Doug “Doog” Bresler, creator of Doogtons, made the mistake of saying “yes” to us when we asked him for an interview. Here are the consequences of his mistake:
Where are you from?
Doog: I’m from good ole Southern California, born in Santa Monica.
Where did you grow up?
Doog: I grew up mostly in Topanga, CA, the woodsiest place in LA. I really liked living there, and I actually can tell those stories to my grandchildren about having to walk through 2 miles of rain and muddy mountainsides to get to school everyday.
What inspired you to get into cartooning?
Doog: I always doodled in class, which accounted for the 2.9 grade point average I got in high school. My Spanish teacher used to call me “Spacey” and kick me out for not paying attention in class. In fact, I spent most of my college education doodling during lecture. The back of a syllabus is a great place to design some characters!
How old were you when you first picked up the pen?
Doog: I was a zygote. How a pen was floating around in there I have no idea.
How did you choose UC Santa Barbara?
Doog: Far enough away from home, but not on the other side of the planet. I love the ocean air. Plus I heard that it was beautiful there.
Do you direct all your own stuff?
Doog: Everything.
Why Doog?
Doog: When I was a kid, my parents used to call me Dukie. I found out later that it meant “shit” so that was out of the question. Later, a member of my old Rod Stewart tribute band “One Nation Under Rod” called me Doogan all the time. I thought it sounded less like shit so I shortened and adopted it.
How often in a day do you get called “doogie”, “the doogster”, “doogilicious” or “doogity dog”?
Doog: Doogie yes, the others, no. Though I do like doogalicious. I might steal it for an ad campaign for Doogtoons Cereal.
Feel free to use it. I’ve already copyrighted and trademarked it, so that’ll be just 5 cents into the kitty everytime your utter “doogilicious”.
How many projects did you do before you developed Doogtoons?
Doog: I worked on many many student films, all of them about the same caliber as “Battlefield Earth.” Though, we couldn’t get John Revolta to play the lead character.
You claim to be a musician. What instrument(s) do you play?
Doog: I am a musician. I play drums, guitar and a little piano. I also sing a lot of karaoke. You can hear some of my drum playing for my brothers band, “The Joe Bresler Band” at www.joebresler.com
How long have you played it/them?
Doog: I’ve played drums for 19 years, guitar for 10, piano on and off.
How long have you been an overall fool?
Doog: Ever since I fell in love.
When did you first realize your foolish potential?
Doog: See above.
We used to live in Santa Monica before coming east. Lived near 15th and Santa Monica. You know that red brick building on the corner with the liquor store on the first floor? That used to be “home.” You know who else lived there just before she blew up on “Sex in the City”? Kristin Davis. Yep. That being said, where in SMO do you live?
Doog: NICE! I love my city! I live very close to 15th and Santa Monica. I can’t give the exact whereabouts because we do have some pretty crazy fans online. The kind that say they are an 18 year old female student, but are really the skin wearing guy from “Silence of the Lambs”. Let’s say I live pretty close to Santa Monica and 26th Street.
Do any of your friends or family also make films?
Doog: My grandfather, Douglas Benton, produced many TV shows including Police Woman, Magnum PI, Thriller (with Boris Karlov), Columbo, and wrote a whole bunch shows for other series like Murder She Wrote. My uncle is also a writer producer and brings many wonderfully gory films to the DVD shelves of Blockbuster Video. Here is one of them: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0365685/
How does it feel to be mentioned in BusinessWeek.com?
Doog: It feels great when people get a kick out of the episodes, or even a laugh or two. I’d be just as satisfied getting a great fan email or letter.
Why animation?
Doog: For me, animation is the most labor intensive, but most satisfying of all visual arts. it is the most effective way to get an idea out exactly to way you want it without having to rely on many resources. Plus, any fool can point a camera somewhere. With animation, everything, every brush stroke that is inside the frame comes from the mind of the filmmaker. It is the most accurate outward depiction of what lies inside. That sounded pretty deep!
Does it cause strife between you and your friends?
Doog: Sure, a lot of my friends never see me anymore cause I’m always tooning. I hope they don’t hate me! I love you guys! I think my girlfriend suffers the most… she is the most wonderful thing in the world, and I wish I could spend more time with her.
If you could do anything, what would it be?
Doog: Have a full fledged, full scale production studio. I’m working on it. When it gets to that level we won’t just be making cartoons.
What or where do you plan to be five years from now?
Doog: I would love to live in a few other places… San Francisco for sure. New York… Montana… New Zealand… Switzerland… the list goes on.
How long did it take you to conceive of, then produce a webisode?
Doog: One to four weeks. Depends on the complexity of it 
How long did it take you to come up with your current animation style?
