iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 7h

calliope's 90 minutes a week vs nickelodeon's 13 hours a day, is it any wonder calliope never took off as its own channel

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 8h

I don't know where all the newfound Pepe lovers came from and why they're so surprised that most of the modern jokes about him are at his expense when THIS is what people were saying about him back in like 1999

Pepe never made it in comics, and while not being completely ignored, has not been a prominent part of the latter-day revival of the Looney Tunes characters. This may be because the philosophy he represents — that masculine persistence in the face of manifest resistence, even outright revulsion, on the part of his female target, is a virtue worthy of reward — is out of step with the times. We may wink at the Coyote's attempts to murder the Road Runner, but we draw the line at a character who evidently wants to commit rape.

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 18h

here's mine. not as good but i'm a newcomer at this

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 19h

Benedict also did some designs for Underdog, of all characters. They are not what you'd expect

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 19h

I said I liked it. I didn't say it was good. Post yours

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Or Jane the Sour Kangaroo, specifically the version from the Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, as the Angry Video Game Nerd The Sour Video Game Kangaroo And they say Shakespeare is dead

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I am soooo out of the loop, what the actual fuck is this and why is it apparently so common as to get its own place in the starter pack

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Can we perhaps rewrite one of Butch’s rejected Noog Network pilots in this vain?

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Hold on, I don’t remember Boomeraction airing this

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Oops, forgot one! Formula #7C: The Transformed Hero. Similar to the Super Protector, but the helpless master and the empowered servant are one and the same, with the young hero transforming into a stronger alter ego when the going gets tough, Captain Marvel-style.

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

If it's a Sega game you should play it on this

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Of note, the Crimefighter is perhaps the most versatile and influential of these formulas because the “battling various criminals” schtick would evolve into both the Superhero and Meddling Kids formulas Or to put it another way…

Earth: (is Quick Draw McGraw)

Baba Looey: “Wait, it’s all Queek Straw?”

El Kabong, about to kabong: “And dooon’t you forget it!”

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Formula #12: The Aged-Down Spinoff. Exactly what it says on the tin. An existing character is either aged down or given a child. Somebody was jealous of Muppet Babies.

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Formula #11: The Cute Critters. A group of small and adorable fantasy creatures with one personality trait, defending themselves against their designated villain in their (usually fantastical) setting of choice.

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Formula #10B: The Super Meddlers. The main difference between this and normal Meddling Kids is that instead of typical criminals, masked or not, they face off against literal supervillains. More often than not, they were in a band.

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Formula #10A: The Meddling Kids. This is the big one. In this, our heroes travel the globe solving mysteries and unmasking criminals.

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Formula #9: The Wacky Race. You put all these characters in some race or other competition. Outside of the titular Wacky Races, this is mostly used for crossovers.

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Formula #8: The Public Domain Adventure Story. When in doubt, make your show out of a work that's long out of copyright. Who's gonna stop you? Used mostly in the late 1960s as substitutes for superhero shows that were getting cracked down on by parent groups.

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Formula #7B: The Super Protector. This is to the Protector what the regular Superhero is to the Crimefighter. This hero (or heroes) works in service of a specific master, often one who is more intelligent but lacks the superpowers of their guardian.

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Formula #7A: The Superhero. Similar to the Crimefighter, but with a more serious tone and covered in spandex. AKA, the standard superhero.

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Formula #6: The Twist Family. It's a typical nuclear family, but with some kind of gimmick.

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Formula #5: The Crimefighter. This character(s) keeps a watchful eye over their residence and does comedic battle with a wide assortment of colorful criminals.

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Formula #4: The Pest. This character(s) resides in a singular setting, unlike The Traveller, and lives among humans. They are closely involved with one human in particular, and dedicates their time to making their life a living hell.

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Formula #3: The Traveller. This character(s) has a recognizable schtick but each cartoon has them in a different setting or occupation.

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Formula #2: The Protector. You have a larger character looking out for a smaller, typically defenseless character, often (but not always) from some predator.

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Formula #1: The Chase. One character is trying to catch another character (such as a cat and a mouse), but always fails in this regard.

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

And now, a guide to the various "formulas" used by Hanna-Barbera. Assorted sidekicks with the opposite personality of the star not included.

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

They’ve been trying to make something like this work from the very beginning, it’s insane

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Remembering that one Looney Tunes movie where they forgot to pitch up Mel Blanc’s voice for certain characters so I did it for them

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

These two segments were both made by John R. Dilworth at Stretch Films for the CTW. Noodles and Nedd was a series of slapstick pantomime skits, while Ace and Avery was about using your imagination. Which one was made for Cartoon Network and which one was made for Sesame Street?

Noodles and Nedd

This was made for Sesame Street, believe it or not

Ace and Avery

This was made for Cartoon Network, as part of Big Bag

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Given how big CN was on branded programming blocks at launch alone, it is shocking they didn't do that for the preschool lineup.

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Another fun fact: CN actually had a dedicated preschool block at launch, though it was unbranded and aired stuff like Richie Rich and Top Cat I fully believe a CN preschool brand would have worked if they got a dedicated branding and more streamlined schedule in the first three years

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

This also means that, by the time of the 2003 article, the self-admitted preschool network had a dedicated action block, #Boomeraction, and two series, #RockyAndBullwinkle and #Popeye, that had previously aired on #AdultSwim Boomerang: The Hardcore Preschool Network

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I'M NOT FUCKING KIDDING (left from the launch in 2000, right in 2003)

https://www.nexttv.com/news/retro-toon-spinoff-boomerang-sets-april-fools-dbs-launch-159280

The spin-off Boomerang is targeting both baby boomers, who
remember classic cartoons such as Magilla Gorilla and Huckleberry Hound from
their childhood, and young kids two to five years old. Cartoon's target audience is older
children, six to 11, and young adults.

"Boomerang really bookends Cartoon," Norman said.
"The two networks combined really cover the spectrum of ages two to 52."

https://www.awn.com/news/boomerang-announces-fall-schedule

"This dramatic change in Boomerang's schedule reflects Cartoon Network's firm belief in the value of a vibrant commercial-free service designed specifically for a preschool audience and their parents," said Boomerang gm Mark Norman. "Furthermore, with the world's largest animation library, one that continues to grow year by year, we have more than 14,000 series and shorts to choose from. That gives us an incredible amount of flexibility to program both of our networks with the best-loved cartoons that are most appropriate for the target audience."

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Tacomaster Studios @tacomasterstudios.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

#funfact: #Boomerang from #CartoonNetwork was the first full-service channel in the US dedicated specifically to preschoolers, predating #PBSKidsSprout and the rebrand of #Nickelodeon spinoff channel #Noggin (I'm using hashtags to help boost engagement)