There are numerous coloring errors on this cover, most notably Slappy and Rita's faces and all of the Goodfeathers' bodies.Drawn by: Leonardo Batic
Slappy's driving out of the WB lot, her friends riding with her and antagonists from past stories chasing after them.
There are lots of characters here, some from very early in the series...here's an index:
(Thanks to Andy Mutchler for the outline drawing.)
There are numerous coloring errors on this cover, most notably Slappy and Rita's faces and all of the Goodfeathers' bodies.
The Warners are at the Golden Beaver Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas to celebrate the 25th issue of their comic book series. They've dragged Wakko along by a little trickery. All three thank their slavering fans for their dedication, and share some outtakes with their public. All of the outtakes share two features: they're all from the comics, and they all feature Wakko. As he goes off to consult his therapist, Yakko and Dot introduce a story featuring Slappy.
Driving Miss Slappy is shown here...
As the story ends, Yakko introduces a clip from Slappy and Walter's short run from The Squid and Morty Krafft Super Show, where Slappy blows Walter up and quits. About this time, Wakko returns with a copy of Dot's controversial photo book, CUTE. Dot stops Yakko from reading it after the first page and introduces Minerva Mink.
A Taxing Situation is shown here...
As Yakko and Wakko drool over Minerva, Dot exacts her revenge on Yakko by producing a copy of his album, I Am Not Yakko, complete with spoken-word versions of several musical pieces. Wakko takes his shot, only to get reminded of his guest appearance on The Love Boat, but he reminds Yakko that he got to cocoa-butter Charo. Their discussion getting nowhere, they decide to give us a sneak peek at what the next 25 issues have in store for us.
Outtakes are a more-or-less standard feature of anniversary shows. One thing to notice about these are that they are very closely matched to the original penciller's style; the best example is at the top of page 2. The Krafft show refers to a horrifyingly mind-numbing production of the early 70s, The Sid and Marty Krofft Super Show. You just thought Barney was bad; the Kroffts make him look like ...well, like Taz-Mania, at least. Dot's book refers to that controversial picture book, SEX, by pop singer Madonna. The stainless steel covers and front page are lifted directly from that book, as is the text of the first page, which in the original reads, "My name is Dita. I'll be your mistress tonight." Dot is wearing a bit more than Dita does, however. The title of Yakko's album refers to Leonard Nimoy's first autobiography, the stridently defiant I Am Not Spock. (He has since written a second, I Am Spock.) Both Nimoy and William Shatner put out mercifully short-lived record albums, containing dreadful renditions of pop favorites. The selections mentioned on Yakko's album are either instrumentals or contain very few, and in most cases incomprehensible, lyrics. Charo was a singer and actress from the 70s. Her music was primarily Spanish folk tunes with the accompanying frenetic dancing, and her trademark was rubbing herself against the nearest hunk and saying "cootchie-cootchie". Senator Gopher refers to actor Fred Grandy, who played a character called Gopher on the '70s TV sitcomThe Love Boat. Grandy later served as a Congressman, not a Senator, from Iowa. (EC) As much time as the Warners spend avoiding Scratchy, would Wakko really have a therapist? While Dot's expression of sheer nervousness is perfect as her brothers look over CUTE, Yakko's got at least two problems: first the coloring of his nose and its highlight are reversed, and second, he's shown with a rounded cheek and a separate tuft of fur sticking out from behind it, instead of having the tuft spring from the cheek itself. This just plain looks strange, especially when compared to Wakko right next to him. The highlight on Yakko's nose is colored in in the middle-right panel on page 31, and below it, Dot's glove has nonstandard seams on the back. "Collide" is misspelled "coolide" on page 32. (EC)Slappy Squirrel is driving herself to work one fine day in 1956. Always one to live life to the fullest, she is thoroughly enjoying her drive, and so are more than a few cops and bystanders. As she screeches to a stop, she explains to the pursuing police that she doesn't have a driver's license. Plotz is forced to do something - not only does she not have a license, she's wrecked eleven company cars this year alone - and so he gets her a chauffeur-driven limousine.
Walter Wolf, who has tapped the studio phone lines, intercepts Plotz' call with the order and sees this as the perfect opportunity to get Slappy once and for all. He shows up bright and early the next morning at Slappy's tree. Before getting in and driving off, Walter has a gift to brighten Slappy's morning: a Hula Hoop, which he's secretly filled with nitroglycerin. Slappy can't make it work, and Walter winds up demonstrating, explosively.
