Os Dois Cachorros Bobos

The 90's were a superb era for kids cartoons and this was just one of the many gems. Mostly hilarious but sadly a touch repetitive at times.

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.

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.

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".

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.