"The Moose That Roared"...or..."Of Moose and Men"

Born 89 years ago in 1920, it's TV Cartoon producer Jay Ward's birthday.

Jay Ward was brought into the cartoon field in 1948, before TV was even in a siable portion of American homes. He produced the first ever made for TV cartoon "Crusader Rabbit" which debuted on August 1, 1950, then went on to produce some of the funniest cartoons ever made.

Confronted with the difficulty of expense of full animation on a limited TV budget, Jay and his partner Bill Scott made up for the static lake of movement in his cartoons with rich dialogue and stories which would range from witty to corny in the blink of an eye. This is something which Hannah-Barbera are oft credited with...but seriously??? Huckleberry Hound and Yogi Bear and the rest...well...they really weren't that funny...I'll stand on Fred Flintstones coffee table in my cowboy boots and tell him so myself.

But Jay Ward cartoons were just plain funny. It's Sunday and rather than go on and on about it...here's a collection of Jay's work for you to laugh at yourself.

Crusader Rabbit:



Rocky and Bullwinkle:





Dudley Do-Right:



Sherman and Peobody:



Fractured Fairy Tales:



Aesop & Son:



Roger Ramjet:



Hippety Hooper:



George of the Jungle:



Tom Slick:



Super Chicken:



That's just good stuff. And for sponsors? Jay teamed up with General Mills for these great commercial spots:

Cap'n Crunch:



Quisp:



Jay Ward is a guy who's work speaks for itself. Do yourself a favor and spend Sunday watching some of the best and funniest cartoons ever made.

Thanks Jay!