Pottsylvania
Encyclopedia
Pottsylvania is a fictional country
that appeared in the television
series Rocky and His Friends
and The Bullwinkle Show
, collectively referred to as Rocky and Bullwinkle.
Pottsylvania was a parody of a Cold War
-era eastern Europe
an country (possibly intended as a satire on East Germany: Pottsylvanian characters often use German words, and the Iron Cross
can be seen on military aircraft). It was noted for being a nation dedicated to all matters related to espionage
and deceitfulness; children were taught in schools how to commit crimes, for instance, while casual conversations would have double meanings.
Populated entirely by spies, secret agents and saboteurs, Pottsylvania was the one nation where the cold war never thawed. Its highest honor was the Double Cross, and its newspaper, The Pottsylvania Eavesdropper, was printed in invisible ink. While many considered Pottsylvania to be a spoof, it was considered offensive by the government of the Soviet Union, which banned Rocky & Bullwinkle as anti-Soviet propaganda.
Pottsylvania's industries, besides espionage, included production of an automobile
called the "Assassin-8
". Millions were built despite Pottsylvania having only 12 miles of road.
Natural landmarks included "Whynchatakea Peak", a large mountain
. The geography of Pottsylvania is indeterminate, however. In some maps it appears to be a peninsula
, while in others it appears to be either a coastal nation (with seaports) or completely landlocked. Nevertheless, it is accessible by submarine
, which appears to be the main form of entry.
Flora and fauna in Pottsylvania included the man-eating Venus flytrap
-like plant
known as the "Pottsylvania Creeper," and one of the world's few supplies of mooseberry bushes – mooseberries being an ingredient used (in Rocky and Bullwinkle's world) for the production of rocket
fuel.
The government
of Pottsylvania was headed by a uniformed dictator
known only as Fearless Leader
. (In some episodes, another important government figure is Mr. Big.) Boris Badenov
and Natasha Fatale
seemed to be Fearless Leader's most frequently used secret agent
s, often sent to execute the country's schemes for gaining global power.
.
Lyrics:
Fictional country
A fictional country is a country that is made up for fictional stories, and does not exist in real life, or one that people believe in without proof....
that appeared in the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series Rocky and His Friends
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...
and The Bullwinkle Show
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...
, collectively referred to as Rocky and Bullwinkle.
Pottsylvania was a parody of a Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
-era eastern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an country (possibly intended as a satire on East Germany: Pottsylvanian characters often use German words, and the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
can be seen on military aircraft). It was noted for being a nation dedicated to all matters related to espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
and deceitfulness; children were taught in schools how to commit crimes, for instance, while casual conversations would have double meanings.
Populated entirely by spies, secret agents and saboteurs, Pottsylvania was the one nation where the cold war never thawed. Its highest honor was the Double Cross, and its newspaper, The Pottsylvania Eavesdropper, was printed in invisible ink. While many considered Pottsylvania to be a spoof, it was considered offensive by the government of the Soviet Union, which banned Rocky & Bullwinkle as anti-Soviet propaganda.
Pottsylvania's industries, besides espionage, included production of an automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
called the "Assassin-8
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
". Millions were built despite Pottsylvania having only 12 miles of road.
Natural landmarks included "Whynchatakea Peak", a large mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
. The geography of Pottsylvania is indeterminate, however. In some maps it appears to be a peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
, while in others it appears to be either a coastal nation (with seaports) or completely landlocked. Nevertheless, it is accessible by submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
, which appears to be the main form of entry.
Flora and fauna in Pottsylvania included the man-eating Venus flytrap
Venus Flytrap
The Venus Flytrap , Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests animal prey—mostly insects and arachnids. Its trapping structure is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces...
-like plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
known as the "Pottsylvania Creeper," and one of the world's few supplies of mooseberry bushes – mooseberries being an ingredient used (in Rocky and Bullwinkle's world) for the production of rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
fuel.
The government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
of Pottsylvania was headed by a uniformed dictator
Dictator
A dictator is a ruler who assumes sole and absolute power but without hereditary ascension such as an absolute monarch. When other states call the head of state of a particular state a dictator, that state is called a dictatorship...
known only as Fearless Leader
Fearless Leader
Fearless Leader is a fictional character and the principal antagonist in the 1959–1964 animated television series Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show, both shows often collectively referred to as Rocky and Bullwinkle...
. (In some episodes, another important government figure is Mr. Big.) 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....
and Natasha Fatale
Natasha Fatale
Natasha Fatale 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...
seemed to be Fearless Leader's most frequently used secret agent
Secret Agent
Secret Agent is a British film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on two stories in Ashenden: Or the British Agent by W. Somerset Maugham. The film starred John Gielgud, Peter Lorre, Madeleine Carroll, and Robert Young...
s, often sent to execute the country's schemes for gaining global power.
National anthem
"Hail Pottsylvania" is the national anthem of Pottsylvania, which appears in The Adventures of Rocky and BullwinkleThe 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...
.
Lyrics:
- Hail, Pottsylvania
- Hail to the black and the blue!
- Hail, Pottsylvania
- Sneaky and crooked through and through,
- Down with the good guys, up with the boss
- Under the sign of the triple cross, hey!
- Hail, Pottsylvania,
- Hail, hail, hail!