The history of Animaniacs

[NeoTheranthrope]

Way More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Animaniacs​

When I started researching the history of Animaniacs, I contacted creator Tom Ruegger to see if he could fill in some gaps. I expected a few sentences in response to my questions, but Mr. Ruegger sent back seven pages of awesomeness instead. So if you happen to be searching for the real story behind Animaniacs, you’re in the right place.

In the Beginning​

The history of Animaniacs actually begins with Tiny Toon Adventures, another animated show from Warner Bros. and executive producer Steven Spielberg. After Tiny Toons became a huge success, Spielberg asked producer Tom Ruegger and his team to work on a follow-up cartoon.

One idea Spielberg suggested was to make the popular Tiny Toons character Plucky Duck the star of the new show. Meanwhile, Ruegger had been developing characters based on the personalities of his three young sons. These two concepts were combined to create three brother ducks. However, the team soon realized that, between Disney’s Donald Duck, DuckTales, Darkwing Duck, and Warner Bros.’ own Daffy Duck, there were already plenty of animated waterfowl on the market. Spielberg agreed, but said they needed to come up with “a big marquee name” to help sell the show.

Ruegger was inspired by the large “WB” logo on the water tower at the Warner Bros. studio. He proposed a group of siblings drawn in an animation style reminiscent of anthropomorphized animal characters from the 1930s, and called them the Warner Brothers. Although they have dog-like characteristics, the exact type of animal the Warners are meant to be is unknown. According to the show bible – a book filled with background information for the creative team on a TV show – their species is labeled as “Cartoonus Characterus.”

For a brief period, there were four Warner siblings – Yakky, Smakky, Wakky, and little sister, Dot. As the studio artists honed the designs, Yakky became Yakko, and Smakky and Wakky were melded into Wakko. After getting clearance from the Warner estate to use the family name, the show was off and running.

-Mentalfloss.com

Via Boing-Boing

 

[Lagduf]

 

[Kid Panda]

awesome read, i loved animaniacs back in the day, so much better than freakazoid!

 

[NeoTheranthrope]

awesome read, i loved animaniacs back in the day, so much better than freakazoid!

I would conceder that point to be debatable (I love both shows equally), but both shows had excellent writing and were amazingly ahead of their time.

 

[Kid Panda]

I would conceder that point to be debatable (I love both shows equally), but both shows had excellent writing and were amazingly ahead of their time.

i didnt mind freakazoid so much, but i was so wrapped up in animainacs and dexter's lab that one went on the back burner, ill pull the show down and give it another go

 

[Moon Jump]

I wish they did Freakazoid now that we've got more adult cartoon shows like the stuff on Adult Swim and FX with Archer. The humor they were going for on Freakzoid totally went over kid's heads, but I fucking loved it since I was a fan of stuff like F-Troop and Police Squad. I heard the heads up at Kids WB got scarred because they got a lot of fan mail from prison inmates (which is actually a joke in the second season) and other adults and not from kids. I was happy that they did let them have a final episode and not pull what Nick does and leave them open for endless reruns.

Animaniacs for me got stale in the last few seasons. It felt like they were stretching themselves way too thin with the jokes. It was funny the first couple of times that The Warner's would go back and time and screw with a historical figure, but they kept doing it. Also, if a Rita and Runt skit came on I pretty much changed the channel till the next cartoon came on. The only one I liked was when they did the crossovers and had Rita with Pinky and Runt with Pesto. The Nostalgia Critic did a really good interview with a lot of the writers. If you haven't checked that out yet, make sure you do.

 

[cdamm]

that was all tremendous. also i feel old now.

 

[Kid Panda]

also i feel old now.

you got a grey bush

 

[NeoTheranthrope]

Dot: "I found Prince!"
Yakko: "No no no! fingerprints!"
Dot: "...."
Prince:
Dot: "I don't think so."
Prince:
Dot: *toss*

There's no way on earth censors would let that pass in this day-and-age. Well, any of this:


(Prince at 2m18s)


The 90's was a great era to be a cartoon fan.

 

[smokehouse]

Although I liked Tiny Toons...it is amazing how much I despised the Animaniacs...if ever there were fictional characters I would have liked to have murdered...it would have been those three annoying fucks...

 

[NeoTheranthrope]

The Nostalgia Critic did a really good interview with a lot of the writers. If you haven't checked that out yet, make sure you do.

You mean this:



...and while I'm at it, this too:

 

[LoneSage]

"There's two kinds of kids: those who like Animaniacs, and those who don't."


(I don't)

 

[PleaseKillMeNow]

Animaniacs, even during its initial run, got tired quickly. Same with Tiny Toons. Freakazoid, however, is something that never got old. Even as an adult I find that show fucking hilarious.

 

[aria]

Animaniacs was all right, I just found some of their fans to be insufferable. The golden age of after school cartoons for me was the original Disney afternoon lineup, also the first few seasons of Batman the Animated Series. I will also have a soft spot for The Real Ghostbusters.

 

[OrochiEddie]

I wish they did Freakazoid now that we've got more adult cartoon shows like the stuff on Adult Swim and FX with Archer. The humor they were going for on Freakzoid totally went over kid's heads, but I fucking loved it since I was a fan of stuff like F-Troop and Police Squad. I heard the heads up at Kids WB got scarred because they got a lot of fan mail from prison inmates (which is actually a joke in the second season) and other adults and not from kids. I was happy that they did let them have a final episode and not pull what Nick does and leave them open for endless reruns.

Animaniacs for me got stale in the last few seasons. It felt like they were stretching themselves way too thin with the jokes. It was funny the first couple of times that The Warner's would go back and time and screw with a historical figure, but they kept doing it. Also, if a Rita and Runt skit came on I pretty much changed the channel till the next cartoon came on. The only one I liked was when they did the crossovers and had Rita with Pinky and Runt with Pesto. The Nostalgia Critic did a really good interview with a lot of the writers. If you haven't checked that out yet, make sure you do.

probably the only good thing he ever did as he is an unbelievably obnoxious and annoying little fuck

 

[jeff bogard]

interesting interview im in the middle of reading it. I personally think what killed the show was that it was no longer syndicated on fox networks after school. I remember towards the end it was only airing in the WB on saturday mornings. But not in the afternoons at all. I think it was that, it just stopped airing at a more accessible time.

 

[Moon Jump]

Tiny Toons ran longer on Nick and in syndication then Animaniacs did. Right after Kids WB went away all of their shows did too. It sucks now that all of the shit on Saturday mornings are shitty dubbed anime Pokemon ripoffs. Now if you want the good animation you gotta watch the stuff on cable.

 

[Zero Satori]

As a side comment: When they changed the intro and removed the "Bill Clinton plays the sax" part, I was helluh mad.