Do kids still identify with Looney Tunes?

[Samuel]

I'm just wondering what everyone thinks. I recently gave my nieces an old but perfectly playable Looney Tunes board game that I've kept for years, and they had no clue who Bugs, Daffy, Porky, Elmer, etc. were. The four-year-old actually told me, "This must be very old because I don't know them, so umm...let's go play with my princess castle!" At the same time, she shows me her licensed toys (often Disney) and I always have to ask her, "OK, so who are all of these characters? Are they in a movie? Are they on TV?" Whatever the pulse is with kids today, I know I'm not on it. What I do know is that a little girl who is old enough for kids' area rides at parks gawked at me for giving her a Looney Tunes game (she's sweet, and is just in that overly-honest phase).

 

As a kid growing up in the 80's and 90's, my grandpa and dad enjoyed Looney Tunes, and I became a fan, too. Looney Tunes was big. At that time, they were re-running Merrie Melodies episodes on multiple channels nearly 24/7, and without as many channels to choose from, it was nearly impossible for anyone with a TV in North America to not know those characters. Six Flags must have enjoyed riding the wave of 90's revival interest -- everyone knew the "Duck Season/Rabbit Season" gag, Tiny Toons was popular, crowds packed into movie theaters for Space Jam, and Marvin Martian merch was everywhere.

 

Six Flags and Looney Tunes have been synonymous for decades now, and while a part of me thinks that use of the characters for the parks will continue indefinitely, I also know that I thought the same thing about Paramount Parks. See, my older brothers grew up in the 70's and 80's, and they preferred Hanna-Barbera shows over Looney Tunes. They were obsessed with the Flintstones, Yogi, He-Man, and the Smurfs (plus Fraggle Rock). When I was young, my family went to King's Dominion and Carowinds, and I remember not "getting" Smurf Island and Mountain like my brothers did, just like my niece didn't "get" Looney Tunes as I do. Eventually, those Hanna-Barbera brands cooled off as pop culture moved on. Scooby Doo stuck around, but the other TV shows faded into a nostalgia niche, and we all know that those park areas were removed and transformed by Paramount (Hi, Volcano!). So, there is a precedent for parks to evaluate deeply-ingrained licensed/themed kids areas and make big changes if they deem it necessary.

 

While parents surely know Looney Tunes well, it isn't easy to find on any of my 300+ TV channels today, and all the kids I know are obsessed with Disney and Nickelodeon. Are kids going to start walking around Six Flags saying, "Mom, who is that guy with the guns and a big mustache?" "Why is there a yellow bird?" "What is that giant rooster?"

[robbalvey]

Yes and no. Looney Tunes are still at least more relevant than some of the older characters as Cartoon Network still runs some of the old shows and they have tried several times to update the characters with new shows. Wikipedia has a pretty good history of it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looney_Tunes

 

But kids are probably going to connect with many of the Disney Junior & Disney Movie characters, Spongebob, Marvel & DC Comics, etc, before they'll recognize Looney Tunes. But they aren't totally gone and forgotten. Perhaps its just that your nieces don't watch Cartoon Network?

[ajfelice]

The identification and relevancy question is something that makes me chuckle in terms of the licensed themes within parks. I would agree that Looney Tunes still does hold some value as a theme for kids areas as the characters are still making appearances in entertainment directed to today's younger demographic. Nowhere near as relevant as the current shows on a variety of children's networks or some of the recent popular children's movies, but still something they know. For both children's areas and the rest of the park, I believe companies need to be careful with these licenses. I'm sure there is a lot of market research that goes into determining the value of licensing "legacy brands" in parks, but I would not be surprised if Looney Tunes and even Peanuts have lost their appeal to children in the not so far off future.

 

Going off on a slight tangent, I laugh each time a bunch of adults whine and moan for the return of themed areas like Hanna-Barbera in the former Paramount Parks. Let's face it, the vast majority of those characters have long since faded into the category of nostalgia for adults. Children today really have no clue who they are which is arguably not a bad thing, but just a sign of what is relevant today versus decades past.

 

No hate to any of the characters/brands I mentioned, but I understand that certain ones are not as relevant or popular to today's younger audiences.

[Samuel]

Although I've read that a successful Peanuts movie would offer some positive shrapnel that could hit the Cedar Fair parks, Peanuts does sustain its own presence throughout the year with lots of seasonal holidays and those TV specials. Whether intentional or not, it was smart of Charles Schulz to weave the series into the fabric of American holidays as it moved from a comic to a cartoon.

