Classic Megaposts Remixed
February 26, 2022 10:55 AM Subscribe
In 2008 and 2011, we explored the early history of two titans of children's television. Starting in the '80s, fresh off success with MTV, producer Fred Seibert helped revitalize a struggling Nickelodeon with a comprehensive brand overhaul -- infectious doowop jingles, surreal interstitials, and a visionary slate of original shorts that brought it "from worst to first" in the ratings. In the '90s, he followed suit at Cartoon Network, working with creative director Michael Ouweleen on a series of inventive musical idents that reinterpreted the network's properties through stock footage, indie music, and original animation in a wide variety of styles, along with another groundbreaking roster of shorts that, along with the Nicktoons, would become some of the most famous in the history of American animation. [warning: Frankenstein's monster post inside]
NOTE: This is an updated fusion of two different megaposts for #DoublesJubilee that each originally took some months of off-and-on work to compile -- to save your scrollin' finger, the main parts are collapsed into sections so you can navigate all 424 links at your leisure. Just click the arrow or text to expand!
NICKELODEON
Nick started out as a young children's program called Pinwheel that mixed puppetry and live action with animated shorts from overseas. Only a few bootlegs survive from this era, making video hard to track down.
As the nascent channel struggled to find an audience, it started rerunning episodes of the Canadian comedy show You Can't Do That On Television!, which proved to be a big hit and laid the groundwork for future variety shows like it once the network found its legs. The show also introduced the infamous green slime that would characterize the network's later game show programs. Semi-active fansite YCDTOTV.com provides official recipes, and is positively overflowing with other content.
For a more comprehensive retrospective, definitely check out the ongoing YouTube series Nick Knacks, which exhaustively documents the history of the network show by individual show.
Fred Seibert arrived at Nickelodeon fresh from success at MTV, where he and colleague Alan Goodman had developed the iconic "Man on the Moon" sequence that launched the channel in 1981. The Fred/Alan team found Nickelodeon floundering, hemorrhaging millions of dollars and dead last in the ratings.
Their solution: a complete re-branding, starting with the logo. Out went the clunky silver balloon, in came The Splat. Inspired by MTV's shifting psychedelic design, The Splat was an all-purpose wonder, an amorphous blob of bright orange gunk that could be anything and everything. Using fun style guides, producers applied the Nick name to bones, rocket ships, dinosaurs, and dozens of other forms across hundreds of products over the next few decades. The logo was so versatile, in fact, that it went through only one major revision (blog post [screenshot due to a Wayback issue]; guide) before Viacom, in the way of all corporate giants, dispensed with The Splat in 2009 for a new unified brand -- one very similar, ironically enough, to the logo that saddled the network in its infancy.
To introduce Nick's new brand, Seibert and Goodman contracted with dozens of artists to create a series of striking and innovative "bumpers" all showcasing the bright orange Splat. Perhaps the most fortuitous hire was a capella band The Jive Five. As Seibert explains in his article "The Doo-Wopping of Television":
Years of sustained success led to the 1990 foundation of Nickelodeon Studios, a combination film studio, animation mecca, and theme park at Universal Studios in Orlando. The studio, with its colorful facade and infamous Slime Geyser, would become the nerve center of the company and a backdrop for many programs throughout the next decade, especially game shows like Double Dare, the notoriously difficult Legends of the Hidden Temple obstacle course (which you can attempt yourself!), and Global GUTS with its imposing Aggro Crag (and the coveted trophy).
The network also developed spin-offs and sister channels, such as Nick Jr. (full of colorful fare like Face and Gullah Gullah Island for the toddler set) and Nick at Nite, which featured reruns of popular sitcoms from decades past (which, if you think about it, is basically what this '90s programming block is doing right now -- oh noes!).
Sadly, the studios closed its doors in 2005 in the face of flagging attendance, storm damage, and staff relocations to other offices. The building still stands, but all has been stripped away, including the Geyser and the studio time capsule (reburied at a company resort talked about previously). Gone, but not forgotten, though -- enjoy the original studio promo reel, images saved from lost media blogger Cmonfwank, this behind-the-scenes tour of the facility from before the closure, or sneaking around it after.
The Nick Studio was home to many live action programs, from sitcoms to horror to variety shows (and Stick Stickly, who you could actually write!):
Two early sitcoms, Hey Dude and Clarissa Explains it All, have been given full retrospectives by the AV Club, while fan favorite The Adventures of Pete & Pete is getting an episode-by-episode review (plus a cast reunion from Funny or Die). Speaking of which, don't miss the full version of "Hey Sandy," the great theme song by Polaris that carried some surprisingly dark undertones, or this original short uploaded by Fred Seibert.
Horror series Are You Afraid of the Dark? went through several incarnations, which you can watch on Dailymotion. Brave the list of scariest episodes (or TVTropes' Nightmare Fuel page for the show) ...if you dare.
And of course there were the two big variety shows, both the work of Dan Schneider ("the Norman Lear of children’s television"). Each were modeled on the earlier YCDTOT -- the SNL-lite All That and spin-off Kenan & Kel (both of which helped propel star Kenan Thompson to actual SNL stardom). The nature of the shows makes video more scattered, but there's plenty to take in; this massive video playlist is a good start, as is the TVTropes page. There was also a 2019 reboot!
(And lest we forget: Camp Anawanna (retrospective review), Alex Mack, or the uncanny valley of Cousin Skeeter)
For the cynics out there: The Nostalgia Critic's skeptical 18-minute mocking of the above (except for Pete & Pete, which he loves unconditionally).
Of course, the most well-known Nick properties were their many original animated series, or Nicktoons. A ToonZone member explains their genesis:
More on Fred Seibert's storied career in the industry:
For years, Nick promoted subscriptions to Nickelodeon Magazine, its flagship print product with a peak circulation of more than seven million. Interestingly, while the magazine was largely concerned with pranks and jokes and celebrity interviews, it was also a haven for the underground comix scene, featuring work from cartooning luminaries like Kim Deitch and Craig Thompson, whose works were popular enough to justify periodic all-comic specials and support award programs and convention events. As cartoonist Rod McKie described his first read through an issue:
Fiona of the Felines by Terry LaBan - Grampa and Julie: Shark Hunters by Jef Czekaj - Impy & Wormer by James Kochalka - Juanita and Clem by Craig Thompson - Mervin the Magnificent by Richard Sala - Patty-Cake by Scott Roberts - Sam Hill & Ray-9 by Mark Martin - Scene But Not Heard by Sam Henderson - Southern Fried Fugitives by Simon and Kim Deitch - Teeny Weeny, the Tiniest Hot Dog in the Universe! by Mark Martin - The Uncredibly Confabulated Tales of Lucinda Ziggles by Andy Ristaino - Underpants-On-His-Head Man by Michael Kupperman - Yam by Corey Barba
Lots more material in the unofficial Nickmag-Comics LiveJournal site, or browse back issues at Archive.org.
In 1992, the channel hired respected journalist Linda Ellerbee to helm Nick News, a new educational program meant to air periodically in classrooms and in primetime. The show gained renown (and eventually won a Peabody and an Edward R. Murrow Award) for tackling difficult and complex issues like AIDS and global warming in a frank way, taking its young audience seriously and relying heavily on interviews with kids and teens to explore their problems and concerns. Politically aware, the program's regular "Kids Pick the President" mock election correctly called five of the last six winners (save Kerry '04 and Clinton '16)..
