''The Rudy and GoGo World Famous Cartoon Show'' was a programming block of cartoons for
TNT
Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...
during the mid-1990s. Hosted by "Rowdy" Rudy R. Moore (a
marionette
A marionette (; french: marionnette, ) is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a marionettist. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed ...
puppet of a young boy, who looked a little like
Howdy Doody
''Howdy Doody'' is an American Children's television series, children's television program (with circus and Western (genre), Western frontier themes) that was created and produced by Victor F Campbell
), and his pet goat Gogo (a live action
nanny goat
The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...
), the show featured a variety of cartoon short subjects from
Turner Entertainment
Turner Entertainment Company is an American multimedia company founded by Ted Turner in 1986. Purchased by Time Warner in 1996 as part of its acquisition of Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), the company was largely responsible for overseeing th ...
's library, including pre-August 1948
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
cartoons such as ''
Tom and Jerry
''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series c ...
'' and ''
Droopy
Droopy is an animated character from the golden age of American animation. He is an anthropomorphic white Basset Hound with a droopy face; hence his name. He was created in 1943 by Tex Avery for theatrical cartoon shorts produced by the Metro- ...
Popeye the Sailor
Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar.
Characters and celebrity guest appearances
The show had a quite few minor characters, such as the skeleton puppet Boney Bonerton, voiced by show co-producer Jack Pendarvis. Boney Bonerton would host mini talk shows or game shows, and there would be commercial parodies advertising Boney Bonerton merchandise (i.e. The Boney Bonerton video game or the "Boney Bonerton Just Sings" CD). Also members of the band
The Mekons
The Mekons are a British band formed in the late 1970s as an art collective. They are one of the longest-running and most prolific of the first-wave British punk rock bands.
The band's style has evolved over time to incorporate aspects of ...
were regulars on the show,
Sally Timms
Sally Timms (born 29 November 1959) is an English singer and lyricist. Timms is best known for her long involvement with The Mekons whom she joined in 1985.Sally Timmsat Allmusic
Career
Born in Leeds, in 1959,Wallenfeldt, Jeffthe Mekons in ...
played the character Cowboy Sally (from "Wild West Yorkshire"), and
Jon Langford
Jonathan Denis Langford (born 11 October 1957) is a Welsh musician and artist based in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
Langford is a founder member of the punk band The Mekons, the post-punk group The Three Johns, and the alternative count ...
played the Olde Salty Sea Biscuit, a pirate who would be shown floating on a canoe in a giant bathroom sink. Other celebrity guest appearances included
Jeff Goldblum
Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum (; born October 22, 1952) is an American actor and musician. He has starred in some of the highest-grossing films of his era, such as ''Jurassic Park'' (1993) and ''Independence Day'' (1996), as well as their sequels.
...
,
Will Smith
Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom '' The Fresh ...
Doctor Dré
André "Doctor Dré" Brown (born December 5, 1963) is an American rapper, radio personality and former MTV VJ.
Early life
André Brown was born and raised in Westbury, New York, on Long Island. Career
In the early 1980s, Doctor Dré was a DJ ...
from ''
Yo! MTV Raps
''Yo! MTV Raps'' is an American two-hour television music video program, which first aired on MTV Europe from 1987 to mid-90s and on MTV US from August 1988 to August 1995. The American version of the program (created by Ted Demme and Peter Doug ...
''.
Variations and film specials
Some episodes ran under various titles (such as "Rudy and Gogo 2000", "Rudy y Gogo", and "Taterhole") and TNT also used Rudy and Gogo as hosts for various cult classic film marathon specials, such as "Rudy and Gogo's Thanksgiving Leftover Special" and "Rudy and Gogo's Funtime Movie Parade". The "Rudy and Gogo's New Year's Eve Flaming Cheese Ball" special for New Year's Eve 1995 showed the films ''
The Blob
''The Blob'' is a 1958 American science fiction horror film directed by Irvin Yeaworth, and written by Kay Linaker and Theodore Simonson. It stars Steve McQueen (in his first feature film leading role) and Aneta Corsaut and co-stars Earl Rowe ...
'', ''
Queen of Outer Space
''Queen of Outer Space'' is a 1958 American science fiction feature film shot in DeLuxe Color and CinemaScope. Produced by Ben Schwalb and directed by Edward Bernds, it stars Zsa Zsa Gabor, Eric Fleming, and Laurie Mitchell. The screenplay by C ...
'', ''
House on Haunted Hill
''House on Haunted Hill'' is a 1959 American horror film produced and directed by William Castle, written by Robb White and starring Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart, Richard Long, Alan Marshal, Carolyn Craig and Elisha Cook Jr. Price plays an ...
'', and '' Thunderbirds Are Go'' and featured Gogo's surprise announcement for the 1996 US presidential election, as well the anticlimactic dropping of the giant cheese ball at midnight. The "Gogo Para Presidente" campaign jingle became a popular segment of the show.
End of the series and fan followings
In 1996, the Minneapolis rock trio John Updyke's Lick Pussy (later renamed J.U.L.P) recorded a version of "Gogo Para Presidente" for a 7" vinyl b-side for the Earmark Records label. In 1997 they debuted a music video, directed by Mike "Suade" Newell, at First Avenue Nightclub. This low budget, sepia-toned short featured the band putting up "snipe" posters that read "Vote Goat" on walls and phone poles. It was later included on Newell's DVD entitled "Michael C. Newell - History: 1991-2004".
The program was also a favorite in college dorms and had a particularly devoted following in
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, th ...
’s Hayden Hall. During the 1995–96 school year, several freshmen students wrote to the program and were rewarded by having their names appear on screen as friends of the show. The series ended its run in August 1997. In fall 1998, TNT stopped showing cartoons altogether and the network started to change its image.