Mel-O-Toons

Mel-O-Toons (sometimes erroneously spelled Mello Toons) is a series of six-minute animated cartoons, using limited animation, and were produced starting in 1959 by New World Productions and syndicated by United Artists.[1]

Mel-O-Toons
Mel-O-Toons opening sequence
Voices of	Daws Butler Norman Rose Patrick McGeehan Ralph Camargo Paul DeWitt Ed Herlihy
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	104

The stories featured various folk tales, Greco-Roman myths, Biblical stories, classic literary adaptations, and adaptations of classical music and ballet, as well as stories about animals written by Thornton Burgess.[2] The soundtracks were often taken from existing children's records, licensed from the original labels, including RCA Records and Capitol Records. 104 cartoons were produced.[3]

In October 1960, United Artists bought time on a station in Toledo, Ohio, to test the Mel-O-Toons for audience response; they showed two of the films, "Rumplestiltskin" and "Waltz of the Flowers". Variety reported that the viewer response was entirely positive, saying, "Many parents compared the Mel-O-Toons favorable to what they called the usual violence in kiddie programming."[4] A week later, UAA bought a full-page ad in Variety, announcing: "We passed the test in Toledo!" The ad described the test: "Here's what happened: Two of these new cartoons were shown in a fifteen-minute on-the-air audition over WSPD-TV. Viewers were asked to send in their opinions, with no prizes or incentives of any kind. In less than a week, over 400 replies arrived. All except five individuals were wildly enthusiastic."[5]

After many years out of circulation, public domain prints have turned up on videotape and DVD.