Joe Cartoon

Joe Cartoons is the name of a series of Flash-based online cartoons that was launched in 1997 by creator Joe Shields. Starting as an independent website, Joe Cartoon was previously affiliated with Atom Films, until he once again went independent in 2006.

Noted for their crude humor and tongue-in-cheek violence, Joe Cartoons were among the first widely distributed web-based productions of their kind. Produced in Macromedia's (Adobe's) Flash format, a number of the cartoons are interactive, such as "Gerbil in a Microwave" and "Frog in a Blender". Most of the cartoons often have extreme violence towards Gerbils.

In April 2006, a collection of 40 Joe Cartoon creations was released on DVD in North America. The cartoons have been recoded to be playable on set-top DVD players. Some DVD-specific content was also created for this release.

Reccuring Themes

Beyond cartoon violence in general, there are several recurring themes present throughout the Joe Cartoon franchise.

Gerbils

The Gerbil has become a signature character of Joe Cartoon. In the premises of most cartoons, the lovably sarcastic creature is subjected to physical torture and dismemberment either by the viewer (through interactive buttons) or other characters. Usually, the Gerbil maintains a cavalier attitude about what is being done to him and continues making snide remarks toward the abuser. As the injuries compound, the Gerbil becomes irritated, then angry, then terrified and is eventually destroyed (only to return back to life in another cartoon). Starting out as a primitive design for a gang of gerbils with black eyeballs, the Gerbil has been refined through the years into a more traditional, "cute" character. His cult status was solidified in the cartoon "Donkey Bong (Long)" where he unexpectedly breaks down into a comically-sad monologue about the burden of his tortured existence. The monologue is widely quoted among Joe Cartoon fans.

"Redneck" Culture

Almost all non-animal characters in the cartoons are variations of a "redneck" stereotype, that is, a poorly-educated, low or lower-middle-class, Midwestern or Southern American, popularized by comedians like Jeff Foxworthy. Joe Cartoon rednecks drink beer, speak slowly and are usually involved in farming. The Greenfields are an example of this. One type of character that stands out, is the "silhouette man" or "Joe black". This abstract individual (a dark-shaded figure of a gangly man with no facial features) was once used extensively. He was voiced in a lispy, flamboyant tone and seemed to overtly represent homosexuality until more realistic characters (like the 3rd judge in "Live and Let Dive II") began to serve the same purpose.

Mental Deficiency

Some non-recurring characters in Joe Cartoons are mentally handicapped and are usually represented with a particular design. Also, on several occasions Joe explores the juvenile concept of a character losing mental capacity due to injury or removal of the brain through blunt force ("James Brain" and "Live and Let Dive 2").

UFOs, Aliens and Surrealism

Sometimes generic alien characters appear in the cartoons and say or perform random things, like playing a harmonica ("Lament for a Toad"). This usually represents a state of intoxication in another character (as in "Donkey Bong"). UFOs and flying saucers also make appearances ("Nevada Joe"). When needed, completely abstract characters are used for shock value. The conclusion of "Gerbil in a Light Socket" features a bizarre devil-serpent that speaks to the audience backwards.

Faux Conservatism

Though there is no actual political commentary, most of the characters and stories in Joe Cartoons seem to point to a conservative "right-wing" point of view. Even so, the hilarious ways in which this view is represented makes in debatable whether "conservatism" is being applauded or mocked.

Protest

The overriding theme of Joe Cartoon can be interpreted as "protest". When they are not merely flights of fancy or conventional jokes taken to the extreme, the plots (or interactive premises) are usually about challenging authority, retaliating against insult or otherwise "blowing off steam".

Available Cartoons

The cartoons available from the website are broken into several categories, structured to highlight and provide easy access to the most popular series or collections.

Thuh Greenfields

This is a sixteen part serial cartoon focusing on Jebidiah and Gertrude Greenfield. The Greenfields are two enterprising pot farmers/performance artists who have a truly bizarre sequence of events, involving a legless dog Lump and a giant Gummo.

Superfly

This collection of six cartoons focuses on the ubiquitous character Superfly (aka Supahfly), arguably the most well known character from any of the Joe Cartoons. Each of these bits places Superfly in a different situation, most involving drinking or drug use. Superfly's catch phrase of "Oh, my freakin' head, I'm so wasted!" often comes into play as well.

Interactive Toons

The header of this category on the website is actually Press & 'Splode due to the fact that most of these seventeen cartoons involve one or more characters exploding at some point. Each of these cartoons require varying degrees of interaction from the user. Some as simple as clicking a button to move on to the next section, with others having various branching paths depending on the users selections. This is where to find two of Joe's most famous works, Gerbil in a microwave and Frog Blender.

Holiday toons

a selection of toons by joe about various holidays (mainly Christmas). This section features many classic toons such as santa fly, santa hoe, greenfields 11 and st. Patricks bar.

Everything Else

This final category groups together twenty-three other Joe Cartoon offerings, illustrating a wide range of topics and art styles that Joe has explored since the website was first created.

At the end of certain cartoons, Joe would sign off by showing a message which says, "Joe Cartoon, brutally pointless since March 20th, 1961 11.30am."

Controversy

The Superfly cartoon became a serious issue when a bully in the fifth grade started using lines from a Superfly episode such as "I'm your daddy because I did this to your momma", then motions of thrusting, on his victims. Justice wasn't served until sixth grade. It was soon investigated to be a serious case of sexual harrasment. Victims blame the Superfly episode for this incident.

One of the bully's victim's said that he did not like Superfly at all. He says,

"Now we all now why this trash would badly affect people. Especially bullies. I was completely insulted with it. I keep hoping every day that it will be banned."

External links

• Official website
• Joe's MySpace
• Joe's Blog
• Joe's Forum