Mel-O-Toons

Mel-O-Toons (sometimes erroneously spelled Mello Toons) was a series of six-minute animated cartoons, using limited animation. The cartoons were produced starting in 1959 by New World Productions, and syndicated by United Artists.^[1]

Mel-O-Toons
Opening sequence
Voices of	Daws Butler Norman Rose Patrick McGeehan Ralph Camargo Paul DeWitt Ed Herlihy
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of episodes	104
Production
Running time	Around 5–7 minutes
Production companies	New World Productions United Artists Television
Original release
Network	Syndication
Release	1959 (1959) – October 1960 (1960-10)

The stories featured various folk tales, Greco-Roman myths, Biblical stories, classic literary adaptations, and adaptations of classical music and ballet, as well as stories about animals written by Thornton Burgess.^[2] The soundtracks were often taken from existing children's records, licensed from the original labels, including RCA Records and Capitol Records. 104 cartoons were produced.^[3]

In October 1960, United Artists bought time on a station in Toledo, Ohio, to test the Mel-O-Toons for audience response; they showed two of the films, "Rumplestiltskin" and "Waltz of the Flowers". Variety reported that the viewer response was entirely positive, saying, "Many parents compared the Mel-O-Toons favorable to what they called the usual violence in kiddie programming."^[4] A week later, UA bought a full-page ad in Variety, announcing: "We passed the test in Toledo!" The ad described the test: "Here's what happened: Two of these new cartoons were shown in a fifteen-minute on-the-air audition over WSPD-TV. Viewers were asked to send in their opinions, with no prizes or incentives of any kind. In less than a week, over 400 replies arrived. All except five individuals were wildly enthusiastic."^[5]

After many years out of circulation, public domain prints have turned up on videotape and DVD.

Partial episode list

• The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver
• Aladdin
• Ali Baba
• Buffalo Bill
• Casper The Curious Kitten
• Christopher Columbus
• Cinderella
• Daniel Boone
• David and Goliath
• Diana and the Golden Apples
• Dinky Pinky
• El Torito
• The Enchanted Horse
• Endymion and Selene
• Flying Carpet
• Fun on a Rainy Day
• Gosomer Wump
• Hansel and Gretel
• Haydn's Toy Symphony
• Hiawatha
• Hunters of the Sea
• I Wish I Had
• Knights of Old
• Little Hawk
• Little Johnny Everything
• Little Sambo
• Miguel the Mighty Matador
• Noah's Ark
• Omicron and the Sputnik
• Panchito
• Paul Bunyan
• Peer Gynt's Adventures in Arabia
• Peer Gynt in the Hall of the Mountain King
• Peer Gynt in the Stormy Sea
• Peppy Possum
• Peter and the Wolf
• Peter Cottontail
• Pinocchio
• Robin Hood
• Rumplestiltskin
• Sinbad
• Sir Lancelot
• Sleeping Beauty
• Snow White
• Sparky's Magic Echo
• The Eagle and the Thrush
• The Emperor's Nightingale
• The King's Trumpet
• The Magic Clock
• The Red Shoes
• The Seasons
• The Trojan Horse
• Tom Sawyer
• Treasure Island
• Waltz of the Flowers
• War and Peace

In popular culture

Footage from the Christopher Columbus episode was used in Last Week Tonight's "How Is This Still a Thing" segment on Columbus Day, which aired on October 12, 2014.^[6]

References

1. Salda, Michael N. (2013-07-30). Arthurian Animation. ISBN 9781476606149. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
2. Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 385. ISBN 978-1538103739.
3. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 539. ISBN 978-1476665993.
4. "UAA Mel-O-Toon Gets Toledo Test". Variety: 24. November 9, 1960. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
5. "We passed the test in Toledo!". Variety: 53. November 16, 1960. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
6. "John Oliver Asks: How is Columbus Day Still a Thing?".