Porky Pig

Porky Pig is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated cartoons. He was the first character created by the studio to draw audiences based on his star power, and the animators (particularly Bob Clampett) created many critically acclaimed shorts using the fat little pig. Porky was once the star of the show before being replaced by Bugs. Even after he was supplanted by later characters, Porky continued to be popular with moviegoers and, more importantly, the Warners directors, who recast him in numerous everyman and sidekick roles. He is known for his signature line at the end of each short, "Th-th-that's all folks!" but in fact this slogan has been used by both Bosko and Buddy and even Beans at the end of every Looney Tunes cartoon. In contrast, the Merrie Melodies series used the slogan: So Long, Folks! until the late 1930s when it was replaced with the same one used on the Looney Tunes series.

Early films
The character was designed by animator Bob Clampett and introduced in the short I Haven't Got a Hat (First released on March 2, 1935), directed by Friz Freleng. Studio head Leon Schlesinger suggested that Freleng do a cartoon version of the popular Our Gang films. Porky only has a minor role in the film, but the fat little stuttering pig easily steals the show. Porky's name came from two brothers who were childhood classmates of Freleng's, nicknamed "Porky" and "Piggy".

Since Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising had left the studio in 1933, taking the studio's star character Bosko with them, Looney Tunes had been kept afloat by cartoons featuring the bland Buddy. Porky's introduction ushered Buddy out the door and pointed to things to come. Tex Avery was hired to the studio in 1936, and his film Gold Diggers of '49 reused much of the cast from I Haven't Got a Hat, albeit in wildly different roles. Porky transitioned from a shy little boy to an immensely fat adult. Though he was still in a supporting role, Porky got most of the laughs. The directors realized they had a star on their hands.

This early Porky shared his stutter with the voice actor who originally played him, Joe Dougherty. Because Dougherty could not control his stutter, however, production costs became too high. The versatile Mel Blanc won the audition for the character in 1937, beginning his long career with the studio. Blanc continued the stutter, however it was reduced.

Clampett's Porky
Porky starred in dozens of films in the late 1930s. The directors still didn't have a grasp on the character, however; his appearance, age, and personality all varied from picture to picture. Bob Clampett would finally pin Porky down, making him cuter, smarter, and less of a stutterer. Clampett's Porky was an innocent traveler, taking in the wonders of the world—and in Clampett's universe, the world is a very weird place indeed. This principle is perhaps best demonstrated in Porky in Wackyland (1938),

a film that sends Porky on a quest to find the last of the Dodo Birds. This cartoon was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry in 2000.


 * Porky's Badtime Story (1937)
 * Get Rich Quick Porky (1937)
 * Rover's Rival (1937)
 * Porky's Hero Agency (1937)
 * Porky's Poppa (1938)
 * What Price Porky (1938)
 * Porky's Five and Ten (1938)
 * Injun Trouble (1938)
 * Porky's Party (1938)
 * Porky & Daffy (1938)
 * Porky in Wackyland (1938)
 * Porky's Naughty Nephew (1938)
 * Porky in Egypt (1938)
 * The Daffy Doc (1938)
 * The Lone Stranger and Porky (1939)
 * Porky's Tire Trouble (1939)
 * Porky's Movie Mystery (1939)
 * Chicken Jitters (1939)
 * Kristopher Kolumbus, Jr. (1939)
 * Polar Pals (1939)
 * Scalp Trouble (1939)
 * Porky's Picnic (1939)
 * Wise Quacks (1939)
 * Jeepers Creepers (1939)
 * Naughty Neighbors (1939)
 * Pied Piper Porky (1939)
 * The Film Fan (1939)
 * Porky's Last Stand (1940)
 * Africa Squeaks (1940)
 * Ali-Baba Bound (1940)
 * Pilgrim Porky (1940)
 * Slap-Happy Pappy (1940)
 * Porky's Poor Fish (1940)
 * The Chewin' Bruin (1940)
 * Patient Porky (1940)
 * Prehistoric Porky (1940)
 * The Sour Puss (1940)
 * The Timid Toreador (1940) (with Norm McCabe)
 * Porky's Snooze Reel (1941) (with Norm McCabe)
 * A Coy Decoy (1941)
 * Meet John Doughboy (1941)
 * We, the Animals Squeak! (1941)
 * The Henpecked Duck (1941)
 * Porky's Pooch (1941)
 * Tick Tock Tuckered (1944)
 * Wagon Heels (1945)
 * Baby Bottleneck (1946)
 * Kitty Kornered (1946)

Porky as sidekick
thumb|300px|right Porky's post at the pinnacle of the Warners' pantheon was short-lived however. In 1937, Avery pitted Porky against a plucky black duck who would soon be christened Daffy and would become the studio's biggest star (until replaced himself by Bugs Bunny). In fact, Friz Freleng would satirize this very phenomenon when he directed You Ought to Be in Pictures (1940). The film features up-and-comer Daffy convincing Porky to quit his job at Warner Bros. to find better-paying work elsewhere. In turn, Porky convinces studio head Leon Schlesinger to release him from his contract. After a highly unsuccessful foray into the real world, Porky returns happily to the studio that created him.

