The Cartoon Show is a Web Video Edutainment Show, teaching kids about art, literacy and history. As the YouTube description states, "we teach using a method we like to call “laugh-a-cation” which means to educate through laughter".
It started in July 2014, is written by Terrence Dellinger, stars Justin Barnes as The Cartoon Guy, Doug Walker as Tom, Mike Greathouse as Captain Comics, Mike Parks as Professor Propell, and you can watch episodes here
.
The Cartoon Show contains examples of:
- The Ace: The Cartoon Guy is a Genius Ditz, but Captain Comics teaches him anything he doesn't get, and is a time travelling twinkle smiled police officer who loves attention. He also is aware of the credits and gives a saluting aesop.
- Alliterative Name: Professor Pellor.
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Captain Comics says this of Cartoon Guy in "Elements Of Art preview", where he bemoans that the guy got literally distracted by something shiny. Professor Pellor is also prone to getting distracted easily.
- Attention Whore: Captain Comics lampshades that he only does a Dynamic Entry when there's an audience.
- Big Eater: In "Quick Draw: Funny Face", The Cartoon Guy gets distracted by a sandwich that he wants, and wants to eat paper just because there's a drawing of a pizza.
- Big Fun: The Cartoon Guy, Captain Comics and The Professor are all jolly and into being creative.
- Black Comedy Burst: In the zombie special, Tom would rather potentially be killed (“take his chances”) by zombies than spend any more time with Cartoon Guy.
- Boring, but Practical: Tom doesn't belong in a world of art and puppets, and just covers his eyes when Captain Comics comes in.
- Butt-Monkey: Tom. He's new to the neighborhood, and gets rebuffed so much when he tries to introduce himself that the Cartoon Guy uses his name and face but has no idea where he got it from.
- Casual Time Travel: Captain Comics is just a time travelling police man, no questions asked.
- Child Hater: By show standards, Tom. He's pissy at the kid puppets, and is the only one who doesn't have a Catchphrase aesop or try to promote the teaching in the trailer.
- The Complainer Is Always Wrong: Tom, "not caring much for art", is the Butt-Monkey. The theme song intro has an animated rocket fall on him because he thought creating it was stupid.
- Edutainment Show: The lesson takes up most of each episode with character sketches at beginning and end.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": The Cartoon Guy draws cartoons, Captain Comics is a police officer (i.e captain) and The Professor makes things.
- Everybody Hates Mathematics: The Cartoon Guy is an art teacher, but has to count on his fingers.
- Expository Theme Song: The pilot starts off with a song about puppets being told that if they want to learn how to paint, or learn about where they are in the world, they should go to "The Cartoon Show". It also introduces the characters, "Captain Comics is creative", "the Professor is really smart", "the next door neighbor Tom doesn't care much for their art"
- Expy: Professor Pellor is a g-rated, German accented version of Insano.
- Genius Ditz: The Cartoon Guy teaches kids how to draw art easily, but can't count, has no clue of feelings and pokes himself in the eyes.
- Hot Librarian: G-rated version. Tom works in a library, is played by Doug Walker who is well-known for Female Gaze, and is the only one allowed to dress nice.
- Hypocritical Humor: Cartoon Guy tells kids to stop picking their nose, while picking his own.
- Innocently Insensitive: The Cartoon Guy is so interested in his art during the first episode that he doesn't realize Tom wanted to make friends and that he's making fun of a real person's face. Until the end when he's My God, What Have I Done?.
- Large Ham: The only one actually acting is Doug, the rest are more into pantomiming. Justified as Doug's character is the screwed up no-fun one, and the others are all about being silly for kids.
- Lean and Mean: Tom is at the very least cynical and grouchy, and is a lot thinner than the big fun guys.
- Loners Are Freaks: Tom. At the end of the theme song, the others are laughing together and he's sulking in the back. He even tries to make friends but gets the door slammed in his face.
- Losing Horns: At the end of the pilot, when Cartoon Guy realizes he was rude to Tom and stole his face for a drawing.
- Manchild: Cartoon Guy makes goatees from chocolate and explodes from a sugar high.
- Mad Scientist: Professor Pellor isn't malicious, just quirky in his madness.
- Motor Mouth: Cartoon Guy says his parents call him this, but he has no idea what it means.
- Mr Fix It: Professor Pellor is the prop guy for the show, and his episode is about making Jack O Lanterns out of pumpkins.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Played for Laughs at the end of the pilot, where Cartoon Guy realizes that he was mean to Tom and rushes off.
- Mysterious Stranger: Tom would just be the Naïve Newcomer if he didn't have a lot more issues than the others, if the zombies didn't know him by name and the Professor wasn't made uncomfortable by him suddenly being there.
- Neat Freak: Professor Pellor can't deal at all with the "icky" insides of a pumpkin, and always makes his assistant clean it out.
- "No. Just… No" Reaction: Tom's reaction to a sleepover with Cartoon Guy when there are zombies around is to go Laughing Mad and Screw This, I'm Outta Here.
- Odd Name Out: The adult characters all have Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep", except for Tom who doesn't know how to have fun.
- Only Sane Man: When there are "Zomb-B"s and Cartoon Guy's plan is to draw, Tom's reaction is a deadpan "really?".
- Parody Sue: Captain Comics is the smartest, is a police officer, knows how to time travel, has super powers, and embodies zero flaws. All Played for Laughs.
- Rage Against the Heavens: In art form. The Elements Of Art preview has Tom slumped on his knees note and looking horrified at the sky.
- Running Gag: Captain Comics appearing when Cartoon Guy mentions a famous artist and making his glasses fog up.
- Screams Like a Little Girl: Naturally, a little girl's scream is heard when a zombie calls Tom by name.
- The Smurfette Principle: There's only one woman in the show, and she has to clean out the pumpkins for Professor Pellor.
- Speak of the Devil: Captain Comics always appears when Cartoon Guy mentions a famous artist.
- Stepford Smiler: Tom has varying success of trying to keep his rage levels down.
- Story Arc: Not seriously, but there's something slightly wrong with Tom, and that's the only continuity spanning across episodes. Also the theme song states that the others want to make his "imagination grow".
- Take That!: The "lesson" in the pilot is an affectionate extended one at Doug's face, specifically his common Kubrick Stare expression.
- This Is Gonna Suck: When Tom hears the opening theme song in the second episode, he immediately starts crying.
- Twinkle Smile: Captain Comics grins to the audience when he first appears, and twinkle sounds are heard.
