Willoughby is a minor

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

cartoon

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life perso ...

in the

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

'' Looney Tunes'' series of cartoons. A lackadaisical hound dog, Willoughby is characterized by his below-average intelligence and overall gullibility. Creator

Tex Avery Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American animation. His mo ...

based Willoughby on the character Willie from John Steinbeck's 1937 novella ''

Of Mice and Men ''Of Mice and Men'' is a novella written by John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it narrates the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in California in search of new job o ...

''. The character's name has occasionally been changed to Rosebud, Lenny, or Sylvester from cartoon to cartoon. Created during the golden age of American animation by Tex Avery, who would voice Willoughby from 1940's '' Of Fox and Hounds'' until 1941's ''

The Heckling Hare ''The Heckling Hare'' is a '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoon, released on July 5, 1941, and featuring Bugs Bunny and a dopey dog named Willoughby. The cartoon was directed by Tex Avery, written by Michael Maltese, animated by soon-to-be director R ...

'', the character was later voiced by

Kent Rogers Kent Byron Rogers (July 31, 1923 – July 9, 1944) was an American actor who appeared in several live-action features and shorts, and a voice actor for Warner Bros. Cartoons and Walter Lantz Productions. Career For Warner Bros. Cartoons, R ...

(1941–1942), Mel Blanc (1942–1947),

Tedd Pierce Edward Stacey "Tedd" Pierce III (August 12, 1906 – February 19, 1972) was an American screenwriter and voice actor of animated cartoons, principally from the mid-1930s to the late 1950s. Biography Pierce was the son of a stockbroker, Samue ...

(1944), and Stan Freberg (1952). Other than a cameo appearance in ''

Who Framed Roger Rabbit ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' is a 1988 American live-action/animated comedy mystery film directed by Robert Zemeckis, produced by Frank Marshall and Robert Watts, and loosely adapted by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman from Gary K. Wolf's 19 ...

'' (1988), Willoughby has not appeared in any new media since 1952's ''

Foxy by Proxy ''Foxy by Proxy'' is a 1952 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on February 23, 1952, and features Bugs Bunny and Willoughby the Dog, in the latter's last appearance. Mel Blanc voices Bugs Bunny, while an uncre ...

''.

History

Willoughby first appeared in the 1940 cartoon '' Of Fox and Hounds''. He was created and voiced by

. According to Chuck Jones, the character was based on Lennie, from ''

'' (of which the title of ''Of Fox and Hounds'' is a knockoff). Critic Steven Hartley described this short as lacking in creativity, originality, excitement, and story construction, particularly compared to Avery's seminal earlier work ''

A Wild Hare ''A Wild Hare'' is a 1940 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Tex Avery. The short subject features Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny, the latter making what is considered his first official appearance.Adamson, Joe (1990). ''Bugs Bunny: ...

''. Willoughby later appears in other Warner Brothers animated shorts, including ''

'' (1941), '' The Crackpot Quail'' (1941), and ''

Nutty News ''Nutty News'' is a 1942 Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califor ...

'' (1942), as the lead dog of a fox hunting party. A fundamentally similar character, Laramore, appears in ''

To Duck or Not to Duck ''To Duck or Not to Duck'' is a 1943 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. The cartoon was released on March 6, 1943, and stars Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd. Plot Elmer Fudd is hunting ducks with his dog Laramore. After mi ...

'' (1943), albeit with a fully brown coat of fur. Willoughby's brief career was essentially over before the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. These dogs were mostly similar character design in ''

Porky's Bear Facts ''Porky's Bear Facts'' is a 1941 Warner Bros. '' Looney Tunes'' cartoon animated short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on March 29, 1941, and stars Porky Pig. The voices were performed by Mel Blanc. This short is an adaptation ...

'' (1941), ''

Ding Dog Daddy ''Ding Dog Daddy'' is a 1942 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon, directed by Friz Freleng and written by Tedd Pierce. The short was released on December 5, 1942. No voice actors were credited on screen, but those who participated were Pint ...

'' (1942), ''To Duck or Not to Duck'' (1943), ''

A Corny Concerto ''A Corny Concerto'' is a 1943 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' directed by Bob Clampett. The short was released on September 25, 1943, and stars Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd and Daffy Duck. They perform a parody of Walt Disney's ''Silly Sy ...

'' (1943), ''

Hare Ribbin' ''Hare Ribbin is a 1944 animated short film in the '' Merrie Melodies'' series, directed by Robert Clampett and featuring Bugs Bunny. The plot features Bugs' conflict with a red-haired hound dog, whom the rabbit sets out to evade and make a fool of ...

'' (1944), ''

The Goofy Gophers ''The Goofy Gophers'' is a 1947 Warner Bros. '' Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Bob Clampett and Arthur Davis. The short was released on January 25, 1947, and is the first appearance of the Goofy Gophers. Plot An anthropomorphic dog who is ba ...

'' (1947), and possibly ''

Inki at the Circus Inki is the lead character in an animated cartoon series of Warner Bros. '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' short films by animator Chuck Jones. Five Inki cartoons were made between 1939 and 1950. History and description Inki, created f ...

'' (1947).

Appearances

# '' Of Fox and Hounds'' (1940) # '' The Crackpot Quail'' (1941) # ''

'' (1941) # ''

'' (1942) (cameo in a B&W cartoon) # ''

The Hep Cat ''The Hep Cat'' is a 1942 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Bob Clampett, written by Warren Foster, animated primarily by Robert McKimson, and set to a musical score composed by Carl W. Stalling. The short was released on October ...

'' (1942) (as Rosebud) # ''

'' (1942) # '' An Itch in Time'' (1943) # ''

Hare Force ''Hare Force'' is a 1944 Warner Bros. cartoon in the ''Merrie Melodies'' series, directed by Friz Freleng. The cartoon was released on July 22, 1944, and stars Bugs Bunny. Plot On a cold and snowy night, Bugs wangles his way into the good grace ...

'' (1944) (as Sylvester) # '' A Horse Fly Fleas'' (1947) (shaped like the Barnyard Dawg) # ''

'' (1952)

In other media

Willoughby was planned to be made as a cameo in the deleted scene "Acme's Funeral" from the 1988 film ''

''. He also appears with other animated characters scared when

Casper the Friendly Ghost Casper the Friendly Ghost is the protagonist of the Famous Studios theatrical animated cartoon series of the same name. He is a pleasant, personable and translucent ghost, but often criticized by his three wicked uncles, the Ghostly Trio. The ...

appears at the funeral.

References

Looney Tunes characters Fictional dogs Male characters in animation Film characters introduced in 1940 {{looney-tunes-stub