Yakko's Do Over

Per the New York Times:

The ‘Animaniacs’ Voices Are Reuniting. Yes, There’s a New Verse to ‘Yakko’s World.’

Twenty-three years later — yes, 23 years — Rob Paulsen is still often asked to perform the song that would remain the most memorable bit on “Animaniacs,” an after-school cartoon favorite for children of the 1990s.

The idea for the song, “Yakko’s World,” was simple: List (almost) all of the nations of the world, as the countries light up on a board behind the character. The song, set to the tune of the “Mexican Hat Dance,” ran in the second episode of the series in 1993, voiced by Mr. Paulsen as Yakko.

The show has gained a new bump in attention after Netflix added the series to its lineup on April 1. And starting this year, Mr. Paulsen, 60, plans to reunite with the voices of Wakko (Jess Harnell) and Dot (Tress MacNeille) on tour to perform many of the show’s memorable songs. ...

A major factoid I glean from the story above is that animation goes on For. Ev. Er.

The Flintstones still roars onward. As does Yogi Bear, and freaking Scooby Doo. Even the Jetson, the one-seaon primetime wonder, dusted itself off years later and went on to greater glory. Excluding shows with Lucille Ball, name me a half-hour live-action sit-coms from the sixties and seventies that still generates audiences and re-run cash. For the most part, there aren't any.

Animation veteran Randy Rogel, the man who wrote Yakko's World all those years ago, has sliced himself a chunk of immortality with the song. YW might not get as many replays as White Christmas, but it's still done quite nicely. And five million hits (or close to) on YouTube ain't chopped dog food.