Loopy De Loop
Title Card
Directed byWilliam Hanna
Joseph Barbera
Written byMichael Maltese
Warren Foster
Tony Benedict
Dalton Sandifer
Produced byWilliam Hanna
Joseph Barbera
StarringDaws Butler
Music byHoyt Curtin (musical director)
Production
company
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release dates
November 5, 1959 (1959-11-05) –
June 17, 1965 (1965-06-17)
(48 shorts)
Running time
7 minutes per short
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Loopy De Loop is a theatrical cartoon short series produced and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera after leaving MGM and opening their new studio, Hanna-Barbera Productions.[1] 48 cartoons were produced between 1959 and 1965, and released to theatres by Columbia Pictures.[2] It was the final theatrical cartoon series to be produced by Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera, as well as the only one to be produced by their own studio.

Overview

Loopy is a gentleman wolf who mangles the English language in his bid to converse in a Franco-Canadian accent, and always wears a characteristic tuque knit cap. A self-appointed good Samaritan, he dauntlessly fights to clear the bad name of wolves and opens every episode with his trademark introduction "I am Loopy De Loop, the good wolf." Though he is always kind and helpful, his exploits usually get him beaten up or chased out of town by the very people he has helped, all for no other reason than the prejudice of being a wolf.[3] Still, he never loses faith, and considers himself "kind, considerate and charming."[4]

The character's name is a combination of plays on words:

  • "Loop the loop" is a 360-degree back flip performed by airplane stunt pilots.
  • Canis lupus is the Latin-based scientific name for the grey wolf species of the dog family, with the species' name of lupus being the basis for loup, the French word for wolf.
  • "Loopy" is a synonym for "crazy" or "eccentric"

Analysis

Animation historian Christopher P. Lehman places the Loopy De Loop character and series in the context of their time. Loopy is a wolf devoted to improving the largely negative image of his species. He does not want to be another Big Bad Wolf and chooses to be good. He performs (or attempts to perform) good deeds for other people in a recurring show of generosity. Yet the people he tried to help would be ungrateful, turning on him, and attacking him.[5] Loopy is a character suffering persecution because of his looks and the bad reputation of his entire species, not because of his deeds or his personality. Lehman connects Loopy's fate to the then-contemporary struggles of African Americans to integrate into the wider society of the United States, while facing racial stereotypes which were socially ingrained. Black people were variously stereotyped at the time as humble servants, oversexed brutes, and childlike simpletons. Like Loopy, African Americans had to struggle and overcome the negative reputation of their entire kind.[5]

Lehman notes that the Loopy De Loop animated film series lasted from 1959 to 1965, the most progressive period for the Civil Rights Movement. The series ended following the desegregation efforts of the era, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (1963), the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The movement was noted for its use of nonviolence as a tactic, love as a theme in speech, and integration as a means to achieve the goal of forming a beloved community.[5]

Lehman notes some similarities between Loopy and another French-speaking animated character: Pepé Le Pew (who also had Michael Maltese story contributing). The French language was used by American animation studios to illustrate their characters' loving feelings and these two characters are prime examples of the trope. However, there is a key difference between Loopy and Pepé. Pepé is an amorous character and the aspect of love he embraces is eros. Loopy the Good Samaritan instead embraces agape.[5]

List of theatrical shorts

1959

Nº Title Release date PN[6]
1"Wolf Hounded"November 5, 1959 (1959-11-05)4701
Loopy recalls the true story of Little Red Riding Hood in which he rescued Red Riding Hood's basket from the Three Little Pigs, but sustained multiple injuries and charmed Grandma. Animated by Ken Muse.
2"Little Bo Bopped"December 3, 1959 (1959-12-03)4702
Loopy tries to recover Little Bo Peep's lost sheep lost in a large flock guarded by a sheepdog. Then it is the sheepdog that returns the lost sheep instead. Animated by Ken Muse.

