The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends |
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The show's modern title card, used on home video releases in the 21st century
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 163 (685 segments) (list of episodes) |
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| Executive producer(s) | Ponsonby Britt O.B.E. |
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| Running time | 23 minutes |
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| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | November 19, 1959 – July 10, 1961 |
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends (often called Rocky and Bullwinkle) is a classic American animated TV show. It first aired from November 19, 1959, to June 27, 1964, on the ABC and NBC networks. Jay Ward Productions created this show, which was like a variety show. Its main part featured the exciting adventures of two cartoon heroes: Rocket J. ("Rocky") Squirrel, a flying squirrel, and Bullwinkle J. Moose, a kind but not-so-smart moose.
The main bad guys in most of their adventures were two spies, Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale. They worked for an evil dictator named Fearless Leader. The show also had other fun segments. These included "Dudley Do-Right" (a funny take on old adventure stories), "Peabody's Improbable History" (about a smart dog and his boy traveling through time), and "Fractured Fairy Tales" (classic fairy tales told in a silly way).
The name The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends became popular for home video releases much later. When it first aired on TV, it had different names. It was called Rocky and His Friends on ABC from 1959 to 1961. Then it became The Bullwinkle Show on NBC from 1961 to 1964. Later, reruns were known as The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show or The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle.
Rocky and Bullwinkle is famous for its smart writing and witty humor. It used puns, jokes about culture and current events, and even made fun of itself. This made it enjoyable for both kids and adults. It was also one of the first cartoons to have its animation done by a studio in Mexico. The animation style was simple, but many people still love the series. Some critics even said it was like a great radio show with pictures.
The show aired at different times, including afternoons, evenings, and Saturday mornings. It inspired many other animated series, like The Simpsons. Some parts of the show were later used in Hoppity Hooper. There have been several movies based on the show's characters. These include the 2000 film The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and the 1999 live-action movie Dudley Do-Right. In 2014, an animated movie called Mr. Peabody & Sherman was released, based on the "Peabody's Improbable History" segment. A new animated series, The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show, started on Netflix in October 2015. Another new series, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, premiered on Amazon Prime Video on May 11, 2018. In 2013, TV Guide ranked Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show as the sixth-greatest TV cartoon ever.
Contents
Creating the Show
The idea for this cartoon came from Jay Ward and Alex Anderson. They had worked together before on another show called Crusader Rabbit. Their first idea for this new show was called The Frostbite Falls Revue. It was about forest animals running a TV station. This early idea included characters like Rocket J. Squirrel (Rocky) and Canadian Moose (Bullwinkle). Alex Anderson created this first version. Bullwinkle's name came from a car dealership in California called Bullwinkel Motors. Anderson simply changed the last two letters.
Jay Ward wanted to make the show in Los Angeles. However, Alex Anderson lived in a different area and didn't want to move. So, Ward hired Bill Scott to be the head writer and co-producer. Bill Scott wrote the Rocky and Bullwinkle stories. Other writers like Chris Hayward and Allan Burns also joined. Bill Scott once said that when Jay Ward asked him to write an adventure with a moose and a squirrel, he said "Sure!" even though he wasn't sure how he would do it.
Making the Cartoons
The show started with a pilot episode called Rocky the Flying Squirrel. Production began in February 1958. Voice actors like June Foray, Paul Frees, Bill Scott, and William Conrad were hired. Eight months later, a company called General Mills agreed to sponsor the show. They wanted it to air in the late afternoon, to reach children.
Ward then hired more staff, including writers and designers. But they didn't hire animators. Instead, the advertising agency for General Mills set up an animation studio in Mexico called Gamma Productions. Having the animation done outside the country saved money. However, it also caused many problems. Bill Scott explained that the Mexican studios worked very fast but often made mistakes. Characters' mustaches would disappear, Bullwinkle's antlers would change, and colors would be wrong. By the time they saw the finished cartoons, they were already on TV!
