Yabba Dabba-loo-yah - December 20, 2006

Cartoons. I have written about them before. Why? Simple. In cartoons, anything is possible. A coyote can order malfunctioning weapons of false destruction that only work against the buyer. Rabbits can talk. A groups teens (an effeminate pseudo-male, a stuck-up hot chick, a lesbian, and a pothead) and a talking dog can drive in a psychadelic van, not attend school, and solve the unsolved mysteries that have plagued local police departments around the country. A hyper-intelligent dog and his boy Sherman can travel through time to teach history to kids. Yep, cartoons can do it all.

I have written before about cartoons. But today, it is special for me. Joe Barbera (of Hanna-Barbera) passed away today of natural causes (Bill Hanna died in 2001). This team is responsible for "Tom & Jerry," "The Flintstones," "The Jetsons," "Huckleberry Hound," "Scooby Doo," "The Laff-a-Lympics," Yogi Bear," "The Smurfs," "Quick Draw McGraw," "Johnny Quest," "Snorks," "Hong Kong Phooey," "Top Cat," "Dexter's Lab," "Captain Planet," and many, many more. Yep, I gosh darned loved Hanna-Barbera. Seriously, you have at least one favorite cartoon that came from Hanna-Barbera.



HB Cartoons are everywhere. Cartoon Network's Adult Swim is full with HB tributes - Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law!!!!! Find a person on the street who can't sing the theme to the Smurfs. Find me a child of the 80s who can't tell you who Captain Planet is and how he is "by your powers combined."

Now, I also just learned that on November 20, 2006, Chris Hayward passed away. You are scratching your head??? Does Dudley Do-Right ring a bell? No. Okay, he was the writer for Rocky & Bullwinkle . . . and the creator of the Munsters. And, of course - he was partly involved with Mr. Peabody and his boy Sherman. I don't usually go a month without saying "Quiet, you." to someone.





Most of the cartoons by these two men found their way into a Chris Rice song called, "What If Cartoons Got Saved?" The song asks how cartoons would respond if they were saved by Jesus. No matter what, we do give human-ness to cartoons. They are often our first experiences when the TV is turned on. It's not surprising how important cartoons are to people. They teach us to sing. They teach us to count. They teach us to share. They teach us that no one is subject to the laws of gravity unless they realize they are subject to the laws of gravity. They teach us that kindness usually wins out. And, they make us laugh our asses off.

And of course, there are still a list of cartoon things I want to know:

*When Megatron (Transformers) transforms into the hand-held gun that fits into the hands of Starscream, a robot of equal size, where does all of Megatron's mass go?

*Scooby Doo can talk (and apparently think). Why doesn't he think, "Why I am driving around with these weirdos? Where is Pam Anderson?"




*Does Charlie Brown ever think, "Screw this. I am kicking Lucy in the damn head!"?

*Why didn't Yosemite Sam, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, and Wylie Coyote team up? I am tired of Bugs and the Road Runner winning the day?

*Where are Donald Duck's pants?

*Where is Mickey Mouse's shirt? Seriously, between Mickey and Donald, they had one outfit. And why does Goofy get pants, a shirt, and a vest?

*Is knowing really half the battle? Or is getting people to apply what they know half the battle? Who knows? I think the glass is still half-empty.

*How did capturing a bumble bee in a clamshell allow Fred Flintstone to shave?

I guess I will never know, but thankfully, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends and Fairly Oddparents will teach me new things about how to live a good life. Oh, and Jane - Stop this crazy thing!!!!!!