Ranger Rick is a children's science and nature magazine created by the National Wildlife Federation. Published since 1967, every issue features a comic (formerly short story) series featuring the mascot, a raccoon called Ranger Rick. In every issue, he and his animal friends explore the world while encountering and finding solutions to environmental problems. There exists a partially found 2D animated TV commercial featuring the characters, which was partially found on YouTube by the NWF, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsIPlO40dFI&feature=share at 0:00 and 5:34.
UPDATE (as of March 17, 2021): According to the official Ranger Rick Twitter page, they know about the existence of the commercial, however, they only have a few records from the early 1970s. It could be likely this commercial was created around 1970 to 1975.
We'll have to do some research. We don’t have many records from the early 1970s, but we’ll try to dig up some information for you!
— RangerRick Magazines (@RangerRickMags) <a href="https://twitter.com/RangerRickMags/status/1372022880083570692?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2021</a>
UPDATE (as of June 8, 2021): After contacting the senior editor of the magazine, Hannah Schardt, she released the following e-mail:
Hi! No one on our current staff remembers the ad, so I reached out to a former longtime editor. He remembers the ad but doesn’t remember anything about who made it or voiced it. It dates to the 1970s but not sure which year. Thanks for being a fan! Hannah
UPDATE (as of June 9, 2021): After recontacting Schardt, it was revealed that it was the only surviving footage of the commercial that the NWF is currently preserving, meaning that there is no chance that the full commercial may be found soon.
Known Lyrics[]
Lyrics in red are known lyrics. The white lyrics are estimated.
Ranger Rick and his Merry Band
Lived on the edge of Storyland
In the Deep Green Wood
By the green and picture
Of all tree and pond
Out of the woods so deep
Forest animals: A dialogue!
We did not need to!
Ranger Rick (spoken): The only simple matter of interpreting our chatter.
And hearing with your eyes, not just your ears.
Trivia[]
- This commercial was most likely created around 1970-1972, based on the appearance of the logo, and the absence of the regular character Becky Hare (who was introduced in 1974).
- The appearance of Ranger Rick has changed drastically over the years. He has evolved from having a catlike face and brown fur, then yellow with an oval face, then he turned gray and his ranger/cowboy hat became a green cap, then CGI, and currently a stylized version of the earliest design.[1]
- Additionally, the current logo of the National Wildlife Federation is a silhouette of Ranger Rick.[2]
- Mainstay characters Scarlett Fox and Boomer Badger do not appear in the commercials, as they were added around 10 years later.[3] [4]
- The other characters identified in the commercial either do not appear in the magazines or are removed. Namely, they are Ollie Otter[5], an unnamed otter in a trenchcoat, Sammy Squirrel [6](wearing a hat here for some reason), an unnamed mouse, Zelda Opossum[7], another unnamed otter, an unnamed female raccoon, and an unnamed owl (presumably Wise Old Owl[8]).
- The magazine series still exists and is currently 55 years old.[9]
- The magazine series was based on the book "The Adventures of Rick Raccoon" back in 1959, by the late J.A. "Ash" Brownridge (1917-2015), also known as John A. Morris.[10]
Errors[]
- Due to the limited budget used in the animation, Ranger Rick's tail is gone in some shots. Also, his hat is colored green, unlike the magazine during the time, where he wore a brown hat. Additionally, his ears are inside his hat, while they stick out in the magazines.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
References[]
- ↑ https://www.nwf.org/About-Us/History/About-Ranger-Rick
- ↑ https://blog.nwf.org/2016/06/federation-unveils-new-logo/
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20101210054326/http://sites.google.com/site/classicrangerrick/boomer-badger
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20101210055149/http://sites.google.com/site/classicrangerrick/scarlett-fox
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20140409234433/https://sites.google.com/site/classicrangerrick/ollie-otter
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20140409234359/https://sites.google.com/site/classicrangerrick/first-issue-january-1967-
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20140409234359/https://sites.google.com/site/classicrangerrick/first-issue-january-1967-
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20140409233645/https://sites.google.com/site/classicrangerrick/covers-contents-and-features-through-the-years
- ↑ https://rangerrick.org/
- ↑ https://www.nwf.org/Latest-News/Press-Releases/2015/06-29-15-NWF-Mourns-Loss-of-Ranger-Rick-Creator-Ash-Brownridge