Mel-O-Toons

Public domain animated series

Mel-O-Toons

Opening sequence

Voices of|

* Daws Butler
* Norman Rose
* Patrick McGeehan
* Ralph Camargo
* Paul DeWitt
* Ed Herlihy

Country of origin| United States
Original language| English
No. of episodes| 104
Production
Running time| Around 5–7 minutes
Production companies|

* New World Productions
* United Artists Television

Original release
Network| Syndication
Release| 1959 (1959) –
October 1960 (1960-10)

Mel-O-Toons (sometimes erroneously spelled Mello Toons) was a series of six-minute animated cartoons, using limited animation. The cartoons were produced starting in 1959 by New World Productions, and syndicated by United Artists.[1]

The stories featured various folk tales, Greco-Roman myths, Biblical stories, classic literary adaptations, and adaptations of classical music and ballet, as well as stories about animals written by Thornton Burgess.[2] The soundtracks were often taken from existing children's records, licensed from the original labels, including RCA Records and Capitol Records. 104 cartoons were produced.[3]

In October 1960, United Artists bought time on a station in Toledo, Ohio, to test the Mel-O-Toons for audience response; they showed two of the films, "Rumplestiltskin" and "Waltz of the Flowers". Variety reported that the viewer response was entirely positive, saying, "Many parents compared the Mel-O-Toons favorable to what they called the usual violence in kiddie programming."[4] A week later, UA bought a full-page ad in Variety, announcing: "We passed the test in Toledo!" The ad described the test: "Here's what happened: Two of these new cartoons were shown in a fifteen-minute on-the-air audition over WSPD-TV. Viewers were asked to send in their opinions, with no prizes or incentives of any kind. In less than a week, over 400 replies arrived. All except five individuals were wildly enthusiastic."[5]

After many years out of circulation, public domain prints have turned up on videotape and DVD.

## Partial episode list

[edit]

* The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver
* Aladdin
* Ali Baba
* Buffalo Bill
* Casper The Curious Kitten
* Christopher Columbus
* Cinderella
* Daniel Boone
* David and Goliath
* Diana and the Golden Apples
* Dinky Pinky
* El Torito
* The Enchanted Horse
* Endymion and Selene
* Flying Carpet
* Fun on a Rainy Day
* Gosomer Wump
* Hansel and Gretel
* Haydn's Toy Symphony
* Hiawatha
* Hunters of the Sea
* I Wish I Had
* Knights of Old
* Little Hawk
* Little Johnny Everything
* Little Sambo
* Miguel the Mighty Matador
* Noah's Ark
* Omicron and the Sputnik
* Panchito
* Paul Bunyan
* Peer Gynt's Adventures in Arabia
* Peer Gynt in the Hall of the Mountain King
* Peer Gynt in the Stormy Sea
* Peppy Possum
* Peter and the Wolf
* Peter Cottontail
* Pinocchio
* Robin Hood
* Rumplestiltskin
* Sinbad
* Sir Lancelot
* Sleeping Beauty
* Snow White
* Sparky's Magic Echo
* The Eagle and the Thrush
* The Emperor's Nightingale
* The King's Trumpet
* The Magic Clock
* The Red Shoes
* The Seasons
* The Trojan Horse
* Tom Sawyer
* Treasure Island
* Waltz of the Flowers
* War and Peace

## In popular culture

[edit]

Footage from the Christopher Columbus episode was used in Last Week Tonight's "How Is This Still a Thing" segment on Columbus Day, which aired on October 12, 2014.[6]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Salda, Michael N. (2013-07-30). Arthurian Animation. ISBN 9781476606149. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
2. ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 385\. ISBN 978-1538103739.
3. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 539\. ISBN 978-1476665993.
4. ^ "UAA Mel-O-Toon Gets Toledo Test". Variety: 24. November 9, 1960. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
5. ^ "We passed the test in Toledo!". Variety: 53. November 16, 1960. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
6. ^ "John Oliver Asks: How is Columbus Day Still a Thing?".

This animated television series–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

|

* v
* t
* e

*[No.]: Number
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template