In the mid-80s, the people who brought us cartoons like G.I. Joe and Transformers asked themselves an important question: Why don't we try selling toys to girls? And sell they did via the magic of Jem: a truly outrageous animated series about a glam-rocking girl group at odds with their bitter rivals, The Misfits. While the series burned fast and bright—and failed to make waves with a revival 30 years later—Jem lives on in our hearts as one of the most delightfully '80s creations ever made (that also happens to be anime). This month, bust out the mascara and fright wigs and get ready to take a trip to the totally radical Reagan era as we look at one of this series' most twisted episodes.

Our guest: Dan McCoy from The Flop House podcast

Support this podcast and get over 200 ad-free bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod, not to mention Bluesky and Instagram!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10 Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1959's Sleeping Beauty! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

The Talking Simpsons Network is taking a week off for the holiday season, so to fill the content gap, we've decided to post an episode of our Patreon-exclusive Talking Futurama podcast miniseries! If you like this episode and want to hear the rest (with more to come every month), head over to Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and sign up at the $5 level. Once you do, you'll have immediate access to all of our limited miniseries, covering animated shows like King of the Hill, Mission Hill, The Critic, and Batman: The Animated Series. (That's over 200 bonus episodes to date!) So visit Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and sign up today!

This episode was originally posted on December 8, 2024.

Happy New Year! In case you didn't know, every month we release the premium podcast, What A Cartoon Movie. And, as we take a week off to rest and recharge, we're giving all of our listeners a chance to hear a free sample of this Patreon-exclusive series. So please, enjoy our ultra-long look at Toy Story! And if you'd like to hear 85 more episodes of What A Cartoon Movie—with a new one to come every month—simply head on over to the Talking Simpsons Network and sign up at the $10 level. If you enjoy hearing us talk about cartoons, you'll be glad you did!

This episode was originally posted on November 30, 2019.

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10 Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1988's My Neighbor Totoro! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10 Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1988's Christmas at Pee-Wee's Playhouse! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

Rats off to ya, What A Cartoon listeners! This month, we're returning to picturesque Jefferton to discuss an Adult Swim holiday classic that's filled our cups with yuletide brine for more than two decades. It's been over six years since we last checked in on Tom Goes to the Mayor, and this Christmas season is the perfect opportunity to look into yet another misguided entrepreneurial effort from the one and only Tom Peters. So put on your decorative wristlets and blast your favorite ZaZu album as we explore this yuletide tale of capitalism run amok.

Support this podcast and get over 200 ad-free bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod, not to mention Bluesky and Instagram!

In 1990, Fox aired a pilot that then went unseen for over 26 years. Its name? Hollywood Dog. And while it isn't very good, this live-action/animation hybrid—developed at the same time as The Simpsons—features some truly ambitious special effects for a network that had barely gotten off of the ground. We could only rely on fuzzy memories for the nearly three decades Hollywood Dog remained unavailable, but thankfully, some kind maniac discovered a clean copy, and it's currently available for all to see on Youtube. Now, three entirely different maniacs can discuss it on this very podcast!

This week on What A Cartoon, join us and special guest Drew Mackie (of Gayest Episode Ever) as we gaze in terror at Hollywood Dog: the Poochie-fied character who threatened to kick off the '90s, but instead kicked the bucket and faded into obscurity.

Support this podcast and get over 200 full-length bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow us at @TalkSimpsonsPod on Bluesky!