Showing posts with label Adult Animation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adult Animation. Show all posts

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Cartoon Sunday: John R. Dilworth's The Dirdy Birdy

How's it going my gumdrops? Did you enjoy yesterday's Song Saturday Tribute to the late Chester Bennington of Linkin Park and Stone Temple Pilots? If so, let me know.

Meanwhile, I am sharing something a little different from the usual for this Cartoon Sunday. How many of you are familiar with John R. Dilworth? 

The actor, writer, director, animator, and producer is also known as "Dilly." "Dilly" is best known for the Animated Horror Comedy, Courage The Cowardly Dog. 

I find it is strange that no one credits the cable network, Nickelodeon. Several years before Courage The Cowardly Dog aired on Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon aired it.

In fact, I remember channel surfing and stumbling upon Courage The Cowardly Dog on Nickelodeon, when I was in 6th grade. That was more than 20 years ago. 

Quite a few shows meant for children, which started airing on Cartoon Network WERE originally from Nickelodeon.

The TV series based on R.L. Stine's anthologies for Goosebumps aired on Nickelodeon, before Cartoon Network acquired it, is another example.

I remember Courage The Cowardly Dog airing on Nickelodeon years before Cartoon Network acquired it. 

Even though I was never a fan of the cartoon during my adolescence, there will be some man-child 1 generation younger than yours truly, discrediting me about something they were not old enough to comprehend, much less watch.

Unlike younger Gen Y and Zers, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Disney, etc. were NOT  a part of my childhood or adolescence.

Watching Saturday Morning Cartoons and cartoons that aired on local channels everyday was how I grew up.

During the 1980's to mid-90's, cartoons used to air on local channels at least 5 days a week. 

On weekdays, cartoons aired on local channels in the mornings and afternoons. By 1992, I had already reached puberty and most cartoons meant for kids did not resonate with me as a pre-teen.

By 1994, I started watching the Liquid Television Animation block on MTV and Anime on The Sci Fi Channel. In '94, I stopped watching local channels for animation.

MTV and Sci Fi had more mature content in their animation that I wanted to watch. 

Cartoon Network and other networks aired more immature cartoons for pre-schoolers, kindergarteners, and elementary school children. 

Much like PBS's programming meant for kids, I found their content to be highly patronizing, especially as an adolescent. 

Some of you already know about me watching the Liquid Television Animation block. 

Beavis and Butt-Head, Daria, The Maxx, The Head, Celebrity Deathmatch, Aeon Flux, etc. were popular, during my adolescence.

The Cartoon Sushi block succeeded Liquid Television by 1997 on MTV. During the mid to late 1990's and early 21st Century, I was an adolescent, when MTV aired these cartoons. This was years before Adult Swim was ever launched.

By 1997, the local networks had replaced cartoons with Court TV and Daytime Talk Shows. These local networks assumed every household by that time had basic cable channels like Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Disney, etc.

Truth be told, every household did NOT  have a basic cable package.

Because today's blog mostly focuses on MTV, the network's cartoon blocks, its cartoons from the 1990's, and briefly mentions John R. Dilworth's Courage The Cowardly Dog, it's only fair to share a cartoon, which briefly aired on MTV.

Have you ever watched John R. Dilworth's "The Dirdy Birdy"?

"The Dirdy Birdy" was a 7-minute animated short, which aired on MTV during the early 1990's. 

The short features a hostile cat (Fergurina) and the obnoxious bird (Purdy) sitting in a tree.

If you did NOT  know any better, you would swear that Purdy was the equivalent of an online troll sexually harassing Fergurina. 

Purdy is in love with Fergurina and expresses his affection for her. The bird's affections consists of MOONING her. The Grim Reaper also makes his cameo appearance.

Talk about an obnoxious creep! No wonder why the cat turns into a monster. 

Never in all my years have I ever seen a bird moon a cat in a tree or a cat transform into such a ferocious monster. This is surely a sight to behold!

