Valentine's Day: Arnold's Valentine

Valentines Day  The Flashback  Nickelodeon 

          It's another holiday. That's right it's President... sorry it's Valentine's Day.  (Great, I thought we were doing a President's Day special, boo!)  I haven't done anything with Hey Arnold  in some time and it does have a Valentine's day half hour (with ads) special just laying around so let's go!

        This episode came out on February 12, 1997 . meaning once again I've missed a big 0 or 5 anniversary moment (par for course here).  This is from season 1 of the series, unless you find this on Paramount Plus they stuck it in season 2, Wikipedia says this episode episode is from season 1 and is episode 20, the production code says it's season 1 episode 24,  I've seen it called Season 1, episode 25, Hulu calls it season 1 episode 20, so things are going great.  It's an episode , it exists. 

         

           Hey Arnold is a series where romance does have its place, especially Arnold who has shown crushes and Helga being madly in love with Arnold. A Valentine's day episode seems to be fitting.  This is from the period of the show where 4th grader Arnold has a crush on a 6th grader named Ruth McDougal.  The class is making valentines because it's the day and it's something to do. (like sleeping) Arnold makes one for Ruth -signed anonymous because he is a coward.  Helga works on making one for Arnold which is hard. She overhears that Arnold wants to give on to Ruth and gets jealous.

     The teacher gives out the plot device to the episode, letters from their foreign pen pals.  Arnold has a pen pal from France named Cecile and Helga decides to commit mail crimes by opening his letter to read it and add a line to the letter where Cecile  says she's coming for one night only.  (Good thing the letter came the same date she was coming or that'd be odd)   Arnold sees the letter and is anxious, but he's also made a date with Ruth, so... oh no it's a dual date episode.  

He likes they have same head/ Copyright Paramount 

        Time for one of my silly tangents (oh great!).  I like how in  Arnold's city they have two French restaurants right next to each other.  There's Chez Pierre and Chez  Paris, they were also used a later plot because they similar naming.  So for some reason someone made a French restaurant then someone else decided to also make one - have it be next door to the other one and have a similar name because what? Sounds like bad business.  Back to the episode, Arnold is going on a date with Ruth at Chez Pierre and Cecile or I mean ' Cecile' wants to meet with him at Chez Paris. Good thing they are next to each other.  (We don't ask if he an Italian pen pal) 

It's a war!  Copyright Paramount

        So the plan, of course, is Arnold runs back and forth like a mad man.  I'm also glad a 9 year old has money for a French restaurant or wants to to go to one.  

            Helga continues her plan of whatever this plan is supposed to do, by pretending to be the French girl Cecile.  She does quick French learning, so it won't be very good.  Then she does a make over, which I mean I'm glad Arnold won't be able to tell.  This  episode has some funny moments in it, but have to laugh that Helga is so pushy that she won't let the man  at the salon tell her that it's a dog salon and makes him do a haircut.  (a bark life) 

Ruff hair cut/ Copyright Paramount 

            Gerald helps Arnold with the Ruth part of the date by trying to give him pointers.  It's funny how Gerald pretends he knows all this stuff.  Ruth as a character isn't very interesting, but that's not really matters; Arnold like her mostly because he likes how she looks. This special does a good job at pointing out that Arnold really doesn't know anything about her.  

        That's the first half. It is all set up for what the 2nd half will do. While the idea of having two dates and going back and forth is old, and was old when this episode was made, it does set up something funny for this show to do. The little jokes so far were great. It's also doing some good things with characterization like  how Helga just can't tell Arnold how she feels so she'll do an elaborate plan to do it instead. Arnold wanting to go on a date with a girl he doesn't know really, probably doesn't have a chance with, while he also wants to meet a pen pal. Gerald being his best friend and doing things to help prep his friend and also pretending to be a ladies man, even when some ladies tell him to leave them alone, all works together well. 

Weekendering: Weekenders: Season 2: Episode 4: Super Kids/Crevasse of Dreams

The Weekenders Disney  

        Previously, The TV characters try to act like TV characters ...read here 

        Episode 4a: Super Kids 

               The gang ends up going to a seminar because Carver had to go because his parents wanted him to go because reasons. (because alot)  I like how they agreed to join him just because free donuts.  The speaker is a 12-year-old boy who wrote a book and his advice is to have a goal and work until you get it.  He asks our gang  what they planned for the weekend and doesn't like their plans.  This makes them want to go something of "worth" for the weekend.  They try some random things, but eventually they decide to try out different goals separately. 

