1984 8:30 on CBS: THE GET ALONG GANG

[captain-slinky.livejournal.com]

In 1984 at 8:30 in the morning, CBS ironically ran the most Orwellian of all 1980's cartoons, The Get Along Gang. Created by a committee of artists and marketing specialists at the American Greetings Toy Design & Marketing Division (trying to refine and recreate the powerhouse merchandising magic of Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, Shirt Tales and Smurfs) working in conjunction with the never-more-powerful Parental Watchdog Groups, The Get Along Gang was an experiment in just how much influence and control mass media had over the masses. Writer Mark Evanier summed it up very well:

"[Television watchgroups] all seek to make kidvid more enriching and redeeming, at least by their definitions, and at the time, they had enough clout to cause the networks to yield. Consultants were brought in and we, the folks who were writing cartoons, were ordered to include certain "pro-social" morals in our shows. At the time, the dominant "pro-social" moral was as follows: The group is always right...the complainer is always wrong.

This was the message of far too many eighties' cartoon shows. If all your friends want to go get pizza and you want a burger, you should bow to the will of the majority and go get pizza with them. There was even a show for one season on CBS called The Get-Along Gang, which was dedicated unabashedly to this principle. Each week, whichever member of the gang didn't get along with the others learned the error of his or her ways....

...I don't believe you should always go along with the group. What about thinking for yourself? What about developing your own personality and viewpoint? What about doing things because you decide they're the right thing to do, not because the majority ruled and you got outvoted?"

Thirteen mind-controlling episodes were produced, which American Greetings still refuses to release on DVD for some unknown reason. Like, not just a "Meh nobody would want a DVD of that show", but an actively negative stance towards any company approaching them regarding DVD release rights! The closest to a full season DVD release we've ever gotten is from Mill Creek Entertainment, who released a low-quality "Best Of" DVD that contained 10 of the 13 episodes(?!) and then the remaining 3 episodes were released as "Bonus Features" on other 80's cartoon DVD releases such as Heathcliff and the popular-but-oddly-mish-mashed TV Toons To Go DVD set. Weeeeeeird....

Comments

[bookishwench.livejournal.com]

Huh. I vaguely remember this having a different opening.

[artytoons.livejournal.com]

I like the show and the characters. The kids hang out at Hoofnagel's ice cream parlor...and they tend to enjoy different flavors from the colors of their scoops of ice creams...a subtle way of dispelling the groupthink stereotype of the concept.

Yes, it's nice to be unique and thinking independently just so one doesn't alienate close friends by acting like a jerk in the process. Getting along and still remaining friends after a disagreement probably rings more true (I know some people who can't manage that at all)...and if things like obeying the law, being nice to someone, or protecting something valuable from being damaged or destroyed that requires a majority mutual vote within the group...who can vote against with a clear conscience?

With ensemble shows like "Hill Street Blues" and "St. Elsewhere" (3 comedic/dramatic storylines with a regular cast of 12 to 15 actors plus guest stars in every episode) airing on prime-time to critical acclaim around that time in the 1980s, an animated ensemble cast would be just as interesting, although with a half hour format with two 10 minutes stories per episode...the multiple storyline format may be difficult to do. The Gang had some unused potential on that end.

It's not the funniest or best animated show ever...but it had its charm.

[paul mcnaughton (from livejournal.com)]

...I don't believe you should always go along with the group. What about thinking for yourself? What about developing your own personality and viewpoint?

...Or, if the above seems too much like hard work, why not just mindlessly parrot someone else's "POV" and pass it off as your own? As the OP rightly says, it's out on DVD now. It's also been out on VHS for a lot longer and there are several full episodes on YouTube, if you're in the mood to try before you buy.

Those who can muster the will and brainpower to actually watch the show might just find out that it's real pros and cons are hugely at odds with Mark Evanier's weasel words. That's not "Orwellian" or "mind control", that's getting your goddamn facts in order, something far too many on the internet and in real life don't seem to give a tinkers piss about.

[dark-weezing.livejournal.com]

The series might have its problems, sure (and artytoons gave a good defense), but I got to admit -- that intro is surprisingly catchy.

And having been a Boston Public fan, I was amused to no end to find out that this was one of Nicky Katt's earliest gigs. XD

[janusfiles.livejournal.com]

When did the watchdog groups begin to lose their hold on the networks?

[demonicgerbil.livejournal.com]

Oh god we're getting into cartoons I vaguely remember from before I could remember things. Soon we'll be talking about cartoons I actually do remember.