June 17, 2016

Episode 57 - TINY TOON ADVENTURES


They were tiny, they were toony, and--rumor has it--each of them were at least a little loony. More than just a remix of classic Looney Tunes characters and humor, Tiny Toon Adventures was a colorful comedic world unto itself and helped launch a golden age of Warner Bros. animated television series.

In this episode, special guest Sam Stovold contributes to our survey of all things Tiny Toons, from the pilot originally broadcast by CBS in prime time, to fondly-remembered segments from the TV show, to the feature-length VHS favorite Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation. Come and join the fun! (And now this post is done.)


Tiny Toon Adventures (1990-1995)
Created by Tom Ruegger
Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall, and Kathleen Kennedy
Starring Charlie Adler, Tress MacNeille, Joe Alaskey, Don Messick, Cree Summer, Danny Cooksey, Kath Soucie, Maurice LaMarche, Gail Matthuis, Rob Paulsen, Candi Milo, and Frank Welker

Episodes/segments featured in this podcast:
"The Looney Beginning" (aired 9/14/1990)
Istanbul and Particle Man from "Tiny Toon Music Television" (aired 2/1/1991)
The Potty Years from "Henny Youngman Day" (aired 11/22/1991)
Going Up from "What Makes Toons Tick" (aired 9/17/1992)



Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992)
Directed by Rich Arons, Ken Boyer, Kent Butterworth, Barry Caldwell, Alfred Gimeno, Art Leonardi, and Byron Vaughns

Produced by Tom Ruegger
Written by Paul Dini, Nicholas Hollander, Tom Ruegger, and Sherri Stoner
Starring the voice talents of Tiny Toon Adventures plus Jonathan Winters, Edie McClurg, and Sorrell Booke



Hear more of Sam Stovold on his Star Trek: Deep Space Nine podcast "Reopening the Wormhole"!

June 3, 2016

Episode 56 - TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (1987)



From satirical underground comic book characters to alpha reptiles of the late '80s and early '90s, the ascension of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a quintessential pop culture success story. TV, movies, music, books, toys (my god, the toys)--there wasn't a marketing opportunity missed by the Turtles brain trust.

As the wellspring from whence all consumer goods came, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon occupies a special place in the hearts of TMNT fans. We delve into the mythology, the minutae, and the merchandise in an especially sentimental discussion. This episode doesn't ask if the beloved series was crassly commercial (it most certainly was), but invites us to find within the profit motive and the artistic impulse a symbiotic entertainment entity that enthralled a generation.


Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987-1996)
Created by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, and Fred Wolf
Based on the comic series by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird
Starring Cam Clarke, Barry Gordon, Rob Paulsen, Townsend Coleman, Peter Renaday, Renae Jacobs, James Avery, and Pat Fraley

Episodes featured in this podcast:
"Shredder & Splintered" (aired 1/1/1988)
"The Case of the Killer Pizzas" (aired 11/5/1988)
"Casey Jones: Outlaw Hero" (aired 11/7/1989)
"The Making of Metalhead" (aired 11/27/1989)
"Night of the Rogues" (aired 11/20/1993)

Cowabunga! Check out more of our TMNT tributes:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
Raph Punk