Rainbow Brite! Well. I always knew Nerd bug is a deeply disturbed individual, but I guess I never suspected the depths of his illness. What other commerce-centric cartoon depravities was he subject to? Care Bears? Smurfs? A My Little Pony stashed under his pillow? Is it too late for a Rocky and Bullwinkle intervention?
Ah, yes, but you DID watch Rocky and Bullwinkle. R & B was not product motivated. It was intelligent satire that, while appearing to go right over the heads of a pre-pubescent audience, actually planted seeds of intellectual dissent. To put it bluntly: all the other shows had only one message: buy our $#!£. R&B had one message, too, but it was, "don't believe everything you hear."
Of course, now every phone is wireless, so theres absolutely no chance of clotheslining people, even if they do happen to be travelling through the 2 metres or so between you and the phone base. Unless there's some sort of deadly illness which is acquirable from very short range radio waves…
My parents' place still has fully corded phones. In fact, while I exclusively use a cell phone these days, which takes an even greater shortcut and eliminates the base entirely, I don't think I've ever used a cordless phone.
I agree 100%. Now, can you stop using that secret marketing technique? You know, the one where you give people hayfever so they have nothing better to do.
Rainbow Brite, see the shining light! *cough* I mean…. it would suck when someone tripped over it and the phone got disconnected, then you had to fluster to keep the call. Now that happens when you trip, and the phone flies.
I live in the USA (america) and i had no idea either. Its a different generation, though I find todays cartoons just as twisted but in a funny/ laughable way not a creepy way. lol XD
How long did it take to draw the cord in the second and third panels? I was just wondering on account of whenever I have tried to draw anything resembling one of those phone cords, they look terrible and I give up about halfway through. Little macaroni noodles can be hard…and yours look really good…
When I was little, I used to twist myself up in the cord, so I'd just be standing there next to the table with the phone in one hand and my other arm pinned to my side. Then I'd twirl back the other way and repeat the process, and then my mom would come in and yell at me for stretching out the cord. Good times.
Ah, the days of corded phones. Sadly, I couldn't spy on my neighbors, as the one phone we had was upstairs and reached just around the door, and probably wouldn't have gotten me to the ground if I had gone out the window. I always managed to get some part of me stuck in the cord, then create a hopeless tangle trying to get out, after which I would be yelled at for stretching out the cord.
The only problem I had with the corded phones was that if anyone else was in the room, they could hear every single thing that you said. I did, however, love the dial pads that weren't attached to the phone. While cordless phones are more portable, corded phones are epic simply for the reasons presented in this strip.
Adam, you continue to amaze me with this comic. I come here every day so I can get a good laugh at whatever you've decided Bug should do each day. Please continue in this manner.
…Aaaaand, I just realized that I just typed three full paragraphs in the Bug comment section.
I remember having a phone cord like that growing up. It was actually a rotary phone. Kids these days don't even know what that is or how to use it. Also because of cell phones, many don't even know what a dial tone is. Sad sad world.
I love rotary phones. My neighbors still have one, and I take the opportunity to mess with it whenever I'm at their house. I wish I had been around in the era of rotary phones, because they're just that awesome.
I get yelled at all the time because we have a cordless phone and one with a cord…I chose the one with the cord just to closeline my husband & kids…it stretches all the way across the room. Plus, you can pull on the cord when your kids are chatting and it rips the phone right out of their hand…then I laugh! Good times
I used to LOVE it when the cord got all tangled up. You had to grab it at one point and let it untangle while watching the receiver spin around and around. It was a fun little game. Yes – we were poor. So very, very poor. I had a pet rock.
I love the old phones, rotary ones best. I like the analog nature of them. That and there's something about the cord that assures me that my brains aren't being fried with the device.
So ponytail-bug is Bug's sister?
That was my first thought when i saw that
Family of Bug: Dad = Grumpy looking half glasses bug. Mom = Black haired girl bug. Girls = Ponytail kid bug & kid female bug. Boys = Kid bug
How long is this cord?
Love the E.T. reference.
The downside is that whenever the cord gets entangled, its game over.
Rainbow Brite! Well. I always knew Nerd bug is a deeply disturbed individual, but I guess I never suspected the depths of his illness. What other commerce-centric cartoon depravities was he subject to? Care Bears? Smurfs? A My Little Pony stashed under his pillow? Is it too late for a Rocky and Bullwinkle intervention?
What's next? Hello Kitty?
Btw, I watched Smurfs, Care Bears, Rocky & Bullwinkle and others. I might've watched Rainbow Brite, but not sure.
Ah, yes, but you DID watch Rocky and Bullwinkle. R & B was not product motivated. It was intelligent satire that, while appearing to go right over the heads of a pre-pubescent audience, actually planted seeds of intellectual dissent. To put it bluntly: all the other shows had only one message: buy our $#!£. R&B had one message, too, but it was, "don't believe everything you hear."
My little pony is actually pretty ok. I'm talking about Friendship is Magic, btw.
