Nostalgic for a Looney Tunes fix? Need a new Scooby Doo tumbler or a Tweety and Sylvester bookend? Brew reader Michael Levine and his wife just got back from traveling in Hong Kong. In Macau they stumbled upon an actual - gasp! - Warner Bros. Studio Store! Says Michael:

“I thought the pics of Chinese landmarks with Bugs and Tweety on them would interest you. I guess images of historic areas with Looney Tunes characters on it, are what people want - ?.”

As we cartoon fanboys anxiously await a big Disney Oswald merchandising blitz, it’s a bit disheartening to learn that one initial line of upscale merch is being directed exclusively towards the ladies.

Oswald footwear is currently being sold in the finest Paris fashion boutiques, via Brazilian shoemaker Melissa. These “Ultragirl peep-toe flats”, adorned with a retro Lucky Rabbit design, are apparently all the rage.

Can sneakers be far behind?

(Thanks, David Gerstein)

Unusual article in today’s L.A. Daily News about a cache of letters dating from 1918, sent by future animation director (Woody Woodpecker voice and Bugs Bunny namesake) Ben Hardaway (above right). The article points out something even more interesting — Ben’s son Bob (above left) is still alive and was a musician with Benny Goodman’s orchestra. Who knew?

(Thanks, Mark Kausler)

I was bummed that I missed the centennial tribute to Tex Avery and Michael Maltese that was presented in LA last March, but I just learned that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences is repeating the program in NYC next Monday, May 5. Even better, John Canemaker, who wrote Tex Avery: The MGM Years, is hosting the East Coast event. Cartoons on the schedule include A Wild Hare, You Ought To Be in Pictures, Little Rural Riding Hood, For Scent-imental Reasons, What’s Opera, Doc?, and The Legend of Rockabye Point.

General admission is $5, and students pay $3. In other words, there’s no reason to miss out seeing these amazing theatrical shorts on the bigscreen. Tickets may be reserved by calling 1-888-778-7575. Remaining tickets may be purchased in person the night of the event. The Academy Theater is located at 111 East 59th Street. For additional details, see the Academy website.

Move over, UCLA Festival of Books and BookExpo America.

The 2nd annual Animation Book Look is the place to be. The Creative Talent Network and Van Eaton Galleries are presenting an all day book signing event on May 17th with appearances by a large number of artists and authors representing over seventy-five books. Everything from children’s books to artist’s sketchbooks, from illustration to fine-art, and from How To’s to History Of’s. Join me, along with Martha Sigall, Tom Sito, Rik Maki, Tony White, Willie Ito, Jim Smith, Amanda Visell, Stephen Silver, Maureen Furniss, Jon Gibson, Mike Kunkel and dozens more on Saturday May 17th, 2008 from 1:00pm-6:00pm.

VAN EATON GALLERIES
13613 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA

The Animation Book Look is free and open to the public. Animation Magazine and MyToons are sponsoring the event. For a List of Authors and Books visit the website. You may pre-order signed and dedicated books online starting May 1st. If you have any questions, please call Van Eaton Galleries at 818-788-2357.

Pictoplasma is moving its conference on contemporary character design from Berlin to NYC this year. The two-day event will take place September 5-6 at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at NYU, with confirmed speakers including Friends With You, Akinori Oishi, Aaron Stewart, David O’Reilly, Tim Biskup, Motomichi Nakamura, Fons Schiedon and Gangpol & Mit. Pictoplasma is also accepting entries for the animation screenings that will take place during the festival.

Earlier Pictoplasma character design conferences have received positive reviews, but I’ve always found it difficult to warm up to the idea of Pictoplasma. My biggest reservation about the enterprise is that they try to sell the idea of “character” as new and fresh, and as something that is proliferating as never before. This would be true only if their conception of “character” was created in a bubble and ignored the rich history of character design that came before them, which is sadly what Pictoplasma does as a movement.

Pictoplasma says, “Our visual culture is being revolutionized by a new breed of characters, abstract and reduced to minimal distinguishing graphic features.” I say, look at the work of Fifties character designers like Tom Oreb, T. Hee, John Hubley, Ernie Pintoff, Bobe Cannon and Ed Benedict who also created “a new breed of characters, abstract and reduced to minimal distinguishing graphic features.” They say, “In the process of a truly explosive movement, [characters] invade digital media, animation, advertising, art, fashion and street art.” I say, look at Walt Disney’s iconic use of Mickey Mouse beginning in the late-1920s, in which Mickey was a character who transcended individual media and boasted an all-encompassing presence in film, comics, books, toys, advertising and fashion.

Those with even the slightest grasp on history will have trouble looking at what Pictoplasma purports to be revolutionary and groundbreaking–like the characters in the lineup heading this post–and finding anything novel about the creations. This type of character design was already done decades ago, and I might add, with far more skill and invention. An awareness and respect for the artists who pioneered the “character design movement” would encourage today’s artists to build upon their predecessors’ character design work and push forward into uncharted territory instead of merely churning out pale imitations of earlier works.

An article in today’s NY Times on the shocking proliferation of racist cartoons on You Tube has had an (unintended?) effect in further spreading the awareness of said cartoons. Gawker has just posted a link to it, adding to it an (awful quality) embed of Clampett’s Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs.

The Times article is somewhat sympathetic to the idea that these cartoons should be released legally. In the last paragraph, Michael Barrier, is quoted saying the cartoons should be “presented in an informed way for an intelligent, adult audience.” Barrier also said the Censored 11’s appearance on YouTube “shows that there is a demand, so the logical step would be to release them in a way that is profitable for you as a copyright holder.”

Among a cache of recently discovered American silent films from 1912-1927 was one cartoon, Mutt and Jeff in On Strike (1920). It, along with seven others, will be restored via a new international cooperative film preservation program between the major U.S. archives and Australia.

The cartoon itself is interesting as it reflects and lampoons the strikes and labor strife common in the US during the post World War I period. The plot has Mutt and Jeff going on strike when they are refused a pay raise and their attempts to make their own cartoons. “Chastened by the experience, they return wiser workers.” Exhibition prints will be distributed to the U.S. archives for screenings later this year.

Is this the fate of Bugs Bunny?

Suicide Food is a blog that tracks food marketing that depicts animals (usually cartoon animals) who cheerfully wish to be consumed, cataloging all the real life Cluckin’ Chicken’s out there.

They’ve just done a post on a Spanish fresh rabbit meat market using a grotesque amateur sign picturing Bugs Bunny’s head on a skinned rabbit carcass as a come on. Yeeeeecccchhh!

(Thanks, Doran Gaston)

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