2 Stupid Dogs

First of all, I find 2 Stupid Dogs to be much more visually enjoyable than Ren and Stimpy, funnier, and definitely cuter, but likeably, not annoyingly so. If one wants to succumb to making Ren and Stimpy comparisons, Cow and Chicken is a lot more similar (and is also better than Ren and Stimpy as well). The lunacy-prone personalities on that show have more in common with R&S than the 2 Stupid Dogs, who are much more easygoing, ordinary, and laid-back (except when they freak out). The scenarios are usually more innocent on 2 Stupid Dogs as well, and the humor isn't as crude. The visual style is also totally different from R&S, and looks very clean, simple, and stylish. The situations and adventures they get into are entertaining, but I'm not sure if many young children will understand some of the ironic references, like the darkly humorous name of a hair salon they visit printed on a wall sign in the background ("Curl Up and Dye").

Another thing about this show which I happen to love is the episodes featuring the updated Secret Squirrel, who used to have his own cartoons back in the 60's--you can look it up here on imdb.com. (As far as I know, reruns of those shows are also played on the Cartoon Network, but the new Secret Squirrel is a major improvement over the old one, in my opinion, and after watching a few episodes of the old one, I had no interest in watching any others.) Although I like the 2 Stupid Dogs a lot, Secret Squirrel is my favorite part. I think Morocco Mole is my favorite character--he wears a little fez and black round glasses, and he's adorably and hilariously slow-witted ("Do you remember where we first met, Morocco?" "Ummm... the gelatin store?"). The characters on the Secret Squirrel episodes are rich, numerous, and diverse, (characters they don't list in the credits for the show here are SS's female crimefighting friend whose name I don't remember, the assorted villians, and the chief may have a beautiful secretary as well, I'm not positive... but don't they usually?) and there seems to be more action and drama going on in them than on the regular 2 Stupid Dogs episodes. It's disappointing that they didn't develop it into its own series, because it would have been great.

I highly recommend this show. It's one of my favorites on the Cartoon Network, along with Cow and Chicken, and Dexter's Laboratory, the latter of which is in the same type of visual style as 2 Stupid Dogs. (Johnny Bravo and The Powerpuff Girls also share this style.)

2 Stupid Dogs is another one of the best cartoons on Cartoon Network. I thought it was funny that the Little Dog is scared of the cat and every time when the Little Dog backs off, the Big Dog comes in and just barks once and then the cat drops to the ground with fear! Plus also on this show we also got to have some new episodes of Super Secret Squirrel and like wise his sidekick, Morocco Mole. Plus I thought all the episodes were funny and all of 2 Stupid Dogs and some of the new episodes Hanna-Barbera made of Secret Squirrel. Hanna-Barbera still knows how to make good cartoons and never fails to entertain me. This was also one of my favorite cartoons from the 1990's.

I discovered today a hidden gem in my collection, which reminded me of one of my favorite Cartoon Network shows: it was the "Stupid Bowl", a 2-hour marathon of 2 Stupid Dogs.

This cartoon is still amazingly fresh to my eyes, and the humour is fast and furious. This one was the father of the World Premiere Toons, and thus, the What a Cartoon! series. It sets the example that Dexter´s Lab, PowerPuff Girls, Johnny Bravo, Dumb and Dumber and other cartoons would soon follow.

The only bad thing this series had was its length; I think that 2 hours of them is all that was made, judging from the re-runs on Cartoon Network. Still, those two hours are classic. There are some episodes which stand out, such as the "Red" trilogy and the Brady Bunch rip-off (which have been mentioned before), but worthy of mention are "Hollywood's Ark" (a take-off on Noah's Ark, which explains why unicorns are extinct), "Love" (starring Kenny Fowler, a kid that would appear in a couple more cartoons), and "Bone" which might just be the most surreal cartoon I've ever seen.

Actually, this cartoon has philosophical high points too. Listening to the Big Dog telling Kenny that "Love is the only chance you will ever have for happiness in this life, and if you are going to let a little thing like rejection stand in your way, you just might as well stay on the ground, because people will walk all over you for the rest of your life" is uplifting, to say the least.

I never could decide which of the charcters I liked better, I would have to say the dacshund, or what ever breed the small dog is. These two airheads argue over and ponder the dumbest things, like who will get possession of a broken toilet seat, and how to open an automatic door. They figure out that perhaps the boots on people's feet are what opens the door, so they run around stealing shoes and boots from people. I really cannot believe that Teletoon has stopped running this show for the sake of stupid programs like "Billy the Cat".

One of the earliest productions that Cartoon Network ever made for themselves and in my view one of the most successful. Genndy Tartakovsky worked on this before coming up with "Dexter's Laboratory," and his offbeat art style and sense of humor are evident here. The show is also notable for the fact that Big Dog was voiced by Brad Garrett (later to become Robert Barrone on "Everybody Loves Raymond"). John Kricfalusi, creator of Ren and Stimpy, guested on several episodes and is credited with "tidbits of poor taste."

The characters basically consist of Big Dog and Little Dog, with a few recurring characters like Red (Little Red Riding Hood), the nerdish Kenny, and Hollywood (whose trademark line is, "Isn't that cute...BUT IT'S WRONG!!!"). The art style is deceptively simple and the plot lines are as well. However, little hidden surprises come when you least expect it, particularly in the form of Big Dog's utterly unexpected words of wisdom in various episodes, particularly in "The Rise & Fall of Big Dog," where Big Dog is somehow mistaken for an ambassador, and "Love Doctors," where Big Dog dispenses advice to the lovelorn Kenny.

Several of the episodes are classic in my opinion. My favorite has to be Vegas Buffet, in which Big Dog and Little Dog venture forth looking for the "Super Cheap Economy Style One Pound Hot Dog Buffet" and get caught up in gambling craziness, but almost all the episodes have something going for them. Some of the best satire and parody that CN cartoons has ever done is found here, especially in "Cartoon Canines," "Hobo Hounds," and "Let's Make a Right Price," as well as "Family Values." The comparisons to Ren and Stimpy are not quite justified, I think, simply because 2 Stupid Dogs is more low-key. The dementia of Ren & Stimpy is in your face, whereas 2 Stupid Dogs is, overall, gentler and more surrealistic.

Personally I think that this is one of the "lost classics" of 90's children's TV, right up there with Nick's "The Adventures of Pete and Pete" and "Rocko's Modern Life." A DVD of the collected "2 Stupid Dogs" is long overdue.