"Hobo Bobo" is a 1947 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Robert McKimson.
Narrated by Robert C. Bruce, the cartoon starts in India, where Bobo, a young elephant, detests his lot in life of being forced to carry logs and desires a better future. When he receives a letter from his uncle in America who is with the circus and part of a baseball team, Bobo sees an opportunity and sets out to emigrate to the circus. Unfortunately, despite numerous tries, he finds himself unable to board the America-bound ship, until a small yet wise Mynah bird advises him to paint himself pink. Despite his skepticism over the suggestion, Bobo is elated that it works, as no one on the boat wants to admit they saw a pink elephant. However, upon reaching America, Bobo finds that his color prevents everyone he meets from giving him any attention... at least until a passing street cleaner washes it off.
The cartoon was followed up seven years later in 1954 with "Gone Batty".
"Hobo Bobo" provides examples of:
- The Cameo: The Mynah bird is the same one from Chuck Jones' "Inki and the Mynah Bird" cartoons, accompanied by its Leitmotif Mendelssohn's "Fingal's Cave". (Jones-created characters were rarely used by other directorsnote .)
- Escaped Animal Rampage: Once Bobo is no longer pink, everyone freaks out about an elephant lose in the city and call the authorities. He is captured and sentenced to life — in the circus, which is where he wanted to go in the first place.
- Failure Montage: Prior to painting himself pink, Bobo made several other attempts to get aboard the boat, but none of them were successful.
- Foreshadowing: At the end of the cartoon, Bobo ends up a batboy. Come his next short, he (reluctantly) becomes a full-fledged baseball player.
- Narrator: Warners regular Robert C. Bruce. narrates the cartoon all the way through. The only other voices are the people panicking over Bobo, and Bobo himself at the very end of the cartoon.
- No More for Me:
- Upon seeing Bobo pink, the guard at the gang plank kicks away a bottle of scotch he had in hiding.
- When a baby sees the pink Bobo, he wonders what was in the milk he was drinking and throws the bottle away.
- Pink Elephants: On the suggestion of the Mynah bird, Bobo paints himself pink so he can board the ship to America. Sure enough, all the passengers ignore Bobo, giving him the run of the ship. Unfortunately, this works too well once he gets to shore and wants directions to the circus, as no one wants to acknowledge him. When his paint washes off, suddenly everyone notices him... and call the police.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: Bobo left for America to get away from the drudgery of hauling logs. At the end, Bobo gets his dream of joining the circus, working with the elephants' baseball team as a batboy. But as he points out in the final line...Bobo: Batboy, schmatboy! I'm still carrying logs!
- Suddenly Speaking: Bobo only speaks one line at the very end.
- Vomit Discretion Shot: Bobo is showing travelling to America "by rail" — as in leaning out the railing of the ship to throw up off the side.
