Chocodile and Friends (Johnsonverse)

Chocodile and Friends is an American animated anthology series hosted by Chocodile that mainly consists of classic Ludicrous Limericks cartoons released by Johnson Studios. It has aired since September 3, 1955, and moved to WBC on September 6, 1969. Each episode lasts one hour, and includes seven theatrical cartoons, combined with newly-animated linking sequences of Chocodile hosting a TV series in a studio, all produced by the Johnson Cartoons staff.

Since its inception in 1955, the show has aired on Saturday mornings, and has maintained consistent viewership, even during the Phil Stacker era of WBC (then known as JTV). It has been considered one of the greatest animated series of all time.

Premise
Chocodile and his friends host a variety show in a television studio.

Voice cast

 * Mel Blanc as Chocodile and Larry (1955-1989)

Beginnings (1955-1961)
Chocodile and Friends debuted on CBS on September 3, 1955, airing on Saturdays at 8:30 AM EST, under the sponsorship of The Hershey Company. New linking sequences produced by Randy Perkins and Gerald Jankowski were used to link the three cartoons together. The opening theme was the Chocodile theme by Mayhew Lester Lake, with added lyrics, accompanied by Chocodile and his friends getting ready for the show, culminating in a dance sequence at the end. The intro sequence is still used today, and still uses Mel Blanc's vocals long after his 1989 death, as well as the original animation (which was rotoscoped to widescreen in 1994 for the show's 40th season due to it being the show's first season in widescreen).

Expansion to one hour (1961-1969)
In 1961, the series was expanded to one hour. More cartoons were also added to the show's rotation, including cartoons dating back to 1926's "In a Bind", the first cartoon in the Ludicrous Limericks series. It also had a much higher budget than before, with animation that was described as "Disney-quality".

Move to widescreen (1994-1999)
Starting in the show's 40th season (1994-1995), the series switched to widescreen. The first episode in that season, which aired on September 10, 1994, featured the original Chocodile and Friends opening being played for the last time, then in the first segment, Chocodile is about to introduce the show, only for a station manager to notify him of the change. Chocodile and the manager then pull the black bars away from view, symbolizing the change.