Misce-Looney-ous

I Tawt I Taw a Record Dealer

2011-11-21T03:02:00.000-08:00

Now here's a real rarity (via David Gerstein on Facebook). The site QuispQuake Reaction has posted a promotional Christmas record for Capitol Records featuring Tweety and Sylvester (voiced by Mel Blanc) teaming up with radio personality, Baby Snooks. This short record concludes with our favorite cat and canary singing a duet of "Jingle Bells".

Click here to listen!

Sufferin' Stickers!

2011-11-16T19:07:00.000-08:00

Here's a little something our pal Charles Brubaker shared with me on Facebook. This is a set of Looney Tunes stickers from 1993 that broke the trend of using stock clip art and actually seems to have taken poses from the actual cartoons. If you grew up in the 90's, chances are you or someone at your school had these plastered on binders and other stuff. They were everywhere!

Return of the Revenge of the Sequel to the Looney Tunes Commercials!

2011-11-11T16:22:00.000-08:00

Guess what we found? That's right folks, more Looney Tunes commercials! And wouldn't you know it...one of 'em's got Wile E. Coyote in it!

First up, a 1993 British commercial for Walker's Looney Tunes chips. Wile E., via footage from "Zipping Along", tries the "induce a person to jump off a cliff" hypnotism bit on comedian Greg Proops.

And, another Walker's LT tie-in, presumably made around the time of "Space Jam":

Next, a "blooper" segment featuring Foghorn Leghorn. Not sure where it came from, presumably Cartoon Network.

Finally, a 1977 commercial for LT Pepsi glasses at Hardee's restaurants.

Joe Alaskey's Carnival of the Animals

2011-11-09T20:15:00.000-08:00

Most Looney Tunes fans are familiar with Chuck Jones' 1976 TV special "Bugs and Daffy's Carnival of the Animals". It combined the orchestral music of Camille Saint-Saëns and the poetry of Ogden Nash with animation of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, as well as abstract animated musical segments.

It seems there was another "Looney" interpretation of "Carnival", done as a live performance with the West Coast Symphony in 2004. Joe Alaskey performed introductions to the musical pieces as Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, Marvin the Martian and Yosemite Sam. Someone recorded it (or at least most of it), and it's a real gem.

An Ounce of Prevention

2011-10-27T15:18:00.000-07:00

The following public service announcements were a regular sight during kid shows' commercial breaks on local stations throughout the 1980s and well into the 1990s. In the clips below, Bugs tells us of the dangers lurking in the kitchen, from pots of boiling water to dangling power cords; Daffy gives two kids a "burn-prevention quiz"; and Tweety reveals how the bathroom could be the most dangerous room in the house. These spots were actually excerpts taken from a 22 minute film made for the Shriners Burns Institute in 1982 called "An Ounce of Prevention". The new animation was produced by Hal Geer and directed by Gerry Chiniquy.

Don't collect Looney Tunes stuff for over twenty years...or THIS might happen!

2011-10-22T14:36:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of Looney Tunes stuff. Much of it has been featured here before...but I thought it might be fun to round up a whole bunch of it and make a cool still life photo. It doesn't seem like much when it's scattered around on various shelves, in cabinets, boxes, drawers, etc...but put it all together, and it's a Misce-Looney-Ous explosion! Oh, believe me, there's more. "Thisth isth JUSSSTHT a thample, Ruggles!" Click the pictures to make them larger and see closeups of different sections.

The WB Store is Open... in 1994

2011-10-18T13:25:00.000-07:00

As everyone knows... the WB Store is (still) closed.

Let's take a trip back to happier times, way back to the 1990's when you could walk into your local shopping mall and max out your credit cards buying Looney Tunes junk.

A production company sent to cover the 1994 grand opening of the Warner Bros. Studio Store in the Florida Mall in Orlando, FL has uploaded a vintage, slickly edited video of the events of that day on YouTube. Embedding has been disabled, so you will have to click here to view it. Not only does it offer a glimpse of the store's interior and merchandise, but also appearances by a gang of costumed Looney Tunes characters, a marching band, and even basketball star Shaquille O'Neal.

You will also want to check out this Flickr page filled with images of WB Store catalogs and merchandise (the above picture of the now-worthless gift certificate above came from that page).

(above images from Illuminating Concepts website)

TomTom Tunes

2011-10-15T14:20:00.000-07:00

The Looney Tunes GPS voices for TomTom devices have been mentioned on the blog before. Now a "behind-the-scenes" commercial has recently been uploaded by the TomTom folks.

Looney Tunes USB Drives

2011-10-15T04:01:00.000-07:00

Jerry Beck on Cartoon Brew has a short post today on the return of Looney Tunes merchandise. This includes this set of 4GB USB flash drives that I didn't know were available. This first series includes Tweety, Sylvester, Taz, and Speedy Gonzales. More details at the company's website.

Jerry's post also mentions the series of Looney Tunes Mr. Potato Heads which we mentioned in this Misce-Looney-ous posting from a few weeks back and a series of LT laplander hats available at Hop Topic stores.

"Cats and Bruises" (1965) Commentary

2011-10-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

Since you loyal Misce-Looney-Ous readers seem to have enjoyed the cartoon commentaries I've done in the past, I thought you'd be glad to know that I purchased a new computer microphone. It sounds MUUUUCCCCH better than the old one, and I don't have to do as much editing to get the recordings to sound decent. That means you'll be hearing a lot more of me talking over cartoons!

Here's the latest: "Cats and Bruises" (1965).

"Cats and Bruises" (1965) Commentary by MatthewHunter

Zazzle All, Folks!

2011-10-14T16:51:00.000-07:00

If you haven't checked out the Looney Tunes page at Zazzle.com, you're in for a treat. It's almost impossible to find a t-shirt or a coffee mug with a Looney Tunes character on it in a store these days, but thanks to Zazzle, you can actually customize your own online and have it shipped straight to you. It may be the only place in the world to get a Claude Cat t-shirt like mine:

There are all kinds of wonderful images featuring characters familiar and obscure, in all sorts of artistic styles and poses. Whoever put together the library of artwork clearly cared. Careful, it's not cheap...but I'm a satisfied customer just the same!

Sylvester and Bugs for Post Alpha-Bits

2011-10-14T08:43:00.000-07:00

Here's a short bit from a 1961 episode of The Bugs Bunny Show. Bugs and Sylvester, both munching on Post Alpha-Bits, are introducing a commercial featuring a Post postman character (the actual ad they are introducing isn't in the video below).

Salesman Daffy

2011-10-14T03:17:00.000-07:00

Ace Novelty Company salesman Daffy Duck attempts to sell his wares to some new costumers in this promo for Cartoon Network.

(via Thad K)

Coloring Book Revue

2011-10-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

Welcome to a new and possibly recurring series here on Misce-Looney-ous, the Coloring Book Revue. There are hundreds of Looney Tunes-themed coloring books floating around out there and I thought it may be fun to showcase some of them here. Instead of starting off with the good covers, this first post will show some of the more bizarre covers I have come across. For some reason I am oddly fascinated with these coloring book covers of the 1970s and 1980s. It's like a glimpse of the Looney Tunes characters in some sort of weird, alternate dimension.

If you have any Looney coloring book covers (the good, bad, or ugly) you'd like to share... e-mail them to looneyblog at yahoo dot com.

I Tawt I Taw a Pepper Tat

2011-10-12T14:05:00.001-07:00

Tweety and Sylvester make a guest appearance at the end of this Dr. Pepper commercial from 1978.

Super 8 Rabbit

2011-10-10T12:54:00.000-07:00

The United Artists Super 8 film box (circa late 1960s) depicting the very first Bugs Bunny cartoon, 1940's "A Wild Hare".

(image from Tim Hollis' museum Flickr)

I'm Glad That I'm Bugs Bunny

2011-10-08T11:27:00.000-07:00

From 1950, here's Mel Blanc as Bugs singing "I'm Glad That I'm Bugs Bunny".

Blooper Bunny Magazine Covers

2011-10-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

Below are some of the faux magazine covers in honor of Bugs' 51 1/2th anniversary that flash on the screen at the start of the 1991 short "Blooper Bunny" (including one for Better Holes and Gardens which wasn't in the final cartoon).

