ToonHeads
ToonHeads is an American animation anthology series consisting of Hanna-Barbera, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Bros., and Popeye cartoon shorts, with background information and trivia, prominently about animators and voice actors of the shorts.[1] ToonHeads was originally broadcast on Cartoon Network from October 2, 1992, until November 23, 2003.
| ToonHeads | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Narrated by | Don Kennedy (1996) Leslie Fram (1998–2003) George A. Klein (1998-2003, scratch tracks only) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 8 |
| No. of episodes | 102 (2 unaired) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producer | Andy Merrill (1992-1996) George A. Klein (1998-2003) |
| Running time | 15–60 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | Cartoon Network |
| Original release | October 2, 1992 – November 23, 2003 |
The series was first announced on the Cartoon Network Special "Droopy's Guide to the Cartoon Network" as part of a promotion advertising the various blocks that would appear on the channel and what order they would be shown in. This special was the very first broadcast on the Cartoon Network's launch on October 1, 1992, and was re-aired throughout October 1992. The series includes more than 102 episodes (many undocumented), when including five specials (four one-hour specials and one half-hour special, two of which ("The Best of the Worst Cartoons Ever" and "The Twelve Missing Hares") were never aired).
Format
Early seasons feature an announcer stating each episode's theme and three cartoons to be showcased. Then the show underwent two format changes. The first happened in late 1995[2][3] when Don Kennedy was added as the narrator and would tell the history and facts of each cartoon shown (Don Kennedy would also have narration duties on The Tex Avery Show that same year).
The second format change came in 1998 when George A. Klein took over as producer and writer of the show. He wanted the show to be a "Ken Burns" type of weekly documentary on specific cartoon history. Creating specific "themed" episodes utilizing the Warner Bros. cartoons. Three basic concepts used for these episodes are directors (e.g. Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng), characters (e.g. "Evolution of Tweety" and "The Year Elmer Fudd Got Fat"), and themes. Episodes include themes like cartoons that lampooned Hollywood celebrities and movies; cartoons where the humor comes from a character trying to get some sleep and being interrupted; cartoons that make fun of sports; obscure and rare works from Warner Bros.; and a look at the allegations of plagiarism between "The Cat Concerto" and "Rhapsody Rabbit". Trivia questions were also added about the related cartoons used in each episode's theme. From 1998 to 2003 Leslie Fram did the narration for each episode's final tracks and George A. Klein narrated the rough-cut scratch tracks.
Episodes
ToonHeads is notable for showing cartoons that were rarely seen on television, such as on "The Wartime Cartoons" special, "The Lost Cartoons" special, and one series of episodes in January 1996 featuring the long-unseen Nudnik shorts[4] There was also a special that aired on October 20, 1996, titled A Night of Independent Animation, which featured independent student films, such as Another Bad Day for Philip Jenkins by Mo Willems, and The Wire by Aaron Augenblick.
As of August 2022, the two unaired episodes "The Best of the Worst Cartoons Ever" and "The Twelve Missing Hares" have been found. These episodes were preserved on tape by episode writer Jerry Beck and transferred through media loan by Jerico Dvorak who made them available.
Season 1 (1992–94)
A total of 24 episodes of the 1st season have aired from 1992 to 1994.
| Episode No. | Title | Description | Cartoons | Air-Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | "El Kabong" | Cartoons about Hanna-Barbera character Quick Draw McGraw and his alter ego, El Kabong. | "El Kabong"
"El Kabong Meets El Kazing" "El Kabong Bongs Kabong" |
October 2nd, 1992 |
| 02 | "Barney Bear" | Cartoons about MGM character Barney Bear.
|
"Wee-Willie Wildcat"
"The Impossible Possum" "The Bear And The Beavers" |
October 9th, 1992 |
| 03 | "Tom and Jerry: The Chuck Jones Cartoons" | Tom and Jerry cartoons made under Chuck Jones's direction in the 1960s | "The Cat Above And The Mouse Below" | October 16th, 1992 |
| 04 | "Ranger John Smith" | Yogi Bear cartoons featuring Yogi's antagonist, Ranger Smith. | "A Bear Living"
"Bear Face Disguise" "Home Sweet Jellystone" |
October 23rd, 1992 |
| 05 | "Hollywood" | Cartoons centered on Hollywood and the celebrities of the era. | "Slick Hare"
"Popeye's 20th Anniversary" "Yankee Doodle Daffy" |
October 30th, 1992 |
| 06 | "The Old West" | Cartoons that parody Westerns. | "Hare Trigger"
"Homesteader Droopy" "Wagon Heels" |
November 6th, 1992 |
| 07 | "Music" | Cartoons that heavily feature music. | "Me Musical Nephews" | November 13th, 1992 |
| 08 | "Sports" | Cartoons in which most of the gags center on sports. | "Baseball Bugs"
"The Bowling Alley-Cat" "The Football Toucher Downer" |
November 20th, 1992 |
