Sunday, July 13, 2025

Getting Schooled: Incredible Crew (2013)

 Even though he'd produced a number of series for MTV and its sister networks, Nick Cannon took his talents to Cartoon Network in 2013 as producer and chief songwriter for the primetime series, Incredible Crew, the last live-action series during the Stuart Snyder era. Cannon was also the show's off-camera announcer.

Facing backlash from viewers because of their insistence on live-action programming, Snyder and his partner-in-idiocy, Rob Sorcher, threw in the towel after one season. Reruns continued well into 2014, but now, it lies in the WBD vaults. This was a show that actually, and rightfully, belonged on CN's sister network, TBS.

Following is a high school skit featuring Emoticonnie.


It looks as though Emoticonnie's head is really a CGI creation to conceal the actress' identity. Not many of the cast have been heard from since the series ended.

No rating. Just a public service.

Saturday, July 12, 2025

Saturday Morning's Forgotten Heroes: Underdog in Weathering The Storm (1965)

When NBC acquired Underdog for reruns in 1969 for a 4 year run, a new teaser was added with announcer-narrator George S. Irving noting that all 4 chapters of a serial would air in the broadcast.

That wasn't how it was originally.

When the series launched in 1964, the serial would be split over two weeks to allow the requisite backup features to air.

This video collects all 4 chapters of "Weathering The Storm", first shown in 1965 (presumably season 2), in which Simon Bar Sinister (Allen Swift) plots to control the weather patterns on earth. Regardless of the scheme, Simon was a one note villain, always looking for world domination. Simon and his sidekick, Cad Lackey, hijack a space mission, taking Sweet Polly (Norma McMillan) prisoner. Of course, you know, Underdog (Wally Cox) will save his #1 fan......


Yes, the original title cards were edited out. 

Rating: B. If you've seen one Simon plot, you've seen them all.

Friday, July 11, 2025

From Comics to Toons: Dr. Jekyll & Beetle Bailey (1963)

 Robert Louis Stevenson never envisioned this happening to one of his famous tales.

Beetle Bailey (Howard Morris) ends up with some pills mixed into his coffee, turning him into a powerhouse, much to Cookie's dismay.


No rating. Just a public service.

Toon Rock: 7 8 9 (2008)

 "Snacktime!" was a children's album by the Barenaked Ladies, released in 2008, and the final album with co-vocalist Steven Page. Keyboard player Kevin Hearn also wrote & illustrated a picture book that came with the album.

The first track is "7 8 9", a riff on an old joke, with lyrics by vocalist-guitarist Ed Robertson.

Thursday, July 10, 2025

Summer School: Who's Benedict Arnold? (Room 222, 1971)

 From season 3 of Room 222:

Jack Dodson, fresh from Mayberry RFD, is cast as assistant principal Casey, who is making life difficult for Jason (Heshimu), Bernie (David Jolliffe), & Larry (Eric Laneuville), thanks to Victor (Jerry Hauser, later of The Brady Brides & The Bradys), who's ratted the others out, but the question is, why?


It's actually a You Know The Voice triple-play with Hauser (who later was the voice of Bamm-Bamm in a series of Flintstones primetime specials) joining Jolliffe & Judy Strangis (Helen). Dodson was looking to break his own typecasting after playing Howard Sprague on Mayberry RFD & The Andy Griffith Show.

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Mattel introduces a Barbie with type 1 diabetes

 Barbie with type 1 diabetes

What you see above is meant to be a teaching tool to young ladies.

Mattel will soon bring this variation on Barbie to stores, the first with type 1 diabetes, which is often diagnosed in children.

When I first read of this on Yahoo!, there was the predictable pushback from some ill-informed types. Heaven forbid certain nationally known conservative trolls start whining about it, as they often do. It's not that they don't understand, but, rather, they don't want anything like this on the market.

"Diabetic Barbie" is the creation of model Lila Moss, daughter of 80's supermodel Kate Moss. Lila herself is a diabetic, and saw the means to educate young girls. Bravo!

Monday, July 7, 2025

Toonfomercial: Tony the Tiger conducts an orchestra? (1960)

 Oh, this is too much.

Kellogg's thought it'd be cool to have Tony the Tiger (Thurl Ravenscroft) conduct an orchestra to promote Sugar Frosted Flakes (now known simply as Frosted Flakes). Hanna-Barbera provided the animation for this one.