Here’s another one of my jams: “Soul Surfin'” by The Mermen. This is a cool surf rock tune that’s extremely easy to zone out to. I love to get lost in this song.
Category Nerdvana
Nerdvana: The Ulti-Meatum
Today’s Nerdvana pays tribute to…a food. Not just any food, but the final word in heart palpitations….The Ulti-Meatum from Regular Show.
“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!”
The Ulti-Meatum is the burger featured in “The Best Burger in the World”. It’s the greatest culinary concoction since the commemorative 7-patty Windows 7 Whopper.
This was really a thing. Look it up.
In the episode, it was stated that the Ulti-Meatum only comes out once every century. It is served from the Grill ‘Em Up Truck by its head chef, Ajay Maldonaldo. Only one per customer is allowed.
The Ulti-Meatum is a large cheeseburger, cooked into a larger burger with two other burgers for buns. There are layers of cheese, Himalayan Ketchup, and other buns also inside. It is made by stuffing a cheeseburger inside a cheeseburger and using two deep fried cheeseburgers as buns. Then the special Himalayan Ketchup is added.
“Would you like the name of a good heart specialist with that?”
According to Muscle Man, the Idaho Style Ulti-Meatum is where the burger is made the same way, but with a whole bag of chips in it as well. Yep, Muscle Man likes it Idaho Style.
“You know who else likes it Idaho Style? MY MOM! -Seriously, she’s quite fond of those chips.”
But the most amazing thing about the Ulti-Meatum is that IT ACTUALLY EXISTS NOW. Inspired by the Regular Show episode, restaurants such as Mister Eaters restaurant of Preston, Lancashire and other ambitious eaters have taken to making their own versions of this 10,000 calorie leviathan. At Mister Eaters the sandwich is free, assuming you can eat the whole thing and live to tell about it.
So you don’t have to wait a century. If you can find a place crazy enough to prepare it, grab yourself an Ulti-Meatum today.
“It’s colon-cloggin’ good!”
Nerdvana: My Ever Changing Clothes
One of the most frequently asked question about Cartoon Country is “Why do cartoon characters always wear the same clothes?”. Basically, the process of animation and character design is complicated and time consuming enough without having to come up with different clothes for the characters to wear in every episode. Also, a character’s daily outfit can become iconic and make the character instantly recognizable. Can you imagine Charlie Brown not wearing his trademark yellow shirt with the jagged stripe?
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However, there will be some cases in which some of the characters actually do change clothes. One of the more noteworthy examples of this would be Kimiko Tomoyo from Xiaolin Showdown, who sported a different hairstyle and outfit in almost every episode. Here are just some of Kimiko’s looks:
“What’s up with that last one? That hair looks ridiculous!”
Then there’s the curious case of Bart Simpson, who for the Simpsons merchandise is usually depicted wearing a light blue shirt instead of the orange one that he usually wears on the show.
Personally, I think that Bart should wear the light blue shirt all of the time. It contrasts better with the yellow skin.
Then there’s one of my current favorite characters, Mabel Pines from Disney’s Gravity Falls, who sports a different decorative sweater in every episode (so far). Here are just some…
How many sweaters does that kid own, anyway?
“Honestly, I stopped counting after 83. It helps that my walk-in closet is a gateway to Hammerspace. True story.”
Fun Fact: Mabel’s sweaters were inspired by series creator Alex Hirsch’s real life twin sister Ariel, whom Mabel is based on.
Then there’s Barbie’s sisters from Barbie: Life in the Dream House. each of these characters has an outfit that she wears for seasons 1 and 2, and another that she wears for seasons 3 and 4.
Skipper
Stacie
Chelsea
Stylin’!
Then there’s Blythe Baxter from Littlest Pet Shop, who has sported several different costume changes throughout the series.
“Well, I am based on a doll line, after all. It kind of comes with the territory.”
There are some cases where a character’s outfit change makes a huge impact and other times when it’s not so much.
