The art form that had the biggest impact on my mind during childhood was TV cartoons. Yes, art form. And I will also say that cartoons were responsible for the stimulation of however much creativity I was endowed with.
I was born in 1959, and during the sixties it was the Asinine Age for live action sitcoms but also the Golden Era of Cartoons. I remember first watching Gilligan’s Island at age five and saying “This is dumb” to my mother and seeing relief in her eyes. I nearly died from lead poisoning when I was a toddler because toddlers put everything in their mouths including lead-based paint chips. My reaction to Gilligan gave Mom hope that my mind had not been derailed by that early accident. My big brother, however, went wild for Batman, which made me wonder if he ate the same paint chips and didn’t get off as lucky as I had.
But I loved cartoons. Not all of them, but I still rated the dumbest Terrytoon higher than Gilligan and Green Acres. Until the age of ten or so, they were the cultural center of my existence. And that must have begun even longer back than I can remember. The oldest memory I have that can be pinned to an actual date is the Kennedy assassination, which happened when I was four. Being four, I had no idea who JFK was or what he did or what had happened to him that was so important that it preempted my cartoons for an entire weekend with wall to wall news. Even though I had just realized that I was, evidently, I already had built my world around cartoons.
Of course I had my preferences. I enjoyed most of the Looney Toons. My favorite individual was Wile E Coyote. The Roadrunner got on my nerves. Despite substantial evidence to the contrary, I kept rooting for Wile E, whose brand loyalty to the Acme Corporation foreshadowed Amazon. And there was something about the quiet “foom” and dust cloud his body made after a long fall off a mesa that I still find funny to this day; the stories always went bad for Wile E, but they got there with creativity. Popeye, however, was for the truly brain damaged because it didn’t take long to understand that every single Popeye cartoon followed the same story arc ending with Popeye singing his little song after kicking Bluto’s ass. Only the offense would vary.
Ah, where have you gone Secret Squirrel, Wally Gator, Tennessee Tuxedo and Top Cat? And I keenly recall Rocket J Squirrel and Bulwinkle being on Sunday–an oasis in a desert composed of religious programming and football. And I recall a strange sadness at the end of the show knowing that was it for the week. (In those distant years before cable only The Flintstones were on after school. For years and years. Show me the first ten seconds of any episode and I will tell you what it is about.)
I never got into the action things, obviously aimed at boys–Jonny Quest, Fantastic Four and Spiderman were, in my opinion, for people who smelled bad due to an infestation of cooties.
Strangely, to me anyhow, I was for Dick Dastardly, Simon Bar Sinister and green Ratfink– all of them were bad guys (the only bad girl I recall was the one on Josie and the Pussycats, with the Skunk colored hair). Rooting for evil caused me to wonder if there was something wrong with me, then Scooby Doo would say something monumentally stupid and I’d get over it. Plainly, I’ve always disliked the good guys because they are sooooo boring. And although it may be heresy, I developed an early, intense hatred for Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse. Smug little pricks. Neither can hold Foghorn Leghorn’s or Honest John’s colostomy bags as far as I’m concerned. And don’t you get me started on doormat girl friends like Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck.
Eventually, growing up moved me away from cartoons and toward music. And looking back at something fifty years gone can be a bit depressing, so I hold onto it mostly in memory. Now, many fine adult animation series have come around that I’ve enjoyed: The Simpsons; King of the Hill; Beavis and Butthead and Futurama–but they arrived too late to completely win me over because my heart will always belong to Wile E. Coyote.
Surprise! At the end of this wrap are related lists as well as a clip I hadn’t seen since the third grade.
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This week I am going to introduce six writers instead of the usual five. That’s because Michael Bloor appeared on The Sunday Whatever this week (for me weeks run Sun-Sat). Mick excels at this sort of writing–informative yet it has a light and deft touch that pleases as is clearly evident in What’s In a Name.
Newcomer Carol Willis opened the workweek on Monday. Laws of Attraction is a wonderful little thing that reminds us to thy own self stay true. Sometimes the reminder must come from the other side of the grave to make the point stick.
Poetic Antony Osgood returned and made a normally dull Tuesday a magical place. On Warmoesstraat, a Triptych is such a beautifully worded thing that you can adore it without understanding it. Even when the characters speak coarsely they speak interestingly. A rare gift indeed.
Another first time contributor, Amy Katherine DeBellis left little to the imagination on Wednesday with Teeth. Sadly, the state of the world makes this story something we all can identify with. Our personal prejudices are sometimes well founded, but they cannot control our lives and will if we let them. An excellent debut.
