THE CRAZY CARTOON EXPERIMENT IS BACK AND FULL OF "HOT AIR" THIS THANKSGIVING!!!

WELCOME TO TURKEY DAY!!! Sadly, I can't offer you a marathon of Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes, but I can offer you great fans more bags of gas than congress!  The CRAZY CARTOON EXPERIMENT has returned!  And this time around, the theme was "Turn Your Characters Into Demented Parade Balloons," and boy did my pals in the web comics realm deliver!  So sit back and enjoy the seventh installment of CARTOON CRAZINESS!!!

First up, Picpak Dog creator Kim Belding crosses the finish line first…  Again!  The Pink Pooch was already pudgy enough, but luckily his ears had room to spare! 

And here is my entry!  With Bubble being part of the CRAZY family now, he wanted in too, and immediately came to regret it!  And so marks the final time Mike and Mindy will ever be inflated.  A somber moment for sure! 

 The next entry comes from good pal Thomas Barnett of the always hilarious Li'l Miesters!  Even in balloon form, Bean the cat has it out for poor little Ned!  Or rather "Big" Ned this time around!

Next up is my brother from another mother -And Country!- Warren Frantz of Off Season!  Warren's been dealing with Helium a lot lately.  After all, it was him that took my Helium Challenge joke seriously and thus created a Twitter sensation!  And it appears one of Gully's handlers has been hitting the Helium hard himself! 

Tim Green makes his CCE return with his Puffed Parade of Pals from Vinnie The Vampire!  Can't help but feel bad for poor Vinnie here.  He's the only one in that bunch that DIDN'T deserve this!  And Belfry may very well be the first ever inflated cartoon bat!  And how did Bob the Bulldog escape this same fate?  As Tim explained it to me "Bob's nobody's balloon!"

Ben Starzec of Dogs, Ducks And Aliens makes his CCE debut with a more traditional approach to a parade balloon.  And trust me, these two totally ran rough shed over the Macy's Parade last year after doing the "Doomsday Device" on Clifford the Big Red Dog!

 Next up is Darrell Toland of Stix And Bones is also making his CCE this go around by pumping up his crows Mo and Jinx!  The two greatest magpies this side of Heckle and Jeckle!

 And now, making his long awaited return to the CCE, Jason Platt of Mister And Me!  Jason's whimsical style always amazes me, not mention makes me insanely jealous!  And if you look closely enough, you might even spot two familiar faces hovering above the crowd!

And now, we have another new recruit for the CCE, Rex Garnett, Sr. of Dutch 'N Pals!  Clearly this is a parade balloon that doesn't like sharing the spotlight with other windbags!

Another old pal, Jamie Cosley of Cody The Cavalier, makes his long awaited return to the CCE!  Jamie may be the best kids' cartoonist in the country today and it's always a pleasure to have him on board!  He also assured me the Cody Balloon is filled with the gas from 5,000 cans of Pepsi! 

Scott Warren of the awesome and nostalgic Crunchy Bunches is also back for another round of CRAZY CARTOON madness!  And not surprising, Munchy forgot to patch certain spots!  Must've been Grimace seeking revenge! 

EW Crowe of The Hat And The Fat is back and giving notice to the Snoopy Balloon: His parade-hogging days are over!  Mighty Mouse Balloon, you're next!

Up next, making his LOOOOONG awaited CCE debut, the amazing Mark Stokes of the groundbreaking web comic Zombie Boy!  After three years of begging, Mark finally joined the party and delivered Balloon Gorr!  No doubt the ZB cast is thankful REAL Gorr isn't that big! 

Next up is another CCE repeat offender, the great Matt Gross of CAAATS!  Today he brings Balloon Olive and Balloon Hazel, probably the most evil parade balloons ever!  Seriously, these look like the kind of balloons the Joker would've sprung on Gotham in the first Batman movie! 

Here's a great piece of art from another CCE newcomer, Bryce Prevatte of Drake The Cool Vampire!  Bryce deserves special recognition here.  He really helped me out greatly with an awesome gift recently that'll help me with future projects.  He's living proof that there's still good out there. 

Making his return to the CCE is the brilliant James Point Du Jour of many many comics, including Satchel And Duff as seen above.  His art is just amazing in every detail.  Even more amazing?  That it took THIS long to get to a fart joke in one the CCE's!   

Heading to the homestretch is Jim Haas of Nate The Robot!  Clearly female robots are programmed for evil!  Even more wild, how can a balloon be made of metal?!  Thank goodness for cartoon logic!

