cartune coloring book.
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| Cover of a vintage Walter Lantz cartune coloring book. |
A three-disc DVD compilation of Lantz shorts called the Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection was released on July 24, 2007 by Universal/MCA. The collection features a total of 75 Walter Lantz cartoons including the first 45 Woody Woodpecker cartoons (from "Knock Knock" to "The Great Who-Dood-It") as well as a handful of Andy Panda and Chilly Willy cartoons, rarely-seen Swing Symphonies ("Abou Ben Boogie" and "Pass the Biscuits Mirandy"), and black and white Lantz shorts ("Confidence" and "Hells Heels"). A second volume was released in April 2008 including 45 more Woody Woodpecker shorts (from "Termites from Mars" to "Jittery Jester") alongside several Lantz classics ("The Poet and Peasant"), rarities ("She Done Him Right"), and fan favorites ("Half Baked Alaska"). Click here to order volume one and click here to order volume two, both from Amazon.com. For further information see the official Woody Woodpecker website from Universal Home Video or check our DVD and video guide.
Where can I watch Walter Lantz cartoons on television?
Unfortunately, there is currently no place on television to watch these cartoons in the United States.
This website does not mention the "New Woody Woodpecker Show" that aired on Fox Kids. Why is this?
The main focus of this website are the classic theatrical cartoons released by the Walter Lantz Studio from 1929 to 1972. Therefore, we do not cover the "New Woody Woodpecker Show". The program ran from 1999 to 2002 with 53 episodes produced, but most were never even broadcast in the United States. Notably, the show featured the classic 1955 Chilly Willy cartoon, "The Legend of Rockabye Point", on one episode from the first season.
Where can I find Lantz-related merchandise?
For vintage merchandise, there is always plenty for auction on eBay.
Newer merchandise is a little harder to find. There is very little available. However, the Universal Studios theme parks have a wide variety of merchandise featuring the Lantz characters, especially Woody Woodpecker and Chilly Willy, in their various gift shops – things like postcards, dolls, figures, keychains, stationary, magnets, t-shirts, etc.. They are definitely your best source for new merchandise. It's too bad you have to hop a plane to California or Florida to buy the stuff.
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| Oswald on the cover of the "Universal Weekly" from Feb. 3, 1934. Courtesy of Del Walker. |
In 2004-2005, Universal made an active effort to market Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in Japan. Subsequently, however, Disney acquired the character rights to Oswald in their famous 2006 Al Michaels deal with Universal (see the next question for further details). Since then, Disney has introduced a new line of merchandise featuring the character.
Who exactly owns Oswald the Lucky Rabbit?
The character of Oswald and the 26 Disney-produced Oswald cartoons are owned by the Walt Disney Company. This was the result of a deal between Disney and NBC Universal for the latter to secure sportscaster Al Michaels for NBC Sports in February 2006. Universal still owns the 26 Winkler Oswalds and the 140 Lantz Oswalds. Since the deal, they have released 11 Lantz Oswalds on the Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection DVD series in 2007-2008. The existing Disney Oswalds, meanwhile, have been released by Disney on the Walt Disney Treasures - The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit DVD set that can be ordered from Amazon.com. It is uncertain whether the Winkler Oswalds will ever be released on DVD.
Are the Meany, Miny, and Moe cartoons available for purchase on DVD?
Unfortunately, the Meany, Miny, and Moe shorts have not been released officially on DVD from Universal/MCA. They were also never released on VHS or laserdisc.
However, there is one Meany, Miny, and Moe cartoon – 1937's "House of Magic" – that has fallen into the public domain. It is available on the DVD compilation "Return of the 30's Characters" from Thunderbean Animation. The disc also includes the 1932 Lantz Oswald "Making Good" as well as 1930s rarities from other animation studios. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
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| Are they on your family tree? |
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| A Castle Films ad for 8mm and 16mm cartoons. |
Castle Films was a company that released the Lantz cartoon shorts to the home movie market in the form of 8mm and 16mm prints. Castle Films would sometimes retitle the cartoons (for example, 1944's "Ski for Two" was renamed "Woody Plays Santa Claus"). It is unknown why Castle Films would rename some cartoons and not others. If you have any idea, feel free to contact us.
