Publicists from Fleischer Studios insisted Betty Boop was only 16 years old! Weird jail bait true!

After his unsuccessful run for President, Gary Hart called Disney’s Dumbo “My campaign documentary”!

Clare Briggs (1875 - 1930), the only cartoonist to have a tobacco named after him, died of pneumonia after suffering lung problems! The tobacco’s slogan? “When a feller needs a friend”!

I’ve been threatening to expand the scope of Comics Tunes Tuesdays to include animated cartoons as well as comic books and strips. We even took a poll and the response was 100% in favor of including cartoon tunes. (Well, we only got two votes, but BOTH were in favor so that’s 100%.)

I can think of no better record to kick off this new direction than “Astro Boy” by Osaka Popstar. I have to confess, this is my favorite new band and that’s not just because so many of their songs tie in to anime and pop culture. They have found a new voice for punk, that’s full of fun and high energy, and I just think they’re tops!

They even got John Pound to do the cover of their new live album!

(click for a closer look)

Coincidentally, Osaka Popstar’s new live CD is in stores TODAY! What are the odds? And it includes a live version of this very same song!

If front man John Cafiero looks familiar, you may have seen him hobnobbing with Drew Friedman, Dennis “Smithereens” Diken and a bunch of old Jewish comedians at the Friars Club book-warming party we spotlighted here a few Tuesdays ago.

(click for a closer look)

There’s more about Osaka Popstar here:

http://www.osakapopstar.com/

And here:

http://www.myspace.com/osakapopstar

Click the bar below to hear Osaka Popstar’s take on the theme from “Astro Boy”…

(if no bar appears please click here to listen)

Next Tuesday, an oddball single about comic strip characters from Robert Ashley!

The Hawaiian Punch ad campaign, featuring Punchie hauling off and hitting Oaf, was TV’s longest-running gag!

Cartoonist John Held, Jr., often credited with inventing the flapper, was frequently a beauty pageant judge and married Miss New Orleans!

During WWI, communist Art Young was tried for conspiracy for his anti-war cartoons. Although facing 20 years in prison, Young fell asleep at his trial. Awakened by his worried lawyer, Young flippantly drew himself sleeping!

Dr. William Marston, the psychologist who dreamed up Wonder Woman, also invented the lie detector!

We had such rave reviews from last week’s “Italian Spider-Man”, that we decided to bring back an old favorite… “The Indian Superman”!

Crystal City, Texas, the spinach capitol of the world, erected a statue in 1937 to honor Popeye and his creator, E.C. Segar, for their influence on America’s eating habits!