#melt his pig iron back into tin cans

[octavio-world]

it is heartwarming to see our tumblr community come together and all agree the only solution to pjackk being featured by a youtuber is to kill him in a violent mob

[ducktracy]

109. buddy steps out (1935)

release date: july 20th, 1935

series: looney tunes

director: jack king

starring: jackie morrow (buddy), bernice hansen (cookie/campbell’s soup kids)

it’s been awhile since cookie’s been in a buddy short—or it sure feels like it. this would be her last appearance, and buddy’s second to last. i also find the animation credit for chuck as “chas. jones” funny, that’s a new one to me. buddy and cookie go out on a date, and the objects in cookie’s house come to life, including a framed portrait of buddy.

cookie ends her career the way she began: dolling herself up for a date with buddy. she coos at a bird in her birdcage to come on out, and together they sing/chirp “about a quarter to nine”. the sound of a doorbell interrupts their brief song number, and sure enough it’s buddy, all bundled up in some scrooge-esque winter garb, tipping his top hat and greeting “hello, cookie!” i’m probably wrong, because i can’t see why they would do this, but buddy’s voice sounds a lot like jack carr’s than jackie morrow’s—yet later on in the short, portrait buddy is jackie morrow. it’s probably just poor hearing on my part, but strange regardless.

the bird senses the coast is clear, and flies over to the window, which is slightly ajar. a photograph of buddy and a book also adorn the scene. finally free for the night, the happy little bird flies through the window, singing its song and doing figure-eights in the night air.

a snowy draft begins to pick up, forcing the bird backwards against the wind. portrait buddy is no exception to the perils of the wind as the draft blows through the open window. he clings to the edge of his portrait, losing his hat in the process. a moment of peace as he crawls out of the portrait, opening a book to use as a bridge towards the windowsill. he hops onto the window, but his diminutive size does little to close the window. another draft rips through, and he cries “help! help!”

thank goodness for a random statue of atlas holding the globe. he places the world down gingerly, running to the rescue. he places buddy inside the book and closes the cover, shutting the window with ease. our hero plucks buddy up and positions him back into his picture frame, much to buddy’s gratitude. buddy snags his hat from outside the frame and all is well.

elsewhere, the bird, who has sought refuge on a weather vane, braves the storm and flies back towards cookie’s house. unfortunately for it, the window has been closed. the bird wipes away the frost and pecks its beak on the glass to get buddy’s attention. buddy notices the bird and enlists in atlas’ help once more (“atlas! atlas ol’ boy! give us a hand, partner!”) when he struggles to open the window. atlas lifts up the window, and buddy plucks the frozen bird from the snow, the bird’s talons frozen in an ice block. i had to read atlas shrugged (gag) the summer before my senior year of high school, so seeing these atlas references gives me some flashbacks, but i like how they’re executing the metaphor that the world is on his shoulders—only atlas can open the window and bring in a frozen bird and prevent buddy from flying out into the cold.

buddy scoops some snow off of the bird and scratches his head, pondering how he can thaw the frozen canary. he lifts the bird over his shoulder and coos “poor birdie!” ideas hatch as he jumps on a window blind, pulling the blinds down and hopping to the floor, bird in hand. he dashes across the floor to another window, riding the blinds up so he can land on a table. though the “come to life” trope has been tried and true (emphasis on tried), it’s almost nice to see it again. it’s been awhile, or so i believe. the cartoons blend together in the buddy era.

turning on a lamp, buddy positions the bird onto an elaborate lamp base with a woman holding out a bowl. buddy lights a match beneath the bowl, melting away the bird’s ice block restraint. water fills the bowl as the ice melts, the bird sneezing hot water onto buddy. buddy grabs a handkerchief and laughs, saying “blow your nosey!” the bird obliges, blowing its nose (beak?) like a car horn. once more buddy gives a laugh and pats the bird on the head, saying “atta boy!” delightfully disgusting and puzzling as he ties the same snot filled handkerchief around the bird’s head. obviously it was supposed to read as cute and endearing (i’d argue disney-esque, seeing as jack king had his disney roots) but it comes off as amusingly gross. the bird gives a few hearty chirps and kisses buddy’s forehead in thanks.