Porky always remained a sentimental favorite of the Warner directors. His mild-mannered nature and shy demeanor made him the perfect straight man for zanier characters such as Daffy Duck. He still starred in a few solo cartoons, as well, such as Frank Tashlin's Swooner Crooner (1944). Other cartoons dumbed Porky down and cast him as a duck hunter after Daffy, largely paralleling the Elmer Fudd/Bugs Bunny pairings. Chuck Jones perfected the Porky-as-straightman scenarios, pairing the pig with Daffy Duck in a series of film parodies such as Drip-Along Daffy (1951), Deduce, You Say (1956), and Robin Hood Daffy (1958). Jones also paired Porky with Sylvester in a series of cartoons in the late 1940s and early 1950s, in which Porky plays the curmudgeonly owner of the cat and remains clueless that Sylvester is constantly saving him from homicidal mice, space aliens, and other threats. Porky, of course, also kept his trademark line, "Th'-th'-th'-th'-th'-th'-that's All, Folks!" that became the signoff for many Looney Tunes cartoons. Prior to Porky's arrival, the line had often been spoken (without the stutter) by a cartoon court jester. Sometimes Bugs Bunny would also do the honors; in those closing segments, Bugs would munch on a carrot and say, "And dat's de end!" But Porky's closing line was so memorable that Mel Blanc's will provided for it to be carved on his own headstone.

Later years
As did the rest of his Looney Tunes co-stars, Porky enjoyed regular rotation in television syndication beginning in the 1960s. In 1964, Porky got his own Saturday morning cartoon, The Porky Pig Show which ran until 1967. In 1971, he would star in another show, Porky Pig and Friends. Both of these programs were collections of old theatrical shorts. Another such collection was the 1986 film, Porky Pig in Hollywood, which ran in art and college theaters. In the 1990s animated series Tiny Toon Adventures, Porky appears as the mentor of Hamton J. Pig. Porky Pig also appears as the Eager Young Space Cadet in the animated television series Duck Dodgers.

In 1991, the National Stuttering Project (NSP) of San Francisco picketed Warner Bros. demanding that they stop "belittling" stutterers and use Porky Pig as an advocate for child stutterers. The studio refused the NSP, but eventually agreed to grant $12,000 to the Stuttering Foundation of America for a 1994 conference. After continued pressure from NSP member Ira Zimmerman, Warner Bros. released a series of public service announcement posters featuring Warners characters, including Porky himself, speaking out against bullying. Despite these recent protests, Porky continues to feature in new Warner Bros. animation to this day. An alternate school of thought is that the morally upright and ever-optimistic Porky provides a positive role model for stutterers.

In the movie Looney Tunes: Back In Action, Porky makes a cameo appearance alongside Speedy Gonzales, where they both lament their politically incorrect status. At the end of the movie, he also fails to deliver his ending quip before the studio closes, and just tells the audience to go home.

Porky is the star of the Super NES video game Porky Pig's Haunted Holiday.

Porky also has a cameo at the end of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988), where, paired with Disney's Tinkerbell, has the duty of closing the movie with his famous "That's All Folks!" line.

Blooper
A very short black-and-white cartoon was made in 1938 as part of a Warner Bros. blooper reel. It was shown on the Warner Bros. 50th Anniversary TV show. Porky is shown doing some carpentry work, pounding nails, when he smacks his thumb with the hammer. Grimacing in pain, he cries, "Oh, son of a bi-bi-, son of a bi-bi-, son of a bi-bi-bi-... gun!" He then turns to the camera and says "Ha-ha-ha! You thought I was gonna say 's-s-son of a bitch', didn't ya?!" This short, so-called "blooper" can also be found on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4 of 2006, under the title Porky's Breakdowns (with several versions of the clip, making it look like a true "blooper"), and on an Each Dawn I Die DVD box set, also released in 2006.

