Cartoons (band)

Lore & Background

Cartoons began as the Scooters in the late 1980s, playing rockabilly music. In 1994, the Scooters released the album Live at Woodstock, and in 1997 they changed their name to Cartoons, switching to a style they called 'technobilly'—a mix of rock and roll and Eurodance. Many of their songs were remakes of old rockabilly hits they had covered as the Scooters. The group was first signed to FLEX Records, later moving to EMI Denmark.

Their most notable single is their cover of Ross Bagdasarian's 'Witch Doctor,' which reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart. It combined the original's chorus with a driving dance beat and occasional guitar breaks. Further UK success included the Top 10 hit 'Doodah' (a cover of 'Camptown Races' with new lyrics), the single 'Aisy Waisy' (which did not reach the Top 40), and the debut album Toonage, which peaked at No. 35 on the UK Albums Chart. Their second album, Toontastic, was less successful but produced several singles.

Cartoons disbanded in 2001; members Toonie and Sponge later revealed in a Danish TV interview that a planned US tour was cancelled after the September 11 attacks. The group briefly reunited in 2005 to promote Greatest Toons, and again in 2018 for a festival. In 2020, they returned to the studio with original producer Kenneth Bager, releasing new singles in 2023 and 2025. As of 2025, original members include Jesper Dukholt, Martin 'Sponge' Østengaard, and Karsten 'Shooter' Dahl, who have been involved in reunions.

Reader's Guide

Cartoons occupy a niche in late-1990s Eurodance as a novelty act blending retro rockabilly imagery with electronic dance music. Their visual gimmick—cartoonish plastic costumes and wigs—and reliance on covers of older songs (notably 'Witch Doctor' and 'DooDah') gave them a distinct identity in the UK and Danish charts. While their commercial peak was brief, their music remains emblematic of the era's playful dance-pop. The group's persistence through reunions and new releases into the 2020s, despite the deaths of key members Karina Jensen (2016) and Erling Jensen (2019), demonstrates a lasting cult appeal. Their legacy is tied to a handful of catchy singles that continue to appear on nostalgia compilations.

Did You Know?

• The group's name Cartoons refers to the cartoon-inspired nicknames of its members, such as Toonie, Sponge, and Shooter.
• Their cover of 'Witch Doctor' reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart but lacked the original's double-speed playback of the chorus.
• The group's planned US tour was cancelled after the September 11 attacks, as revealed by members Toonie and Sponge in a Danish TV interview.
• In 2025, Cartoons released a Danish-language version of 'DooDah' titled 'DUDA' in collaboration with Tobias Bjerre and Morten Münster.

From Rockabilly Roots to Technobilly

Cartoons did not arrive fully formed as a Eurodance act. The group began in the late 1980s under the name Scooters, performing rockabilly material drawn from the 1950s and 1960s. Their early catalogue included the 1994 live release Live at Woodstock, which captured that vintage energy. In 1997, however, the band rebranded as Cartoons and deliberately pivoted their sound. They coined the term "technobilly" to describe their new approach: a fusion of classic rock and roll with the driving rhythms of Eurodance. Rather than abandoning their roots, they reworked many of the old rockabilly numbers they had previously covered as the Scooters into this hybrid style. The group's visual identity reinforced the concept—on stage they don outlandish plastic costumes and wigs, presenting themselves as cartoonish caricatures of 1950s American rock and roll stars. Their label journey also marked this transition: initially signed to FLEX Records, they later moved to EMI Denmark, positioning themselves firmly within the European dance music scene.

The 1998 Breakout and UK Chart Domination

The year 1998 catapulted Cartoons into international awareness, driven by two massive singles. Their reimagining of Ross Bagdasarian's 1958 novelty hit "Witch Doctor" climbed to number two on the UK Singles Chart, retaining the original's iconic "oo-ee-oo-ah-ah, ting-tang, walla-walla, bing-bang" chorus while layering in a driving dance beat and sporadic guitar breaks—though notably dropping the double-speed playback the record was famous for. Their other 1998 smash, "DooDah," a Top 10 entry, was a cover of the American folk tune "Camptown Races" rewritten with entirely new lyrics. The momentum carried into "Aisy Waisy," which reached the Top 20 and earned the group a performance on Jim Davidson's Generation Game. Their debut album Toonage debuted in the UK Top 20 and was later reissued as More Toonage with additional tracks. The follow-up, Toontastic, fell short commercially but still yielded memorable singles like "Diddley-Dee," "Little Red Ridinghood," "Big Coconuts," a take on Lally Stott's "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep," and a reworked "Mama Loo." They even contributed "Wobble-Di-Bubble-Di-Doo" to the 2000 animated film Help! I'm a Fish.

Disbandment, Reunions, and Personal Loss

Cartoons quietly disbanded in 2001, and for a time the reasons were unexplained. Members Toonie and Sponge later clarified in a Danish television interview that the group had been planning a US tour, but those plans fell through after the September 11 attacks. A brief reunion followed in 2005 to promote Greatest Toons, a CMC Entertainment compilation that included three new songs among them the single "Day Oh." The band toured European venues including Bonbonland and the Jelling Musikfestival. The group's history has since been shadowed by tragedy. In July 2016, Karina Jensen passed away from cancer she had been battling since a 2012 diagnosis; she left behind her husband and two children. The surviving members returned to the stage in 2018 at the "We Love the 90s" festival in Aalborg, Denmark. Just months later, in April 2019, Erling Jensen died of lymphoma at the age of fifty. That same year, Warner Music Group and X5 Music Group issued the compilation De Bedste, which featured a Sponge-produced remix of the Police's "De Do Do Do De Da Da Da."

A Living Legacy: New Music and Evolving Lineup

Far from being a relic of the late 1990s, Cartoons has continued to generate new material into the 2020s. In 2020 the group returned to the studio with their original producer Kenneth Bager, and the fruit of that session, the single "Shots," was released in 2023. That same year they teamed up with Marnage to produce an accelerated rework of their signature track, titled "DooDah 2K23." The momentum continued in 2025 with the release of "Gettin Saxy" and a fresh collaboration with Tobias Bjerre and Morten Münster on "DUDA," a new version of "DooDah" featuring Danish lyrics in the verses while keeping the chorus in English. The group's personnel has shifted over the decades; as of 2025, Jesper Dukholt stands as the sole remaining original member, while Martin Østengaard, though no longer an active performer, continues contributing as a composer. The band's members—known by cartoon-inspired stage names like Toonie, Sponge, Shooter, Buzz, Puddy, and Boop—carry forward a distinctive identity that blends nostalgia with forward-looking dance production.

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