Classic Cartoons: December 2005

Introducing....Kiko the Kangaroo !

"All the kids love Kiko -
Kiko the Kangaroo !
No one else can equal -
the things that he can do ! "

Does it ring a bell ? Hmmm...probably not ! This short song was the leitmotiv of one of Terrytoons ' s starring stars of the late Thirties , one of the best creations ever made by the studio , Kiko the Kangaroo .

In the late Thirties the greatest animation studios own the services of some popular cartoon stars . Disney found definitive glory with the creation and developement of Donald Duck ; the decline of Fleischer's Betty Boop ( thanks to the Hays Office ) was compensated by the incredible popularity of Popeye the Sailor ; WB found the appeal of Porky Pig sufficient enough to entertain the audience ( the creations of both Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny were also not so far ) .

However , Terrytoons did not have a character enough popular to compete with the other studios ( Farmer Al Falfa was not that much in terms of characterization ) . So Paul Terry 's staff tried to create a recurring character .

In the late 30s we find Kiko the Kangaroo ' s debut in FARMER AL FALFA'S PRIZE PACKAGE ( 1936 ) . This character was used only for a pair of years but the cartoons which feature him are some of the best ever made by Terry .

Kiko , being an happy-go-lucky fellow ( In one short , KIKO AND THE HONEY BEARS , he appeared as an happy hobo looking for a work ) , is always smiling , playing tricks , playing music , entertaining/saving kids ( better : little bears ) but he can always tramute himself into the best boxer to defend his owner/friend Farmer Al Falfa .

Kiko made his debut as a " gift " to Al Falfa from his brother Hank , then starred in a series of solo cartoons as well as in other ones teamed with the farmer . He starred in only 10 cartoons , ending his carrer in 1937 one year after his creation .

As my friend Tim C. informed me , there was also a planned 11th cartoon . A storyboard was written and drawn by a young Joe Barbera , but it was rejected by Paul Terry .

Enjoy these pics from miscellaneous Kiko shorts ( note that pictures ' quality differs from cartoon to cartoon ) .

Yours Truly ,

Duck Dodgers

Blog Founder and Administrator

" Altruists "... here we go again !

Thanks to my great friend Dragan Kovacevic ( in a recent post I made available to the viewers of this blog a marvellous drawing made by him for Christmas , you can find it here : http://classiccartoons.blogspot.com/2005/12/merry-christmas-folks.html ) , I 'm now able to post more screenshots from the Ren and Stimpy APC unaired episode " Altruists " .
For what I know the episode only aired in Australia and on an Italian Fox Channel ( this latter one is the original source of these screenshots ) .

Enjoy them !

Yours Truly ,

Duck Dodgers

Blog Founder and Administrator

Room Runners

Pre-Code cartoons from the early Thirties often contain risqué gags , since at the time they were almost free from the restrictions of censorship. The cartoons produced at the Ub Iwerks studio contain some of the best examples of that : many of them have gags involving racial and ethnic stereotypes , sexual innuendo , and even the use of drugs . One of the most risqué Ub Iwerks cartoons is "Room Runners". Here, Flip the Frog tries to escape during the night from a hotel without paying the bill ; while getting away from both the landlady and a policeman , Flip comes across several sexual-related situations : for example , he gets into a bathroom where a girl is having a shower, and he watches a naked girl through a keyhole. In the final gag of the cartoon , a guy who's trying to take his tooth out , after many unsuccessful attempts , he finally succeeds after going into the room of an undressed girl and receiving a punch in the face from her.
Here are some pictures from this cartoon . Enjoy!

Ren and Stimpy in " Stimpy's Pregnant "

Here for you a few shots from another unaired " Ren and Stimpy APC " episode , " Stimpy's Pregnant " .
It's a great episode , one of the best in the Ren and Stimpy saga ! Of course the humor is gross ( as in the majority of John K ' s Spumco works ) , even too gross , in my opinion ( expecially the ending ) .

Anyway , this two-part episode is a must-see for any fans of John K ' work as well as for any ones who loves classic cartoons .

The animation is superb , every single frame do show a completely different expression , like it happened in many of the best Bob Clampett WB cartoons of the late forties , as " Baby Bottleneck " or " Kitty Kornered "

See for yourselves !
Enjoy !