Ep 16. Hurray For Slappy/Chalkboard Bungle/The Great Wakkorotti: The Master & His Music

Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs is an Emmy-winning animated comedy series that aired on Fox Kids from 1993 to 1995. The show features a group of zany characters known as the Warner siblings, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, who reside in the Warner Bros. water tower and cause havoc in the studio lot. In addition to the Warners, other beloved characters include Pinky and the Brain, Slappy Squirrel, and Rita and Runt.

Season 1, Episode 16 of Animaniacs is titled "Hurray For Slappy/Chalkboard Bungle/The Great Wakkorotti: The Master & His Music," and it originally aired on December 6, 1993. The episode features three separate segments, each starring a different member of the Animaniacs ensemble.

The first segment, "Hurray For Slappy," focuses on Slappy Squirrel, a retired cartoon star from the 1940s who enjoys taking jabs at modern pop culture and occasionally breaking the fourth wall. In this episode, Slappy is called upon by studio executives to mentor a young squirrel named Skippy, who dreams of becoming a cartoon star himself. However, the optimistic Skippy is unprepared for the harsh realities of the animation industry, and Slappy must teach him some tough lessons about rejection and perseverance.

The second segment, "Chalkboard Bungle," revolves around an ongoing gag in which the Animaniacs characters use a chalkboard to sneak in literary and pop cultural references while the audience is distracted. In this episode, Yakko and Wakko try to one-up each other with increasingly obscure references while Dot tries to keep up. However, their competition gets out of hand and threatens to send the show off the rails.

The third and final segment, "The Great Wakkorotti: The Master & His Music," is a musical extravaganza starring Wakko as a virtuoso pianist and conductor. Wakko's performances are both classic and comical, and in this episode, he conducts a medley of cartoon standards, including "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" (the Looney Tunes theme) and a tongue-twisting rendition of Gilbert and Sullivan's "I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major-General." Along the way, the other Animaniacs characters make several appearances, including Slappy Squirrel, who shows off some impressive drumming skills.

Overall, "Hurray For Slappy/Chalkboard Bungle/The Great Wakkorotti: The Master & His Music" is a hilarious and exuberant episode of Animaniacs that showcases the series' signature blend of slapstick, satire, and musical numbers. Fans of the show will enjoy seeing their favorite characters in action, while newcomers will be introduced to the anarchic and irreverent world of Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs.