The Career of Elmyra Duff

In the entertainment business, cartoon characters are treated as real celebrities and public figures with full careers and accolades to match.

Elmyra Duff, voiced by Cree Summer in all of her appearances, made her debut in the Warner Bros. television series, Tiny Toon Adventures (3 seasons), executive produced by the great Steven Spielberg on September 14, 1990.

Elmyra climbing up Steven Spielberg's left leg

A young, redheaded female human character, who wears a white pleated skirt, a light blue blouse with white collar and frills, a light blue bowed ribbon in her hair that has an gerbil's skull in the middle, black strapped Mary Jane shoes and white socks. The female animation was based superficially on her name derivative and mentor, Elmer Fudd; "Elmyra" being a female form of "Elmer" and her last name, "Duff," as "Fudd" pronounced backwards.

Although, Fudd was not one of the big stars among the Looney Tunes crowd. He appeared in a great number of cartoons, but almost always as a second banana. In Tiny Toon Adventures, which featured modern counterparts to those old characters, Elmyra Duff, the correspondent to Elmer, was more of a featured player, that seemed to have some significance. Yet, she was the only one of two (other being Plucky Duck) to get a regular gig after the Daytime Emmy Award winning series ran its course.

In the series, Elmyra lives in a nice, suburban home in Acme Acres with her parents, older sister and two younger brothers. She attends Acme Looniversity where she also serves as the school nurse. Elmyra's pets are constantly escaping in terror because she is obsessed with animals and cute things, even chasing after animals whom she knows are her classmates at Acme Looniversity, obliviously causing great discomfort or serious injury to potential pets from her overenthusiastic affection and complete lack of even the most rudimentary knowledge of pet care. She does not really mean to mistreat her pets, she simply doesn't understand the negative effects of her behavior - SEE HERE. Her torture of animals became well known and synonymous with her name and image and helped her break out as a star on her own.

Her performance on "Tiny Toons" inspired producer Tom Ruegger to give Elmyra two entire episodes later in the series. The Duff Family, which had been previously unmentioned, appears in two episodes, "Take Elmyra Please" (episode 13 of Season 2 in February 1992) and "Grandma's Dead" (episode 13 of Season 3 in November 1992). As these episodes feature none of the rest of the regular Tiny Toons cast, other than Elmyra's pets Furrball and Byron Basset, they may have been a test to see if Elmyra's character could get her own spin-off series, centered around her family.

"Take Elmyra Please" is the debut of Mr. Skullhead, a character imagined by Elmyra from the skull she wears in the middle of her bow. He later become a recurring character in Animaniacs, notably in the "Good Idea, Bad Idea" sketches, where he and his family would be horribly maimed.

In March of 1992, Elmyra was apart of  the film Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation, after "Take Elmyra Please" aired. The film has been rated as one of the "Top 20 (U.S.-Produced) Direct-to-Video Animated Films" by The Animated Movie Guide. The VHS release was one of the highest selling videos in the United states; on the Billboard charts, the video ranked 12th in sales in April 1992. In May 1992, How I Spent My Vacation rose to 9th in video sales. On July 18, 1992, How I Spent My Vacation had been on Billboard Magazine's 40 "Top Video Sales" for 16 weeks. On June 27, 1992, the film was ranked the 5th highest on Billboard's "Top Kid Video". On February 6, 1993, How I Spent My Vacation had been on the "Top Kid Video" list for 41 weeks.

Elmyra on the cover of a Tiny Toon's comic

"Tiny Toon Adventures Magazine", debuted in October 1990 and a variety of toys, video games, clothing, figurines, a Tiny Toons comic book series in collaboration with Marvel Comics and other products were released in which Elmyra was merchandised in along with the rest of the Tiny Toons. By 1995, the seven time Daytime Emmy Award winning show came to an end along with her 15 minutes of stardom.

Elmyra on the box cover of a Tiny Toons puzzle

Two years later, Elmyra's second shot at fame came in 1998, when she was added to the cast of Pinky & the Brain, a spin-off of Animaniacs. Warner Bros. network executives had reportedly wanted Pinky and the Brain to be part of a sitcom "more like The Simpsons" after the initial run of their "Animaniacs" spin-off. The idea of a new Pinky and the Brain series was reportedly met with resistance from the producers of the series.

