In the early 1980s, Joe Oriolo, creator of Casper the Friendly Ghost and producer of over 260 Felix the Cat episodes, originated a cartoon character named Professor Beetoven. He devised Professor Beetoven along with 25 other cartoon characters. Hundreds of scripts were created around these characters. There is a script for any subject or situation imaginable. In 1985, James Rumpf and Joe Oriolo created a 23-minute cartoon pilot titled “Friends Make the World Go Round: The Adventures of Professor Beetoven.” This pilot aired on HBO and was rated #1 for its category, beating out “The Smurfs”! Unfortunately, Joe Oriolo passed away from cancer during this same year. My father, who was partners with Joe Oriolo, never continued this great project. In 2012 after barnstorming on the best thing to do with these great characters, I decided to create a line of children’s storybooks.
