Hey guys, I don't know how many of you are familiar with the old Hanna-Barbera cartoons. I guess some of them were very famous. Some a bit less. But do you remember Wacky Races? I can't believe that stuff was made in 1968-1969. Good memories of that show, it was pretty crazy.
There were two spin-offs that were stand-alone cartoons involving certain characters from Wacky Races. And I was recently reminded of the one called "The Perils of Penelope Pitstop". Is there anybody here that ever saw that one?
Here's the thing... Back when I was little and I watched it a bit, it seemed like a pretty cool cartoon for me, with a damsel in distress constantly saved from all sorts of weird traps. But when I look at it today, I realise it's one of the strangest cartoons ever in its concept and all sorts of little bits. Like... It didn't make sense. Maybe it wasn't supposed to make sense, but it's amazing how little sense you can make and still produce something enjoyable for the kids!
Let me explain briefly what it's all about: there's this girl that keeps being captured by a hooded villain who's trying to kill her to inherit some fortune. But the thing is... For whatever reason he doesn't simply kill her! He always tries to capture her first in order to put her in some deadly trap. He does absolutely everything to give her a chance to survive and when she does, he just yells "Blast! Blast! Blast!". For example: how to make Penelope fall to her death? Don't just drop her out of the window. Instead tie her to a pole outside the window and come up with a contraption that will slowly unscrew that pole so that she will eventually fall. Then explain to the victim how the trap is supposed to kill her, so that she knows what to do to stop it. Similarly, don't just impale her on some spikes. Construct some devices that will either slowly lower the spikes on her or raise her onto the spikes. Either way... What the heck? He wants her dead, why does he make it so difficult? XD
And this cartoon employs some really hardcore cartoon physics. Lots and lots of it. In every episode you can find dozens of things that just wouldn't work. You have the right to do that in cartoons, but to be honest some of it looks too overboard. Don't get me wrong. I love cartoon physics. Especially the good old delayed fall physics, it's a classic. You don't start falling until you realise there's no ground underneath you. But come on: pigs standing on a lowering platform, eating corn that's also on that platform and the platform is lowering because pigs are eating the corn and become heavier as a result? And generally if you're attached to a rope going around the pulley and there's some counterweight, like a bunch of bananas and you're already heavier than the bananas, shouldn't you keep falling? No! You only move a little bit down every time a banana is removed. As soon as you get rid of the monkeys eating the bananas, you're saved. You're longer being lowered into a pit of alligators. I wonder what would happen if you added a banana to the bunch. I guess you'd be pulled up a little, even if you're still heavier. And since the cartoon is all about putting Penelope in all kinds of traps like this, there's a lot of room for nonsense every time.
So I'm asking: what were they smoking in those times and where can I get some? :P
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7 years, 5 months ago
06 Nov 2016 21:06 CET
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