Video of the Week: Fred, Shaggy, and Dastardly Advertise Boomerang

 Practically everyone remembers those classic promos that used to air on Boomerang, but who recalls the commercials for Boomerang? Back in the 2000s, it wasn't uncommon to see an ad for the channel during a commercial break on Cartoon Network, and today, I'm looking at three of them.

These commercials started to pop up around 2004, and continued to air on CN throughout the decade. Each starred a classic Hanna-Barbera duo, informing the viewer of Boomerang and why they should get the channel. This first one has Fred and Barney doing the talking. As was common during this time, the two are voiced by Jeff Bergman.

The second ad in this series is all about everyone's favorite dastardly duo, Dick Dastardly and Muttley. Like in the first commercial, Bergman provides Dastardly's voice. Interestingly, this appears to be the only time he's voiced that character. He does the role pretty well, so I'm shocked he hasn't voiced him anywhere else.

The last commercial stars, you guessed it, Scooby-Doo and Shaggy. What's interesting about this one is that it features Scott Innes as the voice of the characters. By this point, Casey Kasem had returned to the role of Shaggy following his departure from it for several years. I assume Innes is heard here because he was cheaper and easier to get for a small project such as this. Also, I apologize for the spotty quality of this one. It's the only upload I could find by itself, and of course, it's recorded off a TV. Oh well!

Boomerang Merchandise

 I'm not sure how well-known this is, but over the years, there's been plenty of merchandise built around the Boomerang channel. I don't believe any of these items were mass-produced, and I haven't found much info regarding where they came from. They may have been gifts given to cable companies to carry the channel, or maybe they were sold at the Cartoon Network employee store. Wherever they came from, there are a lot of interesting pieces out there with the Boomerang branding, and I'm going to look at some of my favorites.

First for today is this set of Boomerang matching cards. The second photo shows off every card, and while there are a lot of characters presented, there are a few weird omissions. You're telling me Grape Ape gets a card, but nobody from The Flintstones does?

Next is a neat little clock, displaying the disembodied head of Atom Ant. Though it's somewhat obscured, I find the artwork of Atom Ant to be rather interesting. It doesn't resemble any of the usual promo art you see of the character, almost looking like one of Craig Kellman's designs instead. To date, this is the only time I've seen this specific art.

If clocks and cards aren't your thing, maybe you'd prefer this Boomerang wicker basket? Store your lunch in this snazzy looking piece, adorned with art of the one and only Yogi Bear. What, were you expecting Speed Buggy?

Boomerang not only has something for you to store food in, but also glasses for your drinks! They're a little hard to see in this photo, but each glass has artwork of a specific character. From left to right, they are Yogi, Top Cat, Huckleberry Hound, and Snagglepuss

That's all for today, but I've only scratched the surface here. There are a couple more Boomerang items out there, and later in the month, I'll have a follow-up covering those ones. Just like an actual Boomerang, we'll be coming back to this topic soon enough!

Boomerang's Beginnings

 25 years ago today, viewers across the world were given a new avenue to watch their favorite cartoons of yesteryear. It was on that day that Boomerang was launched by Turner. After several years of classic WB, MGM, and Hanna-Barbera cartoons being set aside in favor of newer programming, the decision was made to give these shows a new home. Boomerang became that home, and it's been going ever since.

While the channel launched in 2000, Boomerang's origins could be traced back to December 1992, a mere two months after Cartoon Network launched. Boomerang began as a programming block that ran for four hours every weekend. Each airing would focus on toons from a particular year and featured no commercial interruption. Below is a sample of the promos that aired for the block in its earliest format.

The block would continue to air in some form or another until October 3rd, 2004, when it was finally discontinued. In those twelve years, much had changed on the network. Though CN was created to give these classic shows a new home, that didn't last long. As the nineties continued, the network expanded its programming with new shows made in-house. Other blocks like Toonami saw the channel acquire anime and action cartoons. The 1996 Warner-Turner merger further deepened their catalog, allowing them a vast library of WB cartoons previously off-limits. With all these new shows on the schedule, it became harder for the old ones to find space. So in 1999, it was announced that Boomerang would become its own network. Much like the block, it would feature zero commercials. The focus was on classic cartoons, and only classic cartoons (it wouldn't be that way for long, though that's another story).

When the channel was launched, an event was held that saw many Hanna-Barbera alumni come together and celebrate the occasion. These photos come from Brian Levant, who directed the two live-action Flintstones flicks (and is pictured next to the original CN head, Betty Cohen). Everyone from Tony Curtis to Genndy Tartakovsky was in attendance. It doesn't get much better than that!

Finally, to end this post on a high note, and start "Boomer-April" off in style, we have this video of the channel's launch. I wonder if anyone watching this back in the day thought they were still going to use this branding fifteen years later. Stay tuned, as this celebration is just getting started!