View source for Woody Woodpecker

{{Short description|Fictional cartoon bird}}
{{About|the animated character|other uses}}
{{pp-semi-indef}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2013}}
{{Infobox character
| series = [[Woody Woodpecker (franchise)|Woody Woodpecker]]
| image = Woody Woodpecker.svg
| first = ''[[Knock Knock (1940 film)|Knock Knock]]'' <br /> (November 25, 1940)
| last = 
| creator = [[Walter Lantz]] <br /> [[Ben Hardaway]]
| designer = [[Alex Lovy]] (1940–1943) <br /> [[Emery Hawkins]] and Art Heinemann (1944–1947) <br /> [[Dick Lundy (animator)|Dick Lundy]] and [[Fred Moore (animator)|Fred Moore]] (1947–1949) <br /> [[Laverne Harding]] (1950 onwards)
| voice = {{ubl|
| [[Mel Blanc]] (1940–1941, 1942–1972 [archive recordings], 1948–1955)
| [[Danny Webb (American actor)|Danny Webb]] (1941)
| [[Kent Rogers]] (1941–1943)
| Dick Nelson (1943, 1954)
| [[Ben Hardaway]] (1944–1949)
| [[Grace Stafford]] (1950–1991, 1995 [archive recordings])
| [[Billy West]] (1998–2002)
| [[Eric Bauza]] (2017–present)
| ([[#Voice actors|see below]])}}
| lbl1 = Years Active
| data1 = 1940–present
| lbl2 = <!-- [[Episode|Present Episode]](s) -->
| data2 = 
| lbl3 = Awards
| data3 = [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]]<ref>[https://www.walkoffame.com/woody-woodpecker Woody Woodpecker's Hollywood Walk of fame]</ref>
| lbl4 = Spinoffs
| data4 = [[Woody Woodpecker filmography|Appearances]]
| species = [[Pileated woodpecker]]
| gender = Male
| occupation = 
| family = {{ubl|
* Splinter (niece)
* Knothead (nephew)}}
| significant_other = Winnie Woodpecker
}}
'''Woody Woodpecker''' is a cartoon character that appeared in theatrical short films produced by the [[Walter Lantz Productions|Walter Lantz Studio]] and [[Universal Animation Studios|Universal Animation Studio]] and distributed by [[Universal Pictures]]<ref name="bcdb">{{Cite news|url=http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Universal_Studios/Walter_Lantz/Woody_Woodpecker/index.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130118015357/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Universal_Studios/Walter_Lantz/Woody_Woodpecker/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 18, 2013|title= Woody Woodpecker Theatrical Cartoon List|publisher=Big Cartoon Database|date=July 16, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Denis Gifford |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/04/woody-woodpecker-cartoon-film-festival-archive |title=Woody Woodpecker shoots to the top of the cartoon tree: From the archive, 4 July 1972 &#124; Film |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=2016-08-01}}</ref> since 1940. Woody's last theatrical cartoon was produced by [[Walter Lantz Productions|Walter Lantz]] in 1972.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lenburg |first1=Jeff |title=The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons |date=1999 |publisher=Checkmark Books |isbn=0-8160-3831-7 |pages=156–158}}</ref>

Woody, an anthropomorphic [[woodpecker]], was created in 1940 by [[Walter Lantz|Lantz]] and [[storyboard]] artist [[Ben Hardaway|Ben "Bugs" Hardaway]], who had previously laid the groundwork for two other screwball characters, [[Bugs Bunny]] and [[Daffy Duck]], at the [[Warner Bros. Cartoons|Warner Bros. cartoon studio]] in the late 1930s. Woody's character and design evolved over the years, from an insane bird with an unusually garish design to a more refined-looking and acting character in the vein of the later [[Chuck Jones]] version of Bugs Bunny.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rovin |first1=Jeff |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals |date=1991 |publisher=Prentice Hall Press |isbn=0-13-275561-0 |access-date=8 April 2020 |url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc00rovi/page/288/mode/2up/ |pages=288–289}}</ref> Woody was originally voiced by prolific voice actor [[Mel Blanc]], who was succeeded in the shorts by [[Danny Webb (American actor)|Danny Webb]], [[Kent Rogers]], Dick Nelson, Ben Hardaway, and, finally, [[Grace Stafford]] (wife of Walter Lantz).<ref>{{cite news|last=A. Folkart|first= Burt|title=Gracie Lantz Dies; Invented Woody Woodpecker|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-19-me-5718-story.html|access-date=August 24, 2013|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=March 19, 1992}}</ref>

Woody Woodpecker cartoons were first broadcast on television in 1957 under the title ''[[The Woody Woodpecker Show]]'', which featured Lantz cartoons bookended by new footage of Woody and live-action footage of Lantz. Lantz produced theatrical cartoons longer than most of his contemporaries, and Woody Woodpecker remained a staple of Universal's release schedule until 1972 when Lantz finally closed down his studio. The character has been revived since then for special productions and occasions, as well as for ''[[The New Woody Woodpecker Show]]'', a [[Saturday-morning cartoon]] television series featuring prolific voice actor [[Billy West]] as Woody that aired from 1999 to 2002.<ref>{{cite web |title='Woody Woodpecker' Is Out on a Shaky Limb |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-may-08-ca-35028-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=19 January 2021 |date=8 May 1999}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Philippine Daily Inquirer – Google News Archive Search |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2479&dat=20000831&id=dFM1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZyUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=602,28654697&hl=en |access-date=19 January 2021 |work=news.google.com}}</ref> In 2017, a live-action/CGI hybrid feature film, ''[[Woody Woodpecker (2017 film)|Woody Woodpecker]]'', was released theatrically in Latin America, while released direct-to-video in other territories. It was followed by a new series of shorts released via [[YouTube]] beginning in 2018. In 2024, a new film, ''[[Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp]]'', was released on [[Netflix]].

Woody has a motion picture star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard. He also made a [[cameo appearance]] alongside many other famous cartoon characters in the 1988 film ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit]]''. Woody Woodpecker is the official mascot of Universal Pictures. Woody and his friends are also icons at the [[Universal Destinations & Experiences|Universal Studios Theme Parks]] worldwide, as well as the [[PortAventura Park]] in the [[Salou, Spain]], where they remain despite Universal no longer having a financial stake in the park.

