Hello Nurse (Animaniacs)
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Hello Nurse was a fictional character from the animated television series Animaniacs where she was the sexy assistant to Dr. Otto Scratchansniff. Hello Nurse happened to be her real full name. Whenever she appeared in a scene, Yakko and Wakko would scream at her beauty in a Tex Avery-like manner "Hello-o-o-o-o, NURSE!" in the same manner as the original vaudeville routine. The idea of Hello Nurse was to be the sexy assistant to Dr. Otto Scratchnsniff, often leading to the Yakko and Wakko having lustful thoughts about her, followed by Dot's explanation "Boys, go fig!" Hello Nurse herself was often seen as the love interest in the show, possibly explaining why fellow character Minerva Mink was so under-used, as they both were to be the sexual icons of the show. Conversely, Dot might use the catchphrase or a variation upon seeing an attractive male character (for example, "Hello-o-o-o-o, Mr. Lethal Weapon!", said as she jumped into Mel Gibson's arms); however, her brothers would make snide remarks rather than saying "Girls, go figure" or some similar line. Her movements and appearances were musically scored in some episodes. In the "Piano Rag" episode, heavy bass and tom-tom drums would be played and either a trumpet or a saxophone would play a melody spoofing the music stereotypically played when an attractive woman would enter a room.
The phrase "Hello-o-o-o-o, NURSE!" was used in Animaniacs to represent any attractive, sexy character (many of whom bore a close resemblance to Hello Nurse, and/or were voiced by the same voice actor—in this case, Tress MacNeille). It was also popular among the show's fans (and animation fans in general) to be used in a similar way, so that when a person familiar with the phrase saw an attractive person, he or she would exclaim, or say to himself or herself, "Hello nurse!" The Animaniacs themselves often changed the catchphrase varying on who the character prompting the "Hello-o-o-o-o Nurse" line: They once shouted "Hello-o-o-o-o 90210s!" at a group of youths. Once, they shouted "Hello-o-o-o-o registered medical official!" In Animaniacs: The Great Edgar Hunt for the Nintendo GameCube, they say things like "Hello-o-o-o-o Bo Peep!" and "Hello-o-o-o-o Cleo!"
In the Animaniacs comic book, Hello Nurse was expanded upon and given her own stories, as "Hello Nurse, Agent of H.U.B.B.A." (Headquarters for Undercover Buoyantly Beautiful Agents) battling in Nick Fury style against the forces of I.C.K. (International Conspiracy Klatch), led by her Evil Sister Nurse Doom and her minions, including the likes of Goldenhead and Femme Feline. At one point, the secret group replaced Hello Nurse with a different secretary for Doctor Scratchnsniff, called Konichiwa Nurse, a skilled ninja.
[edit] History
Tiny Toons and Animaniacs producer Tom Ruegger supposedly wanted to use this phrase as the catchphrase of Tiny Toons' co-host Buster Bunny, but the phrase didn't fit Buster. It did however, fit The Warner Bros. (Yakko and Wakko) on Animaniacs.
The catchphrase was later used in the British film Valiant, when Ricky Gervais' character enters the medical hut.
