Brew reader Rod Cockle found this item in an antique store: a plastic Mickey Mouse figure with a Hanna Barbera copyright on the back.

The figure is actually a bowling pin from a 1970s Mickey Mouse bowling game. Is this like those misprint postage stamps or coins that are worth five times their value because of a printing error? I would’ve liked to put one of these in my Hanna Barbera Treasury book – it would have drove the lawyers crazy.

There’s nothing like a French PSA done to tune of Joan Jett’s Bad Reputation, animated in the style of a 1930s Hollywood cartoon, to teach you a lesson about Aids prevention! We’ve come a long way from the days when Fritz The Cat was considered shocking.

CREDITS
Agency: Goodby Silverstein & Partners
Client: Aides
Director: Against all Odds (Niklas Rissler and Kevin Grady designed, animated and directed the film with design assistance from Johan Idesjo).
Exec producer: Josh Thorne
2D Animation: Niklas Rissler, Kevin Grady
Set Design: Johan Idesjo
Production Company: Passion Pictures
Producer: Julie Murnaghan, Jon Drawbaugh
Executive Creative Director: Erik Vervroegen
Art Director: Andre Massis
Copywriter: Eric Boyd

(Thanks, Chris Sobieniak)

Taking DIY to a whole new level, animator Joe Murray (Rocko’s Modern Life and Camp Lazlo) has launched his own personal cartoon channel on the internet, Kaboing TV, and with it the debut of his new animation series Frog In A Suit.

Joe raised funds to produce Frog In A Suit on Kickstarter and received over 346 “backers” to meet his funding goal in 45 days. Three original episodes were produced for the launch of Kaboing – The third episode makes its debut on Friday, the second is already posted there, below is the first one:

Once again, I will be the featured guest today on Shokus Internet Radio’s Stu’s Show. It’ll air live today beginning at 4:00 p.m. Pacific (7:00 p.m. Eastern). You are encouraged to call in with your questions and comments on the station’s toll-free telephone number.

Stu’s Show airs live each Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. PST, with rebroadcasts at the same time each day through next Tuesday March 29th. Access to the station’s feed is free, with no registration required, and is available either by clicking on the Enter Site button on the home page (www.shokusradio.com), by choosing one of the audio player links on the site’s main page. What do we talk about? Topics usually revolve around DVD releases of classic cartoons, and as always, whatever Stu or the listeners want to talk about. This video below sort-of sums up the mindset of the hosts and the listeners:

Two newspaper articles of note today, both concerning animation folk living life their way:

Did you know that Glenn Morrissette, who orchestrates music for Family Guy, does his thing out of an RV he drives around L.A.? The L.A. Times has the full story.

Ever wonder what happened to Frank and Caroline Mouris, Academy Award winners for their short Frank Film (1973)? The Wall Street Journal reports they are happily content being dog sitters in upstate New York.

Next Tuesday, Warner Home Video will release an all-new Peanuts special direct-to-video, Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown. It was directed by my old friend Andy Beall (Up, Ratatouille) and animator Frank Molieri (The Simpsons Movie, SpongeBob SquarePants Movie). The film is based directly on Peanuts strips from the 1960s, and the whole production was put together with incredible loving care. I’ve seen it and I love it. It may be the best Peanuts animation since… oh, lets say 1971. Here’s a video, narrated by Beall, showing several scenes in pencil test just to give you a taste.

After two-years on the festival circuit, animator Chris Perry is releasing his short, The Incident at Tower 37, online today in honor of World Water Day. It’s a sci-fi allegory with a message, well worth ten minutes of your time.

Mike Van Eaton (disclosure: he advertises on Cartoon Brew) is in the midst of compiling and co-producing a mammoth animation art-and-artifact auction with Profiles in History (run by Joe Maddalena) with over 1,500 lots, set to happen May 14th and 15th at the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills. Day one will feature 700 lots containing some of the most coveted items in Disney Animation history, including a handwritten letter written in 1924 by Walt to his former colleague and soon-to-be designer of Mickey Mouse, Ub Iwerks (1901-1971). This is the letter – which has been quoted in such books as Mike Barrier’s The Animated Man, Bob Thomas’ Walt Disney: An American Original, and Leslie Iwerks/John Kenworthy’s The Hand Behind The Mouse – in which Walt convinces Ub to come to Hollywood and join the studio… the rest, as you know, is history. Mike has graciously allowed me to post the letter exclusively on Cartoon Brew for all our readers to enjoy.

Note the envelope (above) and letter (thumbnails below, click to enlarge) is on Disney Bros. Studio letterhead, and addressed to his “Dear friend Ubbe,“. Disney pens (transcription in full):
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