I just saw a great cartoon: Greedy Humpty Dumpty (1936):

Humpty Dumpty- seen here as a greedy and abusive monarch- wants to acquire the gold from the sun. He forces his subjects to build his palace’s golden walls higher, so that he can reach the sun. When they do reach the sun, King Humpty tries to crack it open with his battle axe. He is overcome by the sun’s awesome power. The walls of his palace and the castle itself are destroyed, and the miserable monarch is sent crashing to the ground, a heap of broken eggshells and a busted crown.

I’m simply going to have to get more familiar with Max Fleischer’s early work.