Voice-Actors

 * Joe Dougherty: 1935 - 1937
 * Mel Blanc: 1937 - 1989
 * Bob Bergen: 1990–present
 * Noel Blanc: Tiny Toon Adventures
 * Jeff Bergman: The 1st 13th Annual Fancy Anvil Awards Show Program Special, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, The Earth Day Special, Cartoon Network Bloopers
 * Billy West: My Generation G-G-G-Gap, Daffy Contractor
 * Rob Paulsen: Animaniacs
 * Seth MacFarlane: Family Guy

1935
"Hollywood Capers" Cameo
 * I Haven't Got a Hat - "Merrie Melodies" series, Porky's first appearance
 * The Country Mouse - "Merrie Melodies" series, cameo at the beginning.
 * Gold Diggers of '49 - "Beans" series - First Porky Pig cartoon in the Looney Tunes series. Beans, instead of Porky, ends the cartoon by saying "That's all folks!".

1936

 * 001 Plane Dippy - First cartoon in the "Porky" series, instead of the "Beans" series
 * Alpine Antics - "Beans" series, cameo
 * The Phantom Ship - "Beans" series, cameo
 * Boom Boom - "Beans" series
 * 002 The Blow Out
 * Westward Whoa - final appearance of Porky in the "Beans" series
 * 003 Fish Tales
 * 004 Shanghaied Shipmates
 * 005 Porky's Pet
 * 006 Porky the Rainmaker
 * 007 Porky's Poultry Plant
 * 008 Porky's Moving Day
 * 009 Milk and Money
 * 010 Little Beau Porky
 * 011 The Village Smithy
 * 012 Porky in the North Woods
 * "Boulevardier from the Bronx" - Cameo

1937

 * 013 Porky the Wrestler
 * 014 Porky's Road Race
 * 015 Picador Porky - This is the first episode featuring Mel Blanc. (as the bull)
 * 016 Porky's Romance - The last time Joe Dougherty voiced Porky, first appearance of Petunia Pig.
 * Porky's Duck Hunt - This is the first episode in which Porky was voiced by Mel Blanc; the first appearance of Daffy Duck; and the first cartoon of Porky with the current design, first appearance of Porky in the "Daffy Duck" series.
 * 017 Porky and Gabby - first appearance of Gabby Goat
 * 018 Porky's Building - Prototype Bugs Bunny's first appearance.
 * 019 Porky's Super Service
 * 020 Porky's Badtime Story
 * 021 Porky's Railroad
 * 022 Get Rich Quick Porky - final appearance of Gabby Goat
 * 023 Porky's Garden
 * 024 Rover's Rival - first Looney Tunes cartoon with Porky Pig's drum ending.
 * 025 The Case of the Stuttering Pig
 * 026 Porky's Double Trouble - final "Fat Porky" cartoon.
 * 027 Porky's Hero Agency

1938

 * 028 Porky's Poppa
 * 029 Porky at the Crocadero
 * 030 What Price Porky
 * 031 Porky's Phoney Express
 * 032 Porky's Five and Ten
 * 033 Porky's Hare Hunt
 * 034 Injun Trouble
 * 035 Porky the Fireman - often seen with the (incorrect) 1939-1946 Porky Pig drum ending applied on the Computer Colorized Version. – Final Porky drum ending with the line "RELEASED BY WARNER BROS. PRODUCTIONS CORP."
 * 036 Porky's Party - First Porky drum ending with the line "RELEASED BY WARNER BROS. PICTURES INC."
 * 037 Porky's Spring Planting
 * 038 Porky & Daffy
 * 039 Wholly Smoke
 * 040 Porky in Wackyland
 * 041 Porky's Naughty Nephew - First appearance of Cicero Pig (called "Pinkie" in his two cartoon appearances).
 * 042 Porky in Egypt
 * The Daffy Doc - "Daffy Duck" series
 * 043 Porky the Gob

1939

 * 044 The Lone Stranger and Porky
 * 045 It's an Ill Wind
 * 046 Porky's Tire Trouble
 * 047 Porky's Movie Mystery
 * 048 Chicken Jitters
 * 049 Porky and Teabiscuit
 * 050 Kristopher Kolumbus Jr.
 * 051 Polar Pals
 * 052 Scalp Trouble
 * 053 Old Glory - first Porky Pig cartoon made in 3 strip Technicolor process (he first appeared in a 2 strip Technicolor cartoon from the Merrie Melodies series.
 * 054 Porky's Picnic
 * 055 Wise Quacks
 * 056 Porky's Hotel - final cartoon with the 1937-39 Porky Pig drum ending.
 * 057 Jeepers Creepers - first cartoon with the new version of the Porky Pig drum ending.
 * 058 Naughty Neighbors
 * 059 Pied Piper Porky
 * 060 Porky the Giant Killer
 * 061 The Film Fan

