History WesternAnimation / ADoonesburySpecial

* ArtisticLicenseSports: Zonker's interminable yacking in the football huddle leads to three consecutive delay of game penalties for Walden, resulting in a touchback and two points for the opposition. This is wrong on multiple levels. First of all, the defense scores two points when the offense is downed in the end zone, or the ball is fumbled out of the end zone. Multiple penalties would only push you "half the distance to the goal", never ''in'' the goal. Secondly, when the defense scores two points in that manner it's called a "safety". A touchback is completely different and does not result in any points scored.

Last film for animation legend John Hubley, who died while this cartoon was still in the storyboard stages. Faith Hubley kept working in animation until her death in 2001. The voice cast includes Creator/RichardCox as Zonker and Creator/BarbaraHarris as Joanie.

A 25-minute AnimatedAdaptation of Trudeau's iconic newspaper comic strip, ''ComicStrip/{{Doonesbury}}'', the special finds the six principal characters of the strip's early years -- Zonker Harris, Joanie Caucus, Mark Slackmeyer, B.D. and his airhead girlfriend Boopsie, and of course Mike Doonesbury himself -- still living together in a commune next to Walden College. As the gang sits down to dinner, Zonker makes a proposal: observing that they haven't done any of their old hippie-style activities (organic gardening, macramé, group sex) in a while, he suggests that maybe they should just dissolve the commune and all move into condos.

* LimitedAnimation: John Hubley basically invented LimitedAnimation, and it is seen in this cartoon in some scenes where only a couple of characters are moving while the others are still against a featureless background. (The football scene is done this way.). However some other scenes have more intricate animation, like how the camera zooms around Jimmy Thudpicker's concert.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: When he is seen performing at the peace concert in the 1960s flashback sequence, Jimmy Thudpucker is an obvious Music/BobDylan analogue, singing an anti-war song on acoustic guitar while playing harmonica on a neck holder like Dylan did. The Jimmy of 1977 is a more generic, soft {{arena rock}}er by contrast.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: When he is seen performing at the peace concert in the 1960s flashback sequence, Jimmy Thudpucker is an obvious Music/BobDylan analogue, singing an anti-war song on acoustic guitar while playing harmonica on a neck holder like Dylan did. The Jimmy of 1977, by contrast, is a more generic, soft {{arena rock}}er.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: When he is seen performing at the peace concert in the 1960s flashback sequence, Jimmy Thudpucker is an obvious Music/BobDylan analogue, singing an anti-war song on acoustic guitar while playing harmonica on a neck holder like Dylan did. The Jimmy of 1977, by contrast, is a more generic {{arena rock}}er playing piano and singing a power ballad.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: When he is seen performing at the peace concert in the 1960s flashback sequence, Jimmy Thudpucker is an obvious Music/BobDylan analogue, singing an anti-war song on acoustic guitar while playing harmonica on a neck holder like Dylan did. The 1977 Jimmy, by contrast, is a more generic {{arena rock}}er singing a power ballad.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: When he is seen performing at the peace concert in the '60s flashback sequence, Jimmy Thudpucker is an obvious Music/BobDylan analogue, singing an anti-war song on acoustic guitar while playing harmonica on a neck holder like Dylan did. The 1977 Jimmy, by contrast, is a more generic {{arena rock}}er singing a power ballad.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: When he is seen performing at the 1960s peace concert, Jimmy Thudpucker is an obvious Music/BobDylan analogue, singing an anti-war song on acoustic guitar while playing harmonica on a neck holder like Dylan did. In the 1977 sequence Jimmy is a more generic {{arena rock}}er singing a power ballad.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: When he is seen performing at the 1960s peace concert, Jimmy Thudpucker is an obvious Music/BobDylan analogue, singing an anti-war song on acoustic guitar while playing harmonica on a neck holder like Dylan did. In the 1977 sequence Jimmy is more generic, singing a power ballad.
* PowerBallad: Zonker watches Jimmy Thudpucker, on piano, performing a dramatic PowerBallad on some 1970s variety show. The cheesy power ballad provides a thematically appropriate contrast to the acoustic anti-war song Jimmy's seen playing at Walden in the 1960s flashback.

