The Hoober-Bloob Highway
| The Hoober-Bloob Highway | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre |
Animation Comedy |
| Written by | Dr. Seuss |
| Directed by | Alan Zaslove |
| Voices of |
Bob Holt Hal Smith |
| Composer(s) | Dean Elliott |
| Country of origin |
 United States
|
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | David H. DePatie |
| Producer(s) |
Friz Freleng Ted Geisel (characters) |
| Running time | 24 mins. |
| Production company(s) |
Cat in the Hat Productions DePatie-Freleng Enterprises CBS Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | February 19, 1975 |
The Hoober-Bloob Highway is an animated musical special written by Dr. Seuss and produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises. The special first aired February 19, 1975 on CBS, and was the last Dr. Seuss special produced for that network. Seuss also composed the song lyrics, which were set to music by Dean Elliott.
Mr. Hoober-Bloob, a dispatcher of newborn children from some location in space, is preparing to send a new child down his highway to Earth, but first, he gives the child a chance to decide for himself whether he wants the life of a human. Mr. Hoober-Bloob shows him the realistic problems and pleasures that people face in life. The story suggests that while things may be pretty bad, there's always something to be thankful for.
The titular highway is a long and winding road that leads to Earth from an area high up in space where newborn babies come from. The plot revolves around a newborn child, referred to as "Bub", as he tries to decide what he wants out of its life, or even if he wants to go at all, before being sent down the Hoober-Bloob Highway to be born.
Mr. Hoober-Bloob, with the help of a lute with arms and legs that often breaks into fast-paced solos (which annoys Mr. Hoober-Bloob), explains to the child what to expect in human life. His explanations are often accompanied by musical vignettes of the baby, depicted as a pre-adolescent boy, in an unusual situation that accompanies the song (such as being placed in front of a long and quickly scrolling tape with checkboxes on it and being expected to check the boxes quickly in the "Answer Yes or No" segment). Eventually, the baby makes the decision to depart for the world below, and Mr. Hoober-Bloob excitedly pushes his carriage down the Hoober-Bloob Highway at last.
The Hoober-Bloob Highway was nominated for a Primetime Emmy, but it lost out to Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus. Today, it is one of the lesser-known Dr. Seuss animated specials, having been a book adaptation. It was given limited release on VHS, and can also be found alongside the VHS release of The Cat in the Hat and the VHS and DVD releases of The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat. It is to be included as a bonus special on the upcoming Blu-ray release of The Cat in the Hat.
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