The apparent dissatisfaction with Warner Bros.' decision to change Pinky and the Brain showed up in episodes. The last script that producer Peter Hastings wrote before leaving Warner Bros. for Disney Television Animation was the episode "You'll Never Eat Food Pellets in This Town Again!", in which the demise of Pinky and the Brain is caused by network decisions to change the show.

In September 19, 1998, the new Pinky & the Brain series premiered, with the title characters being joined by Elmyra Duff. Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain was also executive produced by Steven Spielberg and the series was produced by Amblin Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Animation. It aired on Kids' WB. This show would be Spielberg's final collaborative effort with Warner Bros. Animation until the 2020 revival of Animaniacs.

Perhaps because of inconsistencies in comparison with Tiny Toon Adventures, the show was heavily disliked by fans of both Tiny Toon Adventures and Pinky and the Brain alike, and was cancelled after only 13 episodes. The last episode was broadcast April 10, 1999. Although the series did not end without winning a Daytime Emmy Award in 2000 for "Outstanding Children's Animated Program", the screenwriters disliked the series as well. They expressed their disgust in the theme song, in the lyrics, "It's what the network wants, why bother to complain?", as well as Brain's line, "I deeply resent this." Curiously, Pinky and the Brain had earlier made a cameo as two of Elmyra's caged pets in Tiny Toon Spring Break. Also, when Brain makes a cameo in the Tiny Toons Night Ghoulery Special, Elmyra remarks, "I'll play with you later," a possible foreshadowing.

A reboot series titled, Tiny Toons Looniversity, was announced on October 28, 2020 through the Amblin Entertainment website. It was ordered for two seasons, with each episode running 30 minutes. As with the original series, Steven Spielberg will return to his role as executive producer. The series is set to premiere on HBO Max, and simulcast on Cartoon Network.

Shortly after the reboot's announcement, it was reported that several of the original cast members were not going to be involved in the series. It was revealed that Elmyra Duff was excluded.

On July 9, 2022, it was announced that Tiny Toons Looniversity would be part of the "Looney Tunes" panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2022. On July 22, numerous pieces of concept art were shown, revealing a revamped Acme Looniversity and its interiors. This also confirmed many of the original series' major characters would be returning, some with updated appearances. Most notably, Elmyra was included in one of these pictures, disproving the claims of her removal. On September 8, 2023, Tiny Toons spin-off Tiny Toons Looniversity premiered on Max and simulcast on Cartoon Network the next day. Elmyra is listed on the show's Wikipedia page as apart of the series.

Prince: The Broken Man Beyond The Lights

The price one would pay for fame, glitz and glamour has always been high. A bill too hefty for anyone to foot. Expectations too much to try to live up to. At some point, anyone would want out! However, the trappings of fame come with heavy chains that bounds one to it forever, even in death! Prince Rogers Nelson must have known of this all too well.

Rough Childhood

Strutting down the hallway in ­platform shoes with a giant afro and a choker round his neck, the teenage Prince looked unlike anyone else at his suburban high school.

Though he was already a gifted musician, the outlandish outfits were the only way the short, skinny kid from a broken home could get noticed.

“He was trying to be cute and get attention. He didn’t get it at home,” recalls schoolmate Paul Mitchell. “A lot of people felt sorry for him.”

Though he would go on to sell over 100 million records, scoop seven Grammys, a Golden Globe and an Oscar, Prince’s life was moulded by his troubled childhood.

His parents split when he was two, resulting in him being a young man who was a mass of contradictions. Shy yet desperate for attention, he craved sex, then found religion. He became famous, then a virtual recluse. And through it all, the musical genius kept on playing.

According to his song "Sister" he was legit raped by his 32 year old half-sister. He went on record and admitted it. No one batted an eye!

"Sister" Lyrics

Destined For A Non-Private Life

Fame is a beast. For a man who was obviously shy and held many fascinating secrets, it unfortunately seems he (like many, regardless of struggle already being present in life) was somehow destined for fame. In other words, fame means being a public figure and a role model when you might not desire to be. Which means having to set a good example and be inspiration and encouragement to strangers. Which means you become subject to harsh judgment and scrutiny on a mass level. It also means you can never go back to living a "normal life".

