Why 1930s Cartoons are Like That - The Full Context

[@vysethegallant638]

A lot of these people don't understand that these "horrifying" cartoon shorts weren't originally aired on televisions, let alone were made for or geared towards children. Televisions didn't become common household appliances until the 1950's. Even then, it took a few years for the censors to force shows like "The Flintstones" to stop advertising Winston cigarettes, because TV's themselves had been marketed as a means to entertain children. I really wish the pearl-clutchers would do their homework before dismissing everything pre-"their lifetime" as humanity with insanity. Until then, all you have to do to call them out is show them how adult and ultra-violent today's cartoon animations can be (e.g. Family Guy, South Park, everything on Adult Swim). If they respond "well, THOSE cartoons aren't for children", then they're hypocrites to not accept the truth of the past. EDIT: Watched to the end. You pulled up far better examples of more adult animation than my low-hanging fruit, and better articulated what makes animation more than just "for children". A lot of movies and shows you listed were works that I never even knew about, so thanks for that!

[@c-puff]

Thank you so much for watching! And I fully agree with you! It's very frustrating that even in today's time where Anime, Netflix, Adult Swim and Bojack Horseman/Simpsons/South Park exists, people seem DETERMINED to label animation as being automatically for children. Like... How many times do we have to teach you this lesson, Old Man????

[@RayPointerChannel]

Originally THE FLINTSTONES was aimed at an adult audience and so the sponsors were Winston cigarettes and Miles Laboratories. They were not FORCED to stop advertising Winston cigarettes. Because the show was attracting a family audience, ABC brought in family-oriented sponsors, primarily Best Foods and Welche's and moved it to the 7:30 time slot from the 8:30 spot.

[@vysethegallant638]

@@RayPointerChannel My apologies for being incorrect on the Flintstones example specifically (the commercials aired from 1961-1963 while the FCC banning of cigarette commercials didn't start until Nixon signed legislation on it in 1969). I took the articles claiming that the show was receiving backlash from parents for advertising cigarettes for granted without fully verifying it first. That said, you're not entirely right either. It was because of Wilma giving birth to Pebbles, leading to Winston themselves pulling their sponsorship amid concerns over advertising cigarettes on a show with a baby character. Nowhere can I find that it was because the show was attracting a family audience, but I wouldn't be surprised if that was a factor as well.

[@RayPointerChannel]

Regarding THE FLINTSTONES and the advertising of Winston Cigarettes (and Miles Laboratory products like Alka Seltzer), censors had nothing to do this, "forcing" the removal of cigarette commercials on THE FLINTSTONES. It was a network decision based on the discovery that this series, originally aimed at an adult audience attracted a family audience. So the network sold the time slot to family oriented companies such as Best Foods and Welches. THAT is what happened. Take it from someone who saw it when it happened.

[@ffx2player]

Yeah, surrealism, WWI,... I think a lot of Americans especially forget or fail to understand the effects of WWI on the psyche of people living through it and after it. The art movements before and after are almost physically painful in how much they changed and why.

[@Nitroxity]

Something else about older animation that can make it seem random at times are "lost references", or little jokes pointing to some cultural movement or figure that is lost on any viewer today that isn't willing to do some historical research. Imagine Family Guy's incessant references but without them ever pointing out where each reference is pointing to, and then imagine Family Guy came out before anyone you know was alive. You'd be just as bewildered.

[@erikbihari3625]

Many works of art do this til even today. That's how someone grabs an audience and keeps them there! For example, have you seen the promotional materials for lilo and stitch such as those animated crossover teasers?

[@coreybul]

it is written...the end times will be worse than ever before on the face of the earth...even before the flood when only 8 people survived...for the naysayers i say just because you do not believe does not change the truth... mythology is not a myth... look up rob skiba with an open mind mary jacob

[@nar2cc]

​@@coreybulno

[@raymondsix4694]

Yes. Just watch episodes of the beloved animated series "Animaniacs"from the early-mid 1990s. Animaniacs is full of references and mockery of the current topics of that time, especially the Hollywood stars and culture of the day. That humor would just fly over the heads of those too young to remember that era.