             Lor's goal is to set the record for the most consecutive baskets in basketball. Tish is trying to make a whole symphony. (as on does) Carver is trying to the ultimate athletic shoes. Tino being Tino is more angsty on an idea.  His mother , comes in  and tells him to just maybe he should just keep the goal of hanging out with his friends and relaxing for the weekends. (We wouldn't have a plot for this episode then, Tino's Mom)   

 

     They go see the 12-year-old Tripp Nickerson again for his book signing. They kind of figure he might be a little unhappy and unhinged. (I'm scared, help me) Tino asks if he would like to hang out with them and he agrees.  They sit together and watch the sunset. 

 

    One of the things about this show is that plots are simple sometimes, and this one is that, it's a nice simple plot. The idea that yeah it's good to have good goals, but also just to appreciate time and friends. I like how Tino asks Tripp to join him and his friends and we just get a nice simple ending. It's a well done episode and does a good job.  8/10

More after the Jump

Oh Yeah! Cartoons: #32: Herb

Nickelodeon 

     Previously, Don't be a big baby [Here]

    #32  Herb 

Season 2, Episode 10b

              Herb was created by Antoine Gulibaud  a man who has worked on lot of things even created a series called "Get Blake!". It has the voice acting of  Clive Revill , a prolific New Zeland actor. Maile Flanagan is also a voice in this, you may know her as the voice of Naruto in 2000's dubs of "Naruto".  Mona Marshall is here too, you might know her as the voice of Izzy in Digimon Adventure's dub. and Doraemon in the 2014 dub of that series.  Leon Russom whom you might know from The Big Lebowski. 

        There's a boy named Melvin and his mom took 6 weeks to make a lunch. (Umm what?)  He tries to present his lunch to his friends but there's nothing there. Then a boy, a boy with no name, mentions that the cafterea food made him grow this living thing from his back (disturbing) The girl, a girl with no name, tells him to go see Herb. (Hey it's the name!) 

    Herb is  green figure and decides to help Melvin and gets him a nice new lunch. The principal seems to be a cranky man and makes sure that the school food doesn't have good taste since it costs money. The principal suggests that Herb should make lunch for the school the next day - or he's fired! 

     The three kids from earlier help him.  It seems the principal really wants Herb, who was being the janitor, fired because reasons. It's fun to see how Herb makes the food.  The principal really feels the Herb is going to fail and looking for replacements. It's lunchtime, and the principal is surprised to see that lunch has been accomplished and the cafeteria looks like a fine dining establishment.  Things are going well and the principal is not on the list and gets kicked out for being a jerk. 

      It's a very simple story, but that doesn't make it bad. It does seem to feel to be a sample of idea for what could have be a series that might have had maybe 11 minute episodes or something to make a full story.  Here it feels random the principal doesn't like Herb for some reason, but also has him working as a janitor there.  It does give it a bare bones feel, but the story is enjoyable enough and it probably would have been a fun series if it had made it to be one. 

      It has a classic toon dynamic of a character, a good guy, and an antagonist who gets defeated just by default. It's also nice contrast with Herb being a guy on the side of the children.  I wish there was more to say, but it's nice and simple check it out. 

That's it for now, tune in next time when we get a nice seat and try a meal from Herb. 

        

Those PSA episodes: It Hits Different When You're Little

PSA 

             The Littles was an animated series on ABC produced by DIC that ran from 1983-1985. It's about a boy named Henry Bigg who knows little human-ish creatures called The Littles. It was based off books.  One day I will probably do a post about the series, but this time I'm going into an episode that was because, it was the 1980's, about drugs. (Don't do 'em).

      Our Show: The Littles

What is it trying to tell the audience? : The Affects of Drugs/ Prescription Drug abuse/ Addiction 

            The episode we are looking at this time is "Prescription for Disaster" which aired on November 12, 1983.  When the Littles would re-air on other channels like Toon Disney, this episode was skipped, because it was too powerful. (That's our reason at least)  It was the first season of the show.  Explaining the show a little, there are these little humanoid creatures that try to keep hiding from the humans, like us, and only one human they allow to interact with them, that's Henry.  Also for this episode, Henry won't be in it. (Things are going great)  The main Little characters are  a boy named Tom, and his sister Lucy, their grandpa named Grandpa, and older cousin Dinky. This episode focuses more on them having a story and no Henry, but there will be some human characters, coming up. 