At the age of 11-years-old in April 1970 Prince made a local news station, Minneapolis WCCO.
It wasn't until early 2022, that Matt Liddy found the clip while reporting on a much more recent teacher’s strike in Minneapolis. Which means the media has had the footage for years. Did Prince remember? Did he ever think the footage would resurface?

Throughout his career, a number of personal files and important documents have been made available for public viewing amongst regular people including certificates of birth and marriage, passports, report cards and you name it! Even after he was pronounced dead to the public, there has been countless authorized and unauthorized investigations, snooping and prying into the inner workings of Prince's life and legal matters.

Prince's 1986 Passport

Court cases and documents have been accessed as well as some questionable transactions by those closest to him at the time of his death (including hacked computers and deleted email accounts). Not to mention the conspiracy theories surrounding his death and the fact that many believe he's not even dead. Obviously no one wants to believe that their Michael Jackson or Elvis Presley has really perished. The lack of respect that has been shown for this man's privacy is unbelievable. Not to mention his lengthy Wikipedia page.

Complicated Sexuality

In today's world, to be honest, everything surrounding anything related to sex or sexuality including gender is a hot mess. Back in the day certain topics were taboo. Prince was no acception. He addressed sexual accusations about his sexuality early on in his career. In the title track to his 1981 album Controversy he sung:

Not to mention his adolescent queer behavior during his appearance on American Bandstand on January 26, 1980.

Prince sported a perm hairstyle for the cover of his self-titled 1979 album and wore a bikini bottom for the cover of 1980's Dirty Mind. As the music for these projects ranged from a variety of oral sex, threesomes, incest, ejaculation, being only physically attracted to someone plus wanting to be his lover's mother and sister too! Over the years, as his artistic direction led him through various different hairstyles, fashion pieces and musical genres by the latter half of his career, Prince seemed to be a changed man. Transformed by it all, he became increasingly more spiritual and appealingly more masculine in his presentation to the public. He became a master of both the feminine and the masculine energy. Why not? Wasn't he created by both a woman and man used as vessels to bring forth this creature from the ultimate divine energy from the great beyond?

The allegedly fake photo of Prince as his female alter-ego ‘Camille’ that appeared in some bootleg versions of "The Black Album" cassettes.

Yes, he had thousands of custom made mule pump high heels with matching costumes (like only a true DIVA would 💋) bell bottoms, neck chokers, ear rings, makeup including eye liner, eye shadow, blush and lip stick. Yes, he was unapologetic. He didn’t apologize for any of it. Let the chips fall where they may. In honor of his royal badness and his ultimate love for makeup, the Prince Estate in collaboration with Urban Decay released a special kit called The Prince Collection on May 27, 2021.

As far as the public knows, the recording artist has had two failed marriages, suffered through a few miscarriages and countless conundrums with several different parties. Maybe even some men.

Jerome Benton and Prince in Under the Cherry Moon.

In 1990, he saw 16-year-old dancer Mayte García standing outside his tour bus, and referred to her as his "future wife". She soon began working as one of his backup singers and dancers after graduating high school. They were married on February 14, 1996, when he was 37 and she was 22. They had a son named Amiir (born October 16, 1996), who died a week after being born due to Pfeiffer syndrome. The distress of losing a child and García's second miscarriage took a toll on the marriage, and the couple divorced in 2000. Mayte later sold her wedding dress in an auction on an episode  of VH1's Hollywood Exes.

Prince's Marriage Certificate To Mayte Garia

He went on to marry Manuela Testolini in 2001, when he was 43 and she was 25. The couple had no children together. They separated in 2005 and divorced in May 2006.

Besides his perverted entanglements with women much younger than him, he faces claims of having a certain coldness towards women. Which we covered in our three-part video Things Prince Said About 4 Of His Love Interests (SEE HERE - Part 1: https://youtu.be/H9e7blg6cF0; Part 2: https://youtu.be/WBvk9LyjDH8; Part 3: https://youtu.be/vKvoA4PtBMw?si=Z-ibT-txT6FPNfCg).

