Quasi at the Quackadero

[cloudrat7]

Oh my lord! i used to watch these episodes on a cable tv station called WHT in the early 80s here in new york.city. Wow!! I wanted to name my son quasi but i had a girl lmaooooo!!! Your work is a staple in my childhood.

[laughingsal]

@cloudrat7 HA! Glad you had a girl! Thanks for nice comment.

[charnak]

hmm... ahhh...ahhhh!...AAAAHHHHHHH!!!­!!! - intracranial hemorrhaging -

[kiheisun]

This is definitely unforgettable - saw it in the late 70s or early 80s and always remember Anita's distinctive voice. There were some apparitions in The Shining that seem to have been inspired by the characters seen here. Something made me think of it today...weird

[pittskater412]

i used to watch this when i did acid

[starshkr46]

This is teh oral sex...

[Kacen]

Chaotic and sickening.

[GatBisshop]

i know this might sound a bit bizarre ms. cruikshank, but for some reason i have the strongest sense of deja vu when i review most of your material, the whole quasi series, face like a frog..etc. almost like the world you illustrate is the same place i've visited in my dreams since i was an infant, although i am only 20 years of age...i do not apprehend why this is but thank you for your life's expressions, they have helped dearly!

[laughingsal]

@GatBisshop wow that is really weird and interesting. For some reason people around your age seem to really respond to my work, but never heard anything like this before.

[absolutezero6]

@GatBisshop I know exactly what you are talking about, i feel like these have been apart of my dreams my entire life, but i hadnt seen any of the quasi series or and work by sally until quite recently.

[commentilization]

@GatBisshop I'm also 20 years old and have was having the same thoughts the day after I watched this video.

PS: DMT

[elsesinaloa]

¿yellow submarine extra?

[ZombieSunset]

this is one of the best things i have ever seen

[laughingsal]

@ZombieSunset YIKES!

[100acrewood]

Sally, thanks...just watching again as a way of grounding myself after a challenging few weeks and find that Quasi makes me feel so happy...somehow as elemental as air and water.

New appreciation for the soundtrack, too.

[laughingsal]

@100acrewood wishing you an easier month ahead-

[Pikachu4352]

It's Animation Like this that's always Inspiring!

[laughingsal]

@Pikachu4352 thanks for that!

[Pikachu4352]

@laughingsal You're Welcome! I practically Grew up watching this (Remembering seeing your style on Sesame Street!)

[lordy80011]

I remember watching this a few times back in the early 1980s... such a weird and creepy little short. :)

[bofomaiden]

es muy parecido a la animacion del largometraje animado de yellow submarine

[george4mon]

this is the weirdest cartoon ive ever seen!

[TheGrungeGamer]

I use to remember seeing this on Cartoon Network sometime around 1997 or 1998, and it was on only once, and never seen it again. This was during their weekend long marathon specials, and even though I could remember from the age of 11, to this day, it has stuck there in my mind.

Cruikshank's animation is like that of Yellow Submarine quality, and I find it very surreal & interesting.

[laughingsal]

@TheGrungeGamer thank you~

[kawaiitoboe]

Woah, trippy! Reminds me a bit of Yellow Submarine.

[CarolSuemoo]

Interesting... saw this in '77, and it blew my mind, but the funny thing now (34 yrs later) is it's not the same as my memory...I have it all mixed up, it was WAY more profound then! Oh youth! LOL

[rbbonotto]

I dreamed about this cartoon a couple of years ago; I guess it had a bigger influence on my life than I thought.

[mynie]

I've watched this 10 times in the last three days. It's amazing how much of this aesthetic was appropriated by more or less mainstream places in the 80s and early 90s.  This is like the Big Bang that formed all the media of my childhood.

[laughingsal]

@mynie Such an interesting comment, thank you. I'm always paying attention to the way the prevalent aesthetic changes.

[geegeevindaloo]

I'm so glad this is online, I left my Quazi DVD in some odd place and can't find it...! this saved me, whew..

[ozzyfox]

I love this!

[bobbygnosis]

I'm here because of Terrence McKenna.

[OHOHO1227]

Woah.

[UchihaMidnight]

4:37

QUASI EAT WORLD

...I've been wanting to write that ALL WEEK

[blisterpacman]

haha it resembles altered states

[TheMrCaddyshack]

Awesome how this made it into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress!

