Frosty_3

Pontius Puddle to Quit Messenger
Frosty Flap Widens

In an act of solidarity with fellow cartoon character Frosty the Snowman, Pontius Puddle has given notice that he will not renew his contract with the Church of the Brethren magazine Messenger when the contract expires later this year. Puddle has appeared in the magazine for several years but says this will be his last because of the blatant hostility displayed toward a cartoon character in the denomination’s nationally broadcast Christmas Eve service on CBS. “After I heard about it, I decided it was time to take a stand against that kind of hate-speech,” said the frog. “I don’t know Frosty personally, but I respect his work and he doesn’t deserve to be treated that way – and by a church, no less!”

Puddle’s move has left Walt Wiltschek, editor of Messenger, scrambling to look for a replacement. Wiltschek told reporters, “We’ve put out feeler thingies but, frankly, we aren’t very popular in the cartoon character community right now. We did hear from Sluggo, the tough kid with a buzz cut in the old ‘Nancy’ comic strip, but we aren’t sure he is a good fit for us, since pacifists we are. For now, we'll keep looking.”

In a related development, more than 150 members of the Cartoon Actors Guild took out a full page ad in Christianity Today to voice their protest of the treatment Frosty received in the Brethren broadcast. The CAG is calling for the National Council of Churches (of which the Church of the Brethren is a member) to issue a formal reprimand. Among those who signed the protest were well-known characters Snoopy, the Roadrunner, Barney Rubble and Betty Boop.