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Episode 88
Flavio Commercial #1: Choco-Dot Candies
Throughout
this episode is an interesting set of commercial spoofs, to say the least. The character they focus on is, out of the
entire cast, Flavio of the Hip Hippos.
The joke is the very shallow one that he’s fat and is showing it off to
viewing audiences. This would normally
be very tasteless and fall flat easily, but this setup works thanks to the
staging.
As the commercial shows off the
obesity of Flavio, it showcases it as something people would want to imitate as
if it would make them look attractive.
In other words, it’s a disgusting image acting like something people can
find appeal in. What’s all this
for? It’s a box of little chocolate
candies, the very thing that can fatten someone up, though it’s obviously an
exaggeration that they’d easily get as fat as a hippo.
This is only the beginning of a trend of
something so weird yet oddly humorous to some extent.
Flavio
Commercial #2: Soak Cola
Right
after the theme song is another commercial with Flavio. It once again runs with the idea of a
disgusting body type staged as something genuinely attractive.
There’s an office of women who immediately
stop what they’re doing to watch him at a construction site. It’s probably just him on his break or
something, but all Flavio does is drink an entire bottle of soda. It’s not exactly pleasing to watch the
excruciating details of his gulps, but I do find a lot of humor in how the
women go crazy over his drinking.
In the
end, all this commercial really does is advertise the drink, but I suppose
attractive figures are a leading cause in getting people to buy things in real
life. That said, the joke is that the
attractive figure is a really fat hippo.
Papers for
Papa
It’s
been a while since the Warners have interacted with a historical figure, so
this cartoon can be seen as a bit of a return to some of the roots of the
series’ glory days.
The figure here is
one of the more modern ones, the relatively known writer, Ernest Hemmingway
living in the Florida Keys. He’s
portrayed as an ultimate superhuman walking through the ocean while also trying
to make it as a writer, but he’s currently stuck with writer’s block. That’s a solid fit for the familiar
circumstance that these people known for big accomplishments were still human
citizens like all of us. Hemmingway’s
writer’s block is so huge, he ends up breaking from the process completely to
do something random. I seriously must question what making a paper clip into a
rabbit that leads to a Pinky and the Brain cameo, and watching a parody of Lamb Chop has to do with anything.
The real point of Hemmingway’s early scenes
is to bring him to promise never to put pen to paper again. This promise is a setup for the Warners’ role
that also ties into how these historical figure cartoons work. They come in with a completely random role
that the featured figure gets roped into which solves their problem. They’re office supply delivery people with a
big supply of paper for Hemmingway. A
few humorous interactions where they’re quick to expose him making them think he’s not home get him annoyed enough to sign delivery papers
so they’ll leave. With the promise of
never to put pen to paper in mind, he can’t go through with that, leaving the
Warners to use their antics to fulfill their job and get things over with.
From there the cartoon gets exciting as it
turns into a literal chase around the world, playing to Hemmingway’s unique
ways of travelling seen at the start.
With the versatility of animation on their side, the Warners are able to
follow him. Highlights of the chase
include ending up in various locations instantaneously. Everyone’s out on the sea fighting with fish
ending with a funny sequence of photos leading to them going from being
frustrated with each other to laughing as friends. Then Hemmingway remembers why he’s running,
and they end up in a bull fight in Spain and Yakko uses the delivery paper as a
bull-fighting flag Hemmingway charges at.
He also gets a few surprise visits from the Warners when hiding in war
trenches, and climbing a mountain, classic examples of these characters comedic
skills.
Then he suddenly arrives back
home, and the Warners showing up again makes him realize he just can’t escape
them, and he goes back on his promise.
Somehow though, marking a period after his name grants him a lot of
ideas for his next work all of which relating to every element of the
chase. Now, I personally am familiar
with him writing phrases like fighting with fish and running with bulls, but
I’m not so sure if he wrote anything about trenches or climbing mountains. It is at least a believable way of coming up
with ideas when drawing from experience, even if more emphasis is on
periods. As for the Warners, they get
their paper back with a cameo of Ralph scaring Hemmingway in a getup of
Gertrude Stein in a harem outfit which they referenced earlier. That’s a fine example of solving their
problems with randomness and fourth wall breaking.
Overall, this may not be the funniest or most
memorable historical figure interaction, but it’s not without solid excitement,
humor, and relatability.
B+
Flavio
Commercial #3
Between
segments is one last Flavio commercial where his fat is all there is too
it. A woman’s voice asks him if he works
out, he unbuttons a shirt, and his fat completely exposes itself. The only response he gets for this is a very
believable shriek. From the last two
commercials and the first few moments of this one, you’d be in the right to
think his fat would be seen as something attractive. The most appropriate reaction is enough to
catch you off guard, but since the setup is ridiculous already, it does so in a
good way in my way of thinking.
These
commercials take a bland trait of one of the Hip Hippos, and make something
humorous of them from mostly treating Flavio’s obesity like something
attractive. It’s a fresh thing done with
the characters that probably could have made them better liked. Then again, it’s for the best that things
like this were done for one episode since there’s really so much fatness people
can take. Also, all these commercials
with Flavio lead to a type of starring role not explored on the show for a very
long time.