Insecurities

The 5 foot 2 (or 3) Minneapolis, Minnesota native was raised by his father after his parents split. 
“From that point, I’ve been having to deal with a lot of things, getting teased in school. And early in my career I tried to compensate by being as flashy and as noisy as I could.” He said of the time. He remained close to his father. But they lived in virtual poverty, which saw Prince develop anger issues.

“We used to go to McDonald’s,” he once said. “I didn’t have any money, so I’d just stand outside and smell stuff. Poverty makes people angry, brings out their worst side. I was very bitter when I was young. I was insecure and I’d attack anybody.” If Prince achieved fame and success for money, his ideas about money and poverty may have changed along with each experience.
In 2004, during his induction speech at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame he stated:

In the intro to his song "No More Candy 4 U" from his 2009 album MPLSound he reiterated:

Indicated that he sold his soul for fame and fortune to prove himself to those who otherwise may not have known or liked him in an attempt to escape poverty by using a very common conscious strategy used to reduce unpleasant emotions and experiences. A mechanism!
However it was in his song "Breakdown" that he simply explained:

Alleged Drug Addiction

On April 20, 2016, Prince's representatives called Howard Kornfeld, a California specialist in addiction medicine and pain management, seeking medical help for the star. Kornfeld scheduled to meet with him on April 22, and he contacted a local physician who cleared his schedule for a physical exam on April 21.

On April 21, at 9:43 am, the Carver County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call requesting an ambulance be sent to Prince's home at Paisley Park. The caller initially told the dispatcher that an unidentified person at the home was unconscious, then moments later said he was dead, and finally identified the person as Prince. The caller was Kornfeld's son, who had flown in with buprenorphine that morning to devise a treatment plan for opioid addiction. There has been rumors in circulation for years that Prince was secretly addicted to "angel dust". Whoever the supplier of these random drugs if there was any addiction he hid it and hid it well. He must have masked it with anti-drug activism and veganism. The media has spun the narrative that he damaged his hips while performing in the '80s, saying he jumped off risers while wearing high heels during his "Purple Rain" days and that "it damaged parts of his body." Prince was seen in frequentl years using a cane. This reportdly triggered his love of painkillers due to his hip and ankle issues.

Conclusion

No one is perfect. No one has ever been. No one will ever be. Prince didn't try to be perfect. Well, at least not too hard. Look, he was a broken man. No one goes unscathed by life's turmoil. Inside himself he was shattered no doubt. Beyond his cool, calm and collected swave outer persona - he had flaws! He accepted them. Embraced them. Put them on public display for all to see. Love him or hate him. Think what you want about him. Say what you want about him. He was Prince. He was himself. He was here. His legacy proves just that!

Kendall Davis: TikTok and Feeding America Champion

TikTok developed a first-ever game feature within its platform, The Garden of Good!

Garden of Good (SEE Distractify Article HERE) ultimately served as a fund raiser event organized by TikTok in a collaborative initiative with the non-profit facility, Feeding America!

Feeding America® is currently the nation's largest hunger-relief network of 200 food banks, 21 statewide associations and 60,000 partner food pantries and meal programs.

TikTok, is a short-form video hosting service owned by Chinese company ByteDance. TikTok is an international version of Douyin, which was originally released in the Chinese market in September 2016. TikTok was launched in 2017 for iOS and Android in most markets outside of mainland China; however, it became available worldwide only after merging with another Chinese social media service, Musical.ly, on 2 August 2018. TikTok surpassed 2 billion mobile downloads worldwide by October 2020.

Through June 6, 2021 to June 6, 2022, users of the TikTok platform (called TikTokers) were given the opportunity to build a garden, nurture it to maturity and eventually harvest those crops in exchange for a real-life monetary donation to Feeding America. For every donated harvest, TikTok vowed to donate a minimum of 50 cents or a maximum of $2 to Feeding America and local Feeding America Network Food Banks including All Faiths Food Bank. TikTokers have the freedom to make as many “harvests” as possible during the lifetime of the game!