Rather than explaining every detail of this abstract short, which used to air on MTV, it is much better for you to independently watch it, right now.

John R. Dilworth "The Dirdy Birdy" (1993)

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Cartoon Sunday: Goth Chicks In Animation

Yuuko Ichihara (xxxHolic)

How's it going my gumdrops? Did you enjoy yesterday's Song Saturday blog about The Cure and the Goth Sub-culture in general?

Yesterday, you may recall, that I explained about Goths and the sub-culture on here and on Anime League. For today's Cartoon Sunday, let's revisit the topic of being Goth.

Allow me to acknowledge some Goth female characters in animation. There appears to be more Goth female characters in animation than we have realized. So, with that being said, it's only fair to acknowledge a few of them.

In the illustration above, we have Yuuko Ichihara. The characters in the Seinen Supernatural Horror Comedy Anime, xxxHolic have freaky illustrations.

The characters normally have long, spaghetti legs like Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Like I explained last year, Yuuko Ichihara is a powerful witch, who owns a shop and grants people their wishes. I believe Yuuko is more like a cunning and opportunistic genie.

Most of her jobs consist of dealing with supernatural beings. In case you haven't already, I suggest clicking on the link above Yuuko's picture.

Next, we have Creepy Susie.

Creepy Susie (The Oblongs)


Some of you may remember Angus Oblong's shortly lived cartoon, The Oblongs from The WB. Creepy Susie is supposedly a 10-year-old character from the series.

Most people don't know that The Oblongs was based on Creepy Susie And 13 Other Tragic Tales For Troubled Children. This was a 1999 collection of illustrated short stories written by Angus Oblong.

This young, creepy, Goth Valley Girl is obsessed with death, was born on Halloween, and can tell an animal's gender by the taste of its blood.

Otherwise, there is Germaine Endez.

Germaine Endez (Neurotically Yours)

If you have been subscribed to It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns for the last 3 1/2 years, you KNOW how much I enjoy watching Goth webisodes featuring the slutty Goth-Punk protagonist, Germaine and her pet, squirrel Foamy. 

Who doesn't love Foamy?! That pet squirrel speaks THE TRUTH!

As for Germaine, she has been restyled a plethora of times throughout the decade. This character has been illustrated as fat, skinny, busty, flat-chested, constantly changes hair styles, etc.

The protagonist is a struggling poet/author desperately seeking to be published and works unstable jobs. At the same time, she has an identity crisis and Foamy The Squirrel helps to keep her grounded.

Meanwhile, here are some other Goth female characters, which have been shown in other Anime besides xxxHolic. There is my long-time favorite, Sunako Nakahara.

Sunako Nakahara (The Wallflower)

Despite the fact this homely recluse fears "beautiful people" (mostly attracive men), I love Sunako Nakahara. Sunako is a creepy Goth protagonist that resonates with me on MANY levels. She loves sitting in her bedroom and watching Horror movies ALONE. Sunako's also self-sufficient around the house.
 
I wanted to at least share a gif of The "Goth-Loli Sisters" from The Wallflower, but had no such luck. However, The Goth-Loli Sisters from this Shojo Horror Comedy are NOT  the only Gothic Lolita Anime characters in existence.

In substitution of The Goth-Loli Sisters from The Wallflower, there is Hildegarde from the Shonen Supernatural Action Comedy Anime, Beelzebub.

Hildegarde a.k.a. "Hilda" (Beelzebub)

Hildegarde is the main female protagonist in Beelzebub. She is a Demon Maid, who acts as the "adoptive" mother and nurse of Beelzebub IV. "Baby Beel" is the son of Beelzebub III and Iris and was sent to the Human World.

It has been a few years, since I last streamed this series. Too bad there wasn't another season of Beelzebub. Maybe someday it will get a decent English dub.

Last, but SURELY not the least of an acknowledgement is Saki Hanajima.

Saki Hanajima (Fruits Basket)

 

I have always loved this Fruits Basket character. I can't decide which character is creepier, Saki or her younger brother, Megumi. Both characters have psychic abilities.

