Merrie Virginia Eggers (néeErlandson; August 8, 1925 – July 13, 2012), known professionally asGinny Tyler, was an American voice actress who performed on dozens ofcartoons andanimated films from 1957 to 1993. In 2006, she was named aDisney Legend.[1][2]
Tyler was born the elder of two children of Erland Alfred and Harriet (née Ruttenberg) Erlandson in 1925 inBerkeley, California,United States.[3] The family moved toSeattle,Washington, where her brother Donald was born. Later her parents were divorced and her mother remarried and Ginny's step-father adopted Ginny and she became Merrie Virginia Eggers.[4]
Tyler grew up in Seattle and her family had a rich legacy of storytelling and imitation of animal sounds, which proved very useful to her later on in her career as an artist.[2] She first appeared before a radio microphone sometime in the 1930s and co-hosted, alongside Al Priddy the radio showMake Believe Island on KOL station. The show was moved to television, on KOMO-TV and renamedMagic Island by the early 1950s.
Tyler began to work more and more offscreen as a voice artist, appearing in several cartoons and narrating vinyl recordings ofDisney films likeBambi andBabes in Toyland. She provided the voice of an amorous squirrel who falls in love with the youngKing Arthur (while he is in the form of a male squirrel) inThe Sword in the Stone. She sang the voices of several barnyard animals in the "Jolly Holiday" sequence ofMary Poppins.[3]
From 1960 to 1962, she also performed several voices for the seriesDavey and Goliath, including Davey's mother and his sister Sally. She was replaced by Nancy Wible, who had a similar voice (from both of their works in other series), but would use a louder tone than Ginny. The two played roles of carhops onThe Flintstones episode "The Drive Inn" (made around the same time as the first episodes ofDavey & Goliath) in 1960. Since 1963, insideDisneyland, she can be heard voicingPele and Tangaroa-Ru during the outside pre-show forWalt's Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room.[5] In 1964, Tyler appeared as the Genie in several performances ofAladdin and His Genie for thePasadena Playhouse. In 1968, she was Flirtacia on Hanna-Barbera'sThe Adventures of Gulliver. She also played Jan onSpace Ghost andSue Richards, the Invisible Woman in the 1978 television seriesFantastic Four.[6] Although Tyler later retired and moved back to Seattle, she still did some recording for local productions. Tyler also voiced theEvil Queen inSnow White's Enchanted Wish.
^Shaffer, Joshua C (July 17, 2017).Discovering the Magic Kingdom: An Unofficial Disneyland Vacation Guide - Second Edition. Synergy Book Publishing. p. 461.ISBN978-0-9991664-0-6.
^"Ginny Tyler". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved2016-09-24.
^abcdScott, Keith (3 October 2022).Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2. BearManor Media.
^"Davey and Pal Make TV Bow". Hartford Courant. February 18, 1961. p. 11.
^Erickson, Hal (2005).Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 767–770.ISBN978-1476665993.