A-
Amazing
Gladiators
For
the first time since Episode 42, the Hip Hippos are the stars of a cartoon. This gap wasn’t exactly a
point of concern for many since they really are some of the weaker characters
in the cast. There’s really not a lot
that can be done with just a nice married hippo couple into modern day trends. Truth be told,
their cartoons fall very flat entertainment-wise for featuring the characters
as observers of what goes on around them and being oblivious to problems
they cause. Their only true
entertainment is when they star alongside more dynamic characters or work off
some sort of a gimmick. Thankfully, this
cartoon is one of their better performances, but mostly because of where
everything takes place.
As a gift for
Marita, Flavio appeases her interests by getting them both spots on an
elaborate game show parodying American
Gladiators called Amazing Gladiators. That by itself isn’t too interesting or out
of the norm from their dynamic, but getting there is smartly not the main focus
of the cartoon. The real focus is on the
game itself as it should be. All its
different parts are marked by vibrant title cards and a very enthusiastic
announcer. There’s also solid
interactions between the friendly and hospitable Hip Hippos and their uptight
competitive opponents, the Petersons.
It works for the Hippos’ bland nice personalities to have them work off
people who are essentially their total opposites. They remain unmoved by the Petersons’ rude
remarks, but given that these guys are actually jerks, this mindset isn’t as
problematic as their usual obliviousness.
In fact, it’s really how smart people should deal with overly brash and
egotistical people.
The challenges
themselves are, unsurprisingly, where the cartoon really gets great. There’s a lot of creativity in structure from
elaborate stunts as moving around in giant glass balls, or things as simple as
putting on tight jeans. That said, they
mostly bring out the same shallow joke that the hippos are really fat, as their
weight brings them both success and failure in the challenges. One thing that’s worth noting is that the
challenges that Flavio takes part in are what brings in the victories while
those featuring Marita bring the losses.
It’s a strong suggestion that Marita is the true ditzy one in this
relationship only there for the glamour and unable to put up a strong
fight.
The Hippos are eventually set up
to win, but they and the Petersons tie.
To break the tie there’s a challenge of both families swimming through a
pool of beans and wieners. There’s
tension for the Petersons who worry if they can eat more of it than the
Hippos. Then, for some reason, the
Hippos don’t even try and stand at the starting line as the Petersons win the
competition. The catch is that they look
sick and far against their fit image from all they ate. I guess that justifies the Hippos’ decision.
Then, for the sake of parodying more shows, the cartoon ends with a
thought of the Hippos competing on a Baywatch
parody.
It may put too much fate in
the Hip Hippo’s weight to be truly great and some plot decisions may not be the
best. Still, with an exciting atmosphere
and solid characters for them to work off of, I say this is one of Flavio and
Marita’s better solo starring roles.
B
Pinky and
the Ralph
Completing
this episode’s feel of an actual TV broadcast is this ending consisting of a
fake bumper for a fake new TV series.
As
Pinky and the Brain have had their own spinoff for a while at this point, the
show now goes after it as something to be parodied. Instead of Pinky and Brain, the featured
characters are Pinky and Ralph the Guard humorously trying to fit into the
mouse cage. Even if it’s just a joke,
it’s easy to understand why this wouldn’t make for a very compelling show. All Pinky and Ralph do is ask what they want
to do, and that’s it. It’s the same
phrase over and over and it’s not all that funny, simply building on the fact
that both characters are unintelligent.
It’s likable enough since they enjoy each other’s company and get along
well, but it’s still dull and goes nowhere for my taste.
That may be the joke, but to me it’s not one
very funny.
C-
Cartoon Ranking
1. This Pun for Hire
2. Wakko’s 2-Note Song
3. Go Fish
4. From Burbank with Love
5. A Very, Very, Very, Very Special Show
6. Valuable Lesson
7. The Sound of Warners
8. Night of the Living Buttons
9. Dot’s Entertainment
10. Boo Happens
11. Buttons in Ows
12. Cutie and the Beast
13. Star Truck
14. Boids on the Hood
15. Our Final Space Cartoon We Promise
16. Yabba Dabba Boo
17. The Party
18. The Girl with the Googily Goop
19. Jokahontas
20. Gimme the Works
21. Papers for Papa
22. My Mother the Squirrel
23. One Flew Over the Cuckoo Clock
24. Amazing Gladiators
25. Soda Jerk
26. Hercules Unwound
27. Belly Button Blues
28. Oh Say Can You See
29. Soccer Coach Slappy
30. Anchors A-Warners
Song Ranking
1. The Ballad of Magellan
2. Hello Nurse
3. Noel
4. The Big Wrap Party Tonight
5. When You’re Traveling from Nantucket
6. Panama Canal
7. Multiplication
Miscellaneous Ranking
1. Gunga Dot
2. Mighty Wakko at the Bat
3. End Credits
4. Rugrats Parody
5. The 12 Days of Christmas
6. Flavio Commercials
7. The Return of the Great Wakkorotti
8. Pinky and the Ralph
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Wakko stars in a mixed amount of short films, there's a one-shot bird romance, and Chicken Boo gets his own network.