1960

Nº Title Release date PN[7][8]
3"Tale of a Wolf"March 3, 1960 (1960-03-03)4703
Loopy tries to give wolf-kind a good reputation, but his efforts get him into multiple beat ups from a watch dog (who bears a resemblance to Quick Draw McGraw's dog Snuffles and played by Paul Frees). Animated by Carlo Vinci.
4"Life with Loopy"April 7, 1960 (1960-04-07)4704
Loopy tells a therapist a story of how he tried to fit in as a wolfdog pet. It worked until he confessed to his master (played by Don Messick) he was an actual wolf. Afterwards, the therapist realizes that Loopy is a wolf and drives him out of his office with his gun. Animated by Lewis Marshall
5"Creepy Time Pal"May 19, 1960 (1960-05-19)4705
Loopy goes off to save Hansel and Gretel (played by Jean Vander Pyl and Don Messick) from the witch's gingerbread house, despite their refusal. Animated by Carlo Vinci.
6"Snoopy Loopy"June 16, 1960 (1960-06-16)4706
Loopy tries to deliver a baby gorilla (played by Don Messick) to the zoo, but it keeps running off and causing trouble for Loopy. Animated by Ken Muse.
7"The Do-Good Wolf"July 14, 1960 (1960-07-14)4707
Loopy assists Snow White and she moves into the house of the Seven Dwarfs who don't trust wolves. Animated by Ken Muse.
8"Here Kiddie, Kiddie"September 1, 1960 (1960-09-01)5702
Loopy is a zoo wolf and keeps getting blamed for taking a mother's baby by her and the zookeeper. Animated by Ken Muse.
9"No Biz Like Shoe Biz"September 8, 1960 (1960-09-08)5701
In a take-off of Cinderella, Loopy plays "fairy godmother" to a young woman (played by Jean Vander Pyl) who is not invited to a ball and wants to see the prince. Animated by Carlo Vinci.

1961

Nº Title Release date PN[9]
10"Count Down Clown"January 5, 1961 (1961-01-05)5703
Thinking he is not needed by anyone, Loopy joins a space program and participates in tests by going to the moon. Animated by Dick Lundy.
11"Happy Go Loopy"March 2, 1961 (1961-03-02)5704
Loopy goes to a masquerade party and is mistaken for a guy named "Charlie" in a wolf costume; Loopy livens the party up by doing impressions of Maurice Chevalier, Peter Lorre, Ed Sullivan and Jimmy Durante. Animated by Ed Love.
12"Two Faced Wolf"April 6, 1961 (1961-04-06)TBA
Loopy unknowingly befriends a scientist (played by Hal Smith) who turns into a monster on and off without Loopy knowing that the monster is really him. Animated by George Nicholas.
13"This Is My Ducky Day"May 4, 1961 (1961-05-04)TBA
After despairing about how his good deeds do not pay, Loopy raises a duck (played by Red Coffey). Even that does not improve matters for Loopy. Animated by Bill Keil.
14"Fee Fie Foes"June 9, 1961 (1961-06-09)TBA
A take-off on Jack and the Beanstalk where Loopy participates in the well-known fairy tale by climbing a beanstalk by bringing back Jack (played by Don Messick) to his mother (played by Jean Vander Pyl) and meets the giant. Animated by Robert Bentley.
15"Zoo Is Company"July 6, 1961 (1961-07-06)TBA
Loopy helps an elephant (who sounds like Wally Gator) with a mouse problem and that mouse is Bigelow Mouse (played by Doug Young). Animated by George Nicholas.
16"Child Sock-Cology"August 10, 1961 (1961-08-10)TBA
Loopy encounters a lost giant gorilla baby and brings him back to the zoo. Animated by Dick Lundy.
17"Catch Meow"September 14, 1961 (1961-09-14)TBA
Loopy unsuccessfully tries to negotiate a peace between a cat (played by Don Messick) and a mouse. But when it works, it doesn't improve matters for the duo. Animated by George Nicholas.
18"Kooky Loopy"November 16, 1961 (1961-11-16)TBA
Loopy meets The Big Bad Wolf (played by Arnold Stang) of the Little Red Riding Hood story and wants him to be a good wolf. Animated by Jack Ozark.
19"Loopy's Hare-do"December 14, 1961 (1961-12-14)TBA
Loopy volunteers to be a hunter's (played by Don Messick) hunting dog and at the same time protect the rabbit. By the time the hunting is well, the hunters spots a $50 wolf bounty opportunity. Animated by Bob Carr.

