cartoon crazy
some adults find their interest in 'toons increases as they get older
ricycles, stuffed animals,
Silly Putty and
cartoons. Kid stuff,
left behind upon
entering the adult
world. Well, almost.
Cartoons continue to
hold the attention of
both young and old.
They have mathtub
"I've been watching
cartoons as long as I can remember," said Steven Kirk, Lebo freshman. "My first favorites were 'The Flintstones' and 'The Jetsons."
Now Kirk watches both new and old animated characters. "I really liked Liquid TV on MTV but it hasn't been on for awhile," Kirk said. "I watch 'Ren and Stimpy' sometimes, but the all-time classics have to be Looney Tunes and the Charlie Brown specials."
Kirk said he has continued to watch the animated shows which hold his attention. "It has to be original and off the wall," he said. "The Simpsons' were pretty good for a while, when they were new, but they came and went."
No one knows the exact trends that animated characters will follow, how long they will be popular in the marketplace, or why they are so appealing to college students.
"Right now sales of T-shirts and other merchandise run pretty much across the board," said Greg Guenther, owner of The Palace, Eighth and Massachusetts streets. "We've gotten a lot of requests for 'Beavis and Butthead' from college students."
Guenther said most college students like cartoon characters because they are different. "They're obnoxious, too," he said, laughing.
"Anything new piques the curiosity of the public," Guenther said. "Trends come and go because of the market. When something new comes out it's popular. When everybody's got it the market gets saturated and the edge wears off."
Guenther said that Simpsons products were popular for about a year before popularity dwindled. Sales of Ren and Stimpy stuffed animals have remained steady. Despite a fickle public, Guenther said some products remain reliable sellers.
"Among college students Looney Tunes, Bugs Bunny, that sort of thing, has stayed popular." Guenther said.
Mickey Mouse also continues to be an old favorite. "Our most popular Mickey item is a line of gift wrap," Guenther said.
Robin Schillaci, Chicago senior, first became interested in animation when she saw "Alice in Wonderland" as a child.
"I like Disney movies because of the realism that Disney tries to achieve," she said. "The movies are a work of art; the drawings are so well done and the characters are amazing."
Like Kirk, Schollci includes newer cartoons in her viewing library. "Like 'Ren and Stimpy' because they have stills," Schollci said. "They focus on something gross for a period of time, like there might be a still of throw up, but it's done in watercolor."
- Schillact is not as impressed with the quality of animation on "Beavish and Butthead," but has watched the show anyway. "It's humor people can relate to," she said. "They're gross and they say whatever they want."
Schillaci said the monotony of a
show quickly makes it wear thin. "Beavis and Butthead" first came out on 'Liquid TV' and I thought it was hysterical," she said. "When it became something regular on MTV there were only about three shows and they played it everyday. Now there are more so I guess they're trying to keep up with the demand."
Copyrighted characters are not the only popular cartoons among diehard animation fans. Liberty Hall, 642 Massachusetts St., sometimes showcases animation festivals. The purpose is to feature several animated short films, put together to make one movie.
"Most of the films are
Most of the times,long,"said Liberty Hall employee Tim Griffith. "One of the more popular trends is computer animation,probably because it's easier to make.Drawing something frame by frame takes a lot of time."
Griffith said a film must be funny in order to hold the audience's attention. "Once it's out on video it's not as popular." he said.
The last full-length animated feature shown at Liberty Hall was "Fantasia." It received only a fair response, Griffith said, mainly because it had already hit the video market.
For fans like Schillaci, interest in cartoon characters never goes away. "I'm more into it now than I was as a child," she said. "I've bought two stills from Disney films and two of "The Simpsons."
Schillack said she plans to continue adding to her animation library.
Characters copyright Warner Bros. Inc.
story bY jL watson
---
Renaissance Festival lends thespian stage for his art.
By Sara Bennett
Kansanstaff writer
James Hilburn spends his weekends these days wandering about in tights and wearing a diaper in a human chess match. Hilburn might be arrested for such behavior on the streets of Lawrence. But at the Renaissance Festival, he fits right in.
Hilburn, an Overland Park junior, is a member of the New Renaissance Festival Acting Company, a troupe of 16 performers who travel throughout the festival doing scenes by Shakespeare. The company also presents a murder mystery, a human chess match in which Hilburn plays the Greek wrestler Hepatitis, and a mechanical show where he plays a lion.
Founded in 1977 as a benefit for the Kansas City Art Institute, the Renaissance Festival, 628 N. 128th St. in Bonner Springs, uses over 450 performers and artisans to recreate a 17th century English village complete with jousters, wandering troubadours and a king and queen. The festival runs every weekend through Oct. 17. Admission is $10.75 for adults and $9.75 for students.
