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Destroy All Podcasts DX Episode 281 - Foodfight!

Hosts: Jeremy, Mike, Nicole

This is about brand engagement, blatant misogyny, and ripping off Casablanca. Charlie Sheen!

Click [HERE] to crash Wayne Brady's chocolate airplane into the Keebler Elves' tree.

This movie was supposed to be in theatres in 2003 but never came out. It was leaked on the Internet and then eventually released on DVD in Europe. An official US release a decade later finally came out... streaming on Youtube.

Pics after the cut.

AttachmentSize
DAPDX-281.mp373.18 MB
Posted 28 April, 2013 - 19:55 by Destroy All Pod...

Comments

2 comments posted
Ronnie Regan ruined us all!

Glad I didn't have to watch this film at all (now I see YouTube is having it up for $3.99 if you're that desperate http://www.youtube.com/movie/foodfight ).

Hearing about watching classic commercials instead I've already done for quite a long time on YouTube, I put together 8 playlists loaded with 'em! But one in particular I like to point to if only to correct a bit Jeremy said is that Fred and Barney were plugging Fruity/Cocoa Pebbles in the 70's. I have proof of those ads myself.
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTnbwiCw-mMQl-4kN2HG2UzNJSJjVngAc

The law that Ronnie lifted that banned the sort of use of having cartoons based on toys or other brand name products was enacted sometime around the late 60's/early 70's. Prior to that, there was two cartoons that drew the line in that regard. One was "Linus the Lionhearted" featuring characters from Post cereals of the day (including Sugar Bear, The main character Linus himself promoted "Crispy Critters", you might recall a version in the 80's using some weird puppet character), the show lasted a good five years on Saturday morning from 1964 to '69, featuring the voices of comedians like Sheldon Leonard, Carl Reiner, Ruth Buzzi, the late Jonathan Winters and others....
http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/crispy-critters/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gc9CFUYcDQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOyVjLyjezc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv8wVBQm4o4

For years a balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade was made in Linus' honor despite the show becoming forgotten after the 60's!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNiZEbBSQ8I
http://laughingsquid.com/wp-content/uploads/linus-the-lionhearted_22041_1152_1470-501x640.jpg

Another one in 1969 was "Hot Wheels", based on the familiar Mattel property.
http://saturdaymorningarchives.blogspot.com/2012/09/toon-sports-hot-wheels-1969.html
http://www.cartoonscrapbook.com/H/hotwheels1969.htm

Both cartoons were victims of such groups like Peggy Charren's "Action for Children's Television", simply sighting them as half-hour commercials despite the shows actually being pretty decently written and didn't come off like product placement at all.

Of course in the 80's, things conspired to bring it all back in a sensible manner, namely that these shows aren't allowed to have advertising related to it running at the same time. This of course open the flood games to many toy and greeting card companies to start developing such potential properties that could be cross-marketed such as a TV special or series. Getting a show like He-Man in syndication also helped as the standards weren't as strict as they were on network TV at the time and these shows could be placed anywhere in the morning or afternoon hours depending on the interests of the station. In the end, the half-hour commercials came back, though we had already got use to it all like a hot tub.

There, I derailed this topic far more than it needs to be!

Chris@StudioToledo's picture
Posted by Chris@StudioToledo on 30 April, 2013 - 21:35
More pointless anecdotes

It's true how often grown-up things often pop up in "children's entertainment" that is there often for those parents to get a chuckle out of having to watch said production with their kids. Growing up in the 80's and 90's, I recall how often Casablanca would end up being spoofed in many circles if only because certain writers simply liked that movie too much. There was a Warner Bros. cartoon made almost 20 years ago that did that called "Carrotblanca" with Bugs Bunny playing Bogart's role. The same could also be said for Orson Welles, Elvis Presley, the Beatles and other 20th Century relics that were often lived on through parodies and homages we've seen as well. I suppose there's always the role parents could bring to a movie by being the ones who have to answer the child's question concerning who these groups were if or when it comes up, since I'm sure I probably asked my folks the same questions too.

I've actually heard of this "Foodfight!" for quite a long time as it was being chronicled on a blog I frequent called "Cartoon Brew" going back to 2004. Here are those historic postings all tagged on one page for reference. It's quite a fascinating and terrible ride, especially to notice one piece of merchandise ended up on the shelves back around Xmas of '09 involving one of those kiddie storybooks with the sound effects buttons!
http://www.cartoonbrew.com/tag/foodfight

Chris@StudioToledo's picture
Posted by Chris@StudioToledo on 1 May, 2013 - 17:05