Doog: Hmmm… let me ask my hand…. it won’t answer. I guess I would say 27 years, minus a few of those terrible crayon drawings I did when I was 6 months old.
What is your least favorite part about undertaking the DoogToons quest?
Doog: A lot of the grunt work sucks but we are expanding soon so things should be getting easier.
Are there days when you wake up and it’s just too overwhelming to get out of bed?
Doog: Never. The minute I’m awake I’m out of bed. I’m allergic to my down comforter.
If so, what keeps you motivated?
Doog: My brain keeps me motivated… whenever I’m not being productive it screams at me and throws dishes and claims to leave me if I don’t change.
Also, the fans! Ever since our site started getting a lot of fan emails and positive feedback, the cartoon changed from being just a project into a child that always needs to be fed. When no cartoons come out, the kid starves and the fans get antsy. I didn’t release a toon in March and someone emailed me with this subject: “Did you die?”
Do you do it for love or for money, or for both?
Doog: I live to make films and music, and it’s getting to the point where I can make a living making films and music. This is a great thing.
Who was your biggest influence(s) growing up?
Doog: When I was 5 years old, my parents took me to see “The Terminator”. That amazing movie made me want to make movies. I am strongly against censorship. As long as kids are taught at a very young age that it is all fantasy and make believe, I think they can see whatever they want to see… with the exception of the “Faces of Death” series. I was also inspired by movies such as Clash of the Titans, The Secret of NIHM, The Fly… the books of William Sleator. Comedic influences…. movies such as Airplane, UHF, Evil Dead, Into the Night… I could go on for a very long time.
Who is your biggest influence now?
Doog: Bill Maher is one of my favorite comedians… David Cross is another.
Who were your parents and what did they do?
Doog: My dad is a very well known alternative medicine and pain control doctor and my mom works as a chemical dependency counselor.
What’s the biggest problem facing the world today?
Doog: The biggest problem in the world today is unfit traditions. Many people govern their lives by principals that were set in stone when the human race was not as developed as it is today. We now know a lot more because of history, science, experiences and studies of human behavior. The world is an ever changing place. Ride the tide!
Would you rather spend a year locked in a space capsule orbiting Earth or on a desert island?
Doog: Ooooh… Space for sure. I’ve already been to a desert island.
Who makes you laugh the most?
Doog: Everyone. I love to watch people in everyday situations.
What’s the worst car trouble you’ve ever had?
Doog: That is the deepest question anyone has ever asked me. I’m sorry, I can’t go that deep.
What hobbies have you?
Doog: I love walking, biking and hiking. Oh yeah. Eating is good, though I never seem to gain weight! I tried to start a body building routine, but I think I have a midgit stomach.
Favorite movie starring a sad excuse for a pickup line?
Doog: Watch Dolemite (1975)
What sound or noise do you love?
Doog: Music that is pleasing to the ears. Any of Ennio Morricone’s works. The Death Theme from “The Untouchables” is so beautiful it makes me tear anytime I hear it.
What sound or noise do you hate?
Doog: The sound of Peter’s voice on Family Guy. I didn’t like that show even before that South Park episode.
What is your favorite food that you’ve never had?
Doog: Any type of chocolate with insects inside of it. I’m NEVER eating that shit.
What is your favorite food that you actually have had?
Doog: REAL mashed potatoes, all chunky with butter. Either that or chicken tikka masala.
What superpower would you want?
Doog: I’ve always wanted to fly.
How does the added exposure of being an Internet celebrity affect your current adulthood?
Doog: For sure, but not my personal life. It’s a little weird to see things I’ve made show up on the front page of youtube, yahoo and ebaumsworld, but it’s cool. I’m glad people like it. The G4 TV premiere was a bit ethereal.
If Heaven does exist, what would you like to hear God say when you enter?
Doog: He would probably say, “See, you shouldn’t have doubted this, you idiot.”
What are your five favorite websites?
Doog: Youtube
KCRW.com
DennyBlaze.com
How long do you see yourself doing the Doog?
Doog: Indefinitely.
Your website is now boasting of hiring. Is that just a clever pickup line to snag college-age women or what?
Doog: Well I usually say, “Hey baby, my name may be Douglas, but backwards it’s SAL- GOOD” Usually works.
Does being Doog make you sexier to the people you want to be considered sexy to?
Doog: Well about a month ago there was this girl I met a friend’s party. She started telling me about some crazy cartoon that her friend sent her randomly, and she was going on and on about it. I eventually told her that I had made the damn thing, and she literally went into shock. I guess thats a point for the sexy scale?
Paper or Plastic?
Doog: Canvas!
Hybrid or Electric?
Doog: Hydrogen!
Never heard of Doogtoons? Well check out our review here!
