Woody Woodpecker is the avian star of a long-running theatrical cartoon series, and various TV versions and revivals as well as comic books. Known for his distinctive "Huh huh huh, huh huh" laugh, Woody was a screwball irritant introduced in the 1940 Andy Panda short Knock Knock and his own novelty song became a popular hit in 1947. The bird usually drove his adversaries nuts, although as with many characters, he had become more suburban by the time his series ended in 1972.
The Woody Woodpecker Show, combining new scenes of Woody with "my boss"/creator Walter Lantz, ran from 1957 until 1966, and the character has been periodically revived since then (with designs fluctuating between the forties and fifties incarnations). Woody Woodpecker is also the official mascot of Universal Studios theme parks, as well as PortAventura in Spain.
References[]
- In the April 16, 1964 broadcast of The Jimmy Dean Show, Rowlf lists Woody as one of the great actors who never got an Oscar.
- While doing various bird imitations in Episode 0904 of Sesame Street, Big Bird does an impression of Woody Woodpecker's laugh, punctuating it by pecking the top of Bob's head.
- Big Bird includes Woody as one of his favorite stars in the 1976 special Bob Hope's World of Comedy (along with Donald Duck, The Roadrunner, and Walter Pidgeon).
Connections[]
- Eric Bauza voiced Woody Woodpecker in the 2017 feature film and 2018 YouTube series
- Daws Butler voiced Gabby Gator, Smedley, and other recurring foils and adversaries in the Woody Woodpecker shorts
- E. G. Daily voiced Knothead on The Woody Woodpecker Show (1999)
- Mark Hamill voiced Buzz Buzzard on The Woody Woodpecker Show (1999)
- Andrea Martin voiced Ms. Meaney on The Woody Woodpecker Show (1999)
- Kevin Michael Richardson voiced Buzz Buzzard in the 2018 YouTube series
- Tara Strong voiced Winnie Woodpecker in the 2018 YouTube series