For many the 1990s were the Age of Irony, with hipster cultural touchstones like Spy magazine and the TV show “Strangers With Candy” helping make snark the preferred flavor of the day. “The Simpsons” was also a big player in that area, yet arguably no cartoon series before had been quite so postmodern as “The Ren & Stimpy Show,” which premiered a couple years after it in 1991. While Matt Groening’s creation still chugs on decades later, way past its pop-phenomenon peak yet remaining a valuable Fox commodity, John Kricfalusi’s was short-lived — and his own control of it even shorter.
“Happy Happy Joy Joy” is both an homage to an inspired endeavor and a cautionary tale illustrating how even the greatest popular success can be brought down by unchecked ego, perfectionism and “artistic temperament” at the top. Feature debutants Ron Cicero and Kimo Easterwood’s documentary is a very...
“Happy Happy Joy Joy” is both an homage to an inspired endeavor and a cautionary tale illustrating how even the greatest popular success can be brought down by unchecked ego, perfectionism and “artistic temperament” at the top. Feature debutants Ron Cicero and Kimo Easterwood’s documentary is a very...
- 2/4/2020
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Don’t be fooled by the title: “Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story” may be the story of “Ren & Stimpy,” but it’s not a happy, happy story documentary, nor does it evoke joy or joy.
Ron Cicero and Kimo Easterwood’s film about the smash hit Nickelodeon animated series and its many artists, and series creator John Kricfalusi in particular, features interesting behind-the-scenes stories but pads the running time with redundancies. Worse, it never adequately engages with the most horrifying elements of this tale.
To watch cartoons in the early 1990s was to watch “Ren & Stimpy,” a trailblazing series about an emotionally abusive chihuahua named Ren, a good-natured doormat of a cat named Stimpy, and their gross, non-sensical, censorship-defying adventures. “Ren & Stimpy” was a critical and commercial success, crass in its subject matter but beautiful in its execution. It smashed expectations of TV animation,...
Ron Cicero and Kimo Easterwood’s film about the smash hit Nickelodeon animated series and its many artists, and series creator John Kricfalusi in particular, features interesting behind-the-scenes stories but pads the running time with redundancies. Worse, it never adequately engages with the most horrifying elements of this tale.
To watch cartoons in the early 1990s was to watch “Ren & Stimpy,” a trailblazing series about an emotionally abusive chihuahua named Ren, a good-natured doormat of a cat named Stimpy, and their gross, non-sensical, censorship-defying adventures. “Ren & Stimpy” was a critical and commercial success, crass in its subject matter but beautiful in its execution. It smashed expectations of TV animation,...
- 1/24/2020
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
John Kricfalusi, the creator of “The Ren & Stimpy Show,” has penned a lengthy statement on Facebook apologizing to two women whom he pursued sexually when they were underage girls and attributing his behavior to undiagnosed bipolar disorder and poor impulse control.
Kricfalusi, 62, was the subject of a BuzzFeed expose in March, in which the two women told how he had flattered them and pursued them while they were still in high school. Kricfalusi, better known as John K., had a sexual relationship with one of the women, Robyn Byrd, beginning when she was 16 and he was 41. The other, Katie Rice, said that Kricfalusi masturbated while on the phone with her when she was in 10th grade and sexually harassed her for years afterward.
On Facebook, Kricfalusi said he drafted his response around the time the article was first published, but was advised not to post it. He said he...
Kricfalusi, 62, was the subject of a BuzzFeed expose in March, in which the two women told how he had flattered them and pursued them while they were still in high school. Kricfalusi, better known as John K., had a sexual relationship with one of the women, Robyn Byrd, beginning when she was 16 and he was 41. The other, Katie Rice, said that Kricfalusi masturbated while on the phone with her when she was in 10th grade and sexually harassed her for years afterward.
On Facebook, Kricfalusi said he drafted his response around the time the article was first published, but was advised not to post it. He said he...
- 5/14/2018
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
Creator of the popular Nickelodeon cartoon The Ren & Stimpy Show, John Kricfalusi, has been accused by two women for making sexual advances towards them when they were still teenagers. Robyn Byrd told Buzzfeed that she was only 13-years-old when he started making sexual advances towards her. It started when she sent him a fan video about her dream to […]
Source: uInterview
The post ‘Ren & Stimpy’ Creator John Kricfalusi Accused Of Sexually Abusing Underage Girls appeared first on uInterview.
Source: uInterview
The post ‘Ren & Stimpy’ Creator John Kricfalusi Accused Of Sexually Abusing Underage Girls appeared first on uInterview.
- 3/30/2018
- by Tatyana Samonte Escano
- Uinterview
Two women say the creator of the Nickelodeon animated series The Ren & Stimpy Show preyed upon them when they were teenagers, cultivating relationships with them via AOL, engaging in sexually explicit conversations and, in the case of one, having a physical sexual relationship with her while she was still a minor.
The events took place years ago, however the women said the #MeToo movement and heightened awareness of sexual misconduct emboldened them to come forward to talk with BuzzFeed News about John Kricfalusi, who was fired from Nickelodeon in 1992, but remains a prominent figure in animation circles.
Nickelodeon declined comment, noting the alleged events, which began unfolding in 1994, took place after Kricfalusi left the network. The Paramount Network, which ran a reboot of the animated series, told BuzzFeed it has never received reports of sexual harassment against him. Similarly, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim said they were unaware of any sexual harassment claims.
The events took place years ago, however the women said the #MeToo movement and heightened awareness of sexual misconduct emboldened them to come forward to talk with BuzzFeed News about John Kricfalusi, who was fired from Nickelodeon in 1992, but remains a prominent figure in animation circles.
Nickelodeon declined comment, noting the alleged events, which began unfolding in 1994, took place after Kricfalusi left the network. The Paramount Network, which ran a reboot of the animated series, told BuzzFeed it has never received reports of sexual harassment against him. Similarly, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim said they were unaware of any sexual harassment claims.
- 3/30/2018
- by Dawn C. Chmielewski
- Deadline Film + TV
Animatior John Kricfalusi, best known as the creator of Nickelodeon’s “The Ren & Stimpy Show,” has been accused of sexual misconduct by former aspiring animators Robyn Byrd and Katie Rice. The two women shared their stories about Kricfalusi’s alleged behavior in an interview with BuzzFeed News. Both Byrd and Rice were fans of “Ren & Stimpy” as young girls and hoped to have a career in animation, and they accuse Kricfalusi of preying on them starting when they were 13 and 14 years old, respectively.
Byrd sent a video to the “Ren & Stimpy” creator in 1994 when she was 13 years old hoping her love of animation would get the attention of Nickelodeon and Kricfalusi. The creator ended up sending her a letter acknowledging the video and her talent, and he soon followed by sending boxes to her of toys and art supplies. Kricfalusi was 39 years old at the time. He helped Byrd set up a AOL account,...
Byrd sent a video to the “Ren & Stimpy” creator in 1994 when she was 13 years old hoping her love of animation would get the attention of Nickelodeon and Kricfalusi. The creator ended up sending her a letter acknowledging the video and her talent, and he soon followed by sending boxes to her of toys and art supplies. Kricfalusi was 39 years old at the time. He helped Byrd set up a AOL account,...
- 3/29/2018
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
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