History WesternAnimation / BeanyAndCecil

A classic television cartoon series produced and directed by former WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes director Creator/BobClampett, ''Beany and Cecil'' covers the escapades of an adventurous boy named Beany, and his friend, a sea-sick serpent named Cecil, as they get into all sorts of trouble across the world with Beany's treasure-hunting Uncle Huffenpuff and their enemy, Dishonest John.

The show was relatively short lived (only 26 episodes on Creator/{{ABC}}, all broadcast in 1962) but has gained a healthy cult following over the years. The Clampett family has also released the entire series on two DVD collections, packed with plenty of supplementary material, including an ultra-rare short Clampett made for Republic Pictures!

[[caption-width-right:350:Now here's Beany and Cecil in, A Whole Half-Hour Creator/BobClampett Car-tooooOOOOON!]]

* DastardlyWhiplash: Dishonest John

** ranks as one of if not THE funniest moment of the series!

* ThickLineAnimation

* LawyerFriendlyCameo: A MickeyMouse-esque doll appears in one episode on Cecil's head. Also in "Beany & Cecil Meet Billy The Squid" (first produced in 1959 and screened in Canadian theatres), Uncle Captain is wearing Mickey Mouse ears.

** After Cecil's face (with a MickeyMouse doll on it) gets mauled by a cat, he says, "[[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes I tawt I taw a putty tat!]]". Since Clampett also created Tweety, this doubles as a CreatorInJoke.

Beany and Cecil also has one other quirk which almost never happens in media. The listed UsefulNotes/{{copyright}} owner of the cartoons is not some corporate entity or animation company, but Creator/BobClampett personally. Individuals almost never get to own the rights to their creations because they're employees and thus it's a work for hire or they often incorporate their own company and have it own their work for tax reasons.

* ClearTheirName: Upon noticing there are two Freeps in "Framed Freep", Beany is quick to correctly conclude that the Freep that's terrorizing the land is an impostor and makes it his goal to save the real Freep from execution.

* ClearHisName: Upon noticing there are two Freeps in "Framed Freep", Beany is quick to correctly conclude that the Freep that's terrorizing the land is an impostor and makes it his goal to save the real Freep from execution.

* AbsenteeActor: ''None'' of the main characters appear in "There's No Such Thing as a Sea Serpent", a MusicalEpisode featuring a one-time character named Snorky.
** This is reflected in the opening title. Rather than singing "Now here's Beany and Cecil in..." it's altered to have it sung "Now here's Snorky Snorkle in..."
** They also don't appear in the Harecules Hare episodes.

* PantyShot: Mainly by Sisterbelle, sister of Matty (the "King of Toys," mascot for Creator/{{Mattel}}) in the host segments of ''Matty's Funnies With Beany & Cecil.'' Beany's girl friend Baby Ruthie had a couple as well.
** Princess Princess had a panty shot in "Framed Threep."

** In "The Wildman of Wildsville," Go Man Van Gogh paints a TV test pattern on Cecil's face and turns one of his nostrils. Cecil's eye conjoined to form the CBS eye.

* ContentWarning: In the scene of ''So What, And The Seven Whatknots'', When Dishonest John got electrocuted by the stage lights, He pauses the pain to tell kids "You think there's too much violence on television?" Then continues the pain. This same gag is repeated in ''Beany and the Boo-Birds'' (a Boo-Bird glances to the audience to ask them the question after Cecil gets a CranialEruption from a literal hammerhead shark) and ''D.J. the D.J.'' (after Cecil and one of his dog singer sidekicks both literally crack up, leaving Cecil's mouth floating in the air to say the question.)

* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: SeeB in "Beanyland"; when Beany, Cecil, Captain Huffenpuff and Dishonest John are on the moon they have no trouble breathing and staying alive, despite not wearing space suits or anything.

** "Beanyland" is a tongue-in-cheek spoof of ''Ride/{{Disneyland}}''.

** "So What and the Seven Whatnots" is a reference to ''Literature/SnowWhite and the Seven Dwarfs'', with Dishonest John playing the part of the witch who gives So White the PoisonedApple.

* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: Seem in "Beanyland"; when Beany, Cecil, Captain Huffenpuff and Dishonest John are on the moon they have no trouble breathing and staying alive, despite not wearing space suits or anything.

* EvilLaugh: Nya-ah-ahhh!
* FriendlyEnemy: Our heroes are surprisingly chummy with that "dirty guy" Dishonest John. There's even a short where he's in the hospital after a failed caper and they show up bearing gifts, and in an episode of the 80's show it's even a plot point - where the heroes are so friendly with him that he's incapable of proving to other bad guys that he's a real villain.

* TakeThat: A self-parody Take That is found in 1988's ''The Brotherhood of B.L.E.C.H.,'' the [[Creator/DiCEntertainment DiC Animation]] studio building is seen going over a waterfall.

* GooGooGetUp: The ''New Adventures'' episode "Framed Freep" ends with Dishonest John being punished by having the Freep treat him like an infant, complete with wearing a diaper and a bonnet.