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NARF--The Nifty Animaniacs Reference File

From: wakky@yakko.wtower.com (Lee Cremeans) Newsgroups: alt.tv.animaniacs Subject: NARF--The Nifty Animaniacs Reference File Date: 13 Aug 1998 00:44:53 -0400 Message-ID: <6qtr05$10v$1@yakko.wtower.com> Reply-To: lcremean@tidalwave.net (Lee Cremeans) Posted-By: auto-faq 3.3 (Perl 5.004) Archive-name: tv/animaniacs/faq Posting-Frequency: monthly (1st of the month) Maintainer: Larissa Ranbom <lari35960@aol.com>, Lee Cremeans <lcremean@tidalwave.net>, Kane Leung <ap057@lafn.org> URL: http://st-lcremean.tidalwave.net/~lee/narf.txt ========================================================================= alt.tv.animaniacs -- The NIFTY ANIMANIACS REFERENCE FILE (FAQ) (11Aug1998) ========================================================================= If you're a new reader in alt.tv.animaniacs, please read this file before asking any questions. You may find the answer right here! ============================================== 0. INGREDIENTS ============================================== 1. INTRODUCTION 2. THE REALLY, REALLY FREQUENTLY ASKED FAQ'S 3. DEAD HORSES 4. SELECTED ANIMANIACS MERCHANDISE 5. THE CAST 6. OTHER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 7. FREQUENT OBSERVATIONS 8. FREQUENTLY REQUESTED LYRICS 9. FREQUENTLY DISPUTED LYRICS 10. TRANSLATION DEPT 11. NEWSGROUP TERMINOLOGY 12. WHERE TO WRITE 13. RELATED FILES, LISTS, AND OTHER COMPENDIA 14. WARNERS VS. TWO-TONES & OTHER TTA STUFF 15. RELATED NEWSGROUPS 16. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ============================================== 1. INTRODUCTION ============================================== Alt.tv.animaniacs is a medium to low-volume newsgroup which is intended to house discussion of the cartoon series "Animaniacs". "Animaniacs" is a cartoon from Steven Spielberg/Amblin Entertainment, and Warner Bros. -- the same group that brought you "Tiny Toon Adventures". Many of the people that worked on TTA (Sherri Stoner, Tom Ruegger, Tress MacNeille, etc.) are working on Animaniacs. Animaniacs first aired on Monday, 13 September 1993 on Fox in what used to be the Tiny Toon Adventures time-slot. Fox Television aired the first season of 65 episodes and the second "season" of 4 extra episodes on its affiliates from 1993-1995. Animaniacs now airs on the WB, a rather new and not-universally-received network whose only good programs are animated (have you ever _watched_ them??). A! just finished its 5th and final season. As with any other newsgroup, there are several questions that come up repeatedly. This document attempts to provide authoritative answers to some of these FAQ's. This file was originated by Will Bell, and is currently being maintained by WakkyMouse (lcremean@tidalwave.net), the Narfcake (ap057@lafn.org), and/or Larissa (lari35960@aol.com). If you have questions, complaints, or are just really confused, tell ... er, one of us. We'll try to help. When we picked this up it was really, really dusty. And we're still cleaning it out. Feel free to make suggestions, suggest additions, additional information, or what have you. ============================================== 2. THE REALLY, REALLY FREQUENTLY ASKED FAQ'S ============================================== Q. SAY IT AIN'T SO! A! WAS CANCELLED?!!!?!?!?!?! A. When Kids WB announced its 1998-1999 schedule on January 12, no new A! was on the schedule. One more episode is slated to air in the fall (A099, a retrospective on the series as I understand), then the direct-to-video movie ("Wakko's Wakko Wish") later this year...then A! will be in reruns indefinitely, on weekdays only, in a morning time slot (but see below). WB says it isn't cancelled, but usually ceasing production implies that...so the answer, I guess, is both yes and no. If you want more A! past 1998, you may want to check out Louie Gonsalves's SAVE ANIMANIACS page at http://www.gfherald.infi.net/~gonzol/animaniacs. There are rumors floating about that the movie may indeed be released theatrically. Also, Cartoon Network will be running the first 50 episodes of A! starting this fall, with the rest slated to come in 2000. Q. Okkay, then what about Pinky and the Brain? A. It's been renewed, but the format is changing. In the new eps, ACME Labs is gone, and the mice are spending their days at---Elmyra's house (Elmyra, for those who don't know, is a character from Tiny Toons. She enjoys imprisoning animals and hugging and squeezing them to itty-bitty pieces.) Opinions are mixed on this...some say it may work, others say it'll be horrid, and some of the people who've worked on it say it's hilarious. We'll see... Q. Do you have the schedules for next season? Yes...here they are, in their entirety (as displayed on Keeper's site): Weekdays: 7:00 a.m. -- Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures 7:30 a.m. -- Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs 3:00 p.m. -- Warner Bros.' Histeria! 3:30 p.m. -- Steven Spielberg Presents Pinky & The Brain 4:00 p.m. -- Batman 4:30 p.m. -- Superman Weekend block: 8:00 a.m. -- Warner Bros.' Histeria! 