Keener Media Facts

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

10 Speedy facts about Sonic The Hedgehog

Gotta go fast! From the idea behind the hedgehog himself to things left on the cutting room floor, here are 10 interesting facts about Sega's rival to Mario.

#10: Sonic and Eggman's designs came from a contest

Some characters are just too good to go unused!

At the start of the 16-bit era, Sega held an internal contest where employees would pitch various characters to see who would be their mascot. Besides Sonic himself, some of the more interesting designs include a Jester-like creature, a Bart Simpson-like man in overalls, a rabbit that could throw things with his ears and a Theodore Roosevelt looking man in pajamas who would become Sonic's nemesis Dr. Eggman.

#9: Sonic almost had a band and a human girlfriend!

This would've been pretty cool to see!

The first game had a few interesting scrapped concepts. One such concept was a band that Sonic was gonna play in alongside a rabbit named Mach, a parakeet named Sharps, a monkey named Max, and a crocodile named Vector who would later be introduced in Knuckles Khaotix. Another unused concept was Madonna, a blonde haired, red dress wearing human who would've served as a love interest to Sonic.

#8: Bugs. Bugs everywhere

Viewer, meet Ashura!

While some games are worse in this regard (ie Sonic 06 and Sonic Boom), the Sonic games are known for being pretty glitchy. In fact, the manual for Sonic Three and Knuckles references these glitches, telling players to watch out for traps set by Robotnik and advising they restart the console should they fall into an area they can't escape. The first game can't even get past the title screen with out a glitch. The words "Press start to play" were supposed to appear on the start screen, but they don't because they take up the same set of memory as the "Sonic Team Presents" screen.

#7: When misinformation becomes game mechanics

Character better suited to the ground than the water exhibit A!

You ever wonder why Sonic couldn't swim? This was because the game designers incorrectly thought that real world hedgehogs couldn't swim.

#6: Interesting inspiration

Remember when these two were rivals?

Whilst Sonic's character design comes from classic cartoon characters like Felix the cat and Mickey Mouse and his shoe design came from Michael Jackson and Santa Claus (yes really), the inspiration for the game play ironically comes from Sonic's old rival, Mario. Specifically, it came from Yuji Naka's memories of getting through Super Mario Bros.' first level as fast as possible.

#5: Totally Different

Imagine if this was the route the series went with.

The story for the first game was almost completely different. Originally, it was gonna feature Sonic travelling through a nightmare world fending off weird creatures. Before Robotnik was chosen, the antagonist was originally a ghost-like entity named Thirteen.

#4: The secrets to his speed

Run Sonic, run!

According to the first game's instruction manual, Sonic's speed comes from his sneakers. Also according to Sonic's creator Yuji Naka, Sonic needs eight hours of sleep a night to maintain his speed.

#3: Very humble beginnings

Now that's a rad cameo!

A few years before Sonic became one of the big names in gaming, he made a cameo appearance in Sega's own Rad Mobile. Specifically, an air freshener modeled after him is visible during game play, hanging from the car's mirror. Additionally, the skid sound he makes when stopping comes from Sega's own Outrun.

#2: Michael Jackson composed for Sonic Three

This was cool back then, but it's kinda creepy nowadays.

During his lifetime, pop singer Michael Jackson was a huge fan of the Sonic series. In fact, he was allowed to compose portions of the soundtrack to Sonic's third game. However, he remains uncredited because he wasn't satisfied with the Sega Genesis' music capabilities. The child abuse allegations that occurred around that time probably didn't help either.

#1: Some speedy records

I bet he's thankful to get this before Mario did!

During it's over 20 year lifetime the Sonic The Hedgehog franchise has set more than a few records. For one, he was the first video game character in history to get a balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, which first appeared in 1993. Additionally, the Archie Sonic comic series is the longest running video game comic series in history, spawning 290 issues from 1992 to 2016.

You know what they say: Sega does what Nintendon't! If you know of any other interesting tidbits or think I fudged something up, please say something in the comment section. Thanks for viewing and keep on running!