[laughingsal]

@TheMrCaddyshack yes it's crazy!



[Handsome85]

Did I smoke some weed before watching this!?

[Misstanbul137]

Just heard about this from a friend. What and amazing piece of animation. I am looking forward to watching more!

[jakkep]

what the shit was that? damn post-modernists

[BobBX542]

You would think that they would put up some kind of plexiglass or something to keep people from falling into the time holes.

[sglasspool]

God damn it, I hate 70's animation. Reminds me of that piece of crap, Yellow Submarine.

[darthfry]

quasi reminds me of a young dr finklestien of nightmare B4 X-mas.

[animebabe917]

a trip fest!! love it!! 

[stargate121]

Strange and Delightful!

[DavidFullam]

15 folks dislike it. 15 folks are morons.

[nonplayerzealot4]

I last saw this on HBO around 93/94.  They used to rerun these between movies late nite.

[SuzettePleshette]

I LOVE this! I saw it when it first came out, circa 1975 in art school. Wonderful, Sally :D

[laughingsal]

@SuzettePleshette Art school in the 70's was the place to be!

[JoannaPriestley]

I love this brilliant film!

[laughingsal]

@JoannaPriestley Thanks for including it in your European show, Joanna, and best of luck with the show.

[likew0wman]

FINALLY! I finally get to see this! Planing on getting the DVD soon. (Until now, the only animation of yours I'd seen was your contribution to ANIJAM.) Thank you for posting, Sally!

[laughingsal]

@likew0wman Anijam? Now that's obscure!

[RoninCatholic]

Wow, they cut a piece out when they showed this on Cartoon Network. And good riddance, that chick was stank lookin'.

[thewordhole]

i've loved this cartoon for years. Thanks, Sally!

[laughingsal]

@thewordhole you're welcome!

[laughingsal]

Thanks Westgoten, thanks sunset261, and you made me laugh ArchiteulthisDux, though I'm scared by what your name might mean (no idea.)

[westgoten]

So this is what you get if you genesplice Salvador Dalí and Ralph Bakhsi. :D

I saw this on swedish television some time in the late 70s/early 80s. I dont quite remember but It probably scared the shite out of me then. Now i just love it, Very trippy!

[sunset261]

Awesome use of color.

[ArchiteuthisDux]

May have to recalibrate my weird-o-meter after that one . . .

[Johnny2071]

8:52

The only thing that makes sense in this trippy cartoon,,,,,,,,,,

[ChuChu353]

1 hour ago

@laughingsal Hey Sally :-) FWIW, you are a charter member of my personal Animation Hall of Fame LOL. You're in good company, too! It includes Emile Cohl, Winsor MacCay, Walt Disney, Ub Iwerks, Max Fleischer, Tex Avery, Bill Hanna & Joe Barbera, Friz Freling, Chuck Jones, Bob Clampett, Hayao Miyazaki, Ralph Bakshi, Don Bluth, and Gennedy Tartakovsky

[laughingsal]

@ChuChu353 thanks for the monster compliment- no idea why it got flagged as spam- maybe too many names?

[ChuChu353]

@laughingsal You're quite welcome :-D

[Johnny2071]

What is Quasi met Duckman?

[yogeesunshine]

heard about this from Terance Mckenna

[VCat2006]

A retro 70s version of Rugrats with a hint of Jetsons, Futurama, Duckman, Bugs Bunny, and a lot of Beatles!

[djdickmutt]

This is wonderful... thanks for the upload!

[Sadsic]

im gonna sample the audio in a song one of these days

[Ogopogo57]

randomness... pardon my asking but is "Quasi" a legit name?

[laughingsal]

@Ogopogo57 legit??

[CJAnonymous]

@Ogopogo57: Out of all the weirdness in this short, THAT'S what you found strange?

[Voltora]

Oh my god, it's like... if Salvador Dali was shot in the head and THEN took up making cartoons.

Who MADE this? Sally Cruikshank?

What mental hospital did she escape from?!

[laughingsal]

@Voltora I'm standing outside your house right now! (jk)

[ctdsnark]

I really don't think they're supposed to be ducks.

[blokis]

Youre an awesome human Sally!

[Xijnjoey38]

Sa 46i whose 13, 4? Spacial coordinates of perspectives or angles, and that is not chump fu ne way. Check Gonzo in Muppets from space, it'll tell you all about the secret service and how to enroll!

