Bob Clampett's Tale of Snorky ("There's No Such Thing as a Sea Serpent")

[@nortoncomando3728]

I just listened to this cartoon on my truck radio. The dialogue and early 60s folk music style was definitely a time capsule. Great cartoon and totally underated. Beatniks, Folkies and other early 60s culture often referenced or made fun of. 😂. I love it

[@d-manthecaptain1382]

Nice to see that even Tv budgets couldn't hold ol' Bob back.

[@SteveCarras]

I love this, sp.a logner Beany.

[@garymitchell4291]

Bob had Balls

[@rogerthornhill1547]

Today, on a whim, I googled SNORKY since I've had part of a tune in my head (minus some of the lyrics) for over 50 years. "Snorky, Snorky.........." I was a big Beany and Cecil watcher, but couldn't put my finger on this tune. Whoa, found this posting and realized that I MAY not be crazy after all. (Of course, I also thought for awhile that Credence was singing "...there's a bathroom on the right".) Thanks so much for clearing this up.

[@BLMCFR]

Hahahahaha!! This carton has been rattling around in my memory for decades!! Thanks for finding it an posting it !!!!!!!!!!!

[@jamesferrell]

I don't know why, but out of the blue I woke up this morning singing the chorus of the Snorky song. A quick web search and I found this. Thank you, wileyk, for posting this--it was megatons of nostalgia for me. Big S N big O R wee K Y--who knew? I feel like my life is complete now! Thanks again!!!

[@guitpik]

Wow, same thing happened to me!

[@gregoryreese8491]

JESUS, an epiphany! Swear to God, for fifty years that song has been on the edge of my consciousness, haunting me! Now that I read the synopsis I remember. If it was '62 I would have been seven or eight years old, and I recall how, at the end of the show, they moved the scenery that was the stage setting for the puppet "Cecil", revealing the person who "played him", he still had his arm inserted in the puppet, which I guess was to show Cecil was't real, I DID know, but still, it made me so sad.

[@JCJasion]

I LOVED this cartoon as an 11-year-old! The standing joke about the "Little Old Mud Pie Maker, ME!" was, as another reader here mentioned, is a reference to The Italian Swiss Colony Wine commercials with which everyone, child and adult alike, was familiar with at the time. Actually and factually, the part of the "Little Old Winemaker" in the wine commercials was played by none other than Jim Backus, whose other TV credits included the husband of Joan Davis in "I Married Joan" back in the 1950's as well as the voice of Mr. Magoo and of course, the part with which most people today remember him, as Thurston Howell III in "Gilligan's Island".

[@rhondag.williams7224]

OMG I have been haunted by this cartoon for DECADES!!! I could only remember the line "what could that tail that's trailing you be, and now I know how foolish of me, just lift it up and you will see." It all came back to me when I saw it. Thanks for posting it!!!

[@RatBatSpiderCrab]

The Cleopatra part kills me!

[@TheRobertVFrazier]

Killed her, too!

[@McNugget64]

@@TheRobertVFrazier it killed that cat too

[@keithm1138]

Pay close attention the the Triceratops song...It says "those who try Sara, say she's tops"

[@glowworm2]

This is seriously catchy, hilarious and adorable! The Cleopatra part, and the actual sea serpent at the end are my favorite parts.

[@ZakWolf]

Wow, long time no see :) Glad you liked this!

[@glowworm2]

***** Yeah, I get around. :)

[@jojomayard7233]

@@ZakWolf Ear rape waring in 3...2...1... 6:54

[@dirkpitt5468]

That opening is the BEST!

[@richardranke7878]

"All triceratops who try Sarah say she's top!" Amazing what they got away with way back in 1962.

[@garymitchell4291]

they humped

[@goodsport65]

I remember , as a kid growing up, seeing this cartoon as part of the Bozo show!

[@gregbernstein6430]

Me too

[@gamerzero7735]

Like how Beany and Cecil introduced this Bob Clampett cartoooooOOOOOOOOON.

[@deedeekae6442]

Wow! Stumbled on this by accident after watching it close to 30 years ago.❤

[@gregoryreese8491]

Yes, it sure was. Foolish as it seems, it, the big "reveal" (see my other comment a few spaces down), was so traumatic to my six year-old self, that I'm able to recall it vividly.

[@diasirea]

There's a reference in cartoon to "that little mud pie maker, me" that spoofed an ad campaign by Italian-Swiss Colony Wines, where an elderly man in regional costume refers to himself as "that little old wine maker, me" campaign ran in mid sixties, and I think Puff was written in early '60s.I was born in 1980, so I'm only getting info indirectly, maybe someone who was there can explain.Anyway, still love these old cartoons, much better than drivel around when I was young. Thanks for post!!!!