==Origin==
The inspiration for the character allegedly came during producer [[Walter Lantz]]'s honeymoon with his wife, [[Grace Stafford|Grace]], in [[June Lake, California]] in 1940, a dubious story given the fact that Woody's first appearance predated Lantz and Stafford's honeymoon.<ref name="Fandango">{{cite web|last=Brennan|first=Shannon|url=https://www.fandango.com/people/walter-lantz-380614/biography |title=Walter Lantz Biography |publisher=[[Rovi]]|access-date=January 30, 2019}}</ref> A noisy [[acorn woodpecker]] outside their cabin kept the couple awake at night, and when heavy rain started, they learned that the bird had bored holes in their cabin's roof. Walter and Gracie told Dallas attorney Rod Phelps during a visit that Walter wanted to shoot the bird, but Gracie suggested that her husband make a cartoon about the bird, and thus Woody was born.<ref name="NPR">{{cite web|last=Zickefoose|first=Julie|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101665227 |title=Woody The Acorn (Not Pileated) Woodpecker |publisher=[[NPR]] |date=March 10, 2009 |access-date=January 22, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FVShFCjVzvIC&q=wally+walrus+woody+woodpecker&pg=PA198 |title=Who's Who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film & Television ... - Jeff Lenburg – Google Books |isbn=9781557836717 |access-date=October 3, 2012|last1=Lenburg |first1=Jeff |year=2006|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation}}</ref> However, according to Lantz's biographer [[Joe Adamson]], [[Ben Hardaway]] and L.E. Elliott had written a story where [[Andy Panda]] and his father, [[Papa Panda]], experienced roof troubles caused by a rainstorm. Lantz took one look at the storyboard and found it "too expensive". He needed a roofing problem that was easier to animate, and suggested a pesky bird like a woodpecker (a couple of Lantz's 1930s cartoons, including the 1936 [[Oswald the Lucky Rabbit]] cartoon ''Night Life of the Bugs'', had featured incidental woodpeckers).<ref name="Origin">{{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=Keith |title=Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 1 |date=3 October 2022 |publisher=BearManor Media |page= |language=en}}</ref> Woody shares many characteristics in common with the [[pileated woodpecker]] in terms of both physical appearance as well as his characteristic laugh, which resembles the call of the pileated woodpecker. These similarities are the result of the [[artistic license]] of the creators and have caused much confusion within the [[Birdwatching|birding]] community among those who have attempted to classify Woody's species.<ref name="NPR" />

In the short ''[[Woody Woodpecker filmography#1964|Dumb Like a Fox]]'' (1964), a museum offers a 25-dollar reward to anyone who captures a ''[[Ivory-billed woodpecker|Campephilus principalis]]'', which is Woody Woodpecker himself.<ref>{{Cite web|title=U.S. DECLARES WOODY WOODPECKER EXTINCT|url=https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2021/09/30/u-s-declares-woody-woodpecker-extinct/|publisher=The Daily Cartoonist|date=30 September 2021|access-date=26 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Uma mentira sobre o Pica-pau|url=https://biologo.com.br/bio/uma-mentira-sobre-o-pica-pau/|publisher=Biólogo|date=6 October 2021|access-date=26 December 2021|language=pt-br}}</ref>

==History==
===Early years===
Woody Woodpecker first appeared in the short ''[[Knock Knock (1940 film)|Knock Knock]]'' on November 25, 1940. The cartoon ostensibly stars [[Andy Panda]] and [[Papa Panda]], but it is Woody who dominates. The [[woodpecker]] constantly pesters the two [[panda]]s, apparently just for the fun of it. Meanwhile, Andy tries to sprinkle salt on Woody's tail, believing that this will somehow capture the bird. To Woody's surprise, Andy's attempts prevail, and Woody is taken away to the [[psychiatric hospital]] but not before his captors prove to be crazier than he is.

The Woody of ''Knock Knock'' was designed by animator [[Alex Lovy]]. Woody's original [[voice actor]], [[Mel Blanc]], stopped performing the character after the first three cartoons to work exclusively for [[Warner Bros. Cartoons|Leon Schlesinger Productions]] (later renamed [[Warner Bros. Cartoons]]), producer of [[Warner Bros.]]' ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' and ''[[Merrie Melodies]]'' after signing a loyalty contract. At Leon Schlesinger's, Blanc had already established the voices of two other famous "screwball" characters who preceded Woody, [[Daffy Duck]] and [[Bugs Bunny]]. Ironically, Blanc's characterization of the Woody Woodpecker laugh had initially been applied to the prototype of [[Bugs Bunny]], in shorts such as those above ''[[Elmer's Candid Camera]]'' and was later transferred to Woody. Blanc's regular speaking voice for Woody was much like the early [[Daffy Duck]], minus the lisp. Once Warner Bros. signed Blanc to an exclusive contract, Woody's voice-over work was taken over by Danny Webb, followed by [[Kent Rogers]] and Dick Nelson, and [[Ben Hardaway]] later became Woody's voice after Rogers was sent to the army during [[World War II]] and would voice the woodpecker for the rest of the decade. This makes Woody Woodpecker one of the very few cartoon characters initially voiced by Mel Blanc to be voiced by someone else during Blanc's lifetime. Despite this, Blanc continued to voice Woody on a Mutual Network radio show<ref>{{cite web | url= http://tralfaz.blogspot.com/2015/08/woody-woodpecker-arrives-on-tv.html | title= Woody Woodpecker Arrives on TV | website= tralfaz.blogspot.com | date= August 2015 | access-date= 2017-09-22}}</ref> and in recordings for [[Capitol Records]] from 1948 until 1955,<ref name="Blanc">Ohmart, Ben; Mitchell, Walt (2012). ''Mel Blanc: The Man of a Thousand Voices''. Bear Manor Media. {{ISBN|978-1593937881}}. P.108.</ref> while his laugh would continue to be used in the shorts until 1951.

Audiences reacted well to ''Knock Knock'', and Lantz realized he had finally hit upon a star to replace the waning [[Oswald the Lucky Rabbit]]. Woody starred in several films. The character's brash demeanor was a natural hit during World War II. His image appeared on US aircraft as [[nose art]] and on mess halls, and audiences on the homefront watched Woody cope with familiar problems such as food shortages. The 1943 Woody cartoon ''[[The Dizzy Acrobat]]'' was nominated for the 1943 [[Academy Award for Animated Short Film|Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons)]], which it lost to the MGM ''[[Tom and Jerry]]'' cartoon ''[[The Yankee Doodle Mouse]]''. Woody Woodpecker's debut also marked a change in directing style for Walter Lantz studio, since the character was heavily inspired by [[Tex Avery]]-created Looney Tunes character Daffy Duck at Warner Bros, and thus Woody's cartoons tended to have a hint of Tex Avery's style and influence in terms of humor, and that's what gave Walter Lantz studio its fame. Curiously enough, Avery himself never directed a Woody Woodpecker short while at the Walter Lantz studio.

[[File:Barber-of-seville-2.jpg|right|thumb|Woody Woodpecker and his captive client in ''[[The Barber of Seville (1944 film)|The Barber of Seville]]'' (1944), directed by [[Shamus Culhane]].]]
Animator [[Emery Hawkins]] and layout artist Art Heinemann streamlined Woody's appearance for the 1944 film ''[[The Barber of Seville (cartoon)|The Barber of Seville]]'', directed by [[Shamus Culhane|James "Shamus" Culhane]]. The bird became rounder, cuter, and less demented. He also sported a simplified color scheme and a brighter smile, making him much more like his counterparts at [[Warner Bros. Cartoons|Warner Bros.]] and [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio|MGM]]. Nevertheless, Culhane continued to use Woody as an aggressive lunatic, not a domesticated straight man or defensive homebody, as many other studios' characters had become. The follow-up to ''The Barber of Seville'', ''[[The Beach Nut]]'', introduced Woody's original chief nemesis, [[Wally Walrus]].