Perhaps the most notable episode of the show was the controversial 2002 special report "My Family is Different" (discussed previously), which dealt with same-sex parentage and attendant issues such as sexual harassment and hate crimes. In a time when homosexuality enjoyed far weaker public support in America, Ellerbee's earnest and nonjudgmental take on the subject provoked bitter outrage from conservative groups, who pledged to boycott Nickelodeon in retaliation. The episode, the show's highest-rated, went on to win a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Television Journalism.
While Ellerbee stepped down in 2015, the show saw a revival in 2020 that continued tackling tough issues.
An official "Best of Nicktoons" soundtrack featuring a random assortment of earwormy tunes from across the network. Some highlights:
Nick Nick Nick (Main Theme) - 3D Laughing Boy Open - Rugrats Theme - Nick Video Open - Kablam! Theme - Thunder Girl - Nick-o-Las Tell Underture - Ren & Stimpy Theme - Happy Happy Joy Joy - Log Commercial - Calling Cades - Aaahh!! Real Monsters Theme - Artman Open - Angry Beavers Theme - I Think I Like You - Back to the Roots - Hey Arnold! Theme - Haunted Train Blues - Darling You Left My Heart - Look Up! - Simple Things - Rocko's Modern Life Theme - Orange You Glad? - CatDog Theme
See also: Hey Arnold, The Music Vol. 1, the official release of Jim Lang's eclectic jazz soundtrack on YouTube. Or for more atmosphere: You're in Hey Arnold's room in 1997 listening to music and it's raining | 3 HOUR ASMR Ambience
And what musical section is complete without a little amateur a capella?
CARTOON NETWORK
Over at rival Cartoon Network, the groundwork for the following projects was arguably laid by two cartoons: The Moxy and Flea Show (the network's first original series) and Space Ghost Coast to Coast. Though little is remembered of the short-lived Moxy, which starred mo-capped entertainers Penn Jillette and Bobcat Goldthwait as a 3D animal duo, Space Ghost hit a chord from its very first episode and ran for years in the night block as a cult series -- its bizarre, incoherent "interviews" and repurposed 1960s characters set the stage for Adult Swim in later years.
More Space Ghost goodness:
"Groovies" was the term for a new series of shorts which took the form of music videos. Each one was based on a property in the Cartoon Network stable, from Betty Boop to Dexter's Lab. Old clips and in some cases fresh animation work was mixed with original music from well-known artists like Devo, The Apples in Stereo, and will.i.am, resulting in amusing and surprising tributes that respected the classic animation while showing it in a whole new light.
Following the success of the Groovies, Ouweleen acted a little more adventurously by introducing the Shorties. Shorties were similar to Groovies in that they repurposed older properties broadcast by the network, but they did so in longer-form shorts sans music, and more often with a new visual style. The shorts were often more sarcastic in tone than their inspirations, and acted along with Space Ghost as the sources for later programs like Sealab 2021 and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.
Known variously over the years as World Premiere Toons, The What a Cartoon! Show, and The Cartoon-Cartoon Show, this program was the magnum opus of Ren and Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi and cartooning workhorse Fred Seibert, the original creative director of MTV and Nickelodeon and the one-time president of Hanna-Barbera. Seibert, who would later go on to found Frederator Studios, intended to recreate the atmosphere of the 1950s animation industry by returning creative control to the animators. The cartoons introduced by the show ranged from the quaint to the grotesque, from the traditional to the bizarre. Many were popular enough to become full-fledged series -- these characters, referred to as the "Cartoon-Cartoons", would serve as the network's programming backbone for years to come.
(NOTE: there's a full episode list here with more details)
Crafted by CN creative director Michael Ouweleen in the mid-90s, "Cartoons That Never Made It" was a brief series of four "bumps" -- short cartoons that play before commercial breaks or split up longer programs. The four shorts acted as promos for various fictional cartoons, all rejected for obvious reasons:
Most, if not all, of the music used in Cartoon Networks various bumps and interstitials -- including much of the music in the Groovies shorts -- can be found on Bluetube.com, the homepage of Michael Kohler, the chief composer of most of these projects. So if you heard some music you liked while browsing these videos, chances are its on his site, free to listen to and without any distracting sound effects, as well as bonus details.
Additionally, most tracks are also available on the compilation Cartoon Network Greatest Hits: Vol. 1.
Two Yogi Bear shorts, "Boo Boo Runs Wild" and "A Day in the Life of Ranger Smith", directed by John Kricfalusi, creator of Ren & Stimpy. Not connected to any of the above projects, but just as strange and more than a little disturbing.
The Scooby Doo Project, an extended and hilarious parody of the Blair Witch Project phenomenon
Rap promo compilation
Cartoon-Cartoon Fridays intro
(Surreal) intro to "Mr. Spim's Cartoon Theater", a weekly special that broadcast obscure animated films
"Acme Hour" bumps: takeoffs on classic Warner Bros. themes that don't really fit anywhere else.
A smattering of other sardonic idents and bumpers that would foretell the rise of Adult Swim:
No Parking - Prank Calls - Wonder Woman Locked Out - Pulp Fiction spoof - Wazzup?! - Wizzo, the Very First Cartoon - Superfriends at the Movies - Superfriends on a Plane - Superfriends meet the Powerpuff Girls - Sidekicks - Bloopers of the Cartoon Stars - Aquaman in the Seafood Aisle (Spanish) - Cartoon Network sneaks onto Nickelodeon - How Many Geniuses to Unlock a Car Door - Water Cooler series - Cartoon Network Anvil Awards - 2004 election ad parodies - San Hanna Barbera Penitentiary - Yard Sale - Infinite Zoom - But first, a monologue - June Bugs - Ask Cartoon Network - The Powerhouse bumpers - 10 Years in 60 Seconds
NOTE: This is an updated fusion of two different megaposts for #DoublesJubilee that each originally took some months of off-and-on work to compile -- to save your scrollin' finger, the main parts are collapsed into sections so you can navigate all 424 links at your leisure. Just click the arrow or text to expand!
NICKELODEON
PART 1: The Early Years
Nick started out as a young children's program called Pinwheel that mixed puppetry and live action with animated shorts from overseas. Only a few bootlegs survive from this era, making video hard to track down.
As the nascent channel struggled to find an audience, it started rerunning episodes of the Canadian comedy show You Can't Do That On Television!, which proved to be a big hit and laid the groundwork for future variety shows like it once the network found its legs. The show also introduced the infamous green slime that would characterize the network's later game show programs. Semi-active fansite YCDTOTV.com provides official recipes, and is positively overflowing with other content.
For a more comprehensive retrospective, definitely check out the ongoing YouTube series Nick Knacks, which exhaustively documents the history of the network show by individual show.
PART 2: "From Worst to First"
Fred Seibert arrived at Nickelodeon fresh from success at MTV, where he and colleague Alan Goodman had developed the iconic "Man on the Moon" sequence that launched the channel in 1981. The Fred/Alan team found Nickelodeon floundering, hemorrhaging millions of dollars and dead last in the ratings.
Their solution: a complete re-branding, starting with the logo. Out went the clunky silver balloon, in came The Splat. Inspired by MTV's shifting psychedelic design, The Splat was an all-purpose wonder, an amorphous blob of bright orange gunk that could be anything and everything. Using fun style guides, producers applied the Nick name to bones, rocket ships, dinosaurs, and dozens of other forms across hundreds of products over the next few decades. The logo was so versatile, in fact, that it went through only one major revision (blog post [screenshot due to a Wayback issue]; guide) before Viacom, in the way of all corporate giants, dispensed with The Splat in 2009 for a new unified brand -- one very similar, ironically enough, to the logo that saddled the network in its infancy.
