Popeye in Warner Bros Cartoons!

Here is a few scenes of Popeye in other cartoons:

The first is a Porky Pig Cartoon. That's right, Porky Pig. In the 1937 film Porky's Garden, one of the chicks eats spinach and then turns into Popeye. It's very funny to see this. Popeye was the most popular cartoon star of the 1930s. Tex Avery is using Popeye as a gag for a Porky Pig cartoon. This proves Popeye's popularity in the 1930s and how aware the studios were of the Fleischers.



That wasn't the only time either, the ending and climax of the Major Lied till Dawn is also a Popeye parody

Popeye 1940s Volume 1

While KFS might be doing a horrible job, Jerry and George did a wonderful job with Popeye. Jerry Beck and George Feltenstein announced this set a couple weeks ago. It's got beautiful colors and it's the perfect gift. This is a test just like Porky Pig 101 (which was also a wonderful set). This set is marvelous and if you haven't bought, buy it now. This is the last chance we get to show Warner Archives that it's worth putting cartoons out for us. We all love Popeye! Buy It! I loved it and so will you!

Popeye Turns 90

My First post, I'll talk about Popeye's 90th Birthday.

We all know the story of Popeye. That won't be discussed here. If you don't, you're on the wrong site.
       Cartoon characters often have turned a certain age and it's been a big deal. In 1990, Bugs Bunny turned 50. Bugs was praised by all. A more recent example is Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse turned 90 in November. ABC had a giant celebration with celebrities to celebrate the event.
         Why do I care you ask? Well, Mickey turns 90 and he gets an ABC Special. Popeye turns 90 and he gets this:What the hell is that! He's got a whistle in his mouth and if I keep listing things, I'll hurl on my laptop.

Sorry for the Wait

It's been a month since I posted on this blog. I've been preparing for other things such as my book (which Bill Farmer and George Daugherty and members of June's family are now involved in). I'm also going to be continuing my animated comics. Each month I'll post XEROX Comics as well as The Simpsons strips. Once they end, I'll find something new. NEXT MONTH IS A SALUTE TO POPEYE. Popeye is turning 90 and I'll have a whole month devoted to the sailor for January's blog posts.

Hippety Hopper: The Bugs Bunny Show and Other Goodies

Hippety Hopper is seen on the opening of the Bugs Bunny Show. He is right along side the rest of the Warner Bros characters. This shows how memorable this character is. He was seen every week on Saturday Morning and on ABC in Primetime. The character would be there every time Bugs and Daffy sang this is it on The Bugs Bunny Road Runner Show, The Bugs Bunny Road Runner Hour, and The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show. In 1992, Hippety Hopper was removed from the line and replaced with Porky Pig and Pepe Le Pew. It took over 30 years to add Porky Pig to the line. It showed the popularity and how often the kangaroo was shown on TV.

Matt Hunter posted a full episode of The Bugs Bunny Show on his Dailymotion page a while back. This episode features Hippety Hopper as the main foul for Sylvester (who is hosting the show).




Here are a few more goodies:

Hippety sings happy birthday to those with an October birthday from the Bugs Bunny Songfest record.



Hippety was supposed to appear in Who Framed Roger Rabbit in the proposed funeral scene.

Hippety's Name: Mistakes made due to Lobby Art and Green Frogs

Often Spelled.
On numerous cartoon books and references, Hippety is spelled Hippity. It's official name is Hippety though as that is how it is spelled in the cartoons and on most of the art.

The Original Spelling

In the first cartoon, Hop, Look and Listen, Hippety didn't have a name. His second cartoon, Hippety Hopper is titled after the kangaroo's now official name. That wasn't the original spelling though. The spelling wasn't the often misspelled Hippity spelling either. On the draft of the lobby card of the cartoon, the cartoon is spelled Hippitty Hopper.

