The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia:
Frequently Asked Questions


Color Parade
A vintage Lantz coloring book.
Isn't that a pretty cover?
Where can I find Walter Lantz cartoons on video/DVD?

A new 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 and several rarities including rarely-seen Swing Symphonies ("Abou Ben Boogie" and "Pass the Biscuits Mirandy") and black and white Lantz shorts ("Confidence" and "Hells Heels"). Click here to order it 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 TV?

Unfortunately, there is currently no place on TV to watch these cartoons in the United States.

Why don't you mention the "New Woody Woodpecker Show" that aired on FOX Kids on this site?

The Thinker
Andy Panda thinks about his retirement plans.
At the moment, the main focus of this site is the theatrical cartoons released by the Walter Lantz Studio from 1929 – 1972. We also mention a few miscellaneous cartoons that Lantz worked on. Maybe someday we will cover the new Woody show, but right now that doesn't seem very likely. There were over 40 episodes of the show made, but most never even broadcast in the United States.

Where can I find Woody Woodpecker/Chilly Willy merchandise?

For vintage merchandise, there is always a bunch of stuff 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 Orlando or California to buy the stuff.

Finally, Applause currently has a nice looking line of Chilly Willy plush dolls. They should be available in various gift shops. Keep an eye open for those on your next trip to the mall.

Oddly enough, a great deal of merchandise featuring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit has turned up in Japan recently. Click here to read more on it!

Unfortunately, if you are looking for Andy Panda merchandise, you're out of luck (see the next question).

So, what's become of Andy Panda?

Castle Films
A Castle Films ad for 8mm and 16mm cartoons.
Universal has apparently retired Andy. In 1999, Universal gave the Lantz characters a make-over when new, updated character designs were made for use on the new Woody Show for Fox. These designs are what are used on most new merchandise made since 1999. Andy was not among the characters who got redesigned and has been notably absent from the recent show and all new merchandise. Even though Andy's career in theatrical cartoons ended in 1949, thanks to reissues of his old cartoons in various forms (television and 16mm home movie prints) and his popularity in comic books, he was still featured prominently alongside the rest of the Lantz characters on merchandise and at the Universal theme parks through the mid-1990s. These days he's nowhere to be found.

What was Castle Films?

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, "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.

Castle Films reissue titles

Most of the black and white Lantz cartoons in circulation have "Oswald Rabbit" titles which obviously aren't the originals. Do you know where do 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 all of the 1929 Oswalds and all of the Oswalds released in 1930 up to "The Singing Sap".

Guild/Firelight reissue titles

Pierre Bear

When Castle Films distributed the Lantz shorts during the 1950s, a character named Pierre Bear was featured on the box art for a small handful of cartoons. Who was this character?

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.

Smedley is a dog, NOT a polar bear
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

The Woody Woodpecker Song
It makes the other woodpeckers swoon...

Which cartoon featured the line: "If Woody had gone straight to the police, this would never have happened!"?

The cartoon was called "Bunco Busters" (1955). Directed by Paul J. Smith.

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 called "Crazy Mixed-Up Pup" (1955). Directed by Tex Avery.

Several Lantz filmographies in books and online list "Sons of the Saddle," "Song of the Caballero," "Strange As It Seems," "Fanny the Mule," "To the Rescue," "Foiled," "A New Deal," and "S.O.S. Icicle" as part of the 1930-33 releases. Why aren't they listed here?

"Sons of the Saddle" and "Song of the Caballero" are both live-action Universal Ken Maynard westerns from 1930. "Strange As It Seems" was a series of 39 live action shorts from 1930-34, directed by Jerry Fairbanks, among others. "Foiled," "A New Deal," and "S.O.S. Icicle" are all working titles for "Let's Eat," "Confidence," and "Hot and Cold" respectively. There is no such cartoon as "To the Rescue" – the same applies to "Fanny the Mule".

What about "Gold Dust Oswald" (1935)?

The existence of this cartoon was heavily debated, but recently, historian David Gerstein discovered that such a short never existed. There are no records on it whatsoever. This makes Jerry Beck's theory of the cartoon being a home movie reissue of another short (quite possibly a toy print from Hollywood Film Enterprises-Cine Art Film) the most likely.

This is a real woodpecker, folks
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 in the first few cartoons. Ben Hardaway (who was also a storyman for Lantz) provided Woody's voice for the rest of the 1940s (although Blanc's laugh was used in the cartoons for this period as well). Starting in 1951, Grace Stafford (Lantz's wife) would play the voice of Woody until her death (oddly, Blanc's "Guess Who?" was used in the opening credits until the series ended in 1972). In the recent Fox Kid's Woody Woodpecker Show, Billy West (voice of Stimpy on The Ren and Stimpy Show) played Woody on the show.

What kind of woodpecker is Woody?

That's simple, he's a cartoon woodpecker.


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