What A Cartoon!

Oooooh weeeee! We've covered Adult Swim shows in the past, so it only makes sense that we'd cover its biggest hit yet in this first year of the What A Cartoon! podcast. Thanks to a request from patron Justin Allen, we're finally taking a look at Rick and Morty: the subversive Cartoon Network creation that combines the vulgar absurdity of Justin Roiland with the dark brilliance of Dan Harmon. Though the show spawned a particularly awful fandom, amazing episodes like "Total Rickall" prove that Rick and Morty still holds up and deserves much better. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

This December on What A Cartoon! we've already covered Christmas and Hanukkah, so now it's time to appease all of our listeners who believe in nothing. And there's no better way to do that than by exploring Clone High's non-denominational celebration, Snowflake Day! Special guest and resident Canadian Nina Matsumoto joins us for a look into the very first project from current Kings of Hollywood Phil Lord and Chris Miller, and the only holiday special it spawned in its brief (but amazing) 13-episode run. Heat up some lamb tacos and jerky balls, because this podcast episode is the reason for the season! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

Did you know that $10+ subscribers at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons get a monthly exclusive podcast where Bob and Henry discuss a different animated film each month?!?!?! And did you know that the December film was the Studio Ghibli classic Kiki's Delivery Service????? Here's a special preview of our newest Patreon exclusive, and if you'd like to hear the whole thing just become a $10 or more member of the Talking Simpsons Network today!!

This week we're joined again by Matt Jay (from Cartoons 101 and cohost of the new podcast [the deep end]) and he's here to help us shine a salute to the American race this holiday season! Yes, it's time for the best Seth MacFarlane show, American Dad!, as we deconstruct the weird absurdity of this unexpectedly great follow up to Family Guy! And for this special time of the year, we're discussing American Dad's first ever Christmas episode, so teleport back to the '70s with us for some seasonal fun about the ludicrous War on Christmas! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

We are gargoyles! And this week we're joined by comics pro and Gargoyles lover Kory Bing to discuss one of the most versatile and progressive shows Disney Afternoon ever saw. We'll go deep into how Goliath and his clan came to be, the shows amazing cast and animators, if there's any future for the show and so much more. Plus we dive into a watershed episode for the series, the Shakespearean tribute "The Mirror," and the first appearance of Puck! Bust out of your stone and listen here! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

The Festival of Lights is upon us, and we're celebrating it with, Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica, and the rest. This week we're joined by Matthew Jay of Cartoons 101 to talk about Rugrats and what it did for Nickelodeon, as well as it being a trailblazer for Jewish representation in American animation! So your hosts this week learn all about how the series came together, the underrated career of Paul Germain, and how this illuminated this Jewish holiday for kids around the world. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Make the homies say ho, it's time for another podcast about an Adult Swim classic. And we're joined by Matthew Jay of Cartoons 101! Yes, it's Aqua Teen Hunger Force and the very first episode featuring the series' best villains, The Mooninites! We go into the show's Space Ghost roots as well as the ATHF's long history which includes a movie and fake bomb reports! So listen and enjoy, because we're doing this as hard as we can! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

SpongeBob SquarePants is one of the biggest cartoons EVER, so it's about time we cover it on What A Cartoon! And, thanks to patron Phillip Jacobi, we're looking at one of the very early episodes that helped build towards the eventual period of SpongeBob Mania. Listen in as Matthew Jay of Cartoons 101 joins us to discuss the history and the creator of Nickelodeon's long-running mega-hit, and appreciate some particularly great performances from comic legends Tim Conway and Ernest Borgnine. If you don't play this podcast immediately, you're EVIIIIIIIIIL!!! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

In case you missed the news, there's a new perk for $10+ patrons of What A Cartoon and Talking Simpsons! We're doing a monthly What A Cartoon Movie! podcast where Henry and Bob cover a different animated film classic in the same style as the animated series we cover! The premiere episode is about Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, and we have a little teaser of it here, where we debate if this is the best Batman movie ever made! If you like what you hear, consider joining the $10 pledge level and listening to the full podcast NOW! Sign up to hear this bonus episode (and TONS more!!) by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron RIGHT NOW!

