Rocky & Bullwinkle

The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show is the collective name for two separate American television animated series (Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show) that originally aired from 1959 to 1964. more...

Rocky & Bullwinkle enjoyed great popularity during the 1960s, and is still found in re-runs in the United States.

Much of the success of the series was due to its ability to work on two distinct levels. As an animated series with zany characters and plots, it appealed to children; its clever use of puns and topical references appealed to adults. The animation is quite limited while the scripts and audio are inventive and sometimes sophisticated. Some critics at the time described the effect as being like a well-written radio program with illustrations.

History

The series, inspired by an original property called "The Frostbite Falls Revue," was created by Jay Ward and Alex Anderson, who had previously collaborated on Crusader Rabbit. Ward wanted to produce the show in Los Angeles, and Anderson, who lived in the San Francisco Bay area, did not want to move south, so Ward was joined by Bill Scott, who became head writer and co-producer at Jay Ward Productions, and wrote all of the "Rocky & Bullwinkle" segments. Another notable writer was Allan Burns who later became head writer for MTM Enterprises.

The series got its start as a pilot, Rocky the Flying Squirrel; the voice actors (June Foray, Paul Frees, and Bill Scott) recorded their dialogue in February 1958. Eight months later, General Mills signed a deal to sponsor the cartoon, to be shown in a late-afternoon time slot targeted at children.

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