The Final Episode #98: Tiny Toon Adventures (1990 - 1992)

 

You know I've talked about a LOT of Disney shows on this blog. A lot of Disney content really. I like Disney quite a bit as you can tell. It was something I enjoyed a lot as a child. The thing is I loved Warner Brothers cartoons too. I did the Final Looney Tunes cartoon for #25 I think of this column/articles/whatever the hell this shit is and that was that. I guess my "Oh hey let's do the first show that pops into my head" choice selection is not the best idea. I'm sorry to all the Looney Tunes out there and I plan to make it up to you all! That's right I'm going to make it up to some fictional characters. I'm truly deluded.

So remember Muppet Babies? Remember how that was really dang popular and it led into several shows with young versions of the characters. Like The Flintstones Kids (I've never seen it but it's the Flintstones so it probably sucks), A Pup Named Scooby Doo (one of the better lets turn all the characters into kids shows), Yo! Yogi (haven't seen an episode and don't really want too), Tom and Jerry Kids (the worst of the lot). Wow I didn't realize Hanna Barbera made so many of those kinda shows. They at least did a good job with A Pup Named Scooby Doo (most of the writer people from that show would come over to Tiny Toon Adventures) 

One thing I gotta get too before I get to talking about this show is how harsh some of the original Looney Tunes guys were towards it. Or at least stuff they apparently said. It's hard to tell because both men are dead and I've seen people say Friz Freleng said positive things about this show (that it looked as good as a theatrical cartoon!) or bad things. It's not like I can call him or Chuck Jones up (he apparently called the show a retarded step child. Woof.). I just felt like this should be mentioned even if I can't bring down a real source on if these things were said or not. I do know that Bob Clampett's family apparently sold animation cels from this show so they must not hate it. Oh and Stan Freberg voiced one of his characters again for the show. Just felt like these things should be mentioned ya know?

So Tiny Toon Adventures involved the Tiny Toons being taught at Acme Looniversity by the original Looney Tunes on how to be a cartoon. It was all kinds of fun. They would poke fun at all kinds of stuff from the past and even the present. You'll see that here in this Final Episode. Which as I've alluded to all the time is a Christmas Special! They did another Special Night Ghoulery in like 1994 or 1995 but that was years after the show ended and I don't consider that the Final Episode. Now I watched this show when it was originally on, in reruns later on YTV (I think?) and then again recently. It's still a really fun show but it's not 100% perfect or anything. It does have its dud segments. However I would consider this Christmas Special to be pretty good, despite the fact that somehow I never ever saw it as a kid. 

Anyway the episode is called "It's a Wonderful Tiny Toons Christmas Special" So you know it's gonna be making fun of "It's a Wonderful Life", a movie that I have never seen. Yes, that's right ACT SHOCKED AMERICA I have never seen that movie. I may one day watch it but I don't think I need too because this is the 1,982 thing to decide to spoof it. I know the damn movie without having seen it. MERRY CHRISTMAS MOVIE HOUSE!!!!!~!!! Anyway our Christmas Special opens up with a new rendition of the classic theme song! The Tiny Toons are praying to God. I wonder what God looks like in the Looney Tunes/Tiny Toons world. I imagine he's a lion for some reason. Anyway they are praying for Buster Bunny who is apparently planning to leave Tiny Toons. Oh Man! OH GOD! OH MAN! OH GOD OH MAN! even PLUCKY is praying. I mean he's praying so he can still have a job but still!

So God apparently is a hand and a Van Gough painting. Anyway an angel comes by named Harvey and yes he is doing a cheesy Jimmy Stewart impression. It's a pretty good one too. I like Jimmy Stewart. We then go back a little bit to Christmas Eve where they are doing the Christmas Special and Buster and Babs are sledding. They almost run down a Grinch lookalike and the Snowman from  Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Then they stop, showing that this was all rehearsals. They are being watched by two tv executives. A big fat lady and a tiny man. I hope they are lovers because that amuses me. Anyway Montana Max shows up and says he was hurt skiing in Aspen with Morgan Fairchild. A very timely reference for 2021. Apparently  because he wasn't there he was kicked off the show. 

They get ready for the second bit "Plucky the Red Nosed Reinduck... but apparently he got replaced by Urkel. I mean it was 1992 after all.  Since Urkel isn't there they go ahead to the third sketch which is Ebenezer Sneezer with that stupid mouse. I hated that mouse. Fuck Sneezer. Anyway he's hanging out with Bob Hope, another very timely reference for 2021. Montana Max comes out with some Pepper because he's an asshole who wants to ruin the show. Sneezer does his sneezing bit and the whole house comes crashing down.  Well it looks like Plucky was replaced by URKEL again!! Then they do a bit with Cher called Share and Share alike you see because Cher sounds like Share. Montana Max ruins this one too because he's a little fucker. Did you know it took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that Elmyra and Montana Max were Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam stand ins... because it did.

Now it's finally time for Plucky to shine as the Little Drummer Duck....with that rascal William Shatner. A person some people might still remember in 2021. Okay so was Cher but why am I complaining? I'd rather watch Bob Hope and Morgan Fairchild over whatever yahoos they have in Christmas Specials these days. Everyone gets pissed at Buster after dynamite blows up William Shatner and Plucky. Montana Max then gives the TV Executives a comical amount of money to take over the show. It's a giant ass pile of money. He's also got this great shit eating grin on his face. It's beautiful. Buster then leaves to JUMP OFF THE CARTOON AND COMMIT SUICIDE. Damn son. I know he tried to kill himself in It's a Wonderful Life but I didn't think they'd do it here too! Harvey shows up in the flesh and gives him the usual wish. 

They find out that Acme Acres is now Montyville. So that's already a bad sign. Buster then says WHO IS the star of Tiny Toons and then they go to a great version of the theme song involving Plucky Duck. In this one Babs is the one who gets all the anvils to fall on her head. It's very sad for her. Buster tries to convince Plucky who he is but is removed by that Ahhnuld Dog and Sneezer. They end up at the Montana Max Business Looniversity. I don't want to ruin any of the goofy jokes in this segment so I'll just tell you that he ends up meeting Babs who is very lonely watching old Looney Tunes cartoons by herself wishing she had a partner who cared about her.  She freaks out at Buster and then he wishes that it was all back to normal. Blammo! Buster goes around wishing everyone a merry Christmas! He even wishes Steven Spielberg a Happy Hanukah! Also apparently Hamton is Jewish, I saw the menorah in his house and that made me lol because Jewish people usually don't eat pork.  He does not wish the Movie House a merry Christmas which is what every single parody of this movie should do.

Montana Max's Christmas Special is really bad. Full of ugh RICH PEOPLE JOKES. Plucky quits and then Elmyra comes out and says she doesn't want to play Leona Helmsley. I think that's a person we can all agree to forget about. Buster gets his job back and tells Montana Max that theres even a place in this special for him. He's the STAR! They do their finale which is another song. It involves this image which made me laugh. 

Montana Max turns out to be the Star on the Christmas Tree and Elmyra tries to kiss them. They all assure Buster that no toon that has friendsd is a failure as they fly off. Harvey takes off his mask to show that he';s Bugs Bunny. Is Bugs Bunny an angel? I am very serious about this question in a series known for just being goofy. I want a 32 page essay on why or why not on my desk by noon tomorrow! 

FINAL VERDICT: If you liked Tiny Toon Adventures as a kid I can say that it holds up pretty well. I had a fun time watching this special. I even watched it twice! Now that's praise! I didn't even watch Webster twice! Anyway. this was a fun way to end a series.