Tonfomercial: Remember the Carnation Rabbits? (1960's)

 Meet Pete & Harry, the Carnation Rabbits, who shilled for Carnation cottage cheese, milk, yogurt, dips, & ice cream.

Today, Carnation is a unit of Nestle, continuing the long running company's evaporated milk and Breakfast Essentials (formerly Carnation Instant Breakfast), but the wider range of products didn't survive too far past the 60's.

A quick Google search reveals that Mel Blanc (who else?) gave life to Pete & Harry, though YouTubers were convinced Paul Winchell and/or Pat Harrington, Jr. did the voices.

Following is a 4 minute montage of commercials.

Sunday Funnies: Junior & The Dictator (Problem Child, 1993)

 From season 1 of Problem Child:

Junior (Ben Diskin) takes umbrage when his grandfather (Jonathan Harris) welcomes a visiting general.

Considering that the president of our country fancies himself a dictator, but has the comportment of an immature child, well.........!

It's safe to say Junior was being reposited as an anti-hero in this series, since his gramps was often in collusion with Principal Peabody (Gilbert Gottfried), and always foiled.

No rating. Just a public service.

Not your average fairy tale: Three Little Piggs (1961)

 Here's a Fractured Fairy Tale from 1961.

The Three Little Piggs are a trio of sisters (all voiced by June Foray), instead of brothers in the traditional story, who get their own individual homes thanks to an inheritance from a recently deceased relative. Daws Butler is the wolf.

The gender flipping and the twist ending aside, this plays out like the traditional story. We think.

Rating: B.

Saturday Morning's Greatest Hits: Respect Yourself (1971)

 The Staple Singers scored a crossover hit in 1971 with "Respect Yourself", which brought them to Soul Train.

Some 15 years later, actor-singer Bruce Willis (Moonlighting) did a solo cover of "Respect" for his first top 40 hit. Nothing tops the original, though.

Sunday Funnies: Harpo Marx on the Ed Sullivan Show (1961)

 Film legend Harpo Marx swaps out his namesake instrument for a clarinet, which doubles as a bubble machine, for "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles". Fran Jeffries provides the vocals. Don't know who the other gentleman is. From The Ed Sullivan Show, circa 1961.

Now, I have to see if Harpo did the same schtick on Lawrence Welk's program. Happy New Year!

Saturtainment: The debut of Smurfette (Smurfs, 1981)

 Gargamel (Paul Winchell) thought he had the most foolproof plan to end the Smurfs. He created a Smurfette (Lucille Bliss), meant to be a lure for a trap. But, as we all know, the best laid plans of mice, men, and bumbling villains often go astray......

I guess Hanna-Barbera wanted Winchell to use his Dick Dastardly voice for Gargamel, and, like Dick, Gargs was a classic buffoon in every sense of the word. I wonder if anyone made the connection when Dastardly returned 3 years later (Yogi's Treasure Hunt).

Rating: A.

Toons After Dark: Huck of La Mancha (The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 1968)

 Episodes of The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are back in circulation on YouTube. This time around, Huck (Michael Shea), Tom Sawyer (Kevin Schultz, ex-The Monroes), and Becky Thatcher (Lu Ann Haslem) get mixed up with a certain literary icon in "Huck of La Mancha". Hal Smith (Davey & Goliath, ex-The Andy Griffith Show) and Jay Novello (ex-McHale's Navy) guest star.

No rating this time. Just a public service.