":1" /> The conception of the series was also inspired by his fatherhood of three children.<ref name=":1" /> In 2000, Smith told Charles Solomon of ''[[The Los Angeles Times]]'' that he wanted to create a middle-class African-American family that was "not so much [[The Cosby Show|Cosby-esque]] as Cosby-esque with a really interesting slant."<ref name="losangelestimes" /> The name of the series was inspired by his meeting with co-founder Tom Wilhite when Smith showed him the main characters drawn in a family portrait.<ref name=":2" />

The series' lead character, Penny Proud, was partially based on Smith's daughter Rachel.<ref name=":1" /> According to Smith in 2001, he saw the series as an instructional video to his daughter.<ref name=":0" /> Oscar's mother, Suga Mama, was named after Smith's mother, Mary, who disliked being called "grandma".<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> His mother's personality traits were also included for the character,<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |date=November 6, 2002 |title=Naturally Drawn to Cartooning; 'Proud Family' Gives Nod to African American Culture |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/409402853 |access-date=January 14, 2024 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |issn=0190-8286 |id={{ProQuest|409402853}}}}</ref> including her "bold spirit".<ref name=":2" /> Oscar and Trudy Proud were based on Smith and his wife Denise.<ref name=":2" /> Papi Boulevardez's physical appearance was inspired by [[Cesar Romero]] as the [[Joker (character)|Joker]] in ''[[Batman (TV series)|Batman]]'' (1966).<ref name=":2" />