The ANIMANIACS Lists

This is the beginning the beginning of our story The beginning...

Like many other crazy TV shows, Animaniacs has its share of running gags. (For a definition of running gags, don't ask Dot!) For lack of something better to do with my time, I have compiled a set of lists of the most common gags that run through most of the series. If you know the series in and out you can use the list below to jump straight to the different lists, if you are more confused (perhaps you just surfed in at random) there are explanations to the different concepts further down the page - just click on the underlined [?] after each entry to jump to the appropriate line.
Oh, and if you got here through the Animaniacs Web Ring (see bottom of page), check out my main page as well. [Get counted blah blah blah guest book blah blah blah who I am blah blah blah...]

(I know, the last entry has nothing to do with lists of running gags, but where else would I put the link?)
If you have any favourites that aren't on this list, let me know and I'll try to get them into the next edition. (Actually I guess I should ask for some kind of verification to make sure you're not making things up, but asking you to sample the soundtrack or digitize the end credits would perhaps be a bit much...)

Now for the explanations....

The show's name-y

The opening song usually ends like this:

We're Animani-
totally insane-y
Here's the show's name-y
Animaniacs
Those are the facts!

The third line is frequently, but not always, replaced with a different line that presumably is that show's name-y. With a few exceptions (which show up clearly in the list) it's usually something that rhymes with "insane" with a "-y" tacked on just to be weird. This list also contains a line suggested by me that as far as I know never has been used on the show. Can you spot it?

Pinky's ponderings

For those who really don't know, Pinky and the Brain are two lab mice, one stupid and one smart (no prize for guessing which is which), whose entire existence seeems devoted to taking over the world. Brain would probably have succeeded long ago if Pinky hadn't been around to mess up things.
Anyway, before this grows into a detailed analysis of the cartoon: Whenever Brain gets a great idea, he asks "Pinky, are you pondering what I am pondering?" or words to that effect, to which Pinky invariably answers "Ah... I think so, Brain, but..." and then adds a remark that clearly shows he had something completely different on his mind. Anyone who for some insane reason should want to know what Pinky is pondering has come to the right place.

Wheel of Morality

Whenever a show gets a few minutes too short the producers add some short filler scene. One of these is the Wheel of Morality which comes in a couple of variants.

1) The Warners (Yakko, Wakko and Dot) are walking through a park when Wakko declared that he's confused. His siblings aren't exactly surprised to hear this, but then he explains that he's not sure what the moral of today's show is. Yakko suggests consulting the Wheel of Morality, which then appears in the form of a big wheel of fortune with a printer attached to the side. In one variant of this variant (!) there is a slight delay as the others start crying and declare that they hate the wheel because the morals don't make sense and who got this stupid idea anyway? When they learn that the idea came from the same people who sign their paychecks, they have a sudden change of heart, and Wakko even goes as far as kissing the wheel (yuck!) and declaring that he loves it. Finally Yakko gets to spin the wheel (reciting "Wheel of Morality turn turn turn, tell us the lesson that we should learn!") which usually stops on a number. This makes the printer print out a short message which Yakko then tears off and reads. After this there is some reaction to the moral before they have to run because Ralph is catching up with them again. (Don't ask!)

2) The Warners are running through the park when Yakko suddenly stops, looks at his watch (Occasionally, that is the only time I have seen him wearing a watch!!) and tells the others that "it's That Time again". After a bit of confusion about what time it is, Yakko again introduces the Wheel, after which the scene goes mostly like above.

Oh, and one variant to the ending is that they win a prize instead of getting a moral. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after all...

The many jobs of Kathryn Page

According to the closing credits, Kathryn Page is the producer's assistant. But she is also given a different title in (or rather after) each episode (Kind of equivalent to "The Moral of the Story" in the Tiny Toons credits, only this one keeps changing.) Here's an alphabetic listing of the titles I have seen so far. (BTW, this is the only listing that has an entry for every show.)

The ending gag

The show ends with loads of credits (including Kathryn Page's job - see above) on a background which usually (with just one exception that I know of) consists of a slow zoom in on the Warners' water tower. (They live in a water tower - don't ask!) After the last credit the door fills most of the picture. It opens, and someone appears and says something. It's usually the Warners (after all they live there), but on a few occasions other characters take over the spot, usually with one of their standard lines. (Alright, always then! At least in the shows I have seen...)

Okay, I love you! By-bye!!

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