Remember the educational closing tags

[zoombie]

Remember that many old cartoons especially those in the 80's, had edcuational messages at the end.

After the main episode, we go to a short cartoon featuring the regular characters giving an edcuational message at the end. Most of the time it would be seperate from the story. Sometimes Inspector Gadget connected them together. I recall one episode took place in a race car arena. The closing educational message took place in the same race car arena.

Remember them? What did you think, I think it was a little preachy at times, but it didn't ruin my enjoyment of cartoons.

I would also love if modern day cartoons like Family Guy, Robot Chicken, and other Adult Swim like cartoon did some parodies of those educational shorts. But that is another story, for another message board.

[Racattack!Force]

Not that I didn't like them, but they just seemed useless to me.

[zoombie]

Not that I didn't like them, but they just seemed useless to me.

Yeah, all of the stuff they said I knew already from school. I think these educational messages is a product of the Reagon administration, especially first lady Nancy Reagon.

[Tobias]

Yeah, some of them were actually funny, especially when the episodes themselves had a very specific message.

I've been watching She-Ra a lot lately (finally got the whole series) and one of the episodes was about tolerance/racism. You'd think they'd address that as the moral, but what was the lesson of the episode at the end? 'Get plenty of rest'. I thought that was funny.

[Racattack!Force]

Yeah, some of them were actually funny, especially when the episodes themselves had a very specific message.

I've been watching She-Ra a lot lately (finally got the whole series) and one of the episodes was about tolerance/racism. You'd think they'd address that as the moral, but what was the lesson of the episode at the end? 'Get plenty of rest'. I thought that was funny.
Okay, that's just plain werid. Ya' do an episode on tolerance and rasicm and you say the moral is "Get enough sleep"? :confused:

[TheVofSteel]

Yes, I remember them. Particularly Sonic Sez from AoSTH- although YouTube Poop may have helped out my remembrance of that.

[zoombie]

On the suject of my earlier suggested parodies, I would love to see Shin Chan's Action Bastard do one of those educational messages.

I doubt they would do that, because the educational messages was an American cartoon thing, I doubt the Japanese writers would write a joke of 80's american cartoons. But Action Bastard would be the perfect cartoon character to parody that. I could imagine what educational message he would have.

[Skeeter]

Remember that many old cartoons especially those in the 80's, had edcuational messages at the end.

After the main episode, we go to a short cartoon featuring the regular characters giving an edcuational message at the end. Most of the time it would be seperate from the story. Sometimes Inspector Gadget connected them together. I recall one episode took place in a race car arena. The closing educational message took place in the same race car arena.

Remember them? What did you think, I think it was a little preachy at times, but it didn't ruin my enjoyment of cartoons.

Oh yeah, I remember those. Pound Puppies had one for every episode in season 1, and all of them were centered around proper pet care. When the show was redesigned for season 2, the pet care tips were cut out.

-Kim

[Silverstar]

Oh yeah, I remember those. Pound Puppies had one for every episode in season 1, and all of them were centered around proper pet care. When the show was redesigned for season 2, the pet care tips were cut out.

That's because in season 2, each individual episode taught some little moral or lesson of some kind, so the educational closing tags were no longer needed. The whole show became edutainment.

[Baltofan]

I remember a few from Sonic the Hedgehog.

[Elven Moon]

Sailor Moon had those (in the DiC version). "Sailor Moon Says!"

[DrTooth]

Yeah, some of them were actually funny, especially when the episodes themselves had a very specific message.

I've been watching She-Ra a lot lately (finally got the whole series) and one of the episodes was about tolerance/racism. You'd think they'd address that as the moral, but what was the lesson of the episode at the end? 'Get plenty of rest'. I thought that was funny.


I remember the afforementioned Inspector Gadget race way episode (since I have it on DVD). I was almost certain thay'd make the moral about drunk driving (as Dr. Claw's henchmen spiked Gadget's drink, and he was quite littereally driving under the influence, and with no serious consequences). They mentioned it breifly in passing though.

I would also love if modern day cartoons like Family Guy, Robot Chicken, and other Adult Swim like cartoon did some parodies of those educational shorts. But that is another story, for another message board.

Family Guy did satire the GI Joe "Knowing is half the Battle" skits twice.

I remember Earthworm Jim also parodied this at one point.

"Kids, don't run into walls. It may not be the cool thing, but it's the smart thing!"

And my personal favorite, Homestarrunner's Very Important Rap Song (http://www.homestarrunner.com/2manyknives.html) which even takes place at the end of a Cheat Commandos cartoon.

[cyde]

I miss those days too. But then, towards the mid to late 70's, Filmation did their share of closing tags for some of their stuff, in fact, they wove it in a cartoon's storyline; as such, Filmation's product became tagged as "fable cartoons." That is to say their cartoon storylines had a lesson within. I miss those days.

RIP, Filmation.....:crying:

[Movie06]

The educational closing tags are just unintentionally funny.

[Zorak Masaki]

Didnt Spacecats parody these as well? I remember one where they said "dont ever tell a pro wrestler wrestlings fake, or this will happen" and then they showed one of the characters getting beaten up by a hulk hogan clone.

[zoombie]

I want to seeing an educational closing tag in which someone teaches us how to have an affair without your spouce finding out, or what to do when a hooker dies on your time.

[Still HowardFein]

I miss those days too. But then, towards the mid to late 70's, Filmation did their share of closing tags for some of their stuff, in fact, they wove it in a cartoon's storyline; as such, Filmation's product became tagged as "fable cartoons." That is to say their cartoon storylines had a lesson within. I miss those days.