“Check it out. It’s like my regular shirt, but it’s RED! Like, I’m a fashion forward!”
Speaking of Scooby Doo, Freddy Jones’ daily outfit was changed for What’s New, Scooby Doo?…
…only to switch back to the ascot look in Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated.
“What can I say? You can’t beat the classics. Also, hardcore fans resist change.”
Cartoon characters changing outfits doesn’t happen all of the time, and in my opinion, it doesn’t need to, because it makes the times when it does happen just that much more special.
“Changing clothes? Nah. Don’t see the fascination with it.”
Nerdvana: "Never Follow Suit" by The Radio Dept.
This is one of my jams at the moment. It’s a good piece to just space out to. The title alone hooked me. Yeah, I’m a weirdo. Kick it!
Nerdvana: Down on the Toon Farm
Strap on your overalls, tune up your banjos and grab yourself a swig o’ moonshine, ’cause today Nerdvana embraces its’ inner bumpkin by celebrating some of my favorite rural themed cartoons. That’s right, we’re a-headin’…Down on the Toon Farm. Hit it, boys!
Now that we’ve so tastefully set the mood, let’s begin:
One of the locations which has been tickling my animation fancy lately is the farm/orchard home/bread-and-butter of the Apple family from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Sweet Apple Acres.
Fun trivia fact: It was originally called ‘Big Apple Orchard’.
Not only does the property contains a farm house, a barn, and several apple orchards, but it’s also where the legendary Zap Apples are harvested.
I hear these are like Ecstasy, a rocket ship ride and ingesting Pop Rocks and soda all at the same time!
Next, 2 of my favorite Lalaloopsy characters, Sunny Side Up and Berry Jars ‘N’ Jam.
For one thing, these 2 are twins, so they already grabbed my attention. For another, they live in adjacent farm houses. Sunny Side Up, the more tomboyish dressing twin, is named for eggs, which her pet chick specializes in, while Berry is named after berries (duh) which she puts into her trademark pancakes. One sister was named after berries and the other after eggs. You’ve gotta love farm country.
“Eh, we both fared better than our cousin Colt 45!”
Next, this spot for Farm Heroes Saga. It’s long on cute, but I still like it.
That kind of reminds me of a cutesier version of U.S. Acres (known as Orson’s Farm outside of the US), Jim Davis’ not-Garfield comic strip which served as the added attraction on Garfield & Friends. If this were a series, then I picture Richard Horvitz voicing Rancid Raccoon, but that’s just me. One question, though: what the heck are those fruit thingies with the faces? I know some farms genetically modify their crops, but that’s just plain freaky! Speaking of mutants, the bird in that spot looks like a mutant Tweety Bird.
Next, one of the recently retired Ferris’ Funky Farm spots for the McDonald’s Happy Meal, before they axed this campaign in favor of a cringe-inducing red box with a manic grin.
“I like watching you sleep!”
-It’s best not to stare directly at it.
Anyway, opinions on the Ferris spots were mixed to say the least, but I kind of enjoyed them; they had a certain cheesy oddball appeal. I can usually take or leave Klasky-Csupo’s brightly colored sketchy art style, but I thought it worked here.
You know, it occurs to me: these spots were sort of like a bucolic version of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse. (Today’s secret word is ‘hayseed’.) The surreal setting, the odd characters, the presence of such incongruous extinct creatures like a dodo and a dinosaur on a farm setting, all that’s missing is the King of Cartoons. Hey, a dino and a dodo on a farm make more sense than a male cow with an udder.
“OK, I’m a chick! ‘Sat what you wanna hear?! I just feel like a bull on the inside, AWRIGHT?!?”
Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention one of the first things that attracted me to rural toons, Daisy Mae from Al Capp’s Li’l Abner.
She’s gonna git her a man!
And honorable mention goes to her funhouse mirror knockoff, Daisy Mayhem from Hanna-Barbera’s Laff-A-Lympics.
I can only add one thing to that…..
Y’all come back now, y’hear?
Twin Images 
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