[herzenverbrecher]

Wow was I on acid or did that just happen?

I LOVE the creativity. I dub Sally "most creative" lady in the world! These posts always make my day- such funny and beautiful cartoons. They really don't make them like this anymore. Or I don't even know if they ever did!

[laughingsal]

randomeddie, you're looking for my cartoon "Make Me Psychic" which is on youtube.

[randomeddie]

Does anyone know where I can find a Sally Cruikshank cartoon called 'The Mezmerama (I believe it was called)'? I loved that as a kid...

[laughingsal]

thank you RustlngRagazza and good luck to you!i

[RustlingRagazza]

(cont.) My poetry's inspired by cartoons AND childhood, so what you told Lilith made me smile. Also, wondering what I'll write if some of these moments inspire me...:)

[RustlingRagazza]

This and The Big Snit by Richard Condie were the only two cartoons I have never seen out of those from the 100 best cartoons list. Now that I've finally seen this, I love every second of it. As a pre-teen, I used to do classic animation with paper only (workshop couldn't afford cell) and I can only imagine how much love and time you put into this, given how rich the backgrounds and transitions are. Also, I feel Andreas Hykade picked some of your tricks. Thanks for this jewel of animation! :)

[tobygoodshank]

gorgeous!

[tobygoodshank]

gorgeous!

[laughingsal]

Lilith- Found your comment quite touching, especially since some of my closest childhood friends are at the base of this film.

[Lilith0Belial]

For some strange reason, Quasi feels like a character I've known since my childhood and he emanates some kind of warmth, the strangest part is that this is the first time I've become aware of his existence. I'm amazed something like this can happen.

[Quasibabe1]

Thank you, laughinsal, and thanks for all the smiles! I have had the name since 1991 as I said, but it's not copyrighted, so there are a lot of us running around the 'net. I don't see my friend's nick here in the comments section, but I'll be sure to link him. Even though I'm not the "Quasi" in the vid I kind of identify with him. :-)

[Quasibabe1]

Hi,

Mi internet nickname since 1991 has been "Quasimodem".

My friends on the 'net call me "Quasi".

I have a very SPECIAL friend (not "short-bus") who sends me this video whenever I feel down, and I would just like to say that I love him in the most brotherly way and thank him for being there for me!

Quasi (modem)

[laughingsal]

@Quasibabe1 Quasimodem is a cute name.

[generalsgoalie39]

It's a shame I'll never see anything this amazing in my life. Please make more!

[furiadodragao]

Cult classic!!

[JackandSally4ever]

I... greeeeeeatly despise Anita's voice. xC It's a great animated short, well done. The Quackadero looks as if the people who created Small world got high andmade something else... BUT ANITA'S VOICE x<

[anony456]

That was.... interesting. You really know how to make a person think Sally.

[xiocrafter]

wow! this may be a contender with Ub Iwerks Balloonland for my favorite cartoon

[laughingsal]

wow back!

[mudkipNDS]

I have to say, I honestly prefer "Make Me Psychic" over this short film, mostly because of the vast difference in Anita's design (I don't like her look in this one, she's scary :( ).

[Tulkastaldo]

Ever see something that is so creative it is a little sinister? Like, it threatens to tear away the fabric of reality and reveal some yawning gulf of candy colored Lovecraftian madness? This is one of those things.

[laughingsal]

Thanks for this wild and wicked message!

[BindiIchigo]

Years ago (1983-ish), my mom taped a documentary on PBS and this was after it for a filler. My brother and I used to watch it over and over and laugh like loons. Several years ago, he got me the tape for my birthday; I'm glad to see that DVD's are available, too. (:

Oh, and everytime I see a commercial for Superjail, I think of this cartoon. (:

[JayMeGirl85]

OMG!!!! My brother and i would watch this all the time when we where sooo little! i haven't seen it in almost 15 years i'm now 24, lol

[LemonLimeLaughter]

Oh my god, this was like an intense brain fuck. It's like it captured the full essence of an intensly uncomfortably weird dream.

[LemonLimeLaughter]

I found out about this vid from listening to a terrence mckenna interview, by the way. He described this video as a DMT carnival.

watch?v=dUNyfJZlsRI&feature=re­lated

[LemonLimeLaughter]

and take out the space on 'related' pasted screwed up for some reason

[bellyjewel]

Oh my god, I have been looking for this forever!!!!! I love Quasi!

