Did you know that Don Imus starred in a Baby Huey cartoon? If not, read on for some interesting facts about the characters! This article will also tell you about Baby Huey’s creator and who directed the series. In addition, you’ll learn about the cartoon’s creator, Marty Taras, and how Famous Studios and Harvey Comics produced the series. And if you haven’t heard of him, it’s time you knew!
Marty Taras created Baby Huey
The first Baby Huey cartoon was created by American cartoonist Marty Taras. The character was created and drew by Taras, who also worked at Famous Studios, the company which produced the series. Taras’s son, Syd Raymond, voiced the character throughout the 1950s. The series ended with the release of Huey’s Father’s Day comic book.
The series starred a large, clumsy yellow duck named Baby Huey. He wore a blue bonnet and shirt, a red bow on his head, and a diaper. His big size made him an easy target for people, and his antics often drove them crazy. The Baby Huey cartoons are derivative of the Three Bears shorts. Nevertheless, fans of Taras’ work can appreciate his unique style of cartooning.
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While the Baby Huey character is no longer a popular comic book character, he was brought to life again in syndication on the “Richie Rich Show.” The show ran from 1994 to 1996 and featured 26 new cartoons. Unfortunately, the show was cancelled after a season, as the ratings weren’t what it was made out to be. Despite the cancellation of the show, Huey still appeared in a series of shorts produced by Harveytoon and Harvey Magazine.
When the cartoon first started, it was based on the Three Bears, a series of shorts produced by Warner Bros. in the late 1940s. Baby Huey has many similarities to Junyer Bear from Chuck Jones’ Three Bears series. The first two cartoons featured him as a baby and followed up with numerous sequels. A five-page story introduced the Baby Huey family in 1959.
The series’ storyline featured an anthropomorphic duckling named Huey. He tried to act like a kid, but often inadvertently made things worse for his peers. In one comic, a hungry fox pretends to be a friend, only to set traps for the duckling. Huey didn’t know what he was up against until he found out that the fox wanted to eat him.
Don Imus starred in a Baby Huey cartoon
Although he was a comic book character, Baby Huey has recently come back to life, appearing on syndication show “The Richie Rich Show” from 1994 to 1996. The series featured 26 new cartoons and lasted for only one season, due to low ratings. Baby Huey later appeared in a cartoon series from Harvey Magazine and Harveytoon. Here are some highlights of Baby Huey’s history.
While working in radio, Don Imus once got fired from his radio station in Stockton, California for making an on-air comment about “spooks” on Halloween. Imus invited listeners to enter a contest to create a look-alike of Eldridge Cleaver. The winner received a $5,000 fine and ten years in jail. Imus had intended to comment on the FBI’s inability to find Black Panther.
In 1993, Don Imus became the host of a talk show on WFAN. After his show became nationally syndicated, he expanded to cable television. Later, MSNBC simulcast his show. In 1999, he starred in a Baby Huey cartoon. Don Imus’ show was a mixture of interviews and riffs on the day’s news. He also hosted shows with Maureen Dowd and Frank Rich, Sens. John Kerry and McCain, and others. The show featured politicians from both parties and a locker-room atmosphere, insider analysis, and flat-out name calling.
Marty Taras drew and animated most of the cartoons
Animated stories from the Baby Huey series are based on popular comic books. Taras and other Famous Studios artists drew the stories. The characters featured in the comics include Casper the Friendly Ghost, Little Audrey, Buzzy, Herman, and Katnip. Some of the stories featured the twins. Though the twins first appeared in comic books in the mid-40s, they never made it into the cartoons.
In addition to Baby Huey cartoons, Taras also created the character. Taras worked for Paramount Pictures’ Famous Studios in the late 1930s and for Fleischer from the 1940s onwards. Though Taras didn’t directly create the character, he was generally credited with creating the character and illustrating most of his adventures. During Taras’ early career, he had worked on other projects, such as the Super Friends series and the Spider-Man (the 1967 television series).
Following the birth of his son, Taras worked as a layout artist at Hanna-Barbera for the next five years. He later worked on other projects, including the famous ‘New Terrytoons’ era. After moving to Paramount, he animated the popular Popeye television shows, as well as many King Features and Snuffy Smith cartoons. He also continued to write comic book stories.
In addition to cartoons, Huey appeared in a number of comics. His first appearance appeared in a comic book story for Casper #1 in 1949. Taras also shared the story with Carl Meyer. His voice was provided by Jack Mercer. After Quack-A-Doodle-Doo, Baby Huey appeared in 11 more cartoons.
After the original cartoons, Baby Huey was featured in a low-budget live action film. The movie was a direct-to-video release and went on to earn Harvey Comics millions. The last cartoon in the series, Pest Pupil, was directed by David Tendlar. It’s still unclear what the future holds for the Baby Huey character.
In addition to cartoons featuring Raggedy Ann, the baby huey series also featured several shorts. These shorts are now in the public domain. The studio also produced two Animated Shorts, “Suddenly It’s Spring” and “The Enchanted Square.”
Famous Studios/Harvey Comics produced the show
In 1951, Famous Studios and Harvey Comics signed an agreement that brought Huey back to life in a cartoon series. The deal dates back to October of that year and marked a big step up from previous arrangements with St. John and Western, which produced comic books that were less than stellar. It centers around the Little Audrey comic, but also grants Harvey the rights to use other Famous characters in supporting features. Famous characters that were included in the series were Wiley Fox and Brownie Bear.
Famous Studios had the rights to produce and direct Baby Huey and sold them to Harvey Comics. The first cartoon, titled “Baby Huey the Baby Giant,” debuted in September 1952 in the hit comic book “Harvey Hits” #60. While this was a tryout for the series, the popularity of Baby Huey caught on with younger readers, and the character eventually took over the title.
The Harveytoons Show was another successful animated cartoon series. The show featured cartoons from Famous Studios and Harvey Comics characters, including Baby Huey, Herman and Katnip, Buzzy the Crow, and Modern Madcaps. The show’s final season featured an adaptation of a Famous Studios comic book, the New Casper Cartoon Show. It contained three complete cartoons, along with one “ToonTake”. In addition, the series featured the voice talents of Jackson Beck and Sid Raymond.
After the original series ended, the show returned to syndication in 1990. The show was a huge success, and continues to be popular. Famous Studios/Harvey Comics produced several classic episodes and a sequel. Its popularity led to an adaptation of The Famous Studios movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit in 1988. And the Baby Huey cartoon was one of the first such series.
Famous Studios and Harvey Comics also produced two animated television series with the Baby Huey characters. These cartoons aired as “The Baby Huey Show” for one season. In 1999, the series was made into a live action direct-to-video movie titled “Baby Huey’s Great Easter Adventure”. This cartoon also featured an appearance in the documentary Hype! and compared it to the rise of the music revolutions.
