Top Cat and Benny Have a Cookie

I can't say why, but there sure are a lot of Hanna-Barbera cookie jars out there (read this post if you don't believe me). Everyone from Scooby to Fred Flintstone has been turned into one, and Top Cat is no exception. In fact, he's not the only one from the series. Benny the Ball, TC.'s right hand, also has his own cookie jar. Both of these guys saw release in 1990 from the Harry James Studio, who made a whole bunch of cartoon-based merchandise. I don't know where these were sold or how many were produced, but based on how little info I could find, I'm sure it was a limited release.

Below is the Top Cat jar, which features him relaxed on a trash can. For 1990, it's a nice representation of the character, and the trash can also has some great paint applications. Color me impressed!

As good as that one looks, I think the Benny jar looks even better. The design is quite accurate to the character, and I love the big smile they gave him. Also, I can't get over the fact they made a Benny cookie jar. You would have thought they'd simply do Top Cat and call it a day, but deciding to do another character from the show is seriously cool.

Lastly, here's the packaging, which was shared between both pieces. The box has a fitting yellow color scheme, and describes the jars as "the greatest collectables in the world." I'm not sure about that personally, but I won't deny that these are great. You may also notice the other characters are represented here, which makes me wonder if they had plans to make cookie jars for them as well. I mean, who wouldn't have wanted an Officer Dibble ceramic jar?

It's a Top Cat Summer

 It's been a minute since I've dedicated an entire month here to a particular Hanna-Barbera show. Too long if you ask me. Thankfully, that changes today. In celebration of its forthcoming 65th anniversary, welcome to Top Cat June.

Like in times past, look forward to a month full of posts all about the boss, the pip, and the championship, or "Top Cat" as you may know him better as. Before anyone asks, yes, Top Cat technically premiered in September 1961, but I have a few things planned for that month, so I decided to celebrate the series now. I also thought it'd be a nice way to make up for how few posts I made last summer. So prepare yourselves, as this June belongs to T.C. and the rest of the gang!

My Most Wanted Hanna-Barbera Blu-Ray Titles

 Warner Bros. has done an impressive job with their Hanna-Barbera Blu-Ray releases the last few years, but with a library as big as theirs, there are many more that have yet to see the light of day. Some, for one reason or another, will likely never see release. But today, I'm going to throw logic and reason to the wayside, and share the Hanna-Barbera titles I'd most like to see from Warner Archive. While I doubt even half of these will ever happen, it's fun to dream big and think of what could be. Never say never, after all!

Quick Draw McGraw

Here's one that seems likely to release in the near future, but isn't 100% guaranteed. Out of the earlier Hanna-Barbera shows, Quick Draw may be the most sought after release, especially since a DVD was planned and canceled in the 2000s. While there hasn't been a confirmed Blu-Ray set for this series, the news of it being restored, as well as Huckleberry Hound releasing on the format, point to it coming one day. It really isn't a matter of "if", but instead "when" at this point.  

Fantastic Four

Quick Draw McGraw seems like an inevitable release, so how about an impossible one? Fantastic Four most certainly fits that bill. The show itself belongs to WB, but the characters are now under the ownership of Disney. It seems unlikely that the two would work together to bring this show back, especially considering its lack of popularity, but I don't think it's impossible. WB and FOX worked things out to have the original Batman series come to Blu-Ray, and the recent Fantastic Four movie indicates the show isn't entirely forgotten by Marvel , so maybe this could get a release after all.

Ruff and Reddy

Isn't it crazy to think that Hanna-Barbera's first ever animated series isn't available on home video at all? Forget Blu-Ray, Ruff and Reddy never even made it to DVD! Again, this is one that I think will happen sooner or later, but it's wild that it's taken this long. As the beginning to Hanna-Barbera's cartoon empire and one of the first made for television, it's more than deserving of a Blu-Ray release.

Flintstones: On the Rocks

Ok, technically this isn't a Hanna-Barbera production, but The Flintstones is a Hanna-Barbera property, is it not? And of the many Flintstones spin-offs, 2001's On the Rocks is among the very best. The art direction is top notch, the voices were on point, and it felt right at home with the early episodes of the original show. Yet, to this very day, the only way to watch it is recordings of the special from its initial broadcast. Knowing that there was a DVD planned, with special features and all, makes it sting even more. This is one I'd love to see, but truthfully, it's about as likely as them putting out that WWE crossover again.

