A few weeks ago, I wrote about how the Swedes love Donald Duck. After I read about the tradition, in Sweden, of watching Donald Duck (aka Kalle Anka) and Disney cartoons on Christmas Eve, Holly says I have become obsessed about Kalle Anka!
Maybe she’s right. I can definitely say that, in the last 3 weeks, I have watched more Donald Duck cartoons (albeit ones dubbed in Swedish) than I have watched in the last 3 decades!
In watching these shows, I have come to this conclusion. The plot lines for these animated clips are pretty much the same. Basically, an innocent (though somewhat temperamental) Donald is defeated in his efforts to _________ (fill in the blank). Often, he is thwarted by other creatures. Sometimes, he’s vanquished by unfortunate circumstances. Almost always, he becomes the victim. In English, Swedish or in any language the outcome is the same - an unhappy ending.
Why do we find this result so funny? Why are we amused by watching the misfortune of another creature? And, clearly, the formula goes well beyond Donald.
I mentioned this fact to Holly and she said “Welcome to the world of cartoons.” She rattled off a number of them. Sylvester the Cat. Daffy Duck. Wil-e-Coyote. All victims.
Remember the little dog, Mumbly, and how his shtick was the goofy laugh (Shh-Shh-Shh). His one purpose in the show was to be on hand when misfortune befell one of the main characters and to punctuate the misery - “Shh-Shh-Shh-Shh!”.
If Mumbly were a character in one of the Kalle Anka clips, he'dve surely added his trademark giggle when Chip and Dale (aka Piff and Puff) were stealing Donald’s Christmas food…or when Kalle Anke was hungry for some lucious waffles - only to have accidentally poured rubber cement in the batter. You can only imagine those waffles weren’t nearly as crispy as they were boing-y.
I think there must be a larger conclusion to why we keep coming back to these UNhappy endings. Why do we watch the Coyote fall off the cliff over and over and over?
Is it much different when someone watches an episode of some reality tv show (Survivor, Amazing Race, Kardashians or name your favorite) when we see characters ‘behind the scenes scheming to thwart each other…or when, after a terse confrontation we watch as they wind up in a shouting match. Isn’t this also the kind of voyeurism that drives Court TV or what fuels the popularity of Animal Planet? Conflict and controversy.
Media experts will tell you that, in the news business, bad news sells. You don’t see many front page headlines titled 'Happy ending for hero.’
Maybe we’d just yawn at the thought of Donald sitting with Huey, Dewey and Louie enjoying a batch of crispy, golden brown waffles baked to perfection. Enjoying a wonderful breakfast with family sounds like my idea of bliss, but I rather imagine the ratings would plummet!
JG
Originally posted 1/15/2012
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