Beech Tree News Network

This week, I will start a decade’s series that I will return to sporadically throughout the new year.  As you know, I watch a lot of compilation shows: AXS Top 10 among them.  Lately, while cleaning out my DVR, I’ve happened upon a show called Very Best of The 80’s, also on AXS.  One of the subjects in this series of half-hour shows was the best cartoons of the ‘80’s.  Here are a few interesting tidbits I gleaned from the show.

Did you know that G.I. Joe Saturday morning ‘80’s cartoon was first a 1940’s comic strip? Shortly after the comic, the toys were released.  The rest is history. 

Alvin and the Chipmunks made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.  On this appearance, they sang “Christmas Don’t Be Late”.  Kids and adults loved the Chipmunks.  In 1987, during the fifth season of the show, they starred in a feature film entitled The Chipmunk Adventure.  

At the time of its final episode, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was the longest running cartoon in American history until The Simpson beat them for the honor two years later.  

Transformer Optimus Prime was voiced by actor Peter Cullen, who also happens to be the voice of Eeyore.  The Transformers started as a toy line in 1984.  This was followed up by an epic cartoon.  I’m certain I owned every single Transformer, or at least close to it.  In 2007, Transformers branched out into a series of films.  So far, there are seven movies with an eighth in production and due out in September.  Of course, that was before the Hollywood strike of last year.  

Anyone remember Smurfs? The actual origin of the Smurfs was an idea by Belgian cartoonist named Pierre Culliford(known as Peyo), in 1958.  The initial comic strip appeared in a Belgian magazine but only really gained wide appeal when the idea was taken up by Hanna-Barbera.  Interesting story about Hanna-Barbera, it was active from 1957 until it was absorbed into Warner Brothers Animation in 2001.  It was founded July 7, 1957 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwynn-Mayer(MGM) to close its in-house cartoon studio.  

I’ll end with one final bit of trivia: actress Mae Questrel, who played Aunt Bethany in Christmas Vacation (1989), was the voice behind Betty Boop(from 1931), Olive Oyl(from 1933) and numerous others.  She was in numerous other films and on Broadway.  Christmas Vacation was her final film role.  Below are links to my podcast, Blendertainment.

https://open.spotify.com/show/61yTPt9wXdz37DZTbPUs16?si=lw4gR-7xQ22E-zhy...

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/blendertainment/id1541097172