Kellogg's Honey & Nut Corn Flakes 1982 Animation Cel: Calorie Counting Crows

 

In 1982, there was a commercial for a short-lived cereal called Kellogg's Honey & Nut Corn Flakes.  The ad featured a hand drawn, orange crow in a live action world---and a cheeky, modified version of "Turkey in the Straw" that seemed to delight in playing with the word "Nuts".  I was able to acquire a hand painted animation cel from this commercial for $59.  I believe the Crow was animated by Murakami Wolf Swenson, an animation studio famous for the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and also quite a bit of commercial work for Kellogg's in the 1980s, including a Raisin Bran Cel that I also bought.  These cels are pretty meticulously made, as they feature painted shading directly on the cel.

I remember a lot of things from 1982, but I don't remember this commercial.  Thankfully, it exists on YouTube.

This ad kind of seems like a Saturday Night Live skit---almost like a parody of the Cocoa Puffs Cuckoo Bird, Sonny.  The Crow also appeared in print media for the cereal, but apparently not on the cereal boxes.  Honey & Nut Corn Flakes lasted a few years, but the Crow was short lived.

Ray Raisin in the Sun: Kellogg's Raisin Bran 1981 Animation Cel

 

What's the scoop, Sun?  In 1981, reporter Ray Raisin interviewed Sunny, the Kellogg's Raisin Bran mascot, about two bigger scoops of raisins being put in boxes of Kellogg's Raisin Bran cereal.  Years before the Claymation California Raisins, Kellogg's had its own singing and dancing cartoon raisins.  I recently found and purchased an animation cel of Ray Raisin (with a pencil drawing of Sunny)---for $40!

Before computers were used to color animated characters for cartoons, character drawings were transferred to clear plastic sheets (called cels), and the painting was done on the back.  This Raisin Bran advertisement took things to another level---the characters had meticulous shading painted right on to the cel.  This must have been an astonishing amount of work (possibly airbrushed?).  A TV commercial had a much bigger budget and care given to it than the TV shows the ads ran with at the time.

I believe the Kellogg's commercials were produced by Murakami-Wolf-Swenson, which ironically went on to produce the hand-drawn California Raisins Saturday Morning cartoon in 1989, as well as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (among countless other projects).

Ray Raisin was voiced by the legendary Paul Winchell (the original voice of Tigger from Disney's Winnie the Pooh).  I believe Sunny was voiced by Joel Cory (who voiced the Helping Hand in commercials for Hamburger Helper).

Two bigger scoops of raisins are the reason Kellogg's Raisin Bran's so pleasin'!  That song is stuck in my head now.

Disney's Roboduck Invades NBC And The Disney Afternoon

When Disney's syndicated animated series DuckTales debuted on TV in 1987, it was a huge hit.  The 65 initial episodes were so well received that an additional 30 were ordered up with some new characters.  The first new character to show up was cave duck Bubba (voiced by Frank Welker).  The next new character was Roboduck.  Wait, who?!?  Yes, the character that would be known as Gizmo-Duck (voiced by Hamilton Camp) was originally called Roboduck.

Roboduck, Bubbaduck and an alien "Spaceduck" were pitched by Disney TV's Tad Stones as new character ideas for DuckTales.  Apparently, they were not part of some master plan or vision for the show.  The alien duck character did not make it to the series, but the other new characters were chosen simply based on drawings and a description.

The 1988 issue of Cartoon Quarterly Magazine (created by Gladstone Publishing) gave an early peek at the new characters.  I can still remember discovering this magazine at a grocery store when I was a kid.

This first (and only?) issue of Cartoon Quarterly has an article called Bear and Duck Tales---Disney Animation Comes to TV by John Cawley.  It is interesting to see the early designs for Bubba and Roboduck.

Bubba seemed to quickly become a background character in the series.

The character of Fenton Crackshell, and his alter ego Gizmo-Duck, would have a much bigger impact.  Super DuckTales aired on NBC during Easter of 1989, introducing the new superhero to the series.  Gizmo-Duck pretty much became the focus of most of the new stories on the syndicated TV show.  Some of them are pretty wild, including my favorite episode, Metal Attraction, which includes a parody of Disneyland and a robotic maid who is madly in love with Gizmo-Duck.

