Comments on: Follows next a period spannin'/ Four long years with James Buchanan...

Follows next a period spannin'/ Four long years with James Buchanan...

Navelgazer — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:03:19 -0800

In honor of the Fourth, I give you the 50 States and their Capitals, the U.S. Presidents, and in hopes for a better future, what the hell, all the Nations of the World.

Yes, the list of the Presidents is only current through Clinton. Yes, I'm absolutely fine with that. Happy Fourth, everybody.

By: The White Hat

The White Hat — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:12:44 -0800

I do love the animaniacs, but JoCo has a far superior presidents song.

By: carsonb

carsonb — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:12:54 -0800

Just in case there's any doubt about his talents, here's Rob Paulsen (His name is Robert Paulsen...) doing The Nations of the World live and by rote.

By: orthogonality

orthogonality — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:13:57 -0800

Because history is all about lists, and geography about place names. People don't remember, let alone understand, just because rote memorization has been prettied up with a sing-song rhyme scheme. There's so much that's interesting about US (or world) history, so much insight to be found in geography (about how physical features influence human settlement, how the land shapes economic decisions from the rise the railroads to the current disillusionment with the suburbs because in certain places the ground is yielding less liquified bio-mass). It's a shame and a loss to not teach this, and instead teach lists. But I liked the dig at Bush 43.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:16:17 -0800

Because history is all about lists, and geography about place names. not only that, animals don't talk - whatever in the world are cartoonists trying to teach our children, anyway?

By: ROU_Xenophobe

ROU_Xenophobe — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:32:10 -0800

Not only that, the Warners aren't any clearly-defined kind of animal in any case. It's commahnism.

By: slimepuppy

slimepuppy — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:36:38 -0800

There's so much that's interesting about US (or world) history, so much insight to be found in geography (about how physical features influence human settlement, how the land shapes economic decisions from the rise the railroads to the current disillusionment with the suburbs because in certain places the ground is yielding less liquified bio-mass). I saw that episode of the Animaniacs. It sucked.

By: nomisxid

nomisxid — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:51:56 -0800

what, no all the words in the english language?

By: Caduceus

Caduceus — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:59:58 -0800

Unfortunately, orthogonality, most people don't even know the lists.

By: PostIronyIsNotaMyth

PostIronyIsNotaMyth — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:09:00 -0800

The fourth? Is this one of those things you have to American to understand?

By: straight

straight — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:14:57 -0800

The alphabet of nations.

By: Gary

Gary — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:33:34 -0800

The fourth? Is this one of those things you have to American to understand? All the holidays are being pushed early to make more time for the Christmas shopping season.

By: tinkertown

tinkertown — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:40:13 -0800

I wonder why all the Animaniacs stuff on YouTube has such crappy quality. It's like they were all recorded off a UHF station in Cameroon and encoded with Indeo.

By: orthogonality

orthogonality — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:45:15 -0800

pyramid termite writes "not only that, animals don't talk - whatever in the world are cartoonists trying to teach our children, anyway?" Yes, good point.

By: blue_beetle

blue_beetle — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:55:45 -0800

Familiarity breeds contempt.

By: elfgirl

elfgirl — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:06:02 -0800

The fourth? Is this one of those things you have to American to understand? No, I'm pretty sure it's going to be the 4th of July in many countries.

By: Talez

Talez — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:12:20 -0800

Animaniacs was just such a fantastic show. Witty writing, somewhat educational with some adult humour thrown in, animation quality that just blew other cartoons of the time away and a 40 piece orchestra for the score. It's a pity and a shame that only 99 episodes were made.

By: [NOT HERMITOSIS-IST]

[NOT HERMITOSIS-IST] — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:16:35 -0800

As a belated Gay Pride merger, Stonewall Schoolhouse Rock via ericb via Help, I can't stop talking!

By: Afroblanco

Afroblanco — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:24:59 -0800

I like how the nations song recognizes both Israel and Palestine. Obviously, they were trying to avoid an international incident.

By: Tube

Tube — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:25:35 -0800

Very well scripted. This reminds me of an old episode of Dragnet. Gannon and Friday are in a room interrogating a suspect who refuses to cooperate. Instead, the suspect starts to recite states and their capitals. The two cops decide to let him sit in stir for a while. But Gannon gets the best of him, psychologically, as the suspect has given Las Vegas as the capital of Nevada. "The capitol of Nevada is Carson City", Gannon sagely replies. Yes, Ladies, and Gentlemen, TV actually had elements of subtlety many years ago...

By: not_on_display

not_on_display — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:27:38 -0800

You're such a Wakko, Navelgazer.... thanks!

By: DecemberBoy

DecemberBoy — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:56:50 -0800

Yes, Ladies, and Gentlemen, TV actually had elements of subtlety many years ago... Um, the 1960s version of Dragnet isn't exactly the best example of subtlety. The "Tim Leary" episode ("Marijuana is the flame. Heroin is the fuse. LSD is the bomb."), the hippie parents who get stoned and let their baby drown in the bath, the hippie acid party with people eating paint... basically anything involving drugs.

By: bicyclefish

bicyclefish — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:24:22 -0800

A cupcake for anyone who can turn up a link to the original US Presidents song, which, as broadcast, snarkily ended by naming the current president as "Clinton, first name Hillary!" - later watered down to "the Clintons, Bill and Hillary."

By: Gary

Gary — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:31:59 -0800

I'll be taking that cupcake, now.

By: Weebot

Weebot — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:04:29 -0800

I've always been tickled by Wakko's Ringo accent.

By: Airhen

Airhen — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:10:36 -0800

Annapolis and Maryland are not known for clam chowder, Animaniacs. Maryland is known for crabs

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:27:02 -0800

OH MY GOD, they spelled "Israel" wrong! Seriously, go back and look at it. It's at the :50 second mark. WTF ANIMANIACS? Nobody there owns a fucking encyclopedia?

By: zennie

zennie — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:36:29 -0800

B: Take note, Pinky, Mr. Jefferson over there is writing the Declaration of Independence. All the governing principles of the new nation are being put into that document! P: Egad, Brain! Oh... too bad it doesn't say anything about you being the leader. B: Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering? P: I think so, Brain-- poit!-- but where do you stick the feather and call it macaroni? Well, you know, since we're at it.

By: RufusW

RufusW — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:39:12 -0800

Good job putting Tibet in.

By: Weebot

Weebot — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:35:58 -0800

Korea is in one piece, too. Optimistic bunch of writers they got there.