Remember back in the 80s when Hulk Hogan was the hero and Rowdy Roddy Piper was the asshole villain?
My how times have changed....Piper is one helluva nice guy, while Hulk is a washed up asshole making sex tapes to try to stay relevant.
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There are two answers, but they're both simple. The first answer is that half of celebrity-based cartoons are envisioned by TV executives who want money, and are willing to animate any celebrity that kids like (it's actually kind of shocking there's not a Justin Bieber cartoon... yet). The second answer is that some celebrities, no matter where their career has taken them or how non-kid-friendly that career might have been so far, really just want to entertain and educate children. Whether children want to be entertained and educated by an obese comedian whose height of popularity was in 1977, however, is another question entirely. Here, then, are nine cartoons based on and/or made by various celebrities, in no particular order, which entertained us, irritated us, and just plain confused us.
9) MC Hammer, Hammerman
Listen, Hammerman was a show about talking shoes that gave some random dude the power to fight social injustice. Nobody expects a show like that to be good. But that random dude happens to be MC Hammer, so what people did expect was an awesome theme song. And what did they get? This abomination. It's not even ironically good in a bad way. It's just boring. And maybe it's the low quality of the video, but it sounds like they're using an unmixed demo for the song. What the heck happened, Hammer?
8) New Kids on the Block, New Kids on the Block
Showing that boy bands really are the most powerful entity on earth, in 1990 ABC made the New Kids on the Block cartoon. In the show they explored exciting plotlines like wanting to go to a normal high school, the importance of doing your homework, and how much people love New Kids on the Block. The show was pretty much an animated pop song, filled with flashy borders for transitions and random live action clips dropped into scenes for no reason at all. Luckily because it wasn't actually voiced by the NKOTB, the show was unable to harness their true boy band super powers and only lasted one season.
7) Louie Anderson, Life With Louie
There was a brief time where Louie Anderson was actually considered funny, but it was well before 1995, when the animated show loosely based on his childhood, Life with Louie, debuted. The show mostly featured an anthropomorphic pig boy whining about things for comedy effect while his dad complained that nobody would let him be an asshole. In the end the dad did the right thing, or something close to it, so everybody got on fine. Except that is for the children who had just listened to the equivalent of a high pitched bitch fest for thirty minutes. Nobody thought about the children.
6) Howie Mandel, Bobby's World
Lasting seven seasons this is by far the most popular of the shows on this list (sorry Waynehead!) and with good reason. It was actually pretty good. It ran with a healthy balance of film parodies and humorously heartfelt stories that helped it last nine years. Howie Mandel played himself as the father and provided the voice for his son, Bobby. Mandel's smartest move was probably staying out of the spotlight and letting young Bobby be the main character of the series. Apparently even Howie Mandel knows nobody wants to see a Howie Mandel cartoon.
5) John Candy, Camp Candy
In the late '80s and early '90s, playing outside and camping were marginally popular activities for children. Since then technology has mercilessly killed the notion of doing anything that requires physical movement beyond our finger tips but back then it was actually considered pretty cool. At least cool enough to warrant a surplus of movies and TV shows about summer camps for kids. John Candy, being the obvious spokesman for an active outdoor lifestyle, wanted a summer camp show of his own and thus created Camp Candy. A generic and formulaic little show that was surprisingly entertaining despite itself thanks to Candy's appeal and jolly charm.
4) Damon Wayans, Waynehead
Hammerman, take note -- this is how you make a theme song. In fact, this song sounds a lot more appropriate for 1991 than it does for this show's 1996 broadcast. Beyond that though the show had little going for it. It regularly went on flights of fantasy similar to Bobby's World that were a lot of fun but these were the only thing breaking up the monotony of the rest of the show. Like most of Damon Wayans career, it constantly retreaded the same formulaic plots with slightly different situations over and over again.
3) Chuck Norris, Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos
This show plays like the life Chuck Norris wishes he could have led. Sure, he's had a lot of accomplishments in his time, but if he could go back and write his life from start to finish I'm sure this is how it would have gone, with him hired by the government to dispense justice and moral wisdom, ninja-style. With a team of even more ninjas. And fighting a guy with a metal claw and saving the world on the regular. And by the way, everybody loves him. Actually, that's probably how most people would re-write their lives. Thanks for being such a good role model, Chuck Norris.
