Old cartoon I'm not even sure if its from the 80s...

[Boudiga]

I saw this cartoon I believe in 88. I have no idea how old it is. It could be from the 50s for all I know. Its about a boy who goes into a cartoon world where he becomes a cartoon. In his adventure he has to solve problems that require him to use mathematics, reading and spelling. The part I remember is when he was talking to this magic cube or crystal that had a face on it. He had to do math for some reason and the crystal would cheer him on. The was another character who acted as the boys friend, but was trying divert him. There was one part where the boy was asked solve a useless problem like counting grains of sand off a mountain. The character who was a false friend enjoyed taking the pin and started poking the mountain. Any ideas? I'm sorry I can't remember more.

[Straydog]

"There was one part where the boy was asked solve
a useless problem like counting grains of sand off a mountain."

The Phantom Tollbooth (70)
a.k.a. The Adventures of Milo in the Phantom Tollbooth

(Live action-part)
Milo is a typical brooding kid, bored with his life, until he gets an unexpected package. It's a small car and a magical tollbooth, that's the doorway to another world.

(Animated)
His otherworldly trip includes many life lessons he must learn to become a well rounded and more mature individual.
He meets several characters on the other side that are the living embodiments of puns. His faithful friend, Tock-(the watch dog that never allows him to forget that time is a precious resource), The Humbug-(A large,self-important bug with lots to say, but everything he has to say amounts to nothing). The WhetherMan-( A man who seems to be preoccupied with making decisions), The Spelling Bee...self explanatory, and several others.

One of his first obstacles is the swamp of the Doldrums. The inhabitants of the Doldrums are a lethargic bunch of swamp dwellers(drips or droops characters). They much rather lay about sloth-like then put forth any effort. Milo begins to fall under their influence and sink into the swamp. As he does, he looses his drive and focus.
His traveling companion Tock the watch-dog , (He's literally part watch), is there to bring him back to his senses. Milo's able to break free of the muck and mire with a little mental exercise and carry on.

He finds two kingdoms on the brink of chaos. The land of letters and the kingdom of numbers. Only the princesses of the two lands (Princess Rhyme and Princess Reason) can bring peace to the land, but they've gone missing. Milo and friends go out on a quest to find Rhyme and Reason and return them to their kingdoms.

-View-
The Phantom Tollbooth

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[teddy0bear]

this was on tv last year

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