Why does America HATE Woody Woodpecker

 

In celebration of the return of classic Woody Woodpecker and Walter Lantz cartoons to television, I wish to do an opinion piece and try to answer a question that has been bugging me for the last decade or so......does the general public HATE Woody Woodpecker????!!!!!!

First of all I can say for certainty that he isn't a forgotten character.  The iconic laugh, one of the first things to come to mind when you think of woodpeckers is Woody.  The original cartoon series lasted from 1940-1972 outlasting Bugs Bunny by 8 years and the original Tom and Jerry by about 14 years (both series debuted the same year as Woody).  Even when the cartoons went into TV reruns whether it was syndicated or Saturday Mornings, Woody Woodpecker continued to grace the theater screens even if the budget got lower and lower as the years progressed.  Woody Woodpecker at one point became the mascot for Universal Parks and Resorts (now Universal Destinations and Experiences), and many of his adventures have been released on DVD and Blu-ray.  The 1944 cartoon Barber of Seville had been listed in Jerry Beck's 50 Greatest Cartoons Book and the theme song was even nominated for an Academy Award.  Lantz himself would receive the award for Lifetime Achievement.  

So.........What Happened???!!!!  Could it be Universal's fault for not using Woody enough?  Could it be the general public's fault for not caring enough for Woody?  Or maybe the combination of the two?  Or is it something else?  Well, I've tried figuring this out for myself.  After all, Woody Woodpecker was a star character in his day and he should have been Universal's own Bugs Bunny since he came from the same era.  The problems, it seems, could have started in the late 80's early 90's.  By that point, Woody hasn't been on TV as much.  The Program Exchange had begun syndicating the cartoons real cheap, but still could not achieve the success of their other programs like Bullwinkle.  Universal on their own began seeking out other properties to buy in order to find a beloved character because their own character, somehow, did not achieve the beloved-ness.  First they bought some rights to Jay Ward's Rocky and Bullwinkle, but it only worked for a while (though even now, Bullwinkle remains more beloved than Woody Woodpecker).  They made an agreement with the Bagdasarians for Alvin and the Chipmunks and all sorts of projects only to be dwindled down to 2 monster themed movies and giving that share back to the Bagdasarians.  Now they're going for Illumination and Dreamworks which are much more beloved.

As far as theme parks they tried Woody Woodpecker, but by the time Universal Studios Florida was conceived, two other headliners were at the park that would gain more attention than Woody: Hanna-Barbera and Nickelodeon.  In fact, Universal almost bought Hanna-Barbera only to be outbid by Turner.  They brought in Barney the Dinosaur, but his popularity would peak over the years and he too would overstay his welcome.  Dr. Seuss was brought in and seems to be working, but not a true headliner like Mickey Mouse.  Harry Potter was brought in, but that franchise isn't really the face of Universal despite its massive popularity.  The Simpsons were brought in, but how long will that last now that they are Disney property?  When Woody Woodpecker returned with a new show in 1999, Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone opened in Florida with Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster.  Alas, no new updates were ever done to the area, and NOBODY really liked the area.  Even complaints about the coaster was enough to say "oh yeah I'm done with Woody Woodpecker".  By 2023, the Kidzone was no more, and by that time it was clear now what the plan is to out Mickey the Mouse with Nintendo.  The first Super Nintendo World opened in Japan in 2021, the second in 2023 in Hollywood, and a third coming when Epic Universe opens in Orlando.  Pokemon arrived in Japan in 2023 with hopes to expand to other parks.  Pokemon by itself gets the highest sales in merchandise more than Mickey Mouse.  One could argue that Mickey is more popular than Mario, and I believed that as well.......until The Super Mario Movie in 2023.  With Mario having 4 decades under his belt, he has become a beloved character from multiple generations giving Universal the "cartoon" ambassador it needed all these years.

