Top ten cartoons
The TV channel Boomerang asked 1,000 adults between the ages of 25 and 54 to vote for their favourite cartoon. The results:-
- Tom and Jerry (1940)
- Scooby-Doo (1969)
- Dangermouse (1981)
- Top Cat (1961)
- The Flintstones (1960)
- Bugs Bunny (1940)
- Popeye (1933)
- Road Runner (1964)
- Wacky Races (1968)
- Hong Kong Phooey (1974)
Interesting. Can't argue with T&J in the number 1 spot (after all, it's the only entry in the list that's won Oscars - seven of them), and Dangermouse is classy stuff too (and the only UK production on the list). But I'm surprised and slightly disappointed to see unimaginative, cheaply produced stuff like Scooby-Doo and Top Cat beat out the pioneeringly brilliant work done by Chuck Jones et al in Bugs Bunny, Road Runner and the rest of the Looney Tunes. Warner's cartoon shorts from the forties through the sixties were inventive, imaginative gems, ranging from satire to surrealism to slapstick, often within a single cartoon. Hanna Barbera's cartoons were simply remakes of earlier sitcoms (Top Cat = Phil Silvers, Flintstones = Honeymooners) with nothing like the visual or verbal wit of the Looney Tunes.
And no Daffy Duck? Desthpicable!
John Dale
27 Sep 2004 22:13
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Tags: Cartoons TV
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17 comments by 4 or more people
[Skip to the latest comment]Don't underestimate Scooby Doo. Out of the above, it is the only cartoon with the official endorsement of Carl Sagan. (Read Demon Haunted World for details) And Sagan has fans, so I'd think that they would have grabbed a significant chunk of the scientific vote.
Scooby Doo is refreshing as a cartoon. Alone, it trumpets the victory of reason over delusion, of cowardice over boldness. Each episode, x strange event turns out to be another trick. It's a sceptic's dream, and Scooby and Shaggy are inspirations to us all.
27 Sep 2004, 22:38
John Dale
So Scooby-Doo was an early anti X-Files? I'm not convinced; triumph of reason, well, yes, maybe, just about (although didn't they have some episodes where - shock! - even after the mystery is solved and the gang are driving away, we pull back to see a spooky hand slam the door or draw the curtain or whatever?). Reason or no, however, I stand by my crapness assessment, which I reinforce with just two words: Scrappy Doo.
27 Sep 2004, 22:47
Mmm. But it lead to a movie with Sarah Michelle Gellar in some very fetching outfits, so it can't be all bad ;-)
27 Sep 2004, 22:58
John Dale
Yeah. She quit Buffy and did Scooby-Doo instead. It's just all upside.
28 Sep 2004, 22:19
What about Peanuts?!? They should be on there somewhere! (For anyone who doesn't know who Peanuts are – educate yourself! Think Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy etc… If you still haven't heard of them, where have you been living?!?) They're classic!
28 Sep 2004, 22:25
John Dale
Also, now I come to think about it, what about Pink Panther? It went downhill after the first few, but the early ones were great. Not many cartoon characters are literally gentlemen, scholars and acrobats.
28 Sep 2004, 23:16
Gahh – no Simpsons, King of the Hill, Ren and Stimpy….It's like the last 15 years never happened!
DM should be No1 though.
29 Sep 2004, 10:09
Oops – forgot Battle of the Planets and Roobarb and Custard
29 Sep 2004, 10:27
Leighton Joskey
Was it Crazy Legs Crane that featured in the middle of some Pink Panther episodes? What were the other characters that had similar appearances – can't remember them yet spent sooo many hours mesmerized by them when I was younger?
29 Sep 2004, 10:51
Ah yes – Dangermouse with little Penfold. I also remember Speedy Gonzales (is that how you spell it?)...yeah great cartoons.
29 Sep 2004, 11:37
I think there is a good reason for the abscence of some cartoons – it is a boomerang survey. And Boomerang doesn't show the Simpsons…
29 Sep 2004, 21:18
James Taylor
Transformers would be high up there for me! It may have been a roaring success as a cartoon & toy cash in but it was blooming good.. and Transformers The Movie was just soooo good.
30 Sep 2004, 09:14
miss all of them. long time no see
30 Sep 2004, 14:50
The Simpsons is my favourite cartoon, although I like most of the cartoons in the top ten. In recent times, Family Guy and Futurama have provided classic comedy moments, but they are not as consistently funny as The Simpsons.
30 Sep 2004, 16:29
John Dale
I wondered myself about why great cartoons like Simpsons, Futurama, King of the Hill and Family Guy didn't make the top ten. My theory is that this is a poll of children's cartoons, and, as great as those shows are, they're not really aimed at young children.
30 Sep 2004, 17:08
Sushant
ahh.. bugs bunny…..daffy duck..i think all of the looney toons characters are classics…sylvester, tweetie, daffy, bugs, porky, yosemite sam, elmer fudd, marvin the martian…boy..so the question…will there ever be a "series" that will be AS popular as looney toons, or do you think that it is a unique idea, and no matter what happens it will never be replaced?
14 Oct 2004, 14:39
matt
Daffy Duck and Tex Avery need to be up there. Adult swim is cool too though.
yeah I'm sure boomerang made them choose from shows on thier network which explains why no simpsons,family guy,ren and stimpy,south park and so on are not on the list. And speedy Gonzales angers pc people why cause thier lame.
20 Aug 2005, 06:34
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