Michigan J. Frog

Michigan J. Frog
Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies character
First appearance One Froggy Evening (December 31, 1955)
Created by Chuck Jones
Voiced by Bill Roberts (1955)
John Hillner (1990)
Jeff McCarthy (1995–2006)
Eric Goldberg (2003)
Jeff Bergman (2015)
Information
Species Frog
Gender Male
Nationality American

Michigan J. Frog is an animated cartoon character who debuted in the Merrie Melodies cartoon One Froggy Evening (December 31, 1955), written by Michael Maltese and directed by Chuck Jones. In this cartoon, Michigan is a male frog who wears a top hat, carries a cane, sings pop music, ragtime, Tin Pan Alley hits, and other songs from the late 19th and early 20th century while dancing and performing acrobatics in the style of early 20th century vaudeville. He appeared in a later cartoon titled Another Froggy Evening which was released on October 6, 1995. He was also a former mascot of The WB Television Network from that year until 2005, and after The Night of Favorites and Farewells, he was shown as the final image of a white silhouette bowing down to viewers, bringing up The CW Television Network.

History

The frog's earliest name was "Enrico," as given in The Bugs Bunny Show (1960).[1] The character's later, enduring name comes from the song "The Michigan Rag" (an original song written by Jones, Maltese, and musical director Milt Franklyn), which he sings in the cartoon. In a clip from a DVD special, Jones stated that he had come up with the name "Michigan Frog" during the 1970s and was inspired to add the "J." as a middle initial while being interviewed by a writer named Jay Cocks.[2]

The Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVD credits Frog's original singing vocals to Bill Roberts, a nightclub entertainer in Los Angeles in the 1950s who had also done voice work for the 1948 MGM cartoon Little 'Tinker. Information in the Internet Movie Database confirms what the DVD covered and adds some details.[3] In Another Froggy Evening, his voice was provided by Jeff McCarthy.

A descendant of Michigan J. Frog made a cameo appearance in the Wabbit episode "Misjudgement Day" voiced by Jeff Bergman. He appears at the end of the episode as the one who sent one of his robots to destroy Bugs Bunny.

Years with The WB

Michigan J. Frog from 1995-2001
Watch the Frog. Michigan J. Frog from 2001-2005

Michigan J. Frog, again voiced by McCarthy, was the official mascot of The WB Television Network from its inception in 1995 until 2005. The network's first night of programming on January 11, 1995 began with Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck wondering which one of them would pull the switch to launch The WB. The camera then panned over to Chuck Jones drawing Michigan on an easel; when Jones finished, Michigan leapt from the drawing to formally launch The WB.

Michigan also would usually appear before the opening of shows, informing the viewer of the TV rating. For example, before Savannah starts, the frog would sing a short monologue suggesting that "[t]here's more comedy for the family Wednesday nights" and that kids should go to bed, meaning that the show coming on would be for mature audiences only. In later shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, the announcer will present a TV-PG disclaimer though the frog still appears as a neon sign.

On July 22, 2005, Michigan's "death" was announced by WB Network Chairman Garth Ancier at a fall season preview with the terse statement "The frog is dead and buried." The head of programming for the WB Network, David Janollari, stated that "[Michigan] was a symbol that perpetuated the young teen feel of the network. That's not the image we [now] want to put out to our audience."[4]

Various humorous obituaries for the mascot were published with details on Michigan's life and death. His dates were given as December 31, 1955 - July 22, 2005. Despite the announcement by Ancier, Michigan still appeared in several Kids' WB! promos and bumpers and in some WB affiliate logos and in TV spots, such as KWBF in Little Rock, Arkansas (whose early slogan was "The Frog"; the "F" in KWBF is supposedly for "frog"), during 2006, and WBRL-CA in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Also, WMJF, a small student-run television station at Towson University just outside Baltimore, Maryland, still uses the same call letters (WMJF -Michigan J. Frog) from when the station was a WB affiliate. A neon likeness of Michigan J. Frog also adorns the facade of former WB affiliate WBNX-TV's studio complex in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

When the WB Television Network ceased broadcasting and signed off the air for the final time on September 17, 2006, a white silhouette of the Michigan appeared at the end of a montage of stars that appeared on the network during its 11-year history. When the montage ended with "Thank You", Michigan's silhouette is shown removing his top hat and bowing to thank the audience for 11 years, bringing The WB to a close, and later bringing The CW Network the following day, September 18, 2006.

Songs performed

Voice actors

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Beck, Jerry (2013-02-19). "WANTED: The Bugs Bunny Show". Cartoon Research. Retrieved 2015-04-05.
  2. ↑ Ebert, Roger (2006-01-15). "Chuck Jones: Three Cartoons (1953-1957)". rogerebert.com. Chicago Sun Times online. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
  3. ↑ Bill Roberts (VIII)
  4. ↑ Michigan J. Frog has no leg to stand on, TV.com, July 26, 2005. Retrieved May 4, 2013.

References

Comics Buyer's Guide #1614 (March 2006; Page 38)

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