Woody's wild days were numbered, however. In 1946, Lantz hired [[Walt Disney|Disney]] veteran [[Dick Lundy (animator)|Dick Lundy]] to direct Woody's cartoons. Lundy rejected Culhane's take on the series and made Woody more defensive; the bird no longer went insane without a legitimate reason. Lundy also paid more attention to animation, making Woody's new films more Disney-esque in their design, style, animation, and timing. Lundy's last film for Disney was the [[Donald Duck]] short ''Flying Jalopy''. This cartoon is played much like a Woody Woodpecker short, down to the laugh in the end. It also features a [[bad guy]] named "Ben Buzzard" who bears a strong resemblance to [[Buzz Buzzard]], a Lantz character introduced in ''[[Wet Blanket Policy]]'' (1948), who eventually succeeded [[Wally Walrus]] as Woody's primary antagonist.

In 1947, contract renewal negotiations between Lantz and Universal (now Universal-International) fell through, and Lantz began distributing his cartoons through [[United Artists]].<ref name="UA">Adamson, Joe (1985). ''The Walter Lantz Story''. New York: Putnam Books.</ref>{{rp|161}} The UA-distributed Lantz cartoons featured higher-quality animation and the influence of Dick Lundy (the films' budgets remained the same).<ref name="UA" />{{rp|172–175}} Former Disney animators such as [[Fred Moore (animator)|Fred Moore]] and [[Ed Love]] began working at Lantz and assisted Lundy in adding touches of the Disney style to Woody's cartoons. Despite the Disney style added for the later cartoons, Woody's cartoons still try to maintain a good dose of slapstick and madcap humor from the pre-Lundy cartoons.

[[File:Woody-wet-blanket-policy.jpg|thumb|''[[Wet Blanket Policy]]'', directed by [[Dick Lundy (animator)|Dick Lundy]], introduced Woody's new adversary [[Buzz Buzzard]] and featured Woody's [[Academy Award]]-nominated theme song, "The Woody Woodpecker Song".]]

==="The Woody Woodpecker Song"===
In 1947, Woody got his theme song when musicians [[George Tibbles]] and [[Ramey Idriss]] wrote "The Woody Woodpecker Song", making ample use of the character's famous laugh. [[Kay Kyser]]'s 1948 recording of the song, with [[Harry Babbitt]]'s laugh interrupting vocalist [[Gloria Wood]], became one of the biggest hit singles of 1948.<ref name="Woodpecker Song">{{cite book|last1=Whitburn|first1=Joel|title=Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954|date=1986|publisher=Record Research Inc|location=Wisconsin, USA|isbn=0-89820-083-0|page=[https://archive.org/details/joelwpopmemories00whit/page/264 264]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/joelwpopmemories00whit/page/264}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Gilliland, John. |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1633211/m1/#track/3 |title=Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #21 - All Tracks UNT Digital Library |publisher=Digital.library.unt.edu |date=197X |access-date=2021-02-11}}</ref> Other artists did covers, including Woody's original voice actor, [[Mel Blanc]]. Lantz first used "The Woody Woodpecker Song" in ''[[Wet Blanket Policy]]'' (1948), and it became the first and only song from an animated short subject to be nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Original Song#1940s|Academy Award for Best Original Song]] in 1948, but it lost out to "[[Buttons and Bows]]".<ref name="feature">{{Cite news|last=Kit|first=Borys|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/woody-woodpecker-movie-universal-illumination-262540|title=Woody Woodpecker Movie in Development at Universal, Illumination (Exclusive)|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=November 16, 2011|access-date=August 24, 2013}}</ref> Lantz soon adopted the song as Woody's theme music.{{Citation needed|date=March 2008}}

"The Woody Woodpecker Song" and the ''Woody Woodpecker'' cartoons extensively used Woody's famous laugh, upsetting the man who created it, Mel Blanc. He first used the laughter, in a different recording, for the seminal pre-Bugs Bunny character in 1938's ''[[Porky's Hare Hunt]]''. Although Blanc had only recorded three shorts as the voice of Woody, his laugh had been recorded as a stock sound effect and used in every subsequent ''Woody Woodpecker'' short up until this point. Blanc sued Lantz and lost, but Lantz settled out of court when Blanc filed an appeal. Although Lantz stopped using Blanc's Woody Woodpecker laugh as a stock effect in the early 1950s, Blanc's voice was still heard saying "Guess who?" at the beginning of every cartoon for the duration of the ''Woody Woodpecker'' series.

===Financial impasse/hiatus===
Financial problems at United Artists during the aftermath of the [[Paramount case]]—which forced movie distributors to end the practice of [[block booking]], or selling shorts and features to theaters in packages—affected Lantz. The revenues Lantz received from UA's distribution of his cartoons were much lower than his returns had been from Universal. Once the Lantz studio hit its loan debt cap of $250,000 at the [[Bank of America]], Lantz was forced to shut the studio down.<ref name="UA" />{{rp|172–175}} He began a series of staggered layoffs in December 1948 until work on the final 1940s Lantz short, the Woody cartoon ''[[Drooler's Delight]]'', was finished at the otherwise shuttered studio in early 1949.

Walter Lantz Productions remained closed for a full calendar year. During this time, Walter Lantz and his wife, actress [[Grace Stafford]], toured Europe to spend money impounded there after World War II and also to entertain the European Universal exchanges still distributing the Universal era Lantz cartoons.<ref name="UA" />{{rp|179–182}} By keeping the studio closed while the Universal and United Artists ''Woody Woodpecker'' cartoons were still in distribution,<ref name="note1">Distribution rights of the UA-distributed Lantz shorts reverted to Lantz as per his contract after one year, at which time he assigned them to Universal-International for reissue. Adamson, Joe (1985), pg. 183</ref> Lantz was able to amass enough income to pay off the studio's debts and upgrade the studio, after which time the studio finally reopened with a reduced staff.<ref name="UA" />{{rp|179–182}}

===Later films===
The revived Lantz studio's first new project was an animated segment of the feature film ''[[Destination Moon (film)|Destination Moon]]'' (1950), produced by Lantz's friend [[George Pál]]. In the segment, astronauts are shown an animated [[educational film]] featuring Woody Woodpecker explaining [[rocket propulsion]].<ref name="UA" />{{rp|183–185}}

Beginning with ''Destination Moon'', Woody's voice was assumed by Grace Stafford. According to the Lantzes, Stafford slipped a recording of herself into a stack of audition tapes, and her husband chose her without knowing her identity.<ref name="UA" />{{rp|185–186}} Lantz also began having Stafford supply Woody's laugh due to the court settlement with Mel Blanc, but Stafford was not credited for the role at her request until ''[[Misguided Missile]]'' (1958), as she felt audiences might reject a woman performing Woody's voice. She also tried to tone down the character through their voice work to appease Universal's complaints about Woody's raucousness.

