Ok, I'm going to try and make this as brief as possible. This is an AU I made a while back about how the Warners got they're show and became the stars they're known as today. We'll see glimpses of their childhood, a behind the scenes look at how Animaniacs was created, what each Warner had to do to make it to the top, and a sneak peak at what lies ahead of them.
This is going to be an extremely long story, so be prepared for that. There's going to be plenty of information and fun facts packed into this story - some being true and some being head-canons of mine. There will also be a ton of Easter eggs and references to the show spread throughout for diehard fans like me. I should also make it clear that I am sticking with the original series continuity. There will be no mentions of the reboot whatsoever in here.
And lastly, I do not own Animaniacs. All rights belong to Warner Bros, Steven Speilberg and Tom Reugger. I am writing this story for my own fun and for the enjoyment of others. I do not wish to make any profit out of this story.
Anyways, I think I have said enough for now. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the story!
Chapter 1 - Simpler times
October 8, 1985
The boy was so happy. Life couldn't possibly get any better for him than it already was.
The small child, roughly four years old, was on his hands and knees as he pushed his toy fire truck across the hardwood floor of his bedroom. The energetic toddler was smiling and giggling to himself as he was making his own fun. There were no worries on his mind, only feelings of wonder and bliss that came with his youth.
He had received the toy fire truck from his aunt as a birthday present. The boy fell in love with the bright red vehicle the moment he tore open the wrapping paper. It had become his favorite toy since then; he could play with it all day if he could. Of course, the fire truck wasn't the only toy the kid had; he had several toys. His parents and aunt were always buying him new and exciting toys to play with. The toy box in the corner of his room was starting to overflow with the number of toys packed inside it. But the child didn't mind; he loved all the toys that he had.
So, being in the warm, cozy environment of his room, the boy spent his day with his toys. With his fire truck in hand, he made siren noises with his mouth as he rolled the metallic toy along the floor, pretending it was a highway. He was trapped inside of his fantasy, visioning clear images that felt so real to him. His mind was so pure and young, and his perspective on life was so simple; the boy felt great joy in the house that made up his world.
"Yakko! Lunch is ready!" A voice hollard from downstairs.
Yakko Warner, who was in the middle of his play, perked up at the sound of his name being called. He quickly recognized the voice to be his mom, who was calling him down for lunch.
The child stood on his knees, letting his toy fire truck fall out of his hands and onto the floor. He peered down at himself, his hands grasped onto his stomach. He rubbed his belly a little, his furry hands feeling the denim fabric of his overalls. The boy's long floppy ears perked down to listen to the angry growls that rumbled from his empty stomach.
It was a good thing that his mom called for him when she did. He was now feeling rather hungry.
Pulling himself up onto his feet, Yakko quickly raced out of his bedroom. The child flew down the flight of stairs, nearly tripping over his feet. He barely made it around the corner at the bottom step. He was like a firecracker, moving just as fast as one would. Running across the long hall, Yakko entered through a doorway that led into the kitchen. Upon entering, the boy skirted his feet across the tiled floor and managed to stop before his body slammed into the wall. Yakko was panting from running so fast. He burned a lot of his energy from simply running to the kitchen.
Glancing around, Yakko could see his mom dressed in a blue, silky shirt and jeans. The woman had a spatula in her hand, which she was using to move something around in a pan thar was placed on top of the stove. Behind her was an immense, dark wood table that took up the majority of the space in the room. Yakko's baby brother, who was keeping his mother company, was already seated in his high chair. The infant, wearing a blue onesie, stared curiously at his mother as she prepared today's lunch.
His mother shifted her attention away from the stove; her eyes took notice of Yakko standing across the room from her. The woman set down her spatula and instead held her arms out for her boy. Yakko smiled in delight as he ran to his mom. He bent his knees before he jumped upward, leaping into his mother's arms. His mom jolted backward as her son jumped into her. She seemed to be startled by her son's movements, but she looked happy to see her boy. She laughed as she gazed down at the child.
"Morning, Mama!" Yakko said joyfully.
His mom laughed, "Good morning to you too, sweetie. You're just in time for lunch."
"What you make, Mama!? What you make!?"