A Similar Name
When I was looking to know more about Hippety, I was often mistaken with asking about Hoppity Hooper. It's an honest mistake as they both are very similar names. Hoppity Hooper is a frog made by Jay Ward. After a pilot called, the Green Hopper, they decided to changed the name of the frog. Hoppity's name was actually going Hippity Hooper. Jay Ward changed it to Hoppity Hooper because of it's similarity to Hippety Hopper's name.

5 Great Hippety Hopper Cartoons

I am not going to review every Hippety Hopper cartoon. I'm just going to post and share the 5 best (in no order) Hippety Hopper cartoons.

Hop, Look and Listen
The first is Hop, Look and Listen. This is the first cartoon with Hippety Hopper and is what began the plot that would be the concept for the Hippety Hopper cartoons to follow.





Hippety Hopper

This is the first cartoon where Hippety is given a name. It is also the second cartoon with the kangaroo. This cartoon's premise would later become the premise for the record.




Pop 'im Pop! 

This cartoon introduces Sylvester Jr. Sylvester Jr. would play a key role in many of the cartoons featuring Hippety Hopper.



Hoppy Go Lucky
Hoppy Go Lucky is actually based on Of Mice and Men. It still has the same basic plot as the other cartoons though. It doesn't feature Sylvester Jr. It features a cat named Benny who goes with Sylvester to catch a mouse for Benny to have as a bet. Benny keeps calling Sylvester, "George". When Sylvester says to stop calling him George because his name is Sylvester, Benny says "But I can't say Sylvester George." Benny is voiced by Stan Freberg.


Bell Hoppy 

This cartoon has some of the funniest gags. Sylvester has to bell the biggest mouse of all in order to join a clan of cats. He keeps getting blackballed but eventually gets into the Loyal Order of Alley Cats Mouse and Chowder Club. 

Hippety Hopper Record

Hippety Hopper had his own record as well. He was played by Mel Blanc in an Australian accent. The plot in the record is the same as the cartoons especially Hop Look and Listen.


Here is the record:




Here is the cover:

Here is another cover:

They kind of botched this record cover and added Woody Woodpecker later and Tweety and Sylvester. What really botched it is Sylvester's blue fur.

Hippety Hopper Collectibles Part 3

When Looney Tunes Super Stars DVDs were released, all of the Hoppety Hooper cartoons were released on DVD and so where all of the Sylvester Jr. cartoons.


Hippety Hopper Silver Bell

























Hippety Hopper Articulated Figure (note it's in Spanish directions)

Hippety Hopper Collectibles part 2

One of the many Pepsi glasses featured Hippety winning a match with Sylvester.

Here is an Australian Weeties cereal card.

Here is an official Hippety Hopper action ring.

Here is a Hippety Hopper cereal cut out card. 

Hippety Hopper Collectibles Part 1

Here are a couple of Hippety Hopper collectibles. The record will be a separate post.

The first is a Hippety Hopper gumball clad. This came as a prize.


Here is a Carosello decanter.



















Here is are two collectible figures. The second was made in Italy.

Hippety Hopper: History Behind the Giant Boxing Mouse

There isn't much to tell about Hippety's history. Hippety Hopper, often spelled Hippity, was a boxing baby kangaroo that was often mistaken by Sylvester as a giant mouse. The premise was the same in most of the shorts. Sylvester would be looking for a mouse and would find Hippety thinking he was a giant mouse. No one else around him would see the kangaroo and they would think Sylvester is afraid of a small mouse.
Hippety appeared in 14 theatrical cartoons including a cameo with Bugs Bunny in Bushy Hare. Many memorable Looney Tunes moments came out of them including Sylvester Jr. and Benny (who is a parody of Of Mice and Men and called Sylvester George). Warren Foster came up with the idea of Hippety and liked it so much that he used it again. Bob McKimson designed Hippety with big ears and a mouse like snout. McKimson directed all the Hippety Hopper cartoons.
Hanna-Barbera used the premise quite a lot. It wasn't actually stealing because Warren Foster wrote for Hanna-Barbera. Many cartoons feature a boxing kangaroo. There was a Snagglepuss and a Pixie and Dixie where they fight against a baby kangaroo. The same premise and the same writer, Warren Foster.