2) Rosanne Barr, Little Rosey
There was once a 1990 cartoon based on the adventures of a young Roseanne Barr. Much like the non-cartoon Roseanne, Little Rosey was shrill and awful and did a lot of horrible shit that no one but Roseanne Barr found funny. It was canceled after 13 episodes, because even kids in the 1990s had better taste that that.
1) Hulk Hogan, Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling
While this is once again an egomaniac's wet dream (what's with that crowd shot at the end of the theme song?) it doesn't really matter in this case. Why? Because this is how you make an awesome kids cartoon. Cruising around and fighting bad guys in what may be one of the most badass vehicles in cartoon history, and sporting a 'stache that gives Yosemite Sam a run for his money, all with barely a mention of actual wrestling. Of course, the real show wasn't nearly as awesome as that description sounds but it still managed to be fairly entertaining thanks to its ridiculousness.
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220 comments
Life with Louie, Bobby's World and Camp Candy were fine. I didn't see any of the others on this list (for which I am thankful). Of course there were better cartoons, but these had their moments and still have a place on my shelf.
A vital one I would have mentioned would be the Rick Moranis vehicle, "Rick Moranis in Gravedale High". The one where he inexplicably played himself as a lone human teacher at a high school for horror movie monsters.
I youtube searched that Mr. T series and the intro had me laughing out loud. It must be the worst drawn and animated cartoon I've ever seen.
When I was a wee lad there was many a morning I wished death on everyone involved in making me go to school because Bobby's World came on just late enough that I would be out the door as the intro came on. I had such a stupid love for that show. Anything involved in the old school Fox Kid's Club. I rocked the fuck out of those magazines and still have a full collection of the trading cards featuring Eek the Cat, Bobby, The Terrible Thunder Lizards, The Tick, and whatever else I'm forgetting.
Hey Them Chuck Norris action figures were awsome! I still got that car he drove also
My mom LOVES the show Roseanne.
Honestly, though, I'm more partial to The Nanny, myself.
"OH, MISTAH SHEFFIELD!"
Is it just me or does the art for Little Rosey make it look like she's living in the Funkyverse? In which case, she's damned lucky the show ended after 13 episodes. The second season intro would feature a montage of her leukemia treatments and eventually her friends would all tread on landmines or get stabbed in the series finale.
PEPPER ANN PEPPER ANN MUCH TOO COOL FOR 7TH GRADEPEPPER ANN SHE'S LIKE ONE IN A MILLION!!!!!!!!!!!
I watched all of these except for one and two. I think those were before my time. Bobby's World and Life with Louie were the shit. Because of Louie whenever I see someone with two first names I can't help but think they're evil.
Hey!! I have semi fond memories of Life with Louie...by the by...does anyone remember EEK the Cat or was I just tripping out on ritalain.
I remember going to...Arby's I think, because they had Eek! toys. I loved Sharkie to death.
There was nothing ridiculous about Rock 'n' Wrestling. Either this dosen't belong on the list, or the list needs to be renamed. Sure, the description admits that it is awesome, but it is still in a list of "ridiculous" shows.
Insert non-emoticon frowny-face here
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Curious, I seem to remember the theme of Bobby's World, but not the show (nor the intro) proper. :S
Does anyone remember the Harlem Globetrotters cartoon where each of the basketball team had a special super power? Or how about the Mr. T cartoon? I was saddened these were not on the list, although they are probably pretty obscure. I seem to remember a Logan's Run cartoon too but it may have been something that just looked exactly like Logan's Run.
About Hammerman and little rosie cartoons... I thought hammerman was one of the lamest cartoons at the time: Third and fourth-rate villians(One villian was mind-controlling people and making them assemble dental drills), crude animation(It was worse than the old atari video game images), and too many stupid things happening(Every time he changed to hammerman, two identically dressed girls appeared out of nowhere and danced with him... My dog can dance better than they did. Nobody ever noticed his talking shoes, or how bad the music was.) As for little rosie, I detested roseanne barr and her sick comedy to begin with. Her cartoon was badly drawn and the storylines were stupid. At that time the average person either despised roseanne or was a big fan. When her popularity collasped, NOBODY liked roseanne and this abomination dissappeared as well.