1940

 * 062 Porky's Last Stand
 * 063 Africa Squeaks
 * 064 Ali-Baba Bound - public domain
 * 065 Pilgrim Porky
 * 066 Slap Happy Pappy
 * 067 Porky's Poor Fish
 * 068 You Ought to Be in Pictures
 * 069 The Chewin' Bruin
 * 070 Porky's Baseball Broadcast
 * 071 Patient Porky
 * 072 Calling Dr. Porky
 * 073 Prehistoric Porky
 * 074 The Sour Puss
 * 075 Porky's Hired Hand
 * 076 The Timid Toreador

1941

 * 077 Porky's Snooze Reel
 * 078 Porky's Bear Facts - first cartoon to feature a faster version of the LT opening titles
 * 079 Porky's Preview
 * 080 Porky's Ant
 * A Coy Decoy - "Daffy Duck" series
 * 081 Porky's Prize Pony"
 * 082 We, the Animals - Squeak
 * The Henpecked Duck - "Daffy Duck" series
 * 083 Notes to You
 * 084 Robinson Crusoe Jr. - first "Porky Pig" cartoon directed by Norman McCabe
 * 085 Porky's Midnight Matinee
 * 086 Porky's Pooch

1942

 * 087 Porky's Pastry Pirates
 * 088 Who's Who in the Zoo
 * 089 Porky's Cafe
 * My Favorite Duck - "Daffy Duck" series

1943

 * 090 Confusions Of A Nutzy Spy - WWII propaganda film
 * Yankee Doodle Daffy - "Daffy Duck" series
 * 091 Porky Pig's Feat - Final Daffy/Porky pairing to bill Porky above Daffy until Dime to Retire
 * A Corny Concerto - "Merrie Melodies" series, this short contains several of the future stars for Warner Brothers

1944

 * Tom Turk and Daffy - "Daffy Duck" series
 * Tick Tock Tuckered (slightly revamped colorized version of Porky's Badtime Story) - "Daffy Duck" series
 * 092 Swooner Crooner
 * Duck Soup to Nuts - "Daffy Duck" series
 * Slightly Daffy (color remake of Scalp Trouble) - "Daffy Duck" series
 * 093 Brother Brat

1945

 * 094 Trap Happy Porky
 * 095 Wagon Heels (slightly revamped colorized version of Injun Trouble)

1946

 * Baby Bottleneck - "Daffy Duck" series
 * Daffy Doodles - "Daffy Duck" series
 * 096 Kitty Kornered
 * The Great Piggy Bank Robbery - "Daffy Duck" series, cameo
 * 097 Mouse Menace

1947

 * 098 One Meat Brawl - only "Porky" cartoon of 1947
 * Little Orphan Airedale - "Charlie Dog" series

1948

 * Daffy Duck Slept Here - "Daffy Duck" series
 * 099 Nothing But the Tooth - First "Porky" cartoon since January 1947
 * 100 The Pest That Came to Dinner
 * Riff Raffy Daffy - "Daffy Duck" series
 * 100 Scaredy Cat

1949

 * Awful Orphan - "Charlie Dog" series
 * 101 Porky Chops
 * 102 Paying the Piper
 * Daffy Duck Hunt - "Daffy Duck" series
 * 103 Curtain Razor
 * Often an Orphan - Final appearance of Porky in the "Charlie Dog" series
 * 104 Dough for the Do-Do (slightly revamped colorized version of Porky in Wackyland)
 * 105 Bye, Bye Bluebeard

1950

 * Boobs in the Woods - "Daffy Duck" series
 * The Scarlet Pumpernickel - "Daffy Duck" series,
 * 106 An Egg Scramble
 * Golden Yeggs - "Daffy Duck" series,
 * The Ducksters - "Daffy Duck" series
 * 107 Dog Collared

1951

 * 108 The Wearing of the Grin=
 * Drip-Along Daffy - "Daffy Duck" series
 * The Prize Pest - "Daffy Duck" series

1952
All of Porky's appearances between 1952 and 1953 form part of the "Daffy Duck" series
 * Thumb Fun
 * Cracked Quack
 * Fool Coverage

1953

 * Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century

1954

 * 109 Claws for Alarm
 * My Little Duckaroo - "Daffy Duck" series

1955

 * 110 Jumpin' Jupiter - Final cartoon in the "Porky" series
 * Dime to Retire - "Daffy Duck" series

1956
All remaining cartoons during the golden era featuring Porky (except the 1964 Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam cartoon Dumb Patrol) form part of the "Daffy Duck" series
 * Rocket Squad
 * Deduce, You Say

1957

 * Boston Quackie

1958

 * Robin Hood Daffy

1959

 * China Jones

1961

 * Daffy's Inn Trouble

1965

 * Corn on the Cop

1980

 * Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century - "Daffy Duck" series.

1996

 * Superior Duck - "Daffy Duck" series.

2004

 * My Generation G-G-Gap - only released on Australian edition DVD of Looney Tunes: Back in Action.