John K. Ren and Stimpy Creator Back Doing Web Cartoons and Digital Toys

Hi

Hey do you folks mind if I take a moment to plug my latest stuff?

and you can see just how I pitch my cartoons - I'm in there in the flesh acting out the story

do it!

OK. Here's the deal. It's almost impossible for me to do anything like Ren and Stimpy on the networks again-unless I produce cartoons first and then bring them finished.

So if you wanna see more of the kind of stuff that you can only get from me, help me make this cartoon! there are swell rewards for you too: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1056985656/john-ks-cans-without-labels

thanks!

Mr. K.

Big fan of your work. I been collecting your artwork for years, everything ranging from Ren and Stimpy to the NBC Peacock to Jimmy the Idiot Boy in a Fanta commercial.

A few years ago, I bought a watercolor from a guy who swore it was an original used in production. I didn't believe it because it was so damn cheap. But I really liked the image so I picked it up anyway.

Any chance I lucked out and got a real original? Here's an image.

Yeah that's a real BG! You lucky dog.

Hi, John! I've been a huge fan of Ren and Stimpy since my childhood. I just want to start off by saying thank you for all the crazy cartoon madness you've graced us with :D. Also, because of Ren and Stimpy, I received my first A+ in school (I decided to do a report on the show for my english class) lol. I consider you to be my first childhood hero! So I really want to ask you, how did you come up with the dialogue for Ren's freak outs/breakdowns? Like in Insomniac Ren, Space Madness, the boot camp episode and even the one time Stimpy showed a crazier side in Mad Dog Hoek? Also (slightly off topic) I've heard in the audio commentary in the first DVD someone mentioned you practicing odd expressions in a mirror and drawing them down too. How do you get so specific with the faces? Much respect, http://imgur.com/5XqDi

You're welcome!

For Space Madness I had to rewrite the crazy monologue about 10 times! I made some of it up but I also used lines from "The Night Of The Hunter" and "Champion" (old manly movies)

The execs thought it was too scary so I had to do it over and over.

The crazy scene in Sven Hoek was inspired by someone who went nuts in the crew.

Mad Dog Hoek Stimpy speech was from a bunch of letters an elementary school class sent me to talk me into using "Darren" as a voice for the second "Powdered Toastman" cartoon.

Whoa! This is hard to keep up with. I'm typing madly so forgive me if it takes me some time to get to your questions!

First of all let me say thank you for pushing Ren And Stimpy so hard until the networks listened. I am of the opinion that is shared by many others that without Ren And Stimpy paving the way many other satirical cartoons and animation shows that are around today wouldn’t be. Also I loved the show as a kid and still do! On to the questions!

1) What the fuck man? Ren & Stimpy is BRILLIANT in my opinion, but it is also very weird/twisted sometimes. How did you come up with the idea?

2) Were you disappointed when the “Adult Party Cartoon” version crashed and burned? Why do you think it didn’t take off?

3) Are you working on any new projects at the moment?

4) Who is your favourite Dr.(Who) And why?

It wasn't an "idea". They started as mindless doodles I used to do while talking on the phone. They sort of evolved into a show, bit by bit. APC had it's hiccups. Spike wanted me to "adult up" the show and I didn't really know what that meant so I watched the current prime time cartoons that were popular and saw that they were way more "edgy" than the original Ren and Stimpy so I just added some more sexy stuff.

Then they didn't air them. If they had kept it going, we would have smoothed everything out.

It was very popular on DVD though.

ill teach your grandmother to suck eggs

She already knew how to do that. That's where I learned it from

Is Billy West human? How can he do all those voices?

Definitely an X Man

Here's my Twitter account btw

twitter.com/JohnKricfalusi1

How are you and Billy West doing?

Beautiful. He's dating my sister.

First, thanks for doing this, and thanks for improving comedy for an entire generation. I feel like you broke down barriers for network content, introduced FZ to a lost generation, and most importantly, never milked it - unparalleled joke density with amazing creativity. My HS years were spent whispering "Call the poleeece", "maybe something good will happen...", "someday you'll be big, bigger than me...", among others. Really looking forward to checking out the new new.

My question regards "Nurse Stimpy" (and other "Spum" projects). Can you say specifically where you felt the episode did not meet your standards, or can you comment generally on what you prioritize in a masterpiece?

Thanks again, you've given me eternal hope, even though I'm still just a bum.

Nurse Stimpy was just badly drawn. More specifically the overseas animation and clean up was very sloppy and dirty and the backgrounds were very scratchy.

I was amazed when it got good notices. I guess the story made up for the itchy looking finish.

Just wanted to say your new kickstarter project looks hilarious.

Why not pitch it to a network, though? I bet it would get picked up in a second.

Edit: Link for the lazy.