Lantz signed again with Universal (now Universal-International) in 1950 and began production on two entries that director Dick Lundy and storymen Ben Hardaway and [[Heck Allen]] had begun before the 1948 layoff. These shorts have no director's credit, as Lantz claimed to have directed them himself. ''[[Puny Express]]'' (1951) was the first to be released, followed by ''[[Sleep Happy]]''. These shorts marked a departure from past dialogue-driven shorts. Though Stafford now voiced Woody, her job was limited, as Woody (and other characters) rarely spoke in the first dozen or so shorts. Because of these entries, Woody became popular outside the [[English-speaking world]], thanks to the lack of a language barrier (''[[The Pink Panther (character)|The Pink Panther]]'' shorts of the 1960s and 1970s also enjoyed worldwide popularity due to this [[pantomime]] luxury).

Nine more Lantz-directed Woody cartoons followed before [[Don Patterson (animator)|Don Patterson]] became Woody's new director in 1952. The bird was redesigned again, this time by [[animator]] [[LaVerne Harding]]. Harding made Woody smaller and cuter, moving his crest forward from its original backward position. The small Lantz Studios logo seen at the start of every cartoon — Woody as an armored knight on horseback carrying a [[lance]] — continued for a while to display Woody with his former topknot. For 1955's ''[[The Tree Medic]]'', one last makeover was given to the woodpecker, making Woody's eye a simple black dot and removing the green/hazel iris he had had since his beginnings, but Woody's eyes were not changed in the cartoon's intros, and they remained green for the rest of the shorts' production run. During this time, the opening was changed as well. Instead of having Woody's name on-screen and Woody pecking a hole in the screen to introduce himself, Woody now pecked his way onto the screen, greeting the audience with his iconic "Guess who?", then carved out his name on either a brown or gray wood background and jumped around the screen while laughing.

By 1955, [[Paul J. Smith (director)|Paul J. Smith]] had taken over as the primary director of Woody's shorts, with periodic fill-in shorts directed by Alex Lovy and [[Jack Hannah]], among others. With Smith on board, the shorts maintained a healthy dose of frenetic energy, while the animation was simplified due to budget constraints.

[[File:Birddinner02.jpg|right|thumb|Woody in 1961's ''[[The Bird Who Came to Dinner]]'', directed by [[Paul Smith (animator)|Paul J. Smith]]. This cartoon was made several years after [[Woody Woodpecker filmography|Woody's]] last redesign.]]
In addition to Stafford providing Woody's voice, which returned the cartoon to being more dialogue-driven again, voice talents during this period were generally split between [[Dallas McKennon]] and [[Daws Butler]]. Several of Woody's recurring costars were also introduced during this era, such as [[Gabby Gator]] (voiced by Butler in an Ozarks voice, a slightly different southern dialect than he used for [[Huckleberry Hound]]). Gabby first appeared in ''[[Everglade Raid]]'' (as "Al I. Gator"). Other films paired Woody with a girlfriend, Winnie Woodpecker (voiced by Stafford), and a niece and nephew, Splinter and Knothead (both voiced by [[June Foray]]). Other antagonists that Woody has dealt with were Ms. Meany (voiced by Stafford) and [[Dapper Denver Dooley]] (voiced by McKennon).

===Woody in the television era===
As Lantz was struggling financially, Woody's longevity was secured when he made the jump to television in ''[[The Woody Woodpecker Show]]'' on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]. The half-hour program consisted of three theatrical Woody shorts followed by a brief look at cartoon creation hosted by Lantz. It ran from 1957 to 1958 then entered syndication until 1966. [[NBC]] revived the show in 1970 and 1976. In addition, the woodpecker was no longer dishing out abuse to his foils, but was instead on the receiving end. The first significant short to feature Woody as a serious, put-upon character was 1961's ''Franken-Stymied''. Woody's popularity had been based on his manic craziness, but by 1961, this had all but been eliminated in favor of a more serious Woody, a straight man trying to do good. This was due in part to Woody's large presence on television, which meant Lantz had to meet the stringent rules against violence for children's television. Though production continued until 1972, the cartoons were a definite notch lower than in the 1940s and 1950s.

Woody appeared in new theatrical shorts until 1972, when Lantz closed his studio due to rising production costs. His cartoons returned to syndication in the late 1970s. Lantz sold his library of Woody shorts to [[Music Corporation of America|MCA]]/[[Universal Studios, Inc.|Universal]] in 1985. Universal repackaged the cartoons for another syndicated ''Woody Woodpecker Show'' in 1987. A year later, Woody made a cameo in ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit]]'', voiced by Cherry Davis, near the end of the film.

Woody Woodpecker reappeared in the [[Fox Kids]] series ''[[The New Woody Woodpecker Show]]'', which ran on Saturday mornings from 1999 to 2002, voiced by [[Billy West (voice actor)|Billy West]]. For this series, Woody was redesigned more like his mid-1940s look (1944 to 1949), pushing back his crest and making his eyes green again. Winnie Woodpecker, who had debuted in ''[[Real Gone Woody]]'' (1954), became a semi-regular character as Woody's primary love interest. Like Woody, Winnie was redesigned to look almost exactly like Woody did from 1950 until 1972, the obvious differences being that she was a female woodpecker and had blue eyes. Woody's primary antagonist was Wally Walrus, who became Woody's neighbor (Woody lived in a tree house in Mrs. Meany's front yard, and Wally lived next door). Buzz Buzzard often appeared, as did Mrs. Meany and several other older characters.

In 2018, a new series of ''Woody Woodpecker'' cartoons began streaming exclusively for [[YouTube]], simply titled ''[[Woody Woodpecker (2018 web series)|Woody Woodpecker]]''.<ref name="Deadline Hollywood" />

In August 2023, [[MeTV]] acquired the broadcast rights to [[Walter Lantz Productions|Walter Lantz]] cartoons from 1934 to 1972 to air ''[[The Woody Woodpecker Show]]'' on Saturday morning on September 2, marking the return on TV after 25 years.

[[File:Woody and Winnie Universal Florida.jpg|thumb|Woody and Winnie Woodpecker, as seen at [[Universal Studios Florida]].]]

==Reception==
[[File:Walter Lantz 1990 photo D Ramey Logan.jpg|thumb|Walter Lantz with his most famous creation]]
The ''Woody Woodpecker Show'' was named the 88th best animated series by [[IGN]].<ref name="ign100">{{cite web|title=Top 100 Animated TV Series – 88. The Woody Woodpecker Show |url=http://tv.ign.com/top-100-animated-tv-series/88.html |publisher=IGN |access-date=January 24, 2009 |date=January 23, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219130135/http://tv.ign.com/top-100-animated-tv-series/88.html |archive-date=February 19, 2009}}</ref>

===Legacy===
Walter Lantz and movie pioneer [[George Pal]] were good friends. Woody Woodpecker cameos in nearly every film that Pal produced or directed; for example, during the 1966 sequence in ''[[The Time Machine (1960 film)|The Time Machine]]'' (1960), a little girl drops her Woody Woodpecker doll as she goes into an air raid shelter. In ''[[Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze]]'' (1975), Grace Stafford cameos, carrying a Woody Woodpecker doll.