8:30 a.m. -- Steven Spielberg Presents the Further Adventures of Pinky & The Brain 9:00 a.m. -- BatmanBeyond (formerly Batman Tomorrow) 9:30 a.m. -- Men in Black 10:00 a.m. -- Batman 10:30 a.m. -- Superman 11:00 a.m. -- BRATS of the Dark Nebula 11:30 a.m. -- The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Q. Where's the FELs for this season? A. Contacts at Warners will not release the information, using the argument that a schedule (2 weeks in advance) is being posted on The WB's area on AOL. Brian Cruz makes them available at http://pages.nyu.edu/~bpc200/fels.html Q. Animaniacs isn't being shown on Fox anymore?! A. This is old news, but it doesn't hurt to know. A! moved to WB in the fall of 1995. It runs on weekdays and Saturdays now, and it will only run on weekdays next season. Q. Where's the schedule for this season? A. It goes like this: (times may vary, check your local affiliate.) Weekend schedule: (started 8 December) 8:00 AM -- Pinky and the Brain 8:30 AM -- Superman 9:00 AM -- Men in Black: The Series 9:30 AM -- Batman/Superman Adventures 10:30 AM -- Pinky and the Brain 11:00 AM -- Animaniacs 11:30 AM -- Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries Monday thru Thursday schedule: (started 8 December) 7:00 AM -- Tiny Toon Adventures 7:30 AM -- Captain Planet (SPEEEEEEW!) 3:00 PM -- Bugs 'n' Daffy 3:30 PM -- Animaniacs 4:00 PM -- Pinky and the Brain 4:30 PM -- Batman/Superman Friday schedule: (started 8 December) 7:00 AM -- Channel Umptee-3 7:30 AM -- Captain Planet (SPEEEEEEW!) 3:00 PM -- Animaniacs 3:30 PM -- Pinky and the Brain 4:00 PM -- Batman/Superman 4:30 PM -- Men in Black: The Series Brian Cruz also has this posted on his FEL page at http://pages.nyu.edu/~bpc200/fels.html Q. I don't get The WB, what can I do? A. Only about 80% of the country has a local affiliate of the WB. Lesser locales can get The WB's programming on the cable superstation WGN. (Or you can get Dish Network which carries 3 WB channels, which leaves no excuse for missing it.) The weekday schedule goes as follows (all times Eastern, please adjust for your timezone.) 8:00 AM -- M-Th: Tiny Toon Adventures F: Channel Umptee-3 8:30 AM -- M-F: Captain Planet (BARF! RETCH!) 9:00 AM -- M-Th: Bugs 'n' Daffy F: Animaniacs 9:30 AM -- M-Th: Animaniacs F: Pinky and the Brain 10:00 AM -- M-Th: Pinky and the Brain F: Superman/Batman 10:30 AM -- M-Th:Superman/Batman F: Men in Black: The Series Weekend schedule goes as follows (Sunday morning, Eastern times, adjust for your timezone.) 9:00 AM -- Pinky and the Brain 9:30 AM -- Superman 10:00 AM -- Men in Black: The Series 10:30 AM -- Batman/Superman Adventures 11:30 AM -- Pinky and the Brain 12:00 AM -- Animaniacs 12:30 AM -- Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries Q. What's all this about Freakazoid being cancelled? I loooove that show!! A. The ratings weren't apparently as high as WB would like, due to their boneheaded "Big Kids Go First" schedule. So this Emmy-winning program has been cut from the WB schedule, giving all of us the last shred of evidence that we needed to prove that the WB Television Network is only slightly less evolved than pond scum, and WBA should be revered as the near-end product of evolution. Currently, the Cartoon Network is airing the show, on weeknights at 7 pm ET. Q. I just watched ED WOOD or "The Critic" and I just know I heard Brain's voice! A. Yes you did. Brain's voice is a parody of Orson Welles done by Maurice LaMarche, who also does voices for "The Critic". For ED WOOD, Mo's voice was dubbed in. Someone else played the part of Orson in the movie. Q. The line "While Bill Clinton plays the sax" has been changed! I can't figure out what they're saying now! A. For episodes 66-69, the line is "We've got wisecracks by the stacks". The bit of animation replacing Bill has been taken from a song break in "Taming of the Screwy". For episodes 70 on, the line is "We pay tons of income tax", and has new animation. As well, the lines "Meet Pinky and the Brain who want to rule the universe" are replaced by "Meet Ralph and Dr. Scratchansniff, say 'Hi' to Hello Nurse". Q. What's the name of the kid who tells the funny stories about pillows and marshmallows and ... ? A. The kid's name is Colin. The stories he tells are about his friend Randy Beaman, so sometimes he is listed in the credits as "Randy Beaman's Pal". Other times he's listed as "Colin". Q. I've got to get some of this great Animaniacs gear, but there is no Warner Bros. Studio Store near me! What can I do? A. All WBSSs will take orders over the phone and ship direct to you for a modest fee. Call the WB Catalog at 1-800-223-6524 and ask them the number for the store nearest you. Keep in mind that the WBSS's only carry a small variety of PatB stuff now, and virtually nothing A! ... so look at all sorts of local stores. Keep your eyes open, and you'll probably find A! stuff in the darndest places. Q. Does someone have a list of ...? A. YES. Virtually anything related to this show that is listable has already been listed. Keep reading. Q. Does someone have the lyrics to