To introduce Nick's new brand, Seibert and Goodman contracted with dozens of artists to create a series of striking and innovative "bumpers" all showcasing the bright orange Splat. Perhaps the most fortuitous hire was a capella band The Jive Five. As Seibert explains in his article "The Doo-Wopping of Television":
Alan's former colleague, writer and producer Marty Pekar, had started Ambient Sound to capture contemporary recordings of classic doo-wop groups from the 50s and 60s. He introduced them to the leader of The Jive 5, Eugene Pitt, as "not only a great singer, but a smart man." They found Eugene to be, as Rock and Roll Hall of Fame CEO Terry Stewart said, "the most underrated soul singer in America," and a wonderful collaborator. When the opportunity to work with Nickelodeon presented itself, Fred, Alan, and producer Tom Pomposello immediately knew the Jive 5 would be the perfect underpinning for defining the vocabulary of the network.The Jive Five proceeded to record a number of joyful and infectiously catchy doo-wop melodies for the artists to animate in a wide variety of styles, spots that went on to form the core of the channel's new identity (and the first of which became the its enduring theme song):
Convincing Nickelodeon was another story. [...] Fred/Alan tried a lot of arguments to bring them around to a doo-wop sound, but they fell on deaf ears. "Doo-wop's 30 years old, no kid has ever heard of it."
We won the day on two grounds. Fred played on the executives' liberal backgrounds. "We love all forms of African-American music, and using doo-wop will be a great way to educate American kids without anyone being the wiser."
Alan's worked even better. He opened his mouth and, quoting The Marcels' arrangement of chestnut "Blue Moon," sang: "Bom-ma-bom, a-bom-bom-a-bom, ba-ba-bom-bom-a-bomp, b-dang-a-dang-dang, b-ding-a-dong-ding."
"What kid isn’t going to relate to that right away?" Alan asked. Case closed.
N-Nick Nick Nick N-Nick Nick Nick... Nickelodeon! (Main Theme) - Hon De Laud Hup Hivvel Up Nick (Calling Cades MasterMix) - Orange you glad you got your Nickelodeon? (Fruit variant) - Bulldog Crew (Jungle) - Tweedley Dum (Space Beans) - Shoo Be Doo (Worms) - It's Time, It's Time (Haircut) - Say Hey Say Hi Say Ho (Skating) - Better Off By Far (Space) - Waiting for You (Fish) - Dino Bop - Doo-Wop-a-Saurus - Your TV Network (Jive Five) - Top of the Hour - Easy Groove - Alligator and Frog - Dragon and Frog - Full Montage - 15 minute medley with a few extra onesThe campaign was a tremendous, CLIO award-winning success -- within six months Nickelodeon had rocketed to the number one slot on the ratings chart. And the doo-wop was just the beginning -- that first batch inspired a wider range of spots in later years, from the cute to the bizarre:
Pinchface - Big Beast Quintet (aka "Calling Cades") - Nicktoons Blob - Bone - Picnic Ants - Scissors Man - Opera - Reggae Flowers - Worm Feast - Toothbrush Morph - Take 50 - Monkey Balloon - Dancing Dogs - Monster Disco - Banner - Around the World - Waiter - Socks and Candy - Rock Dance - Teacup - What You Want claymation - Doug - Spelling - Barnyard - Comet - Chair Butterfly - Barks - Origami - Asia 1 - Asia 2 - Malaysia/Philippines IDs - Sea Monster - Box Face - Stage - Cave Paintings - Octopus - Tractor - Head on Chair - Windshield - Lockers - Rugrats - Gymnastics - Switcheroo - Nick Takes Over Your School - Compilation (with lots more) - Shorts: Inside-Out Boy and Angela AnacondaA Maine summer camp was even invited to submit student-created bumpers, which turned into a fun campaign of its own.
PART 3: Nickelodeon Studios
Years of sustained success led to the 1990 foundation of Nickelodeon Studios, a combination film studio, animation mecca, and theme park at Universal Studios in Orlando. The studio, with its colorful facade and infamous Slime Geyser, would become the nerve center of the company and a backdrop for many programs throughout the next decade, especially game shows like Double Dare, the notoriously difficult Legends of the Hidden Temple obstacle course (which you can attempt yourself!), and Global GUTS with its imposing Aggro Crag (and the coveted trophy).
The network also developed spin-offs and sister channels, such as Nick Jr. (full of colorful fare like Face and Gullah Gullah Island for the toddler set) and Nick at Nite, which featured reruns of popular sitcoms from decades past (which, if you think about it, is basically what this '90s programming block is doing right now -- oh noes!).
Sadly, the studios closed its doors in 2005 in the face of flagging attendance, storm damage, and staff relocations to other offices. The building still stands, but all has been stripped away, including the Geyser and the studio time capsule (reburied at a company resort talked about previously). Gone, but not forgotten, though -- enjoy the original studio promo reel, images saved from lost media blogger Cmonfwank, this behind-the-scenes tour of the facility from before the closure, or sneaking around it after.
PART 4: Live Action
The Nick Studio was home to many live action programs, from sitcoms to horror to variety shows (and Stick Stickly, who you could actually write!):
Two early sitcoms, Hey Dude and Clarissa Explains it All, have been given full retrospectives by the AV Club, while fan favorite The Adventures of Pete & Pete is getting an episode-by-episode review (plus a cast reunion from Funny or Die). Speaking of which, don't miss the full version of "Hey Sandy," the great theme song by Polaris that carried some surprisingly dark undertones, or this original short uploaded by Fred Seibert.
Horror series Are You Afraid of the Dark? went through several incarnations, which you can watch on Dailymotion. Brave the list of scariest episodes (or TVTropes' Nightmare Fuel page for the show) ...if you dare.
And of course there were the two big variety shows, both the work of Dan Schneider ("the Norman Lear of children’s television"). Each were modeled on the earlier YCDTOT -- the SNL-lite All That and spin-off Kenan & Kel (both of which helped propel star Kenan Thompson to actual SNL stardom). The nature of the shows makes video more scattered, but there's plenty to take in; this massive video playlist is a good start, as is the TVTropes page. There was also a 2019 reboot!
(And lest we forget: Camp Anawanna (retrospective review), Alex Mack, or the uncanny valley of Cousin Skeeter)
For the cynics out there: The Nostalgia Critic's skeptical 18-minute mocking of the above (except for Pete & Pete, which he loves unconditionally).
PART 5: Nicktoons
Of course, the most well-known Nick properties were their many original animated series, or Nicktoons. A ToonZone member explains their genesis:
Sometime in 1989, at the Montclair, New Jersey house of Nick president Geraldine Laybourne, Laybourne, her husband Kit, Herb Scannell, Fred Seibert, and others had a meeting where they watched TV shows currently running at the time and compared them to classic shorts such as the Looney Tunes. They came to the conclusion that then-current animation from studios such as DIC and Hanna-Barbera was formulaic and had no unique style. Geraldine Laybourne believed that the best characters, such as Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, and Kermit the Frog, were those characters who were linked to their creator. Laybourne and the team decided that the creator should be the one who was the center of the production, just as it was in the old days. Also, having a library of animated shows that they owned would allow them to both prevent having to license other animation and make money for the network- and also eventually make back the high cost of producing original animation, since animation is costly to produce, but has a long shelf life.Only three of the eight made made it through to production: Doug, Rugrats, and the wonderfully edgy Ren & Stimpy. The success of these inspired others throughout the next decade, including:
It was an expensive and laborious project- around $12 million in total ($1 to $2 million per pilot) to commission eight pilots, of which they hoped four would be able to air as an animated block with a target date of August 1991.
