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Rankin/Bass Retrospective - The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow
Rankin/Bass had noteworthy years in both 1974 and 1976, but 1975 wasn't without its own Christmas special. Find out about "The First Christmas", an often forgotten installment in the Rankin/Bass pantheon.
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From All of Us to All of You: An American Christmas Special That Became a Nordic Tradition
In 1958, Disney created a Christmas special for ABC using classic shorts with new bridging animation. This same special has gone on to be a well beloved Christmas tradition in Nordic countries.
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Rankin/Bass Retrospective - The Year Without a Santa Claus
It had been four years since Rankin/Bass produced a Christmas special, but with a bit of Animagic and two Miser Brothers, they would usher in a silver age for the studio.
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Rankin/Bass Retrospective - A Christmas Tree / 'Twas the Night Before Christmas
Between when Santa came to town and that year without him, Rankin/Bass produced two lesser-known, but still memorable, Christmas classics.
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Christmas Cartoons on Television: 1972 - 1974
While Heat Meiser and Snow Meiser duked it out in the Year Without a Santa Claus, five more lesser-known Christmas specials slipped in under the radar.
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Christmas Cartoons on Television: 1970 - 1971
While Mickey Rooney was putting one foot in front of the other, the rest of television was treated to two nativity scenes, an encounter with Santa, and a classic Christmas Carol.
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Rankin/Bass Retrospective - Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
Frosty and Rudolph both showed that Rankin/Bass could turn popular Christmas tunes into beloved specials. But could they do one about the big man in red himself?
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Cartoon Footnotes: 1954 - 1957
Still in the infancy of television animation, experimental series emerged, including television's first color cartoon and TerryToons first foray off the silver screen.
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Cartoon Footnotes: 1949-1953
With the start of a new year, we venture back to the dawn of television to take a look at some little-known cartoons from the era of the Baby Boomer.
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Rankin/Bass Retrospective: Frosty the Snowman
Five years after Rudolph, Rankin/Bass would recapture the Christmas spirit with a new special based on another popular song, Frosty the Snowman.
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How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Dr. Seuss Classic Comes to Television
In 1966, MGM brought the world of Dr. Seuss to the screen for the first time with an animated adaptation of How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
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Rankin/Bass Retrospective: Cricket on the Hearth / The Little Drummer Boy
In 1967 and 1968, Rankin/Bass adapted a Charles Dickens classic and another popular contemporary Christmas song, making two more Christmas classics to add to their repertoire.
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Christmas Cartoons on Television: 1953 - 1963
Mr. Magoo! Popeye! Gumby! Rocky and Bullwinkle! Beetle Bailey! Check out some of the earliest animated Christmas specials and episodes from the early 60's!
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A Charlie Brown Christmas: The First Peanuts Holiday Special
In 1965, Charles Schulz's Peanuts finally made its way to television screens with "A Charlie Brown Christmas". 50 years later, we look back to this iconic holiday special.
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Rankin/Bass Retrospective - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has become perhaps the most popular Rankin/Bass special of all. But how did the story of a small reindeer with a glowing nose go down in history?
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Thanksgiving Cartoons of the 1960's
From Calvin and the Colonel, to Davey & Goliath, to Underdog, take a look at the animated Thanksgiving specials of the 1960's.
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Rankin/Bass Retrospective: The Mouse on the Mayflower
Among their numerous holiday specials, Rankin/Bass only made one Thanksgiving special: 1968's "The Mouse on the Mayflower"
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Rankin/Bass Retrospective: Mad Monster Party?
Rankin/Bass produced Mad Monster Party (starring Boris Karloff) in 1967, coinciding with a resurgence in the popularity of movie monsters.
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Rankin/Bass Retrospective: King Kong & Smokey the Bear (1966-1969)
In the late 1960's, two pop culture icons (King Kong and Smokey the Bear), as well as the works of Hans Christian Anderson and other fairy tales got the Rankin/Bass treatment.