Sources

Tuesday, July 9, 2024

10 Gigante facts about Mucha Lucha

It's all bueno! From behind the scenes stuff to references to good ole Mexico, here are 10 interesting facts about The FOREMOST, WORLD RENOWNED, INTERNATIONAL SHOW OF LUCHA!!!!

#10: A first for Flash

No Ruffle Necessary, at least for this time period!

While Flash in the early 2000s was mostly used for internet based cartoons and games, this was the first TV cartoon to be animated in the program. The pilot and first season used the line tool for its animation, but this was too clunky so the switched to the brush tool for seasons two and three.

#9: The pitch pilot

Wow, nearly everyone got a makeover!

The pilot episode of the show, simply called "Lucha School", had a few differences from the final product, from a cruder animation style to different character designs and names. However, the most interesting difference Psiclone, a bull-themed wrestler who would've been part of the main group.

#8: Attempted revival

A shame this never got greenlit!

In 2014 there were plans for a revival series called "Mucha Lucha: Para Siempre". While there are comics and an animatic available online, the series unfortunately seems to have been cancelled. That being said, the series would get a continuation in the form of the "Tales from the Coliseo" webcomics.

#7: No punches pulled

When the show was first pitched, Warner Bros was hesitant to greenlight it as they believed it would be too violent. In addition, most of the storyboard artists weren't too interested in watching Lucha wrestling just to capture it in storyboards.. In response, co-creator Lili Chin drew a series of drawings consisting of Rickochet and Beuno Girl wrestling each other and explaining what each hold was. This not only showed executives that the whole thing was staged, but also gave the storyboard artists an easy reference to draw from.

#6: The cutting room floor strikes again

A shocking discovery!

Besides Psiclone, there are multiple characters who never made it onto the show. You can read the full list here, but a few interesting ones include the magnet-themed Magnetico, a character called Chad From Chad who apparently was scrapped because WBA staff thought his character wasn't appropriate for kids and a character named Princess Enigma who was set to appear in the episode Party Animal.

#5: Mexican Celebrities

Forget Rey Mysterio, say hello to Rey Dinamico!

The show staff originally wanted Luchadore wrestlers like Rey Mysterio Jr and Brazo de Plata aka Super Porky to appear on the show, but scheduling conflicts prevented that, forcing the staff to redesign their animated alter egos. That being said, the show still managed to get other Mexican celebrities like Los Mobos and Blue Demon Jr. In addition, the theme song was preformed by Mexican music group Chicos de Barrio.

#4: The creators weren't Mexican

It's an Aussie-Chinese production!

Even though this show is known for it representation of Mexican culture, the creators weren't Mexican themselves. Eddie Mort hales from Manchester England and emigrated to Australia at age 10, while Lili Chin is Chinese. That being said it did have some Mexicans working on it, including future El Tigre and Book of Life creator John R. Gutierrez.

#3: PSAlmost

In 2003 there were plans for a PS2 game called Mysterioso Grande. Unfortunately, this game was cancelled because the developers couldn't find a publisher and it was around this time that the show's ratings were dropping. That being said, some of the animations for the game are available in the video above this paragraph.

#2: Build Your Own Wrestler

Some kid's day was made!

Around the time of the show's airing on TV, there was an online game on Kids WB's website that let users create their own luchadore wrestler. Some of the fan made characters made with this program even made it onto some versions of the show's intro.

#1: Mexican Dub Relationships

They're closer than we thought!

The Mexican dub voice actors for Rikochet and Beuno Girl (Héctor Emmanuel Gómez and Karla Falcon respectively) started dating and eventually married after the third season finished. Likewise, El Rey's VA (Eduardo Fonseca) is the uncle of The Flea's VA (Victor Ugarte).

A truly caliente list if I do say so myself. If you know something I don't or believe I screwed up somewhere, please send your comments to the designated section. Thanks for reading and have a muy bueno day!

Sources

Saturday, June 22, 2024

10 Military Grade facts about Team Fortress 2

Poot facts about TF2 here! From scrapped concepts to gags involving old games, here are 10 note worthy facts about Team Fortress 2.

#10: It started from Quake

If it weren't for Quake, there would be no TF2!

Over a decade before making this game, Robin Walker and John Cook made a free mod for Quake simply called Team Fortress. After they were hired by Valve, they would go on to make Team Fortress Classic before finally making this game.