Gizmo-Duck appeared in comic books and video games, and in episodes of Disney's 1991 series Darkwing Duck along with fellow transplanted DuckTales cast member Launchpad McQuack.  The Gizmo-Duck character also was included in a DuckTales Kellogg's cereal figurine promotion for The Disney Afternoon.

Curiously, Bubba and Gizmo were not in 1990's theatrical DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp.  The movie added a new "kid" Genie character (voiced by Rip Taylor) who seemed to be added to the cast at the end of the film (sort of a Bubba 2.0), though he never appeared in the TV series.  The movie's thief character, Dijon (voiced by Richard Libertini) appeared in the last episodes of the DuckTales TV series.

Frank Welker (Bubba) is a voice over legend, appearing in countless TV shows and movies over the years (if there's an animal in a movie, chances are good that Frank Welker provided its voice).

The late Hamilton Camp (Fenton/Gizmo-Duck) was a prolific musician and actor, and appeared on-camera in movies and in TV shows like Three's Company and WKRP in Cincinnati.

I wanted to note here that I don't think there is a single official way to write "Gizmo-Duck".  I have seen "Gizmoduck" and "Gizmo Duck" and "Gizmo-Duck" and "GizmoDuck".

Disney's Lady And The Tramp At McDonald's

Lady and the Tramp is a classic movie about a bad boy from the streets falling for a high society good girl.  This one just happens to star cartoon dogs.

Set in turn-of-the-century America, the 1955 film "Lady and the Tramp" featured more voices inspired by dialects from different countries than any other Disney animated movie.

It is fitting that Lady and the Tramp headlined their own McDonald's Happy Meal only in countries outside the United States.  This 1997 set is from Europe.

Lady has to spend more time in her doghouse when her human owners have a baby.

Luckily for Lady, her doghouse is pretty big.  The Lady toy can be removed from the doghouse, too.

Tramp is from "the wrong side of the tracks" so he lives in a barrel.

Unlike Lady, the Tramp toy cannot be removed from his home.

Assemble Tramp's barrel, flip a switch, and he will bust the barrel apart.

The barrel is also a puzzle.  I have to admit that it took me some time to figure out how this toy works.

Si and Am are frequently promoted as major villains in advertisements for "Lady and the Tramp."  The only time they actually appear in the film is for "The Siamese Cat Song" sequence.

Peggy Lee voiced the Siamese Cats, as well as Darling (Lady's female human owner) and Peg the Pekingese in the dog pound.

Originally, Trusty was supposed to die while stopping the dogcatcher from taking Tramp to the pound.

Trusty was saved by Peggy Lee, who insisted that the bloodhound's death would be too upsetting for kids.

Push on the back of Lady's doghouse and the doors open and she appears.  Si and Am's heads rock back and forth when you touch them.

Trusty rolls forward and sniffs when you push him.

In 2001, Disney released "Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure."  The idea of a sequel with these characters wasn't a new thing.  They have been appearing in "Scamp" comic book stories for decades.

The "Scamp's Adventure" toys released in Asia are very elaborate, and among the best McDonald's Happy Meal toys I've ever seen.

Lady has plush ears and her head moves back and forth when you use her brush accessory.  Lady's tail also wags.  And her three daughters are included with her, too.

In Scamp's Adventure, Lady was voiced by Jodi Benson (Ariel in "The Little Mermaid").

The Tramp action figure is incredibly detailed and amazing.

Wind up Tramp, then grab his leash.

Tramp walks forward and wags his tail.  Flip a switch and he will stop for you.  Good boy!

Jeff Bennett provided the voice of Tramp in Scamp's Adventure.

Lady and Tramp's puppies are a bit older in Scamp's Adventure than they were in the comic books.  Scott Wolf ("Party of Five") provided the speaking voice of Scamp.  Roger Bart (Snoopy in the 1999 Broadway revival of "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown") was Scamp's singing voice.

Alyssa Milano ("Who's the Boss?" and "Charmed") supplied the voice of Angel, Scamp's love interest.

