Wednesday, July 30, 2014

The Most Effectual Colorful Cat

To say that Hanna-Barbara’s animated series, Top Cat, has a colorful cast of characters is to make a statement that is literally true. Not only are the cats of NYC’s Hoagy’s Alley quirky and quaint in their Damon Runyon-esque way but also they are also graphically depicted with vibrant color schemes.  From Benny the Ball (purple) and Choo-Choo (pink) to the Brain (orange) and Top Cat himself (yellow) these big-town tabbies are anything but the black, white and beige tones normally seen on your every day housecat. The Hanna-Barbera artists’ decision to depict their lively felines in a rainbow of hues made their second prime-time series (after The Flintstones) more fun. First of all, cartoons are supposed to be colorful. And even though Top Cat was never broadcast in color on its short, one-season run on ABC, these primary-colored pussycats were tailor-made for tie-in publications, including storybooks, coloring books and this sticker fun book, published by Whitman.


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