Congratulations are due to Yejun Chun. Half Moon Above Seoul Central Park is another melancholy bit of life that plays out like a living picture, which releases further details the more you read it. A missed chance at something small but meaningful. Yejun has been submitting to us for awhile and we are happy to see this one make it.
I still have no concrete idea what Pocket Monsters (Blue Version) by Corey Miller is about. But that isn’t always needed. Stretched reality that still flows is always inviting and this story, much like Antony’s, is something that is worth the experience.
That’s All Folks…Except for two lists…
My Top Ten Favorite Cartoon Characters
- Sir Wile E.Coyote
- The Great Gazoo (Flintstones–word has it that Gazoo and Joe Rockhead operate a boutique in the arts district of Bedrock)
- Dick Dastardly and Muttley (Wacky Racers)
- Snidely Whiplash (Dudley Do Right)
- Colonel Bragg (Bullwinkle)
- Wimpy (Popeye-I felt sorry for the guy)
- Simon Bar Sinister (Tennessee Tuxedo utterly inept, but devoted to his evil ways)
- Veronica (Archie. She could be a bit of a spoiled bitch at times, which negated Betty’s treacly sweetness)
- Sylvester (Funny, when you think on it, that the two most famous Sylvesters have overcome speech impediments)
- open
Ten Toons That Piss Me Off
- Mickey Mouse
- Bugs Bunny
- Tweety (I want Jules from Pulp Fiction to hold a gun on Tweety and shout “Say it again, motherfucker, I double-dog dare you to say ‘I thought I saw a puddy tat’ one more time.”)
- Mr. Slate (Flintstones)
- The entire cast of Speed Racer–especially Spridel and Chim-Chim
- Penelope Pitstop (Wacky Racers. Perpetual victim who pronounced “help” as though it were a three syllable word “Hey-yall-puh”)
- Frankenstein Junior and the Impossibles (so so so so stupid)
- Roadrunner (Word has it that Wile E. has paid for endless stints at Acme Peyote Rehab for this foul fowl.)
- Jiminy Cricket (Wonderful World of Disney–excellent argument for use of DDT)
- Open
Leila
literally stories 
Oh yes. they really were art. When you see some of the oriental things that the younger people watch these days you want to poke them in the eye. Well, not really but they do need a good talking to about quality. I did used to love the bits in Popeye when he had an army of spinach beings marching about under his skin. that was a very strange concept but it always made an episode better in my view. Cactus Jack, the film with Kirk Douglas has a great reference to Wily. You have made me smile today – thank you.
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Hello Diane
Thank you and it makes me happy to know I made you smile!
Leila
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These kids and their cartoons. Bugs is fine. Cartoons’ natural element is theatres. Rocky & Bullwinkle. Puppet show Cecil The Seasick Sea Serpent. Mighty Mouse at the shooting range.
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Hello and thank you, Doug
I cannot help but think of Andy Kaufman when Mighty Mouse is mentioned. Beanie and Cecil was on the channel we barely got. Most of my cartoon memories were on the ABC or CBS affiliates.
Leila
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I try to do my exercises during 7am Tune In With Me on ME TV weekdays. Now I lust after the absurdly proportioned anime females. As you can imagine I wrote a Short Humour about anime characters watching the other side of the tube “Perspective”.
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I am glad that the old cartoons have a place to work their magic.
Something tells me that Lil Abner’s Daisy Mae influenced many of today’s artists. I won’t call them pervos, just…um imaginative in the most unlikely sense.
Leila
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Of course I have a connection. 1960ish my late friend Gary Adams the anti-Doug – liberal arts, athlete, handsome tall had the part of Little Abner in a Portland Parks production of Little Abner. I had given Gary a ride to rehearsal. The director looked at me and (total lie) said “You’re a Scragg” (Daisy Mae brothers). Another friend was the other Scragg. Type casting. We got to butcher “If I had my druthers”. It was shown later on local TV. Wish I had a video. I got some praise as a topless rejuvenated local.
Live long enough and you accumulate a store of stupid stories.
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Doug
I would check a star map and see how far the signal has gone since you were on TV. Could be you have brought the concept of druthers to drutherless species. Stranger things have happened. No, check that, it would be the strangest thing to ever happen. Then again something has to be.
Leila
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“Stranger Things” seems like it will never end with entertainment strikes, pandemics, and the real appearance of aliens coming to your town next Thursday..