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Rankin/Bass Retrospective: Beginnings (1960-1965)
You may know Rudolph and Frosty, but do you recall Willy McBean and his Magic Machine? Take a look into the early works of Rankin/Bass before they became synonymous with the Christmas season.
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It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Take on Halloween
In 1966, Charles Shultz's Peanuts aired its third animated special, and so the legend of the Great Pumpkin was born.
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Back to the Future: The Animated Series
CartoonHistorian returns with a trip into the future to take a look at the continuing adventures of Doc Brown and Marty McFly
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Cambria Productions: On the Lips of Syncro-Vox
Clutch Cargo used the Syncro-Vox technique, which cut down on the animation costs by inserting real lips onto animated faces. This is the tale of the studio behind those lips, Cambria Productions.
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History of Hanna-Barbera: The Jetsons & Wally Gator
Following the success of the Flintstones, Hanna-Barbera tried to make lightning strike twice in 1962 with The Jetsons. Meanwhile, three new funny animal cartoons made an appearance in syndication.
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Mr. Magoo and Dick Tracy: The Television Animation of UPA
After the financial flop of their only feature film, United Productions of America (UPA) set their sights on television, bringing both Mr. Magoo and Dick Tracy to the small screen for the first time.
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History of Hanna-Barbera - The Yogi Bear Show & Top Cat
Yogi Bear proved to be a popular character on the Huckleberry Hound Show, so Hanna-Barbera gave him his own show in 1961. At the same time, HB produced a new series for prime-time called Top Cat.
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'The Alvin Show' - The Chipmunks Arrive on Television
Alvin & the Chipmunks were a popular novelty act during the late 1950s. Looking to expand the characters beyond records, creator Ross Bagdasarian put them in an animated variety show: The Alvin Show
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History of Hanna-Barbera: The Flintstones
In 1960, Hanna-Barbera was offered the chance to create a series for prime-time television. What they came up with was The Flintstones, one of the most iconic cartoons to ever air on TV.
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Saturday Morning's First Cartoons: King Leonardo and Tennessee Tuxedo
Saturday morning cartoons were a major staple of US television, but which cartoon started this trend? In 1960, General Mills opened the gate with the first Saturday morning cartoon: King Leonardo
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Gumby: The Resurrection of Clay Animation
Stop-motion animation using clay had been experimented with almost as long as film itself, but it was thanks to Art Clokey's Gumby in 1955 that clay became a mainstream form of animation.
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History of Hanna-Barbera: The Quick Draw McGraw Show & Loopy de Loop
Hanna-Barbera was on a roll in 1959 with two hits already under their belt. That year, they came out with two more series, one on TV and one in theaters: Quick Draw McGraw and Loopy de Loop
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Rocky & Bullwinkle Retrospective: “Fractured History” or “Don’t Take Advice From a Moose Puppet”
Rocky & Bullwinkle were not alone, being joined by characters such as Mr. Peabody, Sherman, and Dudley Do-Right. Despite ending in 1964, the legacy of these characters still endure to this day.
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Rocky & Bullwinkle Retrospective: "The Birth of Moose and Squirrel" or "How Jay Ward Returned to Television"
Jay Ward, following his success with Crusader Rabbit, began planning his next hit series. It would be a long ten years, but it eventually bore two iconic characters, Rocky and Bullwinkle.
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History of Hanna-Barbera: The Huckleberry Hound Show - Television's First Cartoon Superstar
Hanna-Barbera took a risk in 1958 making television's first original half-hour cartoon, The Huckleberry Hound Show. This would soon open the doors wide for countless animated series to come.
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History of Hanna-Barbera: Ruff & Reddy - The Birth of Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera, the creators of Tom & Jerry, found themselves at a crossroad in a changing time. What would follow led to the birth of one of animation's most famous studios.
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Crusader Rabbit: How Television's First Cartoon Reshaped Animation
Crusader Rabbit, created by Alex Anderson and Jay Ward, was television's first original cartoon and an important milestone, shaping the groundwork for how we view TV animation today.