Obvious references to "The Woody Woodpecker Song" can be found in the work of at least two noted jazz innovators: specifically, [[Charlie Parker]], a number of whose solos quote it in passing,<ref>Koch, Lawrence O. (1988). [https://books.google.com/books?id=OKkX3ZL60_cC&q=%22woody%20woodpecker%22%20 ''Yardbird Suite: A Compendium of the Music and Life of Charlie Parker'']. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press. pp.&nbsp;163, 254. {{ISBN|0-87972-259-2}}.</ref><ref>Lott, Eric. [https://books.google.com/books?id=_5GJRHq4w2gC&dq=%22woody+woodpecker+theme%22&pg=PP482 "Double V, Double Time: BeBop's Politics of Style"]. O'Meally, Robert G., editor (1998) The Jazz Cadence of American Culture. New York: Columbia University Press. p.&nbsp;462. {{ISBN|0-231-10448-0}}.</ref> and [[Wayne Shorter]], whose 1961 composition "Look at the Birdie" — as heard on [[Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers]]' ''[[Roots & Herbs]]'' (recorded in 1961, released in 1970) — has been singled out by both composer/trumpeter [[David Weiss (musician)|David Weiss]] and Shorter's biographer Michelle Mercer as an ingenious variation on the theme.<ref>Weiss, David (April 26, 2019). [https://jazztimes.com/features/lists/artists-choice-david-weiss-on-wayne-shorter/ "Artist's Choice: David Weiss on Wayne Shorter: The trumpeter/composer chooses his favorites from one of jazz's all-time geniuses"]. ''JazzTimes''. "My favorites from that period are 'Sakeena's Vision', 'Those Who Sit and Wait' and 'Look at the Birdie' (featuring the Woody Woodpecker theme slightly inverted)". Retrieved March 11, 2022.</ref><ref>Mercer, Michelle (2007). ''[https://archive.org/details/footprintslifewo0000merc/page/88/mode/2up?q=%22Wayne+Shorter%22+%22woody+Woodpecker%22+%22look+at+the+birdie%22 Footprints: The Life and Work of Wayne Shorter]''. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin. p.&nbsp;89. "It was a collection of cock-eyed, ear-catching charts like 'Master Mind', 'Ping Pong' and 'Look at the Birdie' (Wayne's clever take on the Woody Woodpecker theme)". {{ISBN|1-58542-353-X}}</ref> In addition, a full-fledged cover of the song itself was recorded in 1986 by jazz trumpeter [[Woody Shaw]] for his 1987 release, ''[[Solid (Woody Shaw album)|Solid]]''.<ref>[https://www.discogs.com/release/10582146-Woody-Shaw-Solid "Woody Shaw – Solid"]. [[Discogs]].</ref>

In 1983–1984, [[Catapult (band)|Catapult]] musicians Aart Mol, Cees Bergman, Elmer Veerhoff, Erwin van Prehn and Geertjan Hessing (under the pseudonym "Adams & Fleisner") wrote and produced "[[Woodpeckers from Space]]" by [[VideoKids]], a synth-pop cover of "The Woody Woodpecker Song".<ref name="Woodpeckers Interview">{{Cite web|title=Сеанс массового диско-разоблачения|url=https://www.zvuki.ru/R/P/32886/|publisher=Звуки.Ру|language=ru|access-date=20 October 2023}}</ref> Released on 4 September 1984, the song became a number 1 hit in Spain and Norway. The idea for the song began when the children of Gert van den Bosch (co-founder of Boni Records) asked him if he could produce a record based on Woody Woodpecker, whom they were big fans of.<ref name="Woodpeckers Inspiration 1">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U6qsHQ3gAI&t=328s|title=The story behind "Hithouse - Jack To The Sound Of The Underground" by Jerry Beke|date=August 6, 2018 |publisher=YouTube|access-date=20 October 2023}}</ref><ref name="Woodpeckers Inspiration 2">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7ht_vNoVS0&t=2964s|title=Radio Stad Den Haag - Sundaynight Live (Adams & Fleisner) (Nov. 05, 2023).|date=November 6, 2023 |publisher=YouTube|access-date=4 March 2024}}</ref> The Woody laugh used in the song was first heard in "Let's Break" by Master Genius in 1983, another Cat Music project.<ref name="Master Genius">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBGsseiVuBY&t=242s|title=Master Genius - Let's Break|date=July 19, 2013 |publisher=YouTube|access-date=4 March 2024}}</ref><ref name="Woodpeckers Inspiration 2"/> The band's animated mascot, a "spacepecker" named Tico Tac, was created and used in place of Woody in order to avoid a lawsuit from Universal.<ref name="Dirk Arend">{{cite web|title=Dirk Arend|url=https://www.lambiek.net/artists/a/arend_dirk.htm|website=Lambiek Comiclopedia|access-date=20 October 2023}}</ref><ref name="Bjørn Jensen">{{cite web|title=Bjørn Frank Jensen|url=https://www.lambiek.net/artists/j/jensen_bjorn-frank.htm|website=Lambiek Comiclopedia|access-date=20 October 2023}}</ref> The band lasted from 1984 to 1988.

The [[Baltimora]] song "[[Woody Boogie]]", released in 1985, notably features a synthesizer replaying Woody Woodpecker's laugh, which is incorporated into the chorus as well as other parts of the song.

Woody was number 46 on ''[[TV Guide]]'''s list of the 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time in 2002 and 2003. He came in at number 25 on [[Animal Planet]]'s list of ''The 50 Greatest Movie Animals'' in 2004. The character has been referenced and spoofed on many later television programs, among them ''[[The Simpsons]]'', ''[[American Dad!]]'', ''[[South Park]]'', ''[[The Fairly OddParents]]'', ''[[Family Guy]]'', ''[[Seinfeld]]'', ''[[Robot Chicken]]'', ''[[Three's Company]]'', and Flash Toons.

Like [[Bugs Bunny]] for [[Warner Bros.]], [[Sonic the Hedgehog (character)|Sonic the Hedgehog]] for [[Sega]], [[Mario]] for [[Nintendo]] and [[Mickey Mouse]] for [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]], Woody Woodpecker serves as the official mascot of [[Universal Pictures]]. In 1998 and 1999, Woody appeared on the nose of the [[WilliamsF1|Williams]] [[Formula One]] Team, and in 2000, he became the official team mascot of the [[Honda]] Motorcycle Racing Team. A Woody Woodpecker balloon had been a staple of the [[Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade]] from 1982 until 1996.