         Grandpa, Dinky, Tom, and Lucy are going to some cousins' house for a get together supper.  That's when the one cousin, Mimi, decides to show her room and pet mouse, which is funny because there was an episode before the one before this one, that had them running from rats. Anyway, they hear a noise and  Mimi  tells them the important part of this plot:  There's a girl named Angela and her mother named Emily, both humans.  They look sad because of the drugs.  I'm ripping that line from the episode, Mimi says it because of the drugs. Episode is not hiding it , at least.  

I like Pills with my coffee grrrr!/ Copyright Wildbrain

        Emily was taking medication for something unexplained  for months now and it seems to gotten to the point where it now causes her to be withdrawn, lacking of energy, ignoring Angela except when she gets all angry and yells at Angela.  Emily then goes and gets more of her pills. There's also a subplot of Dinky eating all these pies like a madman which leads into what will be the other part of our drug themed episode here.  Emily gets her pills and drops them on the floor, one of them falls down the vent, breaks open the powder hitting one of the pies, and yes that means Dinky ends up accidently getting some drugs.  (Remember kids, always check your pie for drug powder before eating them)

             This causes Dinky to hallucinate and freak out. Since he's a Little and about a few inches high the drug takes quick effect.  Grandpa figures out that he's on drugs and follows behind Dinky when he tries to run away from the danger he's thinking is around.  

The drugs have caused him to see your soul/ Copyright Wildbrain

            Interestingly, and there will be more on this later,  the episode having a message isn't being used to go out of its normal structure of what one would expect for an episode of this show.  Grandpa usually ends up being the character who has to wrangle Dinky for an assortment of reasons. For the other part, Tom and Lucy do take interest in human matters and sometimes have the instinct to help.  

            Going back to Angela trying to tell her mother she's worried about her but the mom says she's fine before she passes out on the bed. (That's fine) Angela decides she should take some of the pills too and maybe that'd help.  Lucy, Mimi, and Tom decide to help stop her before she makes the very bad decision.   

            Dinky's plot gets harrowing because he thinks Grandpa is a monster and they end up a baked goods factory and all this happening could have gotten either one of them or both of them killed. The Little kids try to hide the pill jar but it spills and Angela is coming. Lucy ends up trapped inside the jar.  Again, still staying in the hallmark of the show where characters have to be rescued.   

            Grandpa is able to get Dinky to safety and out of his drug filled rampage.  Now the two of them are there to help the others with  getting Lucy back.  I'm also glad Angela is being slow with the drugs showing her worry about even doing the act.  The pet mouse is used as a distraction so the Littles can get Lucy, then they try to hide the pills, but they have to run away from Angela before she finds them.

  

         They still have to help her before she takes the pills so they have a plan B. Yes, being found out is still a risk worse than stopping a girl from taking dangerous pills. Anyway, they dress up as pill bottles and pills to get to the mother whom they wake up and make her think she's in a drug induced nightmare.  Emily staggers to the bathroom thinking that another pill would help stop her from being pill induced. (That's not the smartest plan) The Littles warn her that Angela is danger. She washes her face and notices that they're gone and that her pills are missing. She runs to her daughter's room and stops the girl from taking them. 

            Emily realizes that's not been doing the best recently and apologizes to her daughter. Angela asks her why doesn't she stop taking them, the mom throws them away and she promises that she'll stop, but it will take some work she says and asks if Angela will help her.  Then the episode ends with a goofy Dinky on the mouse thing. 

            

                  Does this episode work as a PSA?    What I found interesting about this episode is how not ham-fisted it was. Like I've seen and written about media that gets it's message out and tries really hard to  make it feel forced.  Here, it's simple yet effective in it's own way. It also still keeps into what the show normally does. To answer the question, yeah, I think so. It's interestingly toned down for an 80's episode about drugs, while still showing some effect on how it hurts people and those around them.  The pills getting to Dinky  is also a good way to show not being careful , even if not addicted, with medication can end up harming someone else, if they end up taking it or a young kid being unaware eats it.  The episode also takes the approach of focusing on legal prescribed drug abuse instead of random illegal drugs, that is a topic that should be brought up and showed how it can become addicting and a type of crutch.  It was also  a good touch to show the mom saying she's going to work to get over her problem and ask for help instead of being like "I'm better now."  It works as a resolution to a self contained episode of a mostly self contained show.  