1962

Nº Title Release date
20"Bungle Uncle"January 18, 1962 (1962-01-18)
Loopy's nephew Bon-Bon keeps taking a lamb from a swearing watchdog (played by Don Messick) and he thinks Loopy keeps taking the lamb. Animated by Jack Ozark.
21"Beef For and After"March 1, 1962 (1962-03-01)
Loopy's nephew Bon-Bon again takes another animal from the swearing watchdog (played by Don Messick), this time, a cow and blames Loopy for taking the cow. Animated by Dick Lundy.
22"Swash Buckled"April 5, 1962 (1962-04-05)
In France, Loopy meets the four musketeers and one of them goes to rescue a princess (played by Jean Vander Pyl) and Loopy goes with him to see him in action. Animated by Jack Ozark.
23"Common Scents"May 10, 1962 (1962-05-10)
Loopy protects a skunk (played by Mel Blanc, uncredited) on the verge of suicidal tendencies. The skunk stops this when he meets a girl skunk (played by Julie Bennett) with equal sorrows. Animated by Dick Lundy.
24"Bearly Able"June 28, 1962 (1962-06-28)
Without Goldilocks, the Three Bears leave it to Loopy to babysit their baby bear, who makes Loopy's job a difficult one. Animated by Jack Ozark.
25"Slippery Slippers"September 7, 1962 (1962-09-07)
Loopy helps Prince Charming (played by Arnold Stang) find his beloved Cinderella. After various mistakes, Loopy's search is successful. Animated by Jack Ozark.
26"Chicken Fraca-See"October 11, 1962 (1962-10-11)
After a fox steals a chicken egg from the swearing watchdog (played by Don Messick), it hatches a baby chick and the chick follows Loopy calling him "Mama" and the watchdog keeps thinking Loopy is the chicken thief. Animated by Carlo Vinci.
27"Rancid Ransom"November 15, 1962 (1962-11-15)
Out west, Loopy does two good deeds and a bounty hunter (played by Don Messick) goes after him for money. Animated by Dick Lundy.
28"Bunnies Abundant"December 13, 1962 (1962-12-13)
Loopy protects an army of rabbits from a hungry wolf (played by Doug Young). Animated by George Nicholas.

