Bullwinkle J. Moose
Encyclopedia
Bullwinkle J. Moose is a fictional character
in the 1959–1964 animated television series Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show, often collectively referred to as Rocky and Bullwinkle
, produced by Jay Ward
and Bill Scott. When the show changed networks from ABC
to NBC
, its name was changed to The Bullwinkle Show, reflecting the popularity of Bullwinkle.
In 1996, Bullwinkle was ranked #32 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.
" after Clarence Bullwinkel, a car dealer, because they thought it was a funny name. Both Bullwinkle and Rocky were given the middle initial "J" in reference to Ward.
From his debut along with Rocky, Bullwinkle's gloves were blue. Later in the second story arc and for the rest of the series, they become white. Also, in contemporary promotion art, Bullwinkle's antlers are a yellowish orange in contrast to the rest of his body; originally they were brown.
in the fictional small town of Frostbite Falls, Minnesota
, a parody of the real-life American town of International Falls, Minnesota
. Bullwinkle's college
alma mater
was "Wossamotta U
." In the half-cartoon, half-live-action movie The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle
, Bullwinkle receives an Honorary Mooster's Degree from Wossamotta U, due to the nefarious plans of Boris Badenov
.
Bullwinkle also hosted other segments of the program, including: "Mr. Know-It-All," where he tried to demonstrate his supposed (albeit nonexistent) expertise at a subject, such as disarming bombs or curing hiccups; "Bullwinkle's Corner," where the moose would attempt to read poetry, notably I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
(The Daffodils) of William Wordsworth
; and various interstitial drop-ins. In one classic running gag, Bullwinkle would attempt to pull a rabbit out of a top hat (to Rocky's dismissal: "Again?!" or "But that trick never works!", and Bullwinkle's canonical rejoinder, "Nothing up my sleeve...Presto!" or "This time, for sure! Presto!"), only to pull out something unexpected instead (such as a bear
), and occasionally even Rocky himself. After each failed attempt, Rocky would segue to the next sketch by saying, "And now, here's something we hope you'll really like!"
At times, Bullwinkle has exhibited near-superhuman strength, known as his "mighty moose muscle".
film The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle
, Bullwinkle was voiced by Ward fan Keith Scott
(no relation to Bill), as Bill had died of a heart attack in 1985. At the time, he had finished the first season of voicing another Moose character, Moosel, for The Wuzzles
. In some of the more recent commercials and projects, Frank Welker
has voiced Bullwinkle.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the 1959–1964 animated television series Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show, often collectively referred to as Rocky and Bullwinkle
The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show is an American animated television series that originally aired from November 19, 1959 to June 28, 1964 on the ABC and NBC television networks...
, produced by Jay Ward
Jay Ward
J Troplong "Jay" Ward was an American creator and producer of animated television cartoons. He produced animated series based on such characters as Crusader Rabbit, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Dudley Do-Right, Peabody and Sherman, Hoppity Hooper, George of the Jungle, Tom Slick, and Super Chicken...
and Bill Scott. When the show changed networks from ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
to NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, its name was changed to The Bullwinkle Show, reflecting the popularity of Bullwinkle.
In 1996, Bullwinkle was ranked #32 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.
Creation
Ward and his business partner Alex Anderson created Bullwinkle for The Frostbite Falls Review, a storyboard idea which was never developed into a series. They gave him the name "Bullwinkle Jay Moose, Berry" after Clarence Bullwinkel, a car dealer, because they thought it was a funny name. Both Bullwinkle and Rocky were given the middle initial "J" in reference to Ward.
From his debut along with Rocky, Bullwinkle's gloves were blue. Later in the second story arc and for the rest of the series, they become white. Also, in contemporary promotion art, Bullwinkle's antlers are a yellowish orange in contrast to the rest of his body; originally they were brown.
Biography
Bullwinkle shared a house with his best friend RockyRocky the Flying Squirrel
Rocket J. Squirrel, usually called by the nickname "Rocky", is the name of the flying squirrel protagonist of the 1959-1964 animated television series Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show , produced by Jay Ward. Rocky's sidekick is the cartoon moose, Bullwinkle...
in the fictional small town of Frostbite Falls, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, a parody of the real-life American town of International Falls, Minnesota
International Falls, Minnesota
International Falls is a city in and the county seat of Koochiching County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 6,424 at the 2010 census....
. Bullwinkle's college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
was "Wossamotta U
Wossamotta U (story arc)
Wossamotta U — a mondegreen of "what's the matter [with] you" — is the ninth story arc from the fifth season of Rocky and Bullwinkle...
." In the half-cartoon, half-live-action movie The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle is a 2000 comedy film based on the television cartoon The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show by Jay Ward. The animated characters Rocky and Bullwinkle shared the screen with live actors portraying Fearless Leader , Boris Badenov , Natasha Fatale , and FBI agent Karen...
, Bullwinkle receives an Honorary Mooster's Degree from Wossamotta U, due to the nefarious plans of Boris Badenov
Boris Badenov
Boris Badenov is a fictional character in the 1960s animated cartoons Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show, collectively referred to as Rocky and Bullwinkle for short. He is voiced by Paul Frees....
.