In [[Brazil]], the character is a hugely popular and iconic cartoon character.<ref name="Deadline Hollywood">{{cite web |last1=Wiseman |first1=Andreas |title=Universal Creates New Woody Woodpecker Episodes For YouTube Channels |url=https://deadline.com/2018/11/universal-new-woody-woodpecker-episodes-youtube-channels-1202508015/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=November 22, 2018}}</ref>

==Home media==
[[File:Woody Woodpecker HWoF Star.jpg|right|thumb|Woody Woodpecker's star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]]]]
A handful of non-comprehensive Woody Woodpecker VHS tapes were issued by Universal in the 1980s and 1990s, usually including [[Andy Panda]] and [[Chilly Willy]] cartoons as bonuses. A few were widely released on VHS in the mid-1980s by Kid Pics Video, an American company of dubious legality, which packaged the Woody cartoons with bootlegged [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] cartoons. In the early 2000s, a series of mail-order ''Woody Woodpecker Show'' VHS tapes and [[DVDs]] were made available by mail order through [[Columbia House]].

In 2007, [[Universal Studios Home Entertainment|Universal Pictures Home Entertainment]] released ''The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection'', a three-disc DVD boxed set compilation of Walter Lantz "Cartunes". The first forty-five Woody Woodpecker shorts from ''[[Knock Knock (1940 cartoon)|Knock Knock]]'' to ''[[The Great Who-Dood-It]]'' were presented in the box set in chronological order of release, with various ''Chilly Willy'', ''Andy Panda'', ''Swing Symphonies'', and other Lantz shorts also included.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://homevideo.universalstudios.com/title.php?titleId=3200 |title=NBC Universal Store |publisher=Homevideo.universalstudios.com |access-date=January 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071225055846/http://homevideo.universalstudios.com/title.php?titleId=3200 |archive-date=December 25, 2007 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref> ''The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection: Volume 2'', including the next forty-five Woody cartoons — ''[[Termites from Mars]]'' through ''[[Jittery Jester]]'' — was released in 2008. A plain-vanilla best-of release, titled ''Woody Woodpecker Favorites'', was released in 2009, which contained no new-to-DVD material.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lantz.goldenagecartoons.com/DVDvideo/DVD/woodyfavorites.html |title=The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia: Cartunes on DVD: Woody Woodpecker Favorites |publisher=Lantz.goldenagecartoons.com |access-date=January 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101220000434/http://lantz.goldenagecartoons.com/DVDvideo/DVD/woodyfavorites.html |archive-date=December 20, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

''Woody Woodpecker'' shorts have been released for the first time on Blu-ray; labeled as the "Screwball Collection", the set was released on September 7, 2021.<ref>{{Citation|title=The Woody Woodpecker Screwball Collection Blu-ray|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Woody-Woodpecker-Screwball-Collection-Blu-ray/297461/|access-date=2021-09-12}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!DVD/Blu-ray release name
!Cartoon #
!Release date
|-
| ''[[The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection]]'' (DVD)
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|45 ''Woody'' cartoons, <br /> 30 others
|July 24, 2007
|-
| ''[[The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection: Volume 2]]'' (DVD)
|April 15, 2008
|-
| ''Woody Woodpecker Favorites'' (DVD)
| style="text-align:center;"|15 ''Woody'' cartoons, <br /> 5 others
|March 10, 2009
|-
| ''The Woody Woodpecker Screwball Collection'' (Blu-ray)
| style="text-align:center;"|25 ''Woody'' cartoons
|September 7, 2021
|}