It’s awesome!!! ^w^
Of course, now every phone is wireless, so theres absolutely no chance of clotheslining people, even if they do happen to be travelling through the 2 metres or so between you and the phone base. Unless there's some sort of deadly illness which is acquirable from very short range radio waves…
My parents' place still has fully corded phones. In fact, while I exclusively use a cell phone these days, which takes an even greater shortcut and eliminates the base entirely, I don't think I've ever used a cordless phone.
There's still a base, it's just not in your home anymore. :p
I agree 100%. Now, can you stop using that secret marketing technique? You know, the one where you give people hayfever so they have nothing better to do.
I used to like wrapping the cord around things like in the cartoons when a string was tied around the dog and he ran all over.
Rainbow Brite, see the shining light! *cough* I mean…. it would suck when someone tripped over it and the phone got disconnected, then you had to fluster to keep the call. Now that happens when you trip, and the phone flies.
Thank you very much. Not being American, I googled Rainbow Brite. I used the image search. I don't think I'll be able to sleep ever again.
I live in the USA (america) and i had no idea either. Its a different generation, though I find todays cartoons just as twisted but in a funny/ laughable way not a creepy way. lol XD
There are two Rainbow Brite sprite dolls sitting in a box in my garage right now.
(I have daughters who were tweens in the 80s … they won't LET me get rid of their toys. Really.)
I got some old stuff thatIi have never thrown out. Too rare to find. Plus try finding Hello Kitty products from years ago, no luck there.
Another thing I miss about corded phones is not wondering if I can get a brain tumor each time I answer a call 😛
More telephone cord madness:
http://www.balderduck.com/2011/02/10/mister-sloor…
now that's just bad comment-section ettiquette.
Oh my goodness, has anyone ever told you what an amazing individual you are, good sir? Your comics are my second favourite of all time!
How long did it take to draw the cord in the second and third panels? I was just wondering on account of whenever I have tried to draw anything resembling one of those phone cords, they look terrible and I give up about halfway through. Little macaroni noodles can be hard…and yours look really good…
ps:love the comic
Yeah, telephone cords and chains are tedious to draw, aren't they? Didn't take me as long as it usually does.
When I was little, I used to twist myself up in the cord, so I'd just be standing there next to the table with the phone in one hand and my other arm pinned to my side. Then I'd twirl back the other way and repeat the process, and then my mom would come in and yell at me for stretching out the cord. Good times.
You forgot "INTENTIONALLY clotheslining sister" 😛 You're making me all nostalgic, bug.
I'm pretty sure that was implied in the panel
Also the dad's expression is priceless.
Ah, the days of corded phones. Sadly, I couldn't spy on my neighbors, as the one phone we had was upstairs and reached just around the door, and probably wouldn't have gotten me to the ground if I had gone out the window. I always managed to get some part of me stuck in the cord, then create a hopeless tangle trying to get out, after which I would be yelled at for stretching out the cord.
The only problem I had with the corded phones was that if anyone else was in the room, they could hear every single thing that you said. I did, however, love the dial pads that weren't attached to the phone. While cordless phones are more portable, corded phones are epic simply for the reasons presented in this strip.
Adam, you continue to amaze me with this comic. I come here every day so I can get a good laugh at whatever you've decided Bug should do each day. Please continue in this manner.
…Aaaaand, I just realized that I just typed three full paragraphs in the Bug comment section.
ooh wouldn't it be cool if the tv had bug antenna instead of rabbit ears?
I remember having a phone cord like that growing up. It was actually a rotary phone. Kids these days don't even know what that is or how to use it. Also because of cell phones, many don't even know what a dial tone is. Sad sad world.
I love rotary phones. My neighbors still have one, and I take the opportunity to mess with it whenever I'm at their house. I wish I had been around in the era of rotary phones, because they're just that awesome.
my morning always starts out awesome. why you ask? well that is for the very simple reason that a new bug goes live at 7 a.m. in my part of the world.
so i want to thank you adam for making every day start out great.
also my grandparents used to have a corded phone which i loved to play with in the above discribed way.
I get yelled at all the time because we have a cordless phone and one with a cord…I chose the one with the cord just to closeline my husband & kids…it stretches all the way across the room. Plus, you can pull on the cord when your kids are chatting and it rips the phone right out of their hand…then I laugh! Good times
I used to LOVE it when the cord got all tangled up. You had to grab it at one point and let it untangle while watching the receiver spin around and around. It was a fun little game. Yes – we were poor. So very, very poor. I had a pet rock.
I like to call them "cordful" phones (as opposed to cordless)
Untangling the phone cord was a family activity.
I love the old phones, rotary ones best. I like the analog nature of them. That and there's something about the cord that assures me that my brains aren't being fried with the device.
Ahhhh, memories!
These days I've made my life much simpler and quieter: I have a phoneless cord.
I had to look up Will Rogers. Glad I did though.
We always had the gigantic, cream-colored cordless phone.
This certainly brings back memories from my childhood!
Sure… ‘accidentally…’