Wonderful World of Gnomes

 

I've started a new section that will be all about gnomes. I've had some requests to add these little characters and, since I have some gnomes in my butterfly garden, I thought it might be kind of fun.

You can see the link above just under the banner, but here it is as well. Gnome World.

Gnomes are said to be magical creatures that can be playful as well as mischievous. They bring good luck.

As I mentioned, I have some in my butterfly garden. I put them there because they look kinda cool hiding between the plants. Now I find they bring luck and protect your yard. C'mon little creatures. 

Now I want you to keep in mind that this blog is meant to be funny and entertaining. Gnomes are myths. Anything I say about them is fake. Or is it? My point being I know there will be those commenting and saying "That's not true!" 

I have a blog that brings you fake facts about coffee. I may just start a blog bringing you fake facts about gnomes if I find this is popular. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Scooby-Doo

 Anyone out there who doesn't know Scooby-Doo? I doubt it.

It was one of my grandson's favorite cartoons when he was a young tyke, and it still is today at age 20.

This was, and is, a fun cartoon. With new mysteries every episode, there was always new excitement. You knew there would be a reasonable explanation behind all the scary happenings but finding out what it was is what made the show fun.

It's funny that, even though he pronounces most words like they start with an "R", we can understand what he's saying. The writers keep his talking down to three or four words so we don't get lost.

I always considered Freddie to be a little on the pompous side and Daphne to be somewhat hot (am I allowed to say that? :-)), but her eyes always seemed a little messed up to me.

Velma was the smart one and I liked her character. I thought she was definitely the one they needed to solve these mysteries, for the most part.

As to Shaggy, what can you say? He didn't take a whole lot too seriously but, even though he was always scared, he did his job. Just like Scooby. They were the who kept you laughing. 

TV executive Fred Silverman said Abbott and Costello were an inspiration for the series. He thought a cartoon series with haunted houses and ghosts and monsters would be a hit and Scooby Doo and Shaggy would be their Abbott and Costello. 

Makes sense but to me both of them are more in the character of Costello as neither is really the straight man. At least to me.

By the way, Scooby Doo was the first Saturday morning cartoon with a laugh track. They wanted kids to know when to laugh.

The original working title for the Scooby-Doo series was "Mystery Five." However, it was changed to "Who's S-S-Scared?" before finally settling on "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?"

Picture = Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4539988

New Name - Coffee Break Funnies

 Coffee Break Funnies is still tudeanimation.com, but the name on the header has changed.

Why?

First off, I've had some people contact me and say they love reading my blog while having their morning coffee or taking a coffee break. So I was like . . .  Cool!

I'll change the name to Coffee Break Funnies. :-) 

I'll still be bringing you some public domain comics, and my own comics I create as well as cartoon animations. I just thought this was kinda cool. Many times I work on this blog while enjoying a cup of coffee. 

And there's another reason.

It's said there are over 1 billion coffee drinkers worldwide. 1 Billion! So I'm looking for at least 1 million readers. Maybe even . . . . OK.

This blog is on the lighthearted side. So is anything I say. But still?

By the way, there will be plenty of posts giving you FAKE facts about coffee. Even though I'll warn you when the facts are fake, I'm sure I'll be getting fact checked. 

I mean, this is a cartoon site.

More Army Funnies

 

Having spent eight weeks in basic training and eight weeks in advanced infantry training way back in the late 60's, I can assure you this woman has nothing to worry about.

Mouthing off to a drill sergeant would get you KP or pushups or more. I remember one day we were going to chow and there was a soldier with his arms wrapped around a tree saying "I love you tree. I'll never disrespect you again." 

Turns out he had chosen the wrong time to pee on a tree. 😂

Popeye the Sailor Man

 

So we discussed Beetle Bailey in the last post. Time to take a look at the most famous sailor in the world . . . POPEYE.

Image By King Features Syndicate - https://www.pinclipart.com/downpngs/ihihobR_popeye-popeye-12-png-popeye-the-sailor-man/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65303730

Popeye actually first appeared in the comic strip "Thimble Theatre" back in January of 1929. The strip was in it's tenth year and Popeye quickly became the focus piece.

He wasn't the spinach eating Popeye we all know at that time, but he became pretty famous and well liked. Listen, I might be old but I'm not old enough to remember these comic strips. 😂

I wonder how many kids tried spinach because of Popeye. I still have a fuzzy recollection of trying it myself to see if I could get that strong, but it tasted horrible! 

One of my favorite movies of all time is Popeye, starring Robin Williams. I watch it occasionally and love the songs in it. I wish it would have caught on so a sequel could have been made.

Popeye continues to be popular with kids nowadays.

Beetle Bailey

 

Two of my favorite cartoon characters when I was growing up were Beetle Bailey and Popeye. I have shirts with each of them on it and really wish I could legally add these characters to my funny mug store.

I was in the army from 1966 - 1969 and spent 2 years in Vietnam. Beetle was popular among many of us for obvious reasons. In basic training, when I was assigned duties of washing dishes or peeling potatoes, I would think of Beetle.

Beetle was always lazy and would avoid work whenever possible. Sgt. Snorkel would be frustrated with him and was always on his case. It kind of reminded me of Gomer Pyle and Sgt. Carter.

By Beetle Bailey comic strip, saved as png file from a 21 November 2007 daily strip posted at Seattle Post-Intelligencer website (seattlepi.com)., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14372036

Beetle Bailey's love life is just as entertaining as his military escapades. He's known for his crush on Miss Buxley, a secretary at the base. Unfortunately for Beetle, his attempts to impress her usually end in hilarious failures.

His sleeping habits were legendary. He could fall asleep anywhere and often did. 

I never really came across anyone during my time in the army that reminded me of Beetle. I guess he was unique.

Betty Boop

 

When my wife was alive, she was a big fan of Betty Boop. Most of us growing up back when found Betty Boop to be funny and sexy. I have a tin sign with her picture on it in my retro style kitchen.

Betty Boop was described in a 1934 court case as "combin[ing] in appearance the childish with the sophisticated—a large round baby face with big eyes and a nose like a button, framed in a somewhat careful coiffure, with a very small body of which perhaps the leading characteristic is the most self-confident little bust imaginable".

The original Betty Boop animations were created in black and white. I have one or two on my YouTube channel. 

She was considered a sex symbol of animations and was popular with the adult audience. She always reminded me somewhat of Mae West. I came across this comic strip of her.

by http://comics.ha.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21681496

I created a coffee mug that I thought women would appreciate. I know my wife would get a kick out of it. You can check it out here Betty Boop Coffee Mug

If you're interested in reading more about Betty Boop, you might enjoy reading The Evolution of Betty Boop.