Author Topic: Cartoons and their influence  (Read 13096 times)

Wowbagger

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Cartoons and their influence
« on: 06 February, 2012, 11:19:26 am »
This thread is inspired by a reference to Elmer Fudd in another thread. I asked of Dez, in all innocence, who Elmer Fudd was. He was completely gobsmacked that I didn't know the name. When he showed me the cartoon I was vaguely aware of the character without actually knowing that it had a name.

That got me thinking: I don't ever remember seeing Bugs Bunny when I was a child. The cartoons I remember from watching television were Popeye, Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, Mr. Jinx (who hated those meeces to pieces) and, later, Snagglepuss. Top Cat also turned up. In my teens, or possibly later, Tom and Jerry appeared, but I have no early recollection of Bugs Bunny, although clearly it's one of the original cartoons. Saturday morning cinema wasn't part of my childhood - in fact, I think by the time I left school my visits to the cinema still numbered in single figures.

Come to think of it, I don't recall watching any Mickey Mouse until I started teaching and being very impressed by a cartoon called "Mickey Mouse in Mathemagic Land".

By the time my children started watching, children's television had increased from the 55 minutes per day (I always remember feeling cheated in that it was referred to as "Children's Hour" but was 5 minutes short) that I knew, in which such gems as Animal Magic, Blue Peter (twice a week) and Crackerjack! took pride of place.

Which cartoons did you watch as a child? And how strongly do you remember them?
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Re: Cartoons and their influence
« Reply #1 on: 06 February, 2012, 11:30:51 am »
Whacky Races of course, and Top Cat.

As a younger Volio I enjoyed the animated stuff like Trumpton & Tales of the Riverbank.

As a teenager, Capt Pugwash, and as a feckless student oaf it was Trapdoor, which I maintain is one of the finest cartoons ever made. Don't you open that trapdoor !

There was a lot of crap American cartoonery around but it never appealed (apart of course from WR & TC :))

Charlotte

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Re: Cartoons and their influence
« Reply #2 on: 06 February, 2012, 11:50:35 am »
Which cartoons did you watch as a child? And how strongly do you remember them?

As a child: Tom and Jerry, Dungeons & Dragons

As a feckless student oaf: Ren and Stimpy (quite possibly the finest portrayal of a two dimensional psychotic chihuahua and his feline companion that I have ever seen)

As an adult: Beavis & Butt-Head and South Park.
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Re: Cartoons and their influence
« Reply #3 on: 06 February, 2012, 12:00:16 pm »
Popeye, The Flintstones and Bullwinkle (as a teenager).

I first saw Tom & Jerrymuch later and was instantly a fan. However, I never liked the other Loony Tunes characters. Especially Bugs Bunny.

LEE

Re: Cartoons and their influence
« Reply #4 on: 06 February, 2012, 12:07:49 pm »
Tom & Jerry is my strongest memory and then the "Looney Tunes" characters (esp. Road-Runner/Wile E Coyote).  These used to win Academy Awards remember.

I never really liked Hanna-Barbera stuff.

As an adult it's hard to see beyond the Simpsons but I love Beavis & Butthead and King of the Hill.

The first 30 seconds of this Simpsons clip, as Homer is chosen to go into space, is a stand-out moment for me (obviously, like many Simpsons scripts, it relies on some knowledge of classic films).

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q5fd3pTM4sU&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/Q5fd3pTM4sU&rel=1</a>


Re: Cartoons and their influence
« Reply #5 on: 06 February, 2012, 12:09:57 pm »
<nostalgia>

Looking back, it seems that Hanna-Barbera provided the audio-visual soundtrack to my childhood.

Mind you, that's the complete list I've linked to - notable ones I can remember being Dastardly & Muttley, Captain Caveman & The Teen Angels, Hong Kong Phooey and Help! It's The Hair Bear Bunch. Scooby-Doo went downhill with the introduction of his nephew, Scrappy*.

And the ones Mal has name-checked.

Taking another trip down memory lane here:

http://www.jedisparadise.co.uk/childrens_tv_shows.htm

I can see where my love of sci-fi came from...

Battle Of The Planets, Space Sentinels, Ulysses 31...

</nostalgia>

* The "S" is silent.  :demon:
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Re: Cartoons and their influence
« Reply #6 on: 06 February, 2012, 12:14:09 pm »
The BBC used a lot of Hanna Barbera and Terrytoons animation series in children's TV in the 1960s. They were cheaply made, and dominated by the vocalisation, which introduced a lot of catchphrases into the playground. There was a divide between stuff such as Huckleberry Hound, Deputy Dawg, Snagglepuss and Yogi Bear, and the likes of Top Cat and The Flintstones. Top Cat was Bilko with cats, and The Flintstones was the Dick Van Dyke Show in the Stone Age.
An interesting effect of that upbringing is that I'm most aware of US regional accents through cartoons, Foghorn Leghorn, for instance is Kentucky/Virginia, voiced by Mel Blanc.
Tales from the Riverbank wasn't animation, but a sort of animal cruelty show, with various rodents looking very stressed in model boats. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72igAtfEOVQ&feature=related
It was similar to cartoons in that it had distinctive characterisiations from Johnny Morris.