#9: The game went through 2 redesigns during development

Talk about getting a makeover!

Before becoming the cartoony FPS we all know and love, this game went through 2 different ideas during development. The first idea, given the subtitle Brotherhood of Arms, was a realistic military shooter kind of like Call of Duty. The next iteration was a game that pitted humans against alien invaders, somewhat like Valve's own Half-Life series.

#8: The Spy came about because of a glitch

Proof that some bugs are worth keeping around!

The inspiration for the Spy was a glitch that happened in older versions of the original Team Fortress Quake mod. In the old versions of the game which didn't have the Spy class, there was a glitch where players would see other players with the wrong team colors.

#7: The supplementary stuff retcons a few things

What else are these mercenaries hiding? An answer to the bot problem, perhaps?

This game is known for having lore held within other sources like official videos and web comics. What you might not know is that some of this lore contradicts the original bios of the playable characters. For example: The Medic's bio implies that he never had a medical license, while in his Meet the Team video he tells the Heavy the story of how he lost it. Meanwhile, the Demoman's bio states that his eye was lost during an attempt at killing the Loch Ness Monster, while the comic released with the Very Scary Halloween Special reveals that it was actually taken and turned into a monster by an evil spell book.

#6: A lot of the items were community made

A Smissmas miracle!

A surprising amount of the game's items were made by fans and submitted to Valve either through the Steam Workshop or the old contribution page on the TF2 website. These include several weapons like the Southern Hospitality, the Wrap Assassin, the Scotsman's Skullcutter and the Dalokoh's Bar.

#5: Some of the scrapped content made it in after all

Sometimes you just can't get rid of a good idea!

Throughout its development, there have been plenty of weapons that went unused for one reason or another. However, some of them have made it into the game in vastly different forms. For example: The Instant Teleport became the secondary feature to the Eureka Effect, the Flame-Retardant Suit was reworked into the Spycicle, and the Walkabout's main gimmick (being able to move at full speed while zoomed in) was added as a feature to the Classic.

#4: There was almost a TV show

This would've been freaking sweet!

At one point in time, Adult Swim commissioned Valve to make a Team Fortress 2 cartoon for them. Sadly, Valve never got around to finishing it and before long the project was cancelled.

#3: It started off as part of a bundle

That's a damn good deal!

This game was first released in 2007 as part of The Orange Box, a video game compilation that also included Portal and both episodes of Half-Life 2. It got its own standalone release the following year.

#2: Marriage on the set

Well, ain't that sweet!

The voice actors for the Sniper and Administrator, John Patrick Lowrie and Ellen McLain, are married in real life. Speaking of the Administrator, her voice actress also voices GLaDOS from Portal, the Combine Overwatch AI from Half-Life 2, and the Witch from Left 4 Dead 2.

#1: There's a lot of scrapped content

Read all about it here!

As mentioned before, this game has had quite a few concepts that didn't make it off the cutting room floor. Some of the more interesting unused content includes holdovers from TFC (throwable grenades, an actual flag for capture the flag, the Civilian class etc.), a camera model, some PDAs for the Demoman and Spy, animations of every character besides Pyro seemingly burning to death and concept art featuring female versions of the classes.

You're welcome fans of Valve's iconic shooter! If you can think of any facts I missed or feel that I got something incorrect, feel free to deploy some comments. Thanks for reading and keep those SFM videos a going!

Sources

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

10 Cheap facts about Ed Edd N' Eddy

Ten interesting facts and it won't cost you a quarter! From behind the scene misedventures to plot twists, here are 10 interesting facts about Danny Antonucci's claim to fame.

#10: Danny did other things beforehand

Don't do drugs kids, unless you wanna look like these freaks!

Before making this show, Danny Antonucci made 2 cartoons that definitely weren't for kids. One of these was MTV's The Brothers Grunt, a gross out show about disgustingly animated humanoid creatures searching for their lost brother. The other is called Lupo the Butcher, a short cartoon about a foul mouther butcher who accidentally tears himself apart while trying to prepare ribs.

#9: The tongues were candy colored

He's got a lizard tongue!

