Tiny Toon Adventures

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The neutrality of this article or section may be compromised by weasel words.
You can help Wikipedia by improving weasel-worded statements.

This does not cite its references or sources.
Please help improve this article by introducing appropriate citations. (help, get involved!) This article has been tagged since June 2006.

Tiny Toon Adventures
Babs and Buster Bunny in the Tiny Toons logo
Genre	Animated series
Running time	30 minutes per episode
Creator(s)	Steven Spielberg Tom Ruegger
Starring	Charlie Adler John Kassir Tress MacNeille Gail Matthius Kath Soucie Don Messick Joe Alaskey Maurice LaMarche Frank Welker Rob Paulsen Danny Cooksey Cree Summer Candi Milo Cindy McGee
Country of origin	USA
Original channel	Syndication (1990-1991) Fox Network (1992-1993)
Original run	September 14, 1990–May 2, 1993
No. of episodes	99

Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures (often called Tiny Toon Adventures or simply Tiny Toons) was an American animated television series created and produced as a collaborative effort between Steven Spielberg and Warner Bros. Animation. Its first season aired in 1990; the second season followed in 1991 and the third and final season aired in 1993.

Tiny Toons originated as an idea by Terry Semel, then president of Warner Bros. Wishing to capitalize on the success of TV shows featuring younger versions of famous characters (such as Ultraman Kids, Muppet Babies and Flintstones Kids), Semel proposed a similar show based on Looney Tunes, where the characters were young versions of the original Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters. A similar idea would have introduced the new characters as the offspring of the original characters.

Warner Bros. had reinstated its animation studio following the success of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which featured appearances by many of its famous cartoon characters, and which had been co-produced by Spielberg's company Amblin Entertainment. The studio approached Spielberg (maker of many famous family movies, including An American Tail and The Land Before Time) to collaborate on Semel's ideas. Spielberg suggested that the new characters be spiritual, not literal, descendants of the Looney Tunes, and that the original characters make appearances as their mentors. This idea became the basis for Tiny Toon Adventures, which at first was to become a theatrical feature-length film, but was later changed to a television series format in December of 1988.

1 Characters
2 Reputation and legacy
3 Awards
4 Voice actors and their characters
5 Episodes
6 The video games
7 Trivia
8 See also
9 Airing History
10 References
11 External links

Buster Bunny in the Tiny Toons logo.

[edit] Characters

The series premiered in 1990. It revolved around a group of young cartoon characters training at Acme Looniversity to be the next generation of Looney Tunes characters. As a result most of the characters were designed to resemble younger versions of classic Warner Bros.' most popular cartoon stars.

Major characters include:

Buster Bunny, modeled after Bugs Bunny
Babs Bunny, no relation to Buster
Plucky Duck, modeled after Daffy Duck
Hamton J. Pig, molded in the image of Porky Pig
Furrball, a cat based loosely on Sylvester
Sweetie Pie, based on Tweety Bird
Fifi La Fume, a female version of Pepé Le Pew
Shirley the Loon, a somewhat ditzy character; her name and New Age obsessions are inspired by Shirley MacLaine^{[citation needed]}
Calamity Coyote, a young Wile E. Coyote-in-training
Little Beeper, modeled after Road Runner
Dizzy Devil, a junior Taz
Montana Max, modeled after Yosemite Sam
Elmyra Duff, modeled after Elmer Fudd

Bookworm, a minor character in Tiny Toons

The original inspiration for two of the characters was somewhat obscure compared to the others: Li'l Sneezer was a revival of Sniffles the mouse, and Gogo Dodo was based on the original Dodo from Porky in Wackyland, a theatrical Looney Tunes release directed by Bob Clampett in 1938. In fact, the latter became the only visible Acme Looniversity alumnus to be an offspring of a classic Looney Tunes character.

Other minor characters based on classic characters were:

Barky Marky, a dog based on Marc Antony from several Chuck Jones-directed short subjects.
Concord Condor, modeled after Beaky Buzzard.
Fowlmouth, modeled after Foghorn Leghorn.
Marcia the Martian, the niece of Marvin the Martian, appeared in a single episode, lampooning the original Duck Dodgers cartoons. While Daffy Duck (as Duck Dodgers) and Marvin attempt to convince Marcia and Plucky to take part in their age-old feud, the protegés decide it's more fun to play with each other.
Witch Sandy, a witch who was based on Witch Hazel; she had a one-time appearance on the show in a parody of Hansel and Gretel.
There was an unnamed sheepdog puppy who was based on Sam Sheepdog. He appeared very briefly in a few episodes.
Arnold the pit bull was modeled after Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Minor original characters included a family of fleas who lived on Furrball, a trio of singing girl roaches (modelled after and voiced by The Roches), Byron Basset, and the two Ralphs. One was a fat security guard who later migrated to Animaniacs, while the other was a slobbish Ralph Bakshi caricature.

