The media is reporting today on the Mexican postage stamp featuring famed cartoon character Memin Pinguin.

The White House on Thursday objected to a postage stamp issued by the Mexican government, saying that “racial stereotypes are offensive no matter what their origin” and have no place in today’s world.The stamp depicts an exaggerated black cartoon character known as Memin Pinguin, drawn with exaggerated features, thick lips and wide-open eyes. His appearance, speech and mannerisms are the subject of kidding by white characters in the comic book.U.S. activists have called on the Mexican government to withdraw the stamp.White House press secretary Scott MClellan said it was “an internal issue for Mexico and the postal authorities that issued the stamp. With that said, I would like to make a couple of points. Racial stereotypes are offensive no matter what their origin. The Mexican government needs to take this into account. Images like these have no place in today’s world.”Mexico said that like Speedy Gonzalez – a cartoon mouse with a Mexican accent that debuted in the United States in 1953 – the Memin Pinguin character shouldn’t be interpreted as a racial slur.

I suppose this ends any chance for a set of commemorative postage stamps featuring Bosko, Jasper, Inki, L’il Eightball, Ebony, Buckwheat and So White.

Animation director Raul Garcia just got back from a trip overseas and brought me a present: the 20 page color booklet published in conjunction with an exhibit at the State Library of New South Wales, Reclaiming Felix The Cat.This current exhibit, running now through August 7th, recounts the story of Australian Pat Sullivan (pictured above), orginally from Sydney, who settled in New York in 1914 and later “created” Felix The Cat. The exhibition (and booklet) is loaded with rare merchandise, photographs and memoribilia – but little mention is made of Felix cartoonist Otto Messmer, in fact they down play Messmer’s role in Felix’s popularity and seem determined to make a hero out of Sullivan.Nonetheless, the exhibit is worth checking out. You can take a virtual tour (and download the booklet as a PDF file) by clicking here.

The Hundred Acre Wood in the sky is now complete. Actor John Fiedler, longtime voice of Piglet in the Walt Disney shorts, features and numerous TV shows, has passed away – Saturday at age 80 – one day after Paul Winchell, his co-star as Tigger, died.They join Sabastian Cabot (Narrator), Sterling Holloway (Pooh), Hal Smith (Owl), Howard Morris (Gopher) and the rest of the original voice cast from the 1960s shorts.Fiedler was also well know for his many live action roles, including Mr. Peterson on The Bob Newhart Show (1972), as one of the jurors of 12 Angry Men (1957) and as “Cadet Higgins” on Tom Corbett, Space Cadet (1951). His final work will be heard in two forthcoming Disney direct-to-video movies, Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween and Kronk’s New Groove.

Jaime J. Weinman has a nice new entry on his Something Old, Nothing New blog spotlighting the cartooning traits of various Warner Bros. animators. If you ever wanted to detect the differences in the work of Virgil Ross, Ken Harris, Manny Gould and Rod Scribner head over to Jaime’s right now!

Thee isn’t much one can say about the passing of voice actor, inventor and ventriloquist Paul Winchell (Tigger, Dick Dastardley, Gargamel, etc.) beyond what Mark Evanier reports – except to say he will be greatly missed. I grew up with “Winch” myself as a regular viewer of Winchell Mahoney Time on WNEW (Channel 5) in New York, and his ubiquitous presence on television in the 1960s and 70s. I was certainly a fan of his work. A great entertainer, a great man. Rest in peace.

DASTARDLEY AND MUTTLEY IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES and THE PERILS OF PENELOPE PITSTOP contained the work of some of the greatest talents in animation. In addition to stories by Michael Maltese, direction by Charles Nichols and designs by Iwao Takamoto, the voice casts were loaded with our favorites – Paul Winchell (Dastardley), Janet Waldo (Penelope), Don Messick (Muttley), and Mel Blanc (as various recurring gangsters).Today’s Question was: On The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop what part did voice actor Gary Owens enact in each episode? The answer was “the narrator”.Our winners today recieved either the DASTARDLEY dvd set (1st place winner Ben Radcliffe) or the PITSTOP complete dvd collection (2nd Place champ Mark Ayala).Thanks to everyone who entered our contests the past few days. Stay tuned, more cartoon competitions to come!

In today’s contest, the first two readers that correctly answered the question below won a prize. The First Prize was the brand new PERILS OF PENELOPE PITSTOP complete 17 episode collection. Second place winner recieved TOP CAT (The Complete Series).TODAY’S QUESTION: In The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop, sweet Penelope is pursued by Sylvester Sneekly (aka “The Hooded Claw”). Who was the voice of “The Hooded Claw”? The answer was: Paul Lynde. Our first place winner was Bryan Brown of Aberdeen, North Carolina. Second Place was won by Shane Amerman of Hagerstown, Maryland!