Did you ever wonder why the characters had green and blue tongues? It's because Danny saw his son and his friends eating candy that changed the colors of their tongues.

#8: The show stuck with animation cells

Hand drawn (almost) all the way baby!

This show holds the distinction of being the last Western Television cartoon to use traditional animation cells, holding out until 2004 when many other cartoons started using digital and/or CG. This was because Danny preferred doing hand drawn animation to digital. Eventually the show would switch to digital in it's fifth season, starting with Jingle Jingle Jangle.

#7: It almost ended before the Big Picture Show

If it weren't for CN, this show would've ended on a sour note!

Take This Ed and Shove It, the episode where Eddy wakes up from an accident and discovers that he and all the other neighborhood kids are old as dirt, was originally gonna be the grand finale of the show. However, thanks to the show's popularity, it was renewed for 2 more seasons and ended on a TV movie. In addition to that, the episode has 2 deleted scenes that are available to watch online, one where Eddy begs the cartoon's creator to wake him up and one where he discovers that he and the other Eds married the Kankers.

#6: It was almost a Nicktoon

Just how many CN shows were pitched to their rivals?

Like the Powerpuff Girls and Adventure Time, this show was pitched to Nickelodeon before being picked up by Cartoon Network. In this case, the deal with Nick was rejected by Danny Antonucci after Nick executives tries to have full creative control of the show.

#5: Eddy's brothers true nature was foreshadowed

No wonder Eddy turned out the way he did!

Way before his true, horrible nature was revealed in the Big Picture Show, Eddy's brother and Eddy's past were referenced in a negative light a few times on the show. In Smile for the Ed, Eddy says the line "No more beating up on little Eddy, huh bro?" In The Ed-Touchables, Eddy tells Edd that a little childhood trauma builds character. In Edd... Pass It On..., Eddy becomes terrified when what looks like his older brother shows up at his house.

#4: The cast was based off real people

For the record, Danny also debunked the theory that these guys and gals are lost souls trapped in limbo.

The kids of the Cul-De-Sac were based on people Danny Antonucci knew. The Eds were based off of himself and his two sons, the cul-de-sac kids and Kanker sisters were based on kids he grew up with and Rolf was based on himself and his cousins, as he grew up in an Italian immigrant family

#3: Here's Mud in Your Ed was fanmade (sort of)

When fanfics become official fics!

The episode Here's Mud in Your Ed was inspired by a fan. Specifically, it was inspired an idea by Kit Topp, the founder of the defunct but still available on the Wayback Machine Edopolis.com.

#2: A few episodes were cancelled

It's a secret to everybody!

There are three episodes that never made it off the cutting room floor. These episodes are A Room for an Ed (Sarah takes over Ed's room and turns it into a play area for her and Jimmy), Luck Be an Ed Tonight (Ed finds out through his horoscope that it's his lucky day and Eddy tries to take advantage of it), and Special Ed (All we know about it is that Danny said "it was just too real").

#1: Facts from the bible

You should check this out sometime, it's an interesting read!

The pitch bible for the show has some interesting differences from the final show. For example, the show was originally about a group of teens who are trying to fit in with their peers and seem grown-up, with the challenges of puberty being a running theme. The pitch also has some interesting characteristics that were scrapped from the final project, including Edd being prone to crushes, Kevin being a cynic who watches 60 Minutes, Nazz being a role model for Sarah, and the Kankers having a bunch of Tammy Faye Baker memorabilia.

I hope I was able to ed-ucate you! If you know something I didn't or believe I mess-ed something up, please leave your thoughts in the comment section. Thanks for reading and be careful of any scams that you come across.

Sources

Monday, June 17, 2024

10 cute and powerful facts about The Powerpuff Girls

Research, several charity minded search engines and other blog posts that I totally didn't steal information from. These are the secret ingredients needed to create the perfect PPG facts list. From pilot to final differences to the inspirations behind certain characters, here are 10 power packed facts about The Powerpuff Girls. Quick note: This blog will be discussing the original series. Other PPG series like Powerpuff Girls Z, and the 2016 reboot/attempt to destroy this beloved series might get they're own lists someday.

