We're Animaney, Totally Insane-y . . .

      Yes, Ladies and Germs, This is a post about one of the best animated series ever to grace the television screen, the Animaniacs!


     Holdeth thine applause, messieurs et madames! Thank you, thank you, you are too kind!


     What can I tell you about the Animaniacs that a true Animaniacal fan doesn't already know? Probably not much.
     For those of you not familiar with the show, a short primer. The three characters you see off to your left are the Warner Brothers, Wakko & Yakko, and the Warner Sister, Dot! They currently live in the Warner Bros. trademark water tower, locked away for their own safety.

     According to that revered source of knowledge and learning, Wikipedia, "The comedy of Animaniacs was a broad mix of old-fashioned wit, slapstick, pop culture references, and cartoon violence and wackiness. The show featured a number of comedic educational segments that covered subjects such as history, mathematics, geography, astronomy science, and social studies, often in musical form. Animaniacs itself was a variety show, with short skits featuring a large cast of characters. While the show had no set format, episode structure varied to suit the needs of the segments included; the majority of episodes were composed of three short mini-episodes, each starring a different set of characters, and bridging segments.

    The series had a total of 99 episodes and one film, titled Wakko's Wish. "

     Animaniacs was a very musical cartoon, with every episode featuring at least one original score.  I personally benefitted from the 50 states song. The songs covered a variety of topics, from states and presidents, to ingredients in junk food, to making fun of popular culture.

     The series won eight Daytime Emmy Awards and one Peabody Award during its run. While this show was no paragon of virtue, as it often contained adult humor, double entendre's and other less than appropriate content, it represented a change in the direction of animation, first started by the movie, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit."

     No discussion of the Animaniacs would be complete without mentioning Pinky and the Brain. While not the main characters, they had an appearance in almost every episode I recall ever watching. 

    Pinky's introductory phrase was, "Gee Brain, What do you want to do tonight?" His inevitable reply, "The same thing we do every night, Pinky. . . try to take over the world!" 

     I really related to these two characters, each on a different level. One part of me felt the frustration of Brain, who had grand plans but was always frustrated in his attempts to bring them to fruition. Another part of me closely identified with Pinky and his completely disregard for rational thought or safety. As you might have guessed by now, I was a teenager when I lived through the Animaniacs era.

     I'll leave you with a couple of short clips for your enjoyment.