Early Cartoon Network Merchandise

 I've looked at early CN promos and press material, so it seems time I give some attention to the early wave of merchandise based around the network. This isn't by any means an in-depth showcase, but here are some of my favorite pieces I found with the Cartoon Network branding.

Starting off is this plush toy of Huckleberry Hound released by Mattel. This was part of a series called "Cartoon Club", which consisted of plush incarnations of many Hanna-Barbera characters. Some of the others in the series included Fred Flintstone, Elroy Jetson, Magilla Gorilla, and Yogi Bear. They're honestly pretty nice looking for plush dolls, but there's something off about them that I simply cannot put my finger on. Maybe one of you feels the same?

Unsurprisingly, there were plenty of shirts with the Cartoon Network logo and Hanna-Barbera characters in the early days. This one has a set of characters decked out in some very nineties clothing. That was a common theme among shirts of this era, alongside the characters playing basketball and other sports.

Here's a simple but nice pencil box based on the network, which was released in 1994. Commercials around this time often used a graphic similar to this, so I assume that's where the design came from. It's also easy to come across on online auctions, so if you want a piece of early CN merch without breaking the bank, this one's for you.

The last piece of merchandise I'll spotlight here is, fittingly, the most nineties one of the whole bunch. That's right, we've got CN pogs! There are a lot of characters in these, and they all use artwork that I haven't seen used in any other merchandise. As far as pogs go, I'm impressed. This set contained 21 items in all, and I assume there were no further releases.

Far More Cartoon Network Print Ads

 October has come once again, and with it, another set of posts focused on Cartoon Network, which launched on October 1st back in 1992. In both 2023 and 2024, I shared posts showcasing a few print ads for the network from its early years (you can view those posts here and here). Now, I'm back with more advertisements. From those found in the papers to magazine ads, here is yet another set of Cartoon Network print ads.

This first one is interesting in that it promotes not only the network, but also a launch event taking place in Turner's Atlanta base of operations. The promo promises animated guests, surprises, and a picnic lunch following the event. If you'd like to know more about this launch event, check out this post I did in 2023. It's probably the only time you'll see Ted Turner setting off TNT alongside Fred Flintstone and Yogi Bear. 

Here's a pretty neat one that appeared in a newspaper's comic section. I've shown off ads similar to this one before, but those were from magazines. Honestly, I think I prefer this style a bit more. You've also got to love how the ad "hides" a Yogi Bear comic.

Another newspaper ad, this one has a similar style to the first ad, but with a different set of characters. Instead of Fred, Yogi, and George, they went with a canine theme consisting of Astro, Huckleberry Hound, and Droopy. Much like that artwork, it was used in a lot of early promotional materials for the channel.

I've got one more for today, and this one was actually put out after the network went live. Droopy is the sole star of this promo, informing readers that Cartoon Network is wired and ready to go. It's kind of interesting looking back at how much attention Droopy got in early CN stuff. You could almost see him as the mascot of the network in its early years. Don't forget, the first thing aired on CN was Droopy's Guide to Cartoon Network.

TC and Officer Dibble Get Stuffed

 Top Cat's anniversary was this weekend, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to post a little something in honor of one of my favorite HB shows. That "little something" is these two stuffed dolls created for the show by Ideal Toys. They represent Top Cat and Officer Dibble; as far as I'm aware, none of the other cats were made into dolls. Pretty odd that they decided to make Dibble, as he's by far the least represented Top Cat character in merchandise (the only other time I've seen a Dibble toy was in Marx's TV Tinykins line). Though these seem a lot rarer than other items Ideal Toys put out for the Hanna-Barbera shows, they still retain the same charm and cool factor of those earlier toys. Check 'em out below!

Video of the Week: The Women of Hanna-Barbera Use Dove

 For this week's video, I've decided to go with one that I think many of you will remember seeing back in the day. From the long-forgotten world of 2005 comes this commercial for Dove products featuring Wilma Flintstone, Jane Jetson, and Velma Dinkley. A pretty charming commercial, and one I still see people mention from time to time.

