Tuesday, August 25, 2009

SMA's Classic Commercial Reviews: That's a Blow Pop!



More than just cartoons, I want to take a look some other classic bits spiraling out of Saturday morning adventures. Specifically the commercials. The advertising in between Voltron and He-Man made some big bucks for your favorite candy/cereal company, and to this day they are still pretty fondly remembered. We'll start with one of my faves: Blow Pop.

No lie. I still remember this commercial pretty much word-for-word, even after not seeing it for years and years. What a concept, right?! It's gum inside of a lollypop! Two ways to rot your teeth!

I really used to hate when the gum would just start to come through the candy coating and it would be like razor sharp and totally cut you if it caught your gums the wrong way. Then the stick would get soggy and then that's all she wrote.

I'm a sour apple kinda guy, and pretty much every bag that I got, it was always the most scarce flavor.

Anyway back to the commercial. We begin with a behind-the-scenes kinda look at the making of the Blow Pop commercial that is not without its hi-jinks of its young cast. There's constant reminders from the director "Stephanie" (who sounds like she's 12) about what to say and when to say it. How this production got funded? Who knows. What's this "Stephanie's" credentials and previous body of work? Who cares, apparently. I really like the kid who name drops the company's name in an awesome super soda-like belch voice at 0:11.

Now flavors:
Cherry: pretty laid back, kinda a mix between Southern comfort-and L.A. laidbackness.
Grape: A female duo collab: much like those girls you see at the mall who are best friends with friendship bracelets and seem to ALWAYS BE THERE.
Strawberry: is apparently for the "Back in my day..." age group whose voices can sound like they need oil and tongues can only detect one flavor.
Sour Apple: To my (and the director's) dismay, he's the dunce of the group with incredibly slow reflexes and poor short-term memory,. (probably causes by a late night mall venture with the grape twins)
Watermelon: The most phenotypically nerd-looking one of the bunch who is on cue and not without the urge to showboat "Ta-daa!"

Just when everyone start's to get in a rhythm and enjoy themselves, they forget the most important part...to mention the advertiser! Amateurs...

Looking back on this now, I would love this have featured some really popular actors of today. If like Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zoe Saldana, etc. were in this, how awesome would that be?!

Monday, August 17, 2009

SMA Sketchbook Profile Week 2: Underdog & Danger Mouse


I know. I already fell behind...but I got good stuff coming!

This week's installment brings two classic cartoon characters that I first met thanks to the Nickelodeon network. Underdog and Danger Mouse lovingly childlike and rendered by the phenomenal Tiny Titans duo of Franco Aureliani and Art Baltazar respectively.

These are two classic characters who I feel should be in a Cartoon Hall of Fame (in such a thing did exist). I feel the Tiny Titans team have brought so much vigor and enthusiasm to All Ages comics, so naturally I wanted them to take that same energy and etch these characters in time for me in my sketchbook.

Underdog is kinda a Superman analogue with similar powers and identity, while Danger Mouse is your cavalier super spy with, of course, a wicked awesome car.

People still get excited when I open up my book to reveal these two.