A Little Background

Bobby Bumps—brat, mischief-maker, and cheerfully bad little boy—was one of the silent film era’s most popular cartoon stars. He and his sidekick dog Fido were out to have fun and wreak havoc in their stuffy little post-Victorian community... and they usually did! Newspaper cartoonist and pioneering animator Earl Hurd, the inventor of cels, made dozens of Bobby Bumps films for various producers and distributors from 1915 to about 1925. While Bobby has been described as "the Bart Simpson of silent cartoons," and was as famous as Bart back then, many of the films have been considered lost for decades. Today, very few circulate, and Bobby is barely known outside cartoon history books! With the help of some film restoration and my production colleagues, I'm looking to change Bobby Bumps from a neglected historical footnote to a figure that can easily be seen and enjoyed today.

Who I am and what I'm doing:

• I'm an early animation historian, film archivist, educator and exhibitor of early animated cartoons. My goal for the past several years has been to share the rare films that I've archived through public screenings and home video releases, like the Cartoon Roots Blu-ray/DVD series. For more info, please visit my website: TommyJose.com   
• To learn more about my previous two Cartoon Roots home video releases, please visit my Amazon seller page to view these products. These pre-existing sets are also available in this fundraising campaign as rewards.
• Quite a few of my research and archiving efforts have focused on Bray Studios, the first successful cartoon production company. In 1916, Bray teamed up with Earl Hurd, who devised the famous cel system for producing animation—placing characters and action, drawn on celluloid, over painted backgrounds. Hurd used the Bobby series as a showpiece for this new technique, which would be a standard in animation for decades to come.
• I've  been able to locate more than three dozen Bobby cartoons, and it's time to bring a big bunch of them to home video in new HD restorations! For more information about the Bray Animation Project research and archiving initiative, please visit BrayAnimation.weebly.com

Note: In the interest of transparency, I should note that funds toward Bobby Bumps were already raised as a stretch goal on another crowdfunding platform during a campaign to produce my current release, Cartoon Roots: The Bray Studios. While the Bray release is now completed and available, it incurred many unexpected production delays, in part due to staffers’ health emergencies. These hurdles incurred unforeseen costs, affecting our production budget—and the budget for Bobby as well. Thus, while Bobby production is already underway, I’m seeking more funds now to guarantee certain remaining expenses are covered and to wrap everything up as soon as possible.

What We Need & What You Get

• We need an infusion of new finishing funds to cover additional 2K film scans from old archival film prints; additional restoration work, scoring, graphic design and replication costs.
• This campaign serves as an opportunity for you to pre-order the final Bobby Blu-ray/DVD release. It's that straightforward!
• What happens if the goal here is not met? Simple: any/all funds raised will still be put towards Bobby—we’ll simply need to find additional funding via other work/projects in the near future. Or to put it more simply: Bobby is already in production; the funds I seek via IndieGoGo are simply to guarantee a speedier wrap-up, with remaining costs safely covered.

The Impact of Your Contribution

Why is supporting this campaign important for cinephiles and film/animation history studies?

• The Bray Animation Project and Stathes Collection hold the largest number of Bobby Bumps films in one place. I’m proud to represent these collections through my personal label Cartoons On Film—but I still operate on a shoestring project-to-project budget, making crowdfunding imperative for getting these films digitally restored and back into proper public view.  
• Those of you who have enjoyed the past two Cartoon Roots releases can expect another quality Roots presentation of very rare films.
• By funding this campaign, you are also making it possible for new fans and researchers to be able to see and learn about these fun and  historically significant films as well. 

Risks & Challenges

Based on my experience in producing two previous Cartoon Roots volumes, it is safe to say that the major risks and challenges in a project like this are unexpected budget constraints as well as occasional production delays. Even after all of the necessary funds are raised to cover general expenses, delays can still occur; certain films may require more restoration work than was expected, or project contributors may need more time to finish the creation of new content. Sometimes there are delays with third-party disc replicators finishing and delivering an order. 

Turnaround Time*

• If the fundraising goal here is met, I will aim for a Christmas 2016* availability of the collection. Some delays may naturally occur, pushing release past this period. If the goal is not met, the project will likely be completed sometime in early to mid 2017. Backers will be kept up-to-date about progress either way.
  

  *8/29/16 update: The campaign has been extended by an additional 30 days. Completion time will likely be moved to early 2017 as a result.
  

Other Ways You Can Help

Some people just can't contribute, but that doesn't mean they can't help:

• Get the word out about Bobby Bumps and make some noise about our campaign. It's much appreciated!