Jetsons Seasons Two and Three

This one is purely the completionist in me talking. The 1980s episodes of The Jetsons are, without sugar coating, kind of hit-or-miss. For each good episode, there's probably three or four that are completely forgettable. Still, since the original episodes, the TV movies, and even the feature film are available on Blu-Ray, I feel like this release is one that has to happen. I mean, who doesn't want more Orbitty in their lives?

Any of the Cartoon Network Titles

Here's one I think will happen one day, but not anytime soon. As many of you know, early Cartoon Network shows like Dexter's Lab and Johnny Bravo were created by Hanna-Barbera. At that time, the CN studio was merely a division of the studio, rather than a studio itself. These shows are undeniably important in the history of both the company and TV animation, and I have no doubt any one of them would sell well. And who knows? If they do sell, that could mean the entire CN library would be on the table, and that's something that would excite a lot of people, myself included.

And those are the titles I'd most like to see Warner Archive put out, but what do you think? Are there any pipe dream releases you have, or have they already covered everything that interests you? I'm really interested in hearing your ideas and responses, so leave them below if you have them!

Dastardly and Muttley in Their Blu-Ray Arrival

 It feels like it's been a minute since I last spoke about any HB titles arriving on Blu-Ray. That's not to say they haven't still been coming, they simply aren't my cup of tea (my apologies to any The New Fred and Barney Show fans out there). But this last week, that changed. Kinda.

Coming June 30th from the Warner Archive is Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines: The Complete Series on Blu-Ray. It's a two-disc set, and will retail for about 25 dollars. Like previous releases, it'll be based off new 4K scans from the original negatives.

Also like past archive releases, all of the bonus features found on the original DVD's are present and accounted for. Admittedly, I'm not crazy about this show, but you can't go wrong with more Muttley. It would have been nice if they had packaged the Penelope Pitstop series with it, but I'm sure that's coming soon enough. Speaking of the Warner Archive titles, be on the lookout later this month for a list I'm doing of my most wanted releases. I've spoke a lot about which ones I have and haven't cared for,  so I think it's time I throw down which ones I would most love to see in the future.

Video of the Week: The Future of Banking

 It's always fun to spotlight clips from outside the states, and for this week's video, I've got one from all the way in Brazil. This aired in 1999, and was for Banco Bandeirantes, a banking company that was in operation for over fifty years, closing just a year after this was produced. The Jetsons family are the stars of this commercial, who are brought to life via some pretty hit-or-miss animation, more so the latter. Still, it's an interesting ad. After all, how many other cartoon characters do you know of that have promoted Brazilian banks?

Remembering Ted Turner

 Media mogul Ted Turner passed away yesterday at age 87. Over the years, Turner was known for many things. He was the man who built CNN, a staunch environmentalist, and a key player in baseball team the Atlanta Braves' rise to prominence. Yet, for animation enthusiasts, he'll always be known as the father of Cartoon Network.

After having acquired much of the old MGM library, as well as Hanna-Barbera Productions, Ted Turner had an impressive cartoon catalog under his belt. Thousands of hours of animation isn't much good if there isn't somewhere to watch it all, and that's where Cartoon Network began. While Ted never acted as the network's president (that honor instead goes to Betty Cohen), without Ted's purchase of those assets, the channel would have never existed. And without CN, it goes without saying that the last 30 years of western animation would be a lot different.

To honor Turner's life and career, I thought I'd share two videos featuring Ted discussing Cartoon Network. The first one comes from a longer interview with Ted Turner, conducted by the Archive of American Television. For the most part, it focuses on the "how" and "why" behind Cartoon Network's creation. 

This second clip showcases Ted Turner introducing Cartoon Network as it launched in Latin America in 1993. As you'd imagine, he walks viewers through what they'll see from the channel, and thanks them for joining.

Thanks for the memories, Ted Turner. While there's a lot of rich American businessman, there's not quite anyone like the mouth of the south.

Video of the Week: 90s Yogi Bear PSA

 It's time for this weeks featured video, and this time around, Yogi Bear's got the spotlight. For whatever reason, Yogi seems to show up in a lot of public service announcements from throughout the years. I previously looked at a anti-smoking PSA with Yogi (check it out here), and now, we have Yogi bringing awareness to the risks of melanoma in this commercial from the American Melanoma Foundation. 

You probably noticed the surprisingly stunning animation depicted in this PSA. I was too, until I learned this was storyboarded by Scott Shaw. He's a huge HB fan, and he's worked on the characters across several mediums. His work is awesome, and stuff like this makes me wish he got to do a full series or movie where the characters were this expressive. Mike Kazaleh directs the short, and he also worked with Shaw on a number of old Fruity Pebbles commercials. Check out his Youtube channel if you'd like to see some of those.