While I'm here, I thought I'd also go ahead and discuss the print campaign that was running simultaneously with this commercial. These aren't anything too special, just a side-by-side of the before and afters from the video, but I'm sure someone would've mentioned them if I did not. Interestingly, Marge from The Simpsons was also shown in this campaign, but not in the TV ad. I imagine that came down to licensing issues, but I can't say for certain.

Jetsons Questions and Answers with Joe Barbera

 I'm not through discussing the 1980s Jetsons revival just yet. I figured it was only right to cap off this "trilogy" of posts by going back to the beginning of the 1985 Jetsons episodes—or, the first time audiences were made aware of the episodes being made, at least.

Below is a Q&A session featuring Joe Barbera that appeared in newspapers throughout December 1984. Inside, readers got their first idea of what the new episodes would feature, and what would be retained from the original series.

'Jetsons' Creator Joseph Barbera

     "Meet George Jetson...Jane, his wife...daughter Judy...their boy, Elroy." So began the theme song of "The Jetsons," one of the most beloved TV cartoons. The show, which ran from 1962-63, portrayed the Jetson family, an average 21st-century clan, who lived in the Sky Pad Apartments and were waited on hand and foot by Rosie, their robot maid.

    "The Jetsons" were created by Joseph Barbera, 73, who, with his partner William Hanna, also developed such animated characters as Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound and the Flintstones gang. Although "The Jetsons" aired for only one year, the original 24 episodes are still running in syndication. Forty-one new episodes are now being produced for broadcast in the fall of 1985. Here, Barbera discusses cartoons—both then and now.

    Q: Why were "The Jetsons" created?
    A. After the success of "The Flintstones," which portrayed families living in the Stone Age, the next logical step was to develop a family of the future. "The Flintstones" aired for six years, but "The Jetsons" only lasted a year. The problem was that it was positioned at 7:30 on Sunday nights against "Dennis the Menace" and "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color," two other family-oriented programs, and the three shows split the time period evenly. But even though "The Jetsons" was on only one season, it has been airing in reruns ever since.

    Q. Why are "The Jetsons" coming back now?
    A. One reason is a new element in the industry: Syndicated packages of animation that air five days a week. "The Jetsons" were seen as a good candidate for this kind of package by both our own company and by the syndicator. The other reason is that "The Jetsons," after all these years, really have developed a cult following—even though we only made 24 half-hour shows. The product holds up well.

    Q. What will the new shows be like?
    A. We're moving forward another 20 years...projecting new inventions, new gadgets, and new ways of living in the future. We have to think up new gadgets because if you look back at the originals, many things we projected in 1962 have now become commonplace, things like computers, robots, and automated food dispensers.

    Q. Will there be any new characters?
    A. We're introducing one new character. He's called Orbitty, and he's charming and lovable. But the rest is a secret. By the way, we're not going to change the theme song-that's too much a part of the show.

    Q. Will George still be working for Spacely Sprockets?
    A. Of course. In one new episode, because of a goof-up, he's sent to another branch of the company, which is located in the equivalent of outer space's Outer Mongolia. Cosmo Spacely (his boss) tells him you can be friends with the people who live there. George says the only trouble is that the people there are invisible.

    Q. Will Jane be working? The idea of a woman who's just a housewife may not be as acceptable today as it was in 1962.
    A. I think we should try that—at least for one story.

    Q. "The Jetsons" originally aired as a prime-time cartoon. Would that concept work today?
    A. Probably not. There's a built-in resistance from the networks to cartoons in prime time, but I'm patient that they will come back—especially when you look at what's on prime time now.

The Odd Odyssey of Orbitty

 It's a tale as old as time. A show's getting long in the tooth, so what do they do to breathe new life into it? Add a new character, obviously! While it's been done time and time again, Hanna-Barbera may have been the masters of this tactic. When Scooby-Doo needed new blood, along came Scrappy. The Flintstones cast grew more and more with each new season. And when The Jetsons came back in 1985, a new member was added to the family. That was the alien Orbitty. 