Rocko's Modern Life, whose first season is on review at AV Club(and got a sequel special, Static Cling, in 2019)One notable project was Seibert's Oh Yeah! Cartoons, an innovative series of one-off creator-driven shorts that would inspire later work on Cartoon Network's What a Cartoon! series (which in turn led to programs like Dexter's Lab and Powerpuff Girls, discussed here). There's a full list of shorts to peruse on Wikipedia -- many are on YouTube, but far to many to post here. Seibert himself has put a lot of media from the show on the web, like multiple 100+ page books of art and interviews from his Frederator Studios, which helmed the project and went on to make acclaimed series like Adventure Time, Bee and PuppyCat, and countless more. Don't miss the sprawling 22-part history of the studio (full table of contents are only in that last post). Also interesting, if unrelated, is Seibert's collection of media from his time at Hanna-Barbera in the early '90s. If you want more (lots more), check out Jerry Beck's Not Just Toons: Nicktoons! or Heather Hendershot's more scholarly Nickelodeon Nation: The History, Politics, and Economics of America's Only TV Channel for Kids.
Hey Arnold!, a frequently realistic and heartbreaking show (which got its long-wanted finale The Jungle Movie in 2017)
Kablam!, the comics-inspired variety animation show with one catchy ska theme song ("Two Tone Army" by The Toasters)
The ongoing Spongebob Squarepants juggernaut, which went on to generate an entire ecosystem of memes; also don't miss all those detailed matte frames (you know the ones I mean)
Invader Zim (first episode here), from the twisted mind of Jhonen Vasquez
And of course plenty of Mefites are familiar with the artistry and good storytelling of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
More on Fred Seibert's storied career in the industry:
Indiewire: How Cartoon Hangover and ‘Adventure Time’ Producer Fred Seibert Saved American Animation
Dot and Line exclusive interview: Fred Seibert on How Creativity Flourished at Nickelodeon
Nick Animation Podcast Episode 26: Fred Seibert
PART 6: Nickelodeon Magazine
For years, Nick promoted subscriptions to Nickelodeon Magazine, its flagship print product with a peak circulation of more than seven million. Interestingly, while the magazine was largely concerned with pranks and jokes and celebrity interviews, it was also a haven for the underground comix scene, featuring work from cartooning luminaries like Kim Deitch and Craig Thompson, whose works were popular enough to justify periodic all-comic specials and support award programs and convention events. As cartoonist Rod McKie described his first read through an issue:
So, having heard good things about Nickelodeon Magazine (US), I decided to get a hold of the thing and go over it with a fine tooth-comb, and try to think my way into the thing. The thing was, I had no idea what to expect, it was a kids magazine after all. Well, I was astonished when I saw it, really astonished. I'm not kidding, I was really bowled over by the magazine, I had never seen a publication more visually literate, more cartoon and illustration friendly, it was a cartoonist's delight. [...] I found myself responding to it with the same levels of wonder and delight as a cartoonist, as a parent, and as a teacher. I had never seen anything like this, and I had never seen such a range of mainstream and indie cartoonists all gathered together in one publication.Though the magazine unfortunately folded in 2009, information and art from its many features can still be found on the web:
Fiona of the Felines by Terry LaBan - Grampa and Julie: Shark Hunters by Jef Czekaj - Impy & Wormer by James Kochalka - Juanita and Clem by Craig Thompson - Mervin the Magnificent by Richard Sala - Patty-Cake by Scott Roberts - Sam Hill & Ray-9 by Mark Martin - Scene But Not Heard by Sam Henderson - Southern Fried Fugitives by Simon and Kim Deitch - Teeny Weeny, the Tiniest Hot Dog in the Universe! by Mark Martin - The Uncredibly Confabulated Tales of Lucinda Ziggles by Andy Ristaino - Underpants-On-His-Head Man by Michael Kupperman - Yam by Corey Barba
Lots more material in the unofficial Nickmag-Comics LiveJournal site, or browse back issues at Archive.org.
PART 7: Nick News
In 1992, the channel hired respected journalist Linda Ellerbee to helm Nick News, a new educational program meant to air periodically in classrooms and in primetime. The show gained renown (and eventually won a Peabody and an Edward R. Murrow Award) for tackling difficult and complex issues like AIDS and global warming in a frank way, taking its young audience seriously and relying heavily on interviews with kids and teens to explore their problems and concerns. Politically aware, the program's regular "Kids Pick the President" mock election correctly called five of the last six winners (save Kerry '04 and Clinton '16)..
Perhaps the most notable episode of the show was the controversial 2002 special report "My Family is Different" (discussed previously), which dealt with same-sex parentage and attendant issues such as sexual harassment and hate crimes. In a time when homosexuality enjoyed far weaker public support in America, Ellerbee's earnest and nonjudgmental take on the subject provoked bitter outrage from conservative groups, who pledged to boycott Nickelodeon in retaliation. The episode, the show's highest-rated, went on to win a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Television Journalism.
While Ellerbee stepped down in 2015, the show saw a revival in 2020 that continued tackling tough issues.
PART 8: Music
An official "Best of Nicktoons" soundtrack featuring a random assortment of earwormy tunes from across the network. Some highlights:
Nick Nick Nick (Main Theme) - 3D Laughing Boy Open - Rugrats Theme - Nick Video Open - Kablam! Theme - Thunder Girl - Nick-o-Las Tell Underture - Ren & Stimpy Theme - Happy Happy Joy Joy - Log Commercial - Calling Cades - Aaahh!! Real Monsters Theme - Artman Open - Angry Beavers Theme - I Think I Like You - Back to the Roots - Hey Arnold! Theme - Haunted Train Blues - Darling You Left My Heart - Look Up! - Simple Things - Rocko's Modern Life Theme - Orange You Glad? - CatDog Theme
See also: Hey Arnold, The Music Vol. 1, the official release of Jim Lang's eclectic jazz soundtrack on YouTube. Or for more atmosphere: You're in Hey Arnold's room in 1997 listening to music and it's raining | 3 HOUR ASMR Ambience
And what musical section is complete without a little amateur a capella?
CARTOON NETWORK
PART 1: The Early Days
Over at rival Cartoon Network, the groundwork for the following projects was arguably laid by two cartoons: The Moxy and Flea Show (the network's first original series) and Space Ghost Coast to Coast. Though little is remembered of the short-lived Moxy, which starred mo-capped entertainers Penn Jillette and Bobcat Goldthwait as a 3D animal duo, Space Ghost hit a chord from its very first episode and ran for years in the night block as a cult series -- its bizarre, incoherent "interviews" and repurposed 1960s characters set the stage for Adult Swim in later years.
More Space Ghost goodness:
The CGI intro - "Knifin' Around", the iconic Yorke/Bjorke episode - Decider: How ‘Space Ghost Coast to Coast’ Changed Television for the Weirder - Behind the scenes with Eyewitness News - AV Club: Where to start with the late-night absurdity of Space Ghost Coast To Ghost
PART 2: The Groovies
"Groovies" was the term for a new series of shorts which took the form of music videos. Each one was based on a property in the Cartoon Network stable, from Betty Boop to Dexter's Lab. Old clips and in some cases fresh animation work was mixed with original music from well-known artists like Devo, The Apples in Stereo, and will.i.am, resulting in amusing and surprising tributes that respected the classic animation while showing it in a whole new light.
