In the wake of World War II America became embroiled in a new conflict- the Cold War, aka the War against Communism which gave us McCarthyism and the Red Scare.

The rise of the Commies scared the crap out of the American government, so various propaganda films were created to bolster American pride and remind Americans how good they have it here.

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Meet King Joe is a prime example of the sort of propaganda being created to appeal to the American people so they wouldn't "turn red":

This 1949 Technicolor cartoon is a Cold War-era propaganda film aimed at American workers with the objective of convincing them of their good fortune. It shows us the life of a common working man in America, and how he is able to achieve financial success for himself thanks to investment, competition, research, and technology.

Joe, an average American working man who, wears overalls and talks with a pseudo-Brooklyn accent, is "king of the workers of the world" not because he is worthy, but because the machinery in his factory "multiplies strength and efficiency." We also learn that Joe is "king" not because he can exert power over anything, but because "he can buy more with his wages than any other worker on the globe."

We gets a nicely illustrated introduction to then-standard basic economic theories of production and investment that "make the United States the industrial master of the world”. As proof that the American capitalist system is the most wonderful on earth, the narrator informs us that Americans own 72% of the cars in the world, 92% of the bathtubs, and "practically all the refrigerators in existence." The narrator sums up the attitude industrial America was pushing: "Labor and management must continue to increase the production of better goods at lower prices so that more people will be able to buy the things that make life easier and happier for all of us."

The cartoon is a John Sutherland production. It is one of the "fun and facts about America" series, made "to create a deeper understanding of what has made America the finest place in the world to live."

Old school 2D platformers are fun to play but not all that fun to watch being played, because the flat graphics don't do the action-packed scenes justice.

But if you could see a 3D view of the action, which would make you feel like you're watching the game play out in person, then platform games would feel a lot like Gummy Gas Crisis directed by Rodrigo Diaz of Blirp Studio.

The characters are cartoony and colorful, the action is frenetic and platform-y, and the animation is top notch, so if you're ready strap in and enjoy the ride!

GUMMY GAS CRISIS from Blirp Studio on Vimeo.

-Via Cartoon Brew

For generations fantasy nerds have dreamed of the moment when they are able to pull Excalibur out of the stone and become a mythic hero like King Arthur, but it ain't every day that you come across a magic sword in a stone.

However, Adam Savage was able to make a pretty sharp looking replica of Excalibur from the movie Excalibur out of aluminum as part of his One Day Builds series for Tested, and he found making a replica is nearly as hard as forging a real sword!

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All Adam has to do now is stick that sword into a prop stone in his front yard so he can start each day by pulling the sword from the stone and holding it aloft, exclaiming "I have the power!" Oh wait, that was He-Man...

-Via Sploid

Ever wish you could have a drink while sitting on the lap of a Xenomorph? Or enjoy a white Russian with The Dude? Theme bars are the closest any of us could get to doing things like this in real life. Over on Supercall, you can read about 13 of the best theme bars on earth. Often when these things say "on earth," they tend to mean in the US with a few exceptions, but in this case, they really do mean around the globe as the bars are located in Japan, Iecland, Switzerland, Romania and more. 

So check out the full list of strange and wonderful theme bars here.

It's doubtful whether anyone has ever referred to Prince's movie Purple Rain as "cinematic magic", especially considering Prince was way more enjoyable to watch in concert than in that schlocky 80s flick.

But Nigerian director Christopher Kirkley and cinematographer Jeremy Fino clearly saw merit in the story of a guitar wielding rebel who rides a purple motorcycle and dresses like a bit of a fop- because they remade Purple Rain for a West African audience.

Their version is called "Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai", translation- "Rain the color of blue with a little red in it", which is why they released it as simply "Akounak".

And even though it's inspired by Purple Rain this first ever Tuareg language fictional film has a main character who makes Prince's "The Kid" look like a spoiled brat:

Like the lone, nameless gunslinger in a Sergio Leone western, the central character in Kirkley’s film, musician Mdou Moctar, travels through the desert with a guitar instead of a rifle or Colt 45. And instead of a horse, he rides a motorcycle… a purple one. The gunslinger analogy is apt because guitar players in Agadez and surrounding areas battle among themselves to gain status as the fastest gun in the west, with six strings replacing six bullets.

The combination of Moctar’s live performances, the otherworldly beauty of the Sahara, Jeremy Fino’s luminous cinematography and Kirkley’s intimate and supple style of direction make Anounak one of those rare fictional films about music that has the pulse of real life and the resonance of great art.

akounak from J. Sprig on Vimeo.

-Via Dangerous Minds

We don't think twice about the strange things we can do in the virtual worlds of video games that we absolutely can't do in real life without being shunned, arrested or straight up killed.

For instance- in most games you can walk around with a weapon in your hand and the in-game characters don't spare you a second glance, but in real life you have to leave your running knife at home or risk jail time.

And speaking of running- don't you think it's odd that video game characters run around at full speed the entire game?

Someone on AskReddit wondered about all that running when Connorforpope asked "What is totally unacceptable in real life, but normal in video games?", and then the answers got a bit dark.

Imagine how much higher the suicide rate would be if people had extra lives, they'd be like "dinner with the in-laws is awkward, guess I'll go kill myself and respawn at home!"

See 12 Things That Are Normal In Video Games, But Unacceptable IRL here

Did you ever get the feeling that Luke Skywalker was dealt a truly raw deal, having to grow up on Tatooine, raised by a moisture farmer? Meanwhile, Leia, who wasn't his twin sister until Return of the Jedi, was adopted by planetary royalty, eventually becoming a senator! It turns out that Lucas had an even bigger vision for Leia than all that.