1963

Nº Title Release date
29"Just a Wolf at Heart"February 14, 1963 (1963-02-14)
Valentine's Day: Loopy is crazy in love with a cute girl wolf named "Gaga" (played by Jean Vander Pyl) and she wants him to bring her sheep from his sheepdog friend (played by Don Messick). Animated by Jack Ozark.
30"Chicken Hearted Wolf"March 14, 1963 (1963-03-14)
Loopy tries to prove wolves can be good and tries to teach a lesson to chicken thief Sam Wolf (played by Doug Young) about stealing chickens from a farmer (played by Don Messick). Animated by Don Patterson.
31"Whatcha Watchin"April 18, 1963 (1963-04-18)
The watchdog (played by Don Messick) (who is friends with Loopy?) is tired after staying out all night and falls asleep on watch duty and Loopy attempts to help him keep his job. Animated by Bob Carr.
32"A Fallible Fable"May 16, 1963 (1963-05-16)
When the Big Bad Wolf walks out on a Little Red Riding Hood re-enactment, Loopy stands in for him unaware of how serious the other actors take the story. Animated by Jack Ozark.
33"Sheep Stealers Anonymous"June 13, 1963 (1963-06-13)
Loopy helps wolves be cured of sheep-stealing and helps Sam Wolf (who was in "Chicken Hearted Wolf" with a different design and voice and is played by Doug Young) be cured of sheep, but he keeps taking sheep from the swearing watchdog (played by Don Messick). Animated by George Nicholas and George Goepper.
34"Wolf in Sheep Dog's Clothing"July 11, 1963 (1963-07-11)
With the watchdog sick, a farmer (played by Don Messick) hires Loopy to be a watchdog. Loopy poses as one and must stop another wolf from stealing sheep. Animated by Bill Keil.
35"Not In Nottingham"September 5, 1963 (1963-09-05)
Robin Hood (played by Don Messick) sends Loopy on a mission to rescue Maid Marian from the Nottingdoing Castle, but Loopy blunders and takes out the Sheriff of Nottingham's (also played by Don Messick) wife. Animation by Jack Ozark. Backgrounds by Curtiss D. Perkins.
36"Drum-Sticked"October 3, 1963 (1963-10-03)
On Thanksgiving, Loopy protects a turkey (played by Doug Young) from a farmer and his dog (both played by Don Messick) who always says "Shee" whenever the farmer doesn't notice what's going on with Loopy hiding him. Animated by Jack Ozark.
37"Bear Up!"November 7, 1963 (1963-11-07)
Loopy is minding his own business out in the woods until he comes across The Three Bears and their baby keeps wandering off and they keep assuming Loopy is taking their baby. Animated by Jerry Hathcock and Ken Muse.
38"Crook Who Cried Wolf"December 12, 1963 (1963-12-12)
Loopy comes across a pair of crooks hiding in his cave and they mistake him for "Big Louie" thinking he's in a wolf mask. Animated by Don Patterson.
39"Habit Rabbit"December 31, 1963 (1963-12-31)
Loopy helps cure a rabbit named Raymond (played by Howard Morris) of his crazy carrot addiction which worries his wife, but not his daughter (both played by Janet Waldo) who keeps skipping rope. Animated by Bill Keil and George Goepper.

1964

Nº Title Release date
40"Raggedy Rug"January 2, 1964 (1964-01-02)
A hunter named Quincy (played by Don Messick) promises his wife Genevieve (played by Jean Vander Pyl), by bringing back an animal rug for her and does it by not blasting Loopy, but his dog (also played by Don Messick) suspects Loopy is alive. Animated by Dick Lundy.
41"Elephantastic"February 6, 1964 (1964-02-06)
Loopy helps deliver the elephant from "Zoo Is Company"(who is green this time) to the circus from a hunter and encounters Bigelow the mouse (played by Doug Young) again who antagonises the elephant. Animated by Ed Parks and Chuck Harriton.
42"Bear Hug"March 5, 1964 (1964-03-05)
Loopy helps a bear named Braxton (played by Mel Blanc) who has a mad, crazy jealous streak to win over his girlfriend Emmy-Lou (played by Janet Waldo) who has other suitors. After some rivaling with Loopy, Braxton falls for Emmy-Lou's cousin, Jenny-Lee. Animated by George Nicholas and Bill Keil (Briefly).
43"Trouble Bruin"September 17, 1964 (1964-09-17)
The second episode where Loopy helps Braxton (played by Mel Blanc) cure his insane jealously problem of Emmy-Lou having other suitors coming in her home. Animated by Ken Muse and Jerry Hathcock.
44"Bear Knuckles"October 15, 1964 (1964-10-15)
Braxton (played by Mel Blanc) wants to propose to Emmy-Lou, but his jealousy kicks in for the third time in this episode, and it's Loopy to the rescue again. Animated by George Nicholas and George Goepper.

