"Greetings, citizen! Are you getting enough oxygen?"
April 18, 2024 8:45 PM Subscribe
Adult Swim is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Space Ghost: Coast To Coast by showing all the episodes in no particular order on YouTube right this very moment. Relive the early days of Cartoon Network's dimwitted dadaist superhero insanity, or become enthralled for the first time.
I always figured that Space Ghost Coast To Coast was a callback to something from before my time. But I'm having trouble deciding which version is weirder: the version linked in philip-random's comment, where Space Ghost and friends are taking a compatriot across the galaxy core to help him transform back from antimatter before he turns from good to evil, or the Coast To Coast link in the post at the time I looked, where Space Ghost was being smelled by a house plant for "no particular reason."
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 10:24 PM on April 18 [3 favorites]
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 10:24 PM on April 18 [3 favorites]
BANJOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
posted by McBearclaw at 10:25 PM on April 18 [4 favorites]
posted by McBearclaw at 10:25 PM on April 18 [4 favorites]
I’m pretty sure this show permanently re-wired my sense of humor.
posted by Doleful Creature at 10:25 PM on April 18 [13 favorites]
posted by Doleful Creature at 10:25 PM on April 18 [13 favorites]
SG:C2C was highly formative when I was introduced to it via VHS tapes. I don't think the Youtube livestream has all the episodes yet but it had 2 I hadn't seen before. If Pavement is there though, I'm livin' the high life in the land of the hot knives.
posted by myopicman at 11:11 PM on April 18 [1 favorite]
posted by myopicman at 11:11 PM on April 18 [1 favorite]
How did the intellectual property rights work here? Did they need to license the original art to remix it into SGC2C?
I still find myself quoting Brak on coffee.
posted by eirias at 3:10 AM on April 19 [2 favorites]
I still find myself quoting Brak on coffee.
posted by eirias at 3:10 AM on April 19 [2 favorites]
I never even watched it, but my cousin insisted on me sitting down with him to catch a couple episodes. The only thing I remember was Space Ghost expasperatedly trying to engage Ashley Judd in conversation, and finally saying: "Tacos, Ashley. You know. Mexican food?"
I haven't heard or seen the word tacos since then without hearing Space Ghost in the back of my head.
posted by Ghidorah at 4:23 AM on April 19 [2 favorites]
I haven't heard or seen the word tacos since then without hearing Space Ghost in the back of my head.
posted by Ghidorah at 4:23 AM on April 19 [2 favorites]
HI I'M BRAK!!
posted by briank at 4:35 AM on April 19 [6 favorites]
posted by briank at 4:35 AM on April 19 [6 favorites]
How did the intellectual property rights work here? Did they need to license the original art to remix it into SGC2C?
Even easier than that: Ted Turner had already entirely purchased Hanna-Barbera's animated library in 1991 and founded Cartoon Network as a way to exhibit all the properties to kids. SG:C2C was an idea to re-use existing animation in a cheap way to keep an adult audience after the kids had gone to bed.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 4:48 AM on April 19 [10 favorites]
Even easier than that: Ted Turner had already entirely purchased Hanna-Barbera's animated library in 1991 and founded Cartoon Network as a way to exhibit all the properties to kids. SG:C2C was an idea to re-use existing animation in a cheap way to keep an adult audience after the kids had gone to bed.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 4:48 AM on April 19 [10 favorites]
Doleful Creature, same here. I caught it on tv one night early enough in my childhood that it just completely warped me.
"Crack a window, will ya!?!"
posted by TheKaijuCommuter at 5:35 AM on April 19
"Crack a window, will ya!?!"
posted by TheKaijuCommuter at 5:35 AM on April 19
we stumbled upon this last night - what a lovely thing to behold and relive.
Of the parts of the 90's that I recall with glee is SG:C2C and all of it's awkward....
pauses
posted by djseafood at 5:48 AM on April 19 [4 favorites]
Of the parts of the 90's that I recall with glee is SG:C2C and all of it's awkward....
pauses
posted by djseafood at 5:48 AM on April 19 [4 favorites]
Coincidentally we introduced our four-year-old to Brak a few weeks ago. He currently loves "Things That I Like" and "I'm a Cucumber."
