Hey-Hey Fever: A Bizarre Little Nap

Is this worth your time?

Honestly, only if you’re a total animation nerd who collects this stuff like dusty coins. If you’re looking for a plot that makes sense, keep walking. You’ll probably hate it if you have zero patience for rubber-hose animation where characters stretch like chewing gum.

It starts with Bosko just falling asleep under a sign for Mother Goose bread. It’s the kind of logic that only makes sense in a 1935 cartoon, really.

The whole thing just unravels into a giant, singing nursery rhyme mess. The characters have these weird, twitchy movements that almost feel like they’re vibrating off the screen. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in Mickey Steps Out, but way more… unhinged.

The Weird Stuff

• The Mother Goose characters don't just exist; they kind of explode into existence.
• The Rhythmettes are doing some vocal work that sounds like it’s being played at the wrong speed.
• Bosko’s face transitions are legitimately terrifying if you stare too long.

There’s this moment where everything is singing in unison, and it just stops being cute and starts being slightly overwhelming. You can tell the animators were just throwing every idea they had at the wall. Not all of it sticks, but man, it’s loud.

It’s not as cohesive as some other shorts from the era. It feels like someone stitched together three different ideas while they were half-asleep. I think I preferred the calmer moments in The Brown Derby over this, just because my brain didn't feel like it was being scrambled by a whisk.

Still, watching these old black-and-white films is a trip. The way they handle perspective when the bread sign looms over Bosko is actually kinda clever. It’s got that slightly imperfect charm where you can see the ink smudges if you squint hard enough.

Don’t go in expecting a masterpiece. It’s just a strange, noisy dream captured on film. 🍞😴