(artwork from Van Eaton Galleries website)

Speedy and Butch Catsidy

2011-10-04T11:01:00.001-07:00

Here's an odd piece of Warner artwork recently posted on the Van Eaton Galleries website. It appears to be model cel from an unmade Speedy Gonzales cartoon featuring Speedy and an enemy named Butch Catsidy (who looks like the Tasmanian Devil, suggesting that Bob McKimson was going to be involved with this production). Does anyone have any other information?

Wanna Buy a Record from Mel Blanc?

2011-10-03T12:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a promotional film from 1951 for Capitol Records starring Mel Blanc titled "Wanna Buy a Record?". Mel is a frustrated record salesman who gives a reluctant customer (played by Billy May) a tour of the Capitol Records facilities. Sadly, the last five minutes seem to be cut off from this version on YouTube.

Here's one of the many Looney Tunes records featuring the voices of Mel Blanc from Capitol Records, "Bugs Bunny and the Pirate" (1954).

Chuck To Run Amuck in Vegas and Bugs Becomes a Pawn Star

2011-09-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

I don't know when I'll return to Las Vegas, but one thing I am sure I'll make a point to visit the next time I am there is The Chuck Jones Experience which is scheduled to open next month in the Circus Circus casino. According to the press release, "The Chuck Jones Experience, [will utilize] the art, writings and films of Jones, will nurture that spirit of creativity in an environment that is playful, lively, inspirational and educational. The project is being developed by Jones’ grandson, Craig Kausen, Jones’ daughter, Linda Jones Clough, and a group of Chuck Jones fans who have believed in and supported its creation for years."

You can take a sneak peek at the construction on their official Facebook page. Here's hoping that we'll have some coverage of this amazing looking attraction here on Misce-Looney-ous someday!

Speaking of Vegas, a Bugs item was recently featured on an episode of the History Channel reality series, Pawn Stars - which is about the daily dealings of a pawn shop in Las Vegas. The item this guy (below) brought in to sell was a promotional poster from Bugs' 50th birthday (circa 1990) signed by Friz Freleng and Mel Blanc.

An expert was brought in and deemed the piece authentic and valued it at about $500.00. After some haggling, the pawn shop bought the poster for $300.00.

Yeah, not exactly the most groundbreaking item, I know. It's still kind of neat that it was featured on a popular television show and, hey, it fits right in here on Misce-Looney-ous. At the time of this writing, the episode can be viewed on the History Channel's website (Bugs poster segment starts at the 14 minute mark).

Remembering Earl Kress (1951-2011)

2011-09-19T22:40:00.000-07:00

Earl Kress is not a household name to most people. But If you love cartoons, you have more than likely encountered his work. He was a writer, historian, voice actor, archivist, puppeteer, and animation fan. I read a number of obituaries and remembrances today that called him a "renaissance man". That's an accurate label.

As an Emmy Award-winning writer, Earl crafted memorable and hilarious stories for "Tiny Toons", "Animaniacs", "Taz Mania", "Pinky and the Brain", and many others for Warner Bros.. He also worked on the Disney feature "The Fox and the Hound", and numerous Hanna-Barbera cartoons in the 1980's and 90's including "New Yogi Bear", "Yogi's Treasure Hunt", and new "Wacky Races" (Aka "Fender Bender 500") cartoons for the short-lived variety show "Wake, Rattle and Roll". He also wrote for "Transformers", "Ghostbusters" and "Fat Albert", worked on "The Muppets", and most recently worked on new "Tom and Jerry" cartoons and direct-to-DVD movies.

Earl Kress was instrumental in restoring and preserving much of the classic Hanna-Barbera library, tracking down lost footage, credits, music and supplemental material and making sure the DVD releases of the H-B cartoons were done properly. In fact, Kress was widely regarded as the foremost expert on Hanna-Barbera. He knew every character, every show, and not only knew all of the names in the credits, but knew many of them personally. He was a fan, student and personal friend of Daws Butler, and could do most of Butler's character voices spot-on.

But writing some of the finest cartoons ever produced for television and serving as an invaluable preserver and historian of classic animation that inspired him wasn't enough for this man. He was also a comic book writer, penning stories for Bongo Comics' "The Simpsons" series and DC's "Looney Tunes". His stories in the latter are more faithful to the original Warner cartoons than a lot of modern animated revivals, and they're also funny as hell. Earl also wrote the theatrical Looney Tunes short, "Little Go Beep".

Here are a couple of DC Looney Tunes stories he did:

"Pronoun Trouble"

This story could be easily mistaken for a bit of unused material from the classic Chuck Jones Bugs/Daffy/Elmer Fudd trilogy.

Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6

"The Dust Up"

This story from 2006 marked the first (and only) time that the popular "Mary Jane and Sniffles" segment from the golden age Looney Tunes comics ever appeared in modern Looney Tunes comics, or any other medium.

Page 2
Page 3
Page 4

"Deflate Of The Art"
"Duck Dodgers", a Cartoon Network TV series based on the perennial Chuck Jones classic short of the same name, inspired a number of comic book stories in the DC "Looney Tunes" series. Presumably it was supposed to be given its own comic book series, but Warner Bros. and D.C. instead chose to publish these stories in the flagship Looney Tunes book. Earl Kress wrote several of these stories, including this one, and it should be noted that the comics in general were often funnier than the Tv show.

Page 2
Page 3
Page 4

Earl Kress's appearances on the Internet radio program "Stu's Show" were always fascinating, and his devotion to getting classic cartoon voice actors interviewed and their stories told was clear.

I never got the chance to meet Mr. Kress in person, but I encountered him often online. He was a frequent contributor to the Golden Age Cartoons forums as "Daws Butler, Jr.", and I befriended and eagerly followed him on Facebook. While he was always willing to answer a question about his own work or that of his mentors, he never bragged about his own achievements.

But he had a lot to brag about. Earl passed away on September 19, 2011 from cancer. He left us too soon, but he contributed more to the field of animation and cartoons in his 60 years of life than many have in longer lifetimes. He preserved the legacy of his forebears and created quite a legacy of his own.
That’s All, Folks. And Doooon’t youuuu forgeeeeet him!

Bunny and Claude Ride Again

2011-09-18T10:15:00.001-07:00

Yesterday one of those "You Might Also Like..." boxes directed me to an old post featuring a 1969 comic book adaptation of the first Bunny and Claude cartoon. Sadly, the images were no longer working. I got curious to see if I still had them kicking around... and I did! So, if you visit this ancient post, you too can read the comic story again.

For a comparison, here's the original cartoon from 1968.

Start Your Day a Little Bit Better...

2011-09-17T11:10:00.001-07:00

... start your day with a cereal from Post! Bugs and Daffy in a 1960s Bugs Bunny Show-era commercial for Post Toasties.

(via Thad K).

You may have noticed that something new has been added. I installed a little widget that magically suggests somewhat related posts from the vast Misce-Looney-ous archives. It's a fun way to kill some time revisiting the old articles by Matt and myself. Be warned, you'll probably run into some broken images or long-dead YouTube links along the way.

Tweety Hunt and the 2011 Hallmark Round-Up

2011-09-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

What would happen if you crossed our favorite cat and canary with a classic 1980s video game? A YouTube user created a parody video that answers that very question. I can just picture Sylvester sitting on the sofa with his Zapper gun...

Next, on a totally unrelated note, is our annual look at this year's crop of Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments featuring Looney Tunes characters. They aren't exactly the most exciting, featuring yet another Taz and Tweety.

Where's Bugs? Well, the Hallmark folks have again saved him for a "limited edition" ornament (titled One Funny Bunny) which will debut during the weekend of October 8-9.

TNT Bugs Bunny and Pals

2011-09-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

Who remembers when TNT aired cartoons? Way back in the late 1980s and into the 1990s?

Back in those days before there was a Cartoon Network, TNT devoted a good-sized chunk of their daily schedule to cartoon showings... including 90 minutes every weeknight! Their flagship cartoon compilation show, Bugs Bunny and Pals, showcased the entire Turner-owned cartoon library (WB pre-48 shorts, MGM, Popeye, and DePatie-Freleng).

I recently came across this unusual ad from 1990 that I had never seen before. TNT actually put together a commercial for their cartoon block which was aimed at adult viewers.

Sylvester Presses His Luck

2011-09-14T11:56:00.001-07:00

Quick... which well-known cartoon character is famous for muttering the immortal words "Sufferin' succotash!"? You know the answer. Everyone does. Everyone except whoever wrote the question/answer for this episode of the 1980's game show, Press Your Luck. Apparently they caught the goof and at the end of the show tacked on a bit where Sylvester himself (Mel Blanc, of course) calls host, Peter Tomarken, to set the record straight.