"You're favorite. Grilled cheese."
Yakko's eyes sparkled as he heard that. Grilled cheese was by far his favorite food. His mom or dad would make it for him pretty much daily now. Having it for lunch has become a highlight of his day.
The thought of eating his favorite food made him excited.
"Yes! Yes! I love grilled cheese!" The happy boy exclaimed as he wiggled around in his mother's arms."Thank you, Mama! Thank you!"
"Alright, settle down there, Yakko. I know you're happy," his mother said calmly before she gently set the boy down on the floor. "Why don't you sit down at the table so I can serve it to you? Ok?"
Yakko looked up at his mom standing over him. His mom ruffled the top of her head, which Yakko liked. He was looking up at her with a goofy little grin on his face.
"Ok, Mama," he told her innocently.
Following orders, Yakko ran to the table and pulled a chair out for himself. The boy then proceeded to grasp onto the edge of the chair before proceeding to pull himself up onto it. He found it to be hard at first, as the chair was much bigger than he was. But despite this, he managed to climb up into the chair successfully without any further issues.
Sitting up straight in the wooden chair, he found that he could barely see over the table. So Yakko had no choice but to stand up on his knees, which proved to be a successful solution to his problem. But despite this, the toddler wished he was just a little taller. He longed to be just as tall as his parents one day. Awaiting the day where he didn't have to stand on his knees just to see over the table top. He believed he was too short to live in such a large house.
To Yakko, being small came with so many shortcomings.
His eyes glanced at his brother, sitting across the table from him. The baby was babbling to himself as he pounded his little fists against the tray of his high chair. The happy little infant looked to be having fun doing whatever random baby thing that he was doing. Yakko couldn't help but smile at his little brother's antics; he was utterly adorable. Yakko then decided to wave at his little brother. He waved his hand frantically but there was no reply. He waved his hand harder, like he stranded on a desert island and he was trying for help. Try as he must, his brother did nothing. In fact, he didn't seem to notice Yakko at all.
Although, this didn't surprise him, as he had tried waving at his brother several times before with no luck. It seemed that the only two things that would get the infant's attention were food and his rattle. He was told by his father several times that his brother was too young to play with the toys that he had. But, seeing how the infant's daily activities consisted of eating and sleeping, Yakko could assume that he wouldn't be interested in playing with his toys anyway.
Why does he never wave back? Yakko wondered.
His thoughts were interrupted when an arm reached out over his shoulder, holding a plate in her hand. Yakko's eyes widened; he bent closer to get a good look at the freshly hot sandwich placed before his eyes. The child's mouth watered from staring at the irresistible site in front of him. Licking his lips, his grabby little fingers quickly snagged the sandwich off the plate before he leaned his head in for a bite. He could immediately taste the warm, melted cheese in his mouth. Greatly satisfied by his lunch, Yakko rested back in his chair as he took another bite from his grilled cheese.
"Thank you!" Yakko said gleefully to his mom as he was chewing grilled cheese in his mouth.
His mom smiled and said, "It was my pleasure, darling."
Yakko grinned at his mom before he dove his head back into the sandwich for another bite. As he ate, Yakko's eyes glanced to his right. He could see his mom placing a second sandwich onto another plate. The woman carried the plate over to his brother's high chair. She ruffled the baby's head the same way she did to him. The baby shared a gummy grin with his mom as she put the plate of grilled cheese on his highchair.
"Hi Wakky," his mom said to the infant in a high-pitched voice. "Is Wakko hungry?"
Wakko, of course, said nothing. He giggled loudly as his mom nurtured him with attention. Yakko knew very well what was going on in front of him. His mother now had her full attention on his brother and not him.
The thought saddened him, but he said nothing. It was becoming very common for his mom or dad to be spending their time with him, and then as soon as Wakko started crying, they left him for his brother's aid. His parents had informed him many times that Wakko was only a baby, so they had to give him lots of attention because he didn't know how to take care of himself. Wakko was a nuisance to him, always being the center of attention in his parents' eyes. Showering the infant with love and care while they left Yakko on his own.