to celebrate its newfound freedom and vitalization, the bird clicks on the radio and chirps another verse of “about a quarter to nine”. thus begins a tap dance routine with buddy. i’ve really missed the tap dance routines! whenever i think of bosko, i always think of that great tap number in bosko in person. it’s refreshing to see it make a comeback, even if it is with buddy. the movements are crisp, fun, and flighty, music jolly. a nice detail of one of the knick knacks positioning a lamp like a spotlight.

to further the harman-ising nostalgia of tap dance routines, some more objects come to life. a joker leaps out of its playing card and does some not so soft soft-shoeing, whereas a chorus of campbell’s soup kids sing “about a quarter to nine” in the trademark bernice hansen baby voice. a pig on a “SNIFF’S SPECIAL HAMS” label also lends his voice.

some sort of ambiguous bug also sing a chorus, lazing around in a sink, rowing itself along in the water with a spoon. conveniently, a tin of bug spray is positioned by the sink. the soldier on the label comes to life and sprays the bug to eradicate it. naturally, the bug flees. it attempts to climb out of the sink, grabbing at a box of suds instead and filling the sink with bubbles. the bug pops it’s head out of the water, expelling bubbles out of its mouth and singing some more. the harman-ising feel is certainly strong in this one.

meanwhile, an alarm clock perched by the window spots buddy and cookie bracing their way through the snow squall. urgently does the clock ring, its piercing alarm sending everyone scrambling back into their places, including portrait buddy.

everyone situates themselves just in time as cookie unlocks the door. she steps inside and bids buddy goodnight, buddy kissing her hand. what a charmer. cookie admires her portrait of buddy, sighing “isn’t he a dear?” she showers the picture in kisses, adding “you darling!” we get a view of photo-buddy covered in lipstick. he glances at cookie before glancing back at the audience, giving a lipstick covered wink as we iris out.

as far as buddy cartoons go, this wasn’t bad at all. it had more excitement than usual. it felt fresh, which is ironic considering it calls back to the days of harman-ising. the song numbers were very fun to watch, with buddy doing his rap routine and bernice hansen lending her squeaky baby voice for the campbell’s soup kid chorus. both buddys, real and photograph, lacked discernible personality, and cookie wasn’t very riveting herself, but at this point you develop a tolerance for it. while i think you’d be fine if you skipped it, this is one where it wouldn’t kill you to watch it, either. nothing particularly riveting or enthralling, but much more endearing and watchable than some of the other buddys we’ve seen. his clock is ticking! one more short and he’s kicked to the curb.

link!

[tabletoptrinketsbyjj]

Trinkets, 6: Interesting baubles, semi magical objects and items touched by mystery.

A pine cone that resembles a bearded man’s face

A plaid kilt with a tag in the back that states the owner is “The Greatest Adventurer Who Ever Lived.”

A promissory note to Ms Lorthe Toureme, entitling her to “…three of the finest racing steeds of Vervagen Steeds & Tannery.”

A purple silk scarf, bearing the insignia of House Ortesia.

A quill pen which, no matter what color ink is used, writes in green

A red velvet drawstring pouch containing a dozen very small silver tokens, each with a happy face painted on them.

A roc feather fan

A rolled up parchment containing a handful of black hair, but no writing.

A rusted fork that gently warms any food picked up with it.

A scroll of complex formulae and charcoal sketches, depicting some manner of winged flying machine.

---Keep reading for 90 more trinkets.

---Note: The previous 10 items are repeated for easier rolling on a d100.

A pine cone that resembles a bearded man’s face

A plaid kilt with a tag in the back that states the owner is “The Greatest Adventurer Who Ever Lived.”