Alright! This week Matt Jay of Cartoons 101 joins us to discuss not only Thanksgiving but also one of Fox's most recent animated successes, Bob's Burgers! The show follows the small town adventures of a family of weirdos who love cooking up creative burgers (as well as a father obsessed with Thanksgiving), and we discuss what makes it so special. See how the folks behind Dr. Katz and Home Movies made it to mainstream success while still keeping their indie spirit alive. Now, pass the cranberry sauce, we're having mashed potatoes! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Bob and Henry are indulging in some protoculture this week as we dive into one of the more dramatic episodes of Robotech (and Macross) ever! After digging into the history of Robotech and its effect on the western anime fandom, we then explore the amazing mecha action and engaging human drama of this groundbreaking animated series! Do you remember love--er, I mean, Robotech? Then listen along and enjoy! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

A comic book that never should have been a comic book becomes a TV show that never should have been a TV show? That's the story of The Maxx, a slavish 13-episode animated adaptation of Sam Kieth's work by the very same name. Though the storytelling can be uneven, and many questions go unanswered, The Maxx remains an unflinching examination of some very sensitive subject matter carried by ahead-of-its time digital animation. On this episode, Jeremy Parish of Retronauts joins us to explore how big, purple dudes with yellow claws can teach us a lot about feminism. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

Grab your lasagna for the best Halloween cartoon of 1985 as we do our scariest What A Cartoon! podcast yet! We're joined by Matthew Jay of Cartoons 101 once more to discuss the history of Jim Davis' Garfield and how he was a rising star of animation in the 1980s. Learn how Phil Roman worked with Davis to legit scare '80s kids with ghost pirates, and listen as we explore the iconic voices and classic songs of the Monday-hating (and clown-hating) fat cat. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Thanks to patron Alex Irish, What A Cartoon! is exploring new territory: A Disney television show from the 21st century! In case you didn't know, House of Mouse exists as the first real revival of classic Disney shorts, created more than a decade before the one that actually took. This 2001-2003 series takes a new framing device and wraps it around cartoons both new and old for a Disney love-in that's the perfect chaser for their reign over the go-go '90s. On this episode, Matthew Jay of Cartoons 101 joins us to explore the titular House of Mouse and its somewhat modern take on Jiminy Cricket. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

This week we dive into the unique and incredible world of JoJo and we have a great guest to help us, Woolie from Super Best Friends! We go into the long history of one of Japan's most popular mangas ever, and then chat about the anime adaptation, as well as what makes both so special! It's a treat for JoJo experts and noobs alike, so puff up that hair and get ready for the bizarre summer of 1999! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and joining the Talking Simpsons Network! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

Ha ha! Classic cartoon podcast... This week Bob and Henry are joined by a special Patreon supporter as we go through the Adult Swim original Harvey Birdman. The series' second episode takes hot coffee and shrink rays, turning it into comedy gold. Plus we go over Harvey's long history right ahead of the series getting a comeback special to roast our current presidential insanity! Listen along if you really want to feel him! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

We're back to anime this week as we tackle the mega-hit from Japan that failed to catch on in America, Case Closed. Known as Detective Conan in its home country, this long, long, long-running series about a teenage master detective trapped in a boy's body hit Adult Swim in the summer of 2004, but its mix of kiddie antics and extremely dark subject matter mostly confused an audience tuning in for the network's typical stoner humor. But some recent attention from Conan O'Brien just might increase Case Closed awareness as the show continues into its 23rd season in Japan... maybe. Special guests Nick and Chris Daniel join us to help unravel the enigma of why Conan's many mysteries are just so fun. And if you want to play Case Closed Bingo for yourself, check out this link! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to si

We hope you merry mutants are ready to get X-treme this week, because we're talking about X-Men with Matt McMuscles (check him out at Super Best Friends and his personal YouTube channel). No superheroes in the early 1990s were more popular than the X-Men, and their 1992 animated series was a huge hit on Saturday morning as a result. How did this strange series come to be? And how well does it hold up over a quarter of a century later? Find out with us on this week's adamantium-infused podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Straight from Retronauts and Retronauts Video Works, Jeremy Parish is here to help us with his deep love and knowledge of G.I. Joe as we watch our first ever '80s cartoon. Sure, G.I. Joe was conceived as a toy commercial, but the folks creating the series could still write subversive episodes like this trippy two-parter and get it past the censors. We delve into Cobra lore here, so make sure you're not surrounded by synthoids and listen to this week's episode! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Let's get dangerous! It's time to take a trip back to The Disney Afternoon by digging deep into one of its most important (and entertaining) shows, Darkwing Duck! Disney's duck superhero broke new ground for their TV animation department by choosing to go a more Warner Brothers-y route with plenty of slapstick, wild takes, and utter destruction of the fourth wall. The result is a fun little series that aged incredibly well and influenced Disney to be even more experimental in the '90s and beyond. This week, Cartoons 101's Matthew Jay joins us to examine the strange history of Darkwing Duck and one of its most inventive and villain-heavy episodes ever. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!