Greedy Humpty Dumpty

As a child, I watched a LOT of cartoons, but the ones that both fascinated and disturbed me the most were the Depression-era films of Dave and Max Fleischer. This cartoon is extremely well made, with clever songs and great attention to detail. The segment about building the tower to the sun is absolutely wonderful--all the characters from different fairy tales pitch in. But like many films of this genre, it's just too scary for little kids, and there's something strangely unsettling about King Humpty Dumpty himself - it could be his exaggerated features or the thought of him whipping Little Bo Peep--I'm just not sure.

I saw this cartoon accidentally on television one night when I couldn't get to sleep. It didn't help in the slightest. I found myself staring up at the ceiling, trying to forget that face. I could quite happily never see this cartoon again, simply because of that face.

Now, don't get me wrong - I love fairy tales and nursery rhymes as much as anyone. But this twisted and terrifying rendition simply is disturbing. It is mainly the cruel laughter, and the exaggerated features that terrify me, and I still have nightmares because of it. Please, I urge you not to allow your children to see this. It is far, FAR too scary. Please, I pray you, keep it away.

This is more of a comment than a review. I vividly remember this as 5 or 6 year old in the 50's. For me then, it was compelling and also somewhat scary and surrealistic. The message certainly got across though!

Interesting little animation loosely based on one of the most odd and mysterious fairytale characters. Well, in this take on the 'story', they make Humpty the king, and he's sure not a very nice one! I'd say it was the right thing to make ol' Dumpty a cruel and ill-tempered tyrant as to me the character already is kind of offbeat and creepy you begin with! I mean, he's just an egg-man who sits there, falls off and splats. And the way he looks in this as he cackles and waves his little limbs around is rather grotesque! I like the neat little touch just before the yolk-filled despot covets the freaking sun itself, where he's surrounded by his vast riches and his little stack of coins topple over, foreshadowing the ending. I love how amazing and beautiful the little effect is when Dumpty imagines the sun as gleaming solid gold for a moment. The actions of the storybook characters are kinda basic but I loved the sequence where the tower is built, I think it still looks great to this day, the way they construct it upwards in a spiral. It's quite outlandish and bizarre when Humpty finally does reach and cracks open the sun, releasing a lightning stick-figure which proceeds to spank him, which is *so* a mannerism that you'd only ever get in a Fleischer animation! He is smited good by the sun, and even as his eggy carcass crashes back down to earth his greediness is still evident as he grabs out at a passing gold brick, forgetting for a second that he's still thousands of feet in the air! My favourite part is the brilliant animation of the gold tower as it sways precariously from side to side, being pummelled by bolts of lightning and losing massive chunks of itself with each sway. The scope of the tower is rather epic for a minute there! It was clever how well they integrated the nursery rhyme and the Tower of Babel story. I was a little annoyed for a second at the end because it looked as if they were going to give the tale a happier ending but no, he was still shattered, I got the feeling that the other storybook folks "wouldn't" be putting Humpty together again this time! This thoroughly entertaining and very good Fleicher offering was highly charming, imaginative, well-animated and all-round fun! 7 crazy egg kings out of ten for me! 🍳

Although the copy of this cartoon that I saw recently on the Classic Arts Showcase (ARTS) was somewhat faded, it did show the artistic and technical skill for which the Fleischers were justly famous. It also shows the weird streak that runs through many of their films.

In this cartoon, Humpty Dumpty is not just the chatty fellow who fell off the wall, but a tyrannical king who has an insatiable appetite for gold, constantly bellows a sinister laugh, and turns cruel at the drop of a hat. He reminds me a lot of Tybo the Carrot Monster from the "Lost In Space" episode "The Great Vegetable Rebellion."

Little wonder that the Fleischers later produced "Superman" cartoons with larger than life villains and outlandish situations.