The Return of the Animaniacs

I’m not quite sure if this post fits into the qualifications for our blog, but I was quite excited for this rerun. Despite not being alive for the original run of the show, I was still able to experience its influence.

The music of the show is particularly iconic. My favorite is the Jeopardy States and Capital song, but I also know that the Warner sister’s “Macadamia” song was trending on TikTok recently.

But besides the music, something that I really love about the aesthetic of the show is how it really visually encapsulates the 90’s children’s cartoon genre. Everything from Looney Tunes (a show featuring characters like Bugs Bunny and Tweety Bird) to Pinky and the Brain, despite being aimed at children, continue to remain relevant with their iconic personalities, silhouettes, and colors. People purchase clothing and merchandise with these characters without really knowing where they came from. But to them, that doesn’t matter as much as the societal meaning linked to the image, and I find that fascinating.

This reminded me of the video we watched about iconography with Susan Kare. Her designs had a tremendous impact on how society now views certain symbols. This just goes to prove how influential art can be, whether it be in the form of icons or animations.