Cartoons (band)
Encyclopedia
Cartoons, also known as Cartoons DK are a technobilly/glam
pop
band
from Denmark
, best known for their 1998 Eurodance
cover
of the 1958 novelty song
, "Witch Doctor" by Ross Bagdasarian, as well as for their outlandish plastic costumes and wigs used in live performances as caricatures of 1950s American
rock and roll
stars
. Many of their hits
are Europop
covers of old rockabilly
hits.
The band has so far sold over 2 million albums, making them one of the most successful Danish pop bands ever. They have also been nominated for Danish Grammys according to their official website.
The sextet, who use the stage names Toonie, Sponge, Shooter, Buzz, Puddy, and Boop, were first signed to FLEX Records
, moving later to EMI
Denmark.
Their most notable single
to date is "Witch Doctor", which reached number two in the UK Singles Chart
; with its combination of the original's "ooh-ee-ooh-aah-aah" chorus
(although lacking that record's
double-speed playback of the chorus), driving dance beat and occasional guitar
breaks.
They had further success in the UK
with the Top 10 hit, "Doodah!" (a version of the American
folk song
"Camptown Races
"); the Top 20 hit "Aisy Waisy", which was performed on Jim Davidson's Generation Game
; and a Top 20 debut album
, Toonage.
Their second album, Toontastic! did not match the success of its predecessor but several notable hits were released from it including "Diddley Dee," "Big Coconuts," and a reworked cover of Les Humphries Singers
' "Mama Loo."
Cartoons rounded out their success with a greatest hits album composed of previous tracks from their two albums as well as three new tracks.
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
from Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, best known for their 1998 Eurodance
Eurodance
Eurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s or early 1990s primarily in Europe. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and especially Italo-Disco...
cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the 1958 novelty song
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
, "Witch Doctor" by Ross Bagdasarian, as well as for their outlandish plastic costumes and wigs used in live performances as caricatures of 1950s American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
stars
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
. Many of their hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
are Europop
Europop
Europop refers to a style of pop music that first developed in today's form in Europe, throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and ’90s...
covers of old rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
hits.
The band has so far sold over 2 million albums, making them one of the most successful Danish pop bands ever. They have also been nominated for Danish Grammys according to their official website.
The sextet, who use the stage names Toonie, Sponge, Shooter, Buzz, Puddy, and Boop, were first signed to FLEX Records
FLEX Records
FLEX Records is a Danish record label. Label founded by Scandinavian Records in 1994 to release various electronic music...
, moving later to EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
Denmark.
Their most notable single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
to date is "Witch Doctor", which reached number two in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
; with its combination of the original's "ooh-ee-ooh-aah-aah" chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
(although lacking that record's
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
double-speed playback of the chorus), driving dance beat and occasional guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
breaks.
They had further success in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
with the Top 10 hit, "Doodah!" (a version of the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
folk song
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
"Camptown Races
Camptown Races
Gwine to Run All Night, or De Camptown Races is a minstrel song by Stephen Foster . It was probably composed in Cincinnati in 1849, according to Richard Jackson, and published by F. D. Benteen of Baltimore, Maryland, in February 1850...
"); the Top 20 hit "Aisy Waisy", which was performed on Jim Davidson's Generation Game
The Generation Game
The Generation Game was a British gameshow produced by the BBC in which four teams of two competed to win prizes...
; and a Top 20 debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Toonage.
Their second album, Toontastic! did not match the success of its predecessor but several notable hits were released from it including "Diddley Dee," "Big Coconuts," and a reworked cover of Les Humphries Singers
Les Humphries Singers
The Les Humphries Singers was a 1970s musical group formed in Hamburg, Germany in 1969 by the English born Les Humphries , who had been inspired to do his own version of the Edwin Hawkins Singers.The Les Humphries Singers dissolved at the end of the...
' "Mama Loo."
Cartoons rounded out their success with a greatest hits album composed of previous tracks from their two albums as well as three new tracks.
Albums
- 1998: Toonage
- 1999: More Toonage
- 2000: Toontastic!
- 2005: Greatest Toons!
Singles
- 1998: "Witch Doctor" #2 UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
- 1998: "Doodah!" #7 UK
- 1999: "Aisy Waisy" #16 UK
- 2000: "Mama-Loo"
- 2001: "Big Coconuts"
- 2005: "Diddley-Dee"
- 2006: "Witch Doctor (Giant Toons Mix)"