Kendall Davis (@kendallisall on Twitter, Instagram, SoundCloud, TikTok) managed to earn thirteen badges out of the twelve that were made available to earn. They included; Carrot, Cabbage, Potato, Corn, Tomato, Lentils, Peanuts, Pear, Apple, Orange, Peach and Avocado. More recently towards April 2022, a new badge was made available, The "NEWBIE" badge (which Davis did not earn). Once a badge for a particular vegetable was earned the user would be presented with a certificate of donation. Bronze, Silver and Gold levels were also included.

Old Layout For To Review User Badges

It took 351.1 thousand drops of water to be poured within the game by Davis to earn those 13 badges and contribute 69 pounds of equivalent cash in donations on his behalf to help fight hunger!

Granted the game has been revamped and updated several times since it's initial launch. Different templates and layouts are various.

Old Format For Certificate of Donation

New Layout For To Review User Badges

On 4 different occasions, Davis has made earning an accolade an extra special event. On November 5, 2021, Davis earned his second Carrot Badge (the only two of a the same kind in his collection). On December 16, 2021, Davis earned his Pear Badge which introduced him to the silver level and received an elevation in pounds being donated on his behalf from five to six pounds. On February 14, 2022, Davis earned his Orange Badge on Valentines Day 2022. On March 17, 2022, Davis earned his Peach Badge on Saint Patrick's Day 2022 introducing him to the Gold level.

BELOW IS A LIST OF ALL 13 BADGES EARNED BY DAVIS:

BRONZE LEVEL

1st Carrot Badge - September 10, 2021

Cabbage Badge - September 19, 2021

Potato Badge - September 27, 2021

Corn Badge - October 12, 2021

Tomato Badge - October 21, 2021

2nd Carrot Badge - November 5, 2021

Lentils Badge - November 15, 2021

Peanuts Badge - November 24, 2021

SILVER LEVEL

Pear Badge - December 16, 2021 (elevated from 5 pounds to 6 pounds)

Apple Badge - January 18, 2022

Orange Badge - February 14, 2022 (Valentine's Day)

GOLD LEVEL

Peach Badge - March 17, 2022 (Saint Patrick's Day)

Avocado Badge - April 20, 2022

Michael Jackson: Celebrated As A King on Earth

At the time this article is being written it is the year 2022. It has been 13 years since the passing of one of the world's most beloved musicians, fashion icons, charitable philanthropist and all around cultural phenomenon that was Michael Joseph Jackson.

BEFORE HE WAS KING

Jackson came to prominence as the lead singer of he and his brothers 1970s funk and soul boy band signed to Motown Records. There they achieved four #1's.

The group soon left Motown and signed with CBS and Epic. After the release of their album Destiny in 1978, Michael released his fifth solo album Off The Wall in 1979 (having released 4 solo album prior with Motown including Ben which's title track became his first solo #1 on the Billboard Hot 100).

The album established him as a solo performer and produced four top 10 entries in the US: "Off the Wall", "She's Out of My Life", and the number one Billboard Hot 100 singles "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock with You".

1980 saw Michael release the album Triumph with his brothers before releasing his next solo project Thriller in 1982. It's title track has become synonymous with Halloween every year (similar to what Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" does at Christmas time every year).

With number one Billboard Hot 100 singles "Beat It" and "Billie Jean" Jackson became massive. The title tracks music video premiered on MTV on December 2, 1983 and consequently revolutionized the way artist make videos for their music. He introduced his version of the moonwalk during his performance of "Billie Jean" during Motown 25 reunion special on television thus popularizing the move and enhancing the dance genre itself. The album became known as the best-selling album worldwide in 1983, and became the best-selling album of all time in the US and the best-selling album of all time worldwide, selling an estimated 70 million copies.

Then came his last album with his brothers, Victory in 1984. His next solo album, Bad was released in 1987, followed by a tour to promote the album and an autobiography called Moonwalk (and its film Moonwalker).

ELEVATION TO KING STATUS 

In March 1988, Jackson purchased 2,700 acres (11 km2) of land near Santa Ynez, California, to build a new home, Neverland Ranch, at a cost of $17 million (equivalent to $38,950,760 in 2021). He installed a Ferris wheel, a carousel, a movie theater and a zoo. A security staff of 40 patrolled the grounds. It was then that he garnered the honorific title, "King of Pop", a nickname that his publicists and the media embraced. The title, "King of Pop", was successfully tradmarked by his estate sometime after his death.

