| Michigan Jackson Frog | |
|---|---|
| Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies character | |
 | |
| First appearance | One Froggy Evening (December 31, 1955; 69 years ago (1955-12-31)) |
| Created by | Chuck Jones |
| Voiced by |
|
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Michigan Jackson Frog |
| Species | Frog |
| Gender | Male |
| Nationality | American |
Michigan Jackson[1] Frog is ananimated cartoon character from theWarner Bros.'Merrie Melodies film series. Originally a one-shot character, his only appearance during the original run of theMerrie Melodies series was as the star of theOne Froggy Evening short film (December 31, 1955), written byMichael Maltese and directed byChuck Jones.[2] In this cartoon, partly inspired by a 1944Cary Grant film entitledOnce Upon a Time, Michigan is a malefrog who wears atop hat; carries a cane; and singspop music,ragtime,Tin Pan Alley hits, and other songs from the late 19th and early 20th centuries while dancing and performingacrobatics in the style of early 20th centuryvaudeville. Michigan is discovered inside a metal box sealed within the cornerstone of a recently demolished building by a hapless construction worker. He appears as an ordinary frog with a disinterested facial expression until he takes out his top hat and cane and happily demonstrates his talents. The man plans to profit off Michigan but catches on too late that the frog performs exclusively for whomever possesses his box, and changes back into an ordinary frog the second anyone else sees him, thus thwarting the man's dreams of wealth.
He appeared in a later cartoon titledAnother Froggy Evening, which was released on October 6, 1995, and was the former mascot ofThe WB from that year until July 22, 2005. On September 17, 2006, afterThe Night of Favorites and Farewells, he was shown as the final image of a white silhouette bowing down to viewers, bringing upThe CW.
The character may be loosely based onOl' Rip the Horned Toad.[3]
The frog's earliest name was "Enrico", as given inThe Bugs Bunny Show (1960).[4] The character's later, enduring name comes from the song "The Michigan Rag" (an original song written by Jones, Maltese, and musical directorMilt Franklyn), which he sings in the cartoon. In a clip from a DVD special, Jones stated that he had come up with the name "Michigan Frog" during the 1970s and was inspired to add the "J." as a middle initial while being interviewed by the writerJay Cocks.[5]
TheLooney Tunes Golden Collection DVD credits Frog's original singing vocals to Bill Roberts, a nightclub entertainer in Los Angeles in the 1950s who had also done voice work for the 1948 MGM cartoonLittle 'Tinker. (Roberts went uncredited at the time, as were most voice actors at the Warner Bros. studio who were notMel Blanc, since only Blanc had a clause in his contract ensuring he would get on-screen credit.) InAnother Froggy Evening, his voice was provided byJeff McCarthy. In the cartoonFrom Hare to Eternity,Yosemite Sam digs up a treasure chest filled with carrots on adesert island; he also digs up Michigan J. Frog in his box who begins singing. However, Sam immediately shuts the box and tosses it away yelling, "Not in my picture!" Then, pokes his head out saying, "I hate frogs."
Michigan J. Frog made a cameo appearance in theNew Looney Tunes episode "Misjudgment Day", voiced byJeff Bergman. He appears at the end of the episode (including a futuristic version of the first three lines of "Hello! Ma Baby", which can also be heard in the background as Michigan croaks) as the one who sent one of his futuristic robots to destroyBugs Bunny, and he later appeared in the show's second season intro.
A frog resembling Michigan appeared in the beginning of the 1988 Disney/Amblin filmWho Framed Roger Rabbit at Maroon Cartoon Studios. The character also appears on the cover illustration (drawn by Chuck Jones) of singer-songwriterLeon Redbone's 1975 albumOn the Track.
Michigan makes his return in theTeen Titans Go! episode "Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary", voiced byFred Tatasciore. He serves as the main antagonist, destroying the Warner Bros. studio and eliminating the majority of the studio's other characters as revenge for the Titans not inviting him to the studio's 100th anniversary party.
Michigan J. Frog, again voiced by McCarthy, was the officialmascot ofThe WB from its inception in 1995 until 2005. The network's first night of programming on January 11, 1995, began withBugs Bunny andDaffy Duck wondering which one of them would pull the switch to launch The WB. The camera then panned over toChuck Jones drawing Michigan on an easel; when Jones finished, Michigan leaped from the drawing to formally launch The WB and lands on Chuck's shoulder who then says "What's Up, Frog?"
Michigan also would usually appear before the opening of shows, informing the viewer of the TV rating. Before the beginning ofSavannah, for example, the frog would sing a short monologue suggesting that "there's more comedy for the family Wednesday nights" and that kids should go to bed, meaning that the show coming on would be for mature audiences only. In later shows likeBuffy the Vampire Slayer andAngel, the announcer would present a TV-PG disclaimer, though the frog still appeared as a neon sign.
On July 22, 2005, Michigan's "death" was announced by WB ChairmanGarth Ancier at a fall season preview with the terse statement "The frog is dead and buried." The head of programming for The WB, David Janollari, stated that "[Michigan] was a symbol that perpetuated the young teen feel of the network. That's not the image we [now] want to put out to our audience."[6]
While The WB's move towards a more adult-oriented content was Warner's stated reason for abandoning the character, a more common theory is Michigan's character was abandoned due to his connection to historicalminstrelsy, often featuring racist depictions of African-Americans throughblackface. On February 5, 2003, two years before Michigan's retirement, theChappelle's Show episode "Zapped & It's a Wonderful Chest" aired with a skit mocking the character's connections to blackface.
Various humorous obituaries for the mascot were published with details on Michigan's life and death. His dates were given as December 31, 1955 – July 22, 2005. Despite the announcement by Ancier, Michigan still appeared in severalKids' WB! promos and bumpers (for example, a cart version of himself), The WB's metonym ("The Frog") until 2006, and in some WB affiliate logos and in TV spots, such asKWBF inLittle Rock, Arkansas (whose early slogan was "The Frog"; the "F" in KWBF is supposedly for "frog"), during 2006, andWBRL-CA inBaton Rouge, Louisiana. Also,WMJF, which began as a small student-run television station atTowson University just outsideBaltimore, Maryland, still uses the same call letters (WMJF – Michigan J. Frog) from when the station was a WB affiliate. A neon likeness of Michigan J. Frog also adorns the facade of former WB affiliateWBNX-TV's studio complex inCuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
When The WB ceased broadcasting and signed off the air for the final time on September 17, 2006, a white silhouette of Michigan appeared at the end of a montage of stars that appeared on the network during its 11-year history. When the montage ended with "Thank You", Michigan's silhouette is shown removing his top hat and bowing to thank the audience for 11 years, bringing The WB to a close, and later bringingThe CW the following day, September 18, 2006.
The following includes all songs sung by Michigan in official Warner Bros. media.