I've pitched it 50 times. It's too "animated" for them. They always say "Can we just have the characters talk, and not do all that moving around?"

Fox told me that adults don't like slapstick. They only like words.

Damnit man, i loved Ren & Stimpy as a child. Thank YOU!

You are welcome!

Do you still keep in touch with Ralph Bakshi anymore? How did Matt Groening approach you over the couch gag? How'd you get Frank Zappa to voice the pope in the Powdered Toast Man episode? Was he a big fan of the show and approached you guys first? Your thoughts on independent animators like Bill Plympton?

I see Ralph every could years when he comes out to LA. Usually we get pizza and laugh about old times.

Al Jean (Simpsons head writer) contacted me and I went down to Fox to have lunch with he and Matt. We sketched out the idea and I came back and animated it with my crew.It was a blast!

sorry for the delay! I've been struggling to get this done correctly

Hard to choose! The Great Piggy Bank Robbery might be my favorite. Today...

How did Ren and Stimpy become an Adult cartoon? When I saw it I thought it was funny, but it also felt like my childhood had been raped.

When Spike asked me to make new ones they told me to make them more like Family Guy and South Park

I can't figure out which posts are the latest ones. They seem to appear all over the place at random, so forgive me if I am missing answering some

MORE POWDERED TOAST MAN

I wish I could!

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Bjork was great. I ran into her manager and she told me Bjork was a fan. She gave me tickets and a backstage pass to a concert in Hollywood.

I met her after the show and asked her if she wanted to make a cartoon and she squeaked "OK!"

http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/search/label/Bjork

What's your favorite body part to illustrate?

....the buttocks

pretty much most cartoonists love butts

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I was thinking if the Kickstarter thing exceeds the goal by 50%, I would include a short animated bit with Sody Pop -of course in something skimpy.

http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2008/08/sody-pop-models-from-layouts.html

I am a 3D animator and just want to thank you for being my main inspirations in pursuing this form of art.

Me and my father used to watch the marathons of Ren & Stimpy that Nick would have on the weekends. I cant remember laughing harder than with him watching that show.

Thank you. What have you worked on?

What were some of the more memorable moments working with Billy West?

In Sven Hoek when he suggested using "Y"s not only for "J"s but for other consonants at random. It was always fun when he came in to record. I would act out the storyboards for him and then he would ad lib sue of the lines and make them funnier.

Gary Owens, Cheryl Chase, Mike Pataki and other actors also brought a to of creativity to the show.

Mr. "K", I would just like to say thank you. Ren & Stimpy is such a wonderfully bizarre show and, as an animator, has inspired me a lot. Is there any advice you could give to young animators?

(Also, Powdered Toast Man is the best superhero to ever exist)

My advice is to learn as much about drawing as you can - get lots of skills!

But also animate now. Animating helps you learn what kind of drawing is practical for animating.

Maybe this will help: http://johnkcurriculum.blogspot.com/

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Yeah I felt pretty bad. I tried to stay out of it. But Howard just kept pushing buttons. I was there to talk about George Liquor

http://johnkpitch.blogspot.com/2007/10/who-is-george-liquor.html

but Howard kept changing the topic to ugliness.

Ren and Stimpy traumatized me as a child.

I'm still traumatized!

A couple questions for you! What was it like working for Nickelodeon? Were the exec's on board with how subversive Ren and Stimpy was or did they keep trying to reel it back?

Also, I am definitely going to be donating to your kickstarter today! I'd love to have an original drawing, I hope it goes well over your goal!

It was sometimes great, sometimes stormy. The main executive loved it (except for the gross stuff) but the story experts at Nickelodeon never understood it.)

Thanks!!

I am a huge fan of your work. Ren & Stimpy is one of the cartoons that i grew up with. I remember staying up late at night, eagerly waiting for Ren & Stimpy on nickelodeon (on cable because i'm not from the US). I was really sad when nickelodeon stopped airing new episodes of your show. I can honestly say that Ren & Stimpy was a big part of my childhood so thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for making it such a fun one. Why did you stop making them? Is there a possibility that you will make new episodes?

I didn't have a say in making more at Spumco. Nickelodeon wanted o start their own studio and asked me to help them do it. I was happy with my own so they just came and took everything.

I have lots more stories for them but unfortunately I don't own the characters. I retained George Liquor though and am doing new cartoons with him online.

"I'm in the closet...like an idiot"

Any subtext there?

Nah they were just playing with poo.

Did you think Ren & Stimpy was a little to adult/dark for a kids audience? What did producers or others think?

What is your current favorite cartoon series that you have not worked on?

Thanks for your awesome work!

I made it especially for the kids and whenever I watched a group of kids watching it, I never saw any of 'em cry or anything.

I still think Beavis and Butthead is the funniest modern cartoon.

