Ralph and Bichael a few years later
Geez, Bichael's hand looks horrible in that pic!
Since I last wrote about Ralph and Bichael in this blog, something interesting happened. I few years ago, I saw an ad on TV for an AtomFilms/Comedy Central animated short contest. Or was it a general short film project? I forget. Either way, I made a super-short Ralph and Bichael cartoon, "Ralphy Panda and the Half-Baked Ditz" and submitted it. It didn't win, but it won something else called the Showdown over at AtomFilms. As a result (most of) the short aired on Atom TV, an Atomfilms showcase that airs late Tuesday nights on Comedy Central! It actually managed to air before MooBeard! Imagine that! My little indie thing I whipped out in a handful of days beats my already-completed commercial studio project to air!
Check out the short here:
This short seems to be popular enough whenever I post it anywhere. It's one of my most popular pieces on Deviantart, and on YouTube, it's inspired 7 YouTube poops... that I'm aware of. People keep responding with quotes from it, which is weird, but highly complimentary.
That said, I hear far more from people about Weird Eddie, MooBeard, and Strawberry than I ever hear about the Pandas.
Look at this DA poll: http://tvskyle.deviantart.com/journal/poll/544742/ They're dead last!
(Geez, I'm glad I started painting backgrounds. Look at that mess.)
I don't think I've ever actually pitched this show anywhere. It's hard to know where to do so. I like having it in a slightly-adult place, but not full-on Adult Swim strength stuff. Like early Simpsons. I don't have to, though, it can be a kids' show. I don't know if you're allowed to have chauvinistic characters or let anyone be a skirt-chaser anymore. You could do that as recently as Johnny Bravo, and Yakko and Wakko sure used to do it a lot without offending anyone, but you never see that now.
In fact, it seems like you see no male characters chasing girls (which used to be a cartoon mainstay) and instead effeminate characters! Don't get me wrong, I get a good laugh out of how... flouncey Flapjack can be, but I don't see any blatant displays of heterosexuality anymore. Is it allowed?
Also, I've been nervous that no network's gonna want this thing without a permanent setting. I came up with one called "Treasure Pandas" in which they're escaped zoo animals living in an apartment who go on treasure hunting expeditions for cash. You know, because no one will hire a red panda.
Although, come to think of it, I could do a lot worse than to leave them in that Hogwarts-like school. It's possible that that's the missing element that gets people interested in the short moreso than when I usually talk about these guys.
The third panda's Ralph's cousin Arnie, by the way.
So, thoughts anyone?
posted by TV's Kyle at
8:36 PM
9 Comments:
I miss when Cartoons were funny. You have some pretty funny stuff there Kyle. Please consider me a fan!
I think it would be a good idea to maybe put them in a variety of settings. Even the "Loony Tunes" had no set setting... They went everywhere. That should be your model for these guys. I mean, they seem crazy enough.
I think more people are aware of "Moobeard" and "Weird Eddie" because you're more active with them, currently, on your Deviantart account..
No one talks about "Clare's Stupid Life" either..
Anyway, Good luck with them!
9:56 PM
Think I have to say let these guys be in an anything goes environment. One thing I plan with Ozzie and BD is that they're always in a large animal city, working in boring jobs and stuff, but at any time they can go on some stupid adventure in Alaska or Bill Gate's office.
If you're looking for a network that want's mature cartoons but doesn't want mature cartoons at the same time, I think whatever network had the Goode Family one might do it. Fox has to be raunchy now but there are a few other networks who'd like mature animated stuff...just figure it's harder to pitch if you havn't had a show already produced. Somehow how though this being on Comedy Central seemed to fit well.
When it comes to adult swim, I think about what the Charlie the Unicorn guy was told to do. Make it crazyier, and in the end he pitched killing everything in the cartoon...then again COULD Charlie the Unicorn hold up a 10 episode show?...think Superjail barely did it but they worked their asses off to make it look kick ass. Charlie would never look as good.
As for girl chasing that is an interesting point, but with all these effeminate characters out there (and ones of past) none of them ever came out. Only when it was an adult show could homosexuals come out openly, then they were either strait the next episode or the issue is forgotten and locked back in the closet until they feel like shocking people. It's never the main character either, it's always some side character thrown in to make the plot seem like a moral message of tolerance.
Partly I think the loss of the girl chasing happened when sexy girls weren't allowed to be on TV anymore. They have to have small boobs, no curves, no pretty lips, and be plain as Jane. People started drawing girls as ugly as they draw men, or slightly more prettier then the way they draw men. There hasn't been a pretty girl worth chasing in a long while in my opinion.
11:39 PM
I don't really know what to tell you. To me if anything the idea kinda reminds me of Pepe le Pew cartoons.
Oh and the reasons cartoon characters aren't allowed to do this anymore is because and bunch of feminists complained to cartoon network saying that Johnney Bravo was teaching boys to be sexist. Their answer was no, because no boy eould waant to be Johnny Bravo because he never gets the girl. But the feminists didn't listen and won in the end.
4:24 AM
It might be worth putting your dudes in a different scenario/profession each time. Similar to that Timon and Pumbaa cartoon or the Red Guy from Cow and Chicken.
6:12 AM
It just seems that from the early nineties on, the cartoon world reached a golden age and then trickled down to what we have now. I don't even watch TV anymore, its just not worth it.
Your ideas though, they scream of the inspiration and themes from that golden age of cartoons.
and we really do need some more"crazier" cartoons. I remember Animanics, despite all their silliness did have their more serious or even more weirder moments.
and I have to admit, that people should not be too afraid of the crazy. =)
8:46 AM
Looking at these drawings, I can't help but think that these guys could just fit in anywhere, even in the worlds of your other characters. It just seems so goofy. Could that work?
6:46 AM
Duuude, I LOVE reading your blog entries. Keep 'em comin'!
Personally I feel like I don't know the red pandas in the same way I know Moobeard or Frog Raccoon Strawberry. I like the guys a lot, don't get me wrong, but I just don't feel that connection. Perhaps it's because they seem to be in so many different situations I can't place them.. you know, I'm not sure. I'd have to think hard about it and I'm just not up for that at the moment.
Also, if you have any I would love to see your earliest artwork of Ralph and Bichael.
7:02 PM
The last girl chasing character I can remember is Johnny Bravo, so it's been a while. Anyway, I think these are my favorite of what you've animated, but I think I voted for Brick because I love the name so much. Anyway, I'd love to see more.
7:30 AM
Whenever I look at your work, I get this yearning feeling inside, desperately hoping some of it will one day turn into a real tv series.
The expressions on your characters are definitely what I like most about your work. They're such a pleasure to look!
I myself am working on the fulfilment of my own dream: to create a popular online game which makes me monies. If... no, WHEN I finally manage to get such a project off the ground, reaching the masses, count on me to promote whatever you have in store for us for free.
That being said, I don't think there's a heck of a lot I can do for you atm. I will keep checking out your work at the very least.
Big lurves,
Dysprosium
4:01 PM
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