Saturday, October 21, 2006

Today's Cartoon Saturday is all about that winsome witch, Winsome Witch. Known fondly as Winnie, Winsome Witch (and her trusty Broom) would get involved in all sorts of hijinks, usually because of Winnie's business, "Have Broom Will Travel." Now Winnie would be first to admit she could just conjur up some money (and since she never seemed to actually get paid, she probably did), but that's not why she took on the odd jobs ranging from school teacher to baseball player to borderline hitwoman (hey, it's what the fairy tale called for). She did it to get out of her cottage and mix with normal folk.

Her heart of gold (and devilish sense of humor) always won out, and then it was "ippity-bippity-pow!" and away on her broom.

The cartoon was part of the Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show, which may be why you don't remember there being a show called "Winsome Witch" on television. If you manage to catch an episode, you might swear you've heard Winnie's voice before. You'd be right, animation voice legend Jean Vander Pyl (of Wilma Flintstone and Rosie the Robot fame) provided Winnie's pipes.

After the demise of the Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show, Winnie reappeared years later as part of the Wacky Races-esque "Fender Bender 500" segment on the 90's HB series "Wake, Rattle & Roll."

As with a lot of other Hanna-Barbera characters from the late 60's, Winnie earned a record album all her own, which is pictured here.