Christmas Card from Warner Bros. Animation, 1999

Bugs Bunny, Scooby Doo, Superman, Taz, Buster Bunny and Babs Bunny (no relation), Yakko, Wakko and Dot Warner (related), Michigan J. Frog, Pinky & the Brain, Tweety and Sylvester, Wile E. Coyote, Father Time and Big Fat Baby from "Histeria," Batman from "Batman Beyond" and the cast from "Detention" wish you Happy Holidays!

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 18 --Daffy, Yogi, Scooby and Gossamer

Two more images from the "Mixed Nutz" pitch.

Daffy and Yogi argue over their own respective studliness and the kind of music they want to listen to during a cross-country trek in this segment from "Mixed Nutz."

Scooby encounters Looney Tunes monster star Gossamer, who's the pet of the local mad scientist veterinarian, in this "Mixed Nutz" sequence.

More to come...

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 16 -- Dogs Playing Poker

A recurring segment on "Mixed Nutz," based on the famous kitschy paintings by C.M. Coolidge:  the dogs of Hanna-Barbera play poker with the Looney Tunes canines.

Marc Antony, Charlie the Dog, K-9 and other Looney Tunes mutts must deal with the underhanded and less-than-above-board card sharks from Hanna-Barbera, including (among others) Huckleberry Hound, Doggie Daddy, Scooby, Scrappy and the biggest cheater of all, Bandit.

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were # 2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 8 -- Bugs Meets Scooby, Daffy Meets Dino

More  proposed segments for "Mixed Nutz" (2008) -- the animated show I pitched to Warners Bros. that matched up characters from Looney Tunes with stars from the Hanna-Barbera universe.

 

Bugs Bunny upstages and confuses the daylights out of Scooby and the gang during a spooky mystery that takes place inside the Motion Picture Hospital and Animators' Retirement Home in Calabasas.

After Daffy replaces an injured Shaggy in the Scooby Doo series, Scooby quits in protest, and is replaced by Dino, much to Daffy's consternation.

More to come... 

The Cartoon Shows that Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" (2008) -- Part 1

Back in 2008, I proposed an animated TV series to the powers-that-be at Warner Bros.   

The basic concept of the show:  cartoon universes collide, resulting in Looney Tunes characters and Hanna-Barbera characters appearing in cartoons with each other.  

Bugs Bunny and Yogi Bear in the logo from "Mixed Nutz," an animated TV series I pitched to Warner Bros. back in 2008

I called the show "Mixed Nutz" and pitched it to Brad Globe, head of Warner Bros. global licensing.   Brad loved the concept and my pitch.  In fact, at my first meeting with him, three minutes into the pitch, after he had seen a few pieces of the art, he looked at me and, with a huge smile, said:  "We're making this show.  I've been waiting for someone to walk in with a concept like this for at least three years.  And now you've done it.  We're going to make this show."

Bugs Bunny makes a wrong turn in Albuquerque and arrives in Bedrock where he drives Fred Flintstone nuts in this segment from "Mixed Nutz," a TV series pitched to Warner Bros. by Tom Ruegger in 2008.

Pitches normally don't go this well.     

I was on cloud nine.  

A week or so later, there was a follow-up pitch with Brad, Warner Bros. Television Animation President Peter Roth, and the President of the Warner Bros. Television Group Bruce Rosenblum, and once again, "Mixed Nutz" received a very enthusiastic response, so much so that in the room that day, the three execs committed to making a pilot for the series.  Hand shakes all around.  

A very happy day.  

Daffy subs for Shaggy in this Scooby Doo segment from "Mixed Nutz," an animated TV series pitched by Tom Ruegger to Warner Bros. back in 2008. 

Over the next couple of weeks, I continued developing segments and story ideas for the show, I kept drawing and pulling artwork together, and I started to make calls in hopes of lining up some of the brilliant folks who helped make "Animaniacs" a success, funny people like Sherri Stoner, Deanna Oliver, Paul Rugg, John McCann, Alfred Gimeno, John McClenahan, Joey Banaskiewicz and others.  

Then, about a month after the initial pitch,  Sam Register was hired by Warner Bros. to be the executive in charge of Warner Bros. Television Animation, where he would be reporting directly to division prez Peter Roth.  Sam had his own plans for the Looney Tunes characters.  Soon after he arrived on the scene, my green-lit pilot became un-green-lit.  

Elmer has the title role and Quick Draw McGraw plays his equine sidekick in this movie parody from "Mixed Nutz," an animated TV series pitched to Warner Bros. by Tom Ruegger back in 2008.

"Mixed Nutz" was canceled before it could even get started.  

And I never heard another word from anyone at Warner Bros. 

Anyway, this post, and the subsequent posts about "Mixed Nutz," can be filed under the category "The Cartoon Shows that Never Were #2."  

Snagglepuss, Daffy, Yogi and Bugs in a spoof of "South Park" from "Mixed Nutz" (2008), an animated TV series pitched to Warner Bros. by Tom Ruegger.