NOTE- After the 30 second mark in the video below, skip ahead to the 1 min, 20 sec mark for the Sylvester call.

"No, Daffy Duck steals from me all the time!"

Looney Tunes "Back To School"

2011-09-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a Target commercial for a back-to-school sale at Target from 1993, featuring TV actor Joey Lawrence and a few other animated faces. Notice the trading card promotion at the end...did any of our loyal readers collect any of those?

Car Tunes and Weetabix Redux

2011-09-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

From 1989, here's a commercial for Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera featuring Mel Blanc's son, Noel. Mel and some familiar faces appear at the end of the ad.

This July 13, 1989 article from the LA Times has some of the story behind this ad... which aired after Mel had passed away.

Earlier this week, Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny, died at age 81. Blanc, of course, was a centerpiece to the planned celebration. Blanc's son, Noel, who has been a longtime understudy to his father, will attend scheduled festivities, including a Hollywood party and parade. But there are still some unexpected kinks.

The father and son recently filmed a yet-to-be-aired TV commercial for Oldsmobile. It was scheduled to be part of the familiar "This is not your father's Oldsmobile," ad campaign. The ad has Mel and Noel riding in an Oldsmobile along with several of Warner Bros.' animated characters whose voices Mel created--including Bugs Bunny.

On Wednesday, the Blanc family gave Oldsmobile permission to go ahead with plans to air the commercial this fall. But Oldsmobile officials gathered in Detroit with Leo Burnett ad agency executives Wednesday to discuss whether the ad should be re-shot--or at least re-edited.

As a bonus, here's another commercial. We've posted this one before (a LONG time ago), but here it is again in higher quality. Bugs and Elmer in a 1992 ad from the UK for Weetabix.

Puppets and Potatoes

2011-09-12T07:46:00.000-07:00

Here's another 1970's TV spot, this time for a giveaway that must have been popular. In 1970, Crest/Scope gave away Looney Tunes puppets. I have seen these at flea markets for years, but rarely intact (usually only the rubber heads survive).

I still don't have much to say about the new Looney Tunes Show. However, now available at Walmart to tie-in with the new CN series are Mr. Potato Heads dressed as Bugs, Daffy or Taz. How could we not document these things here at Misce-Looney-ous?

Bugs Bunny Vitamins

2011-09-10T15:12:00.001-07:00

Here's a commercial from 1972 for a product that was around for years: Bugs Bunny Vitamins.

Super Snooper and Jolly Roger

2011-08-17T13:27:00.000-07:00

Two interesting pieces of artwork have been posted for sale at the Van Eaton Galleries website. I wanted to post them here before they disappeared. They reveal some concepts for characters from the Warner-Seven Arts era that never got off the drawing board (the era that gave us Cool Cat, Merlin Mouse, Bunny & Claude, among others). We know about the aborted Keystone Kops series and we've posted about a Lil' Abner TV series that never was. Here we see art for "Super Snooper" (which appears to be a secret agent spoof) and "Jolly Roger" (a pirate who reminds me a little of Yosemite Sam).

Misce-Looney-Ous Commentary: "Wise Quacks" (1939)

2011-07-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

Here's something we haven't posted in a while: a commentary!

I tried a new way of doing these (different software) and it looks like the old way, though kind of a hassle, yielded better quality. But you'll at least get the idea. Enjoy!

Wise Quacks 1939 Commentary by MatthewHunter

Yosemite Skaggs

2011-07-09T08:52:00.000-07:00

Here are two commercials for Skaggs Drug Centers featuring Yosemite Sam. The first from 1976 and the second from 1977.

On the Road Again

2011-06-25T16:12:00.001-07:00

Hey, we're back! You know what that means! We must have found another Road Runner commercial. This one is a 1987 car commercial from Australian for the Holden Barina.

1945 WB Animated US Navy Training Film

2011-03-31T14:48:00.002-07:00

A website called Critical Past has posted an animated 1945 United States Navy training film from the WB cartoon studio which can be viewed here. It is called "Flight Safety: Dive Bombing Crashes" featuring an old curmudgeon named Grampaw Pettibone. While not big on gags like the US Army Private Snafu shorts were, it is always interesting when a piece of previously unknown classic Warner animation turns up.

UPDATE: Jerry Beck has more information on Cartoon Brew.

(Thanks to Termite Terrace poster, WoodpeckerWoody, for posting a link on the GAC Forums).

New Looney Tunes Beanie Babies

2011-03-28T04:09:00.000-07:00

If you are like me, you probably haven't even thought about Beanie Babies since about 1996. They are still around and the folks at the Ty company have now got around to the Looney Tunes. This set of four, featuring Bugs, Daffy, Taz and Tweety, is now available exclusively at Walgreens drugstores.

(Image Removed By Request)

(Thanks to reader HeadIntoSound for letting us know)

RIP Marvin Acme

2011-03-24T12:08:00.001-07:00

Here's an interesting item that caught my eye on eBay recently (and you can Buy It Now for only $1,799.00). A script page from 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit, signed and written on by Mel Blanc, of a scene that wasn't in the final film. This scene is of the funeral of murdered Toon Town founder Marvin Acme, featuring Felix the Cat, Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam as pallbearers and Foghorn Leghorn delivering the eulogy. There are also appearances by Bugs Bunny, Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, and a certain mouse.

If you look closely, you can see Foghorn in this concept drawing of the scene (buried among the extras on the DVD).

A Return to CN and a Return to Death Valley

2011-03-23T11:05:00.000-07:00

Above is a Cartoon Network commercial from 2000 when they got the television rights to the entire Looney Tunes cartoon library. Now we flash forward a decade (and a lengthy hiatus) to remind everyone that the classic Looney Tunes are once again airing daily on CN. Set your DVR for a half-hour every morning at 6:00am and an hour every weekday at 12 noon-1pm EST (the shorts from the 6am half-hour usually repeat the following day on the noon show). Enjoy it while it lasts, since the last time the cartoons were running on CN it only lasted about a month. Word is they are on the schedule through April. Some dedicated fans on the GAC Forums are keeping tabs on what is showing up.

On a totally different subject, I couldn't help but share this great poster for the Road Runner's Death Valley Rally video game which was shared with us by a reader named Sterling. It was actually included in that very issue of Nintendo Power (October, 1992) that we used to illustrate that Roadrunner post from a few days ago with.

Looney Lobby Cards

2011-03-21T09:16:00.000-07:00

A quick post to say that I have been adding images of vintage Warner Bros. promotional and lobby card art to a gallery on the Golden Age Cartoons Facebook Fan Page. As I said on the Facebook page, I'd love to see a big book of nothing but this wonderful artwork someday.

Return of the Roadrunner Commercials

2011-03-21T03:57:00.000-07:00

If you are a longtime Misce-Looney-ous reader, you have probably seen us post one or two commercials featuring the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote. Okay, more like one or two dozen. We've seen them promoting cars, high-speed internet, breakfast cereals, the Yellow Pages, insurance, frozen dinners, credit cards, soft drinks, batteries, gas stations, delivery services, chocolate bars and much, much more. Just when we think we've seen everything, even MORE seem to surface.
Below are two more to add to the ever-growing collection.

First up, an advertisement for Meguiar's "Fast Finish" car wax:

Next, the commercial for the video game The Road Runner's Death Valley Rally for the Super Nintendo. (As seen above, they even made the cover of Nintendo Power magazine when this game came out). Also, Matthew wrote about this game in this early post.

Simply Scrumptious!

2011-03-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

In the late 1970s and into the early '80s, Sylvester was the mascot for 9Lives Dry Cat Food. We've posted one of those commercials in the past, but here are two more. Oh, better hurry and use that coupon above, it expires November 30, 1980.

Foghorn for Geico

2011-03-18T12:42:00.000-07:00

Following in the footsteps of Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn appears in a new commercial for GEICO's car insurance.

Old Glory

2011-03-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

"Old Glory" (1939) has always been unique in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography. A straightforward U.S. history piece featuring Porky as a youngster learning historic milestones from Uncle Sam himself. This gag-free cartoon was directed by Chuck Jones and obvious it was intended to be a special entry. The commentary track with Jerry Beck and Martha Sigall on Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Vol. 2 is a good starting point to learn some of the behind-the-scenes history of this short. Beck recalls reading a press clipping saying how they made many more prints of this short than the typical Schlesinger short (150 prints) and Sigall mentioned how the ink-and-paint department was told that this was going to be a special picture with many different colors being used (they also used all-new cels for this, instead of reusing washed-off cels from previous cartoons).