And finally, we close the CCE parade with another debut, this one from Joseph D. Rodriguez from Wacky Monkeys!  If you've never read this comic, you're really missing out!  It's a visual delight with SOOO much detail in the art and action.  Before you think that's just a really mean little girl up there, read the comic!  Those monkeys deserve worse!

Well, that's all for this one folks.  There WILL be another CRAZY CARTOON EXPERIMENT!  When,  why, it'll be in April!  April, 29th to be precise!  The due date is April 22nd and the theme goes as follows:

Make a poster for a fake death metal band!

Ever notice how most metal bands got wild names?  Here's your chance to come up with your own!  It's single panel, so no need to kill yourself making it!  As always, keep it family-friendly and all-ages!  Hit me up on Twitter if interested and, of course, have fun drawing it!  Special mention goes to Dawn Griffin from Zorphbert & Fred for this one.  It was one of her "Clip Art Fail" posts that inspired it!

Well folks, that's all for November.  Be back next time as we say goodbye to comics' most colorful couple, Mike and Mindy!  Their final comic is sure to be a "Smash" hit that'll make y'all laugh until you cry!  And the new series' logo will FINALLY be released to the masses!  Until then, take care, have a happy and fun Thanksgiving, a safe and quick Black Friday and I'll catch y'all later!

OPEN A "BOX" OF "MONSTER" LAUGHS WITH THE CRAZY CARTOON EXPERIMENT 6!!!

Is it really that time again?  You bet ya!  So let's not waste anymore precious seconds and dive right in!  It's the CRAZY CARTOON EXPERIMENT 6!!!  The theme was A Monster Cereal Box Cover, so lets see what my CRAZY Cartoon Pals came up with, shall we?  Enjoy...

Kim Belding, Picpak Dog

 CCE veteran Kim Belding is back and finally got in first with this absolutely terrifying cover featuring the scariest monster there is: SKRILLEX!  Side effect do include an unhealthy love of dubstep and techno music!

Me.  Um, yeah...

 Here's my entry into the CCE!  Finally managed to finish early for a change and work in one of my beloved monsters!  This piece also marks a first for me: This is the first ever piece I've ever completely inked digitally.  A rather odd feeling, but I'm pretty happy with the turnout.

David Hurley, Don't Pick The Flowers

David Hurley makes his CCE debut with this funny cover!  Suzanne's always concocting something, usually with frightening results!  This time, her experimenting has paid off!  Just hope that cloud don't eat ALL the flowers!

Tim Green, Vinnie The Vampire

 Tim Green comes back to the CCE with the monster to scare all monsters: SUNNY!!!  Trust me folks, she may look cute, but you don't ever wanna cross this little terror!  Especially if you are A Negative!

Warren Frantz, Off Season

 Canada's CRAZIEST cartoonist returns to the CCE with this wacky creature from the Canadian Great Lakes!  Many an outdoor hockey player has gone missing from swimming to close to the holes it has left in the ice!

Scott Warren, Crunchy Bunches

 Scott Warren makes his CCE debut with this rather spirited piece!  Given that his comic is all about cereal mascots, he seemed like a perfect fit for this experiment!  He's also one of the folks who helped inspire this theme: It was a Crunchy Bunches comic last year about aliens getting the Halloween Cereal Mascots to help them take over the Earth that fanned the spark of an idea into a raging fire!  Thanks again Scott!

EW Crowe, The Hat And The Fat

 

 EW Crowe returns to the CCE with a piece that's destined to keep most of us awake tonight!  Never stare at a gorgon!  Bad things will happen!  Oh wait, it comes with a blindfold?  Cool!  In that case stare all you want!

Dawn Griffin, Zorphbert & Fred

 After a long hiatus, the great Dawn Griffin returns to the CCE!  She is the other artist who helped inspire this experiment when she did a Z&F cereal box cover theme for a fan art contest (Which I won!)  When I saw this in my inbox, I flipped my lid it was so awesome!  Then on Twitter, Dawn informed me that through wild coincidence, another artist did a shirt with a similar theme!  The whole point behind the CCE is to see how different/similar artists think.  Having seen this and the shirt, I feel it's merely proof that not only do great minds think alike, but so do creative minds too.

Stephen Conroy, Australia

And finally, another newcomer to the CCE, Twitter pal Stephen Conroy, whose Monster has taken on a life of his own, defending other cereal monsters from harm!  Stephen's a pretty cool dude and hopefully will have a site of his own soon so ALL can check out his awesome artwork!

And so ends another CRAZY CARTOON EXPERIMENT!  What's that?  You demand another theme already?  OK, fine!  Here it is:

Draw your (Or your favorite) web comic character(s) as demented parade balloons!

