Frog Baseball (Beavis and Butt-head)
Encyclopedia
Frog Baseball is the first appearance of Beavis
and Butt-head
, characters created by Mike Judge
in 1992 for Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation
and aired on MTV
's Liquid Television
. It is available on Disc 3 of Volume 3 of The Mike Judge Collection
as a special feature.
staring at camera giving a somewhat evil hillbilly cackle. Beavis and Butt-head are then shown switching channels on their TV, watching various TV commercials and laughing at a Suzanne Somers
Thighmaster
commercial. While messing around in a field, Beavis and Butt-head spot a frog and proceed to play baseball
with it. When they kill the frog, they see a poodle and charge after it with a baseball bat. The credits roll as you hear the duo hit the poodle with a bat and the poodle yelping in pain (not seen). The screen then reads "To be continued...", the credits roll, and a disclaimer reads that no animals were harmed in the making of this film, except for Beavis.
's Iron Man
and Deep Purple
's Smoke on the Water
on air guitar
.
The October 1974 issue of National Lampoon magazine carried an illustrated story called Frog Baseball. The story was later reprinted in "The Best of National Lampoon #6" (1976) and "National Lampoon Tenth Anniversary Anthology" (1979). The story is about two boys, Tom and Dean, describing their passion for playing the game. Says Tom: "The real fun's whacking the living shit out of these goddamn frogs and watching the poor bastards go flying through the air all busted up." It's unknown whether this piece may have influenced Mike Judge
in his Beavis and Butt-head
debut video of the same name, although Judge has remarked that he once entertained the idea of writing for National Lampoon magazine: "I was thinking of trying to write for National Lampoon, but I figured you had to have connections. So I never pursued it."
Beavis
Beavis is a fictional character on the MTV series Beavis and Butt-head. He is voiced by the show’s creator, Mike Judge.Beavis has an underbite and a fixated stare on his face which rarely looks straight at the television viewer, but rather to the side...
and Butt-head
Butt-head
Butt-head is a fictional character from the MTV animated series Beavis and Butt-head. He was voiced by the show's creator, Mike Judge.Mike Judge got the name Butt-head from his university days, when he knew a couple of kids who had the nicknames 'Iron Butt' and 'Butt-head'...
, characters created by Mike Judge
Mike Judge
Michael Craig Judge is an American animator, film director, writer and voice actor, best known as the creator and star of the animated television series Beavis and Butt-head , King of the Hill , and The Goode Family .He also wrote, directed and in some instances produced the films Beavis and...
in 1992 for Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation
Spike and Mike's Festival of Animation
Spike & Mike's is a collection of short animated films which annually tours theaters, film festivals, and college campuses in North America...
and aired on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Liquid Television
Liquid Television
Liquid Television is an Emmy Award–winning 1990s animation showcase that appeared on MTV. The first season of Liquid Television also aired on BBC Two in co-production with MTV. Ultimately, MTV commissioned three seasons of the show, which was produced by Colossal Pictures...
. It is available on Disc 3 of Volume 3 of The Mike Judge Collection
Beavis and Butt-Head: The Mike Judge Collection
Beavis and Butt-head: The Mike Judge Collection is a series of three-disc DVD sets from MTV and Paramount Home Entertainment, each containing 40 Beavis and Butt-head episodes handpicked by series creator Mike Judge plus supplements. The first entry in the series was released on November 8, 2005,...
as a special feature.
Plot
The short starts out with a title card that says "Inbred Jed's Homemade Cartoons," with the character of Inbred JedThe Honky Problem
The Honky Problem is a 1991 animated short film by Mike Judge. It features an original character, Inbred Jed, who is playing with his country music band somewhere in the desert by a trailer for a small audience of American white trash....
staring at camera giving a somewhat evil hillbilly cackle. Beavis and Butt-head are then shown switching channels on their TV, watching various TV commercials and laughing at a Suzanne Somers
Suzanne Somers
Suzanne Somers is an American actress, author, singer and businesswoman, known for her television roles as Chrissy Snow on Three's Company and as Carol Lambert on Step by Step....
Thighmaster
Thighmaster
The Thighmaster is an exercise product designed to shape one's thighs. The device is basically two pieces of metal tube bent in a loop and connected with a hinge. The intended use is to put the Thighmaster between the knees and squeeze them together. This exercises the hip adductors...
commercial. While messing around in a field, Beavis and Butt-head spot a frog and proceed to play baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
with it. When they kill the frog, they see a poodle and charge after it with a baseball bat. The credits roll as you hear the duo hit the poodle with a bat and the poodle yelping in pain (not seen). The screen then reads "To be continued...", the credits roll, and a disclaimer reads that no animals were harmed in the making of this film, except for Beavis.
Cultural references
The duo play Black SabbathBlack Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
's Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
and Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
's Smoke on the Water
Smoke on the Water
"Smoke on the Water" is a song by the British hard rock band Deep Purple. It was first released on their 1972 album Machine Head. In 2004, the song was ranked number 426 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, and in March 2005, Q magazine placed "Smoke on the Water"...
on air guitar
Air guitar
Playing air guitar is a form of dance and movement in which the performer pretends to play rock or heavy metal-style electric guitar, including riffs, solos, etc. Playing an air guitar usually consists of exaggerated strumming and picking motions and is often coupled with loud singing or lip-synching...
.
The October 1974 issue of National Lampoon magazine carried an illustrated story called Frog Baseball. The story was later reprinted in "The Best of National Lampoon #6" (1976) and "National Lampoon Tenth Anniversary Anthology" (1979). The story is about two boys, Tom and Dean, describing their passion for playing the game. Says Tom: "The real fun's whacking the living shit out of these goddamn frogs and watching the poor bastards go flying through the air all busted up." It's unknown whether this piece may have influenced Mike Judge
Mike Judge
Michael Craig Judge is an American animator, film director, writer and voice actor, best known as the creator and star of the animated television series Beavis and Butt-head , King of the Hill , and The Goode Family .He also wrote, directed and in some instances produced the films Beavis and...
in his Beavis and Butt-head
Beavis and Butt-Head
Beavis and Butt-head is an American animated television series created by Mike Judge. The series originated from Frog Baseball, a 1992 short film by Judge. After seeing the short, MTV signed Judge to develop the concept. Beavis and Butt-head originally aired from March 8, 1993 to November 28, 1997...
debut video of the same name, although Judge has remarked that he once entertained the idea of writing for National Lampoon magazine: "I was thinking of trying to write for National Lampoon, but I figured you had to have connections. So I never pursued it."