[@Lozzomatic]

Starting around I think the mid-late 1930s Looney Tunes did these little shorts that didn't really have the usual cast of Bugs, Daffy, Elmer etc. but was specifically a showcase of making fun of the big name celebs at the time. There are a fair few familiar names and faces, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Laurel and Hardy etc but among them every so often you'd get a segment pocking fun at a popular slapstick comedian/ singer/ actor etc who had just released their movie at the time that could either be really funny or like a 1930's meme movie that everyone was taking the piss out of. Like if the internet and twitter existed back then they'd be absolutely meme-ing it into oblivion. Back then that comedian would have been relatively well known, a household name-now, like 90 years on very few people know who that person is and the ones who were around during their stardom are extremely old if not dead. At some point some references in modern cartoons to some celebrities or well known people WILL be weird to those in the future watching it because they have no fucking idea who that person was or why that reference was how it was portrayed. Some of those reference could be who we consider as big names.

[@Via-Media2024]

I have three degrees in music, but when I took Jazz History, the professor just told personal anecdotes and had us watch the Ken Burns documentary. So you are perfectly qualified to speak on the topic.😂😂😂

[@paulwillard9687]

Horror style cartoons were because they weren’t meant for kids they would play before films in an evening for adults.

[@kayakat1869]

The media directly before and directly after the Hayes Code is the most fascinating and creative art of all time. Think about the movies of the late 20s and early 30s and compare it to the late 60s and early 70s. Most of the movies now (apart from some really amazing ones) play it so safe. I am absolutely fascinated by those films. I think our culture should let loose and stop being so uptight and pearl clutching about our art. We must never stop pushing the envelope.

I couldn't agree more. And that's because those two periods you mentioned, are transition periods. not just art and media, but society as a whole was going through a big shift in mindset and life style both during the early to mid 30s but also in the late 60s/early 70s. And well, let's not pretend that the end of prohibition in the 30s and the rise of counterculture and psychedelics in the 60s wasn't an important factor

[@LillianGraceFullofficial]

I never thought they where that weird since I grew watched them when I was little. It’s the reason why jazz is my favorite music genre now, and why I appreciate surrealism so much. This was really interesting to watch! thank you

[@1Gengar]

This video explains everything so well it has permanently changed my perspective on the world

[@c-puff]

Oh thank you! That's really high praise 💖

[@erikbihari3625]

@@c-puff. You deserve it. Showing that the definition of something being adult is equally flimsy as disdain behind combining socks and sandals!

[@kittykittybangbang000]

excepted this to have millions of views, this is such a cool and well made video, so underrated and something the animation nerd in me has been dreaming for for ages lol

[@diamondlockproductions64]

I’m glad you finally got this video out, also Happy New Year.

[@c-puff]

Thank you! I cut it close but I was DETERMINED to get it out before 2022 XD thank you so much for watching

[@marsagain5635]

your so underatted! this was so well explained and i really learned a lot from this video so thank you!

[@c-puff]

Thank you so much for watching! Hopefully if I keep at it eventually the algorithm will favour me ;w;

[@erikbihari3625]

@@c-puff. KZbin could use some more enlightened individuals!

[@NukeOTron]

15:40 ...and that's why animators have to get good: so the teeth and lips they draw won't give people nightmares. Also, that's why choreography matters. Also, ironically, it's the death of the Hays Code that made Disney's live-action films in the '70s feel like they were made in the wrong decade. Well, that, and the company's stubbornness on upping their standards when it came to making quality films, and where the money went. I watched almost every live-action Disney film from the '70s and '80s to find out when they got good and stayed good, and that would be 1982, the year of Tron. You could argue 1989, the year of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, but by 1982, they were pumping out movies that deserved their cult status.

[@erikbihari3625]

What do you mean, basically?

[@austinreed7343]

And why Mickey is rarely drawn with teeth at all.

[@erikbihari3625]

@@austinreed7343. Really?

[@12sleep34]

this video is PHENOMENAL, very good writing and pacing. everything i was interested about in this topic and more was answered. thank you !!!!!!