A promissory note to Ms Lorthe Toureme, entitling her to “…three of the finest racing steeds of Vervagen Steeds & Tannery.”

A purple silk scarf, bearing the insignia of House Ortesia.

A quill pen which, no matter what color ink is used, writes in green

A red velvet drawstring pouch containing a dozen very small silver tokens, each with a happy face painted on them.

A roc feather fan

A rolled up parchment containing a handful of black hair, but no writing.

A rusted fork that gently warms any food picked up with it.

A scroll of complex formulae and charcoal sketches, depicting some manner of winged flying machine.

A scroll titled: “The Rules and Regulations for Properly Attacking, Subduing, and Dispatching a Dragon of Any Solid Colour by Lord Pepping IV. Knowledgeable PC’s will remember that Lord Pepping was killed and eaten by a green dragon.

A seal stamp made of dark green stone that is always cool to the touch. The seal is a leafless tree.  

A sealed letter containing the deed to The Hunting Harlot in Port Judewater.

A set of a dozen silver nails.

A set of very accurate weights and scales.

A severed humanoid foot. It doesn’t bleed but moves as if it’s being tickled if touched.

A shard of glass. When looking through it, everything seen in ruins as if a great disaster has been brought about.

A sharpened feather

A sheet of tin rolled up into a scroll bound with platinum cord. The scroll must be unwound to be read, and reveals a chronological star chart, annotated in an alien language. If translated, the chart suggests a once in 433 year planetary alignment.  

A shrunken frozen head of an arctic tribesman. No matter the temperature it does not defrost.

A shrunken head of an unknown humanoid. It looks happy.

A silver hair pin.

A single bloodstained tarot card: The Seven of Swords (signifying betrayal and deception).  

A single, crystalline eye from a giant glass spider

A small bag containing the complete skeleton of a snake

A small black stone statuette of a grinning devil.

A small black stone, when placed in snow it gathers enough snow to it to form a fist-sized snowball.

A small cane box with the words “Eat Me” imprinted on small nickel plate set into the top. Inside is a small iced cake.  

A small coin pouch filled with ashes. Those who touch the ashes think of having children, or if they already have children, feel a dread that their children are soon fated to die.

A small drawstring pouch containing an exquisite, palm sized, crystal clear snowflake that does not melt.  

A small hand scythe. A strange force burns the hand of whoever holds it that has never harvested wheat by their own hand.

A small iron statuette of a dwarf, wielding an axe. It’s hard face is set with a murderous expression of cold fury.

A small lead model of a dragon in flight.

A small metal pot containing some extremely strong-smelling fermented fish of an unidentifiable type.

A small metallic rod that glows faintly and makes a whizzing noise when held aloft.

A small piece of green stone that foams in water and can be used as soap.

A small rock that was once part of an earth elemental

A small statue of an mind flayer made of bone, that unnerves intelligent creatures that look it in the eyes.

A small taxidermied imp, smoking a pipe.

A small velvet bag with a tiny padlocked draw chain. If opened, the bag contains the varnished skull of a human baby.  

A small wooden case holding a collection of pressed butterflies.

A small wooden statuette of an unfamiliar halfling-like creature.

A small, clear crystal shaped like a heart

A small, white marble carving of a small spider eating a larger one.

A smooth cylinder made from sandstone

A smooth grey river stone that briefly glows bright white every third day.

A square foot of black silk.

A stained scroll case containing an old chart revealing directions to the Lost Ruin of Sulgaard.

A stalagmite tip the size of a fist, that sometimes whispers it’s aspirations to be a stalactite hanging high above all to those who hold it.

A steel flask with a safety latch attached. A sloshing liquid can be heard inside. The flask contains a black, putrid smelling brine.

A steel flask with a safety latch attached. A sloshing liquid can be heard inside. The flask contains a delicious fey honey.

A steel hip flask filled with a fiery whisky.

A steel plated human skull.

