Well, perhaps "forgotten" isn't the right word, but for every Bugs Bunny, Sylvester, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, Porky Pig, and Elmer Fudd there's a plethora of one-shot or secondary characters from Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies who still had their own unique personalities, even if they weren't quite as popular as their iconic counterparts. So today, we pay tribute to those we haven't forgotten, but should think about more often anyway. Here we go:
The Goofy Gophers: These two gophers, named Mac and Tosh, appeared in eight shorts between 1947 and 1965. The characters were created by Bob Clampett, based on designs from an earlier cartoon. They were, essentially, a sarcastic reply to Disney's cutesy Chip and Dale, speaking to one another in fawning tones, always injecting lines like "please" and "no, you must go first" into the conversation. Their voices were provided by Mel Blanc and Stan Freberg, and based, apparently, on actors Edward Everett Horton and Franklin Pangborn.
Marvin the Martian: This character only appeared in five of the original Warner Bros. shorts, always pitted against Bugs Bunny, save for "Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century" where he matched wits with Daffy Duck. What not many people notice is that his wardrobe is actually based on the god Mars. Well, except for the sneakers. He also has one of the best voices, despite having no mouth. He's never referred to by name in any of his original cartoons. It was only afterward that his creator, Chuck Jones, gave him the name "Marvin."
Gossamer/Rudolph/Big Orange Hairy Monster: You know, the big orange hairy guy with the sneakers. Yeah, that's the one. Depending on which cartoon you see him in, he was either named Rudolph, Gossamer, or had no name at all. Although, is it really worth naming a creature whose only purpose is to chase people and eat them?
Pete the Puma: Pete, voiced by Stan Freberg, stars in one of my favorite Bugs Bunny shorts, "Rabbit's Kin." Every character in the Warner universe was mentally unbalanced, but something about Pete's mannerisms and manner of speech made you think something was especially wrong with his brain. I don't know if he made any appearances in any other Warner shorts besides "Rabbit's Kin," but he did return decades later in Tiny Toon Adventures as the school janitor, still voiced by Freberg.
Michigan J. Frog: It's somewhat of a shame that most people only recognize Michigan J. Frog as the former mascot of the WB, because he was the star of one of the best cartoons ever. One critic for Time wrote that "One Froggy Evening," Michigan's first and only cartoon where he played a singing and dancing frog who only sang and danced for one man, a construction worker trying to make money off the frog and failing miserably, "comes as close as any cartoon ever has to perfection." Like Marvin the Martian, Michigan wasn't actually given a name until afterward.
A lot of the information in this post comes from my well-worn copy of That's All Folks! The Art of Warner Bros. Animation by Steve Schneider. It looks like it may be out of print, now, but if you find a copy laying on the street, I recommend you grab it.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
6-09-2006 @ 7:51AM
eugene said...
of these 5, i only don't remember pete the puma. in fact 3 of the others (goofy gophers, marvin, michigan) are my favorite looney tunes characters, and i have strong recollections of BOH Monster).
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6-09-2006 @ 8:31AM
Mack Swift said...
"Mac and Tosh"??
I wonder if that's how a famous Apple brand was named.
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6-09-2006 @ 8:56AM
Barry said...
Marvin the Martian is one of the best unsung WB cartoon characters ever put on paper. Thanks Chuck Jones for creating him.
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6-09-2006 @ 9:07AM
Toby OB said...
Here are five more I always enjoyed to add to your list (so long as Letterman doesn't mind a rival to his top ten).
1) Sniffles the Mouse
2) The Mynah Bird (Have to applaud it for getting me to seek out "Fingal's Cave" by Mendelsohnn)
3) Hubie & Bertie (a pair of mice who were the Bowery Boys version of Mac and Tosh. I always hoped one day the two pairs would be teamed up.)
4) The Dodo from "Porky In Wackyland".
5) The Sheepdog and the Wolf - Sam and Fred? (I just love the idea that these two guys treated animal instinct as a 9 to 5, punch clock job.)
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6-09-2006 @ 9:09AM
Dena said...