The picture was announced in April of 1939 (below is a quote from an article titled "Even Porky Pig Goes Patriotic in New Cartoon" from The Milwaukee Journal - Apr 5, 1939):

"Nearly all Schlesinger films are satirical, but "Old Glory" will be played as straight as is consistent with the whimsical notion of Porky sitting on Uncle Sam's knee and listening to stories about Paul Revere, the bill of rights and Yorktown."

While the above article says, "In fact just about the whole cavalcade of American history is being put into a seven minute color cartoon.", a brief blurb in the Theater Gossip section from the May 27, 1939 edition of The Evening Independent seems to suggest that "Old Glory" was going to run longer than that, stating it would be "in two reels and will be a history lesson for children of primary school age." The final cartoon was only one reel, but ran approx. 9 minutes.

However, the longest and most interesting article was a syndicated United Press piece which is excerpted below. Granted I have no idea how much of the following is true and how much is PR hype , but it sounds like Leon Schlesinger himself played the key role in spearheading this short, thinking up the idea for the short in March, 1939. The article claims "Old Glory" was finished in a mere 10 weeks (while the typical cartoon short of the day took 10 months to complete).

First Patriotic Cartoon In Hollywood's History Set for July 4 Release
200 Artists Work 10 Weeks at Full Blast Turning Out "Old Glory"
by Frederick C. Othman
United Press Correspondent

HOLLYWOOD, June 16 --- Leon Schlesinger, the cartoon producer who couldn't draw a picture if his life depended on it, completed today Hollywood's first patriotic cartoon for July 4 release by the brothers Warner, flag-wavers extraordinary.

This is important news for a number of reasons:

1. Schlesinger set an all-time record for speed by producing and photographing 20,000 separate drawings in 10 weeks flat; the average cartoon of the same length takes 10 months to complete.

2. The picture marks an extraordinary turnabout of the old phrase, "From the sublime to the ridiculous." Schlesinger's cartoon went from Porky Pig to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

3. It was an excellent production and included more American history in one reel than ever has been packed together before.
Schlesinger said live actors would have taken a full-length feature picture to tell the same story.

The business of producting a cartoon in 10 weeks, with drawings in full color being made at the rate of 2,000 a week, turned the Schlesinger headquarters inside out. When he thought of the idea in bed one night in March, the boss told his scenarists to write a patriotic story and then he set all his 209 artists working on it. For a full 10 weeks they didn't do a lick of work a merrie melodie or a looney tune, the Schlesinger specialties which he turns out at the rate of 42 a year.

"And it costs me 25 percent more than any other cartoon," he said, "and I'm bound to lose money on it. Only return I'll get is the satisfaction of having made it."

The full story was published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Jun 17, 1939, but I also wanted to include one more quote from Leon from the end of that piece:

"I always figured that I was a business man and that art and business didn't mix. I never saw an artist who could handle his own bank account. And I never saw a business man who was any ready hand with a paint brush. So I merely hired the best artists and writers I could get and let them go to it. It seems to have worked out all right."

Kentucky Fried Foghorn

2011-03-16T05:06:00.000-07:00

Poor Foghorn must have been desperate for cash in 1987. That was the year he sold out and became the spokesbird for Kentucky Fried Chicken. We've showcased one or two of these commercials in the past, but below is what may just be the "complete" collection. Foghorn not only co-stars in spots with Henery Hawk, but also Miss Prissy, Egghead Junior, and even El Toro from "Bully For Bugs". Without further ado here's our favorite rooster shilling for Colonel Sanders.

Petunia Pig for President!

2011-02-04T19:29:00.000-08:00

This 1986 PSA, one of a series featuring Looney Tunes characters discussing the U.S. Constitution, features Porky and Petunia Pig. Petunia wants to be President someday, and proves to the skeptical Porky that it's possible.

Globetrotting Commercial Break

2011-01-29T04:20:00.000-08:00

Bugs and friends in this 1998 French paint commercial, where they visit (and immediately trash) a random woman's house. Why is Sylvester Junior licking the walls?

Bugs sure loved selling Kool-Aid and not just here in the USA. Here are two 1980s era commercials from Mexico.

The Death of Bosko

2010-12-10T00:03:00.000-08:00

We've been looking for this Nickelodeon promo for years. Back in 1992, Nickelodeon got the rights to a number of Looney Tunes shorts they had never shown before. Most were popular, well-known cartoons with major characters, or as they put it, "More of the Looney Tunes YOU want!" Of course, it was an upgrade to have more Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and other favorites, but it came at the expense of the black and white "Bosko" shorts. If it weren't for Nickelodeon, it's quite possible nobody would remember Bosko at all, and those of us who enjoyed the characters' primitive cartoons never quite got over the unexplained slap in the face this commercial gave us. Here, in all its cruel and unusual glory, is the official death of Bosko, the Talk-Ink Kid.

Speedy Goes Broadband

2010-10-25T13:23:00.000-07:00

Here in the United States the Road Runner is used as the mascot for Time Warner Cable's high-speed internet service of the same name. Now in the UK, Virgin Media has just started using Speedy Gonzales in their new ad campaign for their super-fast broadband internet service. The first commercial is below and Virgin has posted an "interview" with Speedy here.

UPDATE: Two more Speedy commercials have surfaced for the Virgin Broadband UK campaign. One features Sylvester, the other features Slowpoke Rodriguez.

The Canyon Kiddies

2010-10-16T05:14:00.000-07:00

I had always known that the 1940 cartoon "The Mighty Hunters" featuring James Swinnerton's Canyon Kiddies characters was intended to be the first in a possible series. However, it wasn't until recently that I realized just how ambitious the original plans for this series were. Here is a brief write-up from Louella Parsons' Tells About Hollywood newspaper column from December 26, 1938:

Jimmy Swinnerton, cartoonist for 47 years and the creator of the famous "Canyon Kiddies," is headed for the movies. Leon Schlesinger, producer of the "Merrie Melodies" and "Looney Tunes," has signed Jimmie to a long-term contract which calls for 13 one-reel technicolor "Canyon Kiddies" annually.

Interesting that it was Marion Davies, who loves the funnies and reads every one of them, should first have suggested the possibilities of the Swinnerton cartoons to Leon. Jimmie and Mrs. Schlesinger leave Tuesday for New York for the remainder of the holidays.

In Leonard Maltin's Of Mice and Magic, director Chuck Jones warmly recalls of traveling to the Grand Canyon with Swinnerton, on their own dime, for inspiration for the cartoon. Swinnerton himself provided fifty oil paintings of the desert landscapes for use as backgrounds (a departure from the traditional watercolor backgrounds used in the normal cartoons of the time). This trip is confirmed in Martha Sigall's book, Living Life Inside the Lines, which includes an excerpt from the Schlesinger studio's in-house newspaper, The Exposure Sheet:

Due to the unusual backgrounds and customs in the new series of Canyon Kiddies Cartoons, James Swinnerton, Chuck Jones, and his story unit, left yesterday morning for the old Indian ruins of Arizona.

Mr. Schlesinger felt it was quite necessary for the department to be familiar with the general atmosphere of the country.

They took a 16 mm camera with which to capture, in color, the Indian dances, settings, and characters. They expect to gather enough material on the old Indian legends for the entire series of cartoons. (Have you ever heard of a cartoon studio going out on location?)

P.S. --- Tex Avery's story unit swear their next picture will have a Hawaiian background!!!

The one and only Canyon Kiddies cartoon was released in 1940. Why the plans for the ongoing series were abandoned, I can not say. Perhaps it was budget reasons or perhaps the Schlesinger crew were naturally moving away from this type of charming, yet Disney-esque, style of cartoon. After all, 1940 would also mark the birth of a superstar named Bugs Bunny. Enjoy the full cartoon below.

For more information, check out the following links:

The Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery has some background on Swinnerton's career and cartoons based on his work.

Larry T's blog has a post showing off some of the original Canyon Kiddies artwork done for Good Housekeeping magazine.

Franklin Mint Plates (1993)

2010-09-30T14:06:00.001-07:00

Just returned with this flea market find: two collector plates that the Franklin Mint put out in 1993 based on "The Scarlet Pumpernickel" and "Rabbit Seasoning". They put me back $15 each, with all the proceeds going to the local cat shelter (which made me feel less foolish for spending $30 on plates that will kill me if I ate food off of them).

