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George Liquor

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George Liquor
George Liquor from The Ren & Stimpy Show
First appearance"Dog Show" (1992)
Last appearance"UFC 200 promo" (2016)
Created byJohn Kricfalusi
Portrayed byHarris Peet (1991)
Michael Pataki (1992–1997)[1]
John Kricfalusi (1997—present)
In-universe information
SpeciesHuman
GenderMale
FamilyJimmy the Idiot Boy (Nephew)
Slab (Nephew)
Ernie (Nephew)
Frank Liquor (Brother)
SpouseMable Liquor (Deceased)
ReligionChristianity

George Liquor (often taking his epithet as George Liquor, American[2]) is a cartoon character created by John Kricfalusi. Liquor is most famous for his appearances on The Ren & Stimpy Show. He is a mascot for Kricfalusi's defunct animation studio, Spümcø. Kricfalusi portrayed George Liquor as a patriotic, outspoken, politically conservative blowhard. Kricfalusi described Liquor as his favorite character to animate.[3]

George Liquor was voiced by Harris Peet in his first starring episode of The Ren & Stimpy Show.[4] Liquor was voiced by Michael Pataki until 1997. Kricfalusi has voiced the character subsequently.[5] George Liquor appeared in episodes of The Ren & Stimpy Show, the episodes of The Goddamn George Liquor Program, comic books, webcomics, internet cartoons, and advertisements. According to Kricfalusi's blog, a new webtoon starring George was in development and to be sponsored by Pontiac Vibe, but the series remained unreleased when the Pontiac Vibe was discontinued in 2009.[6]

Personality

Kricfalusi described George Liquor as "the greatest American" [2] who is so conservative "that he thinks the Republicans are Commies".[7] George harbors a deep antipathy for the political left; in one issue of Spümcø's Comic Book, George Liquor becomes enraged after a fish calls him a Democrat.[8] According to Kricfalusi's "George Liquor Story Bible," George is a middle-aged, crass, religious, ultra-patriotic American who favors his nephew, Jimmy The Idiot Boy,[2] and tries to teach Jimmy how to be "a Real Man".[9]

Liquor lives in the fictional city of Decentville, USA.[10] George strongly believes in discipline and corporal punishment; his motto is "it's discipline that begets love".[8][11] In the two episodes of The Ren & Stimpy Show in which he starred, George treats Ren and Stimpy strictly and tries to make them as disciplined as possible.[11][12] In an issue of Comic Book, Liquor questions how parents can love their children without spanking them.[8]

Creation

George was created by Kricfalusi in 1979 immediately after Kricfalusi saw a building with a sign that read, "George Liquor". Kricfalusi said that the name "George Liquor" was "the coolest name [he] ever heard".[7] According to Kricfalusi's blog, Kricfalusi's father greatly influenced the character's personality. He said that both Liquor and his father are similar in that "George and my Dad believe strongly in discipline and order and rules. (Especially their own!)"[13] Kricfalusi intended for George Liquor to be an integral character in The Ren & Stimpy Show; Kricfalusi created Ren and Stimpy as Liquor's and Jimmy's pets.[14][15]

On The Ren & Stimpy Show

George Liquor’s first official appearances were in episodes of The Ren & Stimpy Show, a cartoon series that Kricfalusi created, sold to the channel Nickelodeon, and directed at his studio Spümcø. Liquor starred in the episodes "Dog Show" and "Man's Best Friend" and made brief cameos in the episodes "The Boy Who Cried Rat" and "Robin Höek".[7] According to Kricfalusi, Liquor only appeared in a few episodes because those in charge of Nickelodeon at the time hated the character.[14] Ren and Stimpy animator Bill Wray described Liquor as a character that Nickelodeon "never liked" because the name "Liquor" both was a reference to alcohol and sounded like the words "lick her".[16]: 7  Wray said that Nickelodeon disapproved of George but did not forbid Kricfalusi from using the character.[16]: 6 

In one of Liquor's starring roles, in the episode "Dog Show", George put characters Ren and Stimpy through a painful process of making the two into perfect pets for a dog show.[12] Before the episode was broadcast, it was censored so that George's last name, "Liquor", was cut from the soundtrack.[17] According to Forbidden Animation: Censored Cartoons And Blacklisted Animators in America, Nickelodeon has not officially explained why the name "Liquor" was cut from broadcasting.[17] Liquor's other major appearance, the episode "Man's Best Friend", was banned from Nickelodeon and was not shown on television for years because of its content.[17] In the episode, George makes threats and angry demands to Ren and Stimpy, and in the end of the episode, Ren beats George with an oar.[11] In addition to missing deadlines for Nickelodeon and making too many controversial cartoons,[18] Kricfalusi said that the episode "Man's Best Friend" was the episode of The Ren & Stimpy Show that got him and the Spumco staff fired from the series.[3] Kricfalusi said that "Man's Best Friend" was actually approved for broadcasting by both Standards and Practices and Nickelodeon administrators, but the Nickelodeon staff declined to broadcast the episode when network executives saw the finished product.[17] Wray stated that the episode was "all finished and ready to go" before the cancellation.[16]: 6  The episode aired on Spike TV in 2003 as part of Ren and Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon.[3] When Nickelodeon fired Kricfalusi, the network gave him the rights to use George Liquor because the network employees did not like the character.[14][16]: 7  The arrangement with the network also granted Kricfalusi the rights to Jimmy the Hapless Idiot Boy.[15]

In Comic Book

After Nickelodeon, George Liquor and Jimmy The Idiot Boy starred in Spümcø Comic Book, a Spümcø produced comic book series. The comic book series also had appearances of the various characters who regularly interacted with George and Jimmy.[19] The series was launched at Marvel Comics, but Kricfalusi decided to move the series to Dark Horse Comics, as "Marvel wanted to maintain its corporate image, so we moved to Dark Horse, where they have no social conscience".[20] The series was written and drawn by Spümcø co-founders Kricfalusi and Jim Smith and other members of the original Spümcø staff.[20] While with Marvel, Comic Book was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Humor Publication.[19] One story in the first issue of the Dark Horse's Comic Book, George Liquor's Fishing Show, was later made into a webcomic with sound that was featured on the Spümcø website.[21]

On The Goddamn George Liquor Program

George Liquor being used in Macromedia Flash in a commercial for Tower Records.

