All Foofle wanted was a pleasant train ride and it all ended in disaster. This Terrytoons classic cartoon shows how this poor guy got more than he bargained for.
I never heard of this character before, but I bet he had a cute design and misfortunate personality. Imagine if he made appearances in New Terrytoons comics, he would either have speech or thought bubbles to convey his silent actions.
He was one of the last of a series of characters Gene Deitch made between 1957 and 59 (when he was fired from TerryToons for his minimalist style he picked up at UPA). In the Fall of 1959, he would move from New York City to Prague, Czechoslovokia. Fast forward 6 years later when his new character based on the Foofle concept and design makes it past The Iron Curtain: That character, Nudnik. Despite firing Gene, TerryToons went through with Foofle's final shorts. It was Gene's swan song to the company
I’m sorry if I’m being too critical here but just hear me out. Not only is this one of the most sadistic cartoons I’ve ever seen, but there really was no need for this to be in CinemaScope, other than it being a cheap novelty of the time. “Lady and the Tramp” and “Sleeping Beauty” knew how to use the widescreen format to their advantage, whereas this and other cartoons of the era did not.
He's a sympathetic character because the audience can see him as an everyman with relatable struggles - we laugh at him not out of malicious sadism but because of empathy. It's why characters like Buster Keaton and Wile E Coyote are so enduring and charming.
