So, I have this 'Elvis Presley' pencil and wanted to feature it in my ACO gallery (more on the pencil later). The obvious subject to draw with this pencil would be Elvis himself, or an impersonator.
For the former, I thought to draw the fat Elvis from Animaniacs (appeared in only one episode, so far as I know). But, as I've referenced Animaniacs several times here, I thought to try something else. I thought of King Cryolophosaurus from 'Dinosaur Train'. King is a dinosaur who somehow knows who Elvis is (which could make sense, seeing as the Dinosaur Train is a time-traveling vehicle) ...but King impersonates Elvis fairly badly ...to say the least (but his heart is definitely in it).
Anyway, as I was looking for Elvis cartoons, I discovered the strange little series this ACO is based on: 'Li'l Elvis Jones and the Truckstoppers' (LEJatT).
As I knew nothing about this 90's animated series, I went to Wikipedia for insight,
"This article does not cite any sources" (10/09/2020)
Oh boy...
"The title character of the series, Li'l Elvis, is a ten-year-old boy with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Lil Elvis has a gift for music, a talent for trouble and a desire for only one thing - to find out who he really is and be a normal kid again. The opening sequence and music reveal that he was thrown out of a gold Cadillac in a guitar case, hinting that he is the illegitimate child of Elvis Presley. He is raised by foster parents, truck stop proprietors Grace and Len, who are fervent fans of Elvis Presley. As Li'l Elvis is musically talented, *singing and playing the guitar, his foster mother is convinced he is the son of Elvis Presley"
As of writing, the above-linked was uploaded June 4, 2020, and has a little over 3000 views. So, LEJatT is not an obscure series by far (I've covered media uploaded a decade or more ago, with similar view counts).
Even so, I felt this series needed some (more) 'fan art', so here ya go! XD
Also, I do apologize for not drawing the subject in an original pose. I was kinda down when I started this and just wanted it done-with (I'm ok now---I drew this hours ago).
Anyway,
After watching the first episode, I can say without a doubt LEJatT has some of the worst animation and character design I've ever seen---not THE worst (certainly), but it's up there! The episode has a very 'indy' style to it---like it was made by a YTer (that was my honest thought before I did any research). Yet, the character designs and the animation aren't without their charms (at least for me ...bear in mind I like works of similar quality by other studios/directors, such as those of/by Yoram Gross). ^^
HYPOTHETICALWATCHER: "Marten, I thought you were doing spooky/creepy characters through October. What's spooky about Lil Elvis Jones?"
Can't you tell---the show is HORROR-ble! XDXDXD *shot*
All right, all right... Now, I have no personal interest in watching every LEJatT episode, but it seems the series does have a dramatic story---like it might get pretty deep. As has been proven many times, bad art/animation can be overlooked if the stories told through it are good.
Here's some sample dialogue from Episode 13:
ELVISJONES: "So, an Elvis impersonator was in the area on the night I was supposedly dropped-off by the King? But why didn't you tell me this before!? What if we're connected!?"
GRACEJONES: "Nonsense! It was the King himself that left you here---not some two-bit copy. [sobbing] So get that out of your head right now!"
ELVISJONES (gazing at the family's Elvis shrine): "I would ..if I knew for sure"
LENJONES: "We can't ask (the impersonator)---he's dead" D:
...Well, he MIGHT be dead (no body was found at the accident scene).
Again, there's probably some substance here---I'm just too old and jaded to invest myself in the series. ^^
Anyway... the pencil. :P
I have no idea if my 'Elvis pencil' is a genuine piece of Elvis memorabilia or not---like, I dunno if this pencil was purchased (say) from a concert venue, or from Graceland or whathaveyou, or even whether this pencil was made during Elvis's lifetime (I'm most assuredly NOT an Elvis expert).
All I know about this pencil is I have it ...and it works just fine for ACO. ^^
Granted, I did find this lot, from gottahaverockandroll.com
"An unused 1956 pencil set with a dozen multi-colored pencils, each one etched in black "Sincerely Yours, Elvis Presley". There is a black and white photo of Elvis on the front. Pencils are unused and sealed in the original cellophane"
"... Auction closed on Thursday, March 26, 2009"
The lot received four bids and sold for $334. Cool!
