Know It All

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Voice actor Joe Dougherty originally did the voice of Porky Pig. Dougherty really had a stutter, however he couldn’t control it and it made production costs too high. Mel Blanc (1908-1989) began doing Porky Pig’s voice in 1937.

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Daffy Duck had a wife named Daphne. In the 1955 cartoon short "Stork Naked,” a stork tries to deliver a duckling to Mr. and Mrs. Daffy Duck, but Daffy tries to stop him.

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George Jetson worked for Spacely Sprockets, owned by Cosmo G. Spacely. Spacely’s competitor was W.C. Cogswell, owner of the rival company Cogswell Cogs.

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Bubbles, Blossom and Buttercup are the trio that makes up the Powerpuff Girls. The girls were created in a laboratory by a concoction of sugar, spice, everything nice and Chemical X. The chemical is the source of the sister’s super powers.

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Over 40 million Care Bear stuffed toys were sold between 1983 and 1987.

Marion Ross (born 1928), of "Happy Days” fame, was the voice of Grandma Squarepants in a 2001episode of "Spongebob Squarepants.”

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Do you know what the first cartoon series on prime time television was? The year? See answer at end.

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Underdog’s alter-identity was Shoeshine Boy. Whenever TV reporter Sweet Polly Purebred was in distress she called for Underdog’s help. "Underdog” aired from 1964 to 1973.

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The Pink Panther cartoons began as opening segments for the Pink Panther series of movies, starring the bumbling Inspector Clouseau.

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Foghorn Leghorn, the obnoxious rooster with a southern accent, was based on Senator Claghorn, a character from the Fred Allen (1894-1956) radio show "Allen’s Alley” in the 1940s.

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"Pac-Man” was a Saturday morning cartoon based on the popular video game. In the cartoon, which aired from 1982 to 1984, Packy and his family were pestered by ghosts who were the minions of Mezmaron, a villain who wanted to rule the world.

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Betty Boop made her first appearance in the 1930 animated film "Dizzy Dishes.” Mae Questel (1908-1998) did the original voice of Betty Boop. Questel was also the voice of Popeye’s girlfriend Olive Oyl.

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Shaggy’s full name is Norville Rogers. Scooby-Doo is Shaggy’s pet Great Dane.

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Strawberry Shortcake was created as a greeting card character in 1978.

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"Pinky and the Brain,” (1995-1998) a cartoon series about genetically enhanced lab mice that want to take over the world, won an Emmy in 1996 for Outstanding Achievement in Animation.

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In 1955, Mighty Mouse was the first cartoon character ever to appear on Saturday morning television.

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Hong Kong Phooey’s alter-identity was Penrod Pooch, a janitor at a police station. When Penrod turned into kung-fu-crime-fighting Hong Kong Phooey, his sidekick Spot the cat usually got him out of trouble.

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Answer: The modern Stone Age family "The Flintstones” premiered on ABC in 1960. The Flintstones was loosely based on "The Honeymooners” (1955-1956) starring Jackie Gleason (1916-1987).

Know It All is by Kerry McArdle. It runs in the weekend and Wednesday editions of the Daily Journal. Questions? Comments?

E-mail knowitall@smdailyjournal.com or call 344-5200 x114.