The Pemmy, Krissi & James Kinda-Sorta-Hopefully Funny Cartoon Podcast
The Pemmy, Krissi & James Kinda-Sorta-Hopefully Funny Cartoon Podcast is a misadventure into the wide world of animation. Noted webcomic artist Pembroke W. Korgi is joined by Krissi Harding and James Irish to look back on Saturday Morning favorites, syndicated series, theatrical short subjects, Anime classics, and more! Pour a bowl of your favorite breakfast cereal and come join us!
Bailey's Comets (DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, 1973)
Would you believe that in 1973, Evel Knievel wasn't done in by a motorcycle accident but a bunch of bumbling roller skaters? Bailey's Comets, another DePatie-Freleng production conceived by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, attempted to out-do Wacky Races in every regard. More characters! More teams for these characters! More outlandish situations! More memorable protag... no, we can't say that with a straight face. Dastardly and Muttly these bozos AIN'T!!
Frankenstein Jr. and the Impossibles (Hanna Barbera, 1966)
Rally Ho and away we go! As Hanna Barbera entered their first, brief action/adventure phase, their old comedic roots would still be showing with this particular series at the same time. Thus you had the boisterous Ted Cassidy-voiced Frankenstein Jr bellowing his way through madcap monster battles while the Impossibles took on various eccentric criminals between jamming out. Hard to believe today this show was considered too violent for TV, when it was kind of mild even back then!
Garfield and Friends Part 2: US Acres (Film Roman, 1988-1994)
In-between Garfield's own segments was US Acres, a short subject series based on Jim Davis' other, less widespread comic series. The tales of Orson, Roy, Wade, Bo, Lanolin, Booker and Sheldon got pretty popular as part of the show, outlasting the comic they were based on by a good few years, and giving the show's team vehicles for more gags that wouldn't work with Garfield himself. So come down to the farm, y'all!
Garfield and Friends, Part 1: The Title Tabby (Film Roman, 1988-1994)
Arguably the magnum opus of both Jim Davis and Mark Evanier, Garfield and Friends entertained audiences and pushed cartoon writing into some genuinely funny places it hadn't really gone since the heyday of Jay Ward. It's held up remarkably well, and our hosts look at four of their favorite short segments that star the fat cat himself. Tune in for US Acres coverage in two weeks, too!
A Charlie Brown Christmas (Lee Mendelson Film Productions, 1965) and Christmas Comes to Pacland (Hanna-Barbera, 1982)
Tis the season for hot chocolate, presents under the tree, goodwill to all men and women, and... colorful ghost monsters?? It's the timelessness of A Charlie Brown Christmas, contrasted with the VERY "of its time" Christmas Comes to Pac-Land. One of these aired for years upon years on network TV until just very recently. One of these was reran at 3 in the morning on Cartoon Network. I don't think I need to tell you which is which. Merry Christmas, and enjoy the podcast!
Darkwing Duck (Disney Television Animation, 1991-1992)
This is the podcast that quacks in the night! This is the iOS update that makes your phone too hot to handle! This is the Darkwing Duck episode! A breakaway hit for the Disney Afternoon that is still much loved to this day, we're joined by Cary Woodham to talk about two of our favorite episodes, Comic Book Capers and Life, the Negaverse and Everything. Step right up and come on in, here's where the danger begins!
The Biskitts (Hanna-Barbera, 1983)
Sometimes a good idea on paper turns sour in the execution. The Biskitts, a show with a strong resemblance to the Smurfs at first glance, could have easily been its own thing if it played more into the Robin Hood-esque outlaw aspects of the characters hiding treasure from a greedy despot and helping others. Instead we get repetitive slapstick, stilted dialogue and one really, really bizarre court jester. Enjoy?
Be Cool, Scooby-Doo (Warner Bros. Animation, 2015-2018)
Like, Scooby and the gang get a whole lot more talkative and a lot sillier in this one, man! Swinging the pendulum in the direction of comedy after the darker Mysteries Incorporated, Be Cool was advertised as a more back to basics approach, but only in terms of storytelling. Between one daffy take on Daphne Blake and the major increase in gags per minute, this one had fans kind of divided, but not our hosts! So pack a box of Scooby Snacks or twenty and come listen!
Beetlejuice (Warner Bros & Nelvana, 1989-1991)
It's showtime! Just in time for Halloween and in the wake of his massively successful comeback movie, Beetlejuice fever is running wild once more, so what better time to revisit the characters' kid friendly incarnation in animation? Nelvana, with Tim Burton himself helping develop the show, brought the Ghost with the Most to ABC Saurday mornings and to Fox Kids on weekday afternoons with wild antics and the most blatant puns of the era. Don't come apart at the seams, come join us!
The Smurfs (Hanna-Barbera, 1981-1989)
9 seasons, 101 little blue fellows, and one nearly inescapable cultural force. The Smurfs, straight out of Belgium and the pen of creator Peyo, sang and played while evading Gargamel to the delight of 80s kids and no doubt the annoyance of their parents. Behind the Hanna-Barbera created cartoon is a long history of comics and other animations extending both before and after it, but for American kids like your hosts, it's the natural starting point. So Smurf along with us and enjoy!