George Liquor starred in the Flash Internet cartoon series, The Goddamn George Liquor Program, created by Kricfalusi. Premiering on October 15, 1997,[22][23] The Goddamn George Liquor Program was the first cartoon series to be produced exclusively for the Internet.[24] George appeared on the series with his nephew, Jimmy The Idiot Boy; Jimmy's cousins, Slab and Ernie; Jimmy's love interest, Sody Pop; and George and Jimmy's pet dog, Dirty Dog. Without the control of a network, the series could be made as Kricfalusi wanted.[24] Spümcø produced eight one-minute shorts.[25] In 1999, The Goddamn George Liquor Program won an Annie Award for "Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Interactive Production".[26]

In advertisements

After being fired from The Ren & Stimpy Show, John Kricfalusi used George Liquor in Macromedia Flash advertisements in hopes of creating a series with direct sponsorship without a network.[27] Kricfalusi began with free advertisements that he made for Tower Records in 1997.[23][27] George Liquor has been used in Kricfalusi's advertisements for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and is in ads for the internet communication service Raketu. Recently, George Liquor has appeared in promos airing on Adult Swim advertising upcoming UFC fights along with other characters such as Slab N' Ernie and Hank Hill.[23]

In video games

George Liquor makes a cameo in the game Nicktoons MLB for Xbox 360, Wii, and Nintendo DS. He is seen alongside The Almighty Tallest from Invader ZIM.

References

  1. ^ Weinman, Jaime (23 April 2010). "Michael Pataki and TV Character Acting". Maclean's. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Kricfalusi, John (April 12, 2007). "George Liquor Storybible". Retrieved 2007-12-28.
  3. ^ a b c Goodman, Martin (September 1, 2004). ""When Cartoons Were Cartoony:" John Kricfalusi Presents". Retrieved 2007-12-28.
  4. ^ "Man's Best Friend (opening credits)". Ren and Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon. Season 1. Episode Special. 2003-06-23. Spike TV. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Kricfalusi, John (1 March 2007). "Meet George Liquor - direct to video and online cartoons". Retrieved 2008-01-01.
  6. ^ Kricfalusi, John (20 March 2008). "George Liquor Pilot Sketches". Retrieved 2008-04-14.
  7. ^ a b c "CLEFT-O-MANIA: Screen veteran Kirk Douglas is a big chin-spiration at Spumco Studios". Film Threat. p. 34.
  8. ^ a b c Kricfalusi, John, Richard Pursel (w), Smith, Jim (p), Glines, Shane (i). "George Liquor's Fishing Show" Comic Book, vol. 1, no. 1 and 2, p. 50 (1997). Dark Horse Comics.
  9. ^ Turczyn, Coury (January 25, 1996). "Looney 'Toons". Metro Pulse. Pop Cult Magazine.
  10. ^ Kricfalusi, John (October 31, 2007). "George liquor's cartoony type variety show". Retrieved 2007-12-30.
  11. ^ a b c "Man's Best Friend". Ren and Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon. Season 1. Episode Special. 2003-06-23. Spike TV. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ a b "Big Baby Scam/Dog Show". The Ren & Stimpy Show. Season 2. Episode 6. 1992-12-12. Nickelodeon. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ Kricfalusi, John (October 30, 2007). "Happy Birthday Dad!". Retrieved 2007-12-20.
  14. ^ a b c Rivera, Jason (April 2000). "An Interview with: John Kricfalusi". Chimera. No. 4. Archived from the original on 2005-05-17. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
  15. ^ a b Lenburg, Jeff (2006). Who's Who in Animated Cartoons. Hal Leonard. p. 192. ISBN 1-55783-671-X.
  16. ^ a b c d "Bill Wray." David Anthony Kraft's Comics Interview #122. 1993.
  17. ^ a b c d Cohen, Karl. Forbidden Animation: Censored Cartoons and Blacklisted Animators in America. McFarland. p. 149. ISBN 0-7864-2032-4.
  18. ^ Houle, Zachary. "John K on Montreal and Ottawa Locals and more..." Retrieved 2008-01-12.
  19. ^ a b "Interviews: John Kricfalusi and Jim Smith". Archived from the original on 2006-10-20. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
  20. ^ a b "John Kricfalusi" (Press release). DarkHorse.com. Archived from the original on 2006-01-03. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
  21. ^ "Internet & Interactive". Animation World Magazine. No. 4.9. December 1999. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
  22. ^ Sullivan, Jennifer (1997-10-08). "In His Way, John K. Will Challenge the World". Wired. Archived from the original on 14 June 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-01. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ a b c "John K's Guide to Surviving the End of Television". Cold Hard Flash. April 23, 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
  24. ^ a b "27th Annual Annie Award Nominee Showcase: Goddamn George Liquor Program". AWM.com. Retrieved 2007-12-14.
  25. ^ "Flashimation: The Context and Culture of Web Animation" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-02-06.
  26. ^ "ASIFA-Hollywood's 27th Annual Annie Awards". ASIFA Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2006-12-06. Retrieved 2007-12-14.
  27. ^ a b Kricfalusi, John (December 11, 2006). "Direct Sponsorship 2". Retrieved 2008-01-01.
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