The "Pumpernickel" one still had its Certificate of Authenticity:

Does anyone know how many others were in this set? A quick Google search revealed there was also one based on "For Scent-imental Reasons".

"Tale of Two Mice" Original Titles Sighted

2010-09-29T18:42:00.000-07:00

A recent ebay auction offered a film print of Frank Tashlin's 1945 Merrie Melodie, "A Tale Of Two Mice". Sadly, nobody we know snagged it, and there were no images of the credits. There WAS an image of the title card, though!

The only version of this cartoon available on TV and video in the past has been the Blue Ribbon reissue print, which shows the incorrect opening rings and omits the original title art and credits. Below are the images of the original title card, and a link to the Blue Ribbon version of the film itself.

UPDATE (9/30/10): Here is another original title card that surfaced in a recent eBay auction. Coincidentally, it was from the second (and final) cartoon to star the mouse version of Abbott and Costello: Robert McKimson's "The Mouse-Merized Cat" (1946). The auction was for a 16mm copy of the cartoon in black-and-white (the original cartoon was in color, of course), but it still gives us a rare glimpse of the original title. - JHC

What's Cookin', Doc?

2010-09-29T15:57:00.000-07:00

Taking a page from one of my favorite blogs, Yowp: Stuff About Early Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, I thought I would start presenting various odds and ends I have dug up while combing through various online newspaper archives. I have come across a few odd, interesting (to me, at least) and forgotten footnotes in Looney Tunes history. For instance, did you know of Bugs Bunny's failed attempt to break into the themed-restaurant business in the early 1980's (a la Chuck E. Cheese)? Neither did I.

From December 4, 1983:

Restaurants serve up Mel Blanc characters
By Vernon Scott
United Press International

HOLLYWOOD --- If your town doesn't have a Gadgets restaurant, chances are it will within the next year or two, offering an entirely new entertainment program along with steaks, hamburgers and pizzas.
Gadgets is a newly designed national franchise outfit involving Warner Bros. and other corporations with plans for a string of 150 eateries around the country.
So far only Springfield, Ohio and Baltimore have Gadgets in full operation.
What distinguishes Gadgets from other chain restaurants, Howard Johnson for instance, is the entertainment factor.
Diners at Gadgets will see a completely automated 20-minute show every half hour or so featuring 8-foot robots with pre-recorded dialogue and songs.
But the robots are very special and familiar characters indeed: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, Porky Pig, Speedy Gonzales, Tweety Bird and Sylvester, Henery Hawk, Foghorn Leghorn, the Tasmanian Devil and other wackos from the Warner Bros. cartoon factory.
Those who have visited Disneyland are familiar with the autoanimatronics shows featured in the "America Sings" attractions at both theme parks. Gadgets' figures and shows might be compared to them.
The dialogue and music, including close harmony, were recorded by Mel Blanc, who has given voice to movie and TV animated cartoons for more than 45 years.
"Every restaurant will have 50 different entertainment programs, so there won't be a lot of repetition," Blanc said the other day.

What happened? I won't post the full text here (you can find it via this link), but an article the following July in Nation's Restaurant News painted a much less rosy picture about the Gadgets chain. There was behind-the-scene turmoil and high costs were rapidly killing the few existing locations.

Because of high development costs and demographics, Gadgets has altered its original concept of combining the ambience of an eating places and lounge for young adults with a family restaurant that features robotic cartoon characters on a stage. The new concept, Gadgets Cafe, is smaller and does not have the Looney Tunes show. Executives say the original concept will be used primarily as a growth vehicle overseas.

[...]

The cafe concept was rolled out because of space limitations, investment costs and demographics. Some locations were just not large enough to contain the separate dining rooms that feature the stage shows. And in some markets the demographic base was not families with young children--the prime market for the dinner with Looney Tunes--but young adults who preferred a bar atmosphere with current music.

Even in the full-sized Gadgets units, the stage shows have been reduced in frequency to just two to three hours a day. This indicates the trend away from robotics in Gadgets as well as in other restaurant chains.

Gadgets began growing at a time when the interest in computerized animated shows in restaurants was going strong. Most of the companies that were doing well were pizza chains like Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theater and Showbiz Pizza Place, which have suffered great financial difficulties since then.

A search of the web didn't turn up anything else on Gadgets. No blurry photos of the giant robotic Looney Tunes characters, no fuzzy childhood memories posted on nostalgia-themed blogs. It sounds like they really put Mel to work on this idea, and it's a shame that a treasure-trove of audio of Blanc as the LT characters is now probably lost to the ages. If anyone has any more information, photos, etc of this short-lived venture leave us a comment or shoot us an e-mail at looneyblog ---at--- yahoo [dot] com.

Davy Wabbit?

2010-09-28T17:54:00.000-07:00

From an advertisement for Ivey's Department Store printed in the Daytona Beach Morning Journal (Wed. June 1, 1955).

Joe Alaskey's Stand-Up Routine

2010-09-23T19:42:00.000-07:00

In our previous entry, we brought to your attention the new Looney Tunes voice feature on TomTom GPS systems. The voices are provided by Joe Alaskey, who has been providing voices for the Warner Bros. characters since the early 1990's. We've done posts on Alaskey before, but here's a fascinating and hilarious glimpse at his early career as a stand-up comic and impressionist. Don Knotts as Abraham Lincoln? Woody Allen as William Shatner? It gets crazier from there!

Should Have Taken That Left Turn at Albuquerque...

2010-09-23T06:02:00.000-07:00

I admit it, we've been seriously slacking on posting the latest Looney Tunes news flashes here lately... examples: the 3D Roadrunner cartoons, the new Cartoon Network series, the CGI Bugs Bunny movie, and the new Looney Tunes Super Stars DVDs with cartoons in glorious faux-widescreen format. How about the CGI Speedy Gonzales movie starring the voice of George Lopez? No, it was this recent news item that I found too bizarre to pass up posting about: You can now have Bugs Bunny direct you through unfamiliar roads.

Warner Brothers and TomTom have released Looney Tunes voices you can download to your TomTom GPS devices. Bugs and Yosemite Sam are available now... complete with stock Carl Stalling music cues. Daffy, Sylvester, and Pepe Le Pew are coming soon. Click the above link to listen to some samples.

Porky goes to Wackyland to get some Dough for the Do-Do

2010-09-17T15:25:00.000-07:00

Speaking of cool YouTube videos, here's one I posted on the GoldenAgeCartoons Facebook page the other day. I felt it was worth posting here as well. YouTube user xrstoph created this side-by-side comparison video featuring footage from Bob Clampett's classic "Porky in Wackyland" beside the footage from Friz Freleng's 1949 remake, "Dough For the Do-Do". Check it out.

Looney Evolution

2010-09-14T15:53:00.000-07:00

A dedicated Looney Tunes fan on YouTube known as radiobov created this neat video featuring a screenshot from each and every Warner Bros. cartoon from 1930 to 1969 set to a medley of various versions of "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down". It's an interesting six minute look at the evolution of the cartoons, styles and characters.

Looney Tunes Get Active...at McDonald's?

2010-09-10T08:30:00.000-07:00

The United States isn't the only place where the Looney Tunes characters are promoting a healthy/active lifestyle. In France, you can now find "Looney Tunes Active" toys inside McDonald's Happy Meals... wait. What? Here's the now-airing ad featuring CGI versions of Tweety, Daffy and Bugs shooting some hoops with an anthropomorphic Happy Meal box.

Kool Aid, Anyone?

2010-09-09T18:44:00.000-07:00

It's been kind of quiet around here lately. I am going to make an attempt to clean up the dust and cobwebs here on Misce-Looney-ous and post a bit more often. What better way to get back into the swing of things than with one of our favorite topics around here (second only to Road Runner commercials): Bugs Bunny shilling for powdered drink mixes. Here's a 1960s advertisement for pre-sweetened Kool-Aid featuring that wabbit on the package... much to Elmer's disbelief.

Kool-Aid newspaper ad from June 20, 1965. Courtesy of Tim Hollis.

Looney Tunes DC Comics Summer Roundup

2010-08-06T20:09:00.001-07:00

We haven’t talked much about the Looney Tunes comic books lately, mainly since neither of us has gotten around to picking them up. Today I snagged the latest 3 issues, # 187-189.