Hang on wait what... Leia had a PhD in Star Wars? Christ can you imagine having everyone call you Princess when you were actually Dr Organa pic.twitter.com/HYertPJqWU

— Dr Becca Harrison (@BeccaEHarrison) August 4, 2017

Wow, talk about an overachiever! A PhD at 19 is almost unheard-of in our galaxy, outside of a few child prodigies who clepped through high school at a ridiculously young age. This tidbit gives Leia another title in addition to General, Senator, and Princess. We can call her Doctor.

We have clearly, clearly all been doing our PhDs in Alderaan places....

— Sarah McCook (@mccook_hx) August 4, 2017

We can tell ourselves that what Luke didn't get in genetic brains, he made up for in his sensitivity to the Force. That is, as long as you ignore midi-chlorians. Which we all do. -via Buzzfeed

The Harajuku shopping district in Tokyo gained international notoriety after it became the hip place for fashion forward Japanese youths to hang out, the most famous group being the so-called "Harajuku Girls".

But what most people don't realize is these "Harajuku Girls" are from different subculture groups with totally different styles and attitudes, from the romantic and fancy Lolitas to the rough and tumble Bosozoku biker gangs.

And one of the most adorable Harajuku styles is called Decora, characterized by wearing as many cute accessories as possible to in order to decorate your hair and your wardrobe.

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This Refinery29 video from a few years back takes us on a trip to Tokyo to hang out with a super kawaii Decora girl and see how she and her friends do their thang in the Harajuku.

99.9% of cosplayers are missing one key component to their character portrayal- theme music. Jack Spade learned how important it is to have your own theme music in I'm Gonna GIt You Sucka, but most cosplayers have yet to learn how much a theme song would enhance their awesome costumes.

So to help them realize the power of theme music Lily Ki (aka LilyPichu) followed cosplayers around at Indy PopCon 2017 while playing their theme song on her melodica, singlehandedly starting the musical cosplay revolution.

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-Via Laughing Squid

Net neutrality is a hot button issue that is hard to explain to people who barely understand how the internet works much less how a change in the internet status quo will affect them.

So it's a good thing Andrew Bridgman and  illustrator George Rottkamp created this illustrated guide which spells out How To Explain Net Neutrality To Your Grandparents, so we can get them to join the fight.

It seems the easiest way to explain the issue to them is to weigh the differences between the "good old fashioned internet" and that annoying "Millennial internet", which should capture their attention.

"You know how LAZY those darn Millennials are, right? So lazy! They don't know how to work hard or efficiently - not like their parents did. This whole generation is so SLOW and DISORGANIZED - and if we don't have Net Neutrality, the same thing will happen to the internet.

That's right - FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and internet service providers from across the country are conspiring to turn your internet into...MILLENNIAL INTERNET."

Then you move in with a bunch of stuff about snowflakes ruining the internet and a crack about how the Millennial Internet hates Mickey Rooney and you'll soon see a fire light in their eyes.

That fire means they're beginning to understand how important it is to preserve net neutrality, either that or they've decided to write you out of their will...hopefully it's the former!

See How To Explain Net Neutrality To Your Grandparents here

For the past 24 years SEGA has been partnered with Archie Comics to bring gamers the Sonic the Hedgehog comics they didn't know they wanted, comics which had their share of strange and awkward moments.

But after two decades together SEGA and Archie have decided to go their separate ways, leaving Sonic comic readers without an bizarre and surreal side story for their favorite game.

As zany and bizarre as the Sonic the Hedgehog series could be at times it also introduced some really cool characters that will probably never make it into the games, like Sir Connery the horse knight. Remind you of anyone?

See 25 WTF Archie Sonic The Hedgehog Panels That Will Live On FOREVER here

Felix Colgrave is an Australian animator who creates some truly tripped out 'toons that reach right through your eyeballs and tickle your brain, and if you're a connoisseur of strange cartoons you'll love the feeling.

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You may already be familiar with Felix Colgrave's creations, since we've featured his works here on Neatorama, or you may have his stuff on the Comedy Central show TripTank. Yeah, he's that guy.

So if you had a taste of Felix's visual drug and you're already hooked check out the music video he made for Fever The Ghost's song SOURCE, and this goofy short about a demon salesman called Tainted Goods. (NSFW language)

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And let's finish you off with a heaping plate of Man Spaghetti, a short that showcases Felix's ability to combine slapstick comedy, gruesome gore and mysterious themes to leave you wanting more.

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Sesame Street is a show for kids starring characters that appeal to adults and children alike, and every characters has such a distinct look and personality they make great guest stars.

However, their limited acting range and somewhat static facial expressions seem like they'd make it hard for Elmo, Abby Cadabby and Cookie Monster to play iconic roles like Dorothy, the Evil Queen or Frankenstein's monster.

But as you can see in this video by Vanity Fair, those talented puppets are always ready to prove they're better actors than some Hollywood celebrities!

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-Via Huffpost

George Clooney is a famous actor who comes from a family of storytellers, and the characters in his family must have helped George develop his character acting skills- because they sound like characters straight out of a Wes Anderson movie.

Take his kooky uncle Chick and equally nutty uncle George for instance- those two characters loved to swap war stories and scare young George and his sister Adelia by deconstructing uncle Chick.

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George talked candidly about his wacky uncles in a 2011 interview that was turned into an animated short by Blank On Blank, watch and see where Clooney learned to play kooky characters.

-Via GeekTyrant

A curious cat chasing butterflies in the woods on a sunny afternoon, could there possibly be a more idyllic scene?

Unfortunately the sun also casts shadows, and the woods can be a pretty dangerous place for a little kitty, especially when they have their head in the clouds and forget to watch for trouble on the ground.

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Nine is an animated short film by The Monk Studios that will take you on a magical journey deep into the dark woods, where magic can really mess with a young kitty's life.