[@12sleep34]

also, i really appreciate the title and year of whatever's being shown in the corner. lots of stuff for me to add to my "watch later" hehe

[@wendi-bnkywuv]

Quite informative! I love learning about the history of animation, and this was one of the questions I've asked, now finally answered!

[@3amAfterlife]

this was such a good documentary. also your music choices are top tier

[@AlexMig]

This My favorite era of animation because they are just figuring it out and it’s just starting to get good

[@erikbihari3625]

If you think they started to get good, then only seen half of them. Animation has always been good long as right budget and art style are working togather!

[@makesomething4093]

This is a wonderful video. You’re hilarious and your musical choices/taste- -immaculate

[@erikbihari3625]

She just earned herself a New subscriber!

[@JungoFunko]

I agree, I love her editing so much!

[@erikbihari3625]

​​@@JungoFunko. Her accent is annusual and goes well with her smooth voice, wich helps keep her audience's attention too!😊

[@JungoFunko]

I completely agree! @@erikbihari3625

[@mira-wall]

this is so well made and deserves more views

[@The_Darn_Cat]

25:05 I love that dude, I believe it is parody, but it is really done extremely well, so I can't tell either. Also, the "commercials" series of videos by Channel Awesome is pretty fun... also about nostalgia. [Solo]

[@c-puff]

Ah great thanks for telling me! 😂 He did an excellent job then because I genuinely couldn't tell!

[@95mcqueen5]

You got so deep I forgot about the cartoons like 4 times throughout the video lol. Very nice video

[@waddledee8387]

Man the assumption that animated cartoons are for kids and have always been that way has really rotted people's brains huh

[@charlesbennett7484]

In the early days, I think, at least that about 70% of cartoons were made for adults and the rest were for kids. There were pornographic cartoons even back then. Seriously.

[@Kosmicant]

the thing that most people don't take into account when talking about surrealist animations from the 30's - 50's is that it wasn't treated as a medium to tell a story, they made animations specifically to accomplish things that could never happen in real life, and to make you laugh, hence all the transformation, unnerving imagery and off-the-wall concepts. it makes sense why they had such bizarre concepts and ideas, it was everything you couldn't do in real life. we were just figuring out what you could do in animations, and you could do ANYTHING, and they took full advantage. Now that animation is a very charted and discovered field, most don't create animation like that anymore, and it's why it's seen as such a shock to most, because it's something we aren't used to, seeing as that style of animation has fazed out, and I think that's really cool, taking a trip to a bygone era that you weren't there for, it's such a rollercoaster.

[@conepiecechronicles]

I love the animation of your character. No one has ever done that in the history of KZbin ever. It's so original.

[@alduin240]

Isn't "all quiet on the western front" a german book (Im Westen nichts Neues)? I think it was published in 1929...

[@mrliteral9321]

This was a very well done video, very entertaining to watch and well researched! Thank you for the great explanation!

[@charlesbennett7484]

As someone who likes older cartoons, I usually have to tell folks that "context is king" and that all cartoons aren't "automatically" made for kids. I get tired of explaining so I think I'll just pull up this video next time someone asks me about it.

[@TroySpace]

Happy (early) New Year Puff!

[@c-puff]

Happy (almost!) New Year, Troy! Thanks for hanging out as I start this whole yt thing. I really appreciate it ✌

[@arc8216]

25:40 I honestly why today's kids like wierd and creepy stuff like Huggy Wuggy, Skibidi Toilet, FNAF and other stuff. Feels like it's just filling the same niche as those old weird cartoons did.

[@jazzpunk-k2u]

hell yeah jazz! glad you are honest about your jazz knowledge. it is truly complex and long and huge.

[@c-puff]

I actually found an entire coffee table book meant to accompany the Ken Burns documentary a while ago! I still need to read through it but I'm honestly highly interested in this part of American history and how it ties to Black American culture

[@jazzpunk-k2u]

@@c-puff ill give you a fun start. go watch the movie "Bolden' a movie about alleged father of jazz or jass as it were, Buddy Bolden.