What, in your opinion, is Bob Clampett's best Looney Tunes short?

whoops I answered in the wrong field (above)

If you could have done anything else with your life, say this sort of stuff wasn't available at the time, what would you have done with your life?

I would probably be standing at the freeway exit with a cup in my hand.

hey would you still do ren and stimpy episodes if you could? Who owns the rights to it, will we ever see it on the web?

Nickelodeon owns it. It would be risky to do new ones, because everyone who grew up with it remembers certain things about it and imagines that it should always be just how he remembered it.

But thing about the show was that it constantly evolved.

Hey folks, it looks like things are slowing down now and I gotta run to a meeting at Amazon.

Thanks everybody for joining in. Feel free to add more comments and questions. I'll check back tonight and tomorrow.

Also, They should put you on Futurama!

Me personally? That would look mighty odd.

Another question... Is it just me or Rens face is an image of a woman's naked body? (I felt so weird as a kid thinking about it).

IT'S JUST YOOOOOOUUUUUUUUU....shame

Top 3 cartoons, besides Ren & Stimpy?

You mean characters?

Daffy Duck, Popeye, Foghorn Leghorn...it's hard to choose! There are so many greats.

Hey John!

You kick more ass than a temple full of shaolin monks! Thanks for fire dogs - timeless!!

Where do you like to vacation? If you could use only one condiment for the remainder of your life, what would it be and why? What's the most screwed up mis-pronunciation of your last name you've heard.

Good luck with your project!

My favorite condiment is meat.

John Chrispy-Goosey

Who's your favorite, Ren or Stimpy ?

I like 'em both but identify more with Ren. Although I'm like Stimpy when it comes to social media and technology.

Which episode of Ren and Stimpy that you wrote, do you think is the funniest and still makes you laugh the most?

I can't watch my own cartoons for a long time after I finish 'em. I just see the mistakes.

Love Ren and Stimpy!

Thanks for doing this!

And your possible new cartoon looks mighty cool, can wait to see how it goes!

Speaking of which, I'm gonna go watch Ren and Stimpy on Netflix.

Thanks! Will you help me spread the word? http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1056985656/john-ks-cans-without-labels

Are you going to actually post your cartoons on YouTube for the people that haven't really watched any of your cartoons?

I think they are all on there already! Just not all on one network.

Are you sure it was made for kids?

Awesome show, thanks!

Yeah it was made for kids. I was surprised when grown ups liked it.

I love your JohnK Curriculum stuff that you've put together. Cartoon knowledge gold. Do you plan on adding more content / lessons to it in the future?

Little by little I add to it. I may add some "How to" as a bonus on "Cans Without Labels".

Here's How to Ink in Toonboom.

http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2012/07/fancy-comic-book-inking-easy-to-do-for.html

Have you ever written an episode of Ren and Stimpy that was not allowed to be put on air?

Lots of 'em. After Nickelodeon took over the show they produced some of them. Ren's Pecs, Ren Gets Help

they didn't quite grasp what I had in mind though

Great to see you here John. I grew up watching Ren and Stimpy with my brother, and it pretty much shaped our vocabulary and behaviour toward one another. We still say 'Oh joy,' every now and again. May I ask?

1. What was your favourite cartoon as a child?
2. Do you have brothers or family members that you interacted with in a Ren and Stimpy manner?
3. Was there any subject material that you came up with or that was suggested that you thought was just a little too gross to animate?
4. What do you think of animation techniques and styles today in comparison to back then?
5. I forgot to return some DVDs this afternoon - could you pass them back into blockbuster for me?

I loved most cartoons as a kid. I learned to draw by copying the early HB characters: Huck, Yogi, Quick Draw, The Flintstones etc...

http://funkyhb.blogspot.com/

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Once in a blue moon

Where did your inspiration for your many characters come from?

from the loins.

Actually Ren was a combination of a real chihuahua and Peter Lorre

Stimpy was a phone doodle of a retarded cat. His voice is an imitation of Larry Fine from the 3 Stooges

I have no questions, but I just wanted to thank you for being an extremely talented artist and animator and a very funny person. Ren and Stimpy has been one of my all-time favorite things to watch since day one. I have the DVDs and I really enjoyed your audio commentaries, too. The behind-the-scenes story is really fascinating. Thanks for standing up for yourself and your work, and please do continue for a long time!

thank you too!

How do you feel about intellectual property rights? (sounds random I know)

I had a teacher once tell us that Mickey Mouse will never enter the public domain. Disney has too much to lose, so they push intellectual property rights farther and farther past the creators death. (Currently its creators lifetime + 70 years)

Is there a greater good in allowing intellectual property into the public domain, or is the artist really being protected by these rights (in your opinion, obviously)?

I feel that creators should be protected by law. You shouldn't be allowed to buy someone's creation outright.

