| Series Name | |
| Season 5, Episode 26-31 | |
| Written by | George Atkins, Chris Hayward, Chris Jenkins and Lloyd Turner |
| Directed by | Gerard Baldwin, Pete Burness, Bill Hurtz, Gerry Ray, Bob Schleh, George Singer and Ernie Terrazas |
| Episode Guide | |
| previous Louse on 92nd Street |
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Wossamotta U — a mondegreen of "what's the matter [with] you" — is the semi-finale story arc from the finale season of Rocky and Bullwinkle (originally titled The Bullwinkle Show). It was broadcast on the NBC network during the 1963–64 television season.
Summary[]
When two scouts see Bullwinkle J. Moose tossing Rocky J. Squirrel, R&B are offered scholarships to Wossamotta U., a school with a dreadful football record. Bullwinkle's passing skills enable Wossamotta to consistently win, so Boris Badenov concocts the fiendish plan of having his team of brutal thugs and murderers, the Mud City Manglers (coached by Fearless Leader), compete—disguised as girls. Since the latter are certain to lose, Boris can safely bet the Pottsylvania treasury on their winning, and rake in a fortune at 200:1 odds. The Big Game is played following American Civil War ("That's War between the States!") battle plans, and needless to say, Our Heroes win.
The dialog includes one of the series' most-memorable exchanges. When Rocky is informed they'll be playing against females... "Bullwinkle, this is terrible!" "It is?" "What kind of game can you play with girls?" [addressing the audience] "Boy, this really is a children's show, isn't it?" <beat> "Parcheesi, of course!" The University of Wossamotta was shown as Rocky and Bullwinkle's alma mater in The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle movie.
Segments[]
- Wossamotta U
- A College for Two or Rock Enrolls
- The Hidden Ball Play or Goal Is Where You Find It
- Wager at Dawn or Early to Bet
- Standing Room Only or Bullwinkle Sells Out
- Bullwinkle Scores Again or Fool’s Goal
- Rogue’s Gallery or Hold That Line-Up
- Male Bags or Homely Are the Brave
- Mine Eyes Have Seen the Gory or Moose’s In the Col’ Col’ Ground
- Bullwinkle’s Battle Plan or Civil Defense (the Southern revanchist spoils the Narrator's closing by insisting the title is War Between the States Defense)
- Bullwinkle Buys a Fence or Pickets Charge
- A Rock for Rock or To Each His Stone
Trivia[]
- Wossamotta coach Rocky Kanute alludes to legendary Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne.
- Hard Knox running back Whizzer Black is a parody of University of Colorado running back (and later Supreme Court justice) Byron "Whizzer" White.
- Wossamotta quarterback Bob Waterbucket is a parody of UCLA quarterback Bob Waterfield.
Video Releases[]
In the late 1970s, this story arc was released in complete form on an RCA Selectavision disc (which included episodes of Fractured Fairy Tales, Peabody's Improbable History, and Dudley Do-Right). In the early 1990s, it was released in a version that deleted about seven minutes, as the main feature of the video "Norman Moosewell" (VHS and Laserdisc). These episodes have been excerpted on the 2007 Best of Rocky and Bullwinkle: Volume 2 DVD. Volume 5 of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends, released on March 29, 2011, includes all 12 episodes, unedited.