Scamp and Angel play tug-of-war with a ball of yarn.

To me, it looks like the ball of yarn was supposed to be spaghetti and someone changed their mind at the last minute.

"Scamp's Adventure" is sort of like a cross between "Lady and the Tramp" and "Oliver and Company."

A mean dog named Buster (voiced by Chazz Palminteri) is the leader of a gang of dogs that Scamp befriends.

Buster is interested in Angel, but she prefers Scamp.

The toy of Buster is a wind-up, and he walks and chomps.

The tiniest dog in Buster's gang is Francois (voiced by "Perfect Strangers" star Bronson Pinchot).

Bronson Pinchot had previously played a French beautician named Jean-Luc in the show "Step by Step."

Francois can play the piano.  Yes, this is a musical toy.

Wind the toy up, and the French Bulldog moves back and forth on the keyboard.

Sparky looks a bit like Toughy the mutt from the dog pound scene in "Lady and the Tramp."

Actor Mickey Rooney supplied Sparky's voice.

Mickey Rooney is well remembered as Lampie in "Pete's Dragon" and adult Tod in "The Fox and the Hound."

A mobile mattress is Sparky's accessory.  Sparky, you dog!

Mooch the sheepdog was voiced by Bill Fagerbakke, known to millions as Patrick the Starfish from Spongebob Squarepants.

The Mooch toy is very animated, with multiple points of articulation.

Wind up Mooch's tire base, then set the dog in place.

Mooch stands up, and his mouth and tail move.

Scratchy has an obsession with scratching himself, naturally.

This character reminds me of Ed the Hyena from "The Lion King" mixed with a bunch of different Hanna Barbera TV sidekick dogs from the 1970s.

I don't think I've ever seen a wind up toy of a dog scratching himself before.

I wonder why there wasn't a dog named "Humpty" in the sequel to Lady and the Tramp...  He can be in Lady and the Tramp III.

The Summer 2001 "U.K. Disneyana" report by Neil Kenny in Tomart's Disneyana Update Magazine shows a very different Lady and the Tramp II set in Europe.

Plush toys of "Scamp's Adventure" characters included a plastic accessory that did something special.  One "Lady and the Tramp II" character that was not made into a McDonald's toy anywhere is Ruby the Afghan Hound (probably because that character could easily win an Ugly Dog Contest by a landslide).

In the United States, Lady and the Tramp appeared as part of the 1998 Disney Video Favorites McDonald's Happy Meal.  Remember VHS tapes?  Here, various moving Disney characters appear on clamshell video tape containers that connect together.

Mickey Mouse conducts for "The Spirit of Mickey."  Pocahontas dances for "Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World."  A Penguin Waiter waddles for "Mary Poppins."  Gurgi from "The Black Cauldron" snacks on his munchies and crunchies.  The green blob Flubber promotes the Robin Williams version of The Absent Minded Professor.

At McDonald's in the United States, Lady and the Tramp also had their own Sticker Activity Book as part of the 1987 "Disney Favorites Happy Meal."  In 2002, Lady and Tramp were among 100 different toys celebrating the "100 Years of Disney Happy Meal" at McDonald's.

One of the first sets of Lady and the Tramp promotional toys were "Pet Statuettes" from Kellogg's.  These were available in boxes of cereal and made in different colors.  The set includes Lady, Tramp, Boris, Peg, Toughy, Si, Am, Trusty, Jock, Bull, Dachsie and Pedro.

These can appropriately be found at Flea Markets (that is where I found Tramp and Toughy).

The very first Lady and the Tramp merchandise could be found in 1944.  How's that?  Lady first appeared in a 1944 storybook called "Walt Disney's Surprise Package."  This showcased some early versions of projects in development at Disney.  The book also featured early work for Peter Pan, Mr. Toad and Brer Rabbit.

I believe the cover art was done by Mary Blair.  The early version of "Lady" focused on the "new baby" story and the Siamese Cats.  The Tramp character was developed after Walt Disney read (and bought the rights to) Ward Greene's story, "Happy Dan, The Whistling Dog" (for some reason, I love that title...).  Disney thought the dog in Ward Greene's story (which debuted around the same time "Surprise Package" was sold) would be a great match for Lady, and the rest is history.

