overall (framed): 16 1/4 in x 14 1/4 in; 41.275 cm x 36.195 cm
Object Name:
cel, animation
Place made:
United States: California, Los Angeles
Date made:
1940
Description (Brief):
Animation cel used in production of the cartoon film <i>Knock Knock</i>. The piece is comprised of a transparent cel with an image of Papa Panda and a woodpecker in a medical coat atop a background painted with a wooden house interior and bookshelf.
The cel was created for <i>Knock Knock</i>, 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.