#10: It was originally a more mature show

It's like a reverse Family Guy up in here!

Way back in 1992, series creator Craig McCracken made a college short called Whoopass Stew. In true early pilot tradition, this was a different take on the show, featuring a literal can of whoopass in place of Chemical X, a completely different design for Professor Utonium, an actually threatening version of the Ameba Boys, and it ended with the girls killing said Ameba Boys by flying them into the sun.

#9: It started on a different show

If I had quarter for every cartoon I talked about that started on an anthology, I'd be one more example away from a dollar!

This was one of several CN shows that started out on The What A Cartoon Show. While the episodes produced for this show, Meat Fuzzy Lumpkins and Crime 101, are closer in tone to the show than Whoopass Stew, there were still some differences between them and the final product. These include a more fluid animation compared to the psuedo-anime style of the show, Fuzzy Lumpkins being a hillbilly scientist instead of an anger prone dumb muscle, a completely different mayor voiced by Jim Cummings, and the narrator being voiced by the late Ernie Anderson instead of Tom Kenny.

#8: Foreign names

Geez girls, pick a name!

We all know the girls as Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup in the USA, but the girls have different names in other countries. For example: In latin America they're called Bubble, Chocolate and Acorn. In Italy they went by Dolly, Lolly, and Molly. And in Poland, they were referred to as Bojka, Bajka, and Brawurka.

#7: Mojo Jojo came from a Japanese show (kind of)

Mojo's a supervillain and a plagiarist! That's never a good combo!

The inspiration for Mojo Jojo came from not one, but two obscure Tokusatus. Character wise, he was based-off the antagonist for Spectreman, Dr. Gori. In addition, his helmet was based off that of Kageo Sugata, the protagonist of The Kagestar.

#6: It was almost something else

A change in plans didn't stop good ole CN from having it's Lucha cartoon!

Before Whoopass Stew, Craig originally intended to make a short starring a crime fighting luchador wrestler. This concept was changed when he drew a birthday card for his brother, which featured three cute, Margaret Keane-inspired girls.

#5: It was originally pitched to Nickelodeon

Much like Adventure Time, this show was almost a Nicktoon!

Before it became one of Cartoon Network's most iconic shows, The Powerpuff Girls was pitched to rival network Nickelodeon. It was turned down because it didn't fit the direction Nick was heading for with their cartoons.

#4: See Me, Feel Me, Ban Me

What do these atheists have against Jesus?!

There were several theories as to why the episode See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey was banned in the US. Some believed it was because of the flashing lights in some scenes, while others thought it had a capitalism vs communism message, while others still believed the cult theme was to blame. According to Craig McCracken, the episode was banned because of an assumed Christian allegory due to a scene with a random person who looks like the classic interpretation of Jesus.

#3: The Rowdy Ruff Boys were originally one shots

Some villains are just too good to throw away, just ask Zetton!

The evil counterparts to the girls known as the Rowdy Ruff Boys were originally only gonna show up in their debut episode, which ended with them exploding. However, they were very popular with the fanbase and as such they eventually started making regular appearances starting in season 5.

#2: The creator's leave of absence

He went on to bigger, better things!

Series creator Craig McCracken left the show after its fourth season concluded and would later on create shows like Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Wander Over Yonder, and Kid Cosmic. For the last 2 seasons Craig left future Loud House creator Chris Savino in charge of the show, which ended when they both agreed that it ran its course during season 6. On a side note, it was when he was working on this show that he'd find his wife, future My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic creator Lauren Faust.

#1: It was the first (and for a while last) Cartoon Network show to get a theatrical movie

It's a crying shame this never caught on!

Back during its heyday, this show was a big enough cultural phenomenon to rival the likes of SpongeBob and Mario. As such, it wound up being the first Cartoon Network to get a theatrical movie. Unfortunately, the movie proved to be a financial failure despite glowing reviews and future CN movies like Ed Edd N Eddy's Big Picture Show and Billy & Mandy's Big Boogie Adventure would be released straight to Television. It wasn't until 2018 when CN would try theatrical releases again with Teen Titans Go! Go the Movies.

You know what they say, cute and violence go hand in hand. If you can think of any facts I may've missed or believe I screwed something up, there's a comment section at the bottom. Thanks for reading and have a glass of Chemical X, on me!