There are many reasons we as a whole do not like Woody Woodpecker all that much.  Perhaps the most obvious one could be that Woody never was able to materialize in an era of cartoons that brought back the classic style such as Animaniacs.  Disney was able to compete during their Disney afternoons with Ducktales, Darkwing Duck, Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers, and more.  Warner Bros. had their share of shows like Tiny Toons and Animaniacs, but while it took a few years for new series with classic characters, constant reruns of the classics and how well they held up gave them everlasting power.  Even Mighty Mouse with Mighty Mouse the New Adventures was able to appear in this new era.  Woody meanwhile.....an occasion rerun in syndication?  Maybe at a not so regular time slot?  With not the best cartoons airing?

Therein lied another problem, while the 40's Woodys held up pretty well, most of the cartoons Woody was in was during the 1950's and 60's.  As each year progressed, the budget on the cartoons got cut more and more, and while they were great for old cartoon reruns, they couldn't hold the same quality that other golden age theatrical cartoons had in the 40's and 50's.  And it certainly isn't a generation issue either as Popeye is much older and obviously looked at as an old cartoon, but constant reruns had helped the Spinach Eatin Sailor continue to remain a classic.  It also didn't help that the most exposure of Woody may have been Pantry Panic as it is in the public domain, and as such, many VHS and DVD companies have used the same faded prints of it over and over again showing its age to the eyes of the younger generation. 

In recent years, however, we discovered that some foreign countries absolutely love Woody Woodpecker.  Brazil, in particular, absolutely LOVES the laughing woodpecker, and because of this, Universal does see the need to do more Woody Woodpecker stuff including an awful live action movie and a new series starting in 2018.  Why Woody is beloved in Brazil?  Well, from what I was told (and I could be wrong) it may have something to do with a lot of exposure down there via some sort of public television station.  It's basically the same way we as Americans love Sesame Street.  Whatever the reason is, the discovery of the popularity happened when Universal began uploading old episodes of The Woody Woodpecker Show and The New Woody Woodpecker Show to YouTube where millions of views were counted. 

In Spain, PortAdventure has seen many success still using Woody Woodpecker despite not being a Universal Park anymore.  There, you can meet Woody in his home as you would Mickey in Disneyland and there are Woody Woodpecker themed rooms at their hotel . To the dismay of Coaster Studios who is based in America (see where I'm going) most if not all of the merchandise centers around Woody Woodpecker. Because of foreign countries loving Woody Woodpecker, we as fans lucked out because that gave Universal the means necessary to restore more Woody Woodpecker cartoons whether in HD or not.  You may see the cartoons in excellent quality on Me TV when they come on.

Will Woody's return to TV work?  Time will tell.  This could gain awareness to the bird, but let's face facts; time has not been kind to Woody, and half of the classic stuff is pretty much lackluster to Disney, Warner Bros., or MGM.  Still, I hope the general public will see once again that Woody Woodpecker is a great fun character to watch.

Stories of Childhood: Introduction to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and a Lookback at Turtlemania

 

I was born 30 years ago.  I would have been way way way too young to remember even a slither of Turtlemania.  Now, 30 years later, as I research and understand the appeal of the Ninja Turtles for about a year now, I've decided to talk about it from the outside looking in since we have a new movie coming out and also the classic series had a bit of a resurgence.

As I said, I was born near the bitter bitter end of Turtlemania.  My mania would have been Barney the Dinosaur at the time, and the Y7 crowd was starting to lean towards Mighty Morphan Power Rangers.  That didn't mean Turtles weren't popular anymore; it just meant that pop culture was changing, and Turtles, for the time being, was no longer top dog.  It would return for a while with a new series in 2003 that would last through the decade, and Paramount took good care of them under the Nickelodeon brand for the next decade at least in terms of brand recognition.  

That said, my introduction to the Turtles could not have been better.  I mean it could, but certainly better than me finding out about it years later like with most old franchises.  If anyone remembers this fast food restaurant, our local Rax had a dining area with 2 arcade games.  One was Trog which was claymation looking dinosaurs.  The other....the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game.