This past Monday was the one-year anniversary of CartoonRetro.com, an incredible source of daily visual inspiration that never fails to impress and inspire me. In my humble estimation, it’s the only website worth paying a monthly subscription fee for; there is quite simply nothing else like it. The reason the site works is because of its founder — Shane Glines — who is passionate not only about rediscovering great cartoonists and illustrators of the 20th century, but in studying their techniques and applying it to his own work. Shane took an incredible risk last year when he left a successful career in TV animation, and dedicated himself completely to Cartoon Retro. He wrote on his site recently about his life in the past year, and discussed both the struggles and rewards of freeing one’s self from the system:

It’s been over a year since I accepted any paying work. 100% of my income has come from subscriptions and original art sales. This hasn’t been easy. I’ve supplemented the money from subscriptions with original art sales, but I’ve flooded the market and now can hardly give the drawings away. I’ve turned down some incredible job offers, not an easy thing to do when that 72 hour eviction notice appears on the door.

I’m not complaining, though, and I don’t have any regrets. My drawings have improved drastically over this past year, and while I still have many highs and lows the highs are more consistent, and my satisfaction with my work is now to the point where I can actually look at a finished piece and be somewhat pleased with the result rather than only seeing where I failed. I really feel like I’m finally learning to draw, rather than relying on happy accidents, and I don’t think it would’ve happened if I continued to work on material that I had no emotional investment in. I needed to be able to fully concentrate on my own ideas, make my own mistakes and find the right direction for my work. Cartoonretro has given me that opportunity, and I owe you all a big thanks for supporting the site.

The first two readers to correctly answer the question below will win a prize. The First Prize is the brand new DASTARDLEY & MUTTLEY AND THEIR FLYING MACHINES complete 17 episode collection. Second place winner will recieve THE FLINTSTONES (The Complete Second Season).TODAY’S QUESTION: Paul Winchell was the voice of Dick Dastardley… Who was the voice of Muttley?The answer is Don Messick. Today’s winners were Rob Buttery of Lansing, Michigan (1st place) and Dan Blank of Los Angeles, California (2nd place).Winners are disqualified from entering the contest on Friday and Saturday – so join us again tomorrow around 9am for another chance to win one of these Hanna-Barbera video collections.

LE BUILDING is a minute-and-a-half film that was used as an opening for the 2005 Annecy International Animated Film Festival. The film was made by five students at the Paris animation school Gobelins. I’m constantly amazed at the quality of student work coming out of this French school. Their work is probably the slickest and most technically proficient of any animation school I’ve ever seen. And it’s hard to believe that the 2D medium is dead or in any danger of extinction, when students are capable of producing hand-drawn animation of this caliber. Check it out HERE!
(Thanks to Ted Pratt for the link)

UPDATE: Both Tom Neely and Andy Janes wrote in to give this LINK for a ‘making of’ video of LE BUILDING. I don’t have a fast net connection at the moment so I can’t speak of its contents. I initially recognized the CG elements in the film’s backgrounds and props, but did not realize that any of the character animation might have been done with a computer. But Ward Jenkins says that the pizza boy was entirely animated in CG, and upon closer observation, that definitely seems to be case. All I can say is WOW!

Who wants to win a Hanna-Barbera dvd set?Once again, starting tomorrow at nine a.m. (unless we oversleep) we will post a brain twisting cartoon trivia question – the first two correct answers will win a prize.You can win one of the new DASTARDLEY AND MUTTLEY or PENELOPE PITSTOP complete series collections… so join us each day, for the next three days, at 9am Pacific (12 noon Eastern).

I love seeing publicity photos and behind the scenes images from classic cartoons. Ernesto Pfluger sent me two pages from a Spanish magazine – Lecturas from 1935 – featuring several images of directors Hugh Harman, Rudolph Ising and composer Scott Bradley posing with MGM contract starlet Cecilia Parker (from the Andy Hardy films) and cartoon star Bosko (before his miraculous transformation into a little human boy). I’ve added these to my Cartoon Research MGM Pages.

Tod Polson, co-director of the recent indie animated short THE PUMPKIN OF NYEFAR, lets us know about some interesting forthcoming projects that are related to legendary layout artist Maurice Noble (1910-2001). Tod worked closely with Maurice in the ’90s, and he was one of the original “Noble Boys,” the hand-picked group of artists that Noble trained as layout artists and designers. Tod writes:

The Noble Boys are working on a Maurice layout and design textbook, based on Maurice’s notes, as well as the lessons he gave us. He had started the book before he passed on… and asked me to see it through. The folio of his personal prints is something we would like to put together… and if there is enough interest, we will. Probably self publishing through Noble Tales.

A couple of Maurice’s prints are included in this post. If you’d be interested in purchasing a book of these prints, send an email with a simple ‘Yes, I’d be interested,’ note to “todpolson (at) lycos (dot) com”. There’s no obligation to purchase anything, but Tod is trying to gain a sense of whether there is enough interest within the animation community to go forward with a book of these prints. The profits would be put back into more Noble Tales animated film projects. He can definitely sign me up for a copy.

I’m glad the classic Looney Tunes will be broadcast somewhere in the world… they certainly aren’t being shown in the U.S. anymore.

“Toddlers play with a statue of cartoon character Bugs Bunny at a children’s park in central Philippines. Bugs Bunny and friends are going Chinese under a deal unveiled by Warner Brothers…

LINK