| Droopy | |
|---|---|
| MGM Cartoons character | |
 | |
| First appearance | Dumb-Hounded (1943) |
| Created by | Tex Avery |
| Designed by | Irving Levine[1] |
| Voiced by | Bill Thompson (1943, 1945, 1949–1958) Tex Avery (1943, 1945–1946, 1955)[2][3] Don Messick (1949–1950, 1956, 1989–1993) Daws Butler (1955)[2][4] Frank Welker (1980, 2002) Richard Williams (1988–1989) Corey Burton (1990, 1993) Billy West (1996–1997) Jeff Bergman (1999–2010, 2017–present) Jeff Bennett (2002) Maurice LaMarche (2003–2004) Joe Alaskey (2004, 2010–2016) Don Brown (2006) Michael Donovan (2006–2007) Joey D'Auria (2018) (see below) |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Happy Hound |
| Species | Dog (Basset Hound) |
| Gender | Male |
| Family | Drippy (twin brother) Dripple (son) |
Droopy is ananimated character from thegolden age of American animation. He is ananthropomorphic whiteBasset Hound with a droopy face. He was created in 1943 byTex Avery for theatrical cartoonshorts produced by theMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio. Essentially the polar opposite of Avery's other MGM character, the loud and wackyScrewy Squirrel, Droopy moves slowly and lethargically, speaks in a jowly monotone voice, and—though hardly an imposing character—is shrewd enough to outwit his enemies. When finally roused to anger, often by a bad guy laughing heartily at him, Droopy is capable of beating adversaries many times his size with a comical thrashing.[5]
The character first appeared, nameless, in Avery's 1943 cartoonDumb-Hounded. Though he was not called "Droopy" onscreen until his fifth cartoon,Señor Droopy (1949), the character was already named "Droopy" in model sheets for his first cartoon. He was officially first labeled "Happy Hound", a name used in the character's appearances inOur Gang Comics. He starred in 24 theatrical cartoons, ending in 1958 when MGM closed its cartoon department.[6] The character has been revived several times for new productions including films and television shows also featuring MGM's other famous cartoon stars,Tom and Jerry, either as their ally or enemy. He's also known to be the guider ofCartoon Network back when it first launched at October 1, 1992.[7]
In the cartoonNorthwest Hounded Police, Droopy's last name was given as "McPoodle". InThe Chump Champ, it was given as "Poodle". Nevertheless, Droopy is generally understood to be a Basset Hound.
Droopy first appeared in theMGMcartoonDumb-Hounded, released on March 20, 1943. Droopy's first scene is when he saunters into view, looks at the audience, and declares, "Hello, all you happy people ... you know what? I'm the hero." In the cartoon, Droopy is tracking an escaped convict and is always waiting for the crook wherever he turns up. Avery had used a similar gag in hisMerrie Melodies shortTortoise Beats Hare (1941) starringBugs Bunny, which in turn was an expansion/exaggeration of the premise of hisThe Blow Out (1936) withPorky Pig. In fact, this cartoon shows that early ideas about Droopy's personality were already germinating, as that film'sCecil Turtle has similarities to Droopy.
Droopy's meek,deadpanvoice and personality were modeled after the character Wallace Wimple on theradio comedyFibber McGee and Molly; actorBill Thompson, who played Wimple, was the original voice of Droopy. During his time in theUS Navy during World War II, the role was played by other voice actors, includingDon Messick, who reprised the role in the 1990s. Avery's preferred gag manHeck Allen said that Avery himself provided the voice on several occasions, and "You couldn't tell the difference."[8] Droopy himself was a versatile actor: he could play aMountie, a cowboy, a deputy, an heir, or aDixieland-loving everyday Joe with equal ease. The same voice was used for Big Heel-Watha in theScrewy Squirrel cartoon of the same name and for a Pilgrim who chases a turkey modeled afterJimmy Durante in Avery's 1945 shortJerky Turkey.