Yakko still had fond memories of his parents playing with him, watching TV in the living room, and reading stories together before bedtime. But now with Wakko around, those family bonding times were occurring less and less. Those memories were fading away from his mind, becoming nothing more than blurry pictures in his head that he couldn't quite make out.
With that thought going through his mind, Yakko watched in complete silence as his mom used a knife to cut Wakko's grilled cheese sandwich into bite-size pieces. His brother seemed to be curious about the utensil as he kept trying to grab the silver object from his mother's hand. The woman pulled the knife out of his reach.
"No. This is mine," She told him in a soft but firm voice.
Yakko's eyes narrowed at Wakko. His eyebrows lowered, and his once happy face turned into a look of anger. He set down the sandwich he was eating and turned his full attention to the horrible monster that was his brother. He felt so angry with Wakko and his mom. He formed his hands into fists and shook them in a form of rage underneath the table. He didn't know how long it was going to take before he screamed at the top of his lungs at how angry he felt at that moment. His mom would probably be mad at him if he screamed, but he felt so angry that he was tempted to.
His mom must have taken notice of his anger as she turned her head to look at him. Her face was that of deep concern.
"What's wrong, dear?" She asked. "Are you full?"
Yakko, who hadn't expected his mom to ask about his feelings, didn't quite know how to reply to her question. He snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at his mom.
"Um..uh..nothing, uh nothing is wrong."
"Are you sure?" his mother asked, raising an eyebrow.
Yakko, having reached his breaking point, finally snapped.
"It's Wakko!" Yakko cried, pointing his finger at his brother. "Why do you give him so much attention, Mama?"
His mom groaned as she pressed her hand against the bridge of her nose. She sighed heavily before looking at her son with an annoyed look.
"Oh, Yakko! I told you so many times already!" She grumbled. "Your brother is just a baby. He can barely sit up on his own."
"You always say that!" Yakko retorted as he slammed his fist hard on the table.
Yakko became quiet after saying that, as he saw his mom leave Wakko's aid and march angrily towards him. His heart sank, and his hands were twitching. He shrank into his chair as he saw his mother loom over him. His mother scowled down at him, and then she raised her hand back and smacked him right across the face. Yakko flinched, his heart skipped a beat. Sniveling, Yakko rubbed his hand against his now sore face. It didn't take long for tears to form in his eyes and start dripping down his cheek. His good morning had turned sour, and his happy mood had turned into one of sadness.
He winced over at Wakko, who in contrast to Yakko, seemed to be feeling content as the infant shoved bite-sized strips of grilled cheese into his mouth. Yakko stared angrily at the baby who had caused him to throw his fit in the first place. He then looked back at his mom. she was staring down at him with a cold glare. She hadn't moved a muscle; the woman's eyes were glued to her son. Yakko couldn't bear looking at her for more than a few seconds. There was something about his mom's dirty look that made his blood run cold. He put his hands over his face and cried.
There was a long pause of silence between the two. Both of them were stunned by what had just happened. Yakko finally removed his hands from his teary eyes and glanced up at his angry mother.
"Why did you do that?" Yakko asked, tears dripping down his cheek.
His words must have reignited his mom's anger as the woman bent down to his level and grabbed him by his shirt collar. She then pulled the boy uncomfortably close to her so that they were both looking at each other eye to eye.
"You do NOT pound on the table like that!" His mother shouted in his face." YOU HEAR ME! You do that again, and you'll be going without TV for a month. GOT THAT!?"
Yakko, absolutely frightened, stuttered, "Y-yes. I…I-I'm sorry, Mama."
His mother, her eyes still glaring into his soul, freed her hands from his shirt collar and set him back down onto the chair. Yakko buried his hands into his eyes, tears dripping down his face like raindrops. His face was practically drenched with tears by now. He wasn't quite sure what he had done to make his mom so angry with him. But whatever he did, it must have sparked a rage that was hidden deep inside his mom that he had unlocked. This wasn't the first time he had been scolded, but every time it happened it felt like a catastrophic event had occurred. He always felt dreadful for whatever he had done.
It was never a pleasant feeling to experience.
Yakko suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder. Peeking from his hands, he noticed his mother still standing by his side. She still appeared to be angry, but it seemed like she had calmed down some.
"Honey, I didn't mean to make you upset. But it was very foolish of you to do that."
