Today I want to take you back in time. Back to a time when life was simpler; simpler in that choices for most things was somewhat limited. Be it food, places to visit, places to eat out, etc, etc. This was also the case on TV and for so many of us, with such a limited choice (1 TV station), we became very familiar with some cartoon series.
Road Runner is one of those and I think most of you reading this will be able to recall the Road Runner’s catch phrase with little prompting:
‘Meep, Meep’
So why, you may well ask, am I bringing you back in time and why? The Road Runner characters (Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner) were created for Warner Bros. in 1948 by animation director Chuck Jones and writer Michael Maltese. Jones produced a now well known set of rules called the ‘Chuck Jones’ Rules for Writing Road Runner Cartoons‘.
Here is the list:
- The Road Runner cannot harm the Coyote except by going “meep, meep.”
- No outside force can harm the Coyote — only his own ineptitude or the failure of Acme products. Trains and trucks were the exception from time to time.
- The Coyote could stop anytime — if he were not a fanatic.
- No dialogue ever, except “meep, meep” and yowling in pain.
- The Road Runner must stay on the road — for no other reason than that he’s a roadrunner.
- All action must be confined to the natural environment of the two characters — the southwest American desert.
- All tools, weapons, or mechanical conveniences must be obtained from the Acme Corporation.
- Whenever possible, make gravity the Coyote’s greatest enemy.
- The Coyote is always more humiliated than harmed by his failures.
- The audience’s sympathy must remain with the Coyote.
- The Coyote is not allowed to catch or eat the Road Runner.
What is notable about the list is how well defined and prescribed it was. Anyone that came to work on the series knew exactly what the guidelines were.
Only 49 episodes were ever recorded but the series has stood the test of time and is regarded as a classic of the cartoon genre.
To my point of today’s Motivate Me – our weight management programme also has a set of guidelines that are well defined and prescribed.
Our founder, Dr Maurice Larocque, is a world-recognised weight management expert and he created a science-based methodology to help people lose weight quickly in a safe and caring environment.
I am so proud of the work that we do but I know that the framework of the clinics, the tools, the support and my colleagues is critical to our client’s success.
Your success!
We all know our roles and how to work within the guidelines. This in turn plays out in your life as you too, in time, learn how to apply the rules and guidelines to your own specific circumstances.
I hope that the trip down memory lane with Road Runner brought a smile to your face. For those of you too young to have seen it, click here to see some highlights from the series.
