Exhibit 87: Looney Tunes Backgrounds

Last weekend I initiated a seven-day trial of Boomerang, which streams vintage cartoons, like Scooby Doo and Tom and Jerry but most importantly Looney Tunes, a staple of my childhood with gags that I still reference to this day. Needless to say, it’s been a fun half-fortnight spent watching these episodes or even just having their happy noise on in the background.

Howevs, I do have some complaints. For one, Boomerang’s collection is not comprehensive—not every Looney Tunes is available., and if an episode doesn’t concern a main character, forget it. (In other words, no Marc Anthony crying over Pussyfoot-shaped cookies, no lusty wolves begging for more Red Riding Hood, no overly polite gophers trapped in a canning factory, and no drunk music notes wandering around the sheet music for “Blue Danube.”)

Furthermore, some main characters are totally missing from the lineup. I’m looking at you, Speedy. I understand those cartoons are perceived as racist and no one wants to perpetuate that stereotype. However, I don’t care for this monopoly over the cartoons that hoards them away and decides what I get to see. Does this mean I’ll never see another Speedy Gonzales cartoon in my lifetime? (Meanwhile I just finished one cartoon where Bugs and Yosemite Sam realized a horse was elected mare/mayor so they inexplicably start playing Russian roulette. WHAT.) Why not put the cartoons in some context, like with a disclaimer or something preceding it, instead of just stuffing it away forever?

Anyway—another gripe of mine is that it’s not searchable by year. I’d like to watch the later ones from the ’60s; I like the style better. I especially enjoy the backgrounds, which were often created by Maurice Noble, Philip DeGuard, and Ernie Nordli. I find them very playful and lively, and I hope to incorporate their ideas into some of my own work at some point!