Personality
Bullwinkle was noted for being well-meaning, but also quite dim-witted, which made for a source of jokes during the show's run. Despite this, the so-called "moronic moose" often aided the brains of the "moose-and-squirrel" duo, Rocky, during their various adventures. Although on opposite ends of the I.Q. scale, he and the "plucky squirrel" had a shared sense of optimism, persistence and traditional ethics and moral standards. Although not as intelligent as Rocky, Bullwinkle often made references breaking the fourth wall, so he was not always as clueless as he appeared.Bullwinkle also hosted other segments of the program, including: "Mr. Know-It-All," where he tried to demonstrate his supposed (albeit nonexistent) expertise at a subject, such as disarming bombs or curing hiccups; "Bullwinkle's Corner," where the moose would attempt to read poetry, notably I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" is a poem by William Wordsworth.It was inspired by an April 15, 1802 event in which Wordsworth and his sister, Dorothy, came across a "long belt" of daffodils...
(The Daffodils) of William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads....
; and various interstitial drop-ins. In one classic running gag, Bullwinkle would attempt to pull a rabbit out of a top hat (to Rocky's dismissal: "Again?!" or "But that trick never works!", and Bullwinkle's canonical rejoinder, "Nothing up my sleeve...Presto!" or "This time, for sure! Presto!"), only to pull out something unexpected instead (such as a bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
), and occasionally even Rocky himself. After each failed attempt, Rocky would segue to the next sketch by saying, "And now, here's something we hope you'll really like!"
Powers and abilities
Bullwinkle could remember everything he ever ate. While obscure, this ability came in handy in the "Banana Formula" caper.At times, Bullwinkle has exhibited near-superhuman strength, known as his "mighty moose muscle".
Voice
Bill Scott, Ward's partner and head writer of the series, was the original voice of Bullwinkle. In the 2000 Universal PicturesUniversal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
film The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle is a 2000 comedy film based on the television cartoon The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show by Jay Ward. The animated characters Rocky and Bullwinkle shared the screen with live actors portraying Fearless Leader , Boris Badenov , Natasha Fatale , and FBI agent Karen...
, Bullwinkle was voiced by Ward fan Keith Scott
Keith Scott (Australia)
Keith Scott is a voice-over and voice actor from Australia. He provided the voice for Bullwinkle J...
(no relation to Bill), as Bill had died of a heart attack in 1985. At the time, he had finished the first season of voicing another Moose character, Moosel, for The Wuzzles
The Wuzzles
Disney's Wuzzles is an American animated television series created for Saturday morning television, and was first broadcast on September 14, 1985 on CBS. An idea of Michael Eisner for his new Disney television animation studio, the Wuzzles are crossbred animals which sport a combined appearance of...
. In some of the more recent commercials and projects, Frank Welker
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
has voiced Bullwinkle.
Other appearances
- In addition to the television series and movies, Bullwinkle has appeared in television commercials, a newspaper comic strip, lunch boxes, and a coloring book.
- Bullwinkle is interviewed by Hans Conreid in an episode of Fractured FlickersFractured FlickersFractured Flickers is a live-action syndicated half-hour television comedy show that was produced by Jay Ward, who is otherwise known for animated cartoons. The pilot film was produced in 1961 , but the series wasn't completed until 1963...
. Bullwinkle is portrayed in this live-action show by a hand puppetHand puppetA hand puppet is a type of puppet that is controlled by the leg or face that occupies the interior of the puppet. Glove puppets are a variation of hand puppets...
. - Bullwinkle makes a cameo in the Roger Rabbit short Who Framed Roger RabbitWho Framed Roger RabbitWho Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 American fantasy-comedy-noir film directed by Robert Zemeckis and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film combines live action and animation, and is based on Gary K. Wolf's novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, which depicts a world in which cartoon characters...
, seen on a chocolate mousseMousseMousse is derived from the French word mousse which means "lather" or "foam". A mousse is a prepared food that incorporates air bubbles to give it a light and airy texture...
box. - He is one of the "good" fictional characters that can be spotted at the end of the South ParkSouth ParkSouth Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
episode Imaginationland III, just before the bomb strikes. - Bullwinkle J. Moose Goes To Finn & Jake's Treehouse From Adventure TimeAdventure TimeAdventure Time was a local children's television show on WTAE-TV 4 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1959 to 1975. It was hosted by the late Paul Shannon, with guitarist Joe Negri and puppeteer Jim Martin...
Episode 24. - Bullwinkle J. Moose was in The Looney Tunes ShowThe Looney Tunes ShowThe Looney Tunes Show is a packaged show, created for Cartoon Network, and broadcast from 2002 to 2005. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. The show featured cartoon shorts from the original Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon series produced from 1930 to 1969.-External links:...
while Daffy DuckDaffy DuckDaffy Duck is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, often running the gamut between being the best friend and sometimes arch-rival of Bugs Bunny...
was cleaning out Granny (Looney Tunes)Granny (Looney Tunes)Granny is a co-star of many Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Bird animated shorts throughout the 1950s and 1960s, is a Looney Tunes character that was created by Tex Avery. She is the owner of Tweety . Granny's voice was first provided by Bea Benaderet from 1937 through 1953...
's attic. Bullwinkle was hanging on the wall.
External links
- Hokey Smoke! Rocky and Bullwinkle
- Episode Guide
- My Native Land Sir Walter Scott poem with Bullwinkle voice impression