the theme song? Does someone have the lyrics to ZYX song in episode Q? A. YES. You want the Animaniacs Mega Lyrics File (AMLF). Check the site mentioned later in this document. Q. Can someone mail me the Purity Test / Drinking Game / whatever? A. There are at least 3 sites archiving stuff from this newsgroup. One or more of them is bound to have what you want. Q. I just saw an episode with that Jerry-Lewis-like person and I can't figure out what the heck is a "Freunleven" ? A. Freunleven (spelling confirmed by "Mr. Director" himself, Paul Rugg) has no meaning in German, Yiddish, Lewisian, Martian, or any other known language. It's just a parody in broad terms of what Lewis sounds like in his gibbering bits. Rather like using "pastafazool!" to indicate Italian. Or, to quote Rob Paulsen, "It's just a nutty word." ============================================== 3. DEAD HORSES ============================================== Please, please refrain from discussion of the following topics. They have been well-beaten into the ground over and over. You will definitely, definitely, not endear yourself to your fellow posters if you discuss the following Dead Horse topics. Unless they've started it, but still... there's a difference between boredom and naivete. 1. "What are they?" The Warners' species is unknown. That's the point. It's a joke, get it? Discussing what they are is pointless. All we know about them, is they're CUTE!! 2. "Pay-for-play" It has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that the wording is "pay-or-play". If you choose to believe otherwise then you are simply obstinate. See "Frequently disputed lyrics" section later in this document. ============================================== 4. SELECTED ANIMANIACS MERCHANDISE ============================================== VIDEOS: Each Animaniacs video contains about 50 minutes of video and zero commercials! As an added bonus, the box is made from 30% recyled fibre. Catalog numbers are listed in the square brackets. Animaniacs Stew [13539]: Slappy Goes Walnuts / Operation Lollipop / Sir Yaksalot / In the Garden of Mindy / Baghdad Cafe / Yes, Always Helloooo, Holidays! [13543]: 'Twas the Day Before Christmas / Jingle Boo / Yakko's Universe / Little Drummer Warners / A Gift of Gold / A Christmas Plotz / The Great Wakkorotti: Jingle Bells / Nighty-Night Toon The Warners Escape [13540]: De-Zanitized / Temporary Insanity / Hello Nice Warners / Video Review Yakko's World [13541]: I'm Cute / Schnitzelbank / Make a Gookie / Our First Day of School / Wakko's America / H.M.S. Yakko / Yakko's World / I'm Mad / Animaniacs / I'm So Sad We've No More Time Together You WILL Buy This Video: [13542]: Puppet Rulers / Win Big / Battle for the Planet / Meet John Brain / Bubba Bo Bob Brain Mostly In Toon: The Senses / What Are We? / The Planets Song / A Quake, A Quake! / Be Careful What You Eat / The Presidents Song / All the Words in the English Language / The Tiger Prince / The Panama Canal / The Ballad of Magellan / Hello, Nurse / The Big Wrap Party Tonight Spooky Stuff: Draculee, Draculaa / Phranken-Runt / Scare Happy Slappy / Meatballs Or Consequences / Witch One / Hot, Bothered and Bedevilled There is a different set of videos in the UK, which is in the PAL format: (Not suitable for North America consumption) Vol 1: Ups and Downs / Critical Condition / Wally Llama / SpellBound Vol 2: Drive-Insane / Cat on a Hot Steel Beam / With Three You Get Eggroll / Jockey For Position / Woodstock Slappy Vol 3: Hooked on a Ceiling / The Big Kiss / Mezozoic Mindy / The Flame / Chicken Boo-Ryshnikov / Nothing But The Tooth Vol 4: Cookies for Einstein / Hiccup / The World Can Wait / Wild Blue Yonder / Hurray For Slappy / The Three Muska-Warners Vol 5: Draculee, Draculaa / Phranken-Runt / Scare Happy Slappy / Brain Meets Brawn / Hot, Bothered, and Bedeviled Vol 6: Chairman of the Bored / Ta Da Dump / Smell Ya Later / Lookit the Fuzzy Heads / Where Rodents Dare Pinky and the Brain World Domination Workout Video: Das Mouse / Of Mouse and Man WARNER BROS. CATALOG: To order the Warner Bros. Merchandise Catalog, write to: Warner Bros. Catalog / PO Box 60048 / Tampa, FL 33660-0048. You can also call 1-800-223-6524. It even works in Canada! ANIWEAR: Animaniacs cloth material is out now, in a number of patterns. Now you can do more than eat, sleep and breathe Animaniacs. Of course, you may not be able to find it... SHIRTS: The SLAPPY duly notes and nitpicks just about all the shirts that have ever been made between 1993 and present, including ones that you prolly haven't even seen. It's available for your perusal at http://www.fuzzy.com/slappy/index.html MUSIC: Rhino Records has three Animaniacs albums on CD and tape. If you don't see it in your local store (it is available at many stores in North America) it can be ordered by calling Rhino directly: 1-800-432-0020 toll-free inside continental USA or 1-310-474-4778 for customer service or foreign orders. The wired set may prefer a more digital method. Try telnet to one of cdconnection.com or cdeurope.com. I've also been able to find these on the Web at