When Saki Hanajima is not wearing her high school uniform, she normally wears a black cloak or a veil with her black dresses. I will NEVER forget that scene of her gothing up The Sohmas urinal for New Year's Eve.

Staring at the appalled expression on Shigure Sohma's face was hilarious. Anyway, if you would like to learn more about Goth chicks in animation, check out WatchMojo's choices for Top 10 Animated Goth Girls below.

WatchMojo's Top 10 Animated Goth Girls (2016)

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Song Saturday: Dethklok's Awaken (Mustakrakish)

How's it going my gumdrops? So far, I have made it to a total of 301 blogs on It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns!  This will be the 302nd blog. It's amazing how time flies I tell you.

Sometimes it seems like it was just yesterday that I created this website. I have been tempted to go back to revising and editing more blogs from the past 2 years.

Not only have I been meaning to revise and edit more previously published blogs, but I have also meant to share some Dethklok from Metalocalypse for a while. 

Lately, I have not checked my notifications on Facebook about the Metalocalypse NOW Campaign. I simply cannot help reiterating how much Adult Swim screwed over fellow Metalocalypse fans.

Creator Brendon Small approached Adult Swim with the idea to create the finale as a so-called "big mini-series" for Metalocalypse. The network turned down the idea. 

This Dark Humored/Macabre Horror-themed animated short about Death Metal bands is presumed to be canceled. Thanks a lot, Adult Swim.

So far, no one has made an official statement about Metalocalypse being canceled. The short appears to still be on hiatus. 

Brandon Small created his Metalocalypse NOW Campaign and has been updating us fans on social media about Metalocalypse quite frequently.

As a Metalocalypse fan, I really hope the show is NOT  moved to Hulu Plus. Some of us on social media and on Adult Swim's forum have said that we do NOT  want to pay to watch Metalocalypse online, especially when we're ALREADY paying to watch other cable/satellite channels.

If Adult Swim wants to make 1 of its long running cash cows expendable for shitty live action shows and extremely low IQ'ed cartoons, Metalocalypse fans will be pissed.  

Metalocalypse is mostly meant for us Metal fans, who understand the inside jokes and Metal references to other Metal bands in the music industry.

Also, Brendon Small has collaborated and went on concert tours with actual Metal bands such as Machine Head, All That Remains, The Black Dahlia Murder, Chimaira, Soilent Green, etc.

All the while, The Adult Swim Team wants to make Metalocalypse expendable for shitty programming.

Because I have spent this Song Saturday blog discussing Metalocalypse, it's only fitting to share something from Dethklok. Nearly a decade later, the "Dethtroll" episode is STILL my favorite next to "Religionklok." Most Metalocalypse episodes are only 13 minutes long.

If you missed watching Metalocalypse's "Dethtroll" episode, when it premiered in 2006, it was hilarious watching the band awaken the lake troll (Mustakrakish) in Finland.

   
Then, they had to play acoustical instruments to put it back to sleep.

Dethklok "Awaken (Mustakrakish)" The Dethalbum (2007)

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Cartoon Sunday: Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol By Richard Williams

How's it going lurkers? This Cartoon Sunday, I have a rare Christmas Classic for you. Today, I have Richard Williams' animated adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

It wasn't until last week that I watched this version of A Christmas Carol. It aired on ABC in 1971 and won the 1972 Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.

I wonder if my mother ever had the chance to watch it. Chances are great that she and the rest of my immediate family did not. 

They were probably living on a military base in The Philippines by 1971, since my late grandfather was in the Air Force and they had busy childhood lives.  

Aside from those details, the art illustrations for Richard Williams' animated adaptation of Dickens' A Christmas Carol look fantastic!

As I watched this animated adaptation, I could NOT  help noticing just how authentic the illustrations appear. This particular animated adaptation also has multiple pans, zooms, and random scene transitions. The illustrations even look hand drawn. 

