What's Up, Duck?

For generations, kids have spent Saturday mornings with a bowl of cereal in front of the television watching cartoons. My earliest memories are of waking up Saturdays in the late 60's, and waiting impatiently for the TV test pattern (I remember both the Indian and the colour bars test patterns) to switch off and for my precious animated programming to begin. A bowl of Cheerios in my lap. I must have been four years old in those earliest memories.

I loved shows like Mighty Mouse, Beanie and Cecil, Archie, Top Cat, Tom and Jerry, Pink Panther, H.R. Pufnstuf, Spiderman, and Scooby Doo. But none of those shows have been as enduring and world famous as The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour. Happily, the rest of my life has revolved around this pop culture phenomenon. 

Originally known best as Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, these cartoon shorts were developed between 1930 and 1969 during the golden age of American animation. The very first 'toons were a little crude by today's standards, but in them we see the seeds of the now-classic characters. Eventually, as we all know, the cast of mostly animals took the world by storm with big names like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester and Tweety, and Wile E. Coyote ("Super Genius"), and Road Runner. Some Looney humans like Granny, Yosamite Sam, and Elmer Fudd also leaped to superstardom. 

The colourful and over-the-top Looney Tunes exceeded even Disney in popularity (take that, Mickey!), while competition like Hanna-Barbara, Walter Lantz, Screen Gems, and Terrytoons each found their own respectable rung a little lower on the ladder. 

It is staggering to review the names of the many now-famous creative people who worked on those Loonies: Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, Friz Freleng, Chuck Jones, Robert McKimson, Mel Blanc and Frank Tashlin, just to name a few. I'll bet that even the average Joe on the street would recognize at least one or two of those names just from his (or her) sheer repetition of viewing the cartoons. 

A few of my Looney books: a sticker collecting book (full!) at 

left, the middle one a fun history of the studio, and at right, a

fantastic compendium detailing every single Looney Tune

From my youngest years, through my teens, and into my 20's, I always got hooked on a Looney Tunes show if I tripped upon it while channel surfing. When I was in my early 20's, in the mid-80's, I landed a job in the animation industry... not quite as glamorous as most of us think it is..... but it was fun in its own twisted way. I drew background artwork at first (for The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin), then I learned more about the business by moving from department to department, wherever there was a need. I also did animation quality control check (for Meerkats), storyboard coordination (for Dennis the Menace), and some other less creative tasks. Still, a memorable time of my life. 

That experience in the 80's further fueled my love of animation. I again became a Saturday morning TV fan, both for enjoyment and as "homework". I wasn't as impressed by modern animation as the oldies, but I did enjoy Inspector Gadget, Droids, DuckTales, My Pet Monster, and the odd other thing (like the shows that I worked on). Not high art, but there were some good and fun ideas in there). 

And of course, good ol' Bugs and Daffy and gang were top of my list. The classic Looney Tunes prevail. Growing up, I was also exposed to Hanna-Barbara  cartoons like Yogi Bear, Jetsons, Scooby Doo and Flintstones. Some of these, like Flintstones, were less of a childhood weekend show and more of a weekday staple once the show went into syndication. So as I grew up, I managed to see every freaking episode dozens of times over thanks to daily reruns. Hey, I loved it! 

In the early 90's, I loaded several videotapes with Looney Tunes and enjoyed those repeatedly over the years. But those tapes took a lot of wear and tear and it wasn't long before I knew I needed to upgrade. Ever so gradually, I picked up some DVD collections of Bugs and Company, and within the past year I took the plunge and invested in a couple of very comprehensive sets on Blu-Ray video.... beautiful! And I eagerly await volume three of the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection. 

My wardrobe from the 80's through the 90's was made up of many T-shirts emblazoned with the images of Bugs, Sylvester, and Daffy. My other cartoon interests at the time prompted me to hand paint my own tees of Ren & Stimpy and Calvin & Hobbes for myself, family and friends. 

I am positive that I will be watching Looney Tunes long into the future, however long I last. Life just wouldn't be the same without the clever and absurd humour that we find in these top-notch, frantically funny short films.

".... Hello my ragtime girl.... "