This is not the ugliest kids show I’ve ever seen - but it comes darn close.

Found among the 1,050 look-alike cartoon shows offered at last week’s annual children’s TV market, MIP Junior, was this one: Twisted Whiskers, a co-production of American Greetings, Moonscoop Productions and DQ Entertainment.

The project’s entire pitchbook / powerpoint presentation is online, and you can see for yourself how “wacky, quirky, irreverent and attitudinal” these characters are. (Click thumbnails below to see images from the pitch book). I just can’t get past the eyes. They’re creeping me out, man.

To be fair, the development art — backgrounds and pencil sketches — in this PDF look good. Bill Kopp and Savage Steve Holland (Eek! the Cat) are attached to the show, and have already directed a series of nine 40-second web-shorts that try their best to make a silk purse from a sow’s ear - but why do these characters have to look so goddam creepy:

Steve Worth over at the Asifa-Hollywood Animation Archive has posted a plethora of Alvin and The Chipmunks memorabilia to tell the story behind this eternal pop-culture phenomenon. Steve has posted much rare material from the Format Films era Alvin Show including several storyboards (including the rare pilot) and Jules Engel color keys. Go there now! Here’s the direct link.

Another cartoon Dennis and his Dad won’t be seeing on TV. From Cartoon Network’s aborted Cartoonstitute program, created and directed by Chris Riccardi.

For several hours over the weekend, 14 Cartoonstitute shorts were posted on You Tube. Monday morning they were all gone. However, one of them - Derek Drymon’s Danger Planet - has escaped and I’m pleased to post it below. Watch it while you can:

I’m still not a fan of Family Guy, but I have to admit this is a terrific sequence from last night’s 8th season premiere episode.

UPDATE: You should read the comments on this post for sequence production details from Family Guy director Greg Colton, and the lead animator of the piece, Darlie Brewster (posting with the handle DarlieB). Our thanks to both of them for participating in the comments.

It was bound to happen. Canadian TV execs greenlight a cartoon about… TV Execs!

Created by Kevin Gillis (Atomic Betty) and Laura Kosterski, Producing Parker looks rather attractive - art direction-wise. I hadn’t heard about this show until today; Wouldn’t mind seeing an episode if it ever makes it to the States. It’s currently airing in Canada on TVTropolis, and coming to GlobalTV later on this year.

Painting by Bill Wray

Today, Nick is premiering the second season of The Mighty B! at 5:30 p.m (ET/PT). A new episode will debut everyday of this week. I’ll readily admit that I don’t understand the network’s logic of burning off five new episodes in a week, but that’s besides the point. Bill Wray, who is both painting backgrounds and co-directing episodes, tells me that he’s very proud of the second season and thinks they’ve made big strides with this current crop. He’s posting a lot of fantastic Mighty B! artwork on his blog. Bill’s enthusiasm, combined with all the funny stuff in the second season promo posted below, has convinced me that I need to check out a few episodes and see what it’s all about.

Just spotted on zazzle.com. Gotta admit I wish I had thought of this first…