Sources

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

10 Absorbent facts about SpongeBob SquarePants

The Krusty Krab's star chef is full of surprises. From unused designs to hidden meanings with certain gags, here are 10 interesting about Nickelodeon's literal golden boy.

#10: The show was originally gonna end at season 3

It's still the perfect end to SpongeBob's golden age!

Series creator Stephen Hillenberg originally wanted to the series to end after season 3 with the movie. However, because the show was such a huge success, Nickelodeon decided to keep it running for much longer and as of this writing it has over 200 episodes and 3 movies.

#9: SpongeBob almost looked like a real sea sponge

Imagine if they had this guy serving up Krabby Patties.

Early concept art for the show had SpongeBob looking like a real sea sponge, but this was changed to his familiar kitchen sponge shape to make animating him easier. Additionally, he was originally gonna be called SpongeBoy, but this was changed because that name was already trademarked. Finally, a similar character called Bob the Sponge appeared in The Intertidal Zone, an educational sea life book Stephen Hillenberg made years before he made SpongeBob.

#8: Doug Lawrence auditioned to voice SpongeBob

Plankton was almost the protagonist! Think about that for a second!

Before he became the voice of the show's main antagonist, Doug Lawrence auditioned to play the main star, using the same voice he would use to voice Plankton. This take on the character was most likely rejected due to sounding too old and menacing for SpongeBob's appearance.

#7: What happens behind closed doors stays behind closed doors

That's the face I made when I saw these pictures!

For years there was a lost SpongeBob book called "Behind Closed Doors" which is a collection of crude SpongeBob drawings that the storyboard artists made during productions. These drawings include SpongeBob and Patrick doing it and Mr. Krabs doing a massive number 2.

#6: A real-world species was named after SpongeBob

You know a cartoon character is iconic when they have a real species named after them!

In 2011, scientists found a never before seen type of fungus in Malaysa. They called this fungus Spongiforma squarepantsii because it resembled a sponge.

#5: Bikini Bottom's hidden backstory

That would explain all the reasonless explosions.

The city of Bikini Bottom was named after the real world location of Bikini Atoll. For those not in the know, Bikini Atoll is most known for being the site of multiple nuclear bomb tests in the 40s and 50s.

#4: The second episode didn't have audio problems

If anyone asks, Mr. Krabs was in charge of looking after the money!

For years, it was thought that the shows second episode, Reef Blower, didn't have voice acting because of faulty recording equipment. This was disproven by storyboard artist Jay Lender in an X/Twitter post, where he said that the episode was silent because it was separate from the pilot episode and SAG rules mandated paying the actors a second set of session fees. That was around $2500 bucks total and the episode aired way before SpongeBob became one of the biggest names in Television.

#3: The crew had sailor mouths

Behold! The episode that essentially gave birth to SpongeBob edited videos!

According to Tom Kenny, the cast actually did swear while recording lines for the episode Sailor Mouth. Originally they wanted to use fake swear words, but actually coming up with some was too difficult so they decided to have real swear words censored by various nautical noises. Additionally, he also said that the inspiration for SpongeBob's voice came from an angry elf that Tom heard cursing up a storm.

#2: Spike TV wanted an adult version

Thank god SpongeBob's Adult Party never saw the light of day!

At one point Spike TV approached Stephen Hillenberg to product an adult version of the show. This version would've had SpongeBob and Patrick be a gay couple and most likely would've had tasteless jokes, similarly to Ren and Stimpy's Adult Party Cartoon. Fortunately, Hillenberg turned down this idea.

#1: Stephen Hillenberg is in every episode (sort of)

RIP Stephen Hillenberg. You will be missed.

We all remember the classic SpongeBob opening, with the painting of a pirate who tells us to get ready. Well, according to the directors commentary on the Truth or Square DVD, the sycnro-voxed lips of the paint belongs to the show's creator, Stephen Hillenberg.

Just like the real world's oceans, the world of Bikini Bottom never stops being interesting. If you know some things I didn't or believe I screwed something up, please leave some comments down below. Thanks for reading and long live the sponge!