The Flintstones - "Meet the Flintstones" by Joe Boyd Vigil, "Walk Around in Circles" by Soul Coughing
The Jetsons - "24th Century Mecha Mix" by Michael Kohler
Quick Draw McGraw - "El Kabong Rides Again" by Calexico, "Quick Draw Remix" by Michael Kohler (remastered in 4K!)
Atom Ant - "We Must All Get Ready Now" by Michael Kohler (remastered in 4K!)
Betty Boop - "Rolling" by Soul Coughing (now in 1080p!)
Superfriends - "That Time is Now" by Michael Kohler (remastered in 4K!)
Porky Pig - "Pork Jam" by Michael Kohler
Elmer Fudd - "Wascally Wemix" by Todd Eaton
Bugs Bunny/Marvin the Martian - "Mars Forever" by Fantastic Plastic Machine (remastered in 4K!)
Pepe LePew - "L'Amour a Une Odeur" by Pink Martini
Magilla Gorilla - "Gorilla 4 Sale" by Michael Ungar
Yogi Bear - "Yogi Bear" by High School Jim
Jabberjaw - "Jabberjaw" by Pain (remastered in 4K!)
Josie and the Pussycats - "Music Evolution" by Michael Kohler (remastered in 1080p!)
Powerpuff Girls - "Signal in the Sky" by The Apples in Stereo (remastered in 4K!), "Go Monkey Go" by Devo (remastered in 1080p!), "Chemical X" by Cherish, "Buttercup (I'm a Supergirl)" by Shonen Knife
Courage the Cowardly Dog - "Courage the Cowardly Dog" by They Might Be Giants (remastered in 1080p!), "Hearts Full of Love" by Brooke Lundy
Ed, Edd n Eddy - "The Incredible Shrinking Day" by Stuart Hill (remastered in 4K!), "My Best Friend Plank" by Steve Patrick (remastered in 1080p!), "Mono Synth" by Kimitaka Matsumae
Dexter's Laboratory - "Secrets" by will.i.am (remastered in 4K!), "Back to the Lab" by Prince Paul, "Dexter (What's His Name)" by Coolio, "Dee Dee and Dexter" by They Might Be Giants, "Dexter's DJ Mix" by Rodrigo Sacoman
Johnny Bravo - "Hey, Johnny Bravo" by The Reverend Horton Heat
Teen Titans - "Teen Titans Go!" by Puffy AmiYumi
PART 3: The Shorties
Following the success of the Groovies, Ouweleen acted a little more adventurously by introducing the Shorties. Shorties were similar to Groovies in that they repurposed older properties broadcast by the network, but they did so in longer-form shorts sans music, and more often with a new visual style. The shorts were often more sarcastic in tone than their inspirations, and acted along with Space Ghost as the sources for later programs like Sealab 2021 and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.
Huckleberry Hound: "Sound Hound"
An exasperated Huckleberry tries to silence a noisy soundscape collage.
Birdman: "Birdman Coffee Break"
Birdman shows Falcon-7 just how trained his companion Avenger is.
Superfriends: "Whiners Can Be Losers"
The Legion of Doom runs into a few issues at its biweekly meeting.
Johnny Quest: "Time is Running Out"
Using sound bites and music from the original series, gamepiece versions of Johnny, Hadji, Race, and Bandit fly over a gameboard outrunning their various opponents.
Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks: "Harasscat"
Pixie and Dixie sue Mr. Jinx for stalking them.
Hillbilly Bears: "Miss Understanding"
The Hillbilly Bears appear on a Jerry Springer-like show to air out their problems.
Quick Draw McGraw: "City E-Scape"
Quick Draw and Baba Louie, drawn as real horses, travel to New York City to wipe out crime.
Droopy: "Thanks a Latte"
Droopy, a coffeehouse barista, haunts a caffeinated businesswolf who refuses to tip.
Yogi Bear: "When Animals Nap"
Yogi and Boo-Boo try to hibernate despite the efforts of a TV crew working to get footage of a ferocious bear attack.
Wally Gator: "Alligator Liberation"
A cool 3D plastic doll-like version of Wally Gator is "liberated" from the confines of the city zoo by a group of concerned citizens.
The Flintstones: "Stay Out" and "The Great Egg-scape"
Dino tries in vain to keep the (sabre-toothed) cat out of the house, and later to deal with a stolen dinosaur egg
PART 4: What a Cartoon!
Known variously over the years as World Premiere Toons, The What a Cartoon! Show, and The Cartoon-Cartoon Show, this program was the magnum opus of Ren and Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi and cartooning workhorse Fred Seibert, the original creative director of MTV and Nickelodeon and the one-time president of Hanna-Barbera. Seibert, who would later go on to found Frederator Studios, intended to recreate the atmosphere of the 1950s animation industry by returning creative control to the animators. The cartoons introduced by the show ranged from the quaint to the grotesque, from the traditional to the bizarre. Many were popular enough to become full-fledged series -- these characters, referred to as the "Cartoon-Cartoons", would serve as the network's programming backbone for years to come.
First, the one-off shorts that never got picked up by the network.
(NOTE: there's a full episode list here with more details)
"Help?" - Bruno Bozzetto
A cat that pricks his finger while sewing asks for help at the hospital, but the ruthless personnel there offer nothing but pain.
"Boid 'n' Woim" - C. Miles Thompson
A gangly worm hitchhikes through the California desert with a Bird that secretly wants to eat him.
"Zoonatiks" - Joey Ahlbum (who contributed animation to many Nickelodeon bumpers)
A trio of circus animals try to make it to the famed Hackensack Zoo
"Kitchen Casanova" - John McIntyre
A first-time cook is preparing dinner for his date, but trouble arises when the wind flips the pages from his cookbook.
"Rat in a Hot Tin Can" - Jerry Reynolds, Russ Harris
A rat and his fly companion try to find a place to stay for the night during winter in the city.
"Tales of Worm Paranoia" - Eddie Fitzgerald
Johnny is a peaceful and forgiving worm until a human steps on him repeatedly. As a result, he becomes paranoid and angered at the human race, seeking revenge.
"Kenny and the Chimp: Diseasy Does It" - Mr. Warburton
Hapless Kenny is tasked with organizing a secret lab with his chaotic chimp brother.
"Strange Things" - Mike Wellins
The only 3D animated short, about a city of robots
"Hillbilly Blue" - Butch Hartman
Crawdad Eustace is tired of being treated like food and goes with possum pal Mordechai on a cross-country trip to New Orleans to be "served" in royal fashion.
"Gramps" - Butch Hartman
Gramps tells his grandchildren about his battle against alien invaders, getting corrected by the children repeatedly.
"Larry and Steve" - Seth MacFarlane
Steve, a homeless dog, is adopted by dimwitted Larry (the only man that can understand what he's saying), and experiences disaster when Larry takes him shopping. A prototype of MacFarlane's later hit show, Family Guy.
"Drip Dry Drips" - Jon McClenahan
Brothers Louie and Elmo start a laundry business, expecting to earn some cash. They get a request from the president, but accidentally destroy his suit.
"No Tip" - Robert Alvarez
A delivery boy must deliver a pizza to Antarctica safe and sound and before time runs out, or he won't get a tip.