I was never big into the rest of the show, but my favourite episode has to be the very surreal "Fire Ant," which is a great illustration of cyclical humour, but also feels like a descendant of Bruce Nauman's "Clown Torture."
posted by Captaintripps at 6:17 AM on April 19
I was never big into the rest of the show, but my favourite episode has to be the very surreal "Fire Ant," which is a great illustration of cyclical humour, but also feels like a descendant of Bruce Nauman's "Clown Torture."
posted by Captaintripps at 6:17 AM on April 19
When my wife and I were in the planning stages of our wedding I unsuccessfully lobbied for a bunch of ultimately rejected wedding themes. None of them had much of a chance, really, but I did get a smile out of her when I pitched Everything Gets Married.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 6:40 AM on April 19 [5 favorites]
posted by Parasite Unseen at 6:40 AM on April 19 [5 favorites]
30 years later, Andy Merrill is working as a driver for Amazon to pay the bills between signing autographs at conventions.
posted by bgrebs at 8:38 AM on April 19 [3 favorites]
posted by bgrebs at 8:38 AM on April 19 [3 favorites]
I still find myself quoting Brak on coffee.
I had that entire bit as the greeting on my answering machine years back. I had one message that just went, "Oh he musta had NOTHING to do," and hung up.
posted by xedrik at 10:20 AM on April 19 [2 favorites]
I had that entire bit as the greeting on my answering machine years back. I had one message that just went, "Oh he musta had NOTHING to do," and hung up.
posted by xedrik at 10:20 AM on April 19 [2 favorites]
The Pluto Gangsta: Even easier than that: Ted Turner had already entirely purchased Hanna-Barbera's animated library in 1991 and founded Cartoon Network as a way to exhibit all the properties to kids.
The early days of Cartoon Network were great. It’s like they went through the H-B library and the answer every time someone asked “what the fuck is this?” was answered with “who cares, let’s put it on the air!” . Turbo Teen, Goldie Gold & Action Jack, The Gary Coleman Show, nothing was held back.
Them seemed to delight in showing how H-B took one idea and wrung it out for all it was worth. Teens solving mysteries? Throw in a dog and call it Scooby Doo. Swap out the dog for a shark and it’s Jabber Jaw. Swap out the shark for a ghost and it’s The Funky Phantom. That studio must have been a fun place to work when you have a low budget but nobody gives a shit what you crank out.
posted by dr_dank at 11:07 AM on April 19 [3 favorites]
The early days of Cartoon Network were great. It’s like they went through the H-B library and the answer every time someone asked “what the fuck is this?” was answered with “who cares, let’s put it on the air!” . Turbo Teen, Goldie Gold & Action Jack, The Gary Coleman Show, nothing was held back.
Them seemed to delight in showing how H-B took one idea and wrung it out for all it was worth. Teens solving mysteries? Throw in a dog and call it Scooby Doo. Swap out the dog for a shark and it’s Jabber Jaw. Swap out the shark for a ghost and it’s The Funky Phantom. That studio must have been a fun place to work when you have a low budget but nobody gives a shit what you crank out.
posted by dr_dank at 11:07 AM on April 19 [3 favorites]
30 years later, Andy Merrill is working as a driver for Amazon to pay the bills
Oh man, I hate to hear that. I thought he'd gone into development or the corporate side or something. He was so funny, and he deserves better -- along with a lot of voice actors, it has to be said --
posted by Countess Elena at 11:56 AM on April 19 [1 favorite]
Oh man, I hate to hear that. I thought he'd gone into development or the corporate side or something. He was so funny, and he deserves better -- along with a lot of voice actors, it has to be said --
posted by Countess Elena at 11:56 AM on April 19 [1 favorite]
I’m pretty sure this show permanently re-wired my sense of humor.
Absolutely. For me, it's right up there with MST3K in that regard. I was a teenager at the time and going through the horrors, as you do. SGC2C and Cartoon Planet were one of the few things I could rely on to get myself to smile.
posted by Countess Elena at 11:59 AM on April 19 [6 favorites]
Absolutely. For me, it's right up there with MST3K in that regard. I was a teenager at the time and going through the horrors, as you do. SGC2C and Cartoon Planet were one of the few things I could rely on to get myself to smile.
posted by Countess Elena at 11:59 AM on April 19 [6 favorites]
Zorak, to Branford Marsalis: He was asking you, where's Zorak's gum? For me! Mine! My gum! Mine, not yours!