Most of the black and white Lantz cartoons in circulation have "Oswald Rabbit" titles that are obviously not the originals. Do you know where they came from?
The "Oswald Rabbit" titles were used by a company called Guild/Firelight. During the early 1950s, the distributor released a large package of black and white Lantz cartoons to the television and home movie markets. The only black and white shorts excluded from the package were the first 26 Lantz releases (from "Race Riot" in 1929 to "Henpecked" in 1930).
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Pierre Bear was a character who only appeared in one cartoon, "After the Ball" (1956). Despite the French name, Pierre had a distinctive Daws Butler Southern accent. When Castle Films got ahold of the Lantz library, they, for whatever reason, decided to give the character his own box art. Since Pierre had only appeared in one short, Castle decided to distribute the Windy and Breezy Bear cartoons under the Pierre Bear banner as well.
Is Smedley a dog or a polar bear?
Smedley is a DOG and not a polar bear. See our Chilly Willy page for more information.
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| As you can see, Smedley hates being called a polar bear... |
What are the lyrics to "The Woody Woodpecker Song"?
The Woody Woodpecker Song
Words and music by George F. Tibbles and Ramey Idriss
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| It makes the other woodpeckers swoon... |
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| Everybody sing! |
Which cartoon features Oswald the Lucky Rabbit singing the German folk song "Johnny Schmoker"?
The cartoon in question is entitled "The Fowl Ball" (1930), directed by Walter Lantz and Bill Nolan.
Which cartoon features Woody Woodpecker skiing through the woods while singing a melody about the snow? What is the name of that melody?
The cartoon in question is entitled "Ski for Two" (1944), directed by Shamus Culhane. The melody that Woody sings is called "The Sleigh (a la Russe)", written in 1926 by Richard Kountz and Ivor Tchervanow.
Which cartoon involves the man and his dog getting each other's personalities due to the wrong injection of plasma?
The cartoon in question is entitled "Crazy Mixed Up Pup" (1955), directed by Tex Avery.
Which cartoon featured the line: "If Woody had gone straight to the police, this would never have happened!"?
The cartoon in question is entitled "Bunco Busters" (1955), directed by Paul J. Smith.
Which cartoon involves Chilly Willy ordering a stack of hotcakes from Smedley with "more butter," "more syrup," etc.?
The cartoon in question is "Half Baked Alaska" (1965), directed by Sid Marcus.
Several Lantz filmographies list "Sons of the Saddle", "Song of the Caballero", "Strange As It Seems", "Fanny the Mule", "To the Rescue", "Foiled", "A New Deal", "S.O.S. Icicle", and "Gold Dust Oswald" as part of the studio's 1930-35 output. This website does not. Why is this?
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| Any similarities between Woody and a real woodpecker is strictly coincidental! |
Who provided the voice of Woody?
Mel Blanc (the voice of hundreds of cartoon characters, including Bugs Bunny) provided the voice of Woody for the character's first three cartoons. After Blanc, Woody's voice was provided by Danny Webb from 1941 to 1942, Kent Rogers from 1942 to 1943, and Lantz storyman Ben Hardaway from 1944 to 1949. Blanc's laugh would continue to be used in the cartoons throughout the 1940s.
In 1949, the Lantz studio closed and when it reopened in 1950, Grace Stafford (Lantz's wife) became the voice of Woody. She held this position until Lantz ceased producing theatrical cartoons in 1972. After this, she continued to voice the character off-and-on until 1985. Oddly, Blanc's "Guess Who?" was consistently used in the opening credits of the Woody shorts throughout the character's entire career.
Actress Cherry Davis provided Woody's voice for his cameo appearance in the 1988 film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". Billy West (voice of Stimpy on "The Ren and Stimpy Show" and Philip J. Fry on "Futurama") supplied Woody's voice on Fox Kids' "New Woody Woodpecker Show" from 1999 to 2002.
What kind of woodpecker is Woody?
That's simple, he's a cartoon woodpecker.