amazon.com and CDNOW.com, I haven't checked Borders or Music Boulevard yet. Catalog Numbers: R2 71570 - Not-so Limited edition "blister" pack Soundtrack CD with temporary tattoos R4 71570 - " Pseudo-Rare "blister" pack Cassette R2 71571 - " Regular CD, nothing special R4 71571 - " Cassette R2 71762 - Yakko's World on CD (blister) R2 71763 - " Regular version R4 71763 - " Cassette R2 72180 - Animaniacs Variety Pack CD, regular or blister R4 72180 - " Cassette R2 72636 - Bubba Bo Bob Brain CD R4 72636 - " Cassette R2 72646 - Animaniacs Hip-Hopera Christmas CD, regular or blister R4 72646 - " Cassette Your local music store should be able to place a special order with this information if you don't want to order by phone. The complete lyrics to the songs on the album are included with both the CD and cassette. The CD has some things that the tape doesn't, notably a Dot model sheet printed on the CD itself and some come with a sheet of temporary tattoos! Fun for the whole family, but why share? :-) The first album (titled simply "Animaniacs") contains: Animaniacs * Yakko's Universe * Schnitzelbank * What Are We? Yes, Brothers Warner We * Yakko's World * Wakko's America Video Revue * I Am The Very Model of a Cartoon Individual * I'm Mad * The Planets * The Etiquette Song * I'm Cute * The Senses * Be Careful What You Eat * Let The Anvils Ring * Animaniacs (instrumental) There have been complaints about low signal level. It is slightly lower than most other albums, but not significant at all. The second album ("Yakko's World") contains: Travelling Animaniacs * A Quake! A Quake! * Yakko's World * The Hello Song * Lake Titicaca * The Ballad of Magellan * Several Drops of Rain * Wakko's America * U.N. Me * Yakko's Universe * I'll Take An Island * The Panama Canal * There's Only One of You (Note that some of these songs have not yet been seen!) The third album ("Animaniacs Variety Pack") contains: Variety Speak * The Monkey Song * All the Words in the English Language (Part 1) * Pinky & the Brain * Cheese Roll Call * Multiplication * Dot's Song * Dot's Quiet Time * All the Words in the English Language (Part 2) * Slappy Squirrel Theme * Wakko's Two Note Song * The Presidents * The Anvil Song * At the Big Wrap Party Tonight * All the Words in the English Language (Part 3) * The Goodbye Song The "Faboo" Collection is merely albums 1 and 3 in a rather nice cardboard case. Bubba Bo Bob Brain is essentially a read-along storybook, and contains 2 short songs - "Bubba Bo Bob Brain" and "A Lab Mouse Will Take Over the World". Narrated by Dixie Carter. OTHER STUFF: Narfcake also "maintains" an extensive list of Animaniacs merchandise - email ap057@lafn.org for more details. ============================================== 5. THE CAST ============================================== The important characters in Animaniacs are visible in the overhead shot in the credits where they are arranged in a semi-circular formation: (from left to right) Back Row: Chicken Boo, Ralph (Guard), Minerva Mink, Newt (dog) 3rd Row: Hello Nurse, Bobby, Squit, Pesto, Marita, Flavio, Mime 2nd Row: Thadius Plotz (CEO), Runt, Rita, Skippy, Pinky, Slappy Squirrel, The Brain, Buttons, Mindy, Dr. Otto Scratchansniff Front Row: Yakko, Wakko, Dot Character Voice [Parody] ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Warners: Yakko Warner Rob Paulsen (T) Wakko Warner Jess Harnell Ringo Starr Dot Warner Tress MacNeille (T) The Goodfeathers: Bobby John Mariano Robert DeNiro Pesto Chuck Vennera Joe Pesci Squit Maurice LaMarche (T) Ray Liotta Common Pairs: Dr. Otto Rob Paulsen Scratchansniff Hello Nurse Tress MacNeille (T) Slappy Squirrel Sherri Stoner (*) Skippy Nathan Ruegger (T) Pinky Rob Paulsen (T) Eddie Fitzgerald The Brain Maurice LaMarche (T) Orson Welles Rita Bernadette Peters Runt Frank Welker (T) Dustin Hoffman in _Rain Man_ Mindy Nancy Cartwright Buttons Frank Welker (T) Flavio Frank Welker (T) Ray McLeod (singing) Marita Tress MacNeille (T) Wendy Knudsen (singing) Minerva Mink Julie Brown (T) Newt Arte Johnson Others: Chicken Boo Frank Welker (T) Colin Colin Wells (Randy Beaman's Friend) Thaddeus Plotz Frank Welker (T) (CEO) Albert Einstein Paul Rugg (*) Mr. Director Paul Rugg (*) Jerry Lewis Narrator Jim Cummings (T) Narrator Tom Bodett (T) - Formerly worked in Tiny Toon Adventures (*) - Animaniacs staffer ============================================== 6. OTHER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ============================================== Q. Is there going to be an Animaniacs feature film? A. The rumors that a feature film was being developed were somewhat true, in that production had entered the early stages, but the project was abandoned. As fallout from this project, we got the short "Variety Speak" (and, to some extent, _Hooray for North Hollywood_). A full-length direct-to-video movie, titled "Wakko's Wakko Wish", is now in the works, due late 1998, but there are rumors floating about (spurred on by the ad on the new direct-to-video "Dennis the Menace" movie tape) that it *will* be released as a feature. Q. Where's the script for `Les Miserables'? A. `Les Miseranimals' appears to have generated some interest in the original play. You can get more info on this at ftp.std.com in the dir /archives/RAT-archive. Q. What language is the theme song in when it's not English? A. French. See the AMLF. Q. I think the AMLF is wrong; the closed captioning said ZYX instead of XYZ? (Or: the closed-captioning said "Pay-For-Play"?!) A. Closed captioning is frequently wrong because those words are typed in by someone who listens to the tape. They do not come from a script, or any authoritative source. Q. What's the name of Wakko's gizmo? A. Wakko called it something like the Wakkoginified Transgobulator, although nobody is completely sure. Q. What is Dot's full name? A. Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fana Bo Besca The Third. Q. But, according to Shirley Lee's song *The Name Game*, it should be "Fo Fesca!" A. Yes, it should be, but it isn't. The foil stickers in the card set do that too... but they are WRONG!! They even have some misattributed quotes on them, so don't trust it as Gospel, okkay? Q. What countries does Yakko miss in `The Countries of the World' song? A. Rather a lot, actually. A few un-countries are mentioned too. Ask David "Plato" Green (or better yet, don't) for the corrected version. Q. Who are the two flipped writers in the opening credits? A. Shakespeare is on the right, not Paul Dini. The person on the left is unknown, probably a generic writer-type. Many people have suggested that the person on the left is Sherri Stoner, but it is not. For further evidence, compare with the Sherri Stoner GIF. ftp://rasputin.fuzzy.com/animaniacs/info/Voice_Actors/sherrist.jpg Q. What does "Animaniacs" abbreviate to? A. There was tons o' discussion of this early in the newsgroup's life. No consensus was reached, though "A!" and "ANIMX" were popular. ============================================== 7. FREQUENT OBSERVATIONS ============================================== A few "hidden" things are frequently noticed. 1. In "Garage Sale of the Century" there's a number of non-Animaniacs characters in the brief mob scene. 2. The "Wheel of Morality" is broken, much as Yakko suspected. After being spun, it will spin to a random location when you're not looking. This is because animation is reused liberally in the Wheel of Morality bits. 3. Kathryn Page is, as listed in the credits, an assistant to the producer. Each episode (episodes 1-69), there is a joke credit listed. Look carefully and you might see something like: Scared of Internet ---------------- Kathryn Page In episodes 70 and beyond, the Kathryn Page gag credit is replaced by a different sort of gag credit, which says things like "You can't get all the jokes--we didn't!" or ".surlaw eht saw okkaY --- surlaw eht t'nsaw luaP" In the Pinky and the Brain show, the gag credit is a word of the sort that they wouldn't even put on tests because they tend to be long and obscure and polysyllabic. Luckily, they include the definition. Brian (acmelabs1@aol.com) has a complete list, at http://members.aol.com/acmelabs1/index.html. This is probably (no, it *is*)the best page out there for PatB in general, BTW. And while I'm at it, the gag quotes in Freakazoid! are almost all related to the mysterious Emmitt Nervend, usually a "Find Emmitt Nervend..." and an Emmitt Nervend gag credit similar to the Kathryn Page credits. Although I think that that's changed in recent episodes. ============================================== 8. FREQUENTLY REQUESTED LYRICS ============================================== Virtually every lyric ever sung in the show has been listed in the Animaniacs Mega Lyrics File (AMLF). See below for an WWW site. Because the lyrics of the theme song are so frequently requested, they appear below. These are taken from the lyrics included with the Animaniacs album (except for new material in parens). If you disagree with them, tough. Stop reading the closed captioning. "Animaniacs" It's time for An-i-man-i-acs And we're zany to the max So just sit back and relax You'll laugh till you collapse We're An-i-man-i-acs! Come join the Warner brothers And the Warner sister Dot Just for fun we run around the Warner movie lot They lock us in the tower whenever we get caught But we break loose... And then vamoose... And now you know the plot! We're An-i-man-i-acs Dot is cute and Yakko yaks Wakko packs away the snacks (While Bill Clinton plays the sax) (shows 1-64**) (We've got wisecracks by the stacks) (shows 66-69) (We pay tons of income tax) (shows 70+) We're An-i-man-i-acs! (Meet Pinky and the Brain, who want to rule the universe) (shows 1-69, 75***) (Meet Ralph and Dr. Scratchansniff, say 'Hi' to Hello Nurse) (shows 70-74, 76+) Goodfeathers flock together, Slappy whacks 'em with her purse Buttons chases Mindy, while Rita sings a verse The writers flipped, we have no script, why bother to rehearse? We're An-i-man-i-acs We have pay or play(+) contracts We're zany to the max There's baloney in our slacks We're An-i-man-ee Totally insane-y {Here's the show's namey} (*) An-i-man-ee-acs! Those are the facts. (*) This line