- "Wheel of Morality, turn turn turn, tell us the lesson that we should learn..."
- — Yakko spinning the wheel
The Wheel of Morality was a recurring segment used usually near the end of episodes in the original Animaniacs whenever the show was short on time. The segment was created to satirize the FCC's requirement of adding moral and educational value to children's programming. All of the Wheel of Morality segments were animated by Tokyo Movie Shinsha, Ltd.
Description
The segment would usually open with Yakko, Wakko, and Dot dashing through a park and then coming to a halt, with Yakko saying "It's that time again!" After Dot and Wakko would try to guess what it was time for, Yakko would say it was time to learn the lesson of the day and then bring out the titular wheel. He would then spin the wheel, while saying the rhyme: "Wheel of Morality, turn turn turn / Tell us the lesson that we should learn." After the wheel stopped on a certain number, it would print out the corresponding moral, which was always a goofy and nonsensical one, and Yakko would read it aloud. The Warners would often give some comments on the "moral". The segments always ended with Ralph the Guard blowing his whistle from offscreen and chasing the Warners away from the Wheel.
In episodes 4, 18, and 40 the Warners return to the water tower after spinning the Wheel of Morality with Wakko pulling an item out of his gag bag to return to the water tower. Episode 47 leads into "The Goodbye Song."
In episodes 47 and 64, just as Yakko is about to make his announcement; Dot and Wakko protest they are sick of this segment as the "lessons" are nonsense. When asked whose foolish idea it was in the first place, Yakko responds with "the executives at the Fox Kids Network," causing Wakko and Dot to suddenly stop complaining and feigning their support for the Wheel of Morality, implying the show will be cancelled should this segment be removed.
In Animaniacs Sing-Along: Yakko's World, Wakko and Dot were worried that they will have to spin the Wheel of Morality, but Yakko says that they aren't doing it, so Wakko and Dot make guesses (such as making bubbles with their spit and getting their shots) until Yakko announces that it's time to sing along, much to Wakko and Dot's chagrin, so Yakko tells them that the first song is "I'm Cute."
In episodes 4 and 67, the Warners were walking through the park when Wakko got confused and wanted to know the moral of the story.
In episodes 24 and 34, Wakko belches after Dot makes a comment of the moral.
The Wheel of Morality segments were retired after Episode 76, which was notably the only episode to use the Wheel of Morality following the show's move from Fox Kids to Kids' WB! The wheel eventually reappeared at the end of Wakko's Wish, in which it finally did give a moral that actually related to the preceding story.
Morals
| Episode | Moral |
|---|---|
| Episode 2 | Moral #2 - If at first you don't succeed, blame it on your parents. |
| Episode 4 | Moral #4 - Never ask what hot dogs are made of. |
| Episode 9 | Win $5,000! |
| Episode 18 | Moral #1 - Brush your teeth after every meal. This moral brought to you by the American Dental Association. |
| Episode 23 | Moral #4 - The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind, except in New Jersey where what's blowing in the wind smells funny. |
| Episode 24 | Moral #5 - If you can't say something nice, you're probably at the Ice Capades. |
| Episode 34 | Moral #3 - Elvis lives on in our hearts, in his music, and in a trailer park outside Milwaukee. |
| Episode 35 | Moral #3 - You can teach an old dog new tricks, but you can't teach Madonna to act. |
| Episode 39 | Moral #5 - Early to rise and early to bed makes a man healthy, but socially dead. |
| Episode 40 | Moral #1 - Vote early and vote often. |
| Episode 45 | Moral #6 - Possums have pouches like kangaroos. (Even Yakko is confused by this one) |
| Episode 46 | Moral #2 - Don't eat with your mouth full. |
| Episode 47 | Win a Free Trip to Tahiti! |
| Episode 58 | Moral #1 - Do not back up. Severe tire damage. |
| Episode 64 | Moral #6 - Lather, rinse, repeat. |
| Episode 66 | Moral #2 - Don't be a fool, stay in school. |
| Episode 67 | Moral #2 - Never spit in public. |
| Episode 68 | Moral #3 - People who live in glass houses should get dressed with the lights out. |
| Episode 76 | Moral #2 - 2B or not 2B, that is the pencil. |
| Wakko's Wish | Moral #5 - Just cheer up and never ever give up hope! |
Trivia
- The title of this segment is a pun on Wheel of Fortune.
- In fact, in one episode, Wakko asks to buy a vowel, only for Yakko to remind him that this wasn't the same wheel.
- On the occasions where the wheel landed on the "$5,000" spot and the "Trip to Tahiti" spot, the Warners would cheer, "WE WON, WE WON, WE WON, WE WON!!!"
- An episode of Tiny Toon Adventures, also a Fox Kids program, features something similar called the "Wheel O Comedy".
- The wheel never seemed to land on "7", "8", "Bankrupt", or "Lose a Turn" throughout any of its segments.
- One issue of the Animaniacs comic book, however, ended with the Wheel landing on the "Bankrupt" space, resulting in anvils being dropped on everyone (except the Warners).
- A 16-bit cover of this segment's music bed appears in the Animaniacs SNES game.
Gallery
See Also
The main Yakko, Wakko, and Dot segments