An Animated Discussion

We’re not remotely suggesting that “The Simpsons” is a doddering old, money grubbing franchise that should be flushed from society like a turd from an irritable bowel. This is more of an on-site, from-the-office face-to-face suggestion.

A member of our troupe grew up “studying” comic strips in the newspapers. You know, those panels in the newspaper that, as Captain Splatman and Sergeant Entrails might say, feature male characters with abnormally large heads, large bulbous noses with no nostrils, massive overbites, round close set eyes that look like they’ve been welded together, can’t count to seventeen unless they’re naked, never change their clothes, and so forth. This same member of our troupe found reading older cartoons from the same strip rather eye opening. It was very surreal for him to see characters evolve (mainly in the form of ballooning heads and hands) whilst at the same time never aging and moving along a floating timeline. You’ll be happy to know that we here at CoBaD have zero tolerance for such abhorrent practices. We never cut corners, incisors or digits with our characters, and use only environmentally-responsible and cruelty-free disruptions of the space time continuum in our cartoons. We like the bulbous heads and nostril-less noses, though, so deal with it. But we digress.

This troupe member found, evolution aspects aside, that what was true for the “legacy” comic strips is also true for “The Simpsons” now; a series that was once upon a time consistently funny, relatable and socially relevant, but now, as many critics will agree, is only occasionally funny, relatable and relevant, and is only kept around because they are “cash cows” for their respective media outlets. Unfortunately, unless these cartoonists step aside (and drop the “draw till you drop (dead)” mentality so pervasive in the cartoon industry) or their ratings plummet, there will always remain a “logjam” of artists behind them with newer and fresher ideas who will never get a chance to showcase their talents on a national stage. For more on CoBaD’s thoughts on these franchise “cash cows” and their respective artists’ “trips to the well,” see our very first skit “Love Cuts Like a Cheese.”

When a member of our troupe was a boy, his parents gave him and his older brother a chest of drawers (aka, a dresser to put clothes in). Throughout his entire childhood, he mistakenly called the dresser his “chester drawers.” It wasn’t until many years later that he learned the awful, embarrassing truth. You’ll be happy to know that he is older and wiser now, and is currently on the lookout for a dresser made out of authentic chester wood. We understand that Mondegreen Furniture Outlet and Malapropism Consignment might have the very chester drawers he's looking for. However, if any of you come across such a dresser, please let us here at CoBaD know so that we can pass on the happy news.