One of Droopy's more surprising traits is his incredible strength, given his diminutive stature and unassuming looks and personality, but this was usually reserved for when he was upset (with a few rare exceptions, where he very easily moved his adversary without harming him), at which time he would say in a monotone voice "You know what? That makes me mad" prior to thrashing the hapless villain of the piece. One such occasion was inSeñor Droopy, where he did this to a bull. It happened again inOne Droopy Knight, where a dragon was Droopy's victim. In the second case, he also broke the dragon's tail off and knocked him very far away with it like a baseball bat (apparently, it regenerated like a lizard's tail, given the unharmed dragon later became Droopy's servant/pet). This was also once done by a baby version of Droopy in the Western-themed shortHomesteader Droopy. One example of Droopy showing his strength without being provoked was inThe Chump Champ in whichSpike (as "Gorgeous Gorillawitz") stuffs an anvil in a speed bag. Droopy easily punches the bag several times but when Spike takes a swipe at it, half of him shatters to the ground. Anotherrunning gag that occurred during many of Droopy's cartoons was whenever Droopy's adversaries chopped down a tree. As the tree started coming down and was about to crush the unsuspecting Droopy, the adversary would run far the opposite way, point to the sky, and shout, "TIM.....". Then, in a moment of surprise, the tree would change direction and end up crushing the adversary instead and he would finish by saying, ".....ber" while still pointing to the sky with a look of confusion on his face.In most of his cartoons, Droopy matches wits with either a slick anthropomorphicWolf (the Wolf character "portrays" the crooks in bothDumb-hounded and its semi-remake,Northwest Hounded Police (1946)) or a bulldog named "Spike", sometimes silent, sometimes sporting aGaelic accent. Two Droopy cartoons –The Shooting of Dan McGoo andWild and Woolfy – also feature appearances from thecurvy cutie of Avery'sRed Hot Riding Hood (1943) as a damsel in distress being pursued by the Wolf. Three later Droopy cartoons –Three Little Pups (1953),Blackboard Jumble (1957), andSheep Wrecked (1958) – feature a slow-moving southern wolf character. Voiced byDaws Butler in a dialect Butler later used forHanna-Barbera'sHuckleberry Hound, this wolf was a more deadpan character with a tendency to whistle "Kingdom Coming" (aka "Jubalio") to himself (much like Huckleberry would sing "Oh My Darling Clementine" to himself).
Avery took a year-long break from MGM from 1950 to 1951, during which timeDick Lundy took over his unit to do one Droopy cartoon,Caballero Droopy, and severalBarney Bear cartoons. Avery returned in late 1951 and continued with Droopy and his one-shots until the Avery unit was dissolved by MGM in 1953. Michael Lah, an Avery animator, stayed on long enough to helpWilliam Hanna andJoseph Barbera completeDeputy Droopy after Avery had left the studio. Lah himself then left MGM, but returned in 1955 to directCinemaScope Droopy cartoons costarring either Spike (now called Butch because of the same-named bulldog in Hanna and Barbera'sTom and Jerry cartoons) or the "Kingdom Coming"-whistling wolf. The opening title card was replaced with a newly drawn sequence in which Droopy gives his deadpan greeting: "Hello, all you happy people." Seven Droopy cartoons were created under the H-B production stable. One of these,One Droopy Knight (1957), was nominated for the 1957Academy Award forBest Short Subject (Cartoons). However, by the time ofOne Droopy Knight's release in December 1957, the MGM cartoon studio had been closed for six months, a casualty of corporate downsizing.
In 1980,Filmation produced a series of lower-budget Droopyshorts for television as part of itsTom and Jerry TV seriesThe Tom and Jerry Comedy Show. In the 1990sHanna-Barbera seriesTom & Jerry Kids, Droopy had a young son named Dripple (voiced byCharlie Adler), an older version of the infant we see inHomesteader Droopy. The mild success of the show provided perhaps the most Droopy merchandise: plush toys, gummy snacks, figurines, etc. In 1993,Tom & Jerry Kids had a spin-off series,Droopy, Master Detective, which cast Droopy and son as film noir style detectives. Droopy also had cameos in two theatrical features: as an elevator operator inWho Framed Roger Rabbit (where he was voiced by the film's animation directorRichard Williams), and inTom and Jerry: The Movie. Droopy also had cameos in all three subsequentDisney-producedRoger Rabbit shorts,Tummy Trouble (again he's an elevator operator),Roller Coaster Rabbit (he plays a bad guy dressed asSnidely Whiplash), andTrail Mix-Up (he plays a scuba diver). Droopy also appears in the 2006 cartoon seriesTom and Jerry Tales, and has appeared in almost everyTom and Jerry direct-to-video movie, beginning withTom and Jerry: The Magic Ring, either as an ally or an enemy.
On October 1, 1992, back when Cartoon Network first aired, Droopy was given a very important role on showing the kids the guide of this channel in his lesser known program "Droopy's Guide to the Cartoon Network.[9]
In June 1999, Droopy appeared in aCartoon Network short entitledThanks a Latté, in which he works at a coffee shop and forces a stingy wolf into giving him a tip. In said short, the character is depicted with a bald head and was voiced byJeff Bergman. The short aired on Cartoon Network's sister channelBoomerang until 2015. During the same period, Droopy was also featured inAdult Swim'sHarvey Birdman, Attorney at Law in the episode "Droopy Botox", voiced byMaurice LaMarche. He is seen seeking a settlement after a cosmetic surgeon injected him with too muchbotox (arunning gag in this episode was the fact that Droopy was often seen crying despite having a huge grin frozen on his face, a reverse of the classic cartoons where a sad-faced Droopy often said, "You know what? I'm happy"). A memorable Cartoon Network promotional spot featured Droopy (voiced by Don Messick) and Shaggy from Hanna-Barbera'sScooby-Doo parodying a dialog scene between Jules and Vincent inPulp Fiction.