# 187’s cover story is yet another “Duck Dodgers” adventure, written by Joey Cavalieri and drawn by Walter Carzon. It’s interesting that while the Duck Dodgers TV series these comic stories are based on has long since vanished, the comics themselves keep getting published and given the cover-story treatment. I speculate that the comic stories, which started showing up in the books at the time of the show’s run more than five years ago, were originally supposed to be given their own series of books. For some reason, that never came to pass, and the stories wound up being thrown into the main LT book because, well, they’re THAT good. No offense to the writers and animators of the “Duck Dodgers” TV show, which wasn’t bad at all, but the comic book stories are better. Perhaps someday these stories will wind up in a trade-paperback format compilation, because they really shine on their own.

The rest of the issue consists of two great reprints, both drawn by David Alvarez. Wile E. Coyote steals Marvin the Martian’s gadgets in “Chariots of the Clods”, and Henery Hawk goes after Sylvester and Tweety in “Brown Hawk Down”.

# 188 features a cover story involving Sylvester and Son. Taz and Hippety Hopper escape from an Australian attraction at a circus, leading Sylvester to mistake Hippety for a giant mouse (of course) and Jr. to think Taz is Sylvester. Strange as it sounds, Bill Matheny’s story and David Alvarez’s art are fantastic.

Reprints include “Tazzy Doo”, a “Scooby Doo” parody written by Jesse McCann and drawn by David Alvarez. Foghorn Leghorn plays Fred, Lola Bunny plays Daphne, Petunia Pig fills in for Velma, and Daffy Duck dons the guise of Shaggy, alongside “Tazzy” Doo. “Ragin’ Cage” (Craig Boldman/David Alvarez) is a crazy Sylvester/Tweety chase.

# 189 is, in short, lame. Sylvester and Tweety duke it out as movie critics in the cover story by Arie Kaplan and Walter Carzon. Reprints include a Lola Bunny adventure (By Sean Carolan and Jen Moore with art by Leo Batic) in the land of sea monkeys (don’t ask!) and a 1-page Roadrunner gag by Brett Koth and Mike Decarlo.

NOTE: Beginning with # 188, is seems DC has decided to print the LT books with glossy pages instead of newsprint pages.

Looney TV Spoofs from CN Latin America

2010-07-09T04:44:00.000-07:00

We have showcased some of the clever spots created for Cartoon Network Latin America in the past. Here are two that poke fun at shows on other cable networks. First, a parody of the Discovery Channel's I Shouldn't Be Alive focusing on Wile E. Coyote:

I Shouldn't Be Alive "Wile E. Coyote" from Carlo Olivares Paganoni on Vimeo.

Next, a spoof of A&E's Biography (complete with faux Jack Perkins narration) spotlighting Speedy Gonzales. This is from around 2002:

Speedy Bio from Carlo Olivares Paganoni on Vimeo.

Both these spots were written by Carlo Olivares Paganoni (who posted them onto his Vimeo account) and animated by Hook-Up Animation. Thanks to Misce-Looney-Ous reader Andrés Sanhueza for pointing them out to us via e-mail!

Commentary: "Shamrock N' Roll" (1969)

2010-06-19T20:11:00.000-07:00

I haven't done a commentary for a while, and for some reason I keep getting requests for later 1960's cartoons. To be honest, this isn't a great cartoon, but it's not horrible either. You be the judge!

The Ultimate Race

2010-04-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

From Cartoon Network Latin America, a short piece featuring a "friendly" race between the Road Runner, Speedy Gonzales... and The Flash:

Daffy and Speedy - Reunited at Last

2010-04-24T17:59:00.000-07:00

It's the reunion that nobody has been clamouring for... Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales team-up again for the cover story in the latest issue of DC Comics Looney Tunes, issue #185. "Hold the Cheese!" (written by Bill Matheny and art by Dave Alvarez) has Daffy buying up all the cheese in Mexico and stashes it away in a giant vault, for no reason other than he is a selfish jerk. It doesn't take long for Speedy and his hungry pals to knock on the door looking for some food.

SPEEDY: But, Senor Daffy, you can not eat all of that cheese by yourself.

DAFFY: I'm not eating any of it, bub. I'm lactose intolerant.

The story feels like a parody of the infamous '60s cartoons, plus we get a cameo by Sylvester. Rounding out the issue are reprints from issues #65 and #113. There are two one-page gags with Bugs, Daffy and Elmer titled "Whine and Dine" (Parts 1 and 2), "A Cheesy Afternoon" is a funny story where Hubie and Bertie decide there's nothing left to live for and try to convince Sylvester Junior to eat them (much to his father's dismay) and "Snore Loser" with Claude Cat and Frisky Puppy. Overall a pretty solid issue, especially if you don't have the older issues where the remaining stories originated. It's nice that the Looney Tunes comics are still around, even if we are down to just one new story per month.

Dodgers Dolls

2010-03-17T05:33:00.000-07:00

Matthew reported about a line of new Looney Tunes claw machine plush dolls from a company called Sugar Loaf a few months ago. Recently, I had noticed Duck Dodgers dolls (based on the 2003 TV series) popping up in a couple of the claw machines around here and didn't think anything of it. I figured I was just looking at some leftover merchandise from a few years back. Nope. Those crazy guys at Sugar Loaf have just released a new-for-2010 line of Duck Dodgers plush... now available inside claw machines near you (or, if you don't want to spend all those quarters, there's always eBay).

As you can see, Sugar Loaf went as far as doing dolls of The Martian Queen and even Dr. IQ Hi!!? Not pictured: K-9 and an Instant Martian who are also part of this set.

Bugs and Daffy Presenting at the Academy Awards

2010-03-14T18:23:00.000-07:00

Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck presented the Best Animated short Oscar in 1993. Joe Alaskey provided the voice of Daffy, Greg Burson voiced Bugs.

Comic Strips by Chuck Jones

2010-02-21T18:36:00.000-08:00

Our pal Charles Brubaker has come accross a real rarity: two samples of a comic strip drawn by Chuck Jones in the late 1970's.

Charles tells us:

"For a brief time in the late '70s, Chuck Jones decided to give newspaper syndication a try. He sold a strip called "Crawford" (later retitled "Crawford and Morgan") to Chicago Tribune's syndication arm.

Needless to say, it was short-lived, and for a reason: it was boring. Chuck wasn't doing his best work in the '70s and his good days were behind him.

It didn't run in many papers and they were never reprinted, so copies of it are hard to find. However, I was going through my comic strip collection and found two, so here they are:"

Maybe not Chuck Jones' best work, but these two strips alone put most anything else in the papers these days to shame. If any of our readers have more examples of this rare Jones work, please feel free to share them with us!

Healthy Tunes

2010-02-10T02:28:00.000-08:00

The Looney Tunes characters continue their crusade for healthier kids by teaming up with First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative. An upcoming series of public service announcements will feature Bugs, Daffy, Tweety and Taz alongside a series of professional athletes.

"We are honored that the Looney Tunes characters are supporting Michelle Obama, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council in this campaign to combat the problem of childhood obesity in the United States," said Brad Globe, president, Warner Bros. Consumer Products. "Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety and Taz uniquely deliver this important message in an entertaining way, and are the perfect ambassadors of fun and active lifestyles for families across the country."

The full press release can be found here.

1974 Wonder Bread Trading Cards

2010-02-06T15:19:00.001-08:00

The following images and information come to us from our friend Jerry Beck. He also poses a question: how many more of these were made?

"This week on Facebook I posted five LOONEY TUNES COLLECTORS CARDS I saved from packages Wonder Bread in 1974. I'm sending you the scans if you want to use them on your website.

Does anyone have the whole set? I'd love to see the other cards in this series. I don't even know how many different cards there were. "

Best,

Jerry Beck

Bugs Says No to Drugs

2010-01-27T06:18:00.000-08:00

Here's a real oddity. This is a series of anti-"hard drugs" public service radio spots Mel Blanc recorded as the Looney Tunes characters in the early 1970s (according to YouTube user, "chrisclarkvideos", who uploaded this rare clip). Yes, it's Bugs, Daffy, Porky, Foghorn Leghorn and Yosemite Sam talking about the dangers of doing "smack and downers".

1971 Plymouth Road Runner Commercial

2010-01-21T13:47:00.000-08:00

One of the very first things we posted to this blog was this Plymouth Road Runner commercial from 1969. One from 1968 can be seen in this post. Now here's one from 1971 that I had never seen before (in rather poor quality).

