Animaniacs: Thanksgiving

November 18, 2020

“Turkey Jerky/Wild Blue Yonder” Season 1, Episode 46

Turkey Jerky is Animaniac’s only Thanksgiving bit, and it is definitely appropriately themed for the holiday. It is set during the first thanksgiving and follows a pilgrim, Miles Standish, hunting for a turkey for thanksgiving dinner. The character of Standish is a fictionalized version of an actual historical figure. While the animated Standish is a jerk who wants to shoot the Warner’s pet turkey, Mr. Gobbles, the real Standish was a brutal military leader responsible for vicious attacks and the slaughter of Native Americans. So if anyone deserves to be tormented by the Warner siblings for a bit, it’s him. I think enjoying this episode depends on your ability to forget about the horrors of actual Pilgrim-Native relations, which is easier for some people than others. Aside from featuring a historical figure, Turkey Jerky is very detached from reality. This episode features Loony Toon-esque comedy, with oodles of sight gags as Standish attempts to shoot Mr. Gobbles. Obviously he is constantly thwarted by the siblings until he is a whimpering mess. This episode is very cartoonishly themed after Thanksgiving, which makes it good for getting in the mood for Thanksgiving. That is if you can forget about the atrocities of the holiday’s origin. Since this episode is from 1993, I don’t know if it would fly today, but it definitely falls into some classic thanksgiving themes and aesthetics that will get you ready for the holiday.

Netflix available? No

Hulu available? Yes

Xfinity available? Yes

Disney+ available? No