changes every show. (**) Episode 65 had no theme. (***) Episode 75 included a PatB short, therefore they put the line back. ============================================== 9. FREQUENTLY DISPUTED LYRICS ============================================== "Animaniacs" -- "We have pay or play contracts" vs. "pay for play" Reasons: It is printed as "pay or play" in the CD booklet. Sally Smith spoke with a director who said it was "or". Wakko holds up a clear "PAY OR PLAY" contract in the short "Take My Siblings, Please" (episode #66) The point is made quite clear during episode #73's ad for the "Please Please Please Get A Life Foundation" (which was based on arguments on a.t.a. Funny how those things happen...) Chicken Boo" -- "You wear a disguise to look like human guys" vs. "...look like human guise" Reasons: "guys" makes sense: Chicken Boo is disguising himself as a person. "guise" is not correct syntactically, or even logically. ============================================== 10. TRANSLATION DEPT ============================================== A short line from "Space Probed": "Yaa, Yoda. Bokutachi wa Wanna Buraazasu da!" "Hey Yoda. We're the Warner brothers." And for those who are not fluent in Japanese, here's Yakko's short conversation with Mr. Kato: Yakko: Tokyo wa tottemo omoshiroi tokoro desu ne? <Tokyo is an extremely interesting place, isn't it.> Investor: Zehi irasshite kudasai. <You must go there.> Yakko: Mada iki basho ga areba ne. <If there's still a place _to_ go, eh?> (Yakko's last remark appears to be an in-joke among Tokyo natives, referring to the crowded conditions.) ============================================== 11. NEWSGROUP TERMINOLOGY ============================================== Official terms: 1. Cold Opener: A short animated sequence _before_ the opening song. For example, the `Flipper' parody. 2. End Tag: The closing or parting shot of the water tower and lines. This is the same as the "That's all folks!" from the Looney Tunes shows. 3. Into Tower Closing: The parting segment featuring the water tower door. 4. Wacky Sack: Wakko's incredible omnipresent all inclusive prop bag. Also called a "Gag Bag" by Yakko. 5. Wraparounds: Short segments placed between shorts and advertising. Local Terminology: 1. The Variable Verse (TVV): The line in the theme song which changes. (e.g. "How Urbaney", "Here's the show's namey") 2. Filler: Used to describe The Newsreel of the Stars and any other piece of animation not listed in the sacred FEL and assumed to be put in the show to kill time. 3. Proof: Something which is never presented, yet is supposed to prove the unbelievable. Frequently not capitalized, as in "i have proof." Some frequently used acronyms/abbreviations: A! - Animaniacs AHEM - Animaniacs Handy Episode Manual AMLF - Animaniacs Mega Lyrics File AYPWIP - Are you pondering what I'm pondering? CB - Chicken Boo CRGA - Cultural References Guide for Animaniacs Dr. SNS - Dr. Scratchansniff DYN - Did You Notice F! - Freakazoid! FEL - Future Episodes List HN - Hello Nurse KP - Kathryn Page KWB - Kids' WB! LD - Laserdisc LT - Looney Tunes MM - Merrie Melodies NARF - The FAQ for this newsgroup (i.e., this file) NRotS - The Newsreel of the Stars P&TB, PatB - Pinky and The Brain PPPGALF - Please, Please, Pleese Get A Life Foundation (i.e., this group) ROFLMAO - Rolling On the Floor Laughing My [Rear] Off ROFL - Rolling On the Floor Laughing ROTFL - Rolling On The Floor Laughing (very appropriate) ROTLF - Rolling On The Laughing Floor (there's a specific floor, too.) RR - Road Rovers SETSU - Spielberg Eats This Stuff Up (Meatballs or Consquences) SS - Steven Spielberg or Sherri Stoner, maybe Slappy or Skippy Squirrel ST - Startoons TMS - Tokyo Movie Shinsha (animation studio) or The Monkey Song TTA - Tiny Toon Adventures TVV - The Variable Verse (see Local Terminology above) #wc - #warnercafe (IRC channel on CyNet/DALnet) #wt - #watertower (IRC channel on WTnet) WB - Warner Bros. (i.e. Time/Warner) WBA - Warner Bros. Animation WBSS - Warner Bros. Studio Store YW&D - Yakko, Wakko and Dot ============================================== 12. WHERE TO WRITE ============================================== Warner Bros. Animation 15303 Ventura Blvd., suite 1200 Sherman Oaks, CA 91403 (818) 954-6000 - Main Studio (818) 379-9401 - Animation Dept. Steven Spielberg Amblin Entertainment 100 Universal City Plaza Bungalow 477 Universal City, CA 91608 Rhino Records Inc. 10635 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90025-4900 (310)474-4778 ============================================== 13. RELATED FILES, LISTS, AND OTHER COMPENDIA ============================================== Only lists which have been posted and which the author seems to be maintaining regularly will be listed. "Vapor" files (i.e., files that were promised but never seen) and/or grossly obsolete files will not be listed here, unless it's perceived they have value despite their obsolescence, or unless I continue to forget to take them off. All documents mentioned below are available. Try looking at Keeper's 'toons page (http://www2.cruzio.com/~keeper/toons.html) or