Droopy

Droopy
MGM Cartoons character
First appearanceDumb-Hounded (1943)
Created byTex Avery
Designed byIrving Levine[1]
Voiced byBill 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
AliasHappy Hound
SpeciesDog (Basset Hound)
GenderMale
FamilyDrippy (twin brother)
Dripple (son)

Droopy is an animated character from the golden age of American animation. He is an anthropomorphic white Basset Hound with a droopy face. He was created in 1943 by Tex Avery for theatrical cartoon shorts produced by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio. Essentially the polar opposite of Avery's other MGM character, the loud and wacky Screwy 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 cartoon Dumb-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 in Our 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 of Cartoon Network back when it first launched at October 1, 1992.[7]

In the cartoon Northwest Hounded Police, Droopy's last name was given as "McPoodle". In The Chump Champ, it was given as "Poodle". Nevertheless, Droopy is generally understood to be a Basset Hound.

  1. ^ theartofanimation. "the art of animation". Tumblr. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference droopyvoice was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Tex voice was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Butler was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Rovin, Jeff (1991). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals. Prentice Hall Press. pp. 76–78. ISBN 0-13-275561-0. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  6. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 76–77. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  7. ^ The Cartoon Network launch 1992, retrieved March 3, 2022