1965

Nº Title Release date
45"Horse Shoo"January 7, 1965 (1965-01-07)
Twister, a rodeo horse (played by Doug Young) who sounds like Doggie Daddy, thinks that his rodeo owner (played by Hal Smith) is getting rid of him cause he's no good no more, so he runs into Loopy and he tries hiding him out from his rodeo owner. Animated by Don Patterson.
46"Pork Chop Phooey"March 18, 1965 (1965-03-18)
Loopy's nephew Bon-Bon reads a story of the Three Little Pigs and goes out to find them where he tries to blow down their houses. Loopy tries to stop him, but he only makes things worse. Animated by Jack Ozark.
47"Crow's Fete"April 14, 1965 (1965-04-14)
When Farmer Brown (played by Mel Blanc) goes crazy after attempting to catch a corny crow (also played by Mel Blanc), Loopy attempts to get him, but he messes with poor Loopy. Animated by Ed Aardal and Chuck Harriton.
48"Big Mouse Take"June 17, 1965 (1965-06-17)
Unable to deal with Bigelow Mouse (played by Doug Young), Chatterly Cat accepts Loopy's help. After a successful mouse catch, both Chatterly and Bigelow with his family move in with Loopy. Animated by Carlo Vinci and Hugh Fraser.

Television

In 1969, Loopy's film shorts were gathered together into a syndicated television series, simply titled Loopy de Loop.

Cast

Other appearances

  • A brief scene from "Two Faced Wolf" appears in The Monkees' film Head.[10]
  • Loopy appeared in the 1991 NBC series Yo Yogi!, voiced by Greg Burson. He appears as an employee and owner of The Picnic Basket at Jellystone Mall's food court.
  • Loopy appeared in the Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law episode "Juror in Court". He escapes from the prison along with many Harvey's clients, when his cases are sent to the review. It is unknown why he was there because he never appeared in the show before and was not a client of Harvey. Loopy also appears in a recap of the previous episode in "The Death of Harvey".
  • A genderbend version of Loopy appears in the Max show Jellystone![11] voiced by Ulka Simone Mohanty in a French accent.[12] In contrast to the classic version's optimistic outlook, Loopy here is equipped with a more cynical and deadpan personality. She works with Jabberjaw in Magilla Gorilla's haberdashery.

Home media

On September 9, 2014, Warner Home Video (via Warner Archive) released Loopy De Loop: The Complete Collection on DVD in Region 1 as part of their Hanna–Barbera Classics Collection.[13]

In other languages

References

  1. ↑ "The Cartoon Scrapbook". Archived from the original on 2014-03-03. Loopy De Loop Profile
  2. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 102. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  3. ↑ Rovin, Jeff (1991). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals. Prentice Hall Press. p. 158. ISBN 0-13-275561-0. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  4. ↑ Sennett, Ted (1989). The Art of Hanna-Barbera: Fifty Years of Creativity. Studio. pp. 72-73. ISBN 978-0670829781. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Lehman, Christopher P. (2007), "The Cartoons of 1961-1962", American Animated Cartoons of the Vietnam Era: A Study of Social Commentary in Films and Television Programs, 1961-1973, McFarland & Company, p. 27, ISBN 978-0786451425
  6. ↑ "The Vault". www2.boxoffice.com. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  7. ↑ "The Vault". www2.boxoffice.com. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  8. ↑ "The Vault". www2.boxoffice.com. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  9. ↑ "The Vault". www2.boxoffice.com. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  10. ↑ The HEAD page, from The Monkees Film & TV Vault
  11. ↑ "Jellystone! I Official Trailer I HBO Max Family". YouTube. June 24, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  12. ↑ Hemmert, Kylie (June 24, 2021). "Jellystone!: Hanna-Barbera Characters Return in HBO Max Original Animated Series". Comingsoon.net.
  13. ↑ 'The Complete Collection' of the Theatrical-Shorts-turned-TV-Show! Archived 2014-09-10 at the Wayback Machine
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