A 25-minute AnimatedAdaptation of Trudeau's iconic newspaper comic strip, ''ComicStrip/{{Doonesbury}}'', the special finds the six principal characters of the strip's early years -- Zonker Harris, Joanie Caucus, B.D. and his airhead girlfriend Boopsie, Mark Slackmeyer, and of course Mike Doonesbury himself -- still living together in a commune next to Walden College. As the gang sits down to dinner, Zonker makes a proposal: observing that they haven't done any of their old hippie-style activities (organic gardening, macramé, group sex) in a while, he suggests that maybe they should just dissolve the commune and all move into condos.

A 25-minute AnimatedAdaptation of Trudeau's iconic newspaper comic strip, ''ComicStrip/{{Doonesbury}}'', the special finds the six principal characters of the strip's early years -- Zonker Harris, Joanie Caucus, B.D., B.D.'s airhead girlfriend Boopsie, Mark Slackmeyer, and of course Mike Doonesbury himself -- still living together in a commune next to Walden College. As the gang sits down to dinner, Zonker makes a proposal: observing that they haven't done any of their old hippie-style activities (organic gardening, macramé, group sex) in a while, he suggests that maybe they should just dissolve the commune and all move into condos.

Zonker seems to forget about this suggestion as soon as he makes it. Mike, on the other hand, is deeply troubled. Mike winds up in a crisis of self-doubt, wondering if the spirit of the '60s has been lost and whether or not old hippies like him need to just move on. In the meantime, the kids from Joanie's day-care center are appearing in a Christmas pageant, and B.D. has a football game to play.

Zonker seems to forget about this suggestion as soon as he makes it. Mike, on the other hand, is deeply troubled. Mike winds up in a crisis of self-doubt, wondering if the spirit of the '60s has been lost, whether or not old hippies like him need to just move on. In the meantime, the kids from Joanie's day-care center are appearing in a Christmas pageant, and B.D. has a football game to play.

[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/a_doonesbury_special.jpeg]]

''A Doonesbury Special'' is a 1977 animated television special co-directed by John Hubley, Faith Hubley, and Garry Trudeau. It originally aired on Creator/{{NBC}} on November 27, 1977, the Sunday of UsefulNotes/{{Thanksgiving}} weekend that year.

A 25-minute AnimatedAdaptation of Trudeau's iconic newspaper comic strip, ''ComicStrip/{{Doonesbury}}'', the special finds the six principal characters of the strip's early years -- Zonker Harris, Joanie Caucus, B.D., B.D.'s airhead girlfriend Boopsie, Mark Slackmeyer, and of course Mike Doonesbury -- still living together in a commune next to Walden College. As the gang sits down to dinner, Zonker makes a proposal: observing that they haven't done any of their old hippie-style activities (organic gardening, macramé, group sex) in a while, he suggests that maybe they should just dissolve the commune and all move into condos.

Last film for animation legend John Hubley, who died while this cartoon was still in the storyboard stages. Faith Hubley kept working in animation until her death in 2001. Creator/BarbaraHarris provided the voice of Joanie Caucus.

* BourgeoisBohemian: Everybody in the commune except for B.D. who is a political conservative and thus can't be called a "bohemian" at all. The rest are the type who can argue about the [=McGovern=] campaign and wax nostalgic about anti-war protests, while none of them have to work very hard for a living.

* TheFriendNobodyLikes: It's not really clear why B.D. lives in the commune with the others, considering he's an extreme right-winger (he thinks we should have stayed in Vietnam and intervened in Angola to boot) and also a jock. He could not be more different than stoners like Zonker or hippie peaceniks like Mike.

A 25-minute AnimatedAdaptation of Trudeau's iconic newspaper comic strip, ''ComicStrip/{{Doonesbury}}'', the special finds the six principal characters of the strip's early years -- Zonker Harris, Joanie Caucus, B.D., B.D.'s airhead girlfriend Boopsie, Mark Slackmeyer, and of course Mike Doonesbury -- still living together in a commune next to Walden College. As the gang sits down to dinner, Zonker makes a proposal: observing that they haven't done any of their old hippie-style activities (anti-war protesting, group sex) in a while, he suggests that maybe they should just dissolve the commune and all move into condos.

