Reed's Remember Wile E. Coyote

Remember watching Wile E. Coyote & the Road Runner on Saturday morning cartoons? The coyote, with names like Caninus Nervous Rex and Famishius Vulgaris Ingeniusi who never quite caught up with the bird? He used products from A.C.M.E. like Dehydrated Boulders, Rocket Powered Roller Skates, Little Giant Do-It-Yourself Rocket-Sled Kit or Iron Bird Seed. What does A.C.M.E. stand for anyways? My brother and I used to sit with my Dad (Wile E. was his favorite) on Saturday mornings and watch his exploits.

Wile E. never did catch the Road Runner. Time and time again he tried to no avail. He’d get so close and was sure this was the time he would have roasted runner on the table, but it never came to be. Do you ever feel life is like that? You spend all day chasing after something and you just quite can’t get there? Or maybe you spend years and years chasing it, and still not attaining that goal?

Under the humor of these cartoons there are a lot of messages. Wile E. never gives up, no matter how many times he fails – he tries again. He does not lose sight of his goal – tender, delicious Road Runner. There is humor in his failures, even though he may not see it at the time. His efforts result in new ideas and ways to attain his next meal, whether it is a painted tunnel on the side of a mountain or a Do-It-Yourself Tornado. Have you ever felt like Wile E.? Or maybe the Road Runner?

Next time you watch the cartoon, look for these restrictions the writer placed on each cartoon:

1) The cartoons are always set in the desert of the American Southwest;
2) The Road Runner never leaves the road;
3) Never is there dialogue;
4) The Coyote is never injured by the Road Runner;
5) The audience's sympathy must remain with Wile E. Coyote;
6) And the cartoons are always seen from the perspective of the Coyote.

And, oh yeah – Beep! Beep!