That's right folks!  Why should the mainstream have all the fun every Thanksgiving?  So grab some helium and give your toons the Macy's Day treatment!  The deadline is NOVEMBER 19TH, 2014, so PLENTY of time to do this!  Huge thanks to Tim Green from Vinnie The Vampire for coming up with this Experiment's theme!  And, as always, KEEP IT FAMILY FRIENDLY!!!  This is an all-ages site so NOTHING graphic or adult in nature!  Other than that, have fun!

That's all for now folks.  Next week, something a little different as Mushrooms gets the top billing this month thanks to a special challenge from my good pal Warren Frantz.  So until then, take it easy and I'll catch y'all later!

FROSTY'S BACK!!! THE CCE CONTINUES!!!

Welcome to Part 2 of the CRAZY CHRISTMAS EXPERIMENT!  We got some more great entries in to put the final touches on this holiday CRAZINESS!  So sit back, strap on your snow boots and get ready to enjoy the show!  Frosty's here and ready to get this party started!

First up, Flatland creator Naomi Jardine, who did this strip showing the danger of falling asleep during a snow storm!  Gotta wonder if the Original Frosty was inspired by a similar event?

 Making his CCE debut is Casey At The Bat creator Bob Glasscock, who envisions Frosty being used as a tool to help pick up some ladies!  I can see how keeping the drinks chilled would be a benefit, but seriously, a puppy works far better!

 Next, Austin's Inferno creator Austin Verburg is back for his Third go around in the CCE!  Austin took his inspiration from the recent Man Of Steel poster, the Superman revamp that'll no doubt be WAY more violent than it needs to be because Zack Snyder's directing it!  Even so, the thought of Frosty being arrested is quite believable. Let's face it, If he really existed, he probably WOULD get locked up for being a grown (Snow)Man that plays with children!

 Daddy's Girls Cartoonist and Three-Time CCE Superstar Shawn Granger is back with yet another gem!  With a dog involved, you gotta wonder if the dreaded "Yellow Snow" will eventually come into play here?  I give Shawn a ton of credit. I initially wasn't going to do a Holiday-themed CCE, but he talked me into it, and I'm glad he did!  Honestly now, look at all the fun we've had with this!  Thanks again Shawn!  You are the Guardian Angel of the CRAZY CARTOON EXPERIMENT!

 Next up, a CCE newcomer! Carlo Jose San Juan of Callous Comics sends us this piece showing that Frosty coming to life would no doubt be a mixed bag of emotions as everybody seems to have a different take on it!  I like how the adults are in black and white and the kids are in color.  It's like the kids have enough innocence left to still suspend disbelief.

 Frank Haba of Jailhouse Comics is back with a literally wicked take on how Frosty came to life!  After all, if robotics and magic can't bring Frosty to life, than Witchcraft's your last option!  So all hail Cthulhu Frosty!

 Making his return to the CCE is Power Theater's Alex Callard!  Here, he take a theoretical approach as to whether or not that happy, jolly soul really exists.  Perhaps there WAS some magic in that Old Silk Hat!  For a better look, click the link above.

 Next up, me good chum Simon McLaren offers up this all-too real piece showing how Frosty deals not only with the effects of Global Warming, but a society that just plain doesn't give a damn anymore! I swear I spent ten minutes laughing at the "Skateboarding Cats" panel!  Guess I shouldn't have been surprised from the Man who's totally killed it in the last two CCE's!  Too funny!

 Hannes Smit of jolly old England (And The Wizzo) sent in this bit showing a couple of hopeful tykes that are still willing to believe!  Who knows?  Perhaps a Christmas miracle is in store!

 Next up, my little "Brother" from across the pond, Wizzo Founder Harry Rickard, sent in this heart-warmer showing Frosty as a sad soul who just wants to have some fun and getting his wish granted by a kind Fairy.  Hmmm... This sounds awfully familiar.  memo to Frosty: Steer clear of ANY anthropomorphic Foxes and Cats.  They may steer you the wrong way!

   

Next up, English cartoonist and CCE newcomer Nathan Viney of the Web Comic Tomothy and Pals gives us this VERY realistic version of Frosty the Snowman!  Apparently, Frosty wondered into Arizona or something!  Somebody better get a mop!

And last but not least, Life... After Death creator Carlo Ostrout rounds out the Experiment with this take that shows Frosty being far more aggressive than we've know him to be!  Perhaps THIS Frosty was made in New York!

Well folks, that does it for this round of the CCE!  We had a lot of great submissions and a lot of variation!  We also had some international flair as many friends from England, Canada, even Puerto Rico stopped by to have some fun here!  Only cartooning can bring folks together in such a manner!  I'm quite proud of the effort and hope that everybody enjoys reading these as much as we all enjoyed creating them!  

