In our special “2020 Twenty Questions” interview with rock music icon Suzi Quatro, she told us her favorite cartoon characters were Rocky and Bullwinkle.
The funny and witty adventures of Rocky the flying squirrel and his goofball best friend Bullwinkle the moose were favorites of mine too. What kept me coming back, besides the jokes and Bullwinkle’s ridiculous retorts, were the cliffhanger endings to each episode. And the conclusion would always suggest two clever titles for the next chapter. Those were also good for a chuckle.
Created by Los Angeles based Jay Ward Productions, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle was a groundbreaking animated variety show based around a serial. Debuting in 1959, the show starred Rocket J. Squirrel and Bullwinkle J. Moose, two do-gooders attempting to foil the devious schemes of Fearless Leader and his henchmen Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale. The stories followed an ongoing arch that played out over several episodes.
The variety of these Adventures came from several featured cartoons; Dudley Do-Right, Fractured Fairly Tales, Mr. Know-It-All (starring Bullwinkle), The World of Commander McBragg, and Peabody’s Improbable History about a time-traveling, scientific-genius dog and his impressionable sidekick Sherman.
The popularity of Peabody and Sherman rivaled Rocky and Bullwinkle. In 2014, they were the stars of full-length animated feature Mr. Peabody & Sherman. The pair also received a short-lived television series of their own following the movie.
Rocky and Bullwinkle are still the most-adored main attractions. TV Guide ranked The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle as one of the “50 Greatest Television Show of All-Time”. Through the years it’s been syndicated on major networks Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, VH1, and most recently Boomerang.
The two starring characters made their own leap to the big screen in 2000’s The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, which years later followed 1992’s live action Boris and Natasha: The Movie.
From video games to comic books, to attempt after attempt to revamp the characters for new viewing eras, the classic Rocky and Bullwinkle are icons that will be loved as-is forever. |THIS.
[By Mr. Joe Walker]