| 09 | "Mel Blanc" | Cartoons featuring Mel Blanc's voice-acting range. | "Rabbit Seasoning" | November 27th, 1992 |
| 10 | "Daws Butler" | Cartoons featuring Daws Butler's voice-acting range. | "Mars Little Precious"
"Tricky Trapper" "Pie-Pirates" |
December 4th, 1992 |
| 11 | "The Evolution Of Tom And Jerry" | Tom and Jerry cartoons as the years progressed. | "Puss Gets The Boot" | December 11th, 1993 |
| 12 | "Bugs Bunny In Fairy Tales" | Fairy tale parodies featuring Bugs Bunny | "Little Red Riding Rabbit"
"Bugs Bunny And The Three Bears" "Jack-Wabbit And The Beanstalk" |
December 18th, 1992 |
| 13 | "Jay Ward" | Cartoons from Jay Ward Productions. | "Treasure Of Sierra Madre"
""Tom Tom the Piper's Son" "Dudley Do-Right" "How to Direct Movies" "Snow White" |
December 25th, 1992 |
| 14 | "The Best Of Tex Avery" | Some of the many great MGM cartoons directed by Tex Avery. | UNKNOWN | January 1st, 1993 |
| 15 | "Academy Award-Winning Toons" | Cartoons that have won academy awards. | UNKNOWN | January 8th, 1993 |
| 16 | "Cartoon Sequels" | UNKNOWN | UNKNOWN | January 15th, 1993 |
| 17 | "Popeye" | Cartoons featuring Popeye The Sailor. | UNKNOWN | January 22nd, 1993 |
| 18 | "Valentine's Day" | Romantic comedy cartoons. | "The Zoot Cat" | February 14th, 1993 |
| 19 | "St. Patrick's Day" | Cartoons featuring leprechauns and Irish caricatures. | "The Huck Of The Irish"
"Droopy Leprechaun" "The Wearing Of The Grin" |
March 17th, 1993 |
| 20 | "Wobert Cwampett: That Cwasy Diwector" | Warner Bros. cartoons directed by the great Bob Clampett. | UNKNOWN | June 18th, 1993 |
| 21 | "Don't Adjust Your Color: Black-And-White Cartoons | Cartoons originally made in black-and-white. | UNKNOWN | June 25th, 1993 |
| 22 | "Insomnia" | Cartoons featuring characters trying to get to sleep. | "Quiet Please!"
UNKNOWN |
August 20th, 1993 |
| 23 | "Forgotten Directors: Frank Tashlin | Cartoons directed by Frank Tashlin. | UNKNOWN | April 15th, 1994 |
| 24 | "Forgotten Directors: Arthur Davis | Cartoons directed by Art Davis. | UNKNOWN | April 29th, 1994 |
Season 2 (1998-1999)
13 episodes of this season have aired from 1998 until 1999.
| Episode No. | Title | Description | Cartoons | Air-Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | "Travelogue Cartoons" | Cartoons parodying the travelogue, a short film highlighting the sights of a certain location. | "Detouring America"
"Crazy Cruise" "Fresh Fish" |
November 13th, 1998 |
| 26 | "Emily The Chicken" | Cartoons centered on minor WB character Emily the Chicken, a hen who blindly pursued her dreams of being a star, only to be rejected. | "Let It Be Me"
"A Star Is Hatched" "Strangled Eggs" |
November 20th, 1998 |
| 27 | "Baseball Cartoons" | Cartoons that mock the great American pastime. | "Gone Batty"
"Batty Baseball" "Baseball Bugs" |
November 27th, 1998 |
| 28 | "The Early Works Of Chuck Jones" | A look at Chuck Jones's Disney-esque works in his early days as a Warner Bros. director. | "The Night Watchman"
"Dog Gone Modern" "Toy Trouble" |
December 6th, 1998 |
| 29 | "Southern Fried Cartoons" | Cartoons located in the Southern United States. | "Southern Fried Rabbit" | December 11th, 1998 |
| 30 | "Midnight In The Bookstore" | A look at a genre of musical comedy cartoons featuring characters from books and grocery labels coming to life while the store is closed for the night. | "Speaking Of The Weather" | December 18th, 1998 |
| 31 | "The Many Faces Of Robin Hood" | A look at cartoons featuring spoofs of the Robin Hood legend. | "Robin Hood Makes Good"
"Robin Hood Daffy" "Robin Hoodwinked" |
December 25th, 1998 |
| 32 | "Hollywood Nights" | More cartoons featuring Hollywood parodies and caricatures of celebrities from the 1930s and 1940s. | "The Coo-Coo Nut Grove" | January 1st, 1999 |
| 33 | "Future Shock" | A look at cartoons featuring [then thought to be] futuristic devices, such as automated houses and robots. | "Dog Gone Modern"
"House Hunting Mice" "The House Of Tommorow" |
January 8th, 1999 |
| 34 | "Movie Star Bugs" | Cartoons chronicling Bugs Bunny's rise to stardom. | "A Hare Grows In Manhattan" | January 15th, 1999 |
| 35 | "Shut Eye" | More cartoons in which hilarity ensues when a character is trying to go to sleep. | "Good Night Elmer" | January 22nd, 1999 |
| 36 | "Egghead" | Cartoons featuring the prototype Elmer Fudd character, Egghead. | "Daffy Duck & Egghead" | January 29th, 1999 |
| 37 | "The Dreams Of Bob Clampett" | A look at Bob Clampett's surrealistic cartoons. | "The Old Grey Hare" | February 5th, 1999 |
(still being worked on)
References
- "Tex Avery Show / Toonheads Episode Guides". www.intanibase.com. Archived from the original on May 25, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
- "Cartoon Network/TBS - August 1995 Commercials, Bumpers, and Interstitials". youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- "Cartoon Network - June 1994 Promos Bumpers (REUPLOADED)". youtube. Archived from the original on 2021-07-19. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- Mendoza, N.F. (January 7, 1996). "Shows for Youngsters and Their Parents Too : At Last, 'Nudnik' Emerges from Storage onto the Cartoon Network". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013-04-28.