Rax was no arcade place, nor was it like a Chuck E Cheese or a Roller Skating Rink.  Therefore, in a place like Rax, if an arcade machine made noise, and with very little games to chose from, it was easy to tell where it came from, and the demo reels for TMNT when not being in action always made noise.  Over and over you heard "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles......Heroes in a Half Shell; Turtle Power" hence me familiar with the classic theme song, and also who they were.  Though the words that stood out to me and most other general public people were Ninja Turtles.  They were ninjas, and they were turtles.  It was a typical licensed Konami fighting arcade game like the Simpsons and Sunset Riders, so of course I enjoyed watching demo reels and other kids playing the game.  

As such, I associated Ninja Turtles with the arcade game for a little while.  Years later in 5th grade Turtles snuck back in with my teachers.  My science teacher would always put a Ninja Turtle stamp on good grades and my history teacher briefly talked about how each turtle was named after a Renascence artist.  Sure I've heard the names in TV commercials, but it was an educational lesson as to how the Turtles became the Turtles.  What sparked my interest briefly (VERY briefly) was the fact that my teachers talked about them as if they were old hat, and me interested in old stuff especially cartoons made me think "hmmmm...." and had my curiosity burning.  Unfortunately the original TMNT had been off the air since the 90's, and when I saw the 2003 series, I was disappointed.  I guess I was more into funny animals, and while the original had funny animals, the animals here were more action packed, which lost my interest.  Years later I come to realize that fans actually like this series.

My journey in the live action Turtle world was very brief as a child.  I remember only once seeing Ninja Turtles the Next Mutation when it aired, but it didn't last.  They added a female Turtle.....that I remembered.  Fast forward to high school and we watched the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie from 1990 in World History for a little break.  Why in World History?  Because.....Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello; all of which were artists of World History named for the famed Turtles.  Watching them as Jim Henson creations were a treat; watching them fight and say words like "damn" was even better.  My favorite part was when they were watching an old Aesop and Son from Bullwinkle with the Tortoise and the Hare where they were rooting for the Tortoise and saying things like "Ninja kick the damn rabbit".   But even then our teacher recollects how he used to always set up his son's Ninja Turtle playsets when he was a kid, so there really was something there about Turtles in the past.

By and by my interest on the Turtles waned and almost rightfully so; there was an instance of me watching a little bit of the new Nickelodeon series from 2012 because Jesse Ventura guest voices a villain.  Otherwise, I hadn't thought much about them.  At one point I was even asked what was the purple one's name and I was like "uhh....I dunno...."  "What da ya mean you don't know; you're supposed to be like this cartoon expert."  Yeah I will admit that was one of my weaker points, but that was because it wasn't my thing.

Flash forward to 2021 and Nickelodeon All Star Brawl; this is where some interest came in as the Turtles in the game went back to their original designs from the 1987 cartoon.  There was a strange sense of nostalgia from looking at them.  Then came a Youtube video about the history of Turtlemania which I said, "ok....I'll take a look; maybe I'll be educated on something."  Boy did I learn a lot.  The Turtles were THE thing in the late 80's/early 90's.  By comparison, how Pokemon was in the lat 1990's.  Kids having Ninja Turtle birthday parties, kids wanting the latest Ninja Turtles toys, parents concerned over the violence because....duh.....it's something new that mainstream media doesn't like, Ninja Turtles having a live on stage concert tour, Ninja Turtles at Disney World, video games, movies, etc.  

So now, as an outsider looking in, I must say this so called Turtlemania is unbelievable.  I'm a fan of past kids pop culture, and this one was interesting.  It really feels like Jingle All the Way to best describe it.  Especially when watching the live tour that happened in the early 90's.  You can hear all the kids booing at Shredder like their lives depended on it (and to them....it did, or at least it felt like it; though they weren't in any real danger being just a show, but they don't know that).  

Regardless of what you think of Ninja Turtles, they are here to stay, and I think that's ok.  These anthropomorphic super hero turtles are both fun and entertaining.  Not everything they did was great, but their brand seems to have not been tarnished too much yet (the worst stuff has been long forgotten).  While I won't declare myself a fan, I think I've been well educated on a subject that has been weak for me.  Let's see......Leonardo is Blue, Raphael is Red, Donatello is Purple, and Michelangelo is Orange.  HAH!  And I did that in my head.  Looks like I fixed my Ninja Turtle weakness.