"Awfully Lucky" - Robert Alvarez
A valuable yet cursed pearl brings both great luck and disaster to its hapless owner.
"Buy One, Get One Free" - Charlie Bean
A neurotic cat is afraid when a newcomer trashes his abusive owner's apartment.
"School Daze" - Robert Alvarez
A Wild West outlaw needs to finish the fourth grade, and deal with his obnoxious class rival Little Timmy.
"Lost Control" - Zac Moncrief
Two zoo animals lose their prized remote control and must travel to the waterworks to retrieve it.
"A Clean Getaway" - Meinert Hansen
Captain Buzz Cheeply and his robot sidekick Sly must escape a planet whose inhabitants have abnormally sized foreheads but tiny brains, while also finding a place to do their laundry.
"Raw Deal in Rome" - Eugene Mattos
A superpowered flea named Flick has a strange vendetta against a local performer, a dog named Shake, in an anachronistic Roman setting.
"Mr. Monkeyman" - Van Partible
Jealous King Raymond stains Jungle Boy's heroic reputation by impersonating him and causing mayhem.
"Hard Luck Duck" - William Hanna
Hard Luck Duck, after venturing away from Crocodile Harley's watch, is a hungry fox chef's next target.
"Bow-wow Buccaneers" - Mike Milo
Bloo and his fellow dogs sneak out of their owner's houses at midnight to set on a pirate adventure in the city.
"Ignoramooses" - Mike Milo
Two moose believe they're going to be adopted by a rich hunter, and wreak havoc in his mansion.
"Yoink of the Yukon" - Don Jurwich, Jerry Eisenberg
A good-natured mountie is tasked with evicting an ornery bear
"Out and About" - Patrick A. Ventura
A dog trying to get away from it all comes into conflict with a wild oppossum
"What's Goin' on Back There?" - Patrick A. Ventura
A homeless possum spars with a police officer in search of a place to live
"One Step Beyond" - Joe Orrantia
Podunk Possum tries to defend his new henhouse from increasingly bizarre threats
"Wind-Up Wolf" - William Hanna
The Big Bad Wolf builds a bionic double to do his dirty work
"Snoot's New Squat" - Victor Ortado, Jeret Ochi
A dog contends with an alien parasite
"Mission Imfrogable" - John Rice, Achiu So
Frogs Swamp and Tad must deliver a package to King Louie the Lip
Next up, the more popular shorts -- ones that made it to two or three episodes, but didn't quite make the cut.
Pfish and Chip - Butch Hartman"Short Pfuse" - Pfish and Chip (a carefree shark and a short-tempered lynx) attempt to stop their foe, the Mad Bomber. The only problem is that the chief needs to take his nap and demands quiet.
"Blammo the Clown" - The bomb squad face an evil clown, with several gag traps. They also find themselves taking care of the chief's teddy bear while he's at the circus with his mother.
Malcolm and Melvin - Ralph Bakshi"Malcolm and Melvin" - Melvin is an alienated loser, until he meets Malcolm, a trumpetist cockroach.
"Babe, He Calls Me" - Melvin's saga continues, as his partnership with Malcolm is compromised by an urban superhero's intrusion. Meanwhile, Melvin's mother aids a criminal after being unable to meet with her son.
Mina and the Count (5 episodes series) - Rob Renzetti
Yuckie Duck - Patrick A. Ventura"Short Orders" - Yuckie Duck works as a cook and waiter in a dirty restaurant, and delivers unappealing orders to the demanding customers.
"I'm On My Way" - Yuckie Duck works as a paramedic, but does more harm than good to his patients.
George and Junior - Patrick A. Ventura
(based on the 1940s short "Henpecked Hoboes", in turn based on Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men characters)"Look Out Below" - A bird crashes a light bulb so it doesn't disturb his sleep and sits in the empty socket. Geroge and Junior, the building's janitors/engineers, are sent to fix it.
"George and Junior's Christmas Spectacular" - George and Junior are forced to deliver Santa's presents to the kids, as they fail to deliver one of Santa's letters.
Finally, the shorts that became pilots for successful series.
Dexter's Laboratory - Genndy Tartakovsky"Changes" - Dee-Dee and Dexter battle turning each other into animals, using Dexter's latest invention.
"The Big Sister" - Dexter prevents giant Dee-Dee from attacking the city.
"Old Man Dexter" - Dexter uses a machine to age himself and be able to watch a late-night movie, but ends up aging far too much.
Other notable episodes:
"Labretto" - the operatic origin story
"Dexter and Computress Get Mandark" - An episode written and narrated by an actual 7-year-old kid from an unsolicited script
Ego Trip - The 1-hour 1999 TV movie originally intended to end the series
And don't forget the B-segments: Dial M for Monkey and The Justice Friends
Cow and Chicken - David Feiss"No Smoking" - Chicken is saved from damnation of smoking by Super Cow, who is his sister, Cow.
Johnny Bravo - Van Partible"Johnny Bravo" - Johnny Bravo tries to score with a zookeeper girl by capturing a runaway gorilla.
"Johnny Bravo and the Amazon Women" - Johnny Bravo is left stranded in an island filled with beautiful tall women, and their bodyguard elephant.
The Johnny Bravo-Scooby Doo crossover you never knew you wanted
The Mystery of Mess O' Blues, the Unreleased Johnny Bravo Concept Short
The Powerpuff Girls - Craig McCracken"Meat Fuzzy Lumkins" - The Powerpuff Girls fight to stop Fuzzy Lumkins' plot to turn everything into meat.
"Crime 101" - The girls aid the bumbling Amoeba Boys in becoming able criminals.
Courage the Cowardly Dog - John R. Dilworth"The Chicken From Outer Space" - A fearful dog tries to stop an alien chicken's plans to invade Earth while in his owners' farm. Oscar-nominated.
PART 5: Cartoons That Never Made It
Crafted by CN creative director Michael Ouweleen in the mid-90s, "Cartoons That Never Made It" was a brief series of four "bumps" -- short cartoons that play before commercial breaks or split up longer programs. The four shorts acted as promos for various fictional cartoons, all rejected for obvious reasons:
Salt n' Slug - Rupert the Grouper - Frothy Dawg - Heidi and the YodelersPerhaps taking inspiration from these, the network hosted a real-life competition in 2000 and 2001, The Big Pick, in which viewers could vote one of ten pilots to become a full series. While success came to Grim and Evil (which led to Evil Con Carne and The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy) and Codename: Kids Next Door, most of the rest exist only online:
"Whatever Happened to Robot Jones?" - Greg Miller
A kid robot tries to make it as a human student. Eventually picked up as a full series in 2002.
"A Kitty Bobo Show" - Kevin Kaliher
Kitty Bobo wants to prove that he's cool by getting a cell phone. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be receiving many important calls, thereby reducing his cool factor, so he begins to fake incoming calls. It's only a matter of time before everyone catches on to the farce.
Trevor! in "Journey to Sector 5-G" - Adam Shaheen, Jeff Rockburn
Trevor tries to solve an unsolvable math problem by using his imagination to transform found objects and his doodles into unique characters
"Nikki" - Debby Solomon
While peoplewatching, Nikki and James encounter some unexpected drama
"Foe Paws" - Chris Savino
Vivian the wise-guy cat and Rolo the mutt are taken home from a pet shop by a lonely Italian woman.