Orbitty's story starts with none other than Joe Barbera. When the decision was made to bring the show back, Barbera felt a new character was needed to pique kids' interest. It's a strange idea, considering the entire reason the show returned was that the original episodes remained popular. However, this is Joe Barbera we're talking about. Barbera saw the success of Steven Spielberg's E.T., and urged the crew to create a similar character. You can tell E.T.'s design definitely had an impact on Orbitty's, as both characters have a pretty similar head shape. Like many of the HB characters, Orbitty was designed by Iwao Takamoto. Frank Welker, a Hanna-Barbera regular and a master vocal artist, portrayed the character.

As you can imagine, adding a new character to such an iconic cast wasn't the most well-received idea. Many on the show disliked Orbitty and pushed back against Barbera's request. Their pleas ultimately fell on deaf ears, but they still found ways to make their displeasure known. The writers on the show often wrote in scenes where Orbitty was roughed up. The artists, including a young John K., were more than happy to bring these moments to life. Check out this drawing for an episode John did, featuring Astro using the little alien as a handkerchief. 

Orbitty made his debut to audiences in the first episode of the 1980s Jetsons series, "Elroy Meets Orbitty". Part E.T., part mood ring, and part spring, he became a major part of the 1985 episodes. Alongside the show, Orbitty had a major presence in Jetsons merchandise released around this time. He was turned into a plush doll, a night light, and even appeared with the rest of the family in a Jetsons board game (seen below). Clearly, the Hanna-Barbera bigwigs had high hopes for Orbitty. Did the gamble pay off?

Your mileage may vary, but if you ask me, I'd say "no". While I'm sure Orbitty had his fans both then and now, it's clear that most feel about the character the same way the crew did. Many saw him as an unnecessary addition, a character who existed only to sell toys. Others were turned away by his personality, design, and voice. He never truly felt like he "fit" the Jetsons family and world. It didn't help that he was characterized as little more than another Astro. For as much flak as Scrappy-Doo gets, you can't deny he was different from the other characters. Practically everything Orbitty offered was done better with Astro in the original episodes. 

If the fan reaction to Orbitty wasn't enough of a sign that people didn't latch on to the character, take a quick look at the 1987 episodes. Of the ten episodes produced, Orbitty only appeared in one. Orbitty was also MIA in the two Jetsons TV movies, as well as the 1990 feature film. If the character landed with audiences, surely he'd have stuck around for those, wouldn't you think? 

In the end, Orbitty left The Jetsons as quickly as he entered. He's had a couple of cameos in shows like Harvey Birdman and Jellystone!, but little else. Really, Orbitty was just too generic to have much of either a fanbase or an angry mob. Referring to Scrappy once again, as disliked as he is, he had a genuine personality. The same goes for someone like the Great Gazoo. Can anyone genuinely tell me what Orbitty's personality was supposed to be? He was arguably the most transparent attempt Hanna-Barbera ever made at a new character in an old property, and his legacy (or lack thereof) is proof of that.

But now, I open the floor to you. Do I have any secret Orbitty stans among my readers? Or if you did dislike him, was it for the reasons I mentioned, or something entirely different? 

Video of the Week: 1980's Jetsons TV Promos

 This month will mark the fortieth anniversary of the Jetsons revival from the 1980s. I've discussed these episodes and my indifference towards them before (check out this post if you're interested), but I wanted to share something here in honor of one of the first genuine cartoon revivals. 

Below are two promos that aired on TV stations in 1985, hyping up the return of The Jetsons. Both make sure to mention the show's new character, Orbitty, who I'll be talking about in a post next week. I also love that, while they mention George getting powers and Elroy finding a new friend, the most exciting thing they could discuss for Jane was her grabbing lunch. How exciting!