For more fun, be sure to check out Live Action Lady And The Tramp: The Real Life Reference Models.

NBC It! Seinfeld And Wings Kellogg's Cereal Prizes

In 1993, NBC did something different to promote its prime time Thursday night TV lineup. Seinfeld and Wings appeared on boxes of Kellogg's cereals aimed at adult consumers.

Jerry and Elaine did not share a cereal box with Tony the Tiger on Frosted Flakes. Instead, they could be found on the more healthy-sounding Low Fat Granola With Raisins. It's too bad they did not make a creative special edition cereal called Jerry-O's or Kramer Krunch.

Cereal played an important role in the world of Seinfeld, a show based on the life of comedian Jerry Seinfeld that first aired in 1989.

A special Seinfeld cereal bowl was available through the mail.

The bowl was $4.95 plus two Proof of Purchase (UPC symbols) from Kellogg's Low Fat Granola Cereal.

You'll need a good breakfast to stay sharp. Someone may ask you who invaded Spain in the 8th century, and you'll want to be able to remember the answer.

Because you had a good breakfast, you'll remember that Spain was invaded by the Moops. Some may dispute your answer, and say it was the Moors that invaded Spain. But you remember reading the answer was the Moops when you played Trivial Pursuit.*

*Taken from the Seinfeld episode, "The Bubble Boy."

There were never Seinfeld action figures or paper dolls, but Kellogg's did offer cut-out characters to help you attempt be the master of your own domain.

The cast of Seinfeld had some animated roles, too. Jerry Seinfeld created Bee Movie (2007) for DreamWorks Animation. Jason Alexander (George) was a prolific voice-over actor. He starred in the prime time USA Network series Duckman in 1994. He played Abis Mal the thief in the animated Disney Aladdin TV series, also in 1994. In Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) he was Hugo the Gargoyle, and in 101 Dalmatians II (2003) he voiced a Corgi named Lightning. Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Elaine) was Princess Atta in Disney Pixar's A Bug's Life (1998). Michael Richards (Kramer) starred as the Wolf in Disney's rarely seen Redux Riding Hood animated short in 1997. Wayne Knight (Jerry's nemesis, Newman) provided the voice for Tantor the elephant in Disney's Tarzan (1999).


Kellogg's Frosted Bran featured a Wings cereal box prize.

Wings debuted in 1990 and was sort of a spin-off of NBC's "Cheers." A few characters from Cheers also appeared on Wings and later on Frasier.

Interestingly, Thomas Haden Church (Lowell on Wings), Peri Gilpin (Roz on Frasier) and John Mahoney (Martin Crane on Frasier) had appeared in episodes of Cheers as different characters. Peri Gilpin was also on Wings as another different character (as a crazy date for Brian).

Wings was set on the island of Nantucket. Since it was not too far from Boston, it was easy for Norm, Cliff Clavin, Rebecca, Frasier and Lilith to leave their favorite bar and mingle with Joe (Tim Daly), Brian (Steven Weber), Helen (Crystal Bernard), Lowell (Thomas Haden Church), Roy (David Schramm), Fay (Rebecca Schull) and Antonio (Tony Shalhoub) at the airport.

Like Seinfeld and Cheers, Wings also featured rising stars over the years. Megan Mullally (from Will and Grace) and Matthew Fox (from Lost) both had memorable roles on Wings, even though each only appeared on the show one time.

The Wings crew needs energy to take folks on that flight to Kennebunkport. Sorry, no meals are served on Sandpiper Air. Helen's lunch counter does serve breakfast, including Kellogg's Frosted Bran cereal.

Looks like we are ready for take-off! Though it may not be a good idea to eat a bowl of bran cereal before getting on a small airplane. Was there a bathroom on Sandpiper Air? I sure hope so.

Lowell has the instructions on how to assemble your Wings Glider.


Not pictured is my favorite character from the show, cab driver Antonio (Tony Shalhoub) who joined the cast in 1991, originally as a waiter. These days Tony Shalhoub is known for his role as a detective on "Monk" and as Luigi in the Disney Pixar Cars universe.