[mmmmmars]

Oh wow, I saw this back in the 70's when I was in college, and I NEVER forgot it. So very glad to see it again, and now that I'm an animator myself, I'm even more amazed by it. Brilliant.

[laughingsal]

thanks, mmmmmmmmmmmars- I use the screen name funonmars here and there myself.

[mmmmmars]

I think one could say that the fantasy Mars and the real Quackadero are enmeshed in the same Zone of Mystery....

[laughingsal]

mmm, I like that!

[mmmmmars]

Great to have the chance to chat with you laughingsal, it's like chatting with one of the gods of Olympus, animation-wise. Are you working on a new piece?

[crowexplosion]

i love thisssss ;)

[crowkangi]

fantastic, thanks for the leap in imagination

[laughingsal]

thanks back at you!

[laughingsal]

Nifty, from Oz, thanks whatblah43!

[reedsturtevant]

Once upon a time I took my boss on a date to an animation festival in Cambridge. We've been married 30 years and she still occasionally whines "Quasi..." at me. We were SO EXCITED to read in the newspaper today that Quasi was inducted into the National Film Registry.

Congrats, Sally, and thank you so much for posting your film here for us to watch.

[laughingsal]

That's a wonderful story Reed. Wow!

[werewolfofiowa]

If anyone heard a high-pitched squeaking sound at around 7:30 CST, it was me squealing with delight seeing that this made it into the National Film Registry.

[laughingsal]

funny!

[ChuChu353]

Congratulations Sally on Quasi being named to The National Film Registry!

I first saw it on Night Flight around 1982 while I was in college. Thanks for posting it here so I can see it again :-)

[laughingsal]

Thank you, ChuChu353. I still can't believe it!

[arirhodes]

Named to 2009 National Film Registry:

Quasi at the Quackadero has earned the term unique. Once described as a mixture of 1930s

Van Beuren cartoons and 1960s R. Crumb comics with a dash of Sam Flax, & a descendent of

the Depression-era funny animal cartoon, Sally Cruikshanks wildly imaginative tale of odd

creatures visiting a psychedelic amusement park careens creatively from strange to truly wacky

scenes. It became a favorite of the Midnight Movie circuit in the 1970s...

[MBFLA45]

"hey are any of you seeing an ad on this page?" -- No, no ads on 12-3--09.

[laughingsal]

thanks for checking MBFLA45. They claim revenue sharing is in place.

[laughingsal]

hey are any of you seeing an ad on this page? I struggled to be allowed video revenue with youtube, they finally gave me permission, but I don't see any ads. Maybe blocked for my view?

[Ikilledsugarspook45]

You're all stupid. This is THEE WORST cartoon I have ever seen. And Ive seen Canadian and British shit. Those countries shoudn't even be allowed to make any cartoons at all or ever again.

[laughingsal]

aw thanks. I feel blessed.

[blahnupunk1]

Thanks so much for posting this. I've been looking for this video since the early 80's. I couldn't get Quasi's "past lives" out of my head saying "Hello, Quasi". :-) Sally Cruikshank is an absolute genius.

[SpaceboySixFour]

I saw this is college at OU. An animator gave a presentation on animation and he showed this, along with another one called Impetigo. I don't remember his name.

[BizzarreProductions]

I FINALLY UNDERSTAND IT NOW!

Seymour in his striped pajamas from "Beginning, Middle, and End" went back in time and sold frozen yogurt to cavemen in a time when frozen yogurt did not exist, causing a time paradox and creating this bizarre universe. But when Quasi fell in, it caused another time paradox and we ended up with the universe that we're in now!!! XD

I have to wonder, though. Why did Anita want Quasi to come along so badly just to get rid of him?

[laughingsal]

I don't know!

[BadNews88]

Saw this *UBER-SUPERB* vignette at a Film festival somewhere in Canada (Toronto, I think..) back in the 1980's..Then in the 1990's in Amsterdam. And LOVED it!

Note to laughingsal:

I wholeheartedly concur with ya! Ya DON'T have to have-ah-'additives'..in yer system to be-ah-CREATIVE!