More Old Cartoon Network Treasures

2010-01-10T13:07:00.000-08:00

I found some other cool stuff from Cartoon Network on my old tapes this weekend.

First up, the opening, closing and informational segments from "The Bob Clampett Show" as it aired in 2001:

The Chuck Jones show wasn't very good. It was an "auto-pilot" show on Cartoon Network that often goofed and aired cartoons by other directors. There were no informational segments. But the opening and closing were fun.

In 2001, Cartoon Network had a "Day After Thanksgiving" marathon of the Looney Tunes compilation movies. This is the trailer they aired:

And here's the opening and closing to "Bugs and Daffy":

Enjoy!

Old Cartoon Network Ads and Bumpers

2010-01-09T15:34:00.000-08:00

As hard as it is to believe now, Cartoon Network used to show Looney Tunes regularly and promote the heck out of them. Here are several treasures pulled from the time capsule also known as my big box of VHS tapes. I'm almost done converting all of my taped-from-TV stuff to DVD, but I just had to save this stuff along with it.

First up, here's "Chasers Anonymous", a very funny commercial for "Bugs and Daffy" that ran around 1997.

Daffy (in reused animation from "Duck Amuck") has trouble reading the script for his commercial:

Cartoon Network created these brief animated bumper segments for their "Bugs and Daffy Show". There were multiple color variations for the backgrounds (Usually yellow for a morning timeslot, green for afternoon, blue for evening and black for late night.) Often, an announcer would say something witty over them, other times they had a music cue that was a cross between the Looney Tunes theme music and Raymond Scott's "Powerhouse".

Finally, when Chuck Jones passed away in 2002, Cartoon Network ran this simple, sweet tribute during commercial breaks.

Looney Tunes Theater Policy Trailer

2010-01-02T06:02:00.000-08:00

We've posted this theater policy trailer from the non-USA chain of Warner Cinemas here before. Now, here it is again... this time in English!

Elmer Goes Geico

2009-12-30T05:23:00.000-08:00

Thanks to GAC Forums user "FlapperPrower" for alerting us to a new Geico car insurance commercial featuring Elmer Fudd:

1990 Sylvester Figure

2009-12-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

While I was home in Fort Worth, Texas for Christmas week, I stopped by the Montgomery Street Antique Mall, one of my favorite places to go for old, oddball cartoon memorabilia. I ran across a collection of stuff manned by an older woman in a wheelchair who collected cartoon cat stuff, especially Sylvester. I told her I was interested in the Sylvester figure in the picture below. She was asking 20 dollars for it, and I told her that was a little more than I wanted to pay for it, but that I was a huge Sylvester fan and was already going to buy another of her items. She made a deal and gave me both items for 15 bucks.

This vinyl figure, which has a rotating head, poseable arms and a hat and vest, was made by the Applause company in 1990, and is obviously inspired by both the 1960's "Bugs Bunny Show" and the Dakin Company WB cartoon figures of the same era. As an added plus, he can either wear his hat, or hold it in a "tipping" pose, as I photographed him.

Eat at Joe's

2009-12-21T21:47:00.001-08:00

Nabisco's Bugs Bunny Cookie Clubhouse

2009-12-19T08:06:00.001-08:00

Back in 2007, I did a lengthy post on the history of Nabisco's Bugs Bunny cookies. In that post I mentioned in passing how kids could mail away for a clubhouse kit. I had never actually seen one before... until now. We got an e-mail from Mark Hosking who found our blog while looking for more information about the Bugs clubhouse. He has one in mint condition from 1982 available on eBay as we speak. The thing is pretty impressive and huge. Yes, it was a lifesize cardboard clubhouse decorated with Looney Tunes characters. Check out the eBay link below for more pictures and even a YouTube video.

Click here for the eBay link.

Thanks, Mark!

The Great Santa Claus Caper (1978)

2009-12-18T10:18:00.000-08:00

Time for some more yuletide cheer as our little Chuck Jones Christmas party continues. I have to admit, Jones' later stuff is starting to grow on me. Like the Chipmunks special, here's another Jones take on some existing characters. 1978's The Great Santa Claus Caper was the first of two TV specials Jones did that starred the dolls Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy (1979 saw the Halloween special, The Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile). The story is pretty simple and clearly aimed at kids, but the highlight is a very Wile E. Coyote-esque wolf who plots to make Santa's workship more efficient by covering all the gifts in a substance he calls "Gloopstick". The crazy Gloopstick machine feels very Dr. Seuss-ish to me. The show is filled with the familiar voices of June Foray, Daws Butler, and Les Tremayne. I don't believe either of the Jones "Raggedy Ann" specials have been released onto DVD.

Mel Blanc's Christmas Tree

2009-12-17T18:58:00.000-08:00

In 1953, Mel Blanc recorded a novelty Christmas tune called "Christmas Tree". An adaptation of the old German teaching song "Schnitzelbank", it gave Blanc the opportunity to sing in the character of a crazy German professor. It inspired one kid named L. Rapchak. It inspired him so much, in fact, that 50 years later, he decided to create a Youtube video. The backstory he gives at the beginning explains the rest, but it's absolutely hysterical.

A Chipmunk Christmas

2009-12-16T21:20:00.000-08:00

When you think of Alvin and the Chipmunks, the only things that usually come to mind are the original Christmas song that launched a million cornball records and bad cartoons. Most recently, they've made their way into bad CGI movies too! But not many people realize that in 1981, Chuck Jones lent his inimitable charm to a Christmas special featuring the musical rodent trio. In the 1970's and 1980's, Chuck Jones created a number of works for television that have been largely forgotten and underappreciated. As with the "Merry Cricket" special Jon drew attention to in our last entry, Jones took a break from his anarchic Looney Tunes past and focused on telling a good story with great animation. The result is a rarely-seen take on Alvin and the Chipmunks, but possibly the best of all.

Excuse the poor quality and overlap of the segments, but this is all I could find of this rare Holiday treat. Fans of the 1960's Chipmunk cartoons should keep an eye out for a dream sequence featuring the inventor Clyde Crashcup, who in Jones' interpretation looks a lot like Dan Backslide from the classic Merrie Melodie short "The Dover Boys"!

A Very Merry Cricket (1973)

2009-12-15T05:28:00.000-08:00

We all know Chuck Jones' classic TV special based on Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, but I thought it might be fun to revisit some of Jones' other Christmas-related cartoons during the next few days.

During the 1970s, Jones independently produced a few TV specials including the one below. 1973's A Very Merry Cricket is actually a sequel to an earlier Jones special A Cricket in Times Square based on the book by George Selden. Don't worry, if you haven't seen the first one, you'll get a recap in this. It features the voices of Les Tremayne and Mel Blanc and is actually quite charming.

Six of these Jones television specials (including all three "Cricket" cartoons) have been gathered on a single DVD release titled The Chuck Jones Collection.

"The Fright Before Christmas" (1979)

2009-12-12T19:02:00.000-08:00

Keeping up the Christmas theme we've got going here, I think it's appropriate to bring attention to this short from 1979. It was originally part of the "Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales" TV special, which can be found in its entirety on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection 5 DVD.

This short marked the first time anyone other than Robert McKimson (who passed away two years prior) had attempted to do a cartoon with the Tasmanian Devil. Friz Freleng stepped up to the plate and knocked one out of the park. While some of the animation is a little wonky, Freleng's wit and timing are still there, and Taz is put to good use as an accidental Santa Claus imposter. The fun of it lies with the idea of Bugs immediately seeing through Taz's disguise, but playing along anyway. The special isn't shown much anymore, in fact it will be shown on TV in its entirety for the first time in at least 5 years on Cartoon Network this month. But this particular short has been rerun many times over the years, and helped establish the once-obscure Taz as one of Warner bros.' most popular stars.

Sylvester and Tweety Portuguese Car Commercial

2009-12-04T19:25:00.000-08:00

Here's a Portuguese car commercial featuring Sylvester and Tweety. Can't tell you much more about it than that, but it has some nice animation of "Titti e Silvestro". And you thought we were gonna post another Road Runner commercial, didn't you?

A Musical Interlude

2009-12-04T06:39:00.001-08:00

Christmas Village People

2009-12-03T14:39:00.001-08:00

Here's one of the odder Looney Tunes Christmas related items I have stumbled across. You know those elaborate, expensive ceramic Christmas villages? Would you believe that the folks at Department 56 made a set of Looney Tunes characters you could plop down in the middle of your village? Needless to say, I didn't pay anywhere close to the $40.00 (!) retail price that they asked for these guys in 2001. I found it over the summer at a flea market for about $5, and have been hanging on to it until now to post here.

