Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs, usually referred to as simply Animaniacs, is an animated series created by Warner Bros. and Amblin Entertainment. It ran from 1993 until 1998 on Fox Kids and Kids WB.
Baloney[]
Baloney before he comes to life
Baloney is the show's parody of Barney himself and one of many parodies on Animaniacs. The episode he makes his first appearance in, "Baloney & Kids", is a complete spoof of Barney & Friends. He appeared in a few episodes throughout the series, including the Animaniacs direct-to-video movie, Animaniacs: Wakko's Wish. Baloney was voiced by Jeff Bennett.
Baloney & Kids[]
The Animaniacs try to escape from Baloney
Baloney & Kids not only spoofs Barney & Friends as a whole, but PBS as well, for hosting the series. The episode starts out with a parody of PBS funding credits (under the name Stupid Broadcasting Service). The intro to Barney & Friends is soon parodied with Baloney landing on the end of the line he's marching on, sending the kids flying. On a familiar school set, a young boy and girl come in and show their love for school ("I love school so much, I wish I could marry it"). They soon imagine, which causes Baloney to come to life. Yakko, Wakko and Dot are soon shoved into the school and are scared by Baloney. The kids soon tell Baloney they have to go home, leaving the group stuck with the big orange dinosaur. Throughout the episode, the Warners try to dampen Baloney's endlessly cheerful spirit in various ways, to no avail. Towards the end, the Warner brothers (and Dot) sing the Anvil song as a final attempt, but much to the horror of Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, Baloney is utterly unstoppable and impossible to kill, despite dropping many anvils on him. Baloney is about to hug them, but is stopped by his alarm clock, telling him that it's time for the group to go. They sing "The Goodbye Song", a parody of "I Love You", as Baloney is hit with one last anvil. It turns out the Prince and Princesses of Props, Baloney's assistants, have been dropping them to free them "from the lumpy thing". Yakko, Wakko, and Dot hit on the Princesses and Prince respectively, as a dazed Baloney is seen, closing the episode.
Trivia[]
- Bob West was given animation cells of Baloney by Warner Brothers, hinting that the parody was somewhat affectionate. He later sold them to a cell collector.
- What parodied Baloney & Kids from Barney & Friends was:
- The PBS funding credits.
- The Barney & Friends title opening. The logo looks alike as well as the way as the kids and Baloney march on top. Also, the song is from the tune of Yankee Doodle.
- The Barney plush doll and its former self.
- Barney's generous and positive personality.
- The way kids react when Barney comes to life.
- Barney's catchphrases.
- The Goodbye song is a parody of "I Love You" (though some of the lyrics are similar and is is to the tune of This Old Man).
- The arrangement of the Goodbye song is so much alike with the arrangement of the original song used in some Backyard Gang videos.
- Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain revealed his dark side: he has a strong dislike for cheating or swearing (he and Elmyra both smashed The Brain while calling him a "naughty potty-mouth"). He served as the main antagonist of the episode "Gee, Your Hair Spells Terrific".