            That's it for now,  tune in next time when we wonder 

Oh Yeah! Cartoons : #31: The Forgotten Toybox in: The Curse of the Werebaby

Nickelodeon 

 Previously: Last episode was Catastrophic! [here] 

#31:The Forgotten Toybox in : The Curse of Werebaby

Season 2, Episode 6b

             The Forgotten Toybox was created by Mike Bell, as his only non Super Santa based short on Oh Yeah!  Cartoons.   It has Daran Norris as a voice, you might know him as the voice  of Mr. Turner and Cosmo in The Fairly Odd Parents and he played Gordy in Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide.  Here he's playing a talking pull string doll who is a host for story telling and introduces a story like this is the Twilight Zone.  There's a man who acts like  a jerk, then he gets bitten by a baby. (Don't ask) Then an angry doll curses him and starts to turn into a baby.  The transformation is horrifying. Now, the man is giant baby terrorizing the city. 

          This is also a very visual gag heavy short as random stuff happens like the baby causing a plane to crash after some cars crash. He gets bigger from the power of milk. ( Milk propaganda) He does more destruction to the city.  This one doesn't want you to take it too seriously and that's the fun of it.  Eventually an ice cream truck gives a police officer  an idea to use a loud lullaby to lull the giant baby to sleep. It works and shrinks him and he ends landing on a bed to fall asleep. The man is back to normal in the morning and thinks it's a dream except for the diaper. (Uhhhh) 

            The host returns to say that guy will still turn into a baby until he learns to not act like one. (odd) That's it. 

       

             There's a hook here in where it could have worked as a series as well, different strange stories presented in a more comedic way. It would have been fun to see different strange parodies.   This was a fun short though, it's very quick humor and has some nice gags.  Really do give this on a watch. 

        That's it for now, tune in next time when we talk to a man who grew 20 feet tall because of milk.  

                       

Oh Yeah! Cartoons: #30 Twenty-Five Cent Trouble or Teddy and Art

Nickelodeon 

            Previously, Is it Funny? Is it? IS IT? [HERE] 

#30: Twenty-Five Cent Trouble

Season 1, Episode 2b

      This one seems to have two different names, the title card for the one we use is 25¢ Trouble, I'll use that name. (More 25 cent and less usage of the ¢ thing)  25 Cent Trouble is created by  Alex Kirwan. I've talked about his other two shorts already. For some disclosure, I should have done this one when I did the marathon batch, but thought it was something else and missed it, so here we are.  

             It takes place in a grocery store because grocery stores are fun. Our main character is Teddy and also his dog Art is allowed in the grocery store. (Oh I see)  Teddy is voiced by Katie Leigh who has a long list of voice acting credits, but you'll know her as Usapyon from Yo-Kai Watch. (You really should have watch Yo-Kai Watch)  The mom thinks Teddy is in the way and tells them to go pick out some cereal, which means give me five-minutes alone in mom speak.  Mom is voiced by Debi Derryberry, who also has a long list of voice credits but I'm going to say you'll know her as Wednesday Addams from tthe 1992 Addams Family animated series.  

                Teddy and Art go on and the dog seems to want attention from Teddy, but Teddy finds a quarter.  That's how this short is 25¢ Trouble. ( A High IQ post)  He wants to go to egg toy machines and gets a robot toy.  The robot toy scares the dog when it moves, it also apparently can melt cans. Art seems to get jealous and wants Teddy's attention. Then the robot wants attention and gets jealous. This short is a robot and dog getting jealous for a boy's attention. 

                 Teddy mostly says the a variation of the word Catastrophic and is impressed easily by things.  There's also some grocery store destruction going on. Then there's town destruction going on too when the robot has grown bigger and takes Teddy out of the store and starts smashing cars as it walks. Art gets a 25¢  helicopter  and shoots down the robot.   The mom shows up and she didn't see anything.  The mom also tells Teddy she had to pick out the cereal because he was not picking it out.  There's an alien inside the box to apparently sequel bait us. 

             I can maybe parse why there's no series from this. I mean, I could see a hook of episode 2 :boy gets alien toy, it's real alien. episode 3: Teddy accidently burns his house down thanks to a dragon. (what?)  That would be Catastrophic!  There's not much describable plot but it's more like those episodes of Rugrats where Tommy went off and did stuff without his parents noticing. Like the episode he and Grandpa Lou go the grocery store and Tommy goes to find Reptar cereal and destroys the entire store, nobody notices and he gets the cereal.  I honeslty, would have watched this madness if it was a series.   

         Anyway, that's it for now tune  in next time when we make catastrophically great post! 

Oh Yeah! Cartoons: #29: Slap T. Pooch in What is Funny?

Nickelodeon 

Previously, Triplets have fun [Here]

#29 Slap T. Pooch in: What is Funny?

