The Battle of the Boing, Part 3

     As you may (or more likely, may not) recall, I’ve been recounting the story of the bad blood that developed between Sparky and one of cartoondom’s most beloved youngsters.

 

     You’ll notice that I couldn’t bring myself to hang the tag “beloved” on Sparky. What can I say? I call ‘em—or in this case, don’t call ‘em—like I see ‘em. Anyway, despite what I’ve already told you in Chapters One and Two of this tale, things had begun on a sunny note for the two pen-and-ink urchins. Put together as prospective co-stars of a Saturday morning kids’ show, Sparky and Gerald initially hit it off…even so, there were hints from the very start that the pairing was not made to last.

 

     Before long, Sparky had quit the series, leaving Gerald to his own devices.

 

     As their enmity festered, Sparky continued to get work on television, pulling down recurring guest roles and one-shot appearances. A successful stint as a fill-in for Clutch Cargo’s annoyingly twerpy sidekick Spinner led to him being touted as a badly-needed permanent replacement. Sadly, this was not to be.

 

 

     He also stood in for an ailing Crusader Rabbit (who had been misdiagnosed with myxomatosis and put in quarantine), but this moment in the limelight was likewise short-lived.

 

 

     Meanwhile, The Gerald McBoing Boing Show was abruptly and unceremoniously cancelled after a short and poorly-received run. The grudge which Gerald bore towards Sparky for his part in the failure of the project lasted a whole lot longer, though. Sparky’s was at the top of a long list of names Gerald later “volunteered” to the House Un-American Activities Committee.

 

 

     Citizen McBoing Boing’s act of perfidy triggered a maelstrom of hysteria, the effects of which I’ll begin to catalogue in our next instalment. Right now, I’m late for the Funsville Psychoanalysis Appreciation Society’s annual celebration of Carl Jung’s birthday. Our plan, as always, is to get collectively unconscious.

Uncle Fun