Ya might wanna consider whether or not that Pan Pizza with bacon,red onion,& japlpeno peppers before y'go to bed might be WORTH it.

No joke,m8's.

Ennyhoo, thanx *heaps* fer the vignette!

And I *am*

[laughingsal]

enjoyed your comment, BadNews88.

[redheat101]

i really like your style of art! you must have taken a thumbprint of acid to create something as trippy as this!

[laughingsal]

Thanks. You don't need to take acid to have weird thoughts and imagine weird things.

[redheat101]

absolutely true. my comment was poorly worded and probably offensive. did lsd inspire you to make these cartoons or contribute to your style?

[finalfight]

acid trip?

[BizzarreProductions]

4:40 LOL, why does he want to eat them??? XD

[laughingsal]

I don't know. I never like to look at these cartoons.

[BizzarreProductions]

XD Why? You don't know why you drew what you did?

[fractaldog]

Terence McKenna recommended this in one of his talks and I'm very glad he did! Great work.

[laughingsal]

a number of people have told me this. thans.

[guitarpick678]

what a fabulous piece of animation!

[laughingsal]

thanks

[Sandypantsthegreat]

Just wanted to tell you how INCREDIBLY RAD you are. Your stuff gives me the creeps and makes me smile at the same time (especially Don't Go In The Basement.) It's so good!

[laughingsal]

The funny thing is that the creeps/smiles effect is exactly what I was trying to do.

[Sandypantsthegreat]

oh no, I totally get that with your stuff! When we rented The Twilight Zone and you scene came up I was just grinning ear to ear. I was just a little girl and I instantly wanted to know more about you. I forgot though and only until recently looked up your stuff on youtube. So happy you're postin!

[bblsaul]

I discovered this on "Declarations of Independents" (on TLC, I think) ~ and I taped every single episode ... This was on the very first episode, as I recall. There was some great stuff on that program ~ but nothing ever quite equaled this masterpiece!

[laughingsal]

thanks for your nice comment!

[Duvmasta]

Didin't this lady do animation for Sesame Street?

[laughingsal]

yes, I'm the one. see the Sesame St stuff on my channel laughingsal.

[RHSteeleOH]

I absolutely love the Madame Xano dream sequence.

[laughingsal]

That's one of my favorite parts too. The music is what makes it so great.

[CactusJackSlade]

The music, absolutely!

Sometimes I get some of your tunes stuck in my head and I have to come watch your video again! :-)

[Megalon85]

Isn't it cute how Rollo is asleep in Anita's arms at 7:24

[RHSteeleOH]

I originally saw this on the USA network during an episode of NightFlight. I fell in love with it immediately.

[laughingsal]

So that's where you came in!

[laughingsal]

Hey there ToonGrrl, thanks for the nice comment. I don't know who raven the Trickster is.

[ToonGrrl]

Hi Sally, It's just that at frame 6:46, the Past_Life guy briefly sports a black & white mask that _looks like_ a Pacific NW mask, so I wondered what it symbolized/ what it meant for you. Thanks for replying.

[ToonGrrl]

Here's an anal animation question for you, Sally...(& sorry if someone asked this before)... The Past -Life Impersario -Sun guy... does he turn into Raven the Trickster for a brief second? I wondered which Tlinget_Kwakuital mask he symbolized.

What I love best about your cartoons are their seemingly endless layers of subconscious symbolism. What you are able to pack into a single second is simply mind-boggling!

Blast From the Past: It was great having you as a teacher at CalArts!

[Pheeze]

I don't remember taking any LSD but whaddya know

[KPizzle1000]

Flashback attaack!!!!

[CactusJackSlade]

NO WAY! I found this... way cool, this is SO bizzare!

I too saw this at a film festival... mid 70's. I love the womans voice.

THANK YOU!

[laughingsal]

oh weally? like your scween name too.

[MODbelle]

Saw this last in "82

[ponderance]

I have been trying to track this down for 20years! I saw it originally during a shorts program at the Milwaukee Art Museum. I can't wait to see your other posts, I love your work. Thank you for making this available!!

[laughingsal]

Glad you found it.

[nightcrawler998]

thees r awesome i want to draw like this

[laughingsal]

Thanks for all your nice comments. I don't draw so well, but I made a lot of drawings in this film.

[Schwartzvald88]

This is an epic piece of classic animation!

[laughingsal]

glad it strikes a chord