Season 1, Episode 1b

    The name of this one makes it feel like there is going to be more but there is not, it's just this one.   Back to season 1 and the very first episode. This segment of the three is the only one that's not part of a series of shorts that would show up in the series later. I've already written about Jelly's Day . 

             Slap T. Pooch in What is Funny?  was created by Bill Burnett and Vincent Waller. Burnett also wrote this one. Bill Burnett had been a singer songwriter for the purpose of this post he met with Fred Seibert and Alan Goodman (Seibert being a reason why Oh Yeah! exists) and he was a writer for their agency. Seibert and Goodman are the creative minds behind MTV's look in the 1980's, Nickelodeon's splat logo, Nick at Nite, and Comedy Central. Burnett is the one who thought up the name Comedy Central.  When Seibert went to Hanna-Barbera Burnett followed and became VP Creative Director of the company. He also worked on the show "Cow and Chicken".   He went with Seibert again to Nickelodeon and worked on this. That's my speed run. I will mention a little more about him at the end.  I've mentioned Waller before, but for this one they have connection where they both worked on "Cow and Chicken" he storyboarded an episode. (One that's uh well known)  Anyway to this short. 

                This one is very focused on being meta and 4th wall breaking. Our main character is named Slap T. Pooch, a dog who knows that this is a cartoon and decides to ask if something is funny. That's the whole 7 minutes.  This a very visual and quick paced short.  It accelerates into randomness as the dog tries to focus group the viewers into wondering if that event is funny.  It has a lot of slapstick. 

            There's really not much story here and that's fine. It's a showcase of madness more than anything else.  I can see it even being grating to some because of the constant of the asking if something is funny.  It's not like there's nothing funny happening in the short, but yeah it can be seen as little much. A highlight has to be the prison  of gingerbread men.  The short has a running gag song of a choir singing "What is Funny? What is Funny?" 

                 I guess I could ask would this have made a good series? Probably not, this feels more one off  unless it's making a meta cartoon where Slap does different things, but the constant question repeating and stuff hampers it a bit.  You should check it out, at least once, to see what it is, but that should be it. 

             Back to Burnett, before we close. This episode of Oh Yeah! Cartoons has his fingers all over it, he was involved in all three shorts. The first one , "Chalk Zone" which was the first of many shorts and one of the shorts featured that became it's own show. He co-created that with Larry Huber. With Slap T. Pooch and Chalkzone you'll notice music is part of them and he again did make music too. He also worked on Jelly's Day as a co-creator.   

             That's really it here... uh was this post fun?  Was it?  help. 

Arthur: Season 3: Episode 15: Arthur and D.W Clean Up/ The Long, Dull Winter

Arthur PBS 

Episode 15a: Arthur and D.W Clean Up

   The Cold Open:  Arthur talks about how he changed his room into the  Mall of America, but also it can clean itself, unlike the Mall of America.  He was supposed to be cleaning his room.

  The Episode:  Arthur  wants to go with his friends to a fun air, the next day, and that's important because  before that day Arthur's mom wonders if he has cleaned his room. He has not.  I always find it funny how messy rooms look on cartoons, they always go excessive, but it funny. His mother lets him play soccer but he has to clean is room later. It is showing that she is being fair and he made did make a promise. So you can feel too bad for him.  Arthur again decides he finds  a way to watch his show instead of cleaning his room.  

          Arthur failed to clean is room and now he can't go to the happy fun thingy and  has to clean his room. His mom also stops D.W from laughing by saying that she has to clean her room too.  The father, who had nothing to say now suggests an idea where the two siblings work together to clean up their rooms.  D.W wants to throw stuff way, but Arthur doesn't want her to.  

            D.W becomes a Francine and Arthur shipper because she knows the audience.  The father tries to talk to them and thinks up the idea they just don't talk and this seems to go well. The episode has has some fun Easter eggs from past seasons of episodes.   They do end up finishing but now it's D.W's room's turn.  D.W has a set way of doing things and gets annoyed.  when Arthur doesn't follow along, her way. 

            The parents interject into the story because of their arguing.  D. W tells the parents she'd rather just do it her self.  Arthur gets to go to the park for the event.  That was moment for D.W.  The end of the episode Arthur and his friends get to help clean up the park.   

            A simple episode, pretty fun. It works well Arthur should have done his room before and wouldn't have missed some of that fun. D.W had no investment in the event herself but it was nice of her to let Arthur go while she did her room herself. Mostly because she was going to go mad if Arthur kept doing things the 'wrong' way.  It's a good basic episode. 

    More after the jump