George Liquor

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George Liquor
Image:George Liquor.png
George Liquor from The Ren and Stimpy Show
Created by John Kricfalusi
Portrayed by Michael Pataki
Harris Peet
Information
Species Human
Gender Male
Family Jimmy the Idiot Boy (Nephew)
Slab (Nephew)
Ernie (Nephew)
Frank Liquor (Brother)
Spouse(s) Mable Liquor (Deceased)

George Liquor (also known as George Liquor, American[1]), most famous for his appearances on The Ren and Stimpy Show, is a cartoon character created by John Kricfalusi and is a mascot for Kricfalusi's defunct animation studio, Spümcø. Kricfalusi created George Liquor as a patriotic, outspoken, politically conservative character. Kricfalusi described Liquor as his favorite character to animate.[2]

George was voiced by Harris Peet in his first starring episode of The Ren and Stimpy Show[3] and has been voiced by Michael Pataki since.[4] George Liquor appeared in episodes of The Ren and Stimpy Show, the episodes of The Goddamn George Liquor Program, comic books, webcomics, internet cartoons, and advertisements. According to Kricfalusi's blog, a new webtoon starring George is currently in development. It will be sponsored by Pontiac Vibe.[5]

Contents

[edit] Character

Kricfalusi described George Liquor as "the greatest American" [1] who is so conservative "that he thinks the Republicans are Commies".[6] George harbors a deep antipathy for the political left; in one issue of Spümcø's Comic Book, George Liquor became enraged after a fish had called him a Democrat.[7] According to Kricfalusi's "George Liquor Story Bible," George is a middle-aged, crass, religious, ultra-patriotic American who favors his nephew, Jimmy The Idiot Boy,[1] and tries to teach Jimmy how to be "a Real Man".[8]

Liquor lives in the fictional city of Decentville, USA.[9] George strongly believes in discipline and corporal punishment; his motto is "it's discipline that begets love".[7][10] In the two episodes of The Ren and Stimpy Show in which he starred, George treats Ren and Stimpy strictly and tried to make them as disciplined as possible.[11][10] In an issue of Comic Book, Liquor questions how parents can love their children without spanking them.[7]

[edit] Creation

George was created by Kricfalusi in 1979 immediately after Kricfalusi saw a building with a sign that read, "George Liquor". Kricfalusi said that the name "George Liquor" was "the coolest name [he] ever heard".[6] According to Kricfalusi's blog, Kricfalusi's father greatly influenced the personality of George. He said that both Liquor and his father are similar in that "George and my Dad believe strongly in discipline and order and rules. (Especially their own!)"[12] Kricfalusi intended for George Liquor to be an integral character in The Ren and Stimpy Show; Kricfalusi created Ren and Stimpy as Liquor's and Jimmy's pets.[13][14]

[edit] On The Ren and Stimpy Show

George Liquor’s first official appearances were in episodes of The Ren and Stimpy Show. The Ren and Stimpy Show was a cartoon series that Kricfalusi created, sold to the channel Nickelodeon, and directed at his studio, Spümcø. Liquor starred in the episodes "Dog Show" and "Man's Best Friend" and made brief cameos in the episodes "The Boy Who Cried Rat" and "Robin Höek".[6] According to Kricfalusi, Liquor only appeared in a few episodes because those in charge of Nickelodeon at the time hated the character.[13] Ren and Stimpy animator Bill Wray described Liquor as a character that Nickelodeon "never liked" because the name "Liquor" both was a reference to alcohol and sounded like the words "lick her".[15] Wray said that Nickelodeon disapproved of George but did not forbid Kricfalusi from using the character.[16]

In one of Liquor's starring roles, in the episode "Dog Show", George put characters Ren and Stimpy through a painful process of making the two into perfect pets for a dog show.[11] Before the episode was broadcast, it was censored so that George's last name, "Liquor", was cut from the soundtrack.[17] According to Forbidden Animation: Censored Cartoons And Blacklisted Animators in America, Nickelodeon has not officially explained why the name "Liquor" name was cut from broadcasting.[17] Liquor's other major appearance, the episode "Man's Best Friend", was banned from Nickelodeon and was not shown on television for years because of its content.[17] In the episode, George makes threats and angry demands to Ren and Stimpy, and in the end of the episode, Ren beats George with an oar.[10] In addition to missing deadlines for Nickelodeon and making too many controversial cartoons,[18] Kricfalusi said that the episode "Man's Best Friend" was the episode of The Ren and Stimpy Show that got him and the Spumco staff fired from the series.[2] Kricfalusi said that "Man's Best Friend" was actually approved for broadcasting by both Standards and Practices and Nickelodeon administrators, but the Nickelodeon staff declined to broadcast the episode when network executives saw the finished product.[17] Wray stated that the episode was "all finished and ready to go" before the cancellation.[16] The episode aired on Spike TV in 2003 as part of Ren and Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon.[2] When Nickelodeon fired Kricfalusi, the network gave him the rights to use George Liquor because the network employees did not like the character.[13][15] The arrangement with the network also granted Kricfalusi the rights to Jimmy the Hapless Idiot Boy.[14]

[edit] In Comic Book

After Nickelodeon, George Liquor and Jimmy The Idiot Boy starred in Comic Book, a Spümcø comic book series. The comic book series also had appearances of the various characters who regularly interacted with George and Jimmy.[19] The series was launched at Marvel, but Kricfalusi decided to move the series to Dark Horse Comics, as "Marvel wanted to maintain its corporate image, so we moved to Dark Horse, where they have no social conscience".[20] The series was written and drawn by Spümcø co-founders Kricfalusi and Jim Smith and other members of the original Spümcø staff.[20] While with Marvel, Comic Book was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Humor Publication.[19] One story in the first issue of the Dark Horse's Comic Book, George Liquor's Fishing Show, was later made into a webcomic with sound that was featured on the Spümcø website.[21]

[edit] On The Goddamn George Liquor Program

George Liquor being used in Macromedia Flash in a commercial for Tower Records.
George Liquor being used in Macromedia Flash in a commercial for Tower Records.