A three-issue Droopy comic book miniseries was released in the mid-1990s byDark Horse Comics.
In 1997, Droopy appeared in Cartoon Network'sBloopers of the Cartoon Stars bumper. Here in his blooper reel, he says his signature line "I'm so happy" while actually smiling.
The following is the list ofvoice actors who have portrayed Droopy, the years they regularly voiced the character, and the films and/or television series they did the voice in:
Voiced by in unofficial material:
The Droopy cartoons were directed byTex Avery (1943–1955),Dick Lundy (1952),Michael Lah (1955–1958) andWilliam Hanna andJoseph Barbera (1956), at theMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio in Hollywood, California. All cartoons were released to theaters byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer.Fred Quimby was the producer of the first 17 cartoons from 1943 to 1955. Quimby retired in 1955 and from 1956 to 1958, Hanna and Barbera produced the cartoons until MGM closed the cartoon studio in 1957, and the last cartoon was released in 1958. Most of these cartoons were produced in the standardAcademy ratio (1.37:1); seven cartoons were produced in widescreenCinemaScope format only.
Like any other studio, MGM reissued and edited its cartoons when re-released to theaters. Many pre-1951 cartoons were reissued withPerspecta Sound, which was introduced in 1954. MGM also reissued its cartoons before the introduction of Perspecta Sound. Because of the1965 MGM vault fire, only backup prints of pre-1951 MGM cartoons exist.
| Title | Director(s) | Producer(s) | Credits | Original release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dumb-Hounded | Tex Avery | Fred Quimby | March 20, 1943 | ||
| The Shooting of Dan McGoo | March 3, 1945 | ||||
| Wild and Woolfy | November 3, 1945 | ||||
| Northwest Hounded Police | August 3, 1946 | ||||
| Señor Droopy | Story: Rich Hogan[17] Animation: Grant Simmons, Walter Clinton, Bob Cannon, Michael Lah, Preston Blair[17] Music: Scott Bradley[17] | April 9, 1949 | Guest appearance ofLina Romay in a live-action sequence in the end. | ||
| Wags to Riches | August 13, 1949 | Remade asMillionaire Droopy (1956) | |||
| Out-Foxed | November 5, 1949 | ||||
| The Chump Champ | November 4, 1950 | ||||
| Daredevil Droopy[18] | March 31, 1951 | ||||
| Droopy's Good Deed | May 5, 1951 | ||||
| Droopy's Double Trouble | November 17, 1951 | Introduction of Droopy's twin brother, Drippy | |||
| Caballero Droopy | Dick Lundy | September 27, 1952 | Only Droopy cartoon directed by Dick Lundy | ||
| The Three Little Pups | Tex Avery | December 26, 1953 | Live-action sequence | ||
| Drag-a-Long Droopy | February 20, 1954 | ||||
| Homesteader Droopy[18]: 72–73 | July 10, 1954 | Introduction of Droopy's infant son, Dripple (as Droopy Jr.) | |||
| Dixieland Droopy | December 4, 1954 | ||||
| Deputy Droopy | Tex Avery Michael Lah | October 28, 1955 | |||
| Millionaire Droopy | William Hanna Joseph Barbera | William Hanna Joseph Barbera | September 21, 1956 | CinemaScope remake ofWags To Riches. Although Tex Avery is given director credit Avery had nothing to do with this short. Only Droopy cartoon directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera | |
| Grin and Share It | Michael Lah | May 17, 1957 | Produced in CinemaScope | ||
| Blackboard Jumble | October 4, 1957 | ||||
| One Droopy Knight | December 6, 1957 | Produced in CinemaScope Nominated–Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film[19] | |||
| Sheep Wrecked | February 7, 1958 | Produced in CinemaScope | |||
| Mutts About Racing | April 4, 1958 | ||||
| Droopy Leprechaun | July 4, 1958 |
| Title | Director(s) | Producer(s) | Original release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who Framed Roger Rabbit | June 22, 1988 | Cameo | ||
| Tummy Trouble | June 23, 1989 | |||
| Roller Coaster Rabbit | June 15, 1990 | |||
| Trail Mix-Up | March 12, 1993 | |||
| Tom and Jerry: The Movie | July 30, 1993 | |||
| Tom & Jerry | February 26, 2021 |
These cartoons can also be found as extras on DVDs of classic Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films of the period:
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