"Uncle Gus: For the Love of Monkeys" - Lincoln Pierce
The journey of a wily unemployed geezer and his rag-tailed bunch of friends as they travel to the zoo to reunite Uncle Gus with his AWOL fiancée
"Lucky Lydia in Club Lydia" - Arthur Filloy, Bob Camp
This short follows the titular little girl, Lydia, whose curiosity often gets her into trouble but manages to avoid disaster through her consistent good fortune.
"Longhair and Doubledome: Good Wheel Hunting" - Gavrilo Gnatovich
This cartoon follows two philosophical cavemen: Doubledome, a jolly but dimwitted caveman and Longhair, a rather smart caveman with a attitude problem, as they attempt to devise a plan that will help them obtain fruit from a tree that sits atop a high cliff.
"Lost Cat" - David Feiss
This short follows a cat that wants to find a home. After noticing a lost cat poster he poses as the lost pet so that the cat's real owner will give him a home. He is joined by his two friends George Liberman, the horse and Nancy Mouse.
"Prickles the Cactus" - Denis Morella
Prickles loves living in the desert, but when a drought starts making life miserable for her dad and brother, Prickles goes looking for water, even though she's allergic.
"Captain Sturdy: Back in Action" - Bill Waldner, Darrel Van Citters, and Ashley Postlewaite
The long-retired Captain Sturdy must return to action when the Union of Super Heroes cancels his pension. Upon returning to duty, he discovers that the organization has lost sight of what it means to be a superhero and has become more concerned with political correctness and marketing deals than saving the world from the evil Moid's clutches.
"Yee Hah & Doo Dah in Bronco Breakin' Boots" - Kenny Duggan
Yee Hah enjoys the city life until he discovers that the city pavement is giving him a dreadful blister. Much to Doo Dah's dismay, he decides to stop walking and ride his horse everywhere
"Imp, Inc." - Charlie Bean and Chris Recardi
Travelling in an orbiting meteor, three Imps are up for review and are offered the opportunity to help a poor farm couple by granting them their wish for desperately needed rain to help their crops. They manage to deliver rain, but their hopes for promotion come crashing down when their meteor smashes the couple's crops.
"My Freaky Family" - John McIntyre
It's Nadine's first day of school, a significant historical event considered by her mother to be one of many "milestone days" which must be documented with a photo. She manages to make it onto the school bus without being photographed, but her "freaky" family grabs the camera and jumps on the family multi-seater bicycle for a mortifying chase to catch up with her.
"Major Flake" - Chris Kelly and Adam Cohen
Major Flake, a frenetic French cereal mascot, and his grim sidekick, Sparkles must find a way to sell their rather unappealing Major Flake cereal before their boss, Sylvia Soggy, pulls the breakfast treat from store shelves.
"Hotdog Champeen (Utica Cartoon)" - Fran and Will Krause
When Dan Bear and Micah Monkey learn that they can get free hot dogs by beating the current hot dog eating record at their local diner, they are up for the challenge.
"Ferret & Parrot" - Scott Morse
A high-strung, paranoid ferret squares off against his fellow pet parrot when a mistaken love triangle develops between Ferret, Parrot, and "Yolanda the Aardvark," the star of a comic strip that lines the bottom of his cage.
PART 6: SPECIAL MUSICAL BONUS!!
Most, if not all, of the music used in Cartoon Networks various bumps and interstitials -- including much of the music in the Groovies shorts -- can be found on Bluetube.com, the homepage of Michael Kohler, the chief composer of most of these projects. So if you heard some music you liked while browsing these videos, chances are its on his site, free to listen to and without any distracting sound effects, as well as bonus details.
Additionally, most tracks are also available on the compilation Cartoon Network Greatest Hits: Vol. 1.
PART 7: Random Miscellany
Two Yogi Bear shorts, "Boo Boo Runs Wild" and "A Day in the Life of Ranger Smith", directed by John Kricfalusi, creator of Ren & Stimpy. Not connected to any of the above projects, but just as strange and more than a little disturbing.
The Scooby Doo Project, an extended and hilarious parody of the Blair Witch Project phenomenon
Rap promo compilation
Cartoon-Cartoon Fridays intro
(Surreal) intro to "Mr. Spim's Cartoon Theater", a weekly special that broadcast obscure animated films
"Acme Hour" bumps: takeoffs on classic Warner Bros. themes that don't really fit anywhere else.
A smattering of other sardonic idents and bumpers that would foretell the rise of Adult Swim:
No Parking - Prank Calls - Wonder Woman Locked Out - Pulp Fiction spoof - Wazzup?! - Wizzo, the Very First Cartoon - Superfriends at the Movies - Superfriends on a Plane - Superfriends meet the Powerpuff Girls - Sidekicks - Bloopers of the Cartoon Stars - Aquaman in the Seafood Aisle (Spanish) - Cartoon Network sneaks onto Nickelodeon - How Many Geniuses to Unlock a Car Door - Water Cooler series - Cartoon Network Anvil Awards - 2004 election ad parodies - San Hanna Barbera Penitentiary - Yard Sale - Infinite Zoom - But first, a monologue - June Bugs - Ask Cartoon Network - The Powerhouse bumpers - 10 Years in 60 Seconds
unholy fusion is the best fusion
posted by cynical pinnacle at 11:01 AM on February 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by cynical pinnacle at 11:01 AM on February 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
Thank you so much for this wonderful post!
Those doo-wop bumpers were really special. They take me back to a very particular place: in front of my grandmother's cabinet TV set, sitting on the floor or on the corner of the couch -- brown wood, brown carpet, brown faux-leather couch. It's a memory of being a little impatient or bored, either because I wanted the show to start or I wanted to go somewhere else -- it was very, very hot outside in the summer, and my grandmother wouldn't let me go anywhere alone, so I watched a lot of TV, and that meant a lot of Nick. I liked the bumpers, though I didn't know that was what they were called, particularly "Hon De Laud Hup Hivvel Up" and "Teacup." When I got tired of the bumpers and decided the new ones were too ugly and silly, I was 13 or 14, and I realized Nickelodeon was not meant for me anymore. And that was fine.
(I usually don't think much of the question "could you make this today", but I do wonder if you could make YCDTOT, where the adults were so awful -- well, never mind.)
posted by Countess Elena at 11:16 AM on February 26, 2022 [3 favorites]
Those doo-wop bumpers were really special. They take me back to a very particular place: in front of my grandmother's cabinet TV set, sitting on the floor or on the corner of the couch -- brown wood, brown carpet, brown faux-leather couch. It's a memory of being a little impatient or bored, either because I wanted the show to start or I wanted to go somewhere else -- it was very, very hot outside in the summer, and my grandmother wouldn't let me go anywhere alone, so I watched a lot of TV, and that meant a lot of Nick. I liked the bumpers, though I didn't know that was what they were called, particularly "Hon De Laud Hup Hivvel Up" and "Teacup." When I got tired of the bumpers and decided the new ones were too ugly and silly, I was 13 or 14, and I realized Nickelodeon was not meant for me anymore. And that was fine.
(I usually don't think much of the question "could you make this today", but I do wonder if you could make YCDTOT, where the adults were so awful -- well, never mind.)
posted by Countess Elena at 11:16 AM on February 26, 2022 [3 favorites]
I remember a one-off called "The Window and Francois' that I can't find proof of anywhere online. Ring any bells?
posted by 1adam12 at 11:36 AM on February 26, 2022
posted by 1adam12 at 11:36 AM on February 26, 2022
Nick started out as a young children's program called Pinwheel that mixed puppetry and live action with animated shorts from overseas. Only a few bootlegs survive from this era, making video hard to track down.