==Voice actors==
;United States
* [[Mel Blanc]] (cartoons: 1940–1941; archive recordings: 1942–1972; Capitol Records: 1948–1955)<ref name="Blanc" /><ref name="Woody Voices">{{cite web|title="GUESS WHO??" Voice Artists in the Woody Woodpecker Cartoons|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/guess-who-voice-artists-in-the-woody-woodpecker-cartoons/|website=cartoonresearch.com|access-date=10 June 2022}}</ref>
* [[Danny Webb (American actor)|Danny Webb]] (1941; ''[[Pantry Panic]]'')<ref name="Woody Voices"/>
* [[Kent Rogers]] (1941–1943, gulping in ''Wild and Woody!'' (archive recording))<ref name="Woody Voices"/>
* Dick Nelson (1943, 1954; ''Ration Board'', conscience in ''Under the Counter Spy'')<ref name="Woody Voices"/><ref name="CartoonVoices">{{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=Keith |title=Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2 |date=3 October 2022 |publisher=BearManor Media |page= |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Ben Hardaway]] (1944–1949)<ref name="Woody Voices"/>
* Lee Sweetland (1944–1947; singing voice in ''[[The Barber of Seville (1944 film)|The Barber of Seville]]'', ''[[The Beach Nut]]'', ''[[Ski for Two]]'', ''[[Chew-Chew Baby]]'', ''[[The Dippy Diplomat]]'' and ''[[Smoked Hams]]'')<ref>[https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/walter-lantz-the-barber-of-seville-1945/ "Walter Lantz "Barber of Seville" (1944)"]. Retrieved January 16, 2020.</ref><ref>[https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/woody-woodpecker-in-ski-for-two-1944/ "Woody Woodpecker in "Ski For Two" (1944)"]. Retrieved October 14, 2020.</ref><ref>[https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/merrie-melodies-1942-43-and-more-the-last-year-of-difference/ "Merrie Melodies 1942-43 and more: The Last Year of Difference"]. Retrieved October 14, 2020.</ref>
* [[Theodore von Eltz]] (1947; ''Sally in Hollywoodland'' [unaired radio pilot])<ref>[https://www.cartoonbrew.com/cartoon-culture/this-is-what-a-woody-woodpecker-radio-show-would-have-sounded-like-79839.html "This is What A Woody Woodpecker Radio Show Would Have Sounded Like"]. Retrieved January 16, 2020.</ref>
* [[Harry Babbitt]] (1948; "The Woody Woodpecker Song")<ref name="Woodpecker Song"/><ref name="Wet Blanket Policy">{{cite web|title="Wet Blanket Policy" (1948)|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/wet-blanket-policy-1948/|website=cartoonresearch.com|access-date=10 June 2022}}</ref>
* [[Danny Kaye]] (1948; "The Woody Woodpecker Song" cover)<ref name="Wet Blanket Policy"/>
* [[Grace Stafford]] (1950–1991, 1995; ''[[Destination Moon (film)|Destination Moon]]'', cartoons: 1950–1972; ''[[The Woody Woodpecker Show]]'', commercials, ''[[51st Academy Awards]]'', ''Walter, Woody and the World of Animation'', ''Let's All Recycle'', [[Pepsi]] commercial (archive recording))<ref name="Woody Voices"/><ref name="Academy Awards">[https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Academy-Awards/Woody-Woodpecker/ "Woody Woodpecker In Academy Awards"] Retrieved 2021-01-11.</ref><ref name="Woody Show">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWbAV49lwE4&t=21s|title=The Woody Woodpecker Show (1987) Theme Song Opening|date=May 24, 2019 |publisher=YouTube|access-date=September 26, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Hollywood Walk">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkji7UcA53k&t=23s|title=Woody Woodpecker Gets His "Star" on Hollywood Boulevard (1990)|date=July 21, 2015 |publisher=YouTube|access-date=September 29, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Let's Recycle">{{cite web|title=Let's All Recycle with Woody Woodpecker|date=August 22, 2012|url=https://vimeo.com/48029675|publisher=Vimeo|access-date=September 25, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Pepsi">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB2M9VXMhW8&t=46s|title=1995 Shaq Pepsi commercial|date=January 28, 2013 |publisher=YouTube|access-date=September 25, 2023}}</ref>
* Gladys Holland (1953; imitating Ga Ga Gazoo in ''Belle Boys'')<ref name="CartoonVoices"/>
* [[Dallas McKennon]] (1954, 1964, 1966; growling in ''Wrestling Wrecks'', Indian voice disguise in ''Saddle-Sore Woody'', monster sounds in ''Monster of Ceremonies'')<ref name="CartoonVoices"/>
* [[Hal Smith (actor)|Hal Smith]] (1957; ''Woody Woodpecker Presents'')<ref name="Woody Presents">{{cite web|title=Weird "Woody Woodpecker" Records|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/weird-woody-woodpecker-records/|website=cartoonresearch.com|access-date=26 September 2023}}</ref>
* [[Daws Butler]] (1963–1964, 1969, 1972; Indian voice disguise in ''Greedy Gabby Gator'', imitating Homer's boss in ''Freeway Fracas'', monster sound in ''Spook-a-Nanny'', yelling in ''Little Skeeter'', imitating Floyd Farkle in ''Pecking Holes in Poles'')<ref name="CartoonVoices"/>
* [[Benny Rubin]] (1963; with the Mad Professor's voice in ''Science Friction'')<ref name="CartoonVoices"/>
* Cherry Davis (1988; ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit]]'')<ref>[https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/movies/Who-Framed-Roger-Rabbit/Woody-Woodpecker/ "Woody Woodpecker In Who Framed Roger Rabbit"] Retrieved 2023-09-26.</ref>
* Dave Spafford (1991; [[63rd Academy Awards]])<ref name="Academy Awards"/>
* [[Jeff Bennett]] (1996; ''[[Animaniacs]]'' (as "Woodpeckerman"))<ref>[https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Animaniacs/Woodpeckerman/ "Woodpeckerman In Animaniacs"] Retrieved 2023-09-26.</ref>
* [[Billy West (voice actor)|Billy West]] (1998–2002; ''From the Earth to the Moon'', ''[[The New Woody Woodpecker Show]]'')<ref>{{cite web|title=Woody Woodpecker in From The Earth to the Moon|url=https://twitter.com/hardel_john/status/1366752430747181070|publisher=Twitter|access-date=March 3, 2021}}</ref>
* [[Eric Kelso]] (2001; [[Universal Studios Japan]], ''[[Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.erickelso.com/profile.html|title=Profile – Eric Kelso|publisher=erickelso.com|access-date=February 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221144451/http://www.erickelso.com/profile.html|archive-date=February 21, 2015|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
* [[Dan Castellaneta]] (2008; ''[[The Simpsons]]'' (as a parody named "Robby Robin"))
* [[Seth Green]] (2014; ''Robot Chicken'')<ref>[https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Robot-Chicken/Woody-Woodpecker/ "Woody Woodpecker In Robot Chicken"] Retrieved 2020-04-23.</ref>
* [[Eric Bauza]] (2017–present; ''[[Woody Woodpecker (2017 film)|Woody Woodpecker]]'', ''[[Woody Woodpecker (2018 web series)|Woody Woodpecker]]'', [[MeTV]] promotion, ''[[Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp]]'')<ref>{{cite web|title=MeTV - Woody Woodpecker and Friends Promo|url=https://twitter.com/hardel_john/status/1695253200414862|publisher=Twitter|access-date=September 16, 2023}}</ref>
;Other countries
* [[Katsue Miwa]] and [[Kumiko Watanabe]] (Japan)
* Olney Cazarré (Brazil) 1960s / 1980s
* Garcia Júnior (Brazil) 1970s
* Marco Antônio Costa (Brazil) 1990s / 2000s
* Sérgio Stern (Brazil) 2017–present
* [[Geertjan Hessing]] (Netherlands, "Let's Break") 1983<ref name="Master Genius"/><ref name="Woodpeckers Inspiration 2"/>
* Natalia Gurzo (Russia) 1996–1998/2000s
* [[Jorge Arvizu]] (Mexico)
* Stavros Mavridis (Greece) 2005–2007
* Dimitris Marizas (Greece) 2007–2009
* Dieter Kursawe (Germany)
* Mića Tatić (Yugoslavia/Serbia)

Blanc originated the voice, in a characterization similar to his [[Daffy Duck]], minus the lisp, with the recording slightly sped up to give a higher-pitched tone to the voice. He stated that the laugh originated from a type of laugh he used to do at school and he just added the pecking sounds to the laugh.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRlmb0xAtBs | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111204194710/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRlmb0xAtBs&gl=US&hl=en | archive-date=2011-12-04 | url-status=dead | title=Mel Blanc: The Man of a Thousand Voices | publisher=[[YouTube]] | date=2011-06-06 | access-date=2016-08-01}}</ref> That practice continued with other voice artists.

==Filmography==
{{main|Woody Woodpecker (franchise)}}

===Theatrical cartoons===
{{further|Woody Woodpecker filmography}}

===TV series===
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!style="width:30px;"|Series number
!style="width:250px;"|Title
!style="width:100px;"|Broadcast run
!style="width:150px;"|Original channel
!style="width:175px;"|Total # episodes
!style="width:30px;"|Total # seasons
|-
|1
|''[[The Woody Woodpecker Show]]''
|1957–1997
|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], [[NBC]], [[broadcast syndication|Syndication]]
|113 episodes
|5
|-
|2
|''[[The New Woody Woodpecker Show]]''
|1999–2002
|[[Fox Kids]]
|53 episodes
|rowspan="2"|3
|-
|3
|''[[Woody Woodpecker (2018 web series)|Woody Woodpecker]]''
|2018–2022
|[[YouTube]]
|30 episodes
|}

===Public service===
* ''Let's All Recycle with Woody Woodpecker'' (1991 – PSA Video)

===Other appearances===
* ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit]]'' (1988, cameo)
* ''Kids for Character'' (1996)

