Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (often referred to simply as Fat Albert) is an American animated television series created, produced, and hosted (in live action bookends) by comedian Bill Cosby, who also lent his voice to a number of characters, including Fat Albert and himself. Filmation was the production company for the series. The show premiered in 1972 and ran until 1985 (with new episodes being produced sporadically during that time frame). The show, based on Cosby's remembrances of his childhood gang, focused on Fat Albert (known for his catchphrase "Hey hey hey!"), and his friends.The show features an educational lesson in each episode, emphasized by Cosby's live-action segments. In addition, at the end of the early episodes, the gang typically joins in their North Philadelphia junkyard to play a song on their cobbled-together instruments, summarizing the show's lesson.The New York Times noted that the show "enjoyed enormous success" throughout its run. The show's success led Cosby to create a second animated series, Little Bill, in the late 1990s. Little Bill was intentionally designed to be visually different from Fat Albert, while retaining similar educational lessons and roots in Cosby's childhood experiences.