Your Turn: Yakko, Wakko and Dot

There is, of course, the small irony of their teaching the wrong usage of "capitols." (Check the Jeopardy-style question on the screen as the teacher introduces the song.)

I know, I know: I'm a killjoy. But the former copy editor in me insists that I point out that the 50 states (and the U.S.) have capitol buildings in their capital cities.

Just to be clear: I'm not picking on our nominator here: He's only reported the title of the song. It's just funny to me that those educationally inclined animators did their homework on names and places, but not on spelling and usage.

Sent by Trey "Comma Czar" Graham | 10:35 AM | 1-11-2008

Saturday mornings were the only day I didn't have to be pried out of bed by my mom. This was from about 1960 until 1972. I still love animation to this day.

Animaniacs was a gem. It really seemed to be aimed at adults as much as children. It seemed to be a throwback to the earlier Warner Bros. cartoons that were originally shown in theaters before the shorts and main attraction before the became kid's fare on TV.

I was pleasantly surprised, when seeing the credits, that the head writer was a guy I graduated high school with. Being of my generation he probably had a similar love of the older cartoons.

Sent by Harry M. David | 3:32 PM | 1-14-2008

Bah. We won't worry about mere technicalities to what was truly a bright light in animated after school programming. Sure some of the jokes went over my innocent head ('Why on earth was Bach called a "potty mouth" after announcing that he was a pianist?' the 11 year old me wondered.) Only the Animaniacs could get away with something that risqu?? on mid-90's Nickelodeon.

There were episodes that were abridged parodies of famous musicals (usually starring Bernadette Peters), which furthered my interest in the real shows as I grew up and still brings a laugh when I watch Fiddler on the Roof (We will never sit on Regis Philbin indeed.)

While not every episode was solid gold, Animaniacs was television cartoon scripting and acting at its brightest while the rest of the animation studios turned to the ADD dumb-down cartoons that we can see on air today.

Bugs Bunny the Warner Siblings aren't, but I feel that of any that followed after him, Yakko, Wakko and Dot follow in a spirit of pure humour, parody, slap stick and cynicism that would make the Great Rabbit proud.

Sent by Erin | 5:28 PM | 1-14-2008

Thanks for the nomination and kind words! I love the show as well!

Sent by Tom Ruegger | 4:13 PM | 1-21-2008