Time to get techno-geeky: Pinwheel started as a program on QUBE channel C-3. QUBE was an advanced cable-television system developed in Columbus, Ohio by Warner Communications that featured limited two-way interactivity between programs and their viewers. Pinwheel was the star of C-3 and eventually Warner relabeled the channel as "Pinwheel".
A few years later Warner, now called Warner-Amex in a joint venture with American Express, saw QUBE as a failure but decided to take three of the most popular channels nationwide via their new satellite distribution network into local markets: Star Channel (now called The Movie Channel), Sight on Sound (the prototype of MTV), and Pinwheel, now rebranded as Nickelodeon.
posted by JoeZydeco at 3:24 PM on February 26, 2022 [3 favorites]
Time to get techno-geeky: Pinwheel started as a program on QUBE channel C-3. QUBE was an advanced cable-television system developed in Columbus, Ohio by Warner Communications that featured limited two-way interactivity between programs and their viewers. Pinwheel was the star of C-3 and eventually Warner relabeled the channel as "Pinwheel".
A few years later Warner, now called Warner-Amex in a joint venture with American Express, saw QUBE as a failure but decided to take three of the most popular channels nationwide via their new satellite distribution network into local markets: Star Channel (now called The Movie Channel), Sight on Sound (the prototype of MTV), and Pinwheel, now rebranded as Nickelodeon.
posted by JoeZydeco at 3:24 PM on February 26, 2022 [3 favorites]
This is huge to dig into, thanks for compiling ... Nick was a part of my tween life and occasionally during the pandemic have been tuning into Hey Arnold (on hulu)
I'm on the fridges of a subculture/community of nick fans who preserve recordings of nickelodeon broadcasting (especially pre 2000ish); they're extremely dedicated and it's remarkable the level of their dedication: some of them restore and improve old VHS recordings (in instances where official dvds or blue-rays were never released of the shows) or remux the video of officially released DVDs with the original audio from the VHS recordings of the show that people made from their home VCRs ; this happens when the officially released DVD/blue-rays have music taken out because of copyright, licensing issues).
FYI: If anyone has VHS/Beta Max tapes of Nickelodeon (particularly Pinwheel which seems like it was rarely recorded at home), particularly from the late 80s and early 90s, there are a whole lot of people who would really appreciate them.
posted by fizzix at 3:44 PM on February 26, 2022
I really liked Pinwheel as a kid. They had a lot of European cartoons that seemed so dreamy and far-off to me, which planted a seed of vague longing to live in a flat in Scandinavia or a little town in the UK. Years ago I made a post about Chapi Chapo, the tiny French hat children, but the videos are gone now. Here's a 2016 CGI reboot trailer, with no apparent follow-through. Dunno what happened there.
posted by Countess Elena at 3:58 PM on February 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Countess Elena at 3:58 PM on February 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
Adult Swim has a few Space Ghost Coast To Coast episodes available for free streaming, including the masterpiece Chambraigne.
posted by mubba at 5:42 AM on February 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by mubba at 5:42 AM on February 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
This is a lot, but there's still more Cartoon Network things that are just lost to history. The one I remember is "The Cartoon Network Thing To Do," which was two series of commercial spots where they showed clips from shows and shorts in the network's library, and facetiously explained to kids how to do the wacky (and sometimes dangerous) sight gags from them. Here's one with Ed Grimly, and another with Johnny Bravo. And here's a bit from another lost Cartoon Network commercial series, Cartoon Network Responds, that refers to the first version of Thing To Do's opening, which may be otherwise lost.
posted by JHarris at 7:40 AM on February 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by JHarris at 7:40 AM on February 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
Another thing that seems lost is Andy Merrill's home pages for the various Space Ghost Coast to Coast characters. They might be hidden somewhere within the Wayback Machine, but I've not been able to find them lately.
Thanks again for all your work this month Rhaomi! I wish I had the time to revisit some of my old megaposts, especially High Weirdness By Mail, but that thing is a MONSTER.
posted by JHarris at 7:50 AM on February 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
Thanks again for all your work this month Rhaomi! I wish I had the time to revisit some of my old megaposts, especially High Weirdness By Mail, but that thing is a MONSTER.
posted by JHarris at 7:50 AM on February 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
fizzix, love those taped videos as Nickelodeon in the late 80s/early 90s was still doing two things on their broadcasts that nobody does anymore: a live read announcer over the closing credits for the next show and specially produced bumpers advising of lineup changes.
Countess Elena, you might want to check out this weeks episode of SNL that had a delightful “retro Nickelodeon” YCDTOTV sketch, complete with a sly reference to the banned adoption episode.
posted by dr_dank at 1:43 PM on February 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
Countess Elena, you might want to check out this weeks episode of SNL that had a delightful “retro Nickelodeon” YCDTOTV sketch, complete with a sly reference to the banned adoption episode.
posted by dr_dank at 1:43 PM on February 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
Another thing that seems lost is Andy Merrill's home pages for the various Space Ghost Coast to Coast characters.
Sometime in the '90s, I was on AOL* and I emailed Cartoon Network using the comment form on their walled-garden site there. Andy Merrill wasn't credited as Brak at that time, at least in any way I could find out, and I asked them who did Brak's voice.
They wrote back and told me it was Suzanne Pleshette. It was a funny email, and I suspect it was from one of the writers, if only because this was from before a time that companies had separate social media.
-----
* Which I knew was uncool, even then, because other nerds made fun of me on Usenet.
posted by Countess Elena at 3:21 PM on February 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
Sometime in the '90s, I was on AOL* and I emailed Cartoon Network using the comment form on their walled-garden site there. Andy Merrill wasn't credited as Brak at that time, at least in any way I could find out, and I asked them who did Brak's voice.
They wrote back and told me it was Suzanne Pleshette. It was a funny email, and I suspect it was from one of the writers, if only because this was from before a time that companies had separate social media.
-----
* Which I knew was uncool, even then, because other nerds made fun of me on Usenet.
posted by Countess Elena at 3:21 PM on February 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
dr_dank: yes, that was terrific! Thank you!
posted by Countess Elena at 3:22 PM on February 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Countess Elena at 3:22 PM on February 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
Apologies if this is one of the 424 (!) links in the post, but the Youtube channel poparena, does an amazing deep dive series on the history of Nickelodeon, highly well done!!
posted by wheelieman at 4:43 PM on February 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by wheelieman at 4:43 PM on February 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
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This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
Also, I know this is A Lot, so if you'd like the top 25 links... [click to view]
An account of the Nickelodeon branding overhaul and style guide
The Jive Five's a capella bumpers, and the story behind them
Insider's oral history of CN's Groovies
Nick Knacks ongoing Nickelodeon documentary series
Nickelodeon Studios behind the scenes
"Hey Sandy", the dark Pete and Pete theme song
Frederator's free art books
Bee and PuppyCat season 1
History of Frederator
Nickelodeon Magazine back issues on Archive.org
Hey Arnold, The Music Vol. 1
Groovies: "Rolling" and "That Time is Now"
Shorties: "Sound Hound" and "Whiners Can Be Losers"
What a Cartoons: "Help?"
Dexter's Labretto
The Johnny Bravo/Scooby Doo crossover
The Powerpuff Girls and Courage the Cowardly Dog pilots
A Kitty Bobo Show
John K's "Boo Boo Runs Wild"
The Scooby Doo Project Blair Witch parody
posted by Rhaomi at 10:56 AM on February 26, 2022 [2 favorites]