"Will You Wear A Mask? I Ask" performed by Mark Hamill

Check out the video of my rhyming picture book "Will You Wear A Mask?  I Ask"...a fun 4-minute video for the whole family! 

Narrated by Mark Hamill!   

And please wear a mask!  

You can find the video here:  

https://youtu.be/60lF1bLAWYA 

 

Happy New Year!

Here's hoping you have a great 2015!

Happy New Year 2015 from Big Fat New Year's Baby and Father Time -- "Histeria!"

The People Who Made "Tiny Toons" and "Animaniacs" -- Part Four

Above, left to right:  Colin Wells, who provides the voice of Colin, the kid who tells us about Randy Beaman on Animaniacs; the Executive Producer of Animaniacs, Tiny Toons, and Pinky & the Brain, Steven Spielberg;  and Nate Ruegger, the voice of Baby Plucky on Tiny Toons, Skippy Squirrel on Animaniacs, and Froggo on Histeria!   (Photo circa 1994)

On the right, Paul Strickland, Tiny Toon Adventures' Production Manager, with his wife Robin Carmichael Strickland, on the left.  Paul, Robin and I worked together at Hanna-Barbera in the 80's.  (Circa 1993)

Above, our fearless Executive Producer, Steven Spielberg, center, at one of our yearly wrap parties.  Behind him, standing, is Luke Ruegger, the voice of "The Flame," Bumpo the bassett and "The Brave Little Trailer" on Animaniacs and the voice of Big Fat Baby and Billy the Kid on Histeria!  Flanking Steven are two of Luke's closest childhood pals, Wesley and Ryan Hasting. (Circa 1995)

From 1996:  Charles Visser went from storyboard artist to series director on Animaniacs and Pinky & the Brain.  Today, along with Alfred Gimeno and Jeff Gordon, Charles is a director of Disney's  new animated series, The 7D.

 
Visiting the Animanics/Pinky and the Brain/Histeria composers at the Warner Bros. Studio Clint Eastwood Sound Stage.  Left to right:  that's me next to series composer The Great Stonini, Richard Stone, and two of his closest and most talented musical collaborators, composers Julie and Steve Bernstein.  

Above, four more stars from Warner Bros. Animation, circa 1997.   Top left:  Bob Doucette -- designer, artist (Animaniacs, Tiny Toons),  show creator (Detention), director and producer (Road Rovers and Histeria).  Top right:  Harry Andronis --  the brilliant and beloved recording engineer of Animaniacs, Pinky & the Brain, Batman: the Animated Series, Histeria and most other series produced by Warner Bros. Animation in the 90's.  In the center:  the one and only Tress MacNeille -- the voice of Babs Bunny, Dot Warner, Hello Nurse and countless other characters at Warner Brothers animation, at Disney, on The Simpson and everywhere in the cartoon universe.  And standing in front:  Cody Ruegger, the inspiration for all the Baby Plucky cartoons ("Water go down the hole"), the voice of The Little Bluebird on Animaniacs, and the voice of Loud Kiddington on Histeria!

ANIMANIACS: "Smell Ya Later" with Jonathan Winters

Here's one of my favorite Slappy Squirrel cartoons, directed by Rich Arons and Lenord Robinson, written by Earl Kress and yours truly, and starring Sherri Stoner as Slappy, Nate Ruegger as Skippy, and guest starring Luke Ruegger as Bumpo Basset and the one-and-only comedy genius Jonathan Winters as Stinkbomb D. Basset.  

Bumpo and Stinkbomb D. Basset planning an attack on Slappy and Skippy Squirrel in "Smell Ya Later" from Animaniacs

 Watch "Smell Ya Later" here.

A major highlight of my career in cartoons was getting to work with Jonathan Winters -- and one of the highlights of being a dad was being able to introduce my sons to one of the greatest comedians of all time.   I am still thrilled that they had the chance to work alongside Sherri Stoner and Jonathan Winters in the same cartoon.  "Smell Ya Later" is one of my all-time favorite segments from Animaniacs. 

"Facebook Addiction" by Luke Ruegger

From the September 29th, 2011 edition of the Pepperdine University newspaper The Graphic, here's a visual commentary from my son Luke, who is the editorial cartoonist and art editor for the paper.  

Nice job, Luke!

9/11/11

A Poem: "Look At Me"

Look at me 

I'm fat again

Unlike

 Amy Madigan.

"HISTERIA!" Animating Crew Photos -- #2

Here's the second pair of "animating" crew photos from the "Histeria!" series.  Flip the two photos back and forth to create "the illusion of life" -- and to see members of the cast make funny faces.   These two photos feature some of the wonderful voice actors who performed regularly on "Histeria!"  Can you name them all? 

HISTERIA! -- The Cast and Crew

                                                                                HISTERIA! POSTER 

                                          Signed by the cast and crew

                                                                                                                                   Histeria! (c) 1998 Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc  

"9/11" -- by Luke Ruegger

                                                                                                                                                            (c) 2010 Luke Ruegger

Here's a Rarity... .

"Histeria!" on the cover of Daily Variety. Unfortunately, most kids in our target audience did not subscribe to Variety.