With that said, be sure to tweet me or leave comments as to WHO you'd like to see be named MVP of the CRAZY CHRISTMAS EXPERIMENT!  We'll have the results next week, along with the MVP's of the first two CCE's!  Your voice matters, so let it be heard!

Alright folks, that's all for now!  I got a very SPECIAL post coming on Sunday, so stay "'Tooned!"  In the meantime, take care and PLEASE take some time and donate to the needy this Holiday season.  There's still time to do so and every bit helps, even if it's just a dollar in a Salvation Army bucket.  Make a difference this Christmas.  Until next time, I'll catch y'all later!  

IT'S THE CRAZY CHRISTMAS EXPERIMENT!!!

 Merry Christmas everyone!  The Holidays are getting ever so closer and what better way to celebrate than with another round of the popular Crazy Cartoon Experiment!  This time around, we went with a Holiday-themed Experiment focusing on Christmas' ultimate "B" Lister, Frosty the Snowman!  The theme was What if Frosty the Snowman Were Real?  Well, some of my pals in the web comics community were more than happy to jump on board with this one, so let's see how folks would really react if that jolly soul really came to laugh and play!  Let the Crazy Christmas Experiment commence!

 First up is new comer Chris Wilson of England!  Another WIZZO artist, he envisioned Frosty being targeted by a bunch of hooligans!  Damn kids!  Chris was the first one to finish this time and totally killed it! Way to go!

 Up next, Vinnie the Vampire creator Tim Green makes his CCE debut with this hilarious take that shows the most likely reaction if Frosty were to suddenly come to life!  The really crazy part about this one is that I myself almost did something similar!  It's wild how alike some of us think.  Guess that's why it's an experiment!

 My CRAZY Canadian brother, Offseason creator Warren Frantz, did this one!  Instead of being scared of Frosty, he realized that the Snowman's tremendous girth could be a huge advantage at the hockey rink!  Frosty's width would make it tough to score on him!  Unfortunately, another harsh reality of life creeps in: The Stanley Cup Finals don't happen until early Summer!

 Next up is another CCE newcomer, Tomversation creator Tom Falco!  Tom envisioned that Frosty is still a jolly soul and would probably just dance his way into society!  He seems to be fitting in quite well.  He even found himself a cute Snowgirl!  

 How good is Zorphbert and Fred creator Dawn Griffin?  She had her submission done a full year before I even thought up the current CCE!  I swear Dawn you're like Prof. X or something!  As you can see, Dawn's Frosty has a bit of a mean streak to him!  A snowman with butt cheeks... What more can really be said about that?

 Well, you all waited patiently, so here it is, My entry into the CCE (Not to mention the latest Mushrooms)!  Frosty's discovered by a pair of Fratboys who decide to introduce Frosty to the brotherhood that is a College Fraternity!  I had to flip a coin on whether to do this idea or my other one.  I'm kinda glad this one won out, especially after I got Tim Green's submission!  I kinda feel bad for going gross in the last panel, but since I went sappy in the last Mike and Mindy, I think it all evens out.

 Kim Belding of Picpak Dog knocks another one out of the park as he envisions Frosty trying to see the World, and learning that there are some places a snowman just shouldn't go!  I feel so bad for that poor lady sitting next to him.  I think she got a bigger jolt than ol' Frosty there!

 Beep Club creator Owen MacRae makes his CCE debut with a more practical way that Frosty could come to life!  Since there is no such thing as a magic hat, robotics are used to bring Frosty amongst the living!  Given the blasters, I think it's safe to assume that a scientist of the "Mad" variety was involved here!

Next up, the lovely, beautiful and ever so charming Michelle Hernandez of Kat Daycare sent in this whimsical piece that shows Frosty living it up with a few friends!  And best of all, FROSTY HAS ICE CREAM!!!  When I saw this, it reminded me of that old Snowman cartoon from Britain.  Michelle has such a beautiful style.  She adds so much to the CCE.

Last but not least, the Grand Poobah of the Buns and Wieners Society, Crashsuit, sent in this animated masterpiece.  Poor Frosty finally comes to life, only to forget that Hot Coffee and Ice are a bad mix!  I've often said that Starbucks is an evil corporation.  This cartoon is living proof!  I urge all of you to boycott these Snowman Murderers now! 

And thus concludes Part 1 of our Christmas fun!  So far, it's been a pretty amazing selection, with hardly any similarities!  You know, this isn't a competition, but I do feel some MVP awards need to be given out!  So in two weeks, I'll announce the MVP's for all of the CCE's thus far!  So PLEASE leave comments or tweet me your feedback!  Your voice matters!

Well, that's all for now!  I'll be back next time with Part 2 of the Crazy Christmas Experiment and some more "Frosty" fun!  And I would once again like to urge ALL of you to please give this Holiday season.  There's plenty of time and lot's of suitable charities.  Please don't let a child go without this Christmas.  Donate today!  Take care and I'll catch y'all later!

JEEPERS CREEPERS!!! THE GREAT PUMPKIN'S BACK FOR MORE!!!

Welcome back to Round 2 of the Crazy Cartoon Experiment 2!  We're wrapping it up today with some more great takes on a figure more mysterious than Dr. Claw even: The Great Pumpkin!  So sit back and relax as we finish up yet another successful experiment!  Enjoy!

 First up, we have CCE newcomer Frank Haba of Jailhouse Comics.  Frank did this delightful take showing that blockhead Linus sleeping through his big chance to finally see the Great Pumpkin!  Oh well.  Guess there's always next year.

Next up, my little "brother" from England, Harry Rickard, delivered this piece!  The Wizzo founder never ceases to amaze me with his awesome talent and humor,  skills I sorely lacked when I was his age!  Even more amazing, Harry didn't even know who the Great Pumpkin was!  Apparently in Europe, Snoopy is the Icon, NOT the rest of the Peanuts gang.

 Next up, The Code Crimson co-creator Elizabeth debuts in the Crazy Cartoon Experiment with this ultra creepy take on the beloved Gourd!  I really love the colors on this one.  And the Spiders and Ants in the background add so much more to the creep factor!  Simply brilliant!

 Next is another CCE newcomer, The Wizzo Comic's Hannes Smit!  A simple approach, Hannes is a good friend of Harry's who wanted in on the CRAZY fun.  I firmly believe in the "More the Merrier" theory, so we brought him on board!  Between this kid, Harry and FT, we got a pretty good youth movement coming up through the Crazy Cartoon Experiment!  Maybe one of these days, one these kids can take it over for me!

 One of the favorites from the first CCE, Austin Verburg is back and putting his characters through even more insane lunacy!  I really do love the Austin's Inferno comics and this one follows the usual stories to a tee! (For those of you unfamiliar, Tori, the girl getting strangled, is usually suffering one mishap after another in the strips!  Even in the CRAZYVERSE, she can't catch a break!)  A fun fact about Austin: He's the only person on the Planet that likes Doritos Locos Tacos more than me!  

 Jamie Cosley came back to play again with this fun little piece, introducing Cody The Cavalier into the Crazy Cartoon Experiment.  Cody's a very fun comic and Jamie's a remarkable artist and writer.  His work never fails to bring a smile to my face.

 Another favorite from CCE1 has come back, Crosstown Comic's Adam Pilkington!  As you can see, his dog survived the cactus encounter and has now deflated back to his normal size, only for the group to encounter another CRAZY plant!  I assure all of you the next CCE will have NO vegetation in it!

 Back from the CCE1 is Brendan Boughen from Cartoons By Jim.  It seems the Great Pumpkin's not only great in stature but great in taste!  Shawn Granger also devoured the prized gourd as well!  I just feel bad for poor Linus.  I get the feeling he witnessed the GP's capture!

 Australian cartoonist Caanan Grall of Max Overacts, the undisputed MVP of the CCE1, delivers yet again on this one, proving that not all great things need to be huge.  Naomi Jardine had a very similar piece last week as many of you may recall.  Caanan's pretty amazing.  The poor guy threw out his back, and still found time to work on this!  We all owe you one dude!

Shawn Granger of Daddy's Girls is back again with an updated version of last week's entry!  Shawn wanted another crack at hand-coloring and delivered this piece to me this morning!  The Great Pumpkin sure looks delicious, doesn't he!  The tones on the pie are perfect, almost as if light is actually bouncing off of the surface.  Another solid effort!

And there we have it!  Another Crazy Cartoon Experiment has come and gone!  A big thanks to all the artists who took part in this CRAZY idea.  You guys are awesome and your support of these "Experiments" is overwhelming!  I'm proud to have you all as friends and would go to bat for any of you!  I hope you all had a great time and I look forward to working with you all in the Crazy Christmas Experiment!  Stay 'tooned!

Well folks, that's all for this week!  We'll be back next time with an all new Mike and Mindy and a very special Mushrooms featuring The History Twins' creator, Francesca Testin!  She wanted a prize for fininshing the CCE2 first, and Mike and Mindy promised to deliver!  Anyway, take care and I'll catch y'all later!  Oh, and have a fun and safe Halloween!