Pre-1960 Region:
Matt: Looney Tunes, no contest here.
Nik: Agreed. It’s almost unfair, but someone had to
go against the Bunny.
Mickey Mouse (2) vs. Huckleberry Hound
(15)
Matt: As
much as I would like to see Huckleberry
pull the upset, I’m sure Mickey will
take this one pretty easily.
Nik: Also
agreed with Matt. Disney’s become something of a plague. But original Mouse
work wasn’t so soul-less. So Mouse it is.
Popeye (3) vs. Snagglepuss (14)
Matt: I
don’t see Popeye having trouble here,
spinach or no spinach.
Nik: As
much as I love the whole “Exit stage left” bit, most Hanna property is going to
suffer from being lumped together as HB stuff. Popeye is also more known nowadays compared to Snagglepus.
Matt: That’s
true. Most people may not realize that a
lot of the Hanna-Barbera cartoons were shorts all in one show (until a
character like Yogi Bear got huge and necessitated his own starring role. I suggest you guys click on the links to
learn more about the cartoons that you aren’t too familiar with. It’s interesting stuff, especially if you
like art and/or history)
Matt: I can
definitely see the possibility of Gumby
taking this one as Felix never got as
big as he was projected to be (thanks Disney) but I have a feeling that Felix the Cat wins by a slim margin.
Nik: I’m
actually going with Gumby on this
one. I think he’s had a bit more staying power than Felix. Even though Felix had a brief revival back when I was
watching Saturday morning ‘toons as a young pup, I think the green and red win
this one.
Matt: This
one may be pretty close as well, but when in doubt, go with the talking bear.
Nik: I
don’t foresee this one being close at all, honestly. The Christina Ricci/Bill
Pullman movie will not help, the pik-a-nik baskets go to Yogi.
Matt: I see
Tom & Jerry running away with
this one, regardless of the fact that they are no longer really relevant.
Nik: As
iconic as Ms. Boop is, I think that Tom
& Jerry, being more recent, will have more of a presence. Hell, they
still show T&J on Cartoon Network during the week days.
Matt: The
seven-ten matchup is built for upsets traditionally. This time is no different as my first upset
of the tournament is Moose and Squirrel over Mighty Mouse.
Nik: I’m
saying Rocky & Bullwinkle as
well. But not as an upset. I think they have had as much staying power as Tom & Jerry. But what has Mighty Mouse had? You see his picture on
the occasional t-shirt and Andy Kaufman’s brilliant sketch. That’s it. Moose
and Squirrel.
Matt: Agreed,
it would be an upset in number only, not in pop culture importance.
Matt: This
one is a complete toss up as most eight-nine matchups are. I think Magoo
takes based solely on his Christmas special.
Nik: Totally agreed here. It’s the Christmas
special vs. the laugh. The special will take it, methinks.
1960s/1970s Region:
The Flintstones (1) vs.
The Addams
Family (16)
Matt: I
didn’t even know there was an Addams
Family cartoon until I did the research for this tournament. Even if I did, I don’t think they would have
beaten the Flintstones here.
Nik: Flintsones will rock the Addams Family. No pun intended. It’s the
first cartoon ever made in color, even though they still showed it in black and
white because most tvs were black and white then.
Matt: While
I like monsters as much as the next guy,
Scooby Doo will roll here.
Nik: I
don’t even know what the hell Groovie
Goolies is, but I want it to win, ‘cause I’ve always hated Scooby Doo. That being said, Scooby Doo will win, ‘cause what the
hell’s Groovie Goolies?
Matt: I see
the Jetsons rolling here, too. If for no other reason than on name
recognition.
Nik: Ah,
the classic stereotypes of earlier times. Jetsons
wins because of staying power.
Matt: I
don’t see Magilla Gorilla as the
powerhouse that will take down the Cosby kids.
Nik: Matt
put it perfectly.
Matt: Space Ghost may get a slight boost based
on the 90’s cartoon, but I have a feeling that the Chipmunks roll here.
Nik: Unfortunately, the Space Ghost: Coast to Coast will not aid in the Chipmunks reign of terror. Those piece
of garbage movies not included, the ‘Munks’d still win here.
Matt: I
wouldn’t put a lot of money on the Pink
Panther to go far in the tournament, but I’m sure he’ll cruise through this
opening round.
Nik: Again
agreed, based solely on: Jabberjaw?
Underdog (7)
vs. Schoolhouse Rock
(10)
Matt: Underdog is all well and good, but you
can’t beat Schoolhouse Rock, and it
doesn’t hurt that there was a slight revival of it in the 90’s to keep it
current.
Nik: Even
though they tried to bring the ‘dog back with a movie attempt that sucked a big
one, Schoolhouse will Rock, and make
him the Underdog. See what I did
there?
Matt: This
may be one of the most lopsided eight-nine matchups in the tournament as I see Speed Racer blowing by Deputy Dawg with no problem.
Nik: Again,
I can’t add anything to this. Matt’s call is correct here.
1980’s Region:
Transformers
(1) vs. Snorks (16)
Matt: While
this region will be the toughest to call, this matchup won’t be. Transformers
win big.
Nik: Transformers has had ridic staying
power. Plus it’s really been formative for several generations of cartoon
viewers. What’d Snorks have post-Snorks? A brief scene in Mac ‘n’ Me.