"I know," Yakko muttered, looking down at his feet.
He suddenly felt his mom put her hand under his chin. Yakko glanced at the sorrowful woman with sad eyes. His mother studied his face for a moment before she finally spoke.
"I don't care how angry you were," she told him in a stern voice. "What you did was unacceptable, and I'm not going to let you get away with throwing a nasty fit at my kitchen table. Do you understand?"
"Yes Mama," he replied sadly.
"Good. Now I want you to go to your room and think about what you did. You're not allowed to come downstairs until your father gets home from work. Understood?"
"Yes mama," Yakko said again before he slipped out of the chair and walked slowly out of the kitchen and up to his room.
Yakko, who had calmed down from what had happened earlier, had happily resumed playing with his toys. Though he was still mad at Wakko for causing him to get into trouble. Not many things cause Yakko to be angry, but his baby brother, especially in scenarios like this one, caused his blood to boil. His rage against his brother out of jealousy and attention had caused a curve in his lifestyle.
Stupid babies, he thought as he pushed around a Hot Wheels car aggressively. What makes grown-ups like them so much? What does Wakko have that I don't!?
Yakko didn't see any reason to like Wakko. He doesn't do anything but cry, eat, sleep, and occasionally make babbling sounds. His parents say that he'll grow up to be like him eventually, but Yakko hadn't noticed any real changes in his little brother since his parents brought him home from the hospital earlier that year. He was bummed to realize that his little brother wasn't like how he thought he was gonna be. And the more time that passed by, the more disappointed Yakko became. Wakko had to be the most boring baby in the world. He spent most of his day with his mom, most of the time he was being snuggled in her arms. If he wasn't being showered with hugs and kisses, he was crawling around the living room. But that's about it when it comes to his brother's daily activities.
The most notable thing that Wakko had ever done was last weekend when the infant decided it would be a good idea to eat the flowers that were growing in the backyard. His mom caught him in the act and put him in his crib until dinnertime, much to Yakko's delight. For two glorious hours, he finally got to spend some well-deserved relaxation time with his mom. For the first time in a good while, he was the one getting the hugs and kisses from his mom, instead of his brother. Unfortunately, it didn't last long, as once dinnertime rolled around and Wakko woke up from his nap, Yakko was left in the dust while Wakko, once more, got all the love and attention for the remainder of that day.
He can't win. Yakko always found himself to be in last place against Wakko, which only made his hatred towards his little brother grow even more. And now that he thought about it, he was more angry now than he was in the kitchen earlier. He had enough of it. He just couldn't take it anymore.
Growing more and more frustrated, Yakko leaped onto his feet and ran to his bedroom door. He didn't care if he got into trouble for leaving his room before he was told to do so, he wanted out. Approaching the door, Yakko jumped to reach the doorknob. But before he could do so, the door opened.
Yakko tried to stop, but he still ended up crashing into someone's legs. He glanced up at a tall man who was standing over him. It was his father, who was wearing a surprised look on his face. The man wore a red polo shirt and dark blue work jeans, with a black belt wrapped around his waist. He held a cigarette between his fingers. Yakko could see puffs of smoke dwindling off the cigarette. His father looked exhausted, he gazed down upon Yakko with a tired smirk.
The man chuckled," Well somebody is a firecracker this evening."
He pulled himself off the ground and back onto his feet. "Hi Dad," he said with a frown.
"How's my boy doing?" His father asked.
Yakko shrugged and said nothing.
His dad seemed to be confused as to why he wasn't speaking to him. Yakko wasn't in the mood to talk to his father, even if it was just small talk. He was still calming down from what had happened earlier, and didn't feel too comfortable having a conversation with either of his parents right now. There was a short moment of silence between the two, and then his dad bent down and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, what's the matter son?" He asked him. "You had a rough day or something?"
He nodded," Mama yelled at me earlier."
"What did you do?" His father urged. His voice sounding stern.
"I was mad at Wakko, and I told him that I was mad," he explained to his dad. "I banged on the table because I was so mad. Mama smacked me, and said I had a bad attitude. And then she sent me to my room."
