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Droopy Dog is an Animated Cartoon Character , an anthropomorphic Basset Hound , created by Tex Avery for theatrical cartoon shorts produced by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Cartoon Studio in 1943 . Essentially the polar opposite of Avery's other famous MGM character, the loud and wacky Screwy Squirrel , Droopy moved slowly and lethargically, spoke in a jowly monotone, and, though he didn't look like much, was shrewd enough to outwit his enemies. The character first appeared, nameless, in Avery's 1943 cartoon ''Dumb-hounded''. Though he would not be called "Droopy" onscreen until his fifth cartoon, ''Señor Droopy'' (1949), the character was officially first labeled Happy Hound, a name used in the character's appearances in '' Our Gang Comics''. After the demise of the ''Droopy'' series in 1958, the character has been revived several times for new productions, often Television Shows also featuring MGM's other famous cartoon stars, Tom And Jerry . HISTORY Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Droopy first appeared in the MGM Cartoon ''Dumb-Hounded'', released by MGM on March 20 , 1943 which is considered one of Avery's best works by animation scholars. Droopy's first scene is when he saunters into view, looks at the audience, and declares "hello all you happy people...you know what? I'm the hero." In the cartoon, Droopy is tracking an escaped convict and is always waiting for the crook wherever he turns up. Avery had used a similar gag in his 1941 '' Merrie Melodies '' short '' Tortoise Beats Hare '' Short . In fact, this cartoon shows that early ideas about Droopy's personality were already germinating, as that film's Cecil Turtle is very similar in character to Droopy. Droopy's , a Cowboy , a Deputy , an Heir , or a Dixieland -loving everyday Joe with equal ease. One of Droopy's traits is his incredible strength, given his dimunitive stature and unassuming looks and personality, but only when he was upset, and then he would monotone, "You know what? That makes me mad," prior to tossing the hapless villain of the piece over his head many times. In most of his cartoons, Droopy matches wits with either a slick anthropomorphic Wolf (the Wolf character "portrays" the crooks in both ''Dumb-hounded'' and its semi-remake, ''Northwest Hounded Police'' (1946)) or a bulldog (alternately named "Spike" or "Butch") with a Gaelic accent. Two Droopy cartoons - ''The Shooting of Dan McGoo'' and ''Wild and Wolfy'' - also feature appearances from the curvy heroine of Avery's '' Red Hot Riding Hood '' (1943) as a damsel in distress being pursued by the Wolf. Three later Droopy cartoons - ''Three Little Pups'' (1953), ''Blackboard Jumble'' (1957), and ''Sheep Wrecked'' (1958) - feature a slow-moving southern wolf character. Voiced by Daws Butler in a dialect he later used for Hanna-Barbera 's Huckleberry Hound , this wolf was a more deadpan character with a tendency to whistle " Jubalio " to himself. Avery took a year-long break from MGM from 1950 to 1951, during which time Dick Lundy took over his unit to do one Droopy cartoon, ''Caballero Droopy'', and several '' Barney Bear '' cartoons. Avery returned in late 1951 and continued with Droopy and his one-shots until the Avery unit was dissolved by MGM in 1953. Michael Lah, an Avery animator, stayed on long enough to help William Hanna and Joseph Barbera complete ''Deputy Droopy'' after Avery had left the studio. Lah himself then left MGM, but returned in 1955 to direct CinemaScope Droopy cartoons costarring Spike and Jubalio Wolf. His short ''One Droopy Knight'' (1957) was nominated for the 1957 Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons). However, by the time of ''One Droopy Knight'''s release in December 1957, the MGM cartoon studio had been closed for six months, a casualty of corporate downsizing. Later appearances In 1980 , Filmation produced a series of lower-budget Droopy shorts for television as part of a new Tom and Jerry show, with Frank Welker and producer Lou Scheimer alternating as the voice of the hound. In the shorts, '' Tummy Trouble '', '' Roller Coaster Rabbit '', and '' Trail Mix-Up '' (played by Williams in the first short and by Corey Burton in the latter two). Droopy also appears in the 2006 cartoon series '' Tom And Jerry Tales ''. voiced by Don Brown . A three-issue Droopy comic book miniseries was released in the mid-1990s by Dark Horse Comics . Matt Groening has stated that he based '' The Simpsons '' character Hans Moleman on Droopy. Jon Stewart , host of Comedy Central's news parody '' The Daily Show With Jon Stewart '', has taken to imitating Connecticut senator and 2000 Democratic vice-presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman with Droopy Dog's voice and mannerisms. In the eary 2000s, Droopy appeared in a Cartoon Network short entitled ''Thanks a Latté,'' in which he works at a coffee shop, and tricks a greedy wolf into giving him a tip. During the same period, Droopy was also featured in an episode of Adult Swim 's Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law , seeking a settlement after a cosmetic surgeon injected him with too much Botox . In a listens for a moment as well, hearing the voice of Droopy reading a sentence that begins, "As her buttery maple pelvis gyrated..." In the Manga and Anime series '' Dragonball '', by Akira Toriyama , Droopy makes a surprise guest appearance as the abbot of the Buddhist monastery that hosts the "Strongest Under Heaven" Martial Arts tournament. Before the fights begin, Abbot Droopy delivers, in his trademark deadpan, this bit of Zen Wisdom: "Woof." MGM FILMOGRAPHY DVD RELEASES On May 15, 2007, versions regularly broadcast on television.Back of DVD box for ''Tex Avery's Droopy: The Complete Theatrical Collection''. SEE ALSO
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