Matt: I
forgot about that. Good thing you’re
here to supplement my pop culture knowledge, and Hasbro has been doing a
phenomenal job of reinventing and keeping alive the Transformers property for nearly thirty years (wow, I’m old).
Matt: I am
sure that Rainbow Brite will have an
okay showing, but I expect The Simpsons
to be a juggernaut in this tournament.
Nik: Rainbow Brite affected a lot of young
girls of the time, but Simpsons will
steamroll for its massive fan base.
Matt: Chip and Dale was fun while it lasted,
but the fact that the Ninja Turtles
haven’t even paused to catch their breath in over twenty years makes me think
they win big here.
Nik: I
have some seriously fond memories of Chip
and Dale. But more people have fond memories of Ninja Turtles. The heroes in the half shell (even though they were
full shells, weren’t they?) take it.
Matt: I
have better memories of the Turtles
toys than the show, but it also started in the late ‘80’s so we probably
weren’t really watching it until the tail end of it’s run of dominance.
Matt: Inspector Gadget makes a good show of
it, but The Smurfs win a tight one.
Nik: Shoot. This one’s tough. I think Smurfs win by the tiniest of votes.
Matt: He-Man may have a little trouble
here. While the Care Bears have not enjoyed the recent success of other franchises
like My Little Pony, they are still
relatively well known. I see He-Man winning this one but only by the
slimmest of margins. This is a matchup I
would like to see actually play out on the TV screen, by the way, as long as it
wasn’t all stock animation.
Nik: Another close one. I really think it may be Care Bears here, despite how
ridiculously awesome the He-Man
Christmas special was.
Matt: If
only we could judge them all on just their Christmas specials.
Thundercats
(6) vs. Real Ghostbusters
(11)
Matt: I
want to say Thundercats takes it, but
I don’t believe that. Maybe the Ghostbusters were a bit under-seeded
here, and they make up for it by taking out the number six seed.
Nik: Another
tough one. I think Ghostbusters take
this one by a little bit. I totally dug them both.
Matt: Even
with My Little Pony’s recent return
to relevance, I think the nostalgia factor of Duck Tales gets it the win.
Nik: I
concur. ‘Cause how awesome was Duck Tales?!
Matt: This
one is hard to call…Muppet Babies but
it’ll be close.
Nik: Yes….
Grrr…. I want Mario so bad…. But I
think the little fuzz balls take it. And I love Muppet Babies too. So I’m not that upset.
Matt: Just
a little trivia here that may push you one way or another, two of the voice
actors in Muppet Babies were none other
than Howie Mandel and Dave Coulier (yup, Uncle Joey was a Muppet before moving
in with Danny Tanner).
1990’s – Current Region:
Matt: Doug was fun, but South Park
Nik: Totally agreed. Once they got their voice and
started being really poignant in their satire, South Park has been brilliant ever since.
Matt: I loved
The Tick, but it doesn’t stand a
chance against Hank Hill.
Nik: I
think both of these cartoons are low under the radar. I never liked King of the Hill, but because it’s a
little more recent, and on Adult Swim, I think it moves on.
Matt: Try
watching it again, Nik. It holds up
pretty well, even the first season stuff.
I wasn’t a huge fan when it first aired either but it grew on me, and
like most of the Mike Judge stuff has an endearing simplicity to it.
Matt: Nothing
would make me happier than to see Family
Guy bounced in the first round, but I don’t see Talespin as the opponent to do that.
Nik: *copy
and paste what Matt said*
Matt: This
may look like a no contest win for Futurama,
but I fondly remember days spent watching Tiny
Toons (and wearing out the VHS of the summer vacation movie) so I wouldn’t
be so quick to dismiss it. Futurama wins, but in a squeaker.
Nik: As
much as I want to give props to Tiny
Toons, Futurama is the best, most amazingly voice-acted cartoon in the
history of time. Billy West is legit my hero.
Animaniacs (5) vs. Archer (12)
Matt: Archer got a raw deal here. On almost any other line it might be the
favorite to win, but here it’s hard to imagine a win against The Animaniacs.
Nik: This
is going to be so tough. It’s just like Futurama/Tiny
Tunes. Animaniacs is so ruddy
brilliant, and I acknowledge that. But Archer
is on par with Futurama. Unbelievably
perfect in everything it does. I think Archer
takes it.
Matt: There
is a part of me that hopes you’re right.
Archer is the best cartoon on
the air right now in my opinion.
Matt: Ren & Stimpy should win fairly easily
here I think, and if it doesn’t I will be surprised.
Nik: I
agree. I have some nostalgic feeling for Darkwing
Duck, but Billy West, again, helps this one along. Ren & Stimpy it is.
Matt: I
never realized Billy West was in Ren
& Stimpy until I was doing research for this. He, Patrick Warburton and H. Jon Benjamin
should have a cartoon voice-off
Matt: I see
another upset here where Phineas &
Ferb come out on top over Beavis
& Butthead. Never underestimate
the power of having shows readily available on Netflix.
Nik: Disagreed. I hate Beavis & Butthead, but I think they take this one.
Matt: This
is a tough one to call as well. I think Rocko’s mass appeal to kids and parents
alike helps it squeak out a win.
Nik: More nostalgia
for Bobby’s World here, but I think Rocko’s Modern Life, as one of the first
Kid’s Cartoons with Adult Jokes, is the victor here.
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