===Film===
{{Main|Woody Woodpecker (2017 film)}}
In the early 2010s, [[Universal Pictures]] and [[Illumination (company)|Illumination Entertainment]] planned a ''Woody Woodpecker'' feature film. John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky (''[[King of the Hill]]'') were in talks to develop a story,<ref name="feature" /> but the project was canceled.<ref>{{cite news|last=Debruge|first=Peter|title=Illumination Chief Chris Meledandri Lines Up Originals for Universal|url=https://variety.com/2013/film/news/illumination-chief-chris-meledandri-lines-up-originals-for-universal-1200564348/|access-date=July 18, 2013|newspaper=Variety|date=July 17, 2013|quote=At the same time, Illumination has scrapped a number of planned movie ideas. "Waldo" and a Tim Burton-helmed, stop-motion "The Addams Family" are dead. The company abandoned a Woody Woodpecker pic, and couldn't crack "Clifford the Big Red Dog".}}</ref> In 2013, [[Bill Kopp]] was attached to direct an animated feature film with three interwoven stories,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Beck|first1=Jerry|title=Bill Kopp Signed for Universal's "Woody Woodpecker"|url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/animationscoop/bill-kopp-signed-for-universals-woody-woodpecker|publisher=Animation Scoop|access-date=November 20, 2015|date=October 12, 2013}}</ref> but the project was later canceled.<ref>{{cite web |title='Minions' and Illumination Create a Blockbuster Animation Unit for Universal |date=17 November 2015 |url=https://variety.com/2015/film/spotlight/universal-illumination-minions-animation-1201641899/}}</ref>

A live-action/CGI hybrid film based on ''Woody Woodpecker'', directed by [[Alex Zamm]] and starring [[Timothy Omundson]] and Brazilian actress [[Thaila Ayala]], was released theatrically in [[Brazil]] on October 5, 2017, and was scheduled for release on April 1, 2018, worldwide. The film had a straight-to-video release in the [[United States]] on February 6, 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/universal-making-live-actioncg-woody-woodpecker-feature-brazilians-141553.html|title=Universal is Making A Live-Action/CG Woody Woodpecker Feature—For Brazilians|date=2016-07-14|language=en-US|access-date=2016-07-14}}</ref> A sequel titled ''[[Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp]]'' was released on [[Netflix]] on April 12, 2024.

==Comics==
Woody was the star of a number of [[comic book]] series published in the U.S. and around the world. The main title, ''Walter Lantz Woody Woodpecker'', ran from 1952 to 1983.

Woody first appeared as a comic book character in 1942, appearing alongside [[Andy Panda]] and [[Oswald the Rabbit]] in [[Dell Comics]]' ''[[New Funnies]]'', an anthology comic that featured a number of other Lantz characters.<ref name=Toonpedia /> Eventually, Woody became the star of ''New Funnies'',<ref name=Toonpedia /> leading to ''Woody Woodpecker'' solo comics appearing as part of [[Dell Comics]]' ''[[Four Color Comics]]'' [[One-shot (comics)|one-shot]] series, beginning in 1947.<ref>''Four Color Comics'' #169 (Dell, Oct. 1947).</ref>

''Walter Lantz Woody Woodpecker'' became an independent comic book (starting with issue #16 to reflect the earlier appearances in ''Four Color'') in Dec. 1952-Jan. 1953.<ref>''Walter Lantz Woody Woodpecker'' (Dell, Dec. 1952-Jan. 1953).</ref> It ran for 201 issues, published by Dell and then [[Western Publishing]] ([[Whitman Comics|Whitman]]/[[Gold Key Comics|Gold Key]]), lasting until 1983.<ref>[https://www.comics.org/series/11943/ "Walter Lantz Woody Woodpecker (Western, 1962 series)"], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved June 20, 2021.</ref>

Woody's niece and nephew Splinter and Knothead first made their appearances in the comics,<ref>''New Funnies'' #182 (April 1952).</ref> later appearing in the cartoons.<ref name=Toonpedia />

Notable creators involved with the ''Woody Woodpecker'' comic included [[Carl Fallberg]], [[Paul Murry]], [[Tony Strobl]], [[Frank Thomas (comics)|Frank Thomas]], and in the European comics, [[Freddy Milton]].<ref name=Toonpedia>Markstein, Don. [http://www.toonopedia.com/woody.htm Woody Woodpecker], ''Don Markstein's Toonpedia''. Retrieved June 20, 2021.</ref>

Woody also starred in a short-lived [[comic strip]], syndicated by Consolidated News Features, in the early 1950s.<ref name=Toonpedia />

Foreign-language versions of the Woody Woodpecker comic were published in many European countries, most actively in Sweden ("Hacke Hackspett"), the Netherlands, France, and Italy ("Picchiarello").

==Video games==
Several Woody Woodpecker video games were released for [[Mega Drive]]/Genesis, [[PlayStation]], [[PlayStation 2]], [[Microsoft Windows]], [[Game Boy Color]], [[Game Boy Advance]], [[3DO Interactive Multiplayer]] and [[iOS]]:
* ''Woody Woodpecker #1'', ''Woody Woodpecker #2'', and ''Woody Woodpecker #3'' (1994) for the 3DO
* ''[[Férias Frustradas do Pica-Pau]]'' (translation: ''Woody Woodpecker Frustrated Vacation'') (1996) for Mega Drive and Master System (made by [[Tectoy]], sold only in [[Brazil]])
* ''[[Woody Woodpecker Racing]]'' (2000) for PlayStation, Windows, and GBC
* ''[[Woody Woodpecker: Escape from Buzz Buzzard Park]]'' (2001) for GBC, Windows, and PS2
* ''[[Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure]]'' (2001) for GameCube
* ''[[Crazy Castle series|Woody Woodpecker in Crazy Castle 5]]'' (2002) for GBA
* ''Woody Woodpecker: Wacky Challenge'' (2010) for mobile phone
* ''Woody Woodpecker In Waterfools'' (2010) for mobile phone
* ''Woody Woodpecker (App)'' (2012) for iOS

[[Mattel]] purchased the rights for a Woody Woodpecker [[Intellivision]] game, and Grace Stafford recorded new dialog for the game, but was not completed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.intellivisionlives.com/bluesky/games/credits/voice2.shtml |title=Intellivision Lives |publisher=Intellivision Lives |date=October 15, 1982 |access-date=May 7, 2017 |archive-date=November 1, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051101052544/http://www.intellivisionlives.com/bluesky/games/credits/voice2.shtml |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Maruhon]] has released a series of [[pachinko]] games in Japan.

Woody Woodpecker appears as a park mascot in a Universal Studios themed Minecraft DLC map. [https://x.com/Minecraft/status/1736830446204325996 [2<nowiki>]</nowiki>]

==See also==
* [[Walter Lantz Productions|List of Walter Lantz cartoons]]
* [[List of Walter Lantz cartoon characters]]

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051210135958/http://www.woodywoodpecker.com/ Official Universal Pictures Woody Woodpecker site]
* {{YouTube|channel=UCB2aeGGPNj7l5Z71bYNqX-Q}}
* [http://www.toonopedia.com/woody.htm Woody Woodpecker] at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20151205233709/http://lantz.goldenagecartoons.com/profiles/woody/ Woody Woodpecker profile] at the Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia
* [https://archive.org/details/woody_woodpecker_pantry_panic Watch Woody Woodpecker in the public domain ''Pantry Panic'' (1941)]
* [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0153922/ Woody Woodpecker on the Internet Movie Database]

{{Woody Woodpecker}}
{{Kay Kyser}}
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