[@nadiaromantini8836]

>Although not exactly destitute, the Fleischers grew up in, I quote, "abject poverty." That literally is destitution, and the worst kind lol

[@c-puff]

I was looking up photos for this project and I think I meant they were not living in the city dump in shacks build from refuse or just straight up living on the streets. Just based on some of the living conditions I saw in my research. This video was fun but also emotionally draining at times.

[@RayPointerChannel]

@@c-puff I'd be interested in your research sources since there are some that are very specific on this detail.

[@brownwerise4357]

@8:56 BTW: Williamsburg is nowhere near Coney Island.

[@erikbihari3625]

So her research is holey?

[@jtyearsley]

No idea why I got recommended this, but I watched the whole thing. Well done!

[@-obamium5320]

Marcel Duchamp ended up hating how art was discredited and admitted that he participated in that discrediting. British Broadcasting Network 1966

[@c-puff]

Ye ye! he was an incredibly interesting dude. I love that interview with him. He sounds so chill.

[@Beefy-Cheese]

26:54 Not the passion of saint tibulus!

[@LikaLaruku]

Weird that this shows up in my reccommendations ad I start reading comic strips from 1919. I'll bite.

[@Torantes]

INSANELY underrated video! I thought this had no less than 300000 views

[@Mafon2]

Well, it's not a Velma hate-sink, or some other degenerative youtube content form, so, of course, the audience has little interest in it.

[@charlesbennett7484]

16:03 what song is that? Also the song at 45:09 ?

[@atippey1986]

The other thing that probably made the comparison in Gold Diggers extremely salient was the "Bonus Army" demonstration in 1932. Basically, WWI vets were promised a bonus payment for their service in 1945 ($1 for each day of service but $1.25 for days served abroad) but were marching to demand it early for the obvious reason of really needing the money.

[@AlexMig]

I try to capture that weird vibe 30s cartoons have in my videos

[@erikbihari3625]

Not bad.

[@RayPointerChannel]

You might want to view THE WOODLAND CAFE. That was a Disney SILLY SYMPHONY that had a Jazz climax, "Everybody's Truckin'." You should see it. And I see you found value in the KOKO SOUND CAR-TUNES, which you have featured here. I believe I know the source. But I fear the question of why 1930s cartoons were like that we not made really clear. There is a lot of historical background that is not clearly lead into the early 30s content, or how-if at all the Surrealist Movement of post WWI played a part. There are a lot of examples of surrealistic concepts and imagery in these cartoons, very specifically in the Fleischer cartoons. This concept might need further expansion to make this understood.

[@mattmcconnell4814]

Excellent work!

[@dogfartmcgee3959]

The music in the background is disruptive and unnecessary, it doesn't do you justice.

[@dr.mangopolios3428]

Just by looking at the comments I can already tell this deserves millions of views, and I'm not even halfway through it!

[@AlexMig]

I love that feel it gives off

[@elusiveDEVIANT]

I love the style of 30s cartoons

[@scarletweb2106]

Yeah me too

[@ramonsanchez6903]

Don't hurt you're as you don't want them do to you

[@erikbihari3625]

What?

[@KwangTheMongrel]

I don’t think I agree with u about everything but I really appreciate this video and you did a great job on it!

[@aj16cook]

Excellent video. Since you seem to appreciate honest and even controversial opinions here's one thing: presenting a urinal as a piece of art implies that art is something to be urinated on which is not the statement a skilled artist who cares about art in any realistic fashion would make. It's not controversial in an interesting way or even rebellious just a juvenile attempt to get a rise out of others.

[@c-puff]

That was not his conception with The Fountain. The Fountain is simply one in a line of artwork he referred to as "Ready Made Art". In which he presented everyday objects, removed from their context completely, and presented them as art, forcing you to pay attention to the lines and curves of whatever object he had selected. This is why it's called "The Fountain" and not simply "urinal". He has completely detached it from its identity as a functional object and presented it as nothing more but form. But that's not what makes it art (although you can argue it does). What makes it art is the fact people are still arguing about it to this very day. It forces you to engage with the concept of art in a general sense, and how we identify art and what we consider art and how far do we stretch the definition of "art". By putting The Fountain in a museum, it forces a conversation. That's what makes it art.