[@SteveCarras]

And Jim Backus starred as that little old wine maker, me.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Love the depiction of some dinosaurs chowing down here!

[@michaelszczys8316]

I used to watch as a kid but from watching these videos now and especially the old tv puppet show I can see this was not a ‘ very well censored ‘ program ( whew !)

[@RatBatSpiderCrab]

0:50 Retroscope animation from the Lost World 1925. Thanks for uploading one of my favorite episodes. Had the theme song for my profile music on MySpace but my channel got deleted. BUMMER!

[@jonathanwilson5011]

Bob Clampett himself narrates....

[@glitch-pr3nr]

Snarky

[@aaaht3810]

Saw this in the early 60's when I was about 12. As some other comments have stated, I remember it so well. The tune has stuck with me all these years and it is good seeing it again. It is so full of puns and innuendo (even the flora and fauna wanna) I am surprised it was allowed on TV but I guess no one was really paying attention to the lyrics. I certainly did not catch the meaning at the time. Bob Clampett was the best. His cartoons were very funny, clever, and imaginative. He also threw in some political satire. Too bad we do not have similar entertainment today.

[@kimzchaos]

I love the ending

[@andydensmore5293]

Bob clampetts tale of snorky is good so it should be for artjur season 18

[@alandhopewell]

I remember this from about fifty years ago; makes me wonder what they were smokin' back then.

[@garymitchell4291]

Good Weed~~~not this bullshit from the younguns

[@OldsVistaCruiser]

@@garymitchell4291 - I have a medical cannabis card here in Pennsylvania. They would be lucky to get 5% THC in the '60s. I can get 36% THC at my local dispensary!

[@fromthesidelines]

Script by Bob Clampett; music and lyrics by Bob and Sody Clampett. Jack Roberts and Hoyt Curtin wrote the "MATTY'S FUNNIES"/"BEANY AND CECIL" theme.

[@otaku34]

7:09 mud, i like it 🎶snorky wait for me🎶

[@johnrobinsoniii4028]

He sounded like the “Cookie Monster”(of “Sesame Street”fame).

[@annainspain5176]

As a kid, my much older brother told me that Snorky was a cartoon series, but I see it was a single toon. Odd that because it was made the year I was born and I was about six when he told me about it. Someone gave me a Beanie doll that said phrases when you pulled a string in its back. It had on overalls and shoes with laces that you could take off and put on. I loved the little pockets, but I can't remember a single phrase the doll said. We used to sing "Big S, little N O R K Y. "

[@christopherdunne7848]

What are Beany & Cecil actually singing here (right before "A Bob Clampett Cartoon")? Definitely not "And now here's Beany and Cecil in-----".

[@ZakWolf]

It's "And now here's Snorky Snorkel in..."

[@christopherdunne7848]

Wow thanx for the record-time response!

[@gregoryreese8491]

I'm glad you commented, makes me feel less alone somehow, less strange. Thanks.

[@lindacook7899]

You have no idea how many years I have tried to find this on VHS, then on DVD. I can't believe you posted it on here. I was a really, really little kid when I saw this, loved it, and remembered it decades later. Does anyone know who performed this? It came well before Peter, Paul and Mary's "Puff," incidentally. Thank you SO much for posting this!

[@BLMCFR]

Ray Fisher Hahahahaha!! Yes! only saw it once decades ago, and this has been on my mind for decades since. Now I understand it too.

[@BLMCFR]

Linda - Jack Roberts, Hoyt Curtin, and Bob and Sody Clampett performed the song. Bob Clampett produced the cartoon. I only ever saw it once and it has been rattling around in my brain for decades.

[@lindacook7899]

Jeffrey Cole, thank you so much! I wish a digital recording of the music existed. As for now, I'll just keep watching the DVD ... and youtube!

[@BLMCFR]

Linda, Do you want an mp3 file of this?? I could probably make it a digital audio file.

[@lindacook7899]

Jeffrey Cole That would be fantastic! Oh my gosh!

[@mairiamonitino6637]

i see no one has posted in years here. i'm gonna endeavor to post the lyrics. this is such a clever vintage 'toon. it moves me in the most peculiar way....is it the harmonies? the bygone era? the wordplay reflective of that era? For years i've hankered for a SnORky tee shirt. i have the dvd with lotsa b&c cartoons and clampett interview extras btw.

