European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 21, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday april 21, 1990 the stars and stripes a a Page 3cartoon stars Tell kids to tune out drugs by Michael Hill Baltimore evening Sun the 5-year-old stared at the to screen As the figures of Daffy Duck bugs Bunny Garfield the smurfs Slimer Winnie the Pooh and even a teenage mutant ninja Turtle flashed by in the Brief promotional commercial. A Are All those Guys going to be in one show a he asked with a combination of video Sawy incredulity and hopeful glee. Assured that they were he quickly made his plans for this morning. A then in be got to watch that a he said. It was precisely with that reaction in mind that the television Academy a drug abuse committee sat Down last year and began planning a cartoon Al stars to the Rescue a an anti drug animated half hour that features More than 20 of the most popular cartoon figures. What the 5-year-old did not know is that if he turns on the to mid Oming today he probably wont have any Choice other than watching this show. That a because All three networks a Abc lbs and Abc a Are airing it at the same time the first time in history such a programming feat has been accomplished. The program will be broadcast on an to at 9 40 . In addition the Cable channels Nickelodeon Usa the Disney Channel and the Black entertainment network will air it at that time along with numerous Fox affiliates and some 200 Independent stations. A cartoon All stars to the Rescue came out of the television Academy committee whose chairman John Agolia promised the cooperation of Abc where he was president of business affairs. The other two networks soon jumped aboard followed by Fox agreeing to provide it to its affiliates the Independent television station s association urging its members to air the show the Csc in Canada agreeing to air it along with the mexican state system As Well As various Cable channels expressing interest. Agolia stayed Busy. Meanwhile Roy Disney Walt a brother who is head of Disney a animation department signed on As executive producer bringing along his studios considerable roster of characters. Other studios were an unprecedented anti drug abuse to special featuring cartoon All stars will be shown this morning in the ., Canada and Mexico and on an to. Solicited for cooperation several More characters joined the lineup and then As the word got out studios began calling up to be sure their figures were included. It was then that things began to get a bit hectic for writers Duane Poole and Tom swale. The creative forces behind each of the characters were As temperamental As actors with emotional attachments to their parts. Not Only did they want to make sure that their figures were drawn properly up to standards but they also wanted to pass on the lines that the characters would speak. Can t you just see the meeting now a papa smurf would never say that a and then there were questions of the relative size of the drawings. These figures have never appeared on the same stage together. Who would upstage whom obviously every studio wanted its character to be the hero and none wanted it to be the villain. And that is the Way it will be. None of the popular cartoon figures will be seen using drugs and All will participate in the anti drug message. For the record in addition to those mentioned above the characters involved Are Alf the muppet babies Kermit miss Piggy and gonzo Donald ducks nephews Huey Duey and Louie and the chipmunks. Tigger will join Winnie the Pooh and its Michelangelo representing those Ever popular teenage mutant ninja Guys. The actors who do the characters voices came along As part of the Deal working for scale. The Story which is aimed at the Ages of 5 to 11, focuses on three characters created for this cartoon. A 14-year-old boy named Michael has begun using drugs lured by an evil drug pushing apparition called smoke whose voice is by George c. Scott. Michael a 9-year-old sister Corey is concerned about her brother and leads him on a trip through the Ages much like in Dickens a a Christmas Carol a in which he meets All the cartoon characters and gets their anti drug message. The Basic theme will be not to Start using drugs in any form. Research shows that drug experimentation now reaches Down into the fourth Grade level Mcdonald a through its Ronald Mcdonald childrens Charity is underwriting the programs approximately $650,000 Cost. In addition Mcdonald a is providing More than 250,000 videotapes for free rental to video outlets across the country As Well As to schools libraries and Community groups bringing its total contribution to the project to around $2 million. Not Only will All three networks run a cartoon Al stars to the Rescue at the same time but they also will lose Money doing it running it without commercials. That Means it will probably be the Only half hour on saturday morning with Ronald Mcdonald telling your kid not to use drugs instead