Seldom a ratings superstar,m but it’s longevity speaks volumes. From the originals to reruns to syndication to remakes to movies and more, Rocky, Bullwinkle, and their friends are legends.
Based on The Frostbite Falls Review, a proposal that never aired
Premiered on November 1959 as Rocky & His Friends on ABC for airing on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons
Original series in black and white
Moved to NBC (1961) in a Sunday night timeslot
After moving the series into different timeslots, the last show aired June 27, 1964
5 seasons provided 163 episodes
Created by Jay Ward and Bill Scott
Produced by Jay Ward Productions
Voices by Bill Scott, June Foray, Paul Frees, Walter Tetley, Daws Butler, Charlie Ruggles, Hans Conried, William Conrad, and Edward Everett Horton
Previously-Honored Characters – Visit as many as you want … Which did you visit?
#3 (with Bullwinkle) on TV Guide’s Greatest Cartoon Characters
Of the duo, Rocky is the upstanding, slightly naive, and smarter than Bullwinkle
Proper name is Rocket J. Squirrel
Middle initial J for is from the two J’s: Jay Ward (creator) and Bill J Scott (co-producer, head writer)
Home: Frostbite Falls, MN (a parody on International Falls, MN)
Created by Jay Ward, Alex Anderson, and Bill Scott as part of The Frostbite Falls Review
Voice artist June Foray
Ability to fly with a jet engine sound effect
Debuted November 19, 1959 as Rocky and His Friends on ABC with Jet Fuel Formula
Moved to NBC in 1961 as The Bullwinkle Show
Ended June 27, 1964
It the first episode, Rocky’s flying ability limited to gliding
Learned to fly at Cedar Yorpantz Flying School (get it?)
Appeared in Gary Larson’s The Far Side
Also in video games and comics
Catch Phrases
Hokey Smoke!
Those two look familiar!
That voice, where have I heard that voice?
KNEW we shouldn’t have left him! We haven’t been apart in thirty-five years!
Hokey smoke, are you all right?
Don’t say it!
I don’t think that’s very funny.”
“And now, here’s something we hope you’ll really like!”
Not again.
Rocky: “Look, Bullwinkle, a message in a bottle.”
Bullwinkle: “Fan mail from a flounder?”
Rocky: “This is what I really call a message.”
Enjoy a segment of Jet Fuel Formula (you will have to watch on YouTube)
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Bullwinkle is more than a classic cartoon character – he is an icon.
#3 (with Rocky) on TV Guide’s Great Cartoon Characters
Resume
Name: Bullwinkle J. Moose
Middle initial J for is from the two J’s: Jay Ward (creator) and Bill J Scott (co-producer, head writer, and Bullwinkle’s voice)
Named after Bullwinkel Motors, a car dealership in Berkeley, California
Gender: Male
Home: Frostbite Falls, MN (a parody on International Falls, MN)
Occupation: Former coat rack
Education: Studied under Francis the Talking Horse, attended M.I.T. (Moose Institute of Toe-dancing), attended Wossamatta U, and received an Honorary Mooster’s Degree from Wossamatta U
Football quarterback at Wossamatta U
As Mr. Know-It-All, received several awards from prestigious universities that have yet to exist
Political: Bull Moose Party
Wealth: Received fortune in the form of a cereal boxtop collection and an Upsidaisium mine from Uncle Dewlap’s will
At one time, a part-owner, part-governor of the island of Moosylvania
Debuted with blue gloves, which became white on the second episode
On to the Show
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60 episodes of Mr. Know-it-All
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39 episodes of Bullwinkle’s Corner
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“Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat.”
. Background
Debuted November 19, 1959 as Rocky and His Friends on ABC with Jet Fuel Formula
Moved to NBC in 1961 as The Bullwinkle Show
Ended June 27, 1964
Created by Jay Ward, Alex Anderson, and Bill Scott
Produced by Jay Ward Productions
With satire and humor, the writing appealed to adults as well as children
Animation outsourced to a studio in Mexico
Music by Frank Comstock (1959–1961) Fred Steiner (1961–1964)
Sponsored by General Mills
Voiced by Bill Scott
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Narrated by actor William Conrad
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Show composed of episodes, with each episode ending with a cliffhanger and the announcer giving two titles (actually puns of each other) for the next segment
5 seasons, 163 episodes, 366 segments
27 continuing storylines
Two collection of WAV files sound bites from the show: one and two
Supporting Characters in the Show (tributes linked): Rocky J Squirrel, Boris and Natasha, Peabody and Sherman, Dudley Do-Right, Fractured Fairytales
Ending of a show showing the story continuing another time
To those of us who grew up during cartoon’s golden age, Rocky and Bullwinkle are icons. Add the show’s entire cast, now we have a tribute to creator Jay Ward’s brilliance.
J Troplong “Jay” Ward, creator and leader of Jay Ward Productions, is responsible for such characters as Rocky and Bullwinkle, Peabody and Sherman (past post), Dudley Do-Right, Snidely Whiplash, Hoppity Hopper, Tom Slick, Super Chick, Crusader Rabbit, and the two honorees in this post.
Rocky and Bullwinkle debuted in 1959 on ABC, and then moved to NBC two years later. Notables as Frostbite Falls, Wossamatta U, Mr. Know It All, Fractured Fairytales, a way-back time machine for Peabody and Sherman (past post), and more became part of popular culture.
Two villains constantly chasing Bullwinkle – and always foiled by Moose and Squirrel – were Boris and Natasha. Not only was the Cold War prominent in our lives at that time, this event of the era also served as the springboard for these two characters. A few notes about each are below, followed by a wonderful music video about them. Enjoy, and thank you Larry for the find.
Boris Badenov
From Pottsylvania
Name is a play on the 16th-century Russian Tsar Boris Godunov
Degree from The University of Safe-Cracking (USC)
Taglines: Must capture moose and squirrel;
Report to Fearless Leader, and occasionally Mr. Big
I grew up during the golden age of cartoon … especially the Saturday morning variety. Hmmmm …. I just got a thought about a potential feature. Oh well, here are a few of the openers of some of my favorites. Enjoy and have a safe weekend!