A stone arrowhead. When laid under a person’s head as they sleep it causes pleasant dreams.

A stone carving of a furred humanoid creature.

A suggestive mermaid figurine carved from drift wood.

A surprisingly light, obsidian coin of unknown origin.

A tarnished gold anklet chain with three tarnished charms: a windmill, a boot and a torch. A fourth, gleaming and untarnished charm, is also attached: a sailing ship.  

A thick cotton pouch containing a powerful lodestone (Magnet). If the lodestone is within two feet of a compass, it produces false readings.  

A thin, square foot of iron with a hole in the centre and unknown text engraved on both sides.

A tin plated halfling skull.

A tiny opal jar filled with extremely fine, bright blue dust.

A tiny statuette of an emaciated, skeletal man that occasionally winks.

A tooth from a water drake that always has condensation on it

A toy wooden top that cannot be made to spin, but always remains balanced, upside down.

A trio of cloth arm bands. One labelled “Happy”, one labelled “Sad”, and one labelled “Orange”.

A two inch disk of ebony. One side of the disk is inscribed with three intertwined serpents. Knowledgeable PC’s will recognize the ebony tri-serpent is a symbol of the Six Eyes, a network of informants that sell their services to the highest bidder.  

A two-foot length of catgut rope with knots tied every four inches.

A two-foot tube of rolled paper.

A varnished case containing a string of garlic, two wooden stakes and a silver cross.  

A very small paper box which contains a tiny twig that disappears in a puff of smoke when taken out of the box, only to reappear in the box 24 hours later.

A war medal given to those who fought in the Goblin Wars over a hundred years ago.

A waterproof satchel containing a sea blue masquerade mask, with a slim wooden handle.

A wax seal matrix bearing the insignia of The Ebon Claw, a long dead thief.

A well detailed tentacle made of copper.

A well made violin that makes no sound when played.

A white burial shroud that gives an unsettling feeling to any creatures near it

A white veil with a silvered chain. The silvered chain is incredibly strong, and could be used as a garrotte.  

A wine case containing a bottle labelled Rowfred’s Finest Red, depicting a cheery bald fellow raising his glass with a sly wink.

A wooden model of a horse which has another, smaller wooden horse inside it.

A wooden witch doctor’s mask, trimmed with bright feathers and two horns made of the teeth of a large cat. The mask has three painted eyes and a beak instead of a mouth.  

A wyvern’s stinger

An ancient and ornate bronze oil lamp. It’s badly tarnished and in need of a thorough cleaning. From time to time, the lamp seems to creak of its own accord.

An antique crystal perfume dispenser with a hose and squeeze pump. The crystal reservoir is overlaid by a pewter octopus with human eyes. A green liquid can be seen inside.  

An apparently empty glass jar with a white wood lid. Any attempt to twist the lid loose is immediately met with a loud hissing noise, as if the jar is under extreme pressure.

An artistic painting of two hamsters locked in mortal combat.

An ebony canister sealed with wax. The canister is filled with ash, in the middle of which are a pair of pulsating purple pods connected together by slick, black tendrils.  

An elven rattle made from a tortoise shell

An envelope, wax sealed with the mark of Lady Farris, the infamous Tax Collector of Weatherbrund.  

An intricate eyeglass shaped in the likeness of a yellow cat’s eye.  

An intricately carved wooden rose.

An intricately miniature version of a strange town contained in a snowglobe, every now and again lights flicker in the tiny houses.

An IOU confirming that a certain farmer in a distant land owes you three suckling pigs.

An iron horseshoe which makes a slight humming sound at all times.

An iron plated dwarf skull.

An iron rose of spectacular craftsmanship.

An iron slave collar with cruel spikes affixed to the inside.

An ivory stamp used for wax sealing letters bearing the heraldic marks of an ancient and forgotten ruler.

Half of a palm-sized geode that pulses dimly with purple light.

Half of a templar’s amulet depicting the sorcerer king Hamanu