Ponsonby Britt was listed as the executive producer for The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, but this was a made-up name. In 1959, TV networks wanted producers to submit official biographies. Jay Ward and Bill Scott felt their own bios weren't impressive enough, so they invented "Ponsonby Britt." It was a fun way to deal with the network's request.
TV Broadcast History
The show first aired on November 19, 1959, on the ABC network. It was called Rocky and His Friends and was shown twice a week. It was a very popular daytime show. On September 24, 1961, the show moved to the NBC network and was broadcast in color. It was then called The Bullwinkle Show.
However, its ratings dropped because it aired at the same time as the popular show Lassie. NBC later moved the show to different time slots. NBC eventually canceled the show in the summer of 1964. Reruns of the episodes continued to air on ABC until 1973. After that, the series was shown in reruns on local TV stations.
A shorter, 15-minute version of the series, called The Rocky Show, also aired in reruns during the 1960s.
Reruns and Streaming
Reruns of the show aired on ABC from 1964 to 1973 and on NBC from 1981 to 1982. On cable TV, the series was shown for many years on Nickelodeon (1992–1996), Cartoon Network (1996–2003), and Boomerang (in the mid-2000s and again in 2013). More recently, the series has been available on streaming services. In 2024, it started airing on MeTV Toons under the title "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends".
The rights to the show have changed hands over the years. General Mills originally kept the TV rights in the United States. Later, companies like Universal Pictures and WildBrain held the rights. As of 2025, the rights reverted to the Jay Ward Estate.
Main Characters
The main heroes of the show are Rocket "Rocky" J. Squirrel and his best friend Bullwinkle J. Moose. Rocky is a brave flying squirrel, and Bullwinkle is a big, friendly moose who often says funny things. They live in a made-up town called Frostbite Falls, Minnesota.
The bad guys are the sneaky spies Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale. They are always trying to "catch Moose and Squirrel." Their boss is Fearless Leader, the dictator of a fictional country called Pottsylvania. Other characters include Gidney & Cloyd, who are little green men from the Moon with special "scrooch guns." There's also Captain Peter "Wrongway" Peachfuzz, a clumsy ship captain, and various government officials.
How the Show Works
When the show first aired on NBC, a Bullwinkle puppet, voiced by Bill Scott, sometimes introduced the cartoons. This puppet would make jokes about famous people and current events. Once, "Bullwinkle" even told kids to pull the tuning knobs off their TVs! The network received many complaints from parents, so the puppet segment was eventually removed. Bill Scott later used the puppet again for a segment called "Dear Bullwinkle," where he answered letters in a funny way.
Each episode had two Rocky and Bullwinkle mini-stories. These stories often ended on a cliffhanger, meaning they stopped at an exciting moment, making you want to watch the next episode. The plots of these mini-stories would connect to form longer adventures. For example, one long story was about finding a missing ingredient for rocket fuel. Rocky and Bullwinkle often ran into Boris and Natasha during these adventures. The characters always found themselves in silly situations, leading to even more silly events.
At the end of most episodes, the narrator, William Conrad, would announce two funny titles for the next episode. These titles were usually puns or wordplay. For example, during an adventure in the mountains, the narrator might say, "Be with us next time for 'Avalanche Is Better Than None,' or 'Snow's Your Old Man.'" The narrator often talked directly to the characters, which was a fun and unusual part of the show.
The episodes began with one of four different opening scenes:
- Rocky flies over snowy mountains. Bullwinkle, hiking below, gets distracted and rolls down a hill as a snowball. Rocky flies to stop him, and Bullwinkle pops out to save Rocky from falling off a cliff.
- In a circus, Rocky prepares to dive into a tub of water held by Bullwinkle. Rocky flies around the tent instead, while Bullwinkle chases him with the tub. Rocky lands safely, and Bullwinkle falls into the tub.