The Bear Necessities Of A Good Breakfast: TaleSpin Cereal Figures!

What "TaleSpin" character did you find in your box of Kellogg's Cocoa Krispies cereal? Figures of Baloo, Kit, Molly and Don Karnage were available as part of a big promotion for the 1990 Disney Afternoon TV series. These figures could also be ordered as a set through the mail.

TaleSpin took Baloo the Bear, Louie the Orangutan, and Shere Khan the tiger from Disney's 1967 film, "The Jungle Book", and cast the characters in new roles. Baloo became a cargo pilot for a business called Higher for Hire. Louie became an island nightclub owner, and Shere Khan was a ruthless tycoon. Baloo and Kit Cloudkicker worked for Rebecca Cunningham (mother to Molly). The characters often had run-ins with air pirate Don Karnage.

Kellogg's made sets of figurines from other Disney Afternoon shows, too. This Kellogg's promotion also featured figure sets for Gummi Bears, DuckTales, and Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers.



Kellogg's also had a cereal prize promotion featuring TaleSpin stampers.

My favorite TaleSpin story is "Time Waits For No Bear." This was one of the very first episodes (it was shown on The Disney Channel before the series debuted on The Disney Afternoon) and there are some production glitches (the voices of the hilarious Gorilla Goon and Rhino Goon are accidentally switched in one scene, and mechanic lion Wildcat's costume is the victim of some paint color confusion as he gives a Hippo lady and her Stork husband a tour of the town of Cape Suzette). This episode sticks out in my mind not only because it is really funny, but also because it starts off with a robbery committed by an Elephant cat-burglar! It's not surprising that the police end up catching him (it's an elephant---how could they miss him?!?).

Disney's Bonkers Kellogg's Corn Pops Crime Wave

Bonkers D. Bobcat has one of the most unusual histories of any of the characters from The Disney Afternoon syndicated block of TV cartoons.

"Bonkers" was a show about a cartoon star-turned police officer. The series debuted on The Disney Channel in February of 1993 and was launched on The Disney Afternoon later in the Fall.

But let's back things up a bit. Disney Afternoon shows like "Bonkers" required 65 episodes for syndication. During this production, it was decided to introduce the Bonkers character in short cartoons on a 1992 CBS Saturday Morning series called "Disney's Raw Toonage," truly giving Bonkers a past as a cartoon star. This series also featured Disney's version of a European cartoon character, Marsupilami, and usually had a different Disney character (like Sebastian the Crab) acting as a host for the show.

When the "Bonkers" series first debuted on the Disney Channel in February of 1993, the show's title character was a cop partnered with a human female named Miranda Wright (clever name!). Bonkers had left Toontown to work in the real world. Though in this show, the "real world" characters were hand drawn, too.

The February/March 1993 Disney Channel Magazine featured this little article:

Up until the series finally debuted on The Disney Channel on February 28th, I had thought the name of Bonkers' partner shown here was Lucky Piquel (per this article), but it was Miranda! Confusing! Bonkers is called "Bonkers T. Bobcat" here---I'm pretty sure it's "Bonkers D. Bobcat."

When "Bonkers" debuted on the Disney Afternoon in the Fall of 1993, it was a vastly different show from what Disney Channel viewers had seen. Bonkers himself had been redesigned. He was now partnered with a fat male detective named Lucky Piquel. Bonkers had new toon friends, like Fall-Apart Rabbit and Toots.

Apparently, some folks at Disney had not been pleased with the original "Bonkers as a cop" show, and changes were ordered. The changes must have been baffling to many viewers. To make things even more confusing, the "new" version of Bonkers was considered to be a prequel to the Miranda Wright episodes. Lucky and Bonkers say goodbye to each other in one episode, and Bonkers is partnered with Miranda.

Just writing this makes my head hurt.

Bonkers and Lucky Piquel were both voiced by the versatile Jim Cummings (also the voice of Darkwing Duck, the Tasmanian Devil, Bad Pete, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger).

