AniMANIACS!

Warner Brothers has always cranked out some pretty crazy characters, but Yakko, Wakko and Dot are among the most outlandish. First of all, they're not even classifiable. But mostly it's their crazy stunts and nonstop energy that really put the "maniac" into the show's name. Hardly a show passes when an anvil is not dropped on someone's head. Often the anvil tally reaches the dozens. Wakko amazes all with his seemingly bottomless stomach and his belching concertos, Dot is nauseatingly cute, Yakko is the most talkative of the bunch and usually the instigator.

Besides the Warner Brothers (and the Warner Sister), other regular characters include the Goodfeathers, a trio of mobster pigeons; Slappy, a curmudgeon of a squirrel, and her nephew, Skippy; Mindy, a toddler who's always getting lost, and Buttons, the German Shepherd who has to retrieve her; Katie-ka-Boom, a typical teenager who explodes when angry; Rita, a street-smart cat, and Runt, a rainman-like dog; Dr. Scratch-and-Sniff, the Warner kids' unfortunate psychologist; and Pinky and the Brain, a duo of lab rats trying to take of the world (they now have their own t.v. show).

Each segment has a theme song, and there are often songs within the segments as well. Some obnoxious, some are entertaining, some are even rather educational if you can understand what they're saying. Moments of culture include the aforementioned belching concerts and Dot's Poetry Corner, in which Dot performs a beatnik rendition of a nursery rhyme. As for lessons, aside from the songs, there are the ever-enlightening Good Idea/Bad Idea segments, offering such gems of wisdom as "Good Idea: Playing the accordion at a polka party. Bad Idea: Playing the accordion anywhere else." And the Wheel of Morality concludes each show with a "moral."

Just like most Warner Brothers cartoons preceding it, "Animaniacs" is faced with the task of fitting several segments, each featuring different characters, into a half-hour slot. Therefore, there is not much room for a story to develop. Most of the episodes rely heavily on slapstick and mockery of celebrities through their guest appearances (favorites include William Shatner, Bill Clinton, and creator Steven Spielberg). It's not the television equivalent of great literature...but it's good for a few laughs.