 

The Muppets movie did a great job of reinvigorating that franchise and bringing those characters to a new generation (in part, by poking fun at the premise of the Muppets being outdated). If they manage to get that Looney Tunes movie off the ground (mentioned in Robb's link), it could be a nice shot in the arm for everyone involved...hey, I didn't think Jurassic World would come to fruition, so never say never.

 

I will say this for the non-Disney/Universal parks, Six Flags or Cedar Fair trying to chase after all of the here-today-gone-later-today characters and brands that aren't owned by the aforementioned movie-making juggernauts wouldn't make any sense given what those parks are. When I go to ride Twisted Colossus, I'm not expecting a Harry Potter-level of immersion...I have no problem with these parks being sprinkled with a familiar motif of characters, whether Peanuts, Looney Tunes, etc.

 

And yes, Robb, the channel is usually on Disney or Nick. I try to get them to watch different things for the sake of variety, but they only like to take TV marching orders from a seven-year-old neighbor who influences a lot of their tastes and preferences! They couldn't be more simple, or more complex.

[YoshiCraft2011]

From my own personal experience, my sister and I were still able to identify the Looney Tunes characters back in the 2000's at a certain extent. However, I honestly don't know about some of the more "minor" characters. I'm also pretty certain that some little kids can at least identify Bugs Bunny or something. It's kind of like the same thing with the Peanuts characters, but if the long line in the meet-and-greet area at Knott's says anything, I'm not sure what does. Plus, there's the Peanuts movie coming soon, so that should introduce more youngsters to the universe of Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and all the other characters.

[grsupercity]

Luckily American dad and Family guy make fun of both peanuts and looney tunes characters so todays kids can know who they are

[A.J.]

There was a time a few years ago when new Looney Tunes shorts were shown preceding certain family films like that terrible Yogi Bear movie but they're not as relevant anymore.

 

It seems as though Warner Bros is following Disney's lead and putting new Looney Tunes-like shorts on television sometime next year. Though unlike the new Mickey Mouse shorts, the Looney Tunes ones will be apparently broadcast as four shorts in a half-hour television block, so they'll last about five to six minutes each instead of Mickey Mouse's three minutes.

[DarienLaker]

Well, let me answer the title question if today's kids can relate to the Looney Tunes. Six Flags had tried to have kiddie areas with more newer characters/brands that kids can relate to like Wiggles and Thomas the Tank Engine, but then Six Flags dumped them like so to save money so that they can focus more on their "legacy" brands like DC Comics and Looney Tunes. While the Looney Tunes serves a nostalgic sense to adult who grew up watching the Looney Tunes ans Merrie Melodies short whenever they were on TV or on a video, but I don't think that today's kids aren't really going to relate to them unless they go to Six Flags where almost every park in that chain has a kiddie area themed to the Looney Tunes and have costumed characters of Bug Bunny and his friends.

[fatdaddy]

Looney Tunes has new cartoons that are somewhat popular, updated versions of the old characters, but still the same core characters. It just depends on which channel kids watch, the new shows, the old classic cartoons, Looney Tunes Babies, are all still on, even Animaniacs. I introduced my kids to the old cartoons on DVD, so when they find them on tv they watch them, and when the new cartoons came out they were excited to see them. BTW the new cartoons are pretty good, what they've done with Yosemite Sam and Daffy Duck is pretty awesome.

[WFChris]

I agree that they are becoming a thing of the past...

 

But I REALLY like watching the totally non-pc cartoons while waiting in line at SFMM. It brings back quite a bit of nostalgia for me and it's also fun looking around at the other people reacting to it (like, "omg what the hell is this cartoon?!").

[tidecat]

I think children's cartoons in general will suffer a few more years of decline, but eventually they'll come back-something will happen that Disney and Nickelodeon quit throwing money at teenage and pre-teen actors for shows that have runs of only 3-5 years.

 

I also think Warner Brothers is missing the boat with children - they have to keep pace with Nickelodeon and especially Disney, as both have the ability to cater to their entertainment needs throughout their entire lives.

[Jew]

They just need a new space jam movie to re-vitalize the franchise...

[Bowski]

The problem is that CN/WB shows for kids don't last long enough to be incorporated into the parks as permanent additions. Examples; Adventure Time and Regular Show is huge on CN, but because probably in the next 2 or 3 years those shows will get cancelled or run their course, there would be no use for the characters in the parks. But something like Looney Tunes and such have been cemented as American Icons, so regardless of their relevance to the kids, their image will still be friendly and inviting to the younger crowds.

[Nrthwnd]

I still remember the whole Warner Bros.gang back then.

