Total Television

Total Television Productions, commonly styled as Total TeleVision productions, was an American animation studio established in 1959 by Buck Biggers, Chester “Chet” Stover, Joe Harris, and Treadwell D. Covington. The founders were executives at the advertising agency Dancer Fitzgerald Sample, which handled the account of General Mills, the food company. Total Television was created in that commercial environment to develop animated characters and television programming that could promote General Mills breakfast cereals and related products to children. The studio operated at the intersection of advertising, children’s entertainment, and network television. Its early work included animated commercials as well as series designed for broadcast and later syndication. Cocoa Puffs commercials were among its notable commercial assignments, running during the 1960s. The company’s programming was primarily associated with American television networks, particularly NBC, and helped establish a recognizable style of short-form, character-led cartoons built around comic situations, recurring catchphrases, and broad visual humor. Total Television’s best-known productions included King Leonardo and His Short Subjects, Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales, and Underdog. King Leonardo introduced an anthology-like format combining several recurring segments, including The King & Odie, The Hunter, Twinkles the Elephant, and Tooter Turtle. Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales followed the comic adventures of a zoo penguin and his companions, while Underdog became the studio’s most widely remembered superhero parody and one of the defining syndicated cartoons of the period. Other productions included Commander McBragg, Go Go Gophers, The Beagles, Klondike Kat, and The Sing-A-Long Family. The studio did not perform all animation internally. Animation for its early work was outsourced to TV Spots, and production shifted to Gamma Productions as King Leonardo and His Short Subjects entered its third season, around 1961. This production model reflected the economics of early television animation, in which American producers frequently coordinated creative development, scripts, voice work, and distribution while specialized animation was performed by outside facilities. Total Television also developed pilots and specials, including Gene Hattree, Cauliflower Cabby, and The Colossal Show, although these projects did not achieve the same lasting recognition as its principal series. Its programs remained part of the television-animation library market after their original network runs. Much of the library’s post-network syndication was handled by The Program Exchange until that distributor ceased operations in 2016. The rights are currently associated with DreamWorks Classics and DreamWorks Animation through the wider Universal Pictures and NBCUniversal corporate structure. Total Television itself is a historical production brand rather than an active independent studio.

Total Television Productions was founded in 1959 by Buck Biggers, Chester “Chet” Stover, Joe Harris, and Treadwell D. Covington. All four founders were executives at Dancer Fitzgerald Sample, an advertising agency that represented General Mills. The studio’s formation was closely connected to that client relationship: its initial purpose was to create cartoon characters and television material capable of encouraging children to purchase General Mills breakfast cereals and other products. This origin gave Total Television a distinctive business model. Rather than beginning as a conventional theatrical animation producer, it developed within the advertising and television industries. Its work combined branded commercial communication with entertainment programming for broadcast networks. The company’s productions were primarily made for television, with NBC among the networks associated with its programming. The approach enabled General Mills and other commercial interests to benefit from recurring animated characters while also allowing the studio to build a library of programs that could continue circulating after their original broadcasts. Animation production was initially outsourced to TV Spots. As King Leonardo and His Short Subjects reached its third season, around 1961, Total Television shifted animation work to Gamma Productions. This arrangement was representative of television animation during the period, when producers commonly relied on specialist studios to handle the labor-intensive animation process. Total Television remained responsible for the development and production of its television properties while working through external animation facilities. King Leonardo and His Short Subjects was among the company’s earliest major successes. The program used a package format with multiple recurring segments, including The King & Odie, The Hunter, Twinkles the Elephant, and Tooter Turtle. The studio followed it with Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales, which ran from 1963 to 1966 and centered on the comic exploits of a zoo penguin. Commander McBragg and Go Go Gophers were also produced during this period. Underdog, introduced in 1964, became Total Television’s signature property. Running from 1964 to 1967, the series presented a mild-mannered character who transformed into a heroic figure, using superhero conventions as the basis for children’s comedy. Its distinctive character design and recurring story structure made it especially durable in reruns and syndication. Other series from the studio included The Beagles, Klondike Kat, and The Sing-A-Long Family. The company also produced pilots and specials such as Gene Hattree, Cauliflower Cabby, and The Colossal Show. Commercial work remained part of Total Television’s output. The studio produced Cocoa Puffs commercials during the 1960s, reinforcing the connection between its animation expertise and the General Mills account. The same character-based techniques used in its series could be adapted for short advertising formats aimed at children. Following the original network runs, Total Television’s programs entered the television-library and syndication market. The Program Exchange handled much of the library’s post-network distribution until it closed in 2016. The rights are now associated with DreamWorks Classics and DreamWorks Animation, via Universal Pictures and NBCUniversal. The historical Total Television organization is no longer an active independent production company, but its best-known series, particularly Underdog, King Leonardo and His Short Subjects, and Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales, remain part of the history of American television animation.