This is something that can't be said for most of today's animation, which mostly consists of gratuitous CGI. Therefore, I have a much better appreciation and respect for Williams' animated adaptation. 

This is along with the fact, that I have NEVER seen this version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, until recently. Richard Williams' adaptation was NOT  meant for the younger demographic. 

Supposedly, the emphasis of darkness and shadows appeared as having Horror qualities.

Williams' animated adaptation was considered to be "the most frightening of the many dramatizations of the Dickens classic."

This could explain WHY  I never saw Richard Williams' animated adaptation, when I was growing up during the 1980's and '90s. As much as I enjoy watching Peanuts' Christmas Specials on TV, it wouldn't hurt local and/or cable networks to show this 1971 classic of A Christmas Carol.

I have watched at least several live action movie adaptations of it. Stumbling upon this animated adaptation is most definitely a rare gem. With that being said, here's Richard Williams' adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol for Cartoon Sunday.

Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol By Richard Williams (1971)

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Sunday, August 10, 2014

Cartoon Sunday: Miss Muffy And The Muff Mob

How's it going my gumdrops? This Cartoon Sunday, I thought I would share something a little different in regards to animation. In other words, sharing a classic Hip-Hop webtoon from Bullseye Art, Ltd.

Most of you will probably dislike these webisodes, but I'm still sharing them anyway. 

On Thursday, my youngest aunt and I laughed as we reminisced about an old webtoon called, Miss Muffy And The Muff Mob.

We only knew about the short because an old college friend of hers e-mailed it to her back in 2000 from Netscape. 

Now that I think about it, I was still a high school student in 2000. We were introduced to the webtoon's 3rd webisode and were shocked by its adult content.  

Miss Muffy And The Muff Mob reminded me of a Hip-Hop animated version of the Cherry Merry Muffin dolls circa late '80s to early '90s.

Cherry Merry Muffin Dolls Commercial (1988)

Talk about late '80s and early '90s nostalgia. The Cherry Merry Muffin dolls were actually similar to the original Strawberry Shortcake dolls. 

Compared to the Strawberry Shortcake franchise, the Cherry Merry Muffin franchise lacked ethnic diversity.

Growing up, I never had the actual Cherry Merry Muffin doll. However, Chocolottie and Betty Berry (which were featured in the original commercial above) were both my Christmas presents, 1 year.

I remember Betty Berry having a noxious odor. She nauseated me with her putrid stench. I never thought the smell of blueberries could make me feel so queasy.

Meanwhile, adult animation increased throughout the late '90s and early 21st Century. 

Before the launching of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim in 2001, some adult animation premiered on local and cable channels as well as streamed online.

During the late '90s and early 21st Century, adult animation was too controversial to be shown on TV and was normally canceled. 

When adult animation wasn't soon to be canceled on local networks during that time, those cartoons were soon aired on cable/satellite channels if not bought on DVD and/or streamed online.

Nowadays, we can't help watching controversial adult animation on local, basic cable, and satellite channels, as well as streamed online. 

Like I already said, we were introduced to the 3rd webisode of Miss Muffy And The Muff Mob, 14 years ago. I never watched the entire series, until 3 days ago. It's amazing that it only had 5 webisodes and 2 music videos.

This classic Hip-Hop webtoon featured Miss Muffy and her "Muff Mob." Her "Muff Mob" consisted of Betty Bundt Cake, Patty Pound Cake, Cinama Buns, and Keisha Corn Bread.

Who had the most ghetto name? Cinama Buns or Keisha Corn Bread?  You decide.

Since there were only 5 webisodes, here is the webtoon Miss Muffy And The Muff Mob.

Miss Muffy And The Muff Mob: Webisode 1 (2000)

Miss Muffy And The Muff Mob: Webisode 2 (2000)

Miss Muffy And The Muff Mob: Webisode 3 (2000)
Miss Muffy And The Muff Mob: Webisode 4 (2000)
Miss Muffy And The Muff Mob: Webisode 5 (2000)