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***Biff*** POW!!! Ka-BAM!!! Batman rocked!! I got camp early and never left. Maybe it was the paint chips, maybe not. Atom Ant sucked electrons, but Looney Toons salvaged my early years. Hanna Barbara was the pits in general and particular. Tweety (and Chip n’ Dale) are the poster Toons for passive/aggressive BS. Sylvester, Elmer Fudd, the Tasmanian Devil, Marvin the Martian, and Yosemite Sam are my angels, icons, idols, and heroes. A childhood animated.
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Hi Marco
Forgot all about that annoying Ant. Ha! My brother would tie his hooded windbreaker around his neck like a cape and speed up and down the alley on his bike imitating the Batman theme until Mom told him to knock it the hell off. In his defense, he was seven. I was five or six but it seems to me that Batman ran part one on Wednesday then two the next night, which doubled Mom’s vexation.
Thank you!
Leila
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Marco –
Because I watch Tune In With Me weekdays, I’ve come to several conclusions –
They should not be aids to a physics class.
No man nor beast is ever killed or permanently injured. Head blown off? 15 seconds later, no problem.
I think that animals were used in most rather than humans because humans doing that stuff would have caught too many complains. You mention Yosemite, a sort of human, who could be an exception.
Happy Sunday to all of the LS peeps.
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Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Top Cat was my favourite. I think the voice was Phil Silver’s, he of Sergeant Bilko fame (surely the model for Top Cat’s character?). Still a sucker for cartoons. Diane’s right that they are all manufactured in the Far East nowadays, but I love the character of Brian the dog in ‘Family Guy’ – he’s got some great lines.
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Thank you, Michael
Yes Phil Silvers real voice, imitations and parodies of it sure we’re huge in the sixties. He was almost as common as Mel Blanc.
Thank you,
Leila
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*were, damn it
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Hi Leila,
Another cracking post that has got us all reminiscing!
Cartoons, I agree about the mouse thing – I hated it!
For legends I’d throw in:
‘Batfink’ (The most poetic line ever – ‘If I go, you go, Hugo Ago-Go’)
Weirdly, I just watched a Mr Ben cartoon the other day, I’d add him and his weird moving legs into the mix.
Danger Mouse – David Jason is a genius.
There is a weird wee cartoon called ‘Muran Buchstansangur’ which is best watched on drugs – Some form of stimulant would be best as this was the cartoon equivalent of Mogadon. (I learned how to spell that once but couldn’t be fucked remembering – If it’s correct, that is by chance!)
I didn’t mind the super-hero cartoons but hate the films that they have turned into!
With the clip, it gave me the idea of a team of seven Scottish Super-Heroes whose creation is a bit logical.
Pished-Man
Totally Steamin’-Man
You’re My Best Friend-Man
I Wanna Fight You-Man
Kebab-Man
Puke-Man
Lager For Breakfast Man.
Now me being for The West Coast of Scotland, I can say that, if anyone else does they are being stereotypical and racist.
…And truthful!!!!
Brilliant as always Leila!!
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Hello Hugh
A big thanks for the idea of Puke and Pished Man– to that I add “Pushed Man” like Michael Douglas in that movie I can’t remember the name of but he went a bit bonkers in glasses. I like Bat Fink as well. One of the cable channels brought it back–so cheap but fun.
Thank you again,
Leila
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Hi Leila,
‘Falling Down’ -The best of three crackers he did, the rest of his career was shite compared to his dad!
The other two – ‘The Ghost And The Darkness’ and ‘The Game’
HAH! Let’s be honest, the only thing that saved ‘Basic Instinct’ was the sweaty guy from Jurassic Park due to Sharon Stones appearance!!!!!
Hugh
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Ha!
I remembered the title about five minutes ago. His career is pretty uneven, but Falling Down is a good one. His Dad was bigger than life. Lived to 103. I liked Spartacus and A Town Without Pity.
Leila
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The best nod to Spartacus was ‘Life Of Brian’
…’I’m Brian and so is my wife!’
I actually fell off the coach with that one!!!!
Hugh
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I too recall Secret Squirrel,” and his sidekick “Morocco Mole.” I googled the question: What does Bugs Bunny suffer from? The answer: Borderline Personality Disorder “Bugs Bunny is always using manipulative techniques as well as tremendous mood swings towards the other characters. Also, Bugs’ is doing self destruction and self harm in many of his scenes.” You can’t make this stuff up.
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