RIP, Filmation.....:crying:

Yes, several Filmation series of the 1970s trumpeted their 'pro-social values' platform as a means of combining entertainment and education. It was no doubt the huge success of FAT ALBERT that led to THE NEW ADVENTURES OF GILLIGAN and SHAZAM adhering to this formula. As for ALBERT, the lesson of the episode was reinforced by the Junkyard Band song at the end- or in later episodes, a Brown Hornet segment at the beginning. The GILLIGAN episodes would end with a tag in which he and Skipper (via stock animation of them in their hammocks) doing a Burns & Allen-like recap. The SHAZAM episodes would end with Captain Marvel talking directly to the audience.

The single-season FABULOUS FUNNIES would base all the segments for the weekly half-hour on a common theme- cheating, safety with weapons, the environment. It was quite bizarre to see the likes of Broom Hilda, the Katzenjammer Kids and Alley Oop in this type of format.

The infamous YOGI'S GANG was H-B's answer to the successful FAT ALBERT formula of blending laughs and lesson. Other H-B series would casually work subtle messages into the dialogue or story: Hong Kong Phooey would always be seen buckling his seat belt before driving the Phooeymobile, and comment in the midst of a chase that "even superheroes stop for red lights". If the Chopper Bunch rear-ended each other, one would admonish "How many times do I have to tell you- don't tailgate!"

Many series would just have minute-long interstitials in which the series characters deliver the message. Filmation's THE NEW ADVENTURES OF MIGHTY MOUSE AND HECKLE AND JECKLE and HE-MAN, H-B's ALL-NEW POPEYE and THE FLINTSTONES COMEDY SHOW, and Ruby-Spears' PLASTIC MAN COMEDY ADVENTURE SHOW did this. The 1984-86 DIC version of HEATHCLIFF may have as well. (To see Heathcliff reminding kiddies to treat their pets right immediately after an episode in which he victimizes a bulldog stretches credibility to say the least!)

[Still HowardFein]

Didnt Spacecats parody these as well? I remember one where they said "dont ever tell a pro wrestler wrestlings fake, or this will happen" and then they showed one of the characters getting beaten up by a hulk hogan clone.

One of the first SIMPSONS episodes, Bart the General, ended with a Bart in a library lecturing the audience on how war is no laughing matter and has real consequences- and recommends further reading on the subject. This seems a direct parody of the tags following an ABC AFTERSCHOOL SPECIAL or CBS STORYBREAK.

TINY TOON ADVENTURES, ANIMANIACS and (I'm sure) FAMILY GUY may have had these faux tags as well.

[DrTooth]

The 1984-86 DIC version of HEATHCLIFF may have as well. (To see Heathcliff reminding kiddies to treat their pets right immediately after an episode in which he victimizes a bulldog stretches credibility to say the least!)

But then, even in some of those tags, he victimized Spike.

[sergeant_w]

While not a cartoon I always thought the Power Rangers had the most laughably bad closing tags. One that sticks out in my memory told kids not to wear their names on their shirt.

That aside, how about the Planeteer Alerts? I somewhat recall one telling us not to eat meat.

[DrTooth]

While not a cartoon I always thought the Power Rangers had the most laughably bad closing tags. One that sticks out in my memory told kids not to wear their names on their shirt.


I remember how they spent the entire shows kicking the crap out of things, crushing buildings, and other forms of destruction in the name of saving the city, and then telling kids to not do what they did. Either that's a very smart thing to do, or a very hypocritical thing.

Even Yakko, Wakko, and Dot made fun of that one in the "Super Strong Warner Siblings" episode. "If someone tells you to play with a giant bug, just say 'No thanks!'"

[Zorak Masaki]

The syndicated versions of Camp Candy had John Candy in live action tags giving nature lessons. Silverhawks used to have comet kid taking tests on space and planets as well, and centurions had characters (including doc hacker, strangely enough) discussing advances in technology.

[Steve Carras]

Remember that many old cartoons especially those in the 80's, had edcuational messages at the end.
.
Yuch>:) Animaniacs di as well. Tiny Toons was meant to be like those shows "(Muppet Babies), et al. This started in the 70s, even later 1960s.

[Steve Carras]

The infamous YOGI'S GANG was H-B's answer to the successful FAT ALBERT formula of blending laughs and lesson. )

Hoo boy! Talk about out of character! Even the infamous 1975 Tom and Jerry series, since the characters were silent, didn't have those but Yogi, like T&J, was re-invented for the TV series! The reverse of Daffy Duck's personalioty (turned from loonatic, to conman, to angry revenge-meister.)

Good Commentary, HFein!

[Zen Man]

I remember when Heathcliff would give those pet tips at the end of each episode.

[Eric B]

The most monotonous of the closing tags was on GI Joe; where EVERY single closing line had to be, after the morale is given: "...well, now I know"; "and knowing is half the battle!"
That was just overdone! They could have found something else to say sometimes, or other sayings to rotate around, instead of using that one to death!

[Tobias]

I loved Toyfare Magazine's take on the G.I. Joe morals.

Kid: Now I know!

Duke: And knowing is half the battle.

Kid: What's the other half?

Duke: (firing gun into the air) VIOLENCE!

Then there was the one where Snake Eyes tried to warn the kids to not play on the train track, but because he's mute...well, you can guess the ending to that one.