Starring the Warner siblings, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, Animaniacs lives on as a reminder of how a cartoon could appeal to children without talking down to them. With that in mind, here are some things you probably didn't notice while watching Animaniacs as a kid. Perhaps the most well-known aspect of Animaniacs that is clearly meant for adult amusement is the show's proliferation of suggestive innuendo. For example, Yakko and Wakko are constantly howling at an array of busty female characters with their catchphrase.
Dot is usually critical of her brothers' overenthusiastic libidos, though she commits her fair share of ogling as well. And these shenanigans go beyond mere catcalls and whistles.
In one episode, Yakko asks Dot to "dust for prints." She dutifully does so, and when she calls for her brother's attention with legendary musician Prince in her arms, he admonishes her:
And that's not the only time the show implied something a little less innocent than a literal definition. In the episode "Wakko's America," the Warners are playing Jeopardy! when Wakko finds the Daily Double. When asked how much of his winnings he'd like to wager, he fearlessly proclaims:
Yakko and Dot look understandably shellshocked in response to that proclamation, though Wakko doesn't say anything else too suggestive before singing about the state capitals.
Celebrity cameos are often a surefire way to give TV viewers the thrill of recognizing some of their favorite entertainers, but there were a few cameos on Animaniacs that probably went unrecognized by its pint-sized fans. One regular was the show's executive producer, Steven Spielberg. As someone who usually works behind the camera, Spielberg probably wouldn't be a face that little kids would immediately recognize. But since the show took place on the Warner Brothers lot, it made sense for such a major filmmaking figure to occasionally appear.
In the episode "Chairman of the Bored," a scene depicting Hollywood luminaries like Cher and Jack Nicholson seems to take its cue from the Looney Tunes short "Hollywood Steps Out" from way back in 1941. The chances that kids would know these celebrities are middling at best, and they surely wouldn't have picked up on the reference to old Hollywood, either. Although, to be fair, that would probably be a stretch for many adults, as well, unless they grew up in the 1940s themselves. Things in Animaniacs you never noticed as a kid!
#Animaniacs
Naughty Warner siblings | 0:15
Celebrity cameos | 1:21
Satirizing Hollywood from the inside | 2:12
The gangsters of kids TV | 3:02
Reimagining literature | 4:00
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