Howdy, Gang! More Bear Bottoms!

I bet you remember the first few times in your very early years that you saw some spanking on a cartoon show and thought, "Huh!"

So, the Spankin' Cowboy in the week's "DISCIPLINE & DESIRE" WolfieToon isn't just any Spankin' Cowboy-- he's a Kansas City Star!!

Y'see, Kids, back in the Olden Days of Only-Three-Channel, Mostly-Black-And-White Television, there were live (and taped) local children's programs, usually on weekdays after school, that followed the format established by Buffalo Bob and Howdy Doody when the Medium was newer:  A Cowboy, or a Clown, or a Sailor, or Somesuch Host who cavorted with Puppet and People Sidekicks, doing live commercials with a studio audience of kids, and showing cartoons!

There were several I really liked.  One of 'em actually did come on TV grinnin' and wearin' pistols and a hat!  He wasn't a Kansas City Star, though, but was a hit in Oklahoma City whom we got to see while visiting the grandparents in the 60's.  His name was Foreman Scotty, 

and the unique appeal of his show was that besides the cartoons and studio bits, he'd show the adventures he had with his fellow ranch-hands, kinda like a lower-budget version of Gene Autry or Roy Rogers. 

But possibly my favorite was Kitirik on KTRK, Channel 13, when we lived in Houston, Texas.  Channel 13's logo-mascot was a black cat (get it?) and so their afternoon kids' show host, whose name came from their call letters, was a woman in a cat costume:  a wimple with ears, drawn-on whiskers, black leotard and gloves, a tail, and fishnet nose.  

Now, she never went Julie Newmar with this;  she was never sly, sultry and slinky, just fun, your playful big kitty buddy.  However, I'm sure the fathers who were home at that hour never minded peering at her over their papers.

They don't do this sort of thing these days because the Federal Communications Commission and their bosses decided that hapless children are unduly influenced to buy crap promoted by TV People, but mostly because owners of local stations would have to spend money to do it.

Anyhow, while watching these programs all those years ago, studying and honing my humor for my own cartooning career, I noticed that nearly every big cartoon star at some point spanked and / or got spanked:  Felix the Cat, Woody Woodpecker, Popeye, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, and even Bugs Bunny!  Of course, a lot of "one shot" or "limited" characters wound up with their ends up, too.

It never ever failed to grab my attention, but I began to feel it was disappointingly unfair that there were never any female characters getting spanked!  

For instance, you could count on Little Audrey winding up over someone's knee pretty frequently in the comics, but I never saw it in the animated cartoons!  There was the time she dreamed the fish sizzled her seat for a few seconds in the "eel-lecric chair," which pushed a couple of buttons...

I think it was Hermione who referred to Audrey and similar little girl characters as "white-bottomed cherubs!"  Maybe it would have been crossing a line to enjoy their fanny-whapping just a little too much?  Perhaps the owners of paddled po-pos should be a bit older, say, at least Tinker Bell's age...  

or like the young woman in the Hanna-Barbera "Speed Buggy" TV cartoon who got her butt buzzed by a bee!

Well, here's a dandy batch of stills that you may not have already seen.  They're from one of the better versions of  the story of "The Three Bears," a 1935 "Comicolor" cartoon done by animation pioneer and Mickey Mouse's co-creator, Ub Iwerks!

Near the climax, the bear family is chasing invader Goldie through the house and they all tumble into the closet.  In the ensuing fracas, Papa Bear thinks he's caught the culprit in the dark!  But as the door opens again, we see that he hasn't.

So Mama Bear clocks him, and the seat of Goldilocks' Minnie Mouse patched panties appears to be in grave peril.     

(SPOILER:  She escapes.)

The whole thing is on YouTube if ya wanna see it-- just click HERE!

And enjoy!