These cartoons were shown a lot on TV. There was a record produced about Hippety in which he speaks. Mel Blanc plays him with an Australian Accent. In the opening of The Bugs Bunny Show, Hippety is the third character seen in the line of characters walking right behind Speedy Gonzales and in front of Yosemite Sam. Hippety also appeared in many comic books and merchandise which will be coming up on this blog.



Credits and Sources:
Devon Baxter
Yowp
Thad Komorowski
Mark Kausler
Matt Hunter

Stan Lee and Bob Clampett

I've been very busy guys sorry. Hippety Hopper's history is going to be a two month part series. The first ever. Anyways. I'd like to make my own tribute to Stan Lee by sharing some great Stan Lee moments with other royalty.

Here is an interview with Bob Clampett and Stan Lee (Courtesy of Jerry Beck)

Hippety Hopper

This is the next series for the month of November is Hippety Hopper: The story of the bouncing boxer that was. This is on Hippety Hopper of course. I will also be including reviews as well as collectibles, etc.

Rocky Memories Update

My book has come a long way. This book is a labor of love. One year ago, I began this book. Today I have nearly 40 interviews with animators, historians, friends, and voice artists. I also have archival interviews with June Foray, Bill Scott, and Chuck Jones. Also, I am going to have rare photos in my book. I am looking for a photo of June and a fan. If you have one please comment and I will contact you about it. (Note: You don't need to give your email. You will be spammed!)

When Brer Rabbit Went to Screen, Hollywood Called Him Bugs Bunny

Here is a newspaper article from 1953. This isn't the first time Disney was creddited. My regular readers will remember the Bugs Bunny comic strip issue in North Carolina where a newspaper changed the credits for Bugs' comic strip to Warner Bros after the editors 12 year old son said that Disney isn't the owner of Bugs Bunny.

Top 20 in My Opinion---Golden Age Cartoon Voice Actors

A while back, Mark Evanier did a top 20 golden age of cartoon voice actors. I'd like to do the same thing except mine will be listed and will be ranked. These men and women must be from the golden age of animation or from early television animation. These men and women were voice actors most known for work from 1929-1970.

Before I begin the list, here are a few honorable mentions:
A. Sterling Holloway---The original voice of Winnie the Pooh
B. Hal Smith--Voiced Winnie the Pooh and Owl
C. Sid Raymond---Voice of many of the Harvey and Terrytoons characters
D.Jim Backus---The voice of Mr. Magoo.
E. Verna Felton-- The voice of many female Disney characters until she died.


Now on with the list!

20. Jackson Beck--
Jackson Beck was the voice of Bluto, King Leonardo, Buzzy the Crow, and many others. He was actually a voice actor in New York. He voiced many characters for Fleischer, Terrytoons, and Total Television.
 

19. Dick Beals--
Dick Beals did all sorts of Little boy voices throughout his life. He was the voice of Speedy Alka-Seltzer. He also played Ralph Phillips.


18. Pinto Colvig---
Pinto Colvig is most known as the voice of Goofy. He also voiced Pluto. He was in the two first animated features ever: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Gulliver's Travels.


17. Hans Conried---

Hans Conried is known for playing very evil characters. He voiced Snidley Whiplash in the Dudley Do-Right cartoons. He also was a regular Disney voice actor as the voice of Captain Hook.




16. Howard Morris---

While he is most known as Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show, Howard Morris also played a whole slew of cartoon roles as well. For Hanna-Barbera, he played Jet Screamer, Atom Ant, and Mr. Pebbles. He was also the voice of Beetle Bailey.


