The Rebel Palate

(Click here to jump to the recommended song, Stray Cat Strut by The Stray Cats!) Howdy, rebels. I've said it before: if you want to sell me something, put a wacky cartoon on the label. Lately, though, I've figured out cartooniness isn't the whole picture. Not every cartoon design works on me, especially ones like this: The Cookie Crisp wolf reeks of the vaguely Disney- or Tex Avery-like designs from the 90s with no real style. It's like someone put all the good stuff in a frying pan and let the real essence boil off, leaving a chewy, bland substance. Sure, it's recognizable, especially with the big purple nose, but even Little Bites' blueberry muffins had that. There are some parts I like about the Cookie Crisp wolf, like how the ears are drawn a little differently than other styles, or the cel shading (AKA no shading) on this recent version. But it has no identity. ...