Later in the same episode, when Space Ghost is interviewing Danny Bonaduce:
Zorak: When I was a larvae, I wanted to be the all-powerful ruler of the universe! (crown appears on his head)
Moltar: Me too! (crown appears on his head also)
Zorak: And, to have some gum.
Space Ghost: Do you know what gum is?
Zorak: Nnnnnnnnnnno... But I want some!
That last exchange between Space Ghost and Zorak has lived in my head for decades. I still say, "No, but I want some" for no reason at all.
posted by ceejaytee at 1:41 PM on April 19 [2 favorites]
Later in the same episode, when Space Ghost is interviewing Danny Bonaduce:
Zorak: When I was a larvae, I wanted to be the all-powerful ruler of the universe! (crown appears on his head)
Moltar: Me too! (crown appears on his head also)
Zorak: And, to have some gum.
Space Ghost: Do you know what gum is?
Zorak: Nnnnnnnnnnno... But I want some!
That last exchange between Space Ghost and Zorak has lived in my head for decades. I still say, "No, but I want some" for no reason at all.
posted by ceejaytee at 1:41 PM on April 19 [2 favorites]
This was fun to see, thanks! I'm not sure it 100% works for me— the guest segments are kind of weak— but the simultaneous superhero and talk show parody is brilliant.
Is the animation entirely recycled? E.g. I saw a bit where Zorak hits SG with a folding chair... that wouldn't be part of the original, would it?
Fun fact: Evan Dorkin and Sarah Dyer, of Milk & Cheese and Action Girl comics respectively, were among the writers.
posted by zompist at 1:48 PM on April 19 [2 favorites]
Is the animation entirely recycled? E.g. I saw a bit where Zorak hits SG with a folding chair... that wouldn't be part of the original, would it?
Fun fact: Evan Dorkin and Sarah Dyer, of Milk & Cheese and Action Girl comics respectively, were among the writers.
posted by zompist at 1:48 PM on April 19 [2 favorites]
As good as SGC2C was, I enjoyed Cartoon Planet a little more; IIRC it was the dadaist SG/Brak interstitials between old H-B shorts that were the seed for SGC2C. Cartoon Planet's dadaism had a much more naive quality to them compared to SGC2C, which at times (at least to me) was trying a little too hard to be weird and goofy. Plus, I got to watch old Secret Squirrel and Huckleberry Hound shorts on Cartoon Planet.
posted by KingEdRa at 2:22 PM on April 19 [4 favorites]
posted by KingEdRa at 2:22 PM on April 19 [4 favorites]
I remember. the episode where SG followed an ant walking across the studio for what seemed like forever ... and I watched it, thinking they'll get to the joke sometime and the payoff better be epic.
I'm an idiot some days.
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 3:13 PM on April 19
I'm an idiot some days.
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 3:13 PM on April 19
This post is so totally Welcome to the Eponysterical Multidome from title to poster to comments that I would need to inhale helium to properly shriek my approval.
posted by y2karl at 9:21 PM on April 20 [3 favorites]
posted by y2karl at 9:21 PM on April 20 [3 favorites]
Best talk show since... Larry Sanders.
(I can only watch a few minutes at time before it gets too mentally exhausting. But I always go back again;)
posted by ovvl at 10:51 AM on April 22
(I can only watch a few minutes at time before it gets too mentally exhausting. But I always go back again;)
posted by ovvl at 10:51 AM on April 22
I have been going to sleep to this the past few nights. They might as well turn it into a Pluto channel… so good
posted by JoeXIII007 at 10:14 PM on April 25
posted by JoeXIII007 at 10:14 PM on April 25
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whut?
I was there, September 1966 (almost sixty years ago), just turned seven and finally waking up to the splendour of Saturday morning cartoons. With Space Ghost the fab new item!
posted by philip-random at 9:39 PM on April 18 [7 favorites]