A 25-minute AnimatedAdaptation of Trudeau's iconic newspaper comic strip, ''ComicStrip/{{Doonesbury}}'', the special finds the six principal characters of the strip's early years -- Zonker Harris, Joanie Caucus, B.D., B.D.'s airhead girlfriend Boopsie, Mark Slackmeyer, and of course Mike Doonesbury -- still living together in a commune next to Walden College. As the gang sits down to Thanksgiving dinner, Zonker makes an proposal: observing that they haven't done any of their old hippie-style activities (anti-war protesting, group sex) in a while, he suggests that maybe they should just dissolve the commune and all move into condos.

Zonker seems to forget about this suggestion as soon as he makes it. Mike, on the other hand, is deeply troubled. Mike winds up in a crisis of self-doubt, wondering if the spirit of the '60s has been lost, whether or not old hippies like him need to just move on. In the meantime, the kids from Joanie's day-care center are appearing in a Christmas play, and B.D. has a football game to play.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/a_doonesbury_special.jpeg]]

It is a 25-minute AnimatedAdaptation of Trudeau's iconic newspaper comic strip, ''ComicStrip/{{Doonesbury}}''. The cartoon finds the six principal characters of the early ''Doonesbury'' strip--Zonker Harris, Joanie Caucus, B.D., B.D.'s airhead girlfriend Boopsie, Mark Slackmeyer, and of course Mike Doonesbury--still living together in a commune next to Walden College. As the gang sits down to Thanksgiving dinner, Zonker makes an announcement. Zonker observes that the gang hasn't done any of their old hippie-style activities (anti-war protesting, group sex) in a while, so he suggests that maybe they should just dissolve the commune and move into condos.

[[quoteright:230:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1157cd42_5089_4bd7_8f5a_a33baaab6c61.jpeg]]

''A Doonesbury Special'' is a 1977 television animated special, co-directed by John Hubley, Faith Hubley, and Garry Trudeau. It originally aired on Creator/{{NBC}} on November 27, 1977, the Sunday of UsefulNotes/{{Thanksgiving}} weekend that year.

''A Doonesbury Special'' is a 1977 television animated special, co-directed by John Hubley, Faith Hubley, and Garry Trudeau. It aired on the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, November 27, 1977.

It is a 25-minute TV adaptation of Trudeau's iconic newspaper comic strip, ''ComicStrip/{{Doonesbury}}''. The cartoon finds the six principal characters of the early ''Doonesbury'' strip--Zonker Harris, Joanie Caucus, B.D., B.D.'s airhead girlfriend Boopsie, Mark Slackmeyer, and of course Mike Doonesbury--still living together in a commune next to Walden College. As the gang sits down to Thanksgiving dinner, Zonker makes an announcement. Zonker observes that the gang hasn't done any of their old hippie-style activities (anti-war protesting, group sex) in a while, so he suggests that maybe they should just dissolve the commune and move into condos.

* TheStoner: Zonker, as was true in the comic strip for years. Zonker is toking up on something while in the huddle during a football game. The rest of the players get contact highs, much to B.D's fury.

'''Zonker:''' ''(laughs, speaking)'' And the trees agree! ''({{beat}})'' Good going, trees.

* PowerBallad: Zonker watches Jimmy Thudpucker, on piano, performing a dramatic PowerBallad on some 1970s variety show. The cheesy power ballad provides a thematically appropriate contrast to the acoustic anti-war song Jimmy's seen playing at Walden in the 1960s flashback.

* ComicBookTime: Seven years have passed since ''Doonesbury'' debuted in newspapers, enough time for Nixon to resign and the Vietnam War to end and for Mike to wonder if the revolutionaries of the '60s have lost their way. Yet somehow, B.D. is still playing college football for Walden. (In the comic strip, the characters would remain eternal college students until Trudeau took an extended hiatus 1983-84. After ''Doonesbury'' came back they started aging in something closer to real time.