This embrace included a fan magazine dedicated to especially Jackson called King! Magazine (or King! of Pop magazine) distributed by a publication in the United Kingdom. The magazine's first issue was released in 1994.

After renewing his contract with Sony for a then record-breaking $65 million, he released his eighth album, Dangerous. It's first single, "Black or White" - a rock song about racial harmony, was the album's highest-charting song; peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks and achieved similar chart perform0ances worldwide.

Jackson founded the Heal the World Foundation in 1992. The charity brought underprivileged children to Jackson's ranch to use the theme park rides, and sent millions of dollars around the globe to help children threatened by war, poverty, and disease.

Following the death of HIV/AIDS spokesperson and friend Ryan White, Jackson pleaded with the Clinton administration at Bill Clinton's inaugural gala to give more money to HIV/AIDS charities and research then performed "Gone Too Soon", a song dedicated to White, and "Heal the World" at the gala.

Jackson visited Africa in early 1992; on his first stop in Gabon he was greeted by more than 100,000 people, some of them carrying signs that read "Welcome Home Michael", and was awarded an Officer of the National Order of Merit from President Omar Bongo.

During his trip to Ivory Coast, he visited the small village of Krindjabo. There, the local Agni people live in a region called the Kingdom of Sanwi. One of the tribal chiefs there made the claim that Jackson descended from the lineage of Sanwi royalty. Jackson was then crowned and actual king, "King Sani". A festive coronation ceremony that included singing and dancing took place. He thanked the dignitaries in French and English, signed documents formalizing his kingship, and sat on a golden throne while presiding over ceremonial celebrations. The news made the covers of Ebony and Jet magazines. Michael spoke of his love for Africa - SEE HERE.

In January 1993, Jackson performed at the Super Bowl XXVII halftime show. 

LONG LIVE THE KING

His untimely death on June 25, 2009 at the age of 50 changed the world as we all know it for good. Michael left us and there will never be another energy like his.

The Sanwi Kingdom paid its respects by holding a two-day funeral for him. Jackson lookalikes, dancers and more than 1,000 villagers gathered for his send-off. Tribe members even asked The Jackson Family for his body, hoping they could give him a royal burial, but Jackson was buried in Southern California.

Sanwi chiefs eventually found a successor for Jackson's crown.

With this void came many allegations among which came the criminal investigation and prosecution of Dr. Conrad Murray. At the very notion of Michael's passing foul play was instantly suspected. "Who killed the King?", they all asked. The who's who wanted to know. The public needed answers for the loss of such a household name. A mega star who was an important public figure to many and loved by millions.

Beyond being an entertainer he was a man who despite countless setbacks and pitfalls overcame hatred, bigotry, rumors about his sexuality and false accusations just to spread messages of love, peace and hope while he reigned in the hearts of many subjects around the world.

The king’s crown and ceremonial scepter quickly went up for auction in Beverly Hills along with thrones and portraits of the King at Julien’s Auctions, who conducted the sale. The auction sold pieces of Jackson's memorabilia (some which certain individuals claimed was signed with fake signatures from the King himself). Michael's crown was created by his longtime wardrobe stylists Michael Bush and his partner Dennis Tompkins who served as personal dressmakers to the King of Pop from 1985 onwards, creating the sterling silver crown encrusted with costume stones and pearls. In place of the Second Star of Africa – which sits at the centre of the Imperial State Crown – Tompkins sandblasted an imitation diamond with the iconic image of Michael’s dancing feet. However, King Michael never wore his crown out which dawns his "M.J." initials on the top. 

For whatever Michael Jackson was or was not it is certain of one thing. He definitely was a king. One who was well celebrated in his lifetime during his rule.

On June 23, 2023 a new and shiny statue dedicated to the King was unveiled in Shanghai, China 14 years after he was proclaimed dead to the world. It stated, "King of Pop ● Michael Jackson ● 1958 - Forever"

Listen to the Audio Companion Here: https://youtu.be/xWJaHB-WU1M?si=hWGByy9VLsJrYQH3