Most of the series's original characters attended Acme Looniversity, a high school/university in the fictional city of Acme Acres (where most of the Tiny Toons and Looney Tunes characters lived), whose faculty primarily consisted of the mainstays of the classic Warner cartoons. In the series' internal continuity, the university was founded to teach cartoon characters how to become funny, with graduates receiving a "Diploma of Lunacy", giving them the opportunity to become full-time cartoon characters. Bugs Bunny taught the Outsmarting Antagonists class, Daffy Duck taught Puns and Catchphrases, Yosemite Sam taught both Firearms and Anvilology (the study of falling anvils for comic effect), and Elmer Fudd taught Booby Traps. The principal of the Acme Looniversity was a giant floating head like the one in The Wizard of Oz, voiced by Noel Blanc (son of Mel Blanc); the principal was later revealed to be Bugs Bunny in disguise. Wile E. Coyote was the dean at the Looniversity's School of Hard Knocks.

Guest stars included Henny Youngman, as a chicken version of himself; Edie McClurg, as Hamton's mother; Julie Brown as Julie Bruin; and the Roches as cockroach versions of themselves.

The series and the show's characters were developed by series producer and head writer Tom Ruegger, division leader Jean MacCurdy, story editors Wayne Kaatz, Paul Dini, and Sherri Stoner. Among the first writers on the series: Jim Reardon, Tom Minton, Eddie Fitzgerald, and others; designs by Alfred Gimeno Ken Boyer Dan Haskett, Karen Haskett, and many other artists and directors.

[edit] Reputation and legacy

Buster, Babs, and Plucky shake hands with their successors: The Warner brothers (Yakko and Wakko) and their sister Dot in an episode of Animaniacs

The show often contained "gross out" humor dealing with bodily functions as well as political and entertainment satire. Caricature versions of celebrities made frequent appearances, though were almost always voiced by imitators, and often appeared under parody names ("Tom Snooze" instead of Tom Cruise, "Michael Molten-Lava"/Michael Bolton, etc). The show also parodied other TV shows and cartoons of the day, including the Simpsons. A reccurring parody was that of the Immature Radioactive Samurai Slugs, which poked fun at the popular cartoon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Critics of the series considered the Tiny Toons characters to be little more than knock-offs of the original Termite Terrace creations, [1]

In order to have 65 episodes made for the first season, Warner and Amblin had to have several different animation houses each do their share of episodes (a process that Warner and Disney and other studios have done before and since with their TV cartoon series). The many animation studios to work on Tiny Toons were Tokyo Movie Shinsha, Wang Film Productions, AKOM, Freelance Animators New Zealand, Encore Cartoons, StarToons, and Kennedy Cartoons. Kennedy Cartoons quit while working on the 37th episode of production (which was the first episode, The Looney Beginning).[2]

During production of the third season, Charlie Adler (voice of Buster Bunny) had a major conflict with the producers, because Adler was outraged that he, one of the main stars of Tiny Toons, wasn't given any roles on Warner's then-in-the-works follow up to Tiny Toons: Animaniacs. The fact that bit players in Tiny Toons like Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche were given starring roles in Animaniacs infuriated Adler even further, making him leave the show. [3] Joe Alaskey (voice of Plucky Duck) also left the show, but his reasons were financial. When the money issue was resolved, Alaskey came back to the show. However, Adler left for good. As a result, in a few episodes and specials of Tiny Toons, Charlie Adler was replaced as the voice of Buster by John Kassir.

One feature-length Tiny Toon Adventures movie was released direct-to-video in 1991, entitled Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation. [4] Its psychotic, chainsaw-wielding villain, "Mr. Hitcher", even appeared in several other shorts, including one with Plucky remembering himself as a baby. Other features released for Tiny Toon Adventures include Spring Break Special, It's a Wonderful Tiny Toons Christmas Special, and Night Ghoulery. Spring Break Special was shown on FOX during primetime on March 27, 1994. Christmas Special aired on December 6, 1992.

In 1992, The Plucky Duck Show was produced as a spin-off of Tiny Toon Adventures, concentrating attention on the daffy young star. Except for the premiere, (The Return of Batduck), the show was entirely made up of recycled Plucky-centric episodes from Tiny Toons. After only one thirteen-episode season, the show was cancelled.

In 1998, another spin-off was produced, this one starring Elmyra alongside Animaniacs stars Pinky and the Brain, and was titled Pinky, Elmyra, and the Brain. It was a significant re-tooling of Pinky and the Brain, a 1995 spin-off of Animaniacs sans Elmyra. It was also cancelled after thirteen episodes.

