Snoopy vs Scooby Doo
- Thread starter batmon
- Start date
So, that Franklin/NHL strip is apparently real, including a reply from Schulz himself when asked about it...puts a damper on things.
http://www.thesneeze.com/mt-archives/000485.php
http://www.thesneeze.com/mt-archives/000485.php
That kind of sucks.
but hold on - what sucks about it though?
if you read Shultz's letter, its pretty obvious he was using the strip to point out something that was was pretty wrong with the NHL back then. Schultz was pretty damn far from a racist (franklin was one of THE first black characters in comic strips BTW), and he was all about sports and the equality they can promote - achievement ranking over all else. Was the strip funny? No. Was it supposed to be? No. Can you make social commentary in a comic strip? Yes. Was the srtip as clear as it could have been? perhaps not.
Was Scooby-Doo fairly entertaining pre-scrappy? yes. Does Hanna Barbera suck for using the same "i got a sandwich stuck in my throat" guy for every effing adult male voice in all their cartoons 1966-1980? YES!
That kind of sucks.
but hold on - what sucks about it though?
if you read Shultz's letter, its pretty obvious he was using the strip to point out something that was was pretty wrong with the NHL back then. Schultz was pretty damn far from a racist (franklin was one of THE first black characters in comic strips BTW), and he was all about sports and the equality they can promote - achievement ranking over all else. Was the strip funny? No. Was it supposed to be? No. Can you make social commentary in a comic strip? Yes. Was the srtip as clear as it could have been? perhaps not.
Was Scooby-Doo fairly entertaining pre-scrappy? yes. Does Hanna Barbera suck for using the same "i got a sandwich stuck in my throat" guy for every effing adult male voice in all their cartoons 1966-1980? YES!
What social commentary could shultz be making? There are few Black NHL'ers. And? I don't think there's a quota. That comic is confusing & wack.
B
BigSpliff
Guest
When I was about 5 a friend had a birthday party which I now realise was a bunch of us kids being used as a test group. But at the time they asked us all these questions about what our favorite crisps (chips) were, and why, and there were lots of magic markers and those big boards with tear-off sheets for "brainstorming". Long story short, we all left that place thinking we had invented Scooby Snacks... especially when we see it on the shelves 6 months later. Mofos! I think that's where my mistrust of corporations comes from.Ugh... I hope this doesn't turn into a bunch of adults making scooby snacks jokes.
When I was about 5 a friend had a birthday party which I now realise was a bunch of us kids being used as a test group. But at the time they asked us all these questions about what our favorite crisps (chips) were, and why, and there were lots of magic markers and those big boards with tear-off sheets for "brainstorming". Long story short, we all left that place thinking we had invented Scooby Snacks... especially when we see it on the shelves 6 months later. Mofos! I think that's where my mistrust of corporations comes from.Ugh... I hope this doesn't turn into a bunch of adults making scooby snacks jokes.
that's why I don't trust mirrors, we are all part of test groups
well, i agree its not the clearest comic strip, and it is definitely awkward. but the commentary is certainly implied: "its 1970 (or so), why are there zero black players in the NHL?" (with the answer being something like: "perhaps theres a race issue in the NHL") Patty saying discouraging words to Franklin wasnt supposed to be a "sucks to be you" comment, it was more a "did you notice that you may not be able to achieve your dream because the NHL has some race issues (today, in 1970)?".
again, when you make a comment but dont offer any ideas - youre right, what good does that do? But in 1970, just making a comment like that was a fairly big deal still. Schultz was far from an activist, but he could at least call em like he saw them.
edit: and yeah, theres no quota, true that. try out for whatever sport you want, and all that. But at the time, there was definitely at least an implied "this is a white game, why dont you go play basketball?" attitude in the sport.
That kind of sucks.
but hold on - what sucks about it though?
if you read Shultz's letter, its pretty obvious he was using the strip to point out something that was was pretty wrong with the NHL back then. Schultz was pretty damn far from a racist (franklin was one of THE first black characters in comic strips BTW), and he was all about sports and the equality they can promote - achievement ranking over all else. Was the strip funny? No. Was it supposed to be? No. Can you make social commentary in a comic strip? Yes. Was the srtip as clear as it could have been? perhaps not.
Was Scooby-Doo fairly entertaining pre-scrappy? yes. Does Hanna Barbera suck for using the same "i got a sandwich stuck in my throat" guy for every effing adult male voice in all their cartoons 1966-1980? YES!
While I agree that the comic is incredibly vague, and kind of pointless, I was referring to Schultz's reaction to the letter. I have all the respect in the world for Charles Schults. I have always loved Peanuts and play the specials for my 2 1/2 year old son all the time. I was surprised by the tone of his response. I would have expected something along the lines of, "I was misunderstood but I could have been clearer." - which he could have.
As a kid, I was, of course, super into all the Peanuts specials and comics. I can still remember getting really excited by that "This is a CBS Special Presentation" logo--prime time cartoons were a big deal for kids in the 70s.
But some time in my early 20s, I realized that Peanuts--that Christmas special in particular--was the single-most depressing cartoon ever created. (Okay, nobody's fucking with Ziggy--and I guess Cathy is pretty bad, too, but I digress.)
Nobody likes Charlie Brown. Not his friends, not the cute redhead, not his teacher. Even his own goddamned dog is too cool for him. And he never really redeems himself. Or kicks the football.
After a while, you can't even pull for him because he's hopeless.
It beats Family Circus, but that's not saying much.
It was a very sad day for me when I realized that "the funnies" weren't really funny, after all.
But some time in my early 20s, I realized that Peanuts--that Christmas special in particular--was the single-most depressing cartoon ever created. (Okay, nobody's fucking with Ziggy--and I guess Cathy is pretty bad, too, but I digress.)
Nobody likes Charlie Brown. Not his friends, not the cute redhead, not his teacher. Even his own goddamned dog is too cool for him. And he never really redeems himself. Or kicks the football.
After a while, you can't even pull for him because he's hopeless.
It beats Family Circus, but that's not saying much.
It was a very sad day for me when I realized that "the funnies" weren't really funny, after all.
