Life with Louie. Bobby's World. Camp Candy. The Gary Coleman Show. If there is anything the 80s-90s era of cartoons taught us, it's that the trajectory from comedian to animation to game show host/ironic cultural causality is never a pleasant one.
Jeff Foxworthy is trying to beat the system; he's already hosted Fox's game show Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader before signing on for his own animated star vehicle, which will also premiere on Rupert's channel.
But as loathe as you may be to admit that Jeff Foxworthy's brand of redneck comedy is amusing to anyone, this is actually a clever move on both Jeff and Fox's parts: CONTINUED »
Thank gawd for the internet! Not only does this wonder world wide web keep food on our table, but it also allows controversial videos to live on until the end of time. Case in point: this “Dial M For Monkey” clip.
The toon, a “backup” segment on Dexter’s Laboratory, came under fire after airing an episode featuring an exceptionally feminine character by the name of “Silver Spooner.” How feminine? Well, he doesn’t zoom around space, but, rather, swishes, a fact made evident by big glittery letters when he flies away from the scene of a condiment crime.
Vintage cartoon celebrities like Strawberry Shortcake, Bugs Bunny, Scooby-Doo, and even Mickey Mouse are being updated to appeal to a new audience of youngsters who must lead the way for these billion-dollar brands to stay afloat in an era of Bratz dolls. Sure, even without her new look – which includes "just a dab of lipstick (but no rouge), and spends her time chatting on a cellphone instead of brushing her calico cat, Custard" – Ms. Shortcake has pulled in $2.5 billion in revenue since '03. But parents, expert marketing research suggests, want to introduce their childhood favorites to their own kids, while also "cocooning" their offspring to shield them from the over-sexed, over-violent variety of personalities currently on offer (ahem, Bratz dolls). But updating the brands could prove risky. After all, remember when Mattel thought giving Barbie's pal Ken an earring and a mesh purple tee was just the ticket to keep its lucrative franchise steaming ahead? CONTINUED »
Sean Delonas must have drawer’s block.
The NY Post cartoonist has taken two shots at pregnant trans man Thomas Beatie. The first came back in April, when Beatie first burst on the scene. And now, inspired by news of Beatie’s forthcoming delivery date, Delonas again turned his attention to the baby daddy.
Too bad Delonas couldn’t stretch his imagination, huh?
… the first thing you must know is that the funniest line does not capture the prize: "You are not trying to submit the funniest caption; you are trying to win The New Yorker's caption contest." And then there are the tips for getting past the contest's gatekeeper, "the cartoon editor's assistant, a twentysomething from Texas named Farley Katz." Appeal to his past as a Six Flags rollercoaster operator and a telemarketer. And then? And then it comes down to putting together that one simple line. CONTINUED »
Even your borderline autistic stepson could recognize the obvious similarities between the image at left, from a 1962 Tales to Astonish Marvel comic book from Fantastic Four creator Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers, and the image at right, a Cartoon Contest item from The New Yorker drawn by Harry Bliss. The New Yorker cartoon makes no mention of its origins, but after a mini scandal began brewing over plagiarism when a University of Wisconsin recognized the similarities, the magazine responded that Bliss intended the drawing to be an overt Kirby reference; that those in the know would just get it. [NYP] Nevermind, though: On the website, the cartoon will be re-identified as "Drawing by Harry Bliss, after Jack Kirby." Or maybe it should be "Drawing by Harry Bliss, after Jack Kirby, after stealing the idea of ripping off a New Yorker cartoon from Elaine Benes."
Even though we know that special issues of the New Yorker are just an excuse for more ad pages, we still fall for the Cartoon Issue, which came out last week. After all, cartoons are the reason we still read started reading the New Yorker.
But this year’s edition featured a cartoon by Lee Lorenz (left) that seemed eerily similar to a drawing by Gary Larson (right) from 1984. CONTINUED »
A "Get Fuzzy" comic scheduled to run Sept. 14 in the Chicago Tribune was replaced with a note that advised that the comic "did not meet the Tribune's standards for taste," reportedly because the strip had the audacity to refer to mobsters as "goons."
And while many readers are protesting the Trib's seemingly arbitrary application of censorship, we're predicting this trend of preemptive self-editing will actually catch on big-time.
In which case it won't be long before Garfield's pulled on the basis that it promotes childhood obesity, Dilbert is yanked for characterizing corporate execs as boring people who have no soul, Cathy is scratched after offending the delicate sensibilities of overweight chronically single women and The New Yorker is required to start publishing explanations to make each cartoon more "accessible."
Editorial Director