[@PhilipJFryII]

Thank you, lady love

[@AlystrZelland]

This was fantastic. Thank you

[@xavierytb300]

Is that a song of healing trumpet cover!?!?

[@erikbihari3625]

A:"where? B:"what's that?

[@ProjectRedfoot]

13:07 Yea, you got it right.

[@erikbihari3625]

Probably never said it.

[@scarletweb2106]

Incredible video!

[@Randomlad.0737]

Indeed

[@floraevoli3330]

4:34 it's just a small thing but thank you for tell us it's staged

[@c-puff]

You're welcome. I didn't want people to be needlessly upset or stressed out.

[@erikbihari3625]

​@@c-puff. About what?

[@frankwest5388]

In a werid way many of the worst aspects of modern culture can be traced to the haze code, to the point that it might have set progressive culture back like 50 years or so. As an example imagine if things like the potrayal of gay characters wouldn't have been forbidden in the US at that time. This means that making every day people more used and as such more comfortable with seeing gay characters and as such people. Which would have likey led to an earlier start of the LGBT movement gaining serious traction. Reaching that level of representation, even if it wasn't good representation in retrospect, wasn't really done until the mid to late 90s, where gay implied characters were allowed to exist, even if only as villains and one specific form of charicature. It is also the reason why not a single good adult oriented animated show made in the US exists. Since the time it was law, led to the stigma of animation being for kids only. Which is why japanease animation was able to fill the niche of teen and adult oriented animation almost by default, since they weren't bound to that law and were allowed to exist.

[@roysutherland9729]

"All Quiet on the Western Front" was released in 1930, not 1950.

[@c-puff]

? Did I not say 1930? I'm pretty certain I would not get that wrong.

[@dogfartmcgee3959]

6:56 by your accent I can tell you're not American. Yes that does make it creepy.....FOR THAT TIME FRAME lol. Why do so many younger people can't realize they're looking back at things in the past (things before you and I were born) with very present eyes?

[@tomasiobermudez2588]

I thought the first academy awards were in 1929

[@ToxicMonster5]

Animation is for everyone

[@samp.8099]

24:41 Jesus Christ...

[@ProjectRedfoot]

35:50 ❤

[@erikbihari3625]

What?

[@zainmudassir2964]

Good vid 😊

[@trainfan-ks5hk]

Honestly it’s weird to think that before, Looney Toons player in the theaters rather than television. Also Betty Boop best animated girl

[@c-puff]

I've been listening t a true crime podcast and what's even weirder is how many real-world criminals who were active at the time are in Looney Tunes as jokes 👀💦

[@trainfan-ks5hk]

@@c-puff i mean people have been joking about tragedies for years now so nothing to new

[@charlesbennett7484]

🎶 Made of pen and ink! She can win you with a wink! Ain't she cute! "Boop oop a doop!" Sweet Betty!!"💋

[@Meimisaki2001]

They’ve always given me the creeps lol

[@erikbihari3625]

Yet their still goofy and lighthearted. A wonderful contradiction!

[@charlesbennett7484]

I've always found them comforting myself. Dark heavy subjects made light and being poked fun at.

[@Allyourheroswenttohell]

V hand sign. You people are everywhere.

[@The-Random-Hamlet]

What would you say is your favorite Sabaton song?

[@12sleep34]

i would give this video 100 likes if i could

[@erikbihari3625]

Do I ever as well!

[@KartikPatel-nt4ff]

😅😮😅😮😅well information good show 😅

[@Hidehobear]

Steamboat Willie was made in 1928

[@erikbihari3625]

So?

[@Hidehobear]

Tv wasn't for children

[@rodrigojesus8961]

Wow this video is really cool, but an advice it's too long, there are some stuff I don't care, some observations, but there are too many, but great overall, thank you

[@zimriel]

I don't think it's too long. It explains everything and has kept me riveted

[@ProjectRedfoot]

25:10 The accent sounds a *little* cartoonish... 😏

[@erikbihari3625]

I'm pretty sure it wasn't her.