Question about Ralph Bakshi: if he asked for your help to work on The Last Days OF Coney Island, would you do it?

I'd happily give him gags for free if he wanted them.

What does George Liquor hate most about the Olympics?

I'll have to gnaw on that one for a bit.

What impact in your humble opinion did Ren and Stimpy have on comics and cartoons for kids and even adults in the 90's?

Maybe gross jokes have become more mainstream. I wish the custom drawings and acting had more of a lasting influence.

Hi, John. Thanks for doing this. What's your favourite animated feature film?

Snow White

Just wanted to say that I'm glad I was a kid when Ren & Stimpy was in its infancy. I loved that I was watching a show that many friends' parents hated (to be fair, we were all 4 years old), and R&S was, along with The Simpsons, a huge factor in the shaping of my sense of humor. My favorite t-shirt I've ever owned was a R&S one that I had around that time. I wish I was a dwarf so that I wouldn't have had to get rid of it.

Thanks for everything.

Thank you!

Here's a cartoon I did that tells you about some new shirts I designed: http://johnkricfalusidemo.blogspot.com/

Now you can wear one of those till it's as stinky as your ordinal Ren and Stimpy shirt!

Ren used to scare the living crap outta me, but it was still my favorite show! What inspired you to make such a surreal show?

A strange upbringing.

What's your opinion of digital animation vs cels? Is it nothing but an advantage, or does it sometimes alter/restrict the way stuff is animated?

You mean 2d digital?

I've gotten pretty used to drawing on a cintiq and I like it. I still prefer real painted backgrounds though over digital.

Hi John K. well, its not really a question about Ren and Stimpy (which I lurve, btw) but more of an art question. I've been drawing from the Preston Blair book and model sheets and I think I've more or less got down how to do cutesy animals but not so much cartoon-y people. Do you have tips?

Practice!

Try animating some of them

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Hi.

I am also developing "digital toys" . I love cartoon toys and collect tons of 'em.

They are expensive to produce though so I came up with the idea to make some digital toys that people could collect and trade.

Like these:

http://johnkpitch.blogspot.com/search/label/toys

I'm a huge fan of your work; you're one of the big reasons I got my undergrad in animation.

So, I'm a fan of your "Adult Party Cartoon" series, and you mentioned something on this reddit here: specifically, 'Spike wanted me to "adult up" the show and I didn't really know what that meant.' I'd say that's exactly what they were after, because even with your signature "gross" style, you capture "sexy" extremely well too.

• Have you considered doing more Adult Party Cartoons (or something similar) more in line with "Naked Beach Frenzy?"

• What's your ideal format for releasing your work? Why?

• You're obviously trained in classical animation. Which animators were inspirational to you as an aspiring animator?

Thanks for answering so many of our questions! I'm gonna go pledge to your Kickstarter now. :)

Well I always liked drawing sexy girls but networks usually won't let me do it because it "demeans women".

http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2009/03/vary-your-antics.html http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2010/11/inking-practice.html

by format do you mean TV or web? or do you mean ratio - widescreen vs 4:3?

I prefer 4:3 but no one does that anymore

I like almost all cartoons from the 1930s to the 1950s

Thanks for supporting me new cartoon!

Happy Day Of Bliss to my best friends Mike and Vanessa!

How much did drugs or alcohol affect the storylines of Ren and Stimpy? Come on man, admit to the LSD usage, Black Hole episode is my evidence! :D

Edit: Also, BEST CHARACTERS IN A CARTOON---EVER!!!

No drugs, maybe beer

Hi John,

Quick question, who do you feel inspired you the most?

Thanks

Lots and lots of artists, actors, writers, directors.

Bob Clampett, Charles Schultz, Johnny Hart, Kirk Douglas, Joan Crawford, John Huston, Jackie Gleason, Jack Benny, Peter Lorre, Fred Flintstone...

What inspired the tooth fairy episode? Ren and Stimpy captured my attention in the most disturbing ways when I was a kid, especially that episode. My dad and I used to get in trouble with my mom for watching it, I was about five.

Basil Wolverton inspired the close ups. The real Tooth Fairy inspired the cartoon

Hey John! I have always thought that The Ripping Friends is one of the craziest and funniest shows of all time. How did you come up with the original idea for it?

I came up with it after pitching funny animal shows to a syndicator of daily cartoons. The guy laughed at Ren and Stimpy and other show ideas but then said: "These are great but honestly what we need are superhero type shows that we can make toys of." Kids want to act out violent stuff and rip everything apart.

So I went to lunch with my crew and told them and then had an inspiration.

http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2007/04/real-ripping-friends.html

I FUCKING LOVE THE RIPPING FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did it get cancelled or something?

It was too cheap to keep producing. It was a very hard show to do - especially for the money.

What do you want on your sandwich?

MEAT