George Liquor starred in the Flash Internet cartoon series, The Goddamn George Liquor Program, created by Kricfalusi. Premiering on October 15, 1997,[22][23] The Goddamn George Liquor Program was the first cartoon series to be produced exclusively for the Internet.[24] George appeared on the series with his nephew, Jimmy The Idiot Boy; Jimmy's cousins, Slab and Ernie; Jimmy's love interest, Sody Pop; and George and Jimmy's pet dog, Dirty Dog. Without the control of a network, the series could be made as Kricfalusi wanted.[24] Spümcø produced eight one-minute shorts.[25] In 1999, The Goddamn George Liquor Program won an Annie Award for "Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Interactive Production".[26]

[edit] In advertisements

After being fired from The Ren and Stimpy Show, John Kricfalusi used George Liquor in Macromedia Flash advertisements in hopes of creating a series with direct sponsorship without a network.[27] Kricfalusi began with free advertisements that he made for Tower Records in 1997.[27][23] George Liquor has been used in John Kricfalusi's advertisements for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and is currently used in ads for the internet communication service Raketu.[23] To animate the advertisements, Kricfalusi used Macromedia Flash.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Kricfalusi, John (April 12, 2007). George Liquor Storybible. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
  2. ^ a b c Goodman, Martin (September 01, 2004). "When Cartoons Were Cartoony:" John Kricfalusi Presents. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
  3. ^ "Man's Best Friend (opening credits)". Ren and Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon. Spike TV. 2003-06-23. No. Special, season 1.
  4. ^ Kricfalusi, John (March 01, 2007). Meet George Liquor - direct to video and online cartoons. Retrieved on 2008-01-01.
  5. ^ Kricfalusi, John (March 20, 2008). George Liquor Pilot Sketches. Retrieved on 2008-04-14.
  6. ^ a b c “CLEFT-O-MANIA: Screen veteran Kirk Douglas is a big chin-spiration at Spumco Studios.”, Film Threat: 34, <http://bp2.blogger.com/_mJ4lc_Q9Q6k/RvKaAeSh5RI/AAAAAAAAHz4/UT4bASa80ds/s1600-h/1403931279_c5abd637eb_o.jpg> 
  7. ^ a b c  Kricfalusi, John and Richard Pursel (w),  Jim Smith (p),  Glines, Shane (i). "George Liquor's Fishing Show" Comic Book vol. 1,  #1 and 2 (1997)  Dark Horse Comics (50)
  8. ^ Turczyn, Coury (January 25, 1996), Looney 'Toons, Pop Cult Magazine, <http://www.popcultmag.com/obsessions/profilesingreatness/spumco/spumco1.html> 
  9. ^ Kricfalusi, John (October 31, 2007). GEORGE LIQUOR'S CARTOONY TYPE VARIETY SHOW. Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  10. ^ a b c "Man's Best Friend". Ren and Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon. Spike TV. 2003-06-23. No. Special, season 1.
  11. ^ a b "Big Baby Scam/Dog Show". The Ren and Stimpy Show. Nickelodeon. 1992-12-12. No. 6, season 2.
  12. ^ Kricfalusi, John (October 30, 2007). Happy Birthday Dad!. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
  13. ^ a b c Rivera, Jason (April 2000), “An Interview with: John Kricfalusi”, Chimera (no. 4), <http://www.geocities.com/jasonchimera/Johnk>. Retrieved on 27 December 2007 
  14. ^ a b Lenburg, Jeff (2006). Who's Who in Animated Cartoons. Hal Leonard, 192. ISBN 155783671X. 
  15. ^ a b "Bill Wray." David Anthony Kraft's Comics Interview #122. 1993. 7.
  16. ^ a b "Bill Wray." David Anthony Kraft's Comics Interview #122. 1993. 6.
  17. ^ a b c d Cohen, Karl. Forbidden Animation: Censored Cartoons and Blacklisted Animators in America. McFarland, 149. ISBN 0786420324. 
  18. ^ Houle, Zachary. John K on Montreal and Ottawa Locals and more.... Retrieved on 2008-01-12.
  19. ^ a b Interviews: John Kricfalusi and Jim Smith. Retrieved on 2008-01-01.
  20. ^ a b DarkHorse.com. "John Kricfalusi". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-01-01.
  21. ^ “Internet & Interactive”, Animation World Magazine (no. 4.9), December 1999, <http://www.awn.com/mag/issue4.09/4.09pages/4.09internet.php3>. Retrieved on 1 January 2008 
  22. ^ In His Way, John K. Will Challenge the World. WIRED. Retrieved on 2008-01-01.
  23. ^ a b c John K's Guide to Surviving the End of Television. Cold Hard Flash (April 23, 2007). Retrieved on 2008-01-01.
  24. ^ a b 27th Annual Annie Award Nominee Showcase: Goddamn George Liquor Program. AWM.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-14.
  25. ^ Flashimation: The Context and Culture of Web Animation. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  26. ^ ASIFA-Hollywood's 27th Annual Annie Awards. ASIFA Hollywood. Retrieved on 2007-12-14.
  27. ^ a b Kricfalusi, John (December 11, 2006). Direct Sponsorship 2. Retrieved on 2008-01-01.

[edit] External links