of urging him to buy Happy meals. E. German party Leader fears colonization East Berlin apr the Leader of East Germany a former communist party criticized the new governments plan for unification and said Friday it would allow the country to be colonized by West Germany. Gregor Gysi a respected lawyer who took Over the battered communist party after its hard line leaders were ousted last year said both Germany should instead work together to build a new nation. In Bonn a spokesman for the West German government said the soviet Union also has expressed misgivings about the Quick unification that both Germany favor. Lawmakers Friday debated the unification plans of the coalition government led by prime minister Lothar de Maiziere whose Cabinet includes most of the major political factions in parliament. There was wide support for much of de Maiziere a plans for a fast unification but some opposition lawmakers said it gives East Germany too Little say in creating a unified Germany. Gysi told fellow members of parliament that East germans must have a Chance to a go upright into  Gysi leads a reformed communist party now called the party for social democracy which finished third in East Germany a first free elections on March 18. His delegation walked out of the session after a member of the arc conservative German social Union Joachim Hubertus no Wack linked the new communists to the former hard line regime and compared that government to the nazi dictatorship preceding it. Earlier Gysi criticized the method under which East Germany would merely adopt the Constitution of West Germany. He backed instead a much slower form of unification under which the constitutions of both nations would be abolished and new Laws written for a United Germany. The present form backed by the de Maiziere government would amount to Little More than annexation and a colonization a Gysi said. But economics minister Gerhard Pohl denounced a slower process and said the nation should Brook a no More socialist  Wolfgang Thierse of the left leaning social democrats who have joined de Maiziere a government said the quicker process is a the realistic Way to Unity. East Germany a Economy is in shambles and in the March elections voters overwhelmingly backed leaders advocating Quick unification with the wealthy West. West German government spokesman Dieter Vogel confirmed reports that Bonn had received a message from Moscow expressing misgivings about Quick unification of the Germany. West German Media also reported last week that Kremlin officials had contacted de Maiziere and told him they opposed the Uick method because it would allow Eastty. In. A. Also Friday the head of the department Germany to be integrated into nato. East Germany now is in the Warsaw pact of defense and disarmament Rainer Eppelmann was quoted As saying he favors reducing the East German army from 135,000 members to about 50,000 and later eliminating the Force entirely. Eppelmann spoke to the express newspaper in Cologne West Germany. Aquino aide doubts . Bases to close after 91 Manila Philippines apr president Corazon Aquino a Security adviser said the closure of . Military bases is not Likely after the agreement maintaining them expires in 1991. Talks on the future of Clark a Subic Bay naval base and four smaller . Facilities Are expected to begin in mid May. National Security Council director a Tacl Ileto also told reporters he favors a five to 10-year a phase out of the facilities. Aquino has kept an a open options policy on the future of the bases the subject of emotional debate in the Philippines a former . Colony. The philippine Constitution requires a treaty approved by the Senate to keep the facilities beyond 1991. Ileto a member of the presidents committee on the bases which will advise the philippine negotiating panel in the bases talks said it was unlikely that the facilities will be removed by 1991 because a it will destroy or disrupt whatever Security measures and Security plans or programs they americans  a it will take time for them to change this a Ileto added. Ileto said the . Bases contribute to the philippine Economy and provide funds for the military budget. A both of us Are supposed to be benefiting out of this bases agreement a Ileto said. A without the bases agreement without the assistance. We will find it difficult finding Money for the military budget. In fact that should be one of our concerns. A if they pull out the bases then the support that the military is getting from the . Has to be filled in by our Congress a Ileto added. Asked if this meant a new bases treaty Ileto said a there could be a new  he added that the bases talks described by the government As a  a will have to be finished within a year a because if we done to finish we have no  he said the 23-member Senate where there is Strong anti bases sentiment should ratify a new treaty if it will a redound to our National  a the people should Force them to ratify the new treaty a Ileto said