Stan Lee has been known by many monikers over the years. There’s Smilin’ Stan, Stan The Man, the Generalissimo, and his most recent nickname… THE KING OF CAMEOS. The newest designation clearly comes from Stan’s famous appearances in Marvel’s MCU blockbuster movies. But did you know there’s a whole plethora of Stan Lee cameos that often get overlooked?
Today we’re going to take a gander at some of Stan Lee’s lesser known cameos he made in television series over the decades. Here are our TOP 5 TERRIFIC TV TALES featuring Stan The Man!
Muppet Babies
The animated Muppet Babies has a special place in the hearts of children of the 1980s and 90s. The series, which ran from 1984 to 1991 and continued on for years in syndication, revolved around the nursery room adventures of childhood versions of The Muppets. The series focused on the power of imagination, often incorporating footage from live-action movies such as Star Wars, Ghostbusters, and Indiana Jones. A little-known fact about Muppet Babies is that it was produced by Marvel Productions. So, it made perfect sense that Stan Lee would cameo in the 1989 superhero-themed episode “Comic Capers.” Rolf and Skeeter, both dressed as Spider-Man, swing through New York and lose control of their web shooters, firing them out of a comicbook page and into a live-action Stan Lee’s face!
The Simpsons
Stan always had a great relationship with The Simpsons and its creator Matt Groening. So much so that he appeared three times in the series! Stan’s first two cameos on The Simpsons are well known. In his first appearance Stan materializes inside Springfield’s local comicbook store and refuses to leave. In his second, Stan marries off Comic Book Guy to his girlfriend Kumiko. But audiences rarely realize that Stan had a third cameo in the long running animated series. In the 2017 episode titled “The Caper Case,” Stan appears in the opening couch gag where the Simpson family spoofs The X-Men. As the cartoon characters gather dressed as the merry mutants, Stan inexplicably walks into the living room and shouts out: “There’s nothing too short that I can’t cameo!”
Chuck
Chuck was a beloved cult classic TV series that ran from 2007 – 2012. The show was about a nerdy Los Angeles computer repair guy who accidentally downloads confidential government secrets into his brain. In the 2011 episode called “Chuck Versus the Santa Suit,” the title character Chuck is attending a CIA office Christmas party. Stan Lee plays himself, revealing that he also happens to be an undercover CIA agent. He enters the scene and attempts to flirt with military General Diane Beckman, played by Bonita Friedericy. Diane rejects him and Stan hands her some mistletoe and woefully walks off screen.
Entourage
The immensely popular HBO series that follows the career of a young Hollywood actor navigating the entertainment business featured countless cameos of real-life celebrities. In a Season 7 episode called “Bottoms Up,” A-Lister Vince Chase is going through a bit of a self-destructive phase. He has a meeting with Stan Lee about playing one of his superhero characters called Airwalker, but the thespian sabotages his chances with bad behavior. A fun fact about this cameo is that it was actually shot in Stan’s real-life office at POW! Entertainment.
Fresh Off the Boat
Fresh Off the Boat follows young Eddie Huang and his Taiwanese-American family who have moved to Orlando to open a cowboy-themed restaurant. In the 2017 episode called “Pie vs. Cake,” Eddie and his brother Emery try to work together to create a comicbook for a contest judged by Stan Lee. The episode ends with Stan at his desk receiving a copy of the comic titled The Adventures of Persuader & Blazer Boy. The comic blows Stan’s mind as he hams it up and exclaims, “By the Golden Hammer of Thor! Look at this! Wow!”
There you have it! Our top five lesser known Stan Lee TV cameos. Did we overlook any of your favorites? Heroes perhaps? Or maybe Eureka? We know there are a ton more! Tune in next time when we’ll be highlighting a group of obscure movies where Stan unexpectedly steals the show. Excelsior!