Campaign 2020: Cartoon Characters who Ran for President, parts 3 and 4

We're back, presenting more cartoon characters who ran  for president as an alternate to the current candidates.  This week we have a rodent and a duck.  America is certainly a land of opportunity...

Part Three:  Alvin for President!

Alvin, lead singer for the Chipmunks, ran for president in 1960, beating Kanye West to the punch by sixty years.  According to NEWSWEEK, when candidate John F. Kennedy heard that Alvin had entered the race, he commented, "I'm glad to know I have at least one worthy opponent."

Alvin started his campaign with a campaign song 'Alvin for President" released as a single by Liberty Records.  It was the last Chipmunk single to hit the Billboard top 100.  Alvin followed this up with a comic book and a performance of his campaign song on "The Alvin Show."   Despite Alvin's popularity he was no match for John F., who beat out Alvin, Nixon and Huckleberry Hound (see our previous post for details on Huck's campaign).

Take a listen to Alvin for President:

Part Four:  Daffy Duck for President!

In 1997, the Looney Tunes characters began appearing on US postage stamps.   Daffy Duck decided this would be the perfect year to run for president since, after all, he is already on a stamp.   Chuck Jones contributed to Daffy's campaign with the book "Daffy Duck for President," a children's book that explains the three branches of government. Unfortunately Daffy failed to realize that 1997 was not an election year, so it was all a wasted effort.

Seven years later, Daffy realized that 2004 is divisible by four and that this could be his year.   He produced a film based on his campaign book from 1997, Daffy Duck For President.   The film received minimal play time but must have done some good - He was elected senator.  George Bush took the presidency that year.  Take a look at "Daffy Duck for President."

BONUS:   Here's Alvin's campaign song as performed on The Alvin Show.   Not the best video, but included for archival purposes.

Another presidential option

Hmmm...   It looks like we have another presidential candidate who is not well-read on the US Constitution.  Check out the cartoon below:

Saturday Morning Cartoon: A Fractured Leghorn

Foghorn Leghorn is one of those cartoon characters that some people love, and some people hate.  I fall in the middle.  Some of his early cartoons are among the best cartoons Warner Bros ever made...   in fact his first one was nominated for an academy award.  On the other end of the spectrum, some of his later cartoons are among the worst ever made.   Check out Mother was a Rooster, The Slick Chick or Strangled Eggs to see the worst.  Look for Walky Talky Hawky or The Leghorn Blows at Midnight to see the best.   You'll notice I didn't create links for the worst; you'll have to find them yourselves.  I won't take blame for that.

A little history about Foghorn Leghorn might be appropriate here.  He started out as a supporting character to Henery Hawk, a character who had already debuted in a cartoon directed by Chuck Jones.   Foghorn debuted in Walky Talky Hawky and literally stole the show from Henery.   The cartoon earned an Academy Award nomination for director Robert McKimson, and a new cartoon series was born.  Twenty eight Foghorn cartoons were made, all directed by McKimson.

Most people think that Foghorn Leghorn was patterned after Senator Claghorn, a character that lived on Allen's Alley on the Fred Allen radio show.  In fact, in his early days he was patterned after a sheriff character that appeared on a 1930's radio show called Blue Monday Jamboree.   However, as the character developed, he began to sound more like Senator Claghorn, picking up many of his catchphrases ("That's a joke, son!" is among the most obvious)

The interesting thing about Foghorn is that, although it may seem like his cartoons are all the same, the writers and directors actually tried to create some variety in the series.  They created several characters to inhabit the Foghorn universe, and each cartoon may differ depending on the supporting cast.  Henery Hawk, the weasel, Miss Prissy, Little Egghead, and Barnyard Dog were among the regulars.  Sylvester and Daffy Duck also made appearances in the series.   This is in contrast to Pepe Le Pew, Hippity Hopper or the Roadrunner, in which every cartoon had the same basic plotline.

The cartoon I'm posting below is Foghorn's fifth cartoon, A Fractured Leghorn, from 1950..   It's a bit different than most of the others, and was rarely seen on television.  No Barnyard Dog, no Henery Hawk in this one.  Enjoy!