LEE

Re: Cartoons and their influence
« Reply #7 on: 06 February, 2012, 12:18:28 pm »
An interesting effect of that upbringing is that I'm most aware of US regional accents through cartoons, Foghorn Leghorn, for instance is Kentucky/Virginia, voiced by Mel Blanc.

I find it interesting that all young American females now sound exactly like Bart Simpson.

Re: Cartoons and their influence
« Reply #8 on: 06 February, 2012, 12:26:40 pm »
An interesting effect of that upbringing is that I'm most aware of US regional accents through cartoons, Foghorn Leghorn, for instance is Kentucky/Virginia, voiced by Mel Blanc.

I find it interesting that all young American females now sound exactly like Bart Simpson.

There's a surprisingly small number of voice artists who did the classic cartoons most of us will have seen.

Wowbagger

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Re: Cartoons and their influence
« Reply #9 on: 06 February, 2012, 12:28:55 pm »
I'd completely forgotten about the Flintstones. I used to watch them too.
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Re: Cartoons and their influence
« Reply #10 on: 06 February, 2012, 12:34:07 pm »
If we're including animations: The Clangers, The Wombles.

Rhubarb and Custard, Scooby-Doo, Hong Kong Fuey, Wacky Races, Catch the Pigeon, Top Cat (remember when he tapped his foot and the golf ball went in the hole?), Huckleberry Hound, Deputy Dawg, Yogi Bear, and of course Bugs Bunny, Tom and Jerry.

It's interesting the things you miss. I never saw Bagpuss, for instance (was that animation?) and the Flintstones even though it was around as a child.

Rhubarb and Custard was one of my favourites back then, I think the creators were probably on acid.
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Re: Cartoons and their influence
« Reply #11 on: 06 February, 2012, 12:37:02 pm »
As a younger Volio I enjoyed the animated stuff like Trumpton & Tales of the Riverbank.
Tales from the Riverbank wasn't animation, but a sort of animal cruelty show, with various rodents looking very stressed in model boats.

Indeed Vole, you of all members to get that wrong. I didn't think the acting of the furry troupe was that bad, except for the hamster, which was a bit, ahem, hammy.

border-rider

Re: Cartoons and their influence
« Reply #12 on: 06 February, 2012, 12:39:28 pm »
I was very young, and it was 405 line B&W  :)

AndyK

Re: Cartoons and their influence
« Reply #13 on: 06 February, 2012, 12:46:53 pm »
The earliest cartoons/animations I remember are Pogle's Wood and The Woodentops. Later I used to watch things like Whacky Races and Dastardly and Muttley In Their Flying Machines, The Hair Bear Bunch, Hong Kong Phooey, Bugs and Daffy. Disney cartoons were quite good too, especially stuff from the late 40s and 50s. Some Disney cartoons really stand the test of time:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/PKBJCiJO5XU&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/PKBJCiJO5XU&rel=1</a>

My all time favourite is Tom & Jerry, but only the Fred Quimby ones. The later stuff was badly drawn and scripted rubbish. And don't get me started on all the Daffy Duck/Bugs Bunny 'kids' sanitised crap that appeared in the 80s.

mattc

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Re: Cartoons and their influence
« Reply #14 on: 06 February, 2012, 12:48:44 pm »
It's interesting reading this thread to see the UK/US split. I reckon we've done most of the great stop-motion stuff, but the yanks have the cartoons sewn-up.

I'm pleased to see the much-overlooked 'Ren and Stimpy' & 'Trapdoor' mentioned here :thumbsup:
R&S sowed the seeds for the later 'adult' stuff like South Park and Family Guy. (Beavis & Butthead seemed pointless to me, sorry)

The strongest memories for me are probably Bagpuss and Bugs - for different reasons!

(Special award for the shot-down duckling episode of Tom & Jerry, which I feel I've seen twenty times.)


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LEE

Re: Cartoons and their influence
« Reply #15 on: 06 February, 2012, 12:50:43 pm »
My earliest recollection of animation (as being differnt to "cartoons") was "Pogle's Wood".

Oh my goodness....Oliver (Clanger) Postgate's voice just made me very nostalgic. I think his voice was the soundtrack to my childhood.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/sNiimC07_Ac&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/sNiimC07_Ac&rel=1</a>

Then there were the Trumpton, Camberwick Green & Chigley animations. I have much stronger nostalgia for these than any of the American cartoons.

Edit.  AndyK - Woodentops were puppets.

If we branch out into puppets then I suppose Andy Pandy and the Woodentops may pre-date all my other TV memories.

Wowbagger

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Re: Cartoons and their influence
« Reply #16 on: 06 February, 2012, 01:04:54 pm »
Mrs. Wow and I were discussing this: "Watch with Mother", when we were watching (1959 onwards in my case) was only for 15 minutes and it included no cartoons. From memory, Monday was "Picture Book", Tuesday "Andy Pandy", Wed. "Bill & Ben", Thurs "Rag, Tag & Bobtail" and Fri the Woodentops. Curiously, Mrs. Wow also remembers Muffin the Mule appearing, but I don't think I ever saw him on television.
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Re: Cartoons and their influence
« Reply #17 on: 06 February, 2012, 01:12:36 pm »
My all time favourite is Tom & Jerry, but only the Fred Quimby ones.
Yeah, Fred Quimby Tom & Jerries are the best cartoons ever.