His father raised his eyebrow at him. He had a weird look on his face where he didn't seem to be mad at him, but he didn't look to be so pleased with what he was hearing either. Yakko noticed that his dad was staring him right in the eyes, which was making him feel unnerved. His dad usually only did this when he was mad or disappointed with him. It was never a good sign. Yakko knew that he had irritated his father. He could only hope that he didn't start shouting in his face, making him more upset than he already was. Strangely though, his father didn't do that.
The man blew out his cigarette in one breath. "Son," he said," I know how you feel. I know how it feels to be betrayed by a younger sibling."
Yakko tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean, Daddy?"
"My brother, your uncle, always got himself into trouble, and he always put the blame on me. Even when I told my parents that I had nothing to do with it, I still got punished just as much as he did." His father hesitated for a moment before continuing. "But your brother is just a baby. He ain't even old enough to talk. The Boy hadn't spit out a single word."
"Yeah, Wakkos' just a dumb, boring baby," Yakko stated.
"Don't say that about him", his dad said in a low voice. He narrowed his eyes on him. "You don't know how he'll turn out. His life has only just begun. He hasn't even turned one year old yet. You have to spend time with your brother while you still can. You don't know what you're missing."
Yakko, clueless to the jumble of words his father had told him, asked," What does that mean?"
"Eehh…I guess what I'm trying to tell you is to, well, spend time with Wakko. Have fun, laugh and enjoy yourself. Give him a chance. I'm hoping you two will develop a strong connection between each other. He relies on you, you rely on him. Just like real brothers do."
His father smiled peculiarly. His hand grasped firmly on Yakko's shoulder. He took a long glance at his son before he spoke.
"I have a feeling you boys are gonna be real close someday. You know that?"
Yakko stared at his father in admiration, letting all of what he said soak into his brain. He was slowly starting to understand what his dad was getting at. His father seemed to have more of an appreciation for Wakko than he did. It's almost like his dad expected him to have a close relationship with his brother. It seemed like he was encouraging him to take time out of his day to play with Wakko and enjoy their time together, rather than blatantly assuming that he's nothing more than a dumb baby.
And the more that he thought about it, the more that Yakko started to realize that his dad was probably right. He hadn't spent as much time with his little brother than he should've. Of course, when Wakko first came home from the hospital, Yakko was admired by the young infant and wanted to be as close as possible to his newly born brother. It was a magical experience for him that he'll never forget. But it was only after a good few months later until that magic started to disappear. When Wakko was no longer interesting to him, and when Yakko started to become bored by the infant. That magic had simmered entirely.
But despite all of that, his father still had hope for them. He still had a glimmer of hope that his relationship with Wakko would improve, that the magic would return. And because his father had hope, it made Yakko have hope too. It was contagious in a way.
Smiling at his dad, Yakko told him," You know what? You're right, daddy. I should play with Wakko. Maybe tomorrow, me and him can play with my Hot Wheels!"
"That's my boy!" His dad said with praise. He pulled Yakko in for a nookie. Both of them laughed in the silliness of the situation.
Yakko really looked up to his father. He felt like they both were always on the same page with things. If he ever felt down, his dad was most always the one that brought him back up and made him happy again. He and his dad looked really similar, too. His dad has the same oval head, floppy ears, snout and paws as he did. The only difference, despite the obvious being their height, was that his father had a much shorter tail than he did. His dad's tail represented that of a dog while Yakko's represents more of a cat tail, similarly to his mom.
"Boys! You upstairs?" His mom called from downstairs. "Come on down! Dinner will be ready soon!"
They're fun was suddenly interrupted by his mom calling him and his father downstairs for dinner. Yakko hadn't realized how quickly time had passed by. His father rose up off the floor. He crumpled his cigarette in his hands until it was nothing but a useless wrapper. His father glanced down at him, ruffling the top of his head one last time.
"I'll meet you downstairs, kiddo," he said to him. "I gotta change out of these filthy work clothes. I can't come to the table looking like this."
Yakko laughed," Ok, dad."
The two smiled at each other before they parted ways. Yakko, now feeling both happy and joyful once more, beamed brightly as he ran downstairs awaiting dinner. He was a happy go lucky soul, filled with young energy and high spirit.