Gertie the Dinosaur



Gertie the Dinosaur is a 1914 American animated short film by Winsor McCay. One of the earliest animated cartoons, the film was originally created for McCay's Vaudeville performaces. The novelty of the cartoon was that McCay would appear in a tuxedo and interact with the animated Gertie with an almost circus-like act, tossing her an apple and finally climbing on top of her and riding off.

The cartoon was a predecessor to later popular cartoons by Walt Disney and Max Fleischer, and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. At Disney's Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World, guest are able to purchase soft serve ice cream from the Dinosaur Gertie Ice Cream shop, a programmatic architecture building (built in the shape of Gertie).

Footage of Gertie was seen in the Muppet Babies episode "The Great Muppet Cartoon Show", with Baby Gonzo being frightened by the dinosaur.