"it's kind of like a big dead-head festival," he said, referring to a underground culture inspired by the rock group The Grateful Dead. "It's cammy and you get to dress up."
Hilburn said he enjoys the festival's atmosphere.
"We wanted to create a historically accurate traveling theater group," she said. "At that time, actors went from village to village."
Holly McQueen / KANSAN
Robin Mesh, assistant entertainment director for the festival said the New Renaissance Festival Acting Company was created this year to steal patrons a taste of Renaissance theater.
James Hilburn, Overland ParkJunior, portrays a lion in the Royal Court Feast at the Renaissance Festival in Bonner Springs.
Hilburn, who had a small role in lastyear'sfestival, auditioned for the new acting troupe because he is an avid Shakespeare fan. He recently transferred to KU from the University of Missouri at Kansas City where he studied Shakespearean drama.
"I love Shakespeare," he said. "I used to sit around with my friends, grab a play and go through it to have a little fun on a Friday night because we were broke."
ence. He spent three years with the now defunct Laughing Stock improvisational comedy group in Kansas City, and is part of the fledgling Super Chums comedy troupe, which will have its first performance at the Renegade Theater, 518 East Eighth St., in November.
Hilburn also has extensive theater experi-
Mesh said Hilburn's physical and vocal energy helped to cast him in the acting company.
"He's very dynamic," she said. "His vocal quality draws attention. He's a very good comedic actor as well."
while not performing in the murder mystery or chess match, Hilburn and the his fellow thespians performed throughout the festival, relating with each other and with the patrons. So they had to invent impromptu acts, or "shticks" as Hilburn calls them. He said a slap fight he does with former KU student Eric Davis is a favorite with children.
Once cast in the company, Hilburn went to English dialect class, bought a pair of tights and puffy pants and dove into his roles.
"We'd just finished the chess match and I was pushing the prop cart," he explained. "These kids saw some swords and wanted us to have a sword fight with them. They had these little wooden swords, so we did the slap fight for them. They were like, 'That is so cool' and they went away practicing it."
Although he is majoring in communications rather than theater, Hilburn said performing at the Renaissance Festival has him thinking of continuing acting.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
"I'm tossing around the idea of doing it for a career," he said. "I love acting. I keep coming back to it."
But would he consent to wearing tights again? "The tights aren't that bad once you get used to them," he said.
People and places at the University of Kansas..
calendar
NIGHTLIFE
Benchwarmers Sports Bar & Grill 1601 W. 23rd St.
2004 W. 23rd St.
Bang Prophets, formerly Lost Bets, 9 p.m.
Thursday
Baghdad Jones, 9 p.m. Friday
Mango Jam, 9 p.m. Saturday
The Crossing
12th and Oread
Which Doctors, 9 p.m. Friday
Deb Girnius, 9 p.m. Saturday
Dos Hombres
Dos Hommes
815 New Hampshire St.
Eight Men Out, 9 p.m. Friday
The Jazzhaus
926 1/2 Massachusetts St.
Sun Sawed In Half, 9:30 p.m. Thursday
Ida McBeth, 9:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday
Rick's Neighborhood Bar & Grill 623 Vermont St. Lonesome Hobos, 9:30 p.m. Saturday
Free State Brewing Co.
Free State Brewing Co.
636 Massachusetts St.
Free State Jazz Quartet, 7 to 9 p.m. Friday
The Bottleneck
737 New Hampshire
Crap Supper with Truck Stop Love, 10 p.m.
Thursday
Iain Matthews, 7 p.m. Friday, Killer Bees, 10
p.m.
Soul Hat with L.A. Ramblers, 10 p.m. Saturday
Hockenbury's Tavern
1016 Massachusetts St.
New Riddim, 10 p.m. Thursday, $3
Bo Diddley, 7, 10 p.m. Friday, $14
Lonesome Hound Dogs, 10 p.m. Saturday, $4
Acoustic open mic, 10 p.m. Sunday, no cover
MOVIES
Cinema Twin
31st and low streets
31st and lowe streets
Made In America (PG-13), 7:20, 9:30 p.m.
Thursday
Dennis The Menace (PG), 5, 7:30, 9:30 p.m.
Thursday
What's Love Got To Do With It (R), 5, 7:20,
9:40 p.m. Thursday
Hilicrost Theater
Ninth and Iowa streets Heart and Souls (PG-13), 5:15, 7:15, 9:30 p.m. Thursday In the Line of Fire (R), 5, 7:20 and 9:40 p.m. Thursday
See CALENDAR. Page 8.