- Rocky flies around a city. Bullwinkle is painting high on a flagpole and gets knocked off. Rocky tries to catch him with a net, but Bullwinkle falls through. Rocky then finds his friend hanging from a clothesline in a pair of long johns.
- Again, Rocky flies around the city. Bullwinkle is putting up a sign on a billboard and falls off. He lands on a banner pole, bounces into the air, and then slides down an awning. He drops onto a bench where Rocky is sitting, launching Rocky into the air. Bullwinkle then casually catches Rocky in his hand.
Episodes ended with a short scene where a lightning storm seems to destroy everything, including Rocky and Bullwinkle. Then, the scene becomes cheerful, and Rocky and Bullwinkle sprout from the ground like sunflowers.
Other Fun Segments
Besides Rocky and Bullwinkle's main adventures, the show also featured other popular segments:
- "Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties" is a funny take on old adventure stories about heroes. Dudley Do-Right is a Canadian Mountie who always chases his enemy, Snidely Whiplash. Snidely wears a black top hat, cape, and a big mustache, like a classic villain. This segment often introduced characters with funny fake actor names.
- "Peabody's Improbable History" stars a super-smart talking dog named Mr. Peabody and his human boy, Sherman. Mr. Peabody invented a "WABAC machine" (pronounced "way-back"). They use it to travel through time and learn the true stories behind historical events. They often have to help famous historical figures make sure things happen as history recorded. These segments are known for ending with a silly pun.
- "Fractured Fairy Tales" retold well-known fairy tales and children's stories in a modern and funny way. Edward Everett Horton narrated this segment. For example, in their version of "Sleeping Beauty," the prince doesn't wake her up. Instead, he builds a theme park around her called "Sleeping Beautyland."
- "Aesop and Son" is similar to "Fractured Fairy Tales" but focuses on fables. Aesop tries to teach his son a lesson with a fable. After hearing the story, the son usually twists the moral with a pun. Charlie Ruggles voiced Aesop, and Daws Butler voiced his son, Junior.
- "Bullwinkle's Corner" shows Bullwinkle trying to share culture by reciting poems and nursery rhymes. He always messes them up in a funny way. He performed poems like "My Shadow" and "Little Miss Muffet."
- "Mr. Know-It-All" features Bullwinkle pretending to be an expert on any topic. Of course, things always go wrong. Boris Badenov often plays different roles as Bullwinkle's opponent in these segments.
- "The Bullwinkle and Rocky Fan Club" shows Rocky and Bullwinkle trying to run a fan club. The club only has Rocky, Bullwinkle, Boris, Natasha, and Captain Peter "Wrongway" Peachfuzz. These shorts often broke the "fourth wall," meaning the characters knew they were in a TV show.
Some later reruns of The Bullwinkle Show included short segments called The World of Commander McBragg. These were about a boastful man telling exaggerated stories of his heroic deeds. These shorts were not originally part of the Rocky and Bullwinkle show. They were made for another cartoon called Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales.
Voice Actors
| Actor | Character(s) voiced |
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| Bill Scott | Bullwinkle, Dudley Do-Right, Fearless Leader, Mr. Peabody, Gidney, Mr. Big, and many others |
| June Foray | Rocky, Natasha Fatale, Nell Fenwick, and almost all other female characters |
| Paul Frees | Boris Badenov, Captain Peter "Wrongway" Peachfuzz, Cloyd, Inspector Fenwick, and various historical figures |
| Walter Tetley | Sherman |
| Daws Butler | Aesop Junior, and various characters in Fractured Fairy Tales and Aesop and Son |
| Charlie Ruggles | Aesop |
| Hans Conried | Snidely Whiplash |
| William Conrad | Narrator for Rocky and Bullwinkle and sometimes for Dudley Do-Right |
| Edward Everett Horton | Narrator for Fractured Fairy Tales |
How the Show Influenced Culture
- In 1962, as a fun way to get attention, Jay Ward leased a small island and named it "Moosylvania." He and Bill Scott tried to make it the 51st state, even driving to Washington, D.C., to see the President.
