#throwbackthursday #thewb #warnerbros
For @TracyGJacksonTV
Here's an update of my "somehow" popular video of my YT channel featuring Michigan J. Frog singing at The WB from 1995 to 1999.
Michigan J. Frog, voiced by Jeff McCarthy, was the official mascot of The WB, a defunct broadcast television network, from its inception in 1995 until 2005.
The network's first night of programming on January 11, 1995, began with Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck wondering which one of them would pull the switch to launch The WB. The camera then panned over to Chuck Jones drawing Michigan on an easel; when Jones finished, Michigan leaped from the drawing to formally launch The WB and lands on Chuck's shoulder who then says "What's Up Frog".
Michigan also would usually appear before the opening of shows, informing the viewer of the TV rating. Before the beginning of Savannah, for example, the frog would sing a short monologue suggesting that "there's more comedy for the family Wednesday nights" and that kids should go to bed, meaning that the show coming on would be for mature audiences only. (6:25, 6:35, and examples for Savannah at 9:25 and 9:35)
In later shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, the announcer would present a TV-PG disclaimer, though the frog still appeared as a neon sign.
And another thing, from my old vid I see a lot of comments that you saw it because of Dave Chapelle talked smack about Michigan J. Frog at the end of his "Zapped" skit from an episode of Comedy Central's Chapelle Show (kzfaq.info/get/bejne/f9Ckmc2DrszKm6s.html), what makes it even funnier is that The WB stopped using the frog after the the skit was aired in 2005.
On July 22, 2005, Michigan's "death" was announced by WB Chairman ('03 - '06) Garth Ancier at a fall season preview with the terse statement:
"The frog is dead and buried." The head of programming for The WB, David Janollari, stated that "[Michigan] was a symbol that perpetuated the young teen feel of the network. That's not the image we [now] want to put out to our audience."
I think Michigan should deserved better, similar to others from WBD that should deserved a whole lot better...
(cough) finalspace (cough) infinitytrain (cough) dcsuperherogirls (cough) f**kyoudavidzaizar (cough)
Editing Software: Vegas Pro 13
Opening/ending music: instrumental/optional music-only audio track of "Hello! Ma Baby" from One Froggy Evening
Music by Milt Franklyn
© and ℗ 1955 Warner Bros. Pictures
Source from LTGC: Volume 2 DVD box set (Disc 4)
Credit and special thanks to many YT channels for encoding the frog's jingles and bumpers:
@ethanstvjunkyard9551
@SloansTVAirchive
@MayfieldArchival
@RysClassicCommercialHut
@TVARCHIVEZ (for the first 4 nights of The WB)
@RetroCirq [VSn Plus] (for the better audio for The WB's first commercial break)
​@ChadCWatson (for the Parental Discretion bumper, however a few bumpers/jingles are a little incomplete)
@superkeegan9100TVArchive
And countless others, at shown at the end credits.
Including to these encoder users for preserving recorded episodes from KIRK (1995 - 1997)and Savannah (1996 - 1997):
@JohnDoe12345 (featuring all the episodes of Savannah)
@vampirerobot (featuring a select episodes of KIRK)
Link to old version of my "Frog Medley" vid: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mL-TZ6WFzKm-mWw.html
Looney Tunes, and the character "Michigan J. Frog" © and TM 1995-1999, 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company.
All clips, music, and audio are property of their respective owners.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything in this video. Everything is copyright to their respective owners. This video is for archival entertainment purposes, not for profit.
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.