The craziest thing is, Bugs, Taz, Tweety & Sylvester come with this realistic kid and Mom (who is taking a picture of her child). I would think a quartet of random cartoon characters would look a little out of place in your Christmas village. Maybe these are supposed to be statues of the Looney Tunes and not the "real" Bugs, Tweety, etc. It isn't very clear. The set also came with a theater marquee (boasting a LT cartoon festival) that could fit onto a Department 56 movie theater (sold separately, of course).

The figures look nice. Here's a picture of my cat preparing to devour Sylvester.

Deck the Halls, Doc

2009-12-02T05:58:00.000-08:00

If Matthew's weakness is Looney Tunes PVC figures, I guess mine would be Looney Tunes Christmas ornaments. I dug out the ol' holiday decorations a couple days ago and snapped this group shot of most of my LT tree ornaments. Most of them were made by Hallmark over the years. It's hard to pick a favorite, but I really like the miniature replica of the vintage '50s "Porky's Lunch Wagon" lunch box (complete with thermos!) and the one with Bugs and Tweety eagerly watching Looney Tunes on their TV (it even plays a snippet of "Merrily We Roll Along"). You'll even notice this year's "Rabbit of Seville" ornament in there (I gave in and paid full price for it... instead of waiting until the post-Christmas clearance sales).

Update on new Looney Tunes Claw Machine prizes

2009-12-01T18:52:00.000-08:00

If you have a couple bucks to gamble, have a claw machine near you, and love Looney Tunes, keep a lookout! As reported previously, claw game company Sugar Loaf has been producing stuffed Looney Tunes character dolls...but on a grander scale than I thought!

The photo below shows my conquests so far: Road Runner, Pepe Le Pew, Daffy Duck, Marvin Martian, and Elmer Fudd.

But that's not all! Other characters I have seen include:

Wile E. Coyote
Foghorn Leghorn
Yosemite Sam
Tweety
Taz
Bugs Bunny
K-9

Good luck!

Bosko's Parlor Pranks (MGM, 1934)

2009-12-01T16:21:00.000-08:00

Here's a Harman and Ising rarity featuring our old friend, Bosko. This was actually their first cartoon for MGM after leaving Warner Bros./Leon Schlesinger. This was also only one of two cartoons where Bosko retained the same design as in Harman & Ising's WB cartoons. What makes this cartoon interesting is that it is a pure cheater cartoon! Nearly every bit of footage is recycled from old WB Bosko cartoons. It feels like watching Bosko's "greatest hits" reel (in color!)... see if you can ID where H&I lifted the footage in 1934's "Bosko's Parlor Pranks":

Porky Portrait

2009-11-23T08:02:00.000-08:00

The Wichita Eagle has posted a profile of Kansas native and Termite Terrace legend, Melvin "Tubby" Millar

The town of Portis, Kansas has a limestone memorial dedicated to Millar and Porky Pig:

(Image from this Flicker page.)

Can the Honey Nut Cheerios Bee Save the Road Runner?

2009-11-21T05:42:00.000-08:00

From the 1980s, will Wile E. choose the Road Runner or Honey Nut Cheerios??

Looney Tunes Return to Cartoon Network 11/15/09

2009-11-10T14:40:00.000-08:00

Yes, you read that correctly.

The classic Looney Tunes shorts are returning to Cartoon Network this Sunday. The return kicks off with a six-hour marathon from 1pm-7pm (ET, PT). Starting the following day, CN will run an hour of Looney Tunes each weekday from 11am-noon (ET, PT). A schedule of shorts isn't available yet, but I will update when it does. So, cancel all your plans for Sunday and enjoy the return of Bugs, Daffy, Porky and friends.

UPDATE: A partial schedule is now available, I have posted it on the Golden Age Cartoons forums. CLICK HERE

Below is a promo the network has been running for the Sunday marathon. It pokes a little fun at the characters' absence from the network in recent years.

Love is in the Air

2009-11-07T13:51:00.000-08:00

The Looney Tunes news keeps rolling in!

Remember earlier this year when the state of New Mexico had a float in the Rose Parade featuring the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote? Well, the state's float for 2010 will feature another Chuck Jones creation: Pepe Le Pew!

You can see the video of the float design's unveiling onYouTube.

Merrie Melodies

2009-11-06T17:01:00.000-08:00

It looks like Bugs Bunny will be returning to TV soon. I am waiting to get some more information to pass along here and on the GAC Forums, but Looney Tunes are now showing up on various TV listings as airing on Cartoon Network starting on November 15. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, here's the introduction to Merrie Melodies Starring Bugs Bunny and Friends a compilation show that aired on Fox in the early 1990s. This fast paced intro was done by Darrell Van Citters' crew and features a number of cameos by both major and minor favorites from the Looney Tunes universe. If it looks familiar to you, it was later reused (with different theme music) by Kids WB for their own show called That's Warner Bros.!.

It's that time again! Another Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote commercial!

2009-11-04T15:52:00.000-08:00

Just when we thought there couldn't possibly be any more commercials out there featuring Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, Jon found this little gem buried in an ancient commercial break posted by a Youtube user. I've made it easier for everyone by editing the other ads out and isolating it for your viewing pleasure.

Wile E. Coyote discovers that the Donnelly Directory Yellow Pages have "Every number for every service". At least, they did when they existed back in 1988!

Dance to the Beat of Looney Tunes!

2009-11-04T05:12:00.000-08:00

Hey, it looks like Mise-Looney-ous is showing some signs of life again! To keep the momentum going, here's a follow-up to the hilariously awful album cover Matthew posted the other day. Thanks to reader Silvia Santis who e-mailed us the following. Yes, there was another one...

I Fought The Claw...

2009-11-03T18:24:00.000-08:00

...And I won! I got lucky at the the claw machine in my local grocery store today and managed to snag 2 nice looking Looney Tunes characters, each on the first try. Each is about 12 inches tall. Total cost: $1.00!

(Click for larger picture)

I managed to snag Pepe and Elmer, but there was also a Marvin Martian who was too close to the glass wall to grab. These are brand new, dated 2009, and made by "Sugar Loaf", the company who makes the machines themselves. As a nice touch, the little hang-tag has the characters' name on the back. Helpful, I suppose, for kids who have never seen a Looney Tune. That's probably a lot of kids, sadly.

Ugliest Looney Tunes Artwork Ever?

2009-11-02T13:07:00.000-08:00

We've highlighted some ugly artwork and merchandise featuring the Warner Bros. cartoon gang in the past. Over the weekend, Jerry Beck sent me something that makes even the old public domain video covers look like Golden Age masterpieces!

"I'm passing this to you for use on your blog (from Terry Guy) - have you EVER seen this hideous piece?:

Also, Terry Guy's flickr photoset features a bunch of pictures taken at the Museum of Modern Art Looney Tunes exhibit back in 1985:

MOMA Looney Tunes Exhibit

Check out all his photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryviews/sets/72157609017867008/

-Jerry Beck"

As Terry Guy describes the ugly record cover:

"My vinyl-collecting buddy Anton gifted me with this oddity, "A sampling of the albums released in January 1972 by Warner/Reprise, programmed especially for in-store play." Includes tracks by Frankie & Johnny, Claudia Lennear, Deep Purple, Linda Lewis, Richard Thompson, Dionne Warwick, The Beach Boys, Ralph McTell, Alexis Korner & Snape, Gram Parsons, Wilderness Road, Barbara Keith, Paul Stookey.

So, none of it is cartoon music, and I've never gotten around to playing the two discs in the album, but I continue to marvel at the unique representations of these characters."

I will say this for it, it's a funny image, just not in a GOOD way! The Looney Tunes characters playing in a band for a music sampler put out by Warner Bros. is a clever idea, but the drawings look like what might happen if the characters aged 20 years and were stuck playing on a washed-up rock stars nostalgia circuit. Bugs is in need of a facelift, Porky's clearly battling depression and alcoholism, Daffy's years of drug use have rendered him a shadow of his former self, and Sylvester's explosive weight gain is cause for concern. Whey there are five identical Tweeties above them, it's impossible to say...but he's looking a little strung out himself.

Oh, the shame of it!

2009-10-29T05:20:00.000-07:00

Want to make your dog hate you this Halloween? Make him wear THIS: