Animation cel from Woody Woodpecker cartoon Knock Knock

Animation cel from Woody Woodpecker cartoon Knock Knock

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Description (Brief)
Animation cel used in production of the cartoon film Knock Knock. The piece is comprised of a transparent cel with an image of Woody Woodpecker atop a background painted with a wooden ceiling with a hole through which Woody is sticking his head into the house.
The cel was created for Knock Knock, a 1940 animated short that was the first cartoon to feature Woody Woodpecker. In the short film, part of Walter Lantz's Andy Panda series distributed by Universal Pictures, the mischievous Woody torments Andy and his father Papa by pecking at the wood elements of their house. The Pandas are foiled in their attempts to catch or maim the bird until Andy finally captures Woody by pouring mysteriously heavy salt on his tail. Mel Blanc provided the voice of Woody as well as Papa Panda; Andy Panda was voiced by Sara Berner.
Woody Woodpecker was a popular success, becoming one of the best-loved and most memorable American cartoon characters of the mid-20th century. Between 1940 and 1972, Woody appeared in nearly 200 animated shorts distributed by Universal and United Artists. The plucky, self-confident woodpecker with a staccato laugh became a popular culture icon, painted on the nose of combat aircraft during World War II, appearing in other forms of media, serving as mascot for Universal Studios, and depicted on a wide range of retail merchandise and toys.
Object Name
cel, animation
date made
1940
associated person
Lantz, Walter
maker
Walter Lantz Production
place made
United States: California, Los Angeles
Physical Description
celluloid (overall material)
paper (overall material)
paint (overall material)
Measurements
overall (framed): 15 1/4 in x 13 1/4 in; 38.735 cm x 33.655 cm
ID Number
1982.0567.19
accession number
1982.0567
catalog number
1982.0567.19
Credit Line
Gracie and Walter Lantz
subject
Motion Pictures
Comedy
Animation
See more items in
Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
Data Source
National Museum of American History
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