Mister Magoo for GE bulbs!

Great 1967 Mr. Magoo/G.E. Lightbulbs commercial that was produced by Chuck Jones/Abe Levitow for U.P.A.  Magoo's voice is provided by Jim Backus, of course. Thanks to cartoon historian Jerry Beck for posting this on YouTube!

VALENTINE'S DAY, 2024!

After many years of singlehood, I think maybe the time has come to replace my Cupid,

 whose on target average has been 00.00!

In the meantime, may I wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day with these great pictures of my favorite blonde, Marilyn Monroe!

The Mr. Magoo Cameos

 I love the cartoon character of Mister Magoo. I remember watching his antics at the movie theater and later on television. He's not the usual cartoon type of character. For one thing, he's a human. Not many human beings were featured as stars in those old classic animation shorts so it was kind of a departure.

WIKIPEDIA describes him like this: "Mr. Magoo is an elderly, wealthy, short-statured retiree who gets into a series of comical situations as a result of his extreme near-sightedness, compounded by his stubborn refusal to admit the problem".

Mr. Magoo was also featured in a series of comic books throughout the 50s and 60s,

and for a while, was even published as a syndicated comic strip. The strips were then compiled into a paperback which has been the only source I have relied upon to read them. 

Quincy Magoo was also prominently displayed in several General Electric ads:

So for me, it was only natural to include him as a cameo figure in several of my newspaper cartoons:

Even his nephew Waldo made an appearance!

Oh, Magoo! You've done it again!

Mister Magoo's 70th Anniversary

The first Mister Magoo color short, THE RAGTIME BEAR, was released September 29, 1949 by UPA Pictures.

 Today we mark Magoo's 70th anniversary.

The character of Mister Magoo, the nearsighted fellow who amazingly stays out of serious bodily harm while going erroneously into many hazardous and life threatening situations, was created by John Hubley, Millard Kaufman, Willis Pyle and Sherm Glas.

His full name is Quincy Magoo and he's a graduate from Rutgers University, his beloved alma mater.
He's very often accompanied by his nephew Waldo, who's a bit dim-witted and can't help his uncle from staying out of trouble.
       

Mister Magoo has always fascinated me since childhood and I hold very fond memories of his theatrical cartoons and his TV Christmas special.

There have been some recent projects to reboot the character but, happily, they haven't met with any kind of success. We can still enjoy Magoo in his original form through his 1950s cartoons, his later TV shows and the various comic books and paperbacks that have been printed over the years.

Mister Magoo was voiced by Jim Backus, and he was always associated with the character.

So now, to celebrate Magoo's 70th birthday, here we have some samples of his multiple misadventures:

There have been several Mr. Magoo figures and assorted merchandising items.

And, a few times,  I have even slipped Mr. Magoo's image into my own editorial cartoons:

Thank you, Mister Magoo, for those very happy times. 

"Oh, Magoo! You've done it again!"