• 2016

  The Program Exchange closes

  [1]Total Televisionen.wikipedia.org

  The distributor that handled much of Total Television’s post-network syndication library shuts down; the rights are subsequently associated with DreamWorks Classics and DreamWorks Animation.

• 1966

  Later television productions expand the library

  [1]Total Televisionen.wikipedia.org

  The studio produces or contributes to later programs including Klondike Kat, The Beagles, and the concluding episodes of several established properties.

• 1964

  Underdog debuts

  [1]Total Televisionen.wikipedia.org

  Underdog begins its television run and becomes the studio’s most prominent and enduring property.

• 1963

  Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales debuts

  [1]Total Televisionen.wikipedia.org

  Total Television introduces the animated comedy series Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales, which runs through 1966.

• 1961

  Animation production shifts to Gamma Productions

  [1]Total Televisionen.wikipedia.org

  Around the third season of King Leonardo and His Short Subjects, the studio moves outsourced animation work from TV Spots to Gamma Productions.

• 1960

  King Leonardo and His Short Subjects begins

  [1]Total Televisionen.wikipedia.org

  The studio launches its early package-format television program, which includes recurring segments such as The King & Odie, The Hunter, Twinkles the Elephant, and Tooter Turtle.

• 1959

  Total Television is founded

  [1]Total Televisionen.wikipedia.org

  Buck Biggers, Chester “Chet” Stover, Joe Harris, and Treadwell D. Covington establish Total Television Productions in the advertising-agency environment of Dancer Fitzgerald Sample and its General Mills account.

A commercially oriented American television-animation studio that created memorable children's characters and series, often in connection with General Mills advertising and network broadcast programming.

• Animated television series · 1960

  King Leonardo and His Short Subjects

  An early Total Television package program built around the lion King Leonardo and a group of recurring segments. Its component features included The King & Odie, The Hunter, Twinkles the Elephant, and Tooter Turtle. The format allowed the studio to present several short comedic premises within one television program and established the production model used for some of its earliest network work.

• Animated television series · 1963

  Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales

  A children's comedy series following Tennessee Tuxedo, a penguin, and his companions. The program ran from 1963 to 1966 and used recurring character relationships, comic schemes, and episodic situations typical of Total Television’s television-animation output. It became one of the studio’s principal series alongside King Leonardo and Underdog.

• Animated television series · 1964

  Underdog

  Total Television’s best-known animated series, Underdog used a superhero-comedy premise centered on a seemingly ordinary character who becomes a heroic defender. The series ran from 1964 to 1967 and became particularly durable through reruns and syndication. Its popularity made the title the clearest representation of the studio’s contribution to American television animation.

• Animated television segment · 1964

  Commander McBragg

  A Total Television animated segment produced during the studio’s mid-1960s period. It formed part of the company’s broader portfolio of short-form character comedy created for television programming.

• Animated television series · 1964

  Go Go Gophers

  A mid-1960s Total Television cartoon series included among the studio’s recurring television productions. The program reflects the company’s focus on compact, character-led comedy designed for network scheduling and later library circulation.

• Animated television series · 1966

  The Beagles

  A Total Television animated production from the studio’s later 1960s output. It was part of the group of series through which the company extended its television character library beyond its best-known properties.

• Animated television series · 1966

  Klondike Kat

  A Total Television cartoon associated with the company’s 1966–1967 production period. The studio produced the first 14 episodes and the final 12 episodes identified in the available reference material.

• Animated advertising · 1960

  Cocoa Puffs commercials

  Animated commercials produced for Cocoa Puffs during the 1960s. The work illustrates Total Television’s original commercial purpose and its continuing connection with General Mills-related children's marketing.

• 2016

  The Program Exchange ceased operations, changing the syndication history of the Total Television library[1]Total Televisionen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The Program Exchange, which had handled much of Total Television’s library for post-network syndication, shut down. The library is subsequently associated with DreamWorks Classics and DreamWorks Animation through Universal Pictures and NBCUniversal.

1. 1Total Televisionen.wikipedia.org