read a.t.a. until you see someone who looks informed and then write a "begging" letter or six. If you're trying to FTP, note that rasputin.fuzzy.com has replaced rasputin.caltech.edu, that fabulously Animan-ey FTP site (in fact, rasputin.caltech.edu has been gone since 1996; the name still resolves, but don't let that fool you--there's nothing there). If you cannot FTP or have any other questions, write to <ap057@lafn.org>, <lcremean@tidalwave.net>, or <Lari35960@aol.com> and one of us will help you out (whatever you're asking for; please give us some reasonable time to reply, of course). Will Bell's old "docs-by-mail" server, as mentioned in the CRGA, is no longer up. If you know exactly what file you want, you may want to look at Paul Vixie's generic ftpmail server; send mail to ftpmail@ftpmail.vix.com with "help" in the body for instructions. 1. THE FUTURE EPISODE LIST (FEL): A list of episodes and their scheduled air dates as determined by Warner Bros. This has had a really convoluted adventure since Animaniacs went to WB, but now things are pretty "normal". Maintained by Brian Cruz. http://pages.nyu.edu/~bpc200/fels.html 2. ANIMANIACS MERCHANDISE LIST: the FABOO. Everything a growing/aging fan needs for their very own Animaniacs centered life, plus some stuff for the less devoted types. Initiated by Marc Pawlinger, now maintained by the Narfcake, (ap057@lafn.org) 3. THE ANIMANIACS NEW READER'S GUIDE (NRG): Feeling down? Feeling clueless? Then run away...er, and get the Animaniacs New Reader's Guide. Originated by Jay B. Parker, now maintained by Lee Cremeans. http://st-lcremean.tidalwave.net/~lee/nrg.txt 4. THE ANIMANIACS MEGA LYRIC FILE (AMLF): A very extensive collection of lyrics to songs sung in Animaniacs. Maintained by Ron O'Dell. http://www2.cruzio.com/~keeper/AMLF.html 5. THE ANIMANIACS HANDY EPISODE MANUAL (AHEM): A quick summary of the episodes including detailed information such as character appearances, running times, and highlights of the episode credits, as well as the studios that animated each short (no, they're not all the same, silly new person.) Maintained by Ron "Keeper" O'Dell. http://www2.cruzio.com/~keeper/AHEM.txt 6. THE CULTURAL REFERENCES GUIDE FOR ANIMANIACS (CRGA): Many of the cultural references revealed and explained, plus random ramblings from the newsgroup alt.tv.animaniacs. Extremely extensive for eps 1-69. Created by Will Bell (wbb@netcom.com), now maintained and databased by Rex Wheeler. Suzanne Smiley handles the plain-text version. http://www.fuzzy.com/tooninfo/animaniacs/ http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Lot/2636/crga.txt 7. THE ANIMANIACS PURITY TEST: Modeled after slightly more risque tests you might have giggled over back in your k00L BBS daZE, the Animaniacs Purity Test is loaded with questions to help you determine just how big a fanboy you are. Well done and quite entertaining. Originated by Brendan Dunn, now maintained by David Kendall. http://www.mbnet.mb.ca/~weirdguy/afpt4.txt 8. THE POINTERS ON INSIGNIFICANT TECHNICALITIES FILE (POIT): A nitpickers guide to Animaniacs, full of details about animation styles, animation goofs, DYN's, and so forth. Available as text and in an HTML-ized form for you web junkies. Maintained by Brendan Dunn. [Brendan has changed ISPs, so the HTML version is apparently no longer available; I am not sure if it is even being actively maintained anymore.] 9. A.C.M.E.L.A.B.S: The most comprehensive page available for Pinky and the Brain, it includes a complete AYPWIP list, the cultural references for PatB, the Pinky and the Brain Handy Episode Manual... and much other great stuff. Maintained by Brian Norman. http://members.aol.com/acmelabs1/index.html. 10. THE NEW ANIMANIACS CULTURAL REFERENCE GUIDE (NACRG): The continuation of the CRGA, for episodes 70 and onward. Maintained by Suzanne Smiley. http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Lot/2636/nacrg.txt 11. OTHER LISTS AVAILABLE INCLUDE: Listing of all cast members shown in the credits Listing of all the various ending tags Transcript of all Good Idea / Bad Idea skits Transcript of all Dot's Poetry Corner skits Transcript of all Shakespeare-Interpretation skits Transcript of all Randy Beaman's Pal skits List of all Kathryn Page credits List of all morals from Wheel of Morality skits List of all Pinky's songs from "Spellbound" List of Pinky's replies to AYPWIP? List of Variable Verses from the theme songs The SPOT, every known acronym, including some not found here. The EHAP, Effects of Habitual Animaniacs Perusal The KATIE, Kellner And Things Incredibly Evil... ...and more, just ask for directions. 