- The British band Herman's Hermits got its name because the lead singer, Peter Noone, looked like Sherman from "Mr. Peabody."
- In the movie Back to the Future, a character named "Old Man Peabody" was named after Mr. Peabody, the time-traveling dog.
- A pinball machine called Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends was made in 1993.
- In 1999, Mattel released Rocky and Bullwinkle-themed cars as part of its Hot Wheels toy line.
- In 2002, Rocky and His Friends was ranked #47 on TV Guide magazine's list of the 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
- Also in 2002, TV Guide named Rocky and Bullwinkle as the joint third-greatest cartoon characters ever.
- In 2009, IGN named Rocky and Bullwinkle as the 11th-best animated TV series.
- In 2012, Mr. Peabody and Sherman appeared in a MetLife commercial during the Super Bowl.
Attempts to Bring Back the Show
There were a few tries to bring back Rocky & Bullwinkle in the 1970s and 1980s. One attempt in 1981 was a parody of the Super Bowl. A script was written, and NBC approved it. However, the project was canceled because the NFL objected to the jokes about team owners and the "Stupor Bowl."
Another idea for a revival happened at Disney in the mid-1980s. It was called The Secret Adventures of Bullwinkle and would have updated the old show. It planned to bring back characters like Mr. Peabody and Sherman and Dudley Do-Right. It also would have had new segments like "Fractured Scary Tales." However, Disney found out they didn't own the Rocky and Bullwinkle rights, so the idea was dropped.
Home Videos and Streaming
The show became available on home video with CED Videodiscs in the early 1980s. Later, Buena Vista Home Video released the show on VHS and LaserDisc in the early 1990s. These versions were sometimes edited differently from the original TV broadcasts.
From 2003 to 2005, Classic Media released DVDs of the first three seasons. For legal reasons, these were renamed Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends. The complete series was released on DVD on January 4, 2011, and again on March 12, 2019, to celebrate the show's 60th anniversary.
The DVD releases have some differences from the original TV airings. The show's title was changed to "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends" with a new logo. A voice actor who sounded like William Conrad announced the new title. Also, a small "R&B" logo appears at the start of each segment. Some segments were moved around, and music themes were sometimes replaced due to copyright reasons.
In 2005, Classic Media also released "best of" DVD collections for popular segments like The Best of Rocky and Bullwinkle, The Best of Mr. Peabody and Sherman, and The Best of Fractured Fairy Tales. All 91 Fractured Fairy Tales segments were released on DVD in 2012. In 2019, all 91 Peabody's Improbable History segments were released on DVD.
The show was also available on Hulu for a time, using the DVD versions of the episodes.
| DVD name | Ep # | Release date (Region 1) | Discs | Extras |
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| Complete First Season | 26 | August 12, 2003 | 4 | Network promos; "Savings Stamp Club" episode; "Dear Bullwinkle" bumpers; "The Many Faces of Boris Badenov" (a montage of Boris scenes); two segments from Season Two's "Metal Munching Mice" |
| Complete Second Season | 52 | August 31, 2004 | 4 (double sided) | Interview with June Foray; Three Cheerios commercials (storyboard and final versions); "Moosecalls: The Best of Bullwinkle Sings" (a parody of television ads for compilation records); a segment from Season Three's "Missouri Mish Mash" |
| Complete Third Season | 33 | September 6, 2005 | 4 | Bullwinkle puppet openings; "The Best of Bullwinkle Follies" (a vaudeville-themed montage of clips); the first segment of Season Four's "Painting Theft" |
| Complete Fourth Season | 19 | August 17, 2010 | 2 | None |
| Complete Fifth Season | 33 | March 29, 2011 | 4 | Audio outtake from "Goof Gas Attack" |
| Complete Series | 163 | January 4, 2011 March 12, 2019 (re-release) |
18 | In addition to previous extras, a 70-page "Frostbite Falls Field Guide" detailing the history of the show; "Exceptional Adequacy" award ribbon |
New Versions of the Show
On April 12, 2018, a new animated series based on Rocky and Bullwinkle premiered on Amazon Prime Video on May 11, 2018. This show was produced by DreamWorks Animation. Scott Fellows and Tiffany Ward (Jay Ward's daughter) were executive producers. The voice cast included Tara Strong as Rocky, Brad Norman as Bullwinkle, Ben Diskin as Boris, Rachel Butera as Natasha, Piotr Michael as Fearless Leader, and Daran Norris as the Narrator.
