Rolf's Cartoon Club

ROLF'S CARTOON CLUB
Made by: ?
Shown on: ITV
Years shown: 1987-1992

Australian entertainer, Rolf Harris, had already acted as a link between Warner Bros cartoons for Rolf Harris’ Cartoon Time, but eventually he got a permanent slot on ITV. His Cartoon Club was set in what resembled a jazzed-up art classroom, where Rolf would dazzle you with his etchings and teach you about animation, while surrounded by furiously industrious children with sketch pads. He would circulate among them, giving them tips and encouragement - although, surely, he wanted to be frank about some of the more lacklustre efforts. Children at home could also send him pictures to put on display, and he would mark them on his unique map of Britain and Ireland, which he’d drawn to look like himself and a koala (I was, and still am, quite in awe of the ingenuity and creativity of that map.) Kids at home could also join the Cartoon Club and receive the obligatory newsletter, badges and a poster. The main events were, of course, the cartoons themselves, which were usually Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Sylvester and Tweety-Pie, or Roadrunner, and Rolf would draw something to give you a clue as to what was coming up. At the end of the show, he would say, “See you on Rolf’s Cartoon Club next week”, which was accompanied by a really irritating hand-jive, or perhaps, in retrospect, it was sign language, which I suppose is permissible, then.

SQUARE EYES RATING: 5/10

(Thanks to www.hhg.org.uk)