15. Alan Reed---

Alan Reed was the voice of Fred Flintstone. While he did other characters as well, he will always be known as the voice of Fred Flintstone. He invented that voice and there is no other person who I can picture playing Fred perfectly. No offense to Henry Corden whose voice was too Jackie Gleason like.


14. Gary Owens---
Gary Owens was in thousands of cartoons. He really is a character actor using his voice as Space Ghost and Roger Ramjet.



13. Paul Winchell---
Paul Winchell is more known for being a puppeter. He also voiced many cartoon characters. He voiced Tigger of the Winnie the Pooh franchise. He also voiced Dick Dastardly and Gargamel for Hanna Barbera.



12. Stan Freberg---
Stan Freberg is a comedy legend. The first thing he did was voice in Warner Bros Cartoons. He played Cecil on Time For Beany. He also voiced many characters for Warner Bros such as Pete Puma, Junior Bear, and all of the voices in the Three Little Bops short.



11. Clarence Nash---
Clarence Nash is the voice of Donald Duck. He is known for voicing Donald and is the only person we think of when we think of Donald's voice.


10. Jean Vander Pyl---
Jean Vander Pyl voiced a ton of women in Hanna-Barbera cartoons. Some of them include Rosie the Robot, Pebbles Flintstone, and Winsome Witch. Her most well known role though is of Wilma Flintstone on The Flintstones.


9. Jack Mercer---
Jack Mercer may not have been Popeye's first voice actor, but he certainly was his best. Jack Mercer voiced many New York cartoon characters including Popeye and Felix the Cat. He also wrote for the Fleischer Studios which is how he became Popeye after Red Pepper Sam was fired.


8. Janet Waldo---
Janet Waldo not only voiced teenagers but she even sounded like one. Janet Waldo was the voice of Judy Jetson, Penelope Pitstop, and hundreds of others.


7. Bill Scott---
Bill Scott was just a writer for Jay Ward Productions. When he asked Jay, "Who is going to play Bullwinkle" Jay responded "Oh, I thought you were". Bill Scott also voiced Dudley Do-Right, George of the Jungle, and Mr. Peabody.


6. Mae Questel---
Mae Questel was probably the first female voice actress ever. She was the voice of Betty Boop and Olive Oyl. She even looked like Betty Boop.

5. Paul Frees---
Paul Frees was one of many voice actors in Hollywood. He was a regular at many studios. He is most well known for his voices for Jay Ward as Boris Badenov and Inspector Fenwick. He also played characters for animated commericals, Hanna-Barbera, and Rankin/Bass.


4. Don Messick---
Don Messick voiced a ton of characters at Hanna-Barbera. He voiced Scooby-Doo, Boo Boo, Ranger Smith, Bandit, Scrappy Doo, and Dixie.


3. Daws Butler---
Daws Butler (along with Don Messick) voiced probably over 2/3's of Hanna-Barbera's characters. He voiced Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw Mcgraw, Wally Gator, Augie Doggie, Snagglepuss, Elroy Jetson, and many other characters for Hanna-Barbera and Jay Ward. He also taught many of the best voice actors in the industry today such as Corey Burton and Nancy Cartwright.


2. June Foray---
June Foray is the greatest woman in animation history. That's why I'm writing a book about her. It's not that I'm biased, it's that I'm right!



1. Mel Blanc---
Who else did you expect to win this list? Mel Blanc is #1 on everyone's list! As the voice of most of the Looney Tunes characters and many of the Hanna-Barbera characters, he is truly the Man of A Thousand Voices.

Speechless Part 13--Cartoon Video Dedications 2

Maurice Noble Tribute, The Fancy Anvil Award Show Tributes

Speechless Part 12--Cartoon Video Dedications 1

Cartoon Network did tributes to deaths of Bill Hanna, Joe Barbera, and Chuck Jones. At the bottom is a tribute to Joe Barbera.

Speechless Part 11--Cartoon Memorials 2

Speechless Part 10--Other Memorials 1

Many Animation Legends have had memorial art done for them.