[@keithvanallen3919]

Yes but WHY oh WHy do they . say WEE K Y??? Ive gotten in to some good arguments over this--my friend said they said it was S,N-O-R and a K E Y or something ,but thats not what they say..but why? Was it a Recording mistake in a rushed one-shot end of show production? It haunted me anyway. I was intranced by what I thought was "I Guess an 'I go ,anna weeky wide" which as a kid ,was fine by me.. I grew up to become an animator.

[@vashietru1848]

Big S, N, big O, R, wee K, Y.

[@lucieloves2000]

Me too! That song always stuck in my mind, but I could never figure out what it was from! I would have been about 6 years old then!

[@sinisterteaser4464]

Small gripe - Loch Ness isn’t on the sea, as the ‘loch’ implies it is an inland lake.

[@JCJasion]

Never realized the link with "Transfusion" and "Leader Of The Pack."

[@juanalbertomenjivar5377]

Even the flora and the fauna... wanna... 😅

[@ikyleyoubroski]

6:51 sounds like the crocodile in disney's Robin Hood

[@diasirea]

Was this a spoof of the '60s folk song "Puff the Magic Dragon"?

[@fromthesidelines]

7:55- "a Television Artists and Producers Corporation Presentation"

[@SteveCarras]

"distributed by ABC films" starting 1968. Very catch Peter, Paul and mary like song. Too bad we gotta wait till round 4 min. to get to the chorus., This should have been a hit single in its entirety but would have been either 1) in part one and two or 2) edited (tolo long otherwise...maybe fifteen years later lol!

[@GlamRockCowboy]

Just one question: Who were the vocalists?

[@BLMCFR]

Jack Roberts, Hoyt Curtin, and Bob and Sody Clampett performed the song. I have done video productions and documentaries, so I have a habit of actually reading the credits to keep track of talent or to find new talent for my productions.

[@mitchellfreedman4546]

Jeffrey Cole I saw Bob Clampett in Laguna Beach, CA in 1982 or 1983, shortly before his untimely death, and he told the audience he was the narrator, but not the woman and man who were singing. It was some married duo whose names he alas could no longer recall. Could he have been playing and that it was really him and his wife, Sody? Possibly. But he seemed very serious as he told the story. He said they were paid scale but no royalties. I've yet to hear from them or anyone on their behalf, I have to admit.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

It's only a shame they never credited VA's on this show. Quite a lot of hidden talent that popped up in many episodes.

[@mr.kevinamponsah7410]

I wish i want to meet Bob Clampett, but he died before i was born

[@CallOfTheWreckinBall]

Does anybody have any idea what the lyrics are in the refrain at 3:42? "Snorky, Snorky......................" This song has been haunting me for 45 years now and I can't believe I found it.

[@ZakWolf]

It's "Big S-N, big O-R, wee K-Y." It actually shows it at 3:47. I think it's referring to how the Snorky text is shown at 0:06.

[@CallOfTheWreckinBall]

Ah, "big S 'n' big O 'r' wee 'k' y." Thank you. Maybe that will silence the lambs.

[@gregoryreese8491]

CallOfTheWreckinBall Believe me, I've been in the exactly same boat. Now, at least, I don't have to worry about it springing to mind on my deathbed to torment me as I draw that final breath.

[@sauluribe7082]

Funny.... while that song certainly rings a bell growing up everything else i don't recall except for that end credits with a final image still missing like the ABC-TV logo

[@ColonelMarcellus]

I had a stuffed Cecil toy with a pull ring that woud make him say silly things.

[@mairiamonitino6637]

THANK YOU, POSTER! @wileyk209zback

[@libracortneyjoshua]

"The teenage"

[@nortoncomando3728]

Folk singer vibe going on

[@Sandlot1992]

was this probably the episode that shows the origin of Snorky to end the series?

[@KevlarNinja]

Ahh, the days where you could show all sorts of incorrect bullcrap about prehisotic life without people other then paleontologists shouting at the TV........

[@diasirea]

maybe so, but you have to admit this spoof of folk songs is far more enjoyable than the sentimental/drug song Puff.

[@otaku34]

5:53 SEA SERPENT

[@jeffmissinne3866]

Who sang the song?

[@larkatmic]

Jeff Missinne The creator Bob Clampett did.

[@denisovermelho5791]

infância lembrada

[@decimatorentertainmentstud8523]

We have the DVD

[@maureencora1]

1960s Folk Song Music

[@Rusticabcd]

Wait I thought you make YTPs

[@KevlarNinja]

Don't know why, but it remindes me of the Republican Party.... ;)