The police lineup from the Kellogg's Corn Pops Bonkers Fingerprint Game features some minor characters from the show.

Julio Calamari (voiced by Michael Bell, who was Quackerjack on "Darkwing Duck") was a singer that used the voice of an imprisoned toon pig named Charlie (voiced by Jess Harnell, Wakko Warner from "Animaniacs") in an episode called "Tune Pig." Bonkers also had to rescue Charlie's Mom (April Winchell, the voice of Clarabelle Cow) from farmer Old Macdonald (Michael Bell).

Wooly the sheep (Pat Fraley, who was Wildcat the mechanic on "TaleSpin") and Bully the duck (Rob Paulsen, who was P.J. in "Goof Troop" and "A Goofy Movie") were featured in "Calling All Cars." Wooly and Bully were henchmen to a shifty tow truck named Ma Parker (voiced by June Foray). Ma Parker looked very much like a cross between a tow truck (years before Tow Mater in Disney Pixar's "Cars!") and Ma Beagle from Disney's "Ducktales" (a character also voiced by June Foray). Bully the duck bears a striking resemblance to Darkwing Duck.


The main character and the premise of "Bonkers" was very similar to "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." A few well-known Disney characters made appearances on "Bonkers." The Mad Hatter and the March Hare from "Alice in Wonderland" were semi-regulars on the show, as was Dr. Ludwig Von Drake. I can remember seeing Lady and the Tramp, Dumbo, Darkwing Duck, Goofy, and Brer Bear, too. There was even an entire episode featuring Mickey Mouse, but he was never shown---only his voice was heard!

Disney's Darkwing Duck McDonald's Happy Meal

Darkwing Duck, "the terror that flaps in the night," made his TV debut in 1991 (like so many Disney Afternoon shows, the series had a preview on the Disney Channel in the Spring before heading to syndication in the Fall). The show was also seen on ABC Saturday Mornings. Darkwing Duck was even the star of his own McDonald's Happy Meal.

Well, in New Zealand, circa 1993!

There was no Darkwing Duck Happy Meal in the United States. Darkwing Duck may have been the victim of a change in Disney's fast food promotional partners. Disney had previously partnered with McDonald's in the United States for TV and movie Happy Meals, but that changed in 1991 with a new alliance with Burger King. Burger King's first promotion was for Beauty and the Beast in November of 1991.

However, Disney and McDonald's were still promotional partners in most other countries. For example, McDonald's had a Lion King Happy Meal in Europe to promote the film, but in America, Burger King had a Lion King Kids Club Meal.

New Zealand's Darkwing Duck McDonald's Happy Meal featured four vehicles that revealed characters from the series.



On the far left is Darkwing's Thunderquack Jet, which is piloted by Darkwing Duck himself.

The Ratcatcher Motorcycle is driven by Launchpad McQuack.



It may have been more logical for Launchpad to go with the Thunderquack Jet, since Launchpad was a pilot (though not a good one, as seen in his other Disney TV series, Ducktales).

The bookbag(?) on wheels (maybe it's a trash can?) features Honker Muddlefoot, the show's nerdy character.




Darkwing Duck's daughter Gosalyn sits in what I believe is supposed to be the Ratcatcher motorcycle's sidecar.



Folks in the United States probably remember another Darkwing Duck promotion. Kellogg's cereals had a set of figurines available as an offer through the mail.



Ironically, the Kellogg's Disney Afternoon figures known in America were also offered in McDonald's Happy Meals in other countries!

Darkwing Duck (voiced by Jim Cummings) fought crime with goofy sidekick Launchpad McQuack (Terence McGovern). They are often helped by Darkwing's adopted daughter, Gosalyn (Christine Cavanaugh) and her friend, Honker Muddlefoot (Katie Leigh). They must fight a host of wacky villains, including Megavolt (Dan Castellaneta---the voice of Homer Simpson).




My favorite Darkwing Duck character was one that only had one appearance. It was "The Rubber Chicken," and he was featured in an episode called "Mutancy on the Bouncy." He was an elastic rooster superhero voiced by Corey Burton. I thought the concept of this character was hilarious and that he deserved his own show or movie.