"What a Cartoon!" Cartoon Network Shorts

[Drtooth]

Family Guy WAS supposed to be Larry and Steve... right down to the other Larry and Steve pilot using the Philadelphia movie joke (where everything Tom Hanks says is funny) that was also used in both the unaired Family Guy pilot and the first episode (which was almost word for word, but rerecorded and reanimated).

Major difference, Stewie and Meg were not supposed to be cast members yet... but Chris was. And there was a different, decidedly less attractive wife voiced by a man. Again, this is NOT the version seen on WAC... I want to say it was done for MadTV... Larry and Steve was to be a recurring sketch at one point... but network connections... yadda yadda... he got his own show.

Now watching the Larry and Steve, Johnny Bravo episodes, and even the first Family Guy shows that Seth has a very distinct sense of humor... but when collaborating with writers, things morph into something else. A show is shaped not just by the creator, but by the writers. Watch the first episode and the last current one, and it's like watching 2 different shows.

And that's not counting the other 2 shows, which are direct products of writers with very little of Seth's involvement. At least 2 writers from Pepper Ann work on American Dad, for example... I've noticed some similarities between Francine Smith and Lydia Pearson (forgot if she kept her maiden name) at least in certain episodes... funny thing, I watched 2 American Dads in the same season that mentioned Niçoise salad (I can't remember if they actually aired one after another) and then I watched a Pepper Ann I haven't seen in years... wouldn't you know? A scene in Greezy and Cheezy had Nicky Little eating a salad, and Milo says something to the extent of "That's a tasty looking Niçoise salad you ordered!"

I bust a gut. Must be an inside joke that transversed 2 TV shows.

But that Larry and Steve is one of my favorite WACs, even if it had no connection to Family Guy. heck, I didn't even get the connection the first time I saw it in the 90's at someone's house. I didn't see the title card or creator credits.

What was that breakfast cereal mascot WAC again? The one that's like Cap'n Crunch, but an idiot? I remember wishing that won the network pick up instead of KND... but now that I think of it, aside from the fact KND is one of my favorites, it simply wasn't meant to be. How many stories could they have came up with?

 

[D'Snowth]

What was that breakfast cereal mascot WAC again?

Ehh... not ringing a bell with me... I seem to recall an episode of PPG where they had like a spoof cereal that was essentially Lucky Charms, with a Capn Crunch-esque mascot who acted like the Trix Bunny.

 

[Drtooth]

Maybe someone else can remember it if I give more information... The breakfast cereal mascot was a pirate... he was the least beloved cereal mascot (I forget if something gross was in the cereal or not) and there was this well loved Lion character (obvious parody of Tony the Tiger) that he felt he was in direct competition with.

The thing COULD have been called Major Flake, but I'm not too sure... it's not listed in the wikipedia article if it isn't.

 

[Xerus]

Maybe someone else can remember it if I give more information... The breakfast cereal mascot was a pirate... he was the least beloved cereal mascot (I forget if something gross was in the cereal or not) and there was this well loved Lion character (obvious parody of Tony the Tiger) that he felt he was in direct competition with.

The thing COULD have been called Major Flake, but I'm not too sure... it's not listed in the wikipedia article if it isn't.

Yes, it was Major Flake. He was a French speaking sea captain voiced by Rob Paulsen.

 

[Xerus]

Ehh... not ringing a bell with me... I seem to recall an episode of PPG where they had like a spoof cereal that was essentially Lucky Charms, with a Capn Crunch-esque mascot who acted like the Trix Bunny.

I remember that episode. He was called The Lucky Captain Rabbit King, who was a parody of Lucky the Leprechaun, Cap'n Crunch, The Trix Rabbit, and King Vitamin. He advertised Lucky Captain Rabbit King Nuggets.

 

[Drtooth]

Yes, it was Major Flake. He was a French speaking sea captain voiced by Rob Paulsen.

Yes. That's it exactly. Did he have some long suffering sidekick? I only saw it once, and I remember a goofy sidekick of some sort...

Still, looking back, when KND won that competition, that was the right choice. I just couldn't see Major Flake as a TV series now... maybe a recurring segment IN a series, but not a series itself.

 

[Xerus]

Yes. That's it exactly. Did he have some long suffering sidekick? I only saw it once, and I remember a goofy sidekick of some sort...

Still, looking back, when KND won that competition, that was the right choice. I just couldn't see Major Flake as a TV series now... maybe a recurring segment IN a series, but not a series itself.

I can't remember Major Flake's sidekick though.

I thought Utica Cartoon was funny. Where the bear kept trying to beat his own hot dog eating record so he can get free food and his pals try to help him out. I voted for Utica Cartoon back then and was hoping it would become a series. I could just imagine the crazy stories and situations those 4 animals could get into.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr759dhxmJ0

 

[D'Snowth]

Utica Cartoon I remember well... actually, I don't remember what WAC I voted for during that period...

I THINK, if I'm not mistaken, I voted for Lost Cat, because I so loved David Feiss's work, and since the demise of both C&C and Weasel, I thought for him to do another show would be awesome.

 

[Xerus]

Utica Cartoon I remember well... actually, I don't remember what WAC I voted for during that period...

I THINK, if I'm not mistaken, I voted for Lost Cat, because I so loved David Feiss's work, and since the demise of both C&C and Weasel, I thought for him to do another show would be awesome.

Yeah, I liked Lost Cat too. It looked so Cow and Chicken-ish.

My second choice for a vote would've been Kitty Bobo. I love the animation and funky music. This actually won second place, but Kids Next Door beat Kitty Bobo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvQPn48Ss2U

 

[D'Snowth]

Hmm... y'know, it LOOKS familiar, but I can't recall actually watching that one or not...

It seems like there were a few of them I didn't actually get to watch... I remember there was a few week period during that summer where I was without cable.

BTW, I remember that those 2000 WACs actually had sequels that weren't aired until MUCH later... I remember Uncle Gus had a sequel where his horse roomie Flapjack was entered into a horse race (what else), and I seem to recall a Longhair and Double Dome sequel where Double Dome was convinced he made a baby from a snowman he made.

I think LH&DD was one of the finalists for that year's voting, if I'm not mistaking... I think it might have made an interesting series, but I can understand some people's bothered by it seeming like a poor Flintstones ripoff (ala some making similar claims for Wimzie's House).