 

But, I still prefer the newer (we're) !~Animaniacs~!

[Geauga Dog]

I don't think kids identify with the Looney Tunes characters as much as I don't identify with some of the crap cartoons out there today though I could swear I've seen newer LT cartoons a few years ago, which sucked, as they did not live up the legacy of the WB originals. I remember my very first visit to SFGAm back in 1998 they were showing LT cartoons on the queue TVs. Is Six Flags still doing that today?

 

It's sort of the same situation when Paramount owned parks. Kings Island, for example, had rides based on Rugrats, Wild Thornberry's, and Jimmy Neutron, which were long gone from the Nickelodeon network by the time CF bought the parks.

[SharkTums]

KT knows the core Looney Tunes characters but doesn't care about them, doesn't want any merchandise of them, or any clothes with them. That is a problem as the parks could make a lot more money with characters the kids want.

[thrillrider]

I was amazed that my 8yo knows who most of the looney toons are.

 

They still show them on a few channels, and we have the box set. Her favorite is the road runner and coyote.

[Anything]

Yes, they do. But the original cartoons' ages are starting to show through in some ways when you look at how the characters behave.

[Rollercoaster Rider]

Well Cartoon Network is coming out with a New Looney Tunes Show and they air on Boomerang.

 

 

I would argue kids know more about Looney Tunes than Bernstein Bears, Banana Splitz, Funky Phantom, Top Cat, Penelope Pitstop, Wally Gator, Magilla Gorilla, Dudley Do Right, or Fivel.

 

 

You could add Garfield to that list too.

[CrazedZooChimp]

Not to hijack the thread, but when I was growing up Looney Tunes was of no interest to me, but the related early/mid 90s WB cartoons Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs were huge influences on me (esepcially Animaniacs). I didn't live near a Six Flags park back in the days, but were characters from those shows ever in Six Flags Parks? I know neither had very long runs (I think both did ~100 eps), but Disney manages to be successful with older characters and themig, so it would seem characters for a show that was on for several years could still have at least some success at Six Flags (it's not like character costumes or newly branded T-Shirts could possibly cost that much).

 

I'm actually a little surprised Adventure Time theming hasn't popped up anywhere, since it's hugely popular among adults as well as kids, and doesn't really seem like it's going anywhere (based on the consistency of it's ratings) unless the creators decide they run out of ideas.

[DarienLaker]

Frankly I think that Warner Bros. needs to come up a new full-length Looney Tunes movie done with drawn animation, not this charm-killing CGI stuff they have now!

[Gnome]

I dont remember the last time i saw any long running show featuring the looney tunes. When I was a kid, the exposure was everywhere. Re-runs ran constantly. They had new original LT content. They had a whole warner brothers store that competed with the Disney store.

 

Disney in comparison has done a much better job at keeping their core brand icons front and centered over the years. Part of the reason why Disney is ruling hollywood currently

 

I would imagine most kids probably dont really care about LT as there isnt much being pushed out. Time warners/WB's biggest assets right now are probably the DC super heros. Even still, outside of Batman and Superman they're really not pushed the same way as Marvel characters are. Again, Disney is winning that game.

[Jew]

Bring back Tiny Toons and Animaniacs!

 

Outside of Disney, there are very few characters with staying power. I think it's really at the point where a park is just picking the best of what's left so they aren't being left in the dark. Most of the newer shows don't have the generational staying power of a Disney character, Marvel/DC super hero, or Scooby Doo and the gang. That's really all I can think of as major characters that have lasted through the ages.

[Rollercoaster Rider]

Not to hijack the thread, but when I was growing up Looney Tunes was of no interest to me, but the related early/mid 90s WB cartoons Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs were huge influences on me (esepcially Animaniacs). I didn't live near a Six Flags park back in the days, but were characters from those shows ever in Six Flags Parks? I know neither had very long runs (I think both did ~100 eps), but Disney manages to be successful with older characters and themig, so it would seem characters for a show that was on for several years could still have at least some success at Six Flags (it's not like character costumes or newly branded T-Shirts could possibly cost that much).

 

I'm actually a little surprised Adventure Time theming hasn't popped up anywhere, since it's hugely popular among adults as well as kids, and doesn't really seem like it's going anywhere (based on the consistency of it's ratings) unless the creators decide they run out of ideas.

 

 

I mildly remember the Animaniacs around SFGAm and Six Flags in 1997 used to sell toys with one being the Animaniacs riding a roller coaster car with the words Six Flags on it.

[thrillrider]

The same question can be asked about the peanuts at cedar fair parks. If not for the Christmas special, my kids would have no idea who they were.