Warner Bros. cut back the size of its animation studio (the high cost and relatively low profit of its animated feature films of the period also had an effect on the studio), and production on further Warner Bros. animated comedy series ceased. Animaniacs and Tiny Toon Adventures continued to rerun in syndication through the 1990s into the early-2000s. In 2005, it was removed from the NickToons Network and is not currently airing on United States television. In the United Kingdom, however, it is currently airing on Boomerang.

The series will re-run on Warner Bros. and AOL's new broadband internet channel Toontopia TV.

[edit] Awards

[edit] 1991

Daytime Emmy Awards, USA: Outstanding Animated Program (Steven Spielberg, Tom Ruegger, Ken Boyer, Art Leonardi, Art Vitello, Paul Dini, Sherri Stoner) - winner
Environmental Media Awards, USA: EMA Award Children's Animated – winner (for episode Whales Tales)
Young Artist Awards, USA: Best New Cartoon Series - winner

[edit] 1992

Daytime Emmy Awards, USA: Outstanding Animated Program (Steven Spielberg, Tom Ruegger, Sherri Stoner, Rich Arons, Art Leonardi) - nominated

[edit] 1993

Daytime Emmy Awards, USA: Outstanding Animated Program (Steven Spielberg, Tom Ruegger, Sherri Stoner, Rich Arons, Byron Vaughns, Ken Boyer, Alfred Gimeno, David West) - winner
Young Artist Awards, USA: Outstanding Young Voice-Over in an Animated Series or Special (Whitby Hertford) - nominated

[edit] Voice actors and their characters

Voice Actor:	Characters Voiced:
Charles Adler	Buster Bunny / Roderick Rat / other various voices (1990-1992)
John Kassir	Buster Bunny (1992-1995)
Tress MacNeille	Babs Bunny / Rhubella Rat / other various voices
Gail Matthius	Shirley the Loon
Kath Soucie	Fifi La Fume / Li'l Sneezer
Don Messick	Hamton J. Pig
Joe Alaskey	Plucky Duck / Dr. Gene Splicer
Maurice LaMarche	Dizzy Devil (1991)
Frank Welker	Gogo Dodo / Furrball / Calamity Coyote / Little Beeper / other various voices
Rob Paulsen	Fowlmouth / Arnold Dog / Concord Condor / other various voices
Danny Cooksey	Montana Max
Cree Summer	Elmyra Duff / Mary Melody
Candi Milo	Sweetie Pie
Cindy McGee	Mary Melody (certain episodes)

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of Tiny Toon Adventures episodes

[edit] The video games

Main article: List of Tiny Toon Adventures video games

Since Tiny Toon Adventures debuted, there has been a multitude of video games created based on the series. Many companies have held the development and publishing rights for the games, including Konami (during the 90s), Atari, NewKidCo, Conspiracy Games, Warthog, Terraglyph Interactive Studios, and Treasure.

[edit] Trivia

At the end of the credits, in various episodes, different characters would appear in the Warner Brothers logo to close the show:
- Byron Basset would appear and simply go, "Woof!"
- Gogo Dodo would appear and say, "It's been surreal!"
- Elmyra Duff would appear and say, "Let the show begin!"
- Buster Bunny would appear and say, "And that's a wrap!"
- Plucky Duck would appear and say, "Parting is such sweet sorrow!"
- Fifi Le Fume would appear and say, "Au revoir, mon petite potato de couch!" as she flirtatiously waved her tail at the audience.
- Babs and Buster Bunny would appear; Buster would say, "Say good night, Babs," to which Babs would respond "Good night, Babs!" (an homage to The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show). Other times they would appear and say in unison, "Alooooooo-ha!"
The episode "Elephant Issues" (which was made to teach kids lessons about peer pressure) was banned from Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, because of the episode's final short, "One Beer," which included Buster, Plucky, and Hamton drinking beer. Although the short was to teach kids about the dangers of drinking, it delivered the wrong message to the show's intended predominantly children's audience, due to the object lesson being delivered in such a exaggeratedly heavy-handed way that it was downright sarcastic.^{[citation needed]}
Wackyland, the bizarre world that Gogo Dodo comes from, wasn't created for this show; it actually first appeared in the Looney Tunes short named "Porky in Wackyland," which also featured a dodo that is the father of Gogo Dodo.
The nonsensical word "narf" which was made famous by Pinky on Animaniacs made its first appearance in the secret message in the credits of the episode "You Asked for It". The message: "Guy Who Says "Narf" - Eddie Fitzgerald"
In one episode, instead of the typical Amblin Entertainment logo, which normally features Elliot and E.T. (from the movie E.T.) riding and then freezing in front of the moon, they comically bump into it, and fall off.
There is a parody of this show on a Homestar Runner cartoon. In the Strong Bad E-Mail "theme song", when Strong Bad is explaining the end credits, the announcer is annoncing Cheat Commandos, saying "they're tiny, they're toony, they're ALL a little looney, it's the Cheat Commandos!"