Do you shmoo?
It was another one of those unexpected things that caused a pile of late-night giggles between us. This time, it was “Shmoo” and JT being convinced it was a word I’d made up, and me being disappointed in his lack of knowledge of a cartoon I remembered. He’s supposed to be the cartoon king, but no “New Shmoo” for him. The last time this happened to us was my mentioning the brand name “Gee, your hair smells terrific.” — That’s not real! Yup, it sure is… or was.
Of course, when I looked the show up today it aired from 1979-1980, so I guess he wasn’t really watching cartoons at… 2? Here’s the info from RetroJunk.com:
Show Summary: Al Capp’s Lil Abner Comics from the late 1940s about the lovable shape shifting white seal-looking Shmoo. In this new series, he is accompanied by three teenagers: Mickey, the logical thinker and somewhat leader of the group; Nina, the beauty of the group; and Billy Joe, the big, soft-hearted yet gullible guy, all of which work for Mighty Mystery Comics, a publication based on the psychic phenomena they go out and discover.
Yes, it’s the New Shmoo, the incredible New Shmoo
He’s gonna please you, the incredible Shmoo likes youuuuu!
Anyway, today I sit anxiously awaiting feedback on my site revisions incorporating a (cheesy) filmstrip motif. Yesterday I took a moment to Google for those real estate ads I did last week and wow. They’re out there.
Oh yeah, and Happy Birthday, Mom! I have a birthday card sitting here for her that I neglected to mail, but what the hey… I’ll just drive it up to her Thursday night! Whee! Yippee for long weekends out of town. Boo for not wanting to spend money to do anything TOO fun while we’re gone, but still… hurrah for time off!
The New Shmoo appeared on September 22, 1979, and promptly raised the question, “What the hell is a Shmoo?” The answer was an amorphous blob with a high-pitched voice who could transform into shape or size necessary to help his friends, three teenage correspondents for Mighty Mystery Comics, solve mysteries. Shmoo, resembling some combination of a seal and bowling pin in his standard form, had first been seen in L’il Abner comic strips in the late 1940s. How and why Hanna-Barbera decided to resurrect the character and give him his own animated series thirty years later is one mystery that Shmoo and pals never solved. The New Shmoo ran just three months before being canceled, yet oddly Hanna-Barbera continued to push the Shmoo character by teaming him with the Flintstones, first in Fred and Barney Meet the Shmoo and later The Flintstones Comedy Hour. When neither of those shows was successful, it became clear that the world wasn’t ready for the Shmoo…whatever he was.
And here is your “New Shmoo” episode guide, you know you wanted. It’s got a picture! Shmoo likes youuuuu!
ninjaben3 has made a Comment
blasphmy!
The herculoids had that character first!
Gloop and Gleep + Legs and facial hair = Shmoo
How dare they steal the THUNDARR!
February 8, 2006 @ 8:46 am
gryndyl has made a Comment
The best little known fact about Shmoo? Shmoo is a Yiddish word that is a vulgar term for a woman’s genitalia. Al Capp spoke Yiddish, so he was apparently well aware of this when he named the chracter. I learned this when I was 14 by watching a friend of mine get smacked in the head by his 90 year old yiddish grandmother when he asked her if she wanted to hear his Shmoo impression.
February 9, 2006 @ 9:21 am