Bullwinkle J. Moose

Bullwinkle J. Moose

Bullwinkle J. Moose is a fictional character in the 1959–1964 animated television series Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show, often collectively referred to as Rocky and Bullwinkle, produced by Jay Ward and Bill Scott. When the show changed networks from ABC to NBC, its name was changed to The Bullwinkle Show, reflecting the popularity of Bullwinkle.

Creation

Ward and his then-assistant Alex Anderson created Bullwinkle for The Frostbite Falls Review, a storyboard idea which was never developed into a series. They gave him the name "Bullwinkle" after Clarence Bullwinkel, a car dealer, because they thought it was a funny name. Both Bullwinkle and Rocky were given the middle initial "J" in reference to Ward.

From his debut along with Rocky, Bullwinkle's gloves were blue. Later in the second story arc and for the rest of the series, they become white.

Biography

Bullwinkle shared a house with his best friend Rocky in the fictional small town of Frostbite Falls, Minnesota, a parody of the real-life American town of International Falls, Minnesota. Bullwinkle's college alma mater was "Wossamotta U." In the half Cartoon/live action movie The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle Bullwinkle receives a Honorary Mooster's Degree from Wossamotta U, due to the nefarious plans of Boris Badenov.

Personality

Bullwinkle was noted for being well-meaning, but also quite dim-witted, which made for a source of jokes during the show's run. Despite this, the so-called "moronic moose" often aided the brains of the "moose-and-squirrel" duo, Rocky, during their various adventures. Although on opposite ends of the I.Q. scale, he and the "plucky squirrel" had a shared sense of optimism, persistence and traditional ethics and moral standards. Although not as intelligent as Rocky, Bullwinkle often made references that broke the fourth wall, so he was not always as clueless as he appeared.

Bullwinkle also hosted other segments of the program, including: "Mr. Know-It-All," where he tried to demonstrate his supposed expertise at a subject, such as disarming bombs or curing hiccups; "Bullwinkle's Corner," where the moose would attempt to read poetry, notably I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud (The Daffodils) of William Wordsworth; and various interstitial drop-ins. In one classic running gag, Bullwinkle would attempt to pull a rabbit out of a top hat (to Rocky's dismissal: "Again?!" or "But that trick never works!", and Bullwinkle's canonical rejoinder, "Nothing up my sleeve...Presto!" or "This time, for sure! Presto!"), only to pull out something unexpected instead (such as a bear), and occasionally even Rocky himself. After each failed attempt, Rocky would segue to the next sketch by saying, "And now, here's something we hope you'll really like!"

Powers and abilities

At times, Bullwinkle has exhibited near-superhuman strength, known as his "mighty moose muscle".

Voice

Bill Scott, Ward's partner and head writer of the series, was the original voice of Bullwinkle. In the 2000 Universal Studios film The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Bullwinkle was voiced by Ward fan Keith Scott (no relation to Bill), as Bill had died of a heart attack in 1985. In some of the more recent commercials and projects, Frank Welker has voiced Bullwinkle.

Other appearances

• In addition to the television series and movies, Bullwinkle has appeared in television commercials, a newspaper comic strip, lunch boxes, and a coloring book.
• Bullwinkle makes a cameo in the Roger Rabbit short Trail Mix-Up, seen on a chocolate moose box.
• His name is mentioned in the Beastie Boys' single, Posse in Effect.

External links

• Hokey Smoke! Rocky and Bullwinkle
• My Native Land Sir Walter Scott poem with Bullwinkle voice impression