As time marches on, so do Walter and Slappy's relationship. 1969 finds them in a psychedelic purple Rolls-Royce, with a grenade goldfish swimming in gasoline; the 1976 Bicentennial celebration has Walter handing Slappy a bomb and calling it a pet rock, only to be crowned with a full-sized replica of the Liberty Bell; and finally, in the present, Slappy loans her shiny new limo and Walter to Skippy, who's going off to learn the Macarena while she drives herself. (It seems the DMV has finally given her a license, for no explainable reason.) Walter explains how good the old days were, as Skippy gets more and more irritated. He finally blows Walter up and jumps in Slappy's car, and thus the tradition is passed on.
The title and plotline, more or less, are lifted from the film Driving Miss Daisy, an examination of a rich lady's relationship with her chauffeur over many years. Slappy's driving skills have been examined before in the Animaniacs universe: in episode 13, the cartoon Little Old Slappy from Pasadena has her driving a Dodge Viper sports car in much the same fashion. Ralph (page 3) and Plotz (page 4) have apparently been at the studio forever. Note Plotz' full head of hair, albeit white. The BPA pledge drive refers to the Policemen's Benevolent Association, an organization dedicated to assisting the families of slain or injured cops. Once upon a time, it was not uncommon in some locales to get out of a traffic ticket by donating to the PBA. Walter's tapping the phone line with a tin can and a wire with an alligator clip. Kids, don't try this at home. Hey, Leo: You got Slappy looking straight at the reader exactly right on page 6. Remember how you did that, and you'll do okkay. "Kookie Byrnes" refers to the character Gerald Lloyd "Kookie" Kookson III, played by Edd Byrnes, on the 50s TV series 77 Sunset Strip. (EC) Charlie McCarthy was ventriloquist Edgar Bergen's most famous dummy. Senator Joseph McCarthy is remembered for his anti-Communist witch hunts of the early 50s, which targeted the Department of State and the US Army. (An earlier version of this entry said that McCarthy targeted the entertainment industry, but Eric Costello points out that that's a common misconception; the entertainment industry was targeted by the House Un-American Activities Committee, in 1947 and 1951. The 1947 witch hunt was the one that is remembered for the entertainment professionals that refused to divulge their political affiliations, and for having Richard Nixon as a member.) The first manned moon landing was on 20 July 1969, and Neal Armstrong's first words (as well as his face) are accurately shown here. His next phrase, of course, was somewhat different... 1976 was celebrated as the 200th anniversary of the American Revolution, and patriotic clothing and Americana were commonplace. The pet rock was another 1976 invention: it was a rock in a box, labeled "Pet Rock", and came with semi-serious instructions on care and feeding. The Macarena is a current (as this is being written) dance craze, with a trademark song to which it is done. Skippy is shown in the upper right panel on page 14 in one of the poses from the dance. (Heaven knows why someone would need lessons for that stupid dance...and hearing that annoying music over and over would make anyone cranky...JM) Slappy's hat should fly forward, not back, as she screeches to a stop on page 3. The Bundt Cake - a cake baked in a ring-shaped pan, with two different flavors of cake and icing drizzled on the top - was a '70s invention. Uhm...where did Slappy get a figure all of a sudden? (page 12) Shame they didn't show Slappy's Viper in the end panel on page 15.Minerva Mink answers her doorbell one fine morning to discover an IRS agent. It seems she hasn't filed any taxes in the past ten years, and the agent manages to resist her charms enough to insist that she pay up. She does manage to get him to carry her receipts to an accountant, however, and then take her new washing machine home.
The accountant, a stereotypical overweight geek, is so bowled over at having a woman in his office - never mind a knockout like Minerva - that he can't keep his mind on his work, making several passes at her. She rejects him, getting angrier and angrier, until she gives up and leaves. She doesn't find anyone to do her taxes, but she does drive off with a wolf of a taxi driver.
The stars the accountants see are all gorgeous women, including country singer Wynona Ryder and actress Liv Ullman. "The Greatest Show on Earth" is the slogan of the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus. It's not hard to tell from the synopsis above that this story appears to have been intended mainly as a vehicle for visual gags. It's a real shame there aren't more here; there are several comic opportunities that got completely passed up. On the whole, this story is quite a disappointment. Minerva's trademark song is still misquoted, the same way it was in Minervadrama. No, you don't file tax claims, you file tax returns. The government makes tax claims. The accountant loses his jacket, with no apparent opportunity to take it off, between pages 24 and 26. Minerva's eye is drawn too small in the last panel on page 26, giving her a strange look.