Rocky and Bullwinkle in Other Media
Advertising
- In the 1960s, Rocky and Bullwinkle appeared in commercials for General Mills' Frosty O's cereal and plastic bandages.
- They also promoted the "Rocky and Bullwinkle Saving Stamp Club" in the mid-1960s.
- Rocky and Bullwinkle were in a 1986 TV commercial for Hershey's Kisses snack pack. This was Bill Scott's last time voicing Bullwinkle.
- In the 1990s, they appeared in Taco Bell ads, stopping Boris and Natasha from selling burgers.
- In 1993, they were in an advertisement for their own vitamin soda pop.
- In 1995, Boris and Natasha appeared in two Energizer batteries commercials, trying to stop the Energizer Bunny. Rocky and Bullwinkle also appeared in one.
- In 1998, Rocky and Bullwinkle were in a commercial for Target Corporation.
- Computer-animated versions of Rocky and Bullwinkle appeared in a 2014 advertisement for GEICO.
Children's Opera
- In 1997, The Los Angeles Opera created a children's show called Les Moose: The Operatic Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle. It toured elementary schools. The story was about Boris and Natasha trying to steal the formula for Mooseberry Rocket Fuel.
Comic Books
- A daily newspaper comic strip called Bullwinkle started on July 23, 1962. It featured new stories drawn by Al Kilgore.
- Rocky and Bullwinkle comic books were published by several companies, including Dell Comics, Gold Key Comics, Charlton Comics, and Star Comics (part of Marvel Comics). These comics, while for children, often made jokes about current events and famous people.
- From 2013 to 2014, IDW Publishing released new comics for Rocky and Bullwinkle, Dudley Do-Right, and Peabody and Sherman.
- From 2017 to 2020, American Mythology Productions also released Rocky and Bullwinkle comics.
Movies
- Boris and Natasha: The Movie (1992) was a live-action movie about the two villainous spies. Rocky and Bullwinkle did not appear in this film.
- Dudley Do-Right (1999) was a live-action movie based on the character, starring Brendan Fraser.
- The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000) was a movie that mixed live-action with computer-animated Rocky and Bullwinkle. June Foray voiced Rocky, and Keith Scott voiced Bullwinkle.
- Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014) is an animated movie from DreamWorks Animation based on the two characters.
- A short animated film called Rocky and Bullwinkle (2014) was released with the Blu-ray of Mr. Peabody & Sherman.
Music
- Golden Records released an album of songs called Rocky the Flying Squirrel & His Friends in 1961.
- A single record was released with Rocky singing "I Was Born To Be Airborne" and Bullwinkle singing "I'm Rocky's Pal."
- In 2007, Blackstone Audio released the audio stories of 15 Fractured Fairy Tales on CD.
Toys
- In 1999, Mattel released a collector series of Hot Wheels cars featuring Rocky, Bullwinkle, Natasha, and Boris.
Video Games
- THQ released The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, and Super NES in 1992.
- A trivia game, Rocky & Bullwinkle's Know-It-All Quiz Game, was released for PC in 1998.
- Zen Studios released an Xbox Live Arcade video game called Rocky and Bullwinkle in 2008.
- Data East released a pinball machine in 1993.
See also
In Spanish: The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show para niños