What about the big black bull! He was my favorite! So cute.... What happened to him?
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6-09-2006 @ 9:22AM
Toon Watcher said...
Pete the Pume was famous for the question, "One lump or two?" Then getting pounded on the head.
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6-09-2006 @ 9:29AM
Bobby Capps said...
Some cartoons I liked as a little boy were
1) Lariet Sam (Captain Kangaroo
2) Clyde Crashcup ( Captain Kangaroo)
3) Clutch Cargo with Spinner and Paddlefoot (Captain Kangaroo)
4) Mighty Mouse
5) Kimba the White lion
6) Chopper and Yakeedoodle
7) Sylvestor
8) Johnny Quest
9) Go Go Gophers ( Colonel gottem Heap big gun Oopy doopey)
10) Top Cat
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6-09-2006 @ 9:34AM
Alana said...
Mac and Tosh always made me laugh. Especially when they were doing their game of: "No, after you." "After you, I insist." "Age before beauty."
I agree with Dena about the black bull. Especially the cartoon with Bugs in which they were having the bull fight. Classic.
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6-09-2006 @ 9:38AM
Bobby Capps said...
Snaggle Puss Heavens to Megatroid Exit stage left His Liberace Style.
Felix the Cat
Pink Pather
Heckle and Jeckle
Huey Luey and Duey
Lotta
LuLu
Dot
Hercules ( Captain Kangaroo)
Speed Racer
Space Ghost
And the all time number one cartoon The Flintstones
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6-09-2006 @ 9:51AM
stu in nyc said...
All of these characters pale in comparison to Egghead? He starred in about 6 wacky WB cartoons in the 1930s. One of the strangest was "A-Lad-in-Bagdad". Egghead appears as a would-be Alladin trying to marry the Sultan's daughter if he can win a talent contest by singing "Bei Mir Bist du Schon". The description of this plot should make you laugh without watching the cartoon! Egghead was eventually morphed into the Elmer Fudd character, since he was considered too strange.
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6-09-2006 @ 9:52AM
Susan said...
I love "Milton the Monster" ... a creature with too much tenderness!
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6-09-2006 @ 9:54AM
Ellen Tuck said...
Does anyone remember Diver Dan with Barron Barracuda?
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6-09-2006 @ 9:58AM
Candace said...
what about witch hazel!? she was one of my favorites! when she rode away on her broom, she left hairpins where she was....she was so funny....
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6-09-2006 @ 10:12AM
Nancy said...
What about slow poke rodriguez, whatever happened to that guy? He was way funnier that speedy gonzales.
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6-09-2006 @ 10:15AM
lisa said...
A true Gossamer freak here - including a watch and a picture on my desk at work.
BUT, how could we forget Henrietta the spinster hen from the Foghorn Leghorn cartoons? The way she drawled, "Yayusssss" to him while batting her eyes. Such a minx.....
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6-09-2006 @ 10:19AM
karen said...
In one Bugs Bunny cartoon, Bugs was having a nervous breakdown and went to the doc. On the door was his name..Doctor Milt Town...so funny...It was a popular drug in the 60's (miltown). I just loved that subtle humor and wish we could have it again! Its gone with Mel Brooks and Monty Python etc...Pee Wee Herman too!
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6-09-2006 @ 10:33AM
Augie De Blieck Jr. said...
If you want more "obscure" Chuck Jones characters, you can't go wrong with Marc Antony and Pussyfoot, or Charlie Dog.
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6-09-2006 @ 10:58AM
Mike said...
Marvin was my favorite Looney Tunes character. I had a stuffed plush version of him (as well as numerous other likeness on everything from shirts to neckties to pencils and so on...)
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6-09-2006 @ 10:59AM
Mike said...
Oh, by the way, Mack Swift: I'm quite certain that both "Mac and Tosh" and the Apple Macintosh, or "Mac", computer got their names from the variety of apple.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McIntosh
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6-09-2006 @ 11:34AM
Adam said...
Hey Nancy, I talked about Slowpoke here:
http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/05/05/the-five-cinco-de-mayo-special/
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