The POP-EXPOSE 

Speedy Gonzales at 71: Celebrating the Fastest Mouse in All Mexico

On September 17, 1955, a tiny mouse in an oversized yellow sombrero raced onto movie screens and straight into animation history. Seventy-one years later, Speedy Gonzales remains one of the most instantly recognizable characters to emerge from the golden age of Warner Bros. animation. Although September 17 marks the anniversary of the Speedy audiences recognize today, his story actually began two years earlier. Before He Was an Icon Speedy’s earliest incarnation appeared in the Merrie Melodies short Cat-Tails for Two, released August 29, 1953 and directed by Robert McKimson. That…

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The POP-EXPOSE 

Sufferin’ Succotash! The Golden Era of Sylvester the Cat

Long before CGI animals and animated universes filled our screens, a lisping black-and-white cat with a never-ending appetite for a tiny yellow bird became one of the most beloved characters in American animation. Sylvester the Cat, a staple of Warner Bros.’ Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons, reigned during the golden age of animation—roughly the 1940s to the 1960s. This clever feline may have spent most of his time chasing Tweety Bird, but behind those comedic chases was a rich history filled with animation brilliance, character evolution, and a few…

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