JibJab
JibJab is a website featuring Macromedia Flash cartoons. It is run by two Americans, Gregg and Evan Spiridellis, who call themselves "the JibJab Brothers."
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Election 2004
For the 2004 presidential election, JibJab created a Flash movie entitled This Land, which featured a parody of Woody Guthrie's song "This Land is Your Land", sung by animated caricatures of George W. Bush and John Kerry.
"This Land"
This animation was an instant hit. Visits to the site skyrocketed, and the site was listed number one on Alexa's "Movers and Shakers" list. After being linked to on thousands of websites, the song was featured several times in the printed media and on television, including NBC Nightly News and ABC World News Tonight. On July 26, 2004, the creators appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
The popularity of the animation has resulted in The Richmond Organization, a music publisher that owns the copyright to Guthrie's tune through its Ludlow Music Unit, threatening legal action. JibJab and Ludlow Music reached a settlement after JibJab's attorneys unearthed evidence that the song had passed into the public domain in 1973. The terms of the settlement allowed for the continued distribution of This Land, with JibJab donating 20% of the net proceeds to the Woody Guthrie Foundation, as well as linking to the original song lyrics.
"Good to Be in D.C."
Due to the popularity of This Land, a second parody, Good to Be in D.C., featuring George W. Bush, John Kerry, John Edwards, and Dick Cheney, was made to the tune of Dixie. The cartoon was shown on The Tonight Show, The Today Show, and many other news programs.
"Second Term"
For the inauguration in January 2005, a third parody, "Second Term," featuring most of the political figures already mentioned, was made to the tune of "She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain." The cartoon premiered on The Tonight Show.
"Matzah!"
There's no Bush or Kerry, but Jib Jab's latest cartoon features a burning bush hip-hop Jew. Matzah features a hip-hop Hebrew, Smooth-E, rapping about matzah, the unleavened bread observant Jews eat during Passover. The main character is reminiscent of rapper Eminem, and appears in front of rap-video cliches. It also features a burning bush — part of the story of Exodus, which is told at Passover — but no George W. Bush. It was aired on the tonight show on Tursday, April 21, 2005.
External links
Categories: Comedy websites | Flash cartoons