I always ended up watching Camp Candy because it was on either before or after Captain N. Either way, it wasn't that bad. And Bobby's World was kind of an oddball classic. The rest? Yikes! (Anybody remember that shit Super Dave cartoon?)
I remember the Super Dave cartoon...I also remember hating the shit out of it. That was when my parents first got Showtime, and Super Dave had his TV show on it at night. I remember laughing my ass off as a kid whenever he would botch a motorcycle stun. Then I heard about the cartoon and was really excited to see it, only to be completely disappointed by it.
Garbage.
I'm surprised Jackie Chan Adventures isn't on here, considering how flat out awesome it was.
"Life with Louie" was a great show.
Very "A Christmas Story"-ish.
I wish people would stop judging children's entertainment from their grown-up, self-centered, porn-surfing, whiny, sarcastic a-hole perspective.
Had to scroll down before the end of the article to say this...
NO ONE Thinks any version of Louie Anderson is "huggable" like that theme song says. NO ONE.
no not really but the stories were sweet.. and i never thought it mattered what the characters looked like as long as the story was good.
Only cartoon I enjoyed was Bobby's World and back then I didn't even know who Howie Mendel was. I thought the weird guy at the end of the credits was a writer or creator. I have fond memories of watching Bobby's World before catching the school bus to elementary school. I can't say the same about the abomination that was Wayne Head. I still get angry thinking about all the Saturday mornings I had to sit through that just waiting for it to be over so Animaniacs would start. I hate Damon Wayans so fucking much
The mention of Wish Kid reminded me of this event. Back during the 80s I read in the paper where NBC had announced, due to very low ratings, they were going to cancel their ENTIRE saturday morning lineup of cartoons. That saturday I watched NBCs cartoon lineup to see how bad they were. And they really were BAD! One of the cartoons was Wish Kid, and another I remember was a heavily edited Captain N the game master cartoon. A few weeks later they were all gone, replaced by Good Morning America.
Am I the only one who remembers "Bruno The Kid"? It was a cartoon about a 10 year old genius called Bruno who hacked his way into the CIA database, and was recruited by them as a secret agent.
The show resolved around the conciet that he had to fool the people he was working for into believing he was an adult, and he went around the world commiting espionage and saving the world with the help of his British partner, played by the guy who voiced Frollo in Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Where was the ridiculous Celebrity tie-in? Bruno was voiced by BRUCE WILLIS. Yes, thar Bruce Willis. Willis lent his likeness in the creepy CGI copy of his face Bruno used to fool the CIA into thinking he was a grown man. I don't know why someone made a cartoon starring Bruce Willis as a pre-pubescent teenage superspy, but for sheer convoluted backstory, it belongs on this list,
I remember all of these...and watched most of them to various extents.
The Chuck Norris cartoon is eerily similar to the Rambo cartoon of the 80's
Also, I Roseann cartoon...WHAT WERE WE THINKING!?!?!?!
Bobby's World was awesome, don'tcha know. I still love that theme song.
How did I not know about this Hulk Hogan cartoon? I would have watched the shit out of that.
Also... did Roddy Piper get carjacked? It totally looked like he did.
Or Muhammad Ali's show...I Am The Greatest! Imagined Jonny Quest and dumb it down to Catdog level and then insert Ali and there you go.
Surprised Jackie Chan adventures isn't on this list but I guess its not really that out there since the show is treated more like on of his movies.
Wow, some of these shows I'd managed to completely block out. Particularly the Roseanne Barr one. Fie upon you for reminding me I live in the same world that allowed THAT to happen, even for 13 episodes.
I want to believe that that Little Rosie show is fake, since I have never even fucking HEARD of it - but the clip won't let me!
When I hear people talk about how far downhill american animation has slid, I'm going to show them that piece of shit.
Alas it was real. And my local station would play those 13 episodes after the rest of the regular lineup on Saturday for the next two years. I hate you Roseanne.
Did you forget the Gary Coleman based one where he dies and comes back as an angel to help out kids?
Apparently, someone already mentioned that one. But hey, what are lists for if not to constantly question your sanity and taste, right?