I also used to like Wacky Races, Hong Kong Phooey, Lassie's Rescue Rangers, Valley of the Dinosaurs, Space Sentinels, Battle of the Planets, Top Cat, Scooby Doo (although not once they introduced Scrappy), Undercover Elephant, Little Blue, Inch High Private Eye, Secret Squirrel...

I liked the animated stuff too - Trumpton, Chigley, Camberwick Green and all the Oliver Postgate stuff.
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mattc

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Re: Cartoons and their influence
« Reply #18 on: 06 February, 2012, 01:23:06 pm »
Best theme tune: Dangermouse?

Best group performance: the mice in Bagpuss (we will fix it with glue glue glue ... )
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Re: Cartoons and their influence
« Reply #19 on: 06 February, 2012, 01:38:16 pm »
A double bill of Tom and Jerry on a Saturday evening was always a real treat. I was quite partial to some Looney Toons as well - Bugs Bunny of course, also Woody Woodpecker, Sylvester The Cat, Pepe le Pew, Road Runner...

Hanna-Barbera seemed omnipresent when I was slightly older, although by that time I was beginning to see a certain lack of imagination in them (repeating storylines). Also a big fan of the Postgate/Firmin stable - The Clangers and the last gasp of the Apollo space programme are inextricably linked in my memories. When Oliver Postgate died I bought DVDs of the entire Clangers.

Family Guy has usurped The Simpsons in my adult cartoon watching habits.

Re: Cartoons and their influence
« Reply #20 on: 06 February, 2012, 01:57:17 pm »
There was a cartoon called Rocket Robin Hood that used to screen on Anglia in the holidays in the mornings.

Personal favourites were Space Sentinels, Battle of the Planets/G Force.

He Man and the Masters of the Universe. Spiderman and his Amazing friends. GoBots, Transformers. Ulysees 31, Dogtanian and Muskehounds.

I watched a lot of cartoons...

Cudzoziemiec

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Re: Cartoons and their influence
« Reply #21 on: 06 February, 2012, 01:58:30 pm »
This also reminds me of something I said about TV when I was very little. We didn't have a TV at home till I was 5 or 6 but I used to see The Clangers and Playschool at friends' houses. On one occasion when I was about 3 we were going to someone's house and my mother said "And you can watch Playschool with Andrea" (I have no other memory of this Andrea but I'm sure that was the name) to which I replied "But Playschool is on Simon's television!" I genuinely thought each TV could only receive one programme!
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Re: Cartoons and their influence
« Reply #22 on: 06 February, 2012, 05:59:24 pm »

Oh my goodness....Oliver (Clanger) Postgate's voice just made me very nostalgic. I think his voice was the soundtrack to my childhood.


Me too. I was fortunate to meet Peter Firmin at a Noggin the Nog screening at City Screen in York, and  be able to thank him for his part in my childhood - sadly Oliver Postgate should have been there, but was unwell so I missed my chance to meet him. However, I also got to thank Mrs Firmin, who knitted the Clangers. Peter Firmin was answering questions from the audience, and said very modestly that they never thought about the part they played in children's lives, they just did fun stuff. The Mice in Bagpuss were my favourite. I longed to have just one, alive, for myself.

Apart from all the Smallfilms (Clangers, Bagpuss etc) the cartoons I remember enjoying are Looney Tunes like Bugs Bunny and co, Tom and Jerry (proper early ones), and Hanna Barbara like Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear et al.  Scooby Doo was ok, if a little predictable, and once Scrappy arrived, rubbish.

Pugwash, of course, and if we stretch to animations, the Trumptonshire Trilogy.  Brian Cant was probably as much part of my childhood as Oliver Postgate.

Charlie Brown was a favourite. I saw some DVD's in the poundshop the other day and I'm sorely tempted to go and buy them. As much for the music as anything!
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Re: Cartoons and their influence
« Reply #23 on: 06 February, 2012, 07:18:02 pm »
I seem to have been influences, during my childhood, by nearly all those mentioned, plus one, in later lift, that no-one has mentioned yet.

Yes Ren and Stimpy is good (and I love how gross it can be), but these guys beat it hands down.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Angry_Beavers

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Re: Cartoons and their influence
« Reply #24 on: 06 February, 2012, 08:02:57 pm »
I liked The Pink Panther and Road Runner as a kid (still do).  They're actually fairly similar, as both involve a truly ingenious animal and there are a lot of very complicated sight gags.

I was also a great fan of Beavis and Butt-Head because they were exactly like us as 14-year olds and their comments on the pop videos were virtually always right.

Madagascar 2 makes me laugh, if you ignore the sickly sweet stuff and go straight for the silly bits, like the penguins and monkeys building a flying machine.
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