12. GUIDES TO A.T.A. If you're finding this group confusing, we're not surprised. There are two sources, the a.t.a. a.t.a. a.t.a. (aka that FAQ about all of the people on a.t.a.) and the CED (Current Events Digest), both of which are guaranteed to have been updated in the past year. And a half. And a three-quarters ... plus a bit more. David "plato@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca" Green is responsible for them. BTW, if you don't always understand some of the words on a.t.a, you're not alone. A short list can be found in the dictionary of Spotspeak, which I should say is really, really dusty (spot hasn't been active in anything Internet-related since late 1996) and really only of historical value now; Nicola "DitziWarner" Makela has a better, more up-to-date list at http://members.tripod.com/~Ditzi/the-aid.htm (which was inspired by the #watertower IRC community, mainly, but still useful for a.t.a). 13. SOUNDS & GRAPHICS FILES: Most FTP sites are no longer accepting or distributing sound or image files which have been taken (digitized) from Animaniacs because of the potential for legal problems related to copyright violations. Most of the newsgroups where these were passed around are gone now, so if you want them, you're on your own. ============================================== 14. WARNERS VS. TWO-TONES & OTHER TTA STUFF ============================================== The Warners are not to be confused with the Two Tones. Here's a few reasons if you still have any doubts: The Warners: live in the Warner Bros. water tower are not a recognizable species have distinct ears and non-bushy tails wear coloured clothing are not black and white (Warners have red noses!) are zany are out of control The Two Tones (Foxy & Roxy): Live in Two Tone Town, a suburb of Acme Acres are foxes have fox-like ears were "drawn in shades of gray" are generally predictable are usually quiet The Warners do not fall into any general species category. They are not dogs, cats, llamas, puppy-children, or even skunks. A complicated explanation is that they are styled after the 1930's characters which were not meant to be any species at all, only a humanized `inkblot' of sorts. If you want the simple explanation, they're Warners (or just plain cute). One thing's for sure: the Warners are very good at irritating people in the show. Animaniacs, unlike the Tiny Toon Adventures episode of a similar name, does NOT end with an exclamation point (!). Animaniacs is in no obvious way related to "Animaniacs!". Also, while "Two-Tone Town" may have hinted at A!'s existence, it's not officially a pilot to the show in any conceivable way. ============================================== 15. RELATED NEWSGROUPS ============================================== alt.tv.tiny-toon.fandom --- A low-volume newsgroup where fanpeople [i.e. :-)~~] can post things about TTA or Animaniacs to an exceptionally tolerant and enthusiastic group. alt.binaries.pictures.cartoons --- Cartoon images (GIFs or JPEGs) posted in uuencoded binary format. Check with the alt.binaries.pictures.misc FAQ for general information pertaining to uuencode/uudecode and graphics formats/viewers, etc. alt.animation.warner-bros --- Discussion of WB cartoons in general, mostly from the Looney Tunes or Merrie Melodies era. rec.arts.animation --- Discussions about animation using a variety of techniques. Good for general questions, but remember that many newsgroups exist for specialized discussion (i.e. rec.arts.disney). alt.tv.tiny-toon --- Discussion of another Amblin production, "Tiny Toon Adventures". Several characters from TTA periodically show up in Animaniacs. (The last time I checked this group, it was dead, tho...) alt.tv.freakazoid --- Discussion of Freakazoid and a lot of the same loony people from a.t.a being loony, but a little more focused. Or something. ============================================== 16. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ============================================== A big NARF! to the following who contributed to this document: Robert W. Armstrong, Paul Asente, Brian Bailie, Ron Bauerle, Will Bell, Michael T. Benston, Ambrosio Blanco, Chicken Boo, Sean Brandenburg, Dave Bryan, Andy Bryant, Neil Burrows, Brad Carow, Stewart Clamen, Lee Cremeans, Steve Damiani, Brendan Dunn, Bob Eckert, Mike Farren, Timothy Fay, Dennis Falk, Greg Fishbone, John R. Ford, Jon Daedalus Govoni, Paul Hendry, Wayne B. Houseknecht, Ting-Yu Hsu, Wei-Hwa Huang, James Jacoby, Thomas R. Kettler, David Kuhn, Matthew Kurth, Paul Lee, Kane Leung, Nicola Makela, Robert Martin, Brett Middleton, Brian Norman, Ron "Keeper" O'Dell, Paula O'Keefe, Jay B. Parker, Marc Pawlinger, David Poon, Larissa Ranbom, Victor Ramirez, Kurt Reisler, Robert J. Repas, Niles D. Ritter, Rick Schwarz, Suzanne Smiley, Jerry D. Smith, Sally Smith, Scott Tadman, Vince Taluskie, Emru Townsend, Jaime Weinman, Sandi Wilkinson, Andy "Wolf" French, Jonathan Woodward. ============================================== 17. REDISTRIBUTION RIGHTS ============================================== This document, or any derivative works thereof, may not be sold or redistributed for profit in any way without express written permission of the editor. This includes, but is not limited to, translations into foreign languages, mass archival as on a